#before Jack got home and she glued herself to him | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

strawbeerossi · 10 months

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Daydreaming || 2/3 ||

Part one || Part three

Pairing: Fem!Reader x Aaron Hotchner

Description: A few months after the birthday party and numerous text messages, phone calls and dates, Aaron decides that it’s time for the next step; making reader his official girlfriend.

Content Warning: Fluffy fluff fluff, Dave and Aaron talk about reader in his office, the two boys are their biggest cheerleaders, there are some mentions of Haley, reader and Aaron go to dinner, mentioned wine consumption, all sealed off with a kiss.

Word Count: 2.3K

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This took me forever, oops.

Aaron never thought he’d be able to enjoy another woman’s company after the death of Haley. It was intimidating, having to go out into the world and face new women and start over again. He would joke with Dave, saying it was silly how he could hunt down the most despicable of people but when it came to beautiful women, he locked up.

It had gotten to a point where in the past, he would have the other male accompany him out on the town, where they would enjoy some time and David would work as hard as possible to set him up with someone.

Normally, those attempts ended in nothing, any form of a relationship fizzling out of existence after they realized just how chaotic Aaron’s job could be. He couldn’t say he blamed anyone for changing their minds after they got a taste of the life he and his son lived.

Y/N really made his outlook change on the dating scene entirely. She understood him. They confided in one another as their trust and mutual attraction grew, the two exchanging numbers after the birthday party where they both met was a big factor in keeping them in contact. The two were moving at a slow pace, easing their way into a new relationship.

After what both of them had been through before, they were giving one another more than enough time to grow comfortable with the idea of dating again. They spent time together on coffee dates, dinner dates, even spending time together when their children had playdates.

The male truly believed that she was sent by Haley herself, the woman always wanting to make sure that Aaron and Jack were well taken care of. It helped that if she was still alive, those two would’ve loved one another, they were similar in small ways yet it was something that gave a sense of familiarity.

When Aaron wasn’t busy on a case, he found himself sitting in his home or office, a wide smile on his face as he was exchanging texts with the woman he’d grown so fond of.

He had found himself looking forward to her texts as well as her calls at the end of the evening.

Like today, it was a quiet day for the BAU, giving them the opportunity to finish filing some completed case files, finish paperwork, or talk amongst one another.

They went with the latter.

“Have you noticed how Hotch is always on his phone?” Derek asked, bringing the blue coffee cup to his lips as all the eyes in the bullpen were looking at the open blinds of the unit chief’s office, revealing a big smile on Aaron’s face as his eyes were glued to his phone screen.

Everyone had taken notice.

“He’s smiled at that phone more than I’m sure he’s smiled here.” Emily was the next to comment, making Spencer shrug his shoulders. “He smiles at it everyday, it’s probably more than he’s smiled in his entire life. I’d say that there’s something, rather someone, is bringing it out of him.”

“But who?” JJ asked, an eyebrow raising. Cue David Rossi making his appearance. “What are we looking at?” The older man asked, stopping by the desk with a clear view of Aaron’s office. “Do you know if Hotch has a girlfriend?” Emily inquired, not beating around the bush.

“Not that I know of. Now that you mention it, he has been.. Quite smiley lately.” It had Dave’s eyebrow raising in curiosity. Well, now he had to ask. It would’ve been a crime if he didn’t do that.

That was how Aaron found himself shut up in his office, phone resting against his desk as Dave was coming in strong. “What’s her name?” The question had the unit chief chuckling as he was leaning back against his chair. “Excuse me?” He asked, an eyebrow perched.

“What is her name, Aaron! You can’t hide her from us forever.” He repeated, a smile forming on the male’s face. Dave had been waiting for this moment for a while, so he had to know.

“Fine, fine. You remember Jack’s little best friend? Well, I met his mom a couple months ago,” The way he was spilling all the information had the other male sitting in the chair across from him, looking as invested as a teenage girl who was hearing the hottest gossip with her best friend. “Tell me about her,” Dave pressed on.

“She’s a sweet woman, Dave. Really compassionate and caring. It helps that she understands the intricacies of our job. If you want me to be fully honest.. I think she’s perfect. Not just for me but for Jack as well. Her son Finn is a little troublemaker with Jack.” He grinned, now ready to tell him everything he could.

The sight of the oldest members of the team continuing to talk in the office had the rest of the team looking between each other. “Maybe one of us just should’ve asked. By the looks of Rossi, they are gonna be in there all day.” Derek spoke up while chuckling.

As the day was starting to come to an end though, Aaron was grabbing his coat from his chair before he was getting prepared to leave the office. The team found it suspicious that the man who used to essentially live at the BAU was actually going home, presumably to bask in the company of the secret companion he was hiding away.

They wouldn’t be too far off. Thankfully, Y/N had already found a babysitter for Finn, which Jack was having a sleepover over at the Y/L/N house, judging by how the night went, Aaron would be staying too. However, he wouldn't get too far ahead of himself.

He went home first, getting changed from his work suit into a sleek, black ensemble. He got these reservations weeks ago, so he was putting forth every ounce of effort. Tonight would be the night where he made things official, god willing.

He knew that Y/N was the one for him and he knew that he loved her and Finn with his full heart. He knew Jack would be more than happy to welcome the woman and her son permanently into their lives.

That’s why Aaron stopped to get a bouquet of flowers, beautiful red roses that would no doubt bring a smile to the woman’s face. He had gotten to the familiar apartment, fist knocking against the door. His eyes scanned the hallway, feeling the chilly air of the evening hitting his exposed skin.

The moment the door opened though, he felt as if the wind was knocked out of him completely. There stood Y/N, her hair curled to perfection while wearing a velvety black dress, coming down to her mid thigh. It was enough to make the black haired man let his eyes do a slow sweep of her figure. “You look…” He began.

“It’s too much, isn’t it?”

Well, too many clothes.

“‘Course not. You look gorgeous. It’s a formal restaurant, so you’re perfectly within the dress code.” Aaron was quick to assure, a smile gracing his features as he was holding out the roses, to which the woman was letting out a breath she didn’t know she was holding in. One of relief.

As she took the roses in her hands, she was smiling fondly. “Thank you, Aaron. They are gorgeous.” Her words were soft. “Off we go, hmm?” She smiled, her arm linking with his as the two were on the way to the male’s car.

The drive to the restaurant was filled with light chit chat, discussing their days at work as well as other plans they had for the rest of the week all the while being accompanied by the sounds of the soft music from the radio playing in the background.

The restaurant was packed, as expected. The waitlist for reservations could extend to weeks or even months, that was why the male was so lucky he had placed these reservations a while ago. “Table for two under Hotchner,” Aaron began, the two standing in front of the hostess.

As the woman scrolled through the tablet with what seemed like a million names on it, she was offering a smile. “Aaron Hotchner. We have a table available, follow me please.” She instructed, the man’s hand resting on Y/N’s lower back as they were navigating through the fairly busy restaurant to get to their table.

It was right in front of one of the windows, giving a nice view of the brightly lit town center.

Nervous was an understatement.

It wasn’t like he was proposing but the thought of asking the beautiful woman in front of him to be his girlfriend was enough to have him sweating.

A man who profiles the worst people in the United States with no issue was nervous about asking a woman who was loving, caring, and sweet to be his girlfriend.

“So, Finn was telling me that he and Jack had to be separated in class. Did you get the email too?” She asked, breaking the silence between them while laughing softly. “They got split up in class?” He asked, thankful to be torn from his thoughts. “I haven’t even checked. They are chatterboxes, we both know that. I assume that's why.” He chuckled.

“Right on the nose. Apparently they’ve been too busy planning sleepovers and talking about Spider-Man to focus on the lesson.” Y/N laughed, her eyes scanning the menu in her hand. “Those two boys are something else. Although, Jack told me something very sweet today when I picked the two up from school.”

Knowing Jack, he already spilled the surprise of what tonight was. “What did he say?” He asked, placing his menu down to give her his full attention.

“He told me that he loved me. Melted my heart completely.”

Jack loves her. That’s more than enough confirmation.

“He did?” There was a wide smile gracing his features. “That’s awesome! You’ve wiggled your way into his heart with no problem. It’s honestly a huge relief.” He admitted, the two smiling in admiration at one another. This was what Aaron and Jack needed. A woman who would love them unconditionally. Finn was an added bonus, giving Jack a brother and Aaron a second son to give his love and devotion to.

Dinner was pleasant, the two laughing and delving into more deep conversations over a nice glass of red wine, a little bit of suggestive dialogue being slipped in as the two grew more comfortable talking to one another.

As they were arriving back at her apartment and Aaron walked Y/N to the front door, her hands were digging through her clutch to find her house keys. “Thank you so much for tonight, Aaron. Every date we go on is always.. Perfect.” A smile was on her face, now looking at the man who looked nervous in front of her.

It’s now or never, Hotchner.

“Hey, Y/N. Can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“We’ve been going out on dates these past few months and the more I’ve gotten to know you, the more that I realize that you’ve been what Jack and I are missing,” He began, heart threatening to beat out of his chest. “He truly adores you and he loves Finn. I have to admit that I am falling more and more in love with you each time I see you.”

The admission had Y/N’s cheeks turning red, eyes glossing over with tears. Not bad tears, rather tears of joy, realizing that this wasn’t one sided. “I feel the same way about you, Aaron. You make me feel safe, like I belong. I never thought I would be able to find that again. Finn looks up to you so much, he even wants to be an FBI agent because of you.” The tears were falling freely, a smile on her face.

“He does?” Aaron let out a laugh, his own eyes starting to blink away a few tears. Tears of relief, relief that she was in the same boat as he was. “The thought of settling down has always scared me.” The male admitted. “My job is dangerous, time consuming, and it makes it hard to keep a steady relationship.”

Y/N was wiping her tears while offering a sweet smile, filled with reassurance.”I’ll always be here for you and Jack, no matter how busy your job gets.” She assured, her hand reaching to take his right one. “I love you and I love Jack.”

The weight of the world was lifted off of Aaron’s shoulders, much like it was lifted off Y/N’s. “And I’ll always be here for you and Finn.” He whispered in assurance, a fond smile gracing his features. “I love you and I love Finn.” He parroted.

This was the right moment to do it, so Y/N went for it. She was leaning up, her lips pressed against Aaron’s. The kiss was slow, yet there was an outpour of love and longing. As they parted ways, they were both reduced to soft laughter.

“It took us forever to do this.” The man joked, making the woman in front of him giggle. “Too damn long.” She corrected his words while pressing a kiss against the underside of his jaw, smiling against his skin.

“I need to formally ask this. Will you be my girlfriend, Y/N?” Aaron’s voice was soft, the smile on his face radiating a warmth in her chest.

“You really have to ask, Hotchner? Of course I’ll be your girlfriend. Now come inside.. It’s a little cold and I don't think I can bear to send you on your way.” She sighed dramatically, unlocking the front door before being unable to help a soft squeal that left her lips when Aaron was playfully tossing her over his shoulder.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

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stephstars08 · 11 months

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Still Alive ~ Chapter Four

Ethan Landry x Reader

Warnings: Murder, Violence, Weapons, Adult Language, Parent Issues, Nightmares, Trauma, Death Threats, Angst, A tiny bit of Fluff, Blood, Ghostface Attack, and Stabbing. (Sorry if I forgot any!)

Word Count: 2,540

Author’s Note: Hello Again Everyone! Happy to say that this chapter is finally when the action starts to begin!!! I wanted to tell you all now that I am currently writing another scream fanfic however this is in a universe where there is no ghostface! It takes place in high school. It’s based off the song called Teenage Dirtbag. It’s a Ethan x Reader story again. I will say it won’t be ready to post for a while since I’ve got a lot going on in my personally life so my writing process is slowed at the moment. I have a Jack Champion one shot in mind that includes some of the Avatar cast. I do want to write some Avatar stories as well which I know will be a challenge that I’m up for! Anyways, thank you to the ones who are reading this and the story! I hope you enjoy this chapter and next chapter will be posted Sunday!

When Chad brought Sam into the apartment Y/N was sitting with Ethan on the chair while Quinn was sitting on the couch with Mindy and Anika. Tara was sitting on a different chair by herself. Everyone had a worried gaze on the TV. A guy who lives downstairs followed Sam which Quinn noticed right away. “Cute boy. Nice!” Quinn said to Sam with a nod of her head. “What’s going on?” Sam asked with worry in her tone. Chad just pointed at the television.

“I’m standing in front of the apartment building where the mutilated bodies were found.” The reporter said. Everyone in the room had their eyes glued to the screen. “Their names have been released by the police. Jason Carvey, and Greg-.” The reporter said but before the group could listen to the last name of the other victim Mindy spoke. “Holy shit, that’s that chod from our film studies class! The one obsessed with Orchento.” Mindy said to Tara in a surprised tone. “Also found at the scene were various Ghostface costumes, the character popularized by the ‘Stab’ movie franchise.” The reporter said.

Y/N felt her whole-body tense up. She quickly thought back to the party. That guy who was dressed as Ghostface. Could that have been one of them? Did they go and kill those guys and head right to the party acting like it was nothing? She jumped a little when she felt an arm wrap around her shoulders but quickly relaxed when she realized it was just Ethan. He gave her a comforting smile which helped her relax. She returned the smile but also felt a strong glare on them. When she looked over, she noticed it was Quinn looking at them with a glare. When their eyes met Quinn looked away and back to the television. Y/N is close to everyone in this room but Quinn. She feels like Quinn has a huge problem with her and she has no idea why.

“Pack a bag, we leave in ten.” Sam told Tara in a stern tone and walked out of the room. “Sam! Wait, Sam!” Tara called out as she quickly stood up. “We’re getting out of the city.” Sam called out from the kitchen. “What?” Cute boy said with a mixture of confusion and concern in his tone. “Thank you, very much suspicious new guy, but I think we can handle it from here. Have a good night, get home safe.” Chad said as he pushed the guy out of the apartment and shut the door.

Tara called out to Sam again. Sam grabbed a knife and walked back into the living room. “Sam wh-what, hold on.” Tara said with panic in her tone because of her sister holding a huge kitchen knife. “Come on.” Sam said to her, acting all calm. “Hold on, wait, let’s talk about this for a second.” Tara started. “Cause’ this-this might not have anything to do with us.” Tara explained stumbling over her words again. “Are you serious?” Sam said she was starting to get annoyed with her sister again. “You knew him!” Sam hissed pointing at the TV. “Barely.” Tara hissed back.

“Chad, Mindy, Y/N, back me up.” Sam called out to them trying to get some sense into Tara. “I mean it is a little bit- “Chad started to say shuffling his feet around. “Close to home.” Mindy said finishing Chad’s sentence. Everyone then looked at Y/N which made her sigh. Why does she have to be a part of this fucked up situation? “As being the daughter of a former Woodsboro cop who went through this shit like a hundred times. This can’t be just a coincidence.” Y/N explained to Tara with a serious look in her eyes. “See!” Sam told Tara.

“Quinn, your dad’s a cop, right?” Tara asked looking over at Quinn. “Can you call him and find out what’s going on?” Tara added on. “Before you make the unilateral decision to abandon my college education and flee the fucking state!” Tara snapped looking back at Sam with a nasty glare in her eyes. “I’m calling him now.” Quinn said, putting her phone up to her ear. She stood up from the couch and walked into a different room.

The room was all quiet till Sam’s phone started to ring, making the whole room tense up. Sam walked over to her phone that was on the dining table. “Who is it?” Y/N asked trying to not sound scared but didn’t do a very good job. “Your mom.” Sam said relieved seeing the name ‘Gale Weathers’ flashing on her phone. “Hit fucking decline!” Y/N hissed now angry and annoyed.

Sam did exactly what she told her to do. Y/N knew her mom just called Sam to ask her for a comment about the latest murders. Y/N feels like her mom cares more about her stupid ass career than anything. Quinn came running back into the room. “Sam, my dad wants to talk to you.” Quinn said, handing her phone over to Sam. Sam let out a sigh as she took the phone.

As Sam talked on the phone with Detective Bailey the whole room was silent which made Y/N slip deep into her thoughts. Of course, she was thinking about this new Ghostface, but she was also thinking about her careless mother. A normal mom would call her daughter up to ask if she and her friends are okay. Not to call up one of them to ask them questions about the fucking murder. Y/N really wished that her dad was here with her. If he was here, she knows she would feel a whole lot safer. Y/N broke out of her thoughts when Sam spoke.

“Detective Bailey needs me to come down to the station.” Sam said giving the phone back to Quinn after she changed her shirt really quick. Sam grabbed her phone putting it into her back pocket. She also grabbed her jacket and keys and walked out of the apartment. Tara grabbed her jacket and quickly followed Sam.

“I’ll be right back.” Y/N said as she stood up. “Where are you going?” Ethan asked her. “I need to go give my mom a special call.” Y/N said, taking her phone out of her pocket and walked into the kitchen. “Expect to hear some yelling.” Mindy warned everyone as she let out a sigh.

~~~~~~~~~~

It was the next day and Y/N was completely exhausted due to the lack of sleep. Right when she and Mindy got back home to their apartment, they got a call from Tara saying her and Sam got attacked by Ghostface. She reassured them that she and Sam didn’t get hurt and were at the police station for questioning. That was one of the reasons why Y/N didn’t get enough sleep. It was like every time she closed her eyes, she had a nightmare, and they were worse than before.

Since she knew that they would continue to the point where she wouldn’t be able to sleep at all she gave Sam a call when she got up this morning asking for the number of the therapist she’d been seeing. Sam gave her the number and then mentioned to her that they had a run in with her mom outside the police station which had her fuming. Why won’t her mom just fucking listen to her? After she ended the phone call with Sam, she gave the therapist a call and was able to get an appointment this afternoon since he had a cancellation.

Y/N was sitting in the plaza on the school campus with the whole group. Y/N was sitting in between Ethan and Tara. Tara was sitting next to Chad while Sam, Anika, and Quinn sat on a bench together. Mindy was standing in front of everyone. “Already nerds, listen up!” Mindy said as she clapped her hands together.

“As terrifying as this all is, I’m actually glad I get a chance to redeem myself for not calling the killers last time.” Mindy said with disappointment at the end of her sentence. Y/N rolled her eyes. She didn’t even want to be there, but Mindy made her. “It’s fine.” Mindy said quickly, changing her mood. “The way I see it, someone is out to make a sequel to the requel.” Mindy told everyone. Anika raised her hand. “Um, what’s a requel?” Anika asked in a curious and innocent tone. “You’re beautiful sweetie, let’s hold questions ‘till the end.” Mindy said to her girlfriend as Anika put her hand down. “Stab one took place in Woodsboro, Stab two took place in college.” Sam chimed in. “Do we think that the killer is trying to copy the movies?” Tara asked in a curious tone. “That is one possibility.” Mindy said, pointing at Tara.

“Hero’s now in college, check. Suspicious new characters brought in to round the suspect list and/or body count, check, check, and check.” Mindy explained by pointing to Quinn, Anika, and then Ethan. “I don’t like this!” Ethan said with a mixture of fear and nervousness in his tone. Y/N could tell that his heart was racing so she took one of his hands into hers and gave it a light squeeze. “Hey, it’s okay. Relax.” Y/N told him in a calm tone as she gave him a smile. “Okay.” Ethan said with a nod as he looked into her eyes, which were helping him calm down. “Hey lovebirds.” Mindy called out getting their attention. “May I continue?” Mindy asked with a stern look in her eyes. “Yes, please continue.” Y/N said in annoyance as she shot a glare at Mindy. Mindy was really getting on her nerves today.

“As I was saying, it can’t just be about Stab two.” Mindy said, getting back to her lecture. “Why not?” Tara asked her. “It would make sense if that were just a sequel, because nobody just makes sequels anymore!” Mindy said as excitement started to build up inside of her. “Don’t say, don’t say, don’t say it!” Y/N mumbled out. “We’re in a franchise!” Mindy said, throwing both of her arms up into the air. “There it is.” Y/N said with a groan. “And there are certain rules to a continuing franchise.” Mindy told them. “I had a feeling.” Sam said with a sigh.

“Rule one, everything is bigger than last time! Bigger budge, bigger cast, bigger body count, longer chases, shoot outs, beheadings, gotta top what came before to keep people coming back.” Mindy said starting to list off the rules of horror movies. “Beheadings?” Chad asked looking up from the notebook he was writing in. “Beheadings.” Mindy told him with a point of the finger.

“Rule two, whatever happened last time, expect the opposite. Franchises only survive by subverting expectations, and if the killers last time were whiny snowflake film nerds with letterboxed accounts instead of personalities, you can bet the opposite will be true here.” Mindy said explaining rule two. Mindy was starting to give Y/N a headache.

“And rule three, no one is safe.” Mindy said in a stern tone. “Legacy character, cannon folder at this point. Usually brought back only to be killed off in some cheap bid for nostalgia.” Mindy said it in a much nicer tone than before. “It’s not looking good for Gale and Kirby.” Mindy said with sadness which made now made Y/N’s heart rate speed up. “Woah, hold on!” Y/N said before Mindy could continue.

“You’re telling me that my mom is on the list to get butchered.” Y/N said in a worried tone. “Like I said, no one is safe.” Mindy told her which struck Y/N’s last nerve. “You know what, I’m done!” Y/N said standing up which made her let go of Ethan’s hand that she actually didn’t even realize she was still holding onto. “Y/N, I’m just- “Mindy started to say but Y/N immediately cut her off. “NO!” Y/N yelled making everyone in the group jump.

“I lost two family members because of this Ghostface shit!” Y/N said with anger as she picked up her bag from the ground. “This isn’t a fucking movie, Mindy; this is real fucking life. I’m not going to fucking sit here and let you tell me I’m going to lose more people, especially my mom.” Y/N told her in a snappy tone and walked away from her friends. Yes, she may be super pissed at her mom and doesn’t want to talk to her but she’s still her mom and doesn’t want to see another family member killed. Ethan wanted to follow her, but he knew that she most likely wanted to be alone to cool off. Everyone was in complete shock because they had never seen Y/N like that before. She finally let her friends see all of the anger and frustration that had been building up inside of her.

~~~~~~~~~~

Y/N went back to her apartment to cool down and take some medicine for headache. She relaxed a little bit till she had to go to her appointment. Y/N decided to just walk since it really wasn’t that far of a walk. When Y/N got to the address she saw the front door was wide open and a body was just lying there. As she walked closer and closer to the door her heartrate kept speeding up. When she got to the door she gasped in complete horror. The therapist was laying on the ground. His face was all bloody, it looked like he was stabbed through the face.

Y/N stepped into the house to get a better view but that turned out to be a huge mistake because she was grabbed from behind. As Y/N struggled she noticed the familiar black sparkly gloves holding onto her tightly. “Get off me you motherfucker!” Y/N hissed as she used all of her strength to back Ghostface into the wall which made them let go of her.

Y/N ran into what seemed like the living room to find some kind of weapon. Before she could grab anything, she felt something sharp going into her shoulder making her scream in pain. She fell to the hard wood floor after Ghostface took their knife out of her now bleeding shoulder. Ghostface kept trying to stab her legs, but she kept kicking them away as she held onto her shoulder wound.

Ghostface finally had enough of her, so they grabbed her by the neck and pushed her up against the wall. Y/N struggled to breathe as they held tightly onto her throat. “Say hi to daddy for me!” Ghostface said into their voice changer as they raised their knife. Before Ghostface could stab her with the bloody knife a gunshot rang out. Ghostface dropped her and quickly fled the house. Y/N groaned in pain as her ass hit the hard wood floor.

“Hey Y/N.” She heard a familiar voice say. When she looked up, she saw Kirby. “Kirby!” Y/N said in a relieved tone. “It’s okay, I got you.” Kirby said walking over to her helping her up from the floor. “Where did they get you?” Kirby asked with concern. “In the shoulder.” Y/N answered in pain as she let Kirby help her out of the house.

*Tags*

@sweetirilly @aqellano @igotmajordaddyissues @athenalive @hotweeb @ghostlyboiii @marshallowy

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whoahoney · 1 year

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A Girl Called Honey Pt. 2

Eddie Munson x Trailer Trash!Reader

Part 1

Summary: Eddie begins to see through the cracks in the walls Honey built around herself, little by little

CW: 18+ mature themes & language, mentions of abuse, depictions of poverty, trauma, drug use, Juniors got a gun, slight angst, a little fluff, and Eddie’s pervy thoughts

A/N: this took me forever to finish, this chapter has been so many things before this final form, so Im posting it before I decide I hate it 💀 we’re gonna get into their backstory soon, I promise! Thank you to my pal @boomhauer for inspiring this story, go check out her masterlist bc Disjointed is a MUST READ!

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“HONEY!” Jun called to the house one evening as he arrived home from work with the kids. He was the first one out of the truck, bolting to the porch and almost running into his sister who burst out of the house, shushing him profusely.

Eddie stuck his head out the door, passing it off as if he were checking on Wayne who smoked a cigarette on the porch couch. The old man held out his pack of cigarettes, wordlessly inviting him to sit next to him.

“I swear ta God—If you wake up the babies, I’m gonna—“

“—They needa wake up, anyway, or they ain’t gonna sleep later! ‘sides, look at what I picked up off the side of the road!”

“Please don’t tell me you found another deer, I don’t wanna do that again.” Honey whined defeatedly.

“S’not a deer!” Aaron called from the back of the pickup, Junior made Honey cover her eyes before joining him. Honey peeked from behind her fingers, glancing over to Eddie’s porch and blushing at his gaze on hers as he smoked. He smiled, sending her a wink that almost had her weak in the knees.

She squeezed her eyes shut. “What is it, Jun, I got dinner on the stove!”

Cal ran around the front of the vehicle with wide eager eyes ready to explain, “Jun worked on a roof in Loch Nora, the fanciest neighborhood here, and the owners had this—“

“What did y’all take?!” She shrilled, eyes popping open as she tried to get off the porch before they could unload the mystery object.

“They were gettin’ rid of it—it had a sign and all, right Jun?” Aaron hollered over the top of the truck as he strained and the ear piercing screech of metal against metal reverberated throughout the lot. The smaller kids clamped their hands over their ears until it stopped.

Cal finally let Honey down the steps so she could see from the side of the yard, her eyes widening as it hit her, her hands flew over her mouth as she began to practically bounce in excitement. “Oh my god!”

“Your very own dryer!” Jun tapped the top lovingly.

“Wha—Jack! Jack are you messin? Does it really work? Don’t fuck with me, I mean it— if this is just another one of those jokes—“ She pleaded as her eyes stayed glued to the seemingly untouched machine.

“—Yeah, yeah, it works and everything! The owner lady said she wanted a different color for her house, can you believe it? I went and got the vent hook up and everything. Now we just gotta… figure out how the hell we’re s’ppossd to get it down...” He put his hands on his head and tried to figure out from his options of Cal or Janie which would be the most useful.

Aaron’s eyes shifted to Eddie the same moment Wayne tapped his shoulder and stood. “C’mon, boy, time to be neighborly.” Eddie followed without hesitation. Honey turned quickly at her siblings' gazes falling on the approaching figures behind her.

“We can lend a hand.” Wayne nodded at Junior, who nodded back respectfully.

Honey watched them with eager eyes raking over the pristine powder coated white. The knobs were intact and the labels were clear as day! No dents, no scratches— it looked like it came right out of a store. To Honey, it might as well have been.

Eddie hopped up in the bed of the pickup with Aaron while Jun and Wayne surveyed the situation from the sides and found the best spots to grab. “Alright, boys,” Jun started, “If y’all will just scoot it till ‘bout midway, then jump down to help us ease it offa there?”

Honey made her way back up to the porch, thankful she didn’t get roped into doing the heavy lifting again. It had been so long since she had a dryer, sometimes not having the washer at her disposal either. Gone were the days of scrubbing at the blood and mud stains on their clothes in the old sink back home. Gone were the days of frozen britches standing up against the wall in the winter time.

She looked into the house, only having to worry about clearing the way to the laundry room.

After lots of cussing and smashed fingers, the men got the dryer in the house, and all hooked up.

Wayne, being more lithe than Jun, settled himself between the two machines and the wall to cut the hole in the drywall for the vent. Eddie watched from the door way, seeing Honey’s giddy eyes watching them as they worked.

Eddie took the opportunity to take in the home, smiling at the ways it resembled his own; an ugly old couch, stained carpet, peeling linoleum in the kitchen, and smoke stains lining the walls. The little fridge was covered in magnets, art work and graded homework displayed for all to see. It all made his heart warm.

The plates in the sink didn’t match, some of which were chipped at the edges. But they were all beautiful with the floral patterns ringing the edges. Eddie turned his attention to the stove, a smoking pot of Mac and cheese sat burning on the burner.

“Uh, Honey?” He asked calmly, turning to the eager girl sitting on the washer as they worked.

“Yeah?” She asked with an easiness in her voice he hadn’t heard yet. And he was about to ruin it.

“Uh, your maca—“

“MY MACARONI!” She cried, jumping off the washer and flying past Eddie to turn off the burner and assess the damage as she attempted to stir the blackened Mac. “Fuck.” She let her head thud against the cabinet in defeat.

“Y’know, it isn’t all that bad.” Eddie tried to say assuringly, peeking into the pot and spotting the hardened shells. “Shit, maybe it is.” He mumbled, a chortle slipping from Honey as she nodded.

“Is it done yet?” Janie hollered from the other room.

“Oh, yeah, it’s done. For sure.” She joked, making Eddie smile, “It’s like a casserole in a way.” She shrugged, straining as she tried to stir the solid blocks of pasta and cheese.

Eddie snorted and took the pot from her, “Allow me.” He walked it outside, Honey following closely behind until he walked down the porch steps and went behind his trailer. She stopped at the corner of her house and cocked her head.

Eddie turned to her when he noticed she was no longer walking with him, “C’mon, I’ll show you.” Her feet moved before she could think about it, walking around the back of his house to see a few mismatched bowls laying around the concrete slab. Eddie flipped the pot over and the giant block plopped onto the ground with a wet thud. They shared a look and wrinkled their noses before they laughed.

Eddie walked back to stand with Honey, the girl turning to leave before he caught her arm. “Wait.” He said quietly. She scrunched her brows at him and looked back to the pile of pasta. In a few moments, one by one, cats crawled out from the tall grass or out from under his trailer, licking at the offering. Honey smiled at the sight, a few kittens milling around the larger cats.

“Aren’t they cute? The most I’ve counted out here at once is 20! People really need to spay and neuter their pets, man. But these guys are pretty cool, I think.”

“I’ve always liked the strays.” She mentioned, leaning against the house and looking to the west, the sun was setting. Tonight it threw magical gradients of orange and pink, half the sky already shrouded in gray blue. The clouds were massive, the colors breaking through the cracks in beaming rays. Honey sighed contently and took it in.

“Me too.” Eddie agreed. “The strays are always the best.”

Eddie looked at her again, glancing to the sunset she admired before looking back to her, his gaze going unnoticed for a few moments much to his delight. This light made her golden. Her eyes were even more spectacular in this moment, like shining, melting ice. Then she looked at him. “What?” She asked.

Eddie shook his head, not bothering to look anywhere else. “Nothing. Just looking at you.” He said.

Honey chuckled and shook her head with pink cheeks. “Alright then.” She stared back at him, noticing how pretty his eyes were in the light too.

“Want me to stop?” He asked. She tried to place the color of his eyes in the sunshine. She used to think his eyes were black, too dark to be brown. But now she knows she was mistaken.

She shook her head, “No.” she said simply.

Eddie’s mouth lifted in a smile. “Good, cause I’m not gonna.” His smile widened when he saw how she rolled her eyes and blushed deeper. He loved how he could make her change colors.

She stared at him a moment longer before it hit her, his eyes reminded her of raw honey right from the pot. She averted her eyes to the ground beneath her bare feet. “C’mon, I gotta fix new supper.” She said, easing back toward the house. Eddie followed her without question.

Before they could make it around the front, they heard Aaron calling for Honey. “Where’d they go?” He muttered.

“Ran off to Mexico.” Honey answered as she turned the corner, making Eddie chuckle as he carried the pot limply at his side.

Aaron chuckled, “Yeah, like you’d ever go back down south.” he said as he went back through the door. Honey rolled her eyes and climbed the steps.

“Next time I burn something, I’ll be sure to feed your cats.” She said without turning around. Eddie smiled as he followed her back inside.

“I think they’d like that a lot.” He said with a smile, placing the pot in the sink and watching her start anew.

“Thank you for your help, Mr. Munson.” Jun said when they were done, offering the old man a glass of ice water and a handshake.

“Anytime, and jus’ call me Wayne.” The older man smiled with his tobacco stained teeth. Honey smiled right back at him, giving him an eager handshake of her own, “Thank you, Mr. Wayne.” She said giddily before running off to start the laundry.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Another day, Aaron walked over and knocked on the screen door, knowing Eddie and Wayne were inside. “Come in!” The old man hollered.

“Hey there, Aaron.” Wayne said as he tied his work boot laces on the coffee table. “What can I do for you?”

“I was just coming to see if you and Eddie—“

“What about Eddie?” Eddie exited the bathroom, looking at Wayne first before he saw Aaron. “Hey, man.”

“Howdy. Honey wanted me to see if y’all wanted to eat supper at our’s tonight.” Eddie’s heart leapt at the offer.

“Oh, I’m about to head out to work, but Ed’s free.” Wayne clapped the boy on the shoulder. “I’m headin out. Be good.” He said like he always did. The screen door snapped shut behind him.

“You wanna eat?” Aaron asked.

“Is that even a real question?” Eddie answered as he headed towards the door.

When he crossed the threshold, Eddie took it all in; the wood paneling, the long worn couch that looked so tempting to sink into, eyeing the long table in the center of the room, pillows thrown around it where they’d sit to eat their meals. He could smell the cheesy hamburger helper simmering on the stove, his mouth watering. Honey stirred the large pots, then checked the oven for her roasted vegetables and dinner rolls.

He smiled when he saw how wild hairs escaped the bandana and bun atop her head, then shifted his gaze to the way she bent over to open the fridge for the butter dish, his favorite part of her greeting him from under her red shorts. He bit back his smirk at the sight.

Before he walked in here, he was looking forward to the canned ravioli he set out. But now all he could think about is the way Honey had something cooking on every burner of the stove, large portions with spices that he’d only describe as homey tickling his senses.

He looked back at the table, traces of the dark brown wood showed through the worn paint. But the green was still prominent and beautiful.

If they were in a larger house, like the Harringtons, a table like this would’ve been compared to one of those traditional Japanese dinner tables, and would perhaps be presented with a sushi spread across the top complete with saki and matching decor. Something rich people would’ve loved to see and experience.

Here, it was just an old table with the legs cut down, but Eddie hadn’t seen a sight that made his heart feel the way it did right now, his heart’s smile reaching his mouth.

Aaron took two couch cushions and tossed them down on two spaces near the end of the table. “S’not much, but, uh, we try to eat together. Honey said something about it keeping us out of jail or somethin’” he shrugged as he settled himself on the floor, Cal joining them on the other side of Aaron with his own bed pillow acting as his seat.

“She said she read a magazine with a statistic that said having family dinners decreases the risk of kids engaging in sexual activity and drugs, so for the past year she makes us all sit down together and eat.” Cal explained easily. Eddie raised his brows at the thought, thinking of how long ago Wayne started the night shift and then tried to remember if he ever ate with his parents.

“Janie! Would you put out the plates, please?” Honey hollered from the other room.

Janie rolled her eyes from the chair she always seemed to occupy and tossed her book back on the shelf. “I guess.” She said exasperatedly, walking to the counter and grabbing the large stack of mismatched plates.

“It’s not like you do it every day, or anything.” Cal said with an eye roll as he joined her to scoop up the tin of forks and knives and set them out behind her as she went.

Honey’s voice rang out once more, “Cal, could you—“

“I got it.” The boy called back.

Honey finally reappeared from the bedrooms, Frankie walking in front of her, stark naked, with a blanket trailing behind him, Randy on one hip, and a baby on the other. Eddie remembered the baby from the first day, though he couldn’t remember ever seeing or hearing it since.

Terry and Tommy ran out of the hallway behind her, arguing about who was at fault for the broken mobile above the baby’s crib, Honey biting back her thoughts as she worried her lips and set the baby in the play pen.

“Jesus Christ, Honey, get his pants on!” Janie whined at the sight of the feral child. Aaron rolled his eyes and pulled Frankie over to his lap, covering him up with the blanket he brought with him from his sleep, smelling faintly of detergent and… urine maybe?

“Fuck off, Janine.” Honey mumbled from the laundry room, tossing a load of clothes into the new dryer. Eddie and Aaron stifled their laughter, Cal disappearing for a moment before returning with a pair of small briefs, and tossing them at Aaron’s head.

Frankie stood, shamelessly naked and looked at Eddie as he worked on putting his feet in the leg holes. Eddie noticed the marred burn scars trailing down the boy’s shoulder and arm. Eddie averted his eyes to the tabletop, an etched face in the wood staring back at him with a downturned mouth. Frankie, now properly covered, then turned to Aaron. “Will you read me later?” He asked with difficulty in his R and L sounds.

Aaron feigned a groan as he stretched, “Oh? I s’ppose.” He drawled, and ruffling the boy's brown hair that stuck out every which way, resembling Junior’s, now that he thought about it.

Terry and Tommy were shaggy little menaces, their bushy bangs reaching well below their eyes, their smiles wide and silver capped. They were currently turned towards the staticky television, their hands pushing their bangs back to see the screen.

Eddie assumed Junior looked like their dad, the youngest boys resembling him the most, while the older kids favored Honey. But it was obvious they all belonged to the same people.

Aaron and Janie were the only two with deep dark hair, resembling each other the most at first glance.

Cal favored his oldest sister the most, through and through. His eyes were the same shade of gray while Aarons were brighter and bluer like Janie’s.

Honey’s eyes always seemed gray and heavy, though they never lacked depth, containing a story to be told about whoever had stolen the light from behind them. Nevertheless, Eddie always loved the color gray.

It was then her eyes fell on him, and his place at her table. “Hi.” She said in her southern drawl, managing a shy smile in his direction.

Eddie smiled back unabashedly, fighting the urge to stand up to greet her properly. “Hey, Honey.” Is all he managed, too enthralled with her eyes on him to realize how gooey and dreamy he might’ve looked himself.

Cal noticed before Aaron as he settled back down in the seat next to him, nudging his brother with his elbow and nodding to the scene. Aaron glanced at Eddie, who was still smiling dumbly at his sister, too wrapped up in her attention to notice when he turned to share a snicker with Cal.

Janie kneeled in her seat next to Cal, setting various cups of ice onto the table. “S’there tea and lemonade?” She asked her sister, though Honey didn’t notice, still stuck on Eddie as she stepped through to the kitchen.

“Honey!”

“What??” She bumped into the cabinets and finally looked at Janie. “—yeah, in the fridge, Y’know that.” She ducked down into the fridge to pull out the two pitchers and set them on the counter. Cal and Aaron picked up their cups and walked to the pitchers, Eddie following suit.

“I’ve been lookin’ forward to this tea all day.” Junior groaned as he entered the room with a wet head and clean clothes, a towel still slung around his shoulders as he walked past the table and grabbed a cup, joining the crowd gathered by the refreshments.

Aaron and Cal fell into conversation that blended in with the rest of the chatter as Eddie found Honey again, except she was setting the food out on the table and getting the youngest kids back in their seats— or cushions. Frankie and Randy sat in their places across from Janie and Cal, sword fighting with their forks as Honey settled the baby next to her place at the end of the table.

Next to Eddie.

He blushed at the realization, and smiled at her when she glanced at him with her own flushed cheeks.

“Y’all knock it off.” Junior said from the kitchen, Terry and Tommy dropping their forks on their plates with stifled smiles that showed they weren’t afraid of a little trouble. Eddie and Honey chuckled and met eyes again, the moment feeling shorter than it really was.

Cal cleared his throat, twice, before his sister looked up at his and his siblings expectant and waiting faces. Honey crinkled her brow and shook her head, “What?” She whispered, clueless.

Junior takes a seat on a short stool at the other end of the table and sets down Frankie and Randy’s plates, stirring the pasta and meat entree and blowing as if he were the big bad wolf, oblivious to the googly eyes set on his sister.

“Can we… eat?” Aaron asked with raised brows, his eyes flickering between his friend and his sister. Honey’s shock was gone in a second, only flashing across her face briefly before nodding profusely, “Yeah! Yes—eat. There’s enough to go ‘round but don’t get greedy.” She looked at Aaron, piling three dinner rolls on his plate before he passed the basket to Eddie. Honey reached over and snatched one off her brother's plate, leaning over Eddie as she did.

“Oh, c’mon!” Aaron whined, mouth full of roll as he whined. Eddie snickered and snuck a glance at Honey, her eyes shining playfully in a way he hadn’t seen before, her smile parting to lick the top of the roll and then bite into the buttery fluff she'd been dying to eat since she popped them out of the can.

Eddie couldn’t help but notice how long her tongue was. Or how white her teeth were. And the way her lips bunched when she chewed.

How he wanted to see her lips do different things.

Eddie took a generous sip of his tea, not noticing how Honey’s eyes lingered on his bobbing adams apple. He filled his plate as the dishes came around, not having a home cooked meal like this as far as he could remember. Sure, he’d had hamburger helper, but he never had it served with mashed potatoes and gravy, roasted vegetables, and warm oven baked rolls. The sweet tea was ice cold and so sweet he thought he might fall into a sugar coma later.

Honey had made enough food for every belly to be filled. She waited until the scrapes of silverware against the ceramic plates sounded to scoop her servings. Eddie glanced over to see her portions so measly he wrinkled his nose at it.

Junior asked the kids to tell him something good about their day and something they learned about at school. Honey turned to the baby, spooning mashed potato’s into their mouth. Janie launched into a story about the new friend she made at the library, while Eddie scooped up a mouthful of pasta and plopped it onto her plate. Honey just missed it, checking her plate and then looking at Eddie with suspicion before turning her attention back to Janie’s story.

“Her names Erica! She’s in my grade but we don’t have any classes together, well, we have lunch! So maybe I’ll have someone to sit with now!” Janie shined. Honey smiled at that and nodded, ready to say something until she heard it again, another plop.

Her eyes darted to his in shock as he repeated the action, another mouthful onto her plate. “What’d’ya think you’re doin?” She whispered, turning as the baby fussed for another bite. “Bi! Bi!” They urged with an open mouth leaning towards the spoon before successfully wrapping their mouth around it.

“Your plate is pitiful.” He remarked, another mouthful on her plate.

She gaped at him. Eddie scooped a mouthful of potatoes onto his fork and took a bite, meeting her eye again before he rolled his eyes dramatically. “So freaking good—you should try some.” He garbled. Honey giggled at him, Janie giving Honey the side-eye for giggling out of turn as she talked.

“—and we were assigned our books for the semester, but I dunno about it all that much.” She stabbed her roast carrots on her fork.

“What is it?” Cal asked.

“S’called The Hobbit by some guy—“

“Tolkien! That’s my favorite book! You have Mr. Freeman?” He asked, nodding with her when she did, “He was awesome, he made us read it back in middle school, it’s really good. I’ve read it like 7 times since but that’s probably down playing it.” Eddie smiled, looking around the table as he spoke before he looked over at Honey. Her eyes sparkled as she listened to him, taking a bite of the food he insisted she eat more of.

Janie looked more hopeful about the assignment after Eddie’s review of the book, the conversation falling onto Terry and Tommy as they spoke about rock wars at recess, cleaning chalkboards and erasers for their rock wars, and long division.

“I’s just mindin’ my business when Jacob come walkin’ up to us and kicked my tower over.” Terry explained.

“Yeah, and I didn’t like that shit.” Tommy added.

“Thomas!” Honey scolded with red cheeks.

“M sorry, please don’t whoop me!” He whined.

“Boy, I ain’t gonna hit you, jus—eat your dinner.” She clipped, stabbing another carrot onto her fork. The boys turned their faces back to their plates, scooping up mouthfuls of food to clean their plates.

The baby shoved every piece of food into their mouth, a ring of potatoes and cheese on their cheeks and nose. Eddie smiled at the baby’s light eyes. To his surprise, the baby smiled back with milky teeth and a throaty laugh, smearing their messy hands around their belly.

“Look at ‘em.” Janie muttered to Cal and nodded to the baby, “James Harrison, what’re you doin? Gettin all messy for the bath?” She asked in a small voice that made Baby James cackle. The whole table giggled.

Honey used her napkin and wiped James’s mouth the best she could before cleaning his hands. “Janie will you run his bath, please.” Honey asked without asking. Surprisingly, Janie was compliant and scooped the baby up to take to the other room.

Aaron used his last roll to wipe his plate clean before biting chunks out of it. Honey sat with her knees to her chest as she listened to Cal talk about his first weeks as the youngest freshman, meeting a group of nice kids that were in the A.V. Club that invited him to sit at their table for lunch.

“You think I could hang out with them after school sometime?” Cal looked at Jun first before Honey, though he kept his hopeful eyes locked on his sister. They sat for a moment as she thought for a minute before nodding.

“I guess so. They seem alright?” She asked, looking at her plate again. Cal nodded earnestly, “Total nerds, all of ‘em.” He insisted. Honey chuckled and nodded. “Okay, then. You can hang out with the nerds. Just call me to tell me where you are and when it’s time to come pick you up.”

Cal nodded and ate a few more bites of pasta before launching into a new formula he learned in math. Eddie didn’t miss the way Honey’s eyes lit up the way they did. She leaned forward on her fist to listen intently, nodding along when Cals eyes fell on hers as he talked about algebra I and letters mingling with numbers and how it fascinated him.

Honey shook her head in proud disbelief, looking down into her empty cup as Aaron began talking about their time in Mr. Gregory’s shop class.

“A kid nearly took his eye out with a nail gun today! Who was that guy, Ed, Richard somethin?”

“Ritchie—“

“Ritchie! Yeah! That guy don’t know up from down. Nail when clear through the ceiling, it was awesome.” He chuckled as Jun rolled his eyes.

“I said something you learned, dumbass.” Jun chided.

“Duh, I learned nail gun safety!”

She stood to fill her glass, listening as Aaron mentioned the class giggling at his accent in English when he was called to read aloud. “It was embarrassing at first, but this girl—this beautiful, beautiful girl, Pamela DiSantis— turns to me and tells me she thinks it’s cute.” He gushed to Honey, sinking into his chair with pink cheeks.

Eddie chuckled and nudged the boy's arm, “I heard from Carla and Chrissy that she was talking about you at practice too.” He smirked as Aaron clutched his heart and swooned, the table erupting with giggles.

Honey chuckled weakly before picking up her clean plate and taking it to the sink, slipping out the front door without a word.

It took Eddie a moment to notice she wasn’t sitting next to him anymore, let alone not in the house. Aaron had begun picking up all the plates and scraping them off when Eddie joined him, placing his own cleared dishes in the sink and grabbing the last few. Junior walked over to the middle of the table, reaching under and unlatching a clasp before it popped apart into the two pieces Eddie saw them carrying in about a month ago.

Aaron started running hot water into the sink, eying the pots on the stove as Eddie spoke, “Think I’m gonna step out for a smoke, s’that alright?”

Aaron raised his brows and glanced out the open door and back to his friend with a smile. “Sure, man. Go for it! Hold on—“ Aaron fluffed Eddie’s hair and dusted off his shoulders until he swatted his hands away and rolled his eyes to hide his blushing cheeks.

“Okay, okay!” He fussed, weakly slapping Aaron’s hands away.

“Go get her, slick.” Aaron said, flicking soapy water at Eddie’s back as he walked away.

Junior watched the exchange wearily, his jaw clenched as he debated taking a smoke break himself.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Honey hated that she was feeling this way again.

She hated how sensitive she could be.

It was beyond her that physical pain didn’t ache this deeply. Blows to the head didn’t make her this dizzy. It bothered her, that she had no idea what to call this feeling. Or how to make it go away.

She lit her cigarette as soon as she stepped out onto the porch, puffing three quick times and not wincing away when the smoke stung her eyes and made them water up.

She plopped down on the step and ran a hand over her face with a deep sigh, resisting the urge to dig her nails into her palms or thighs the way she had as an angry child.

She settled for biting her nails as she stared at the grass and thought about what pretty girls Carla and Chrissy must be. She wondered how they did their hair, if they wore the skirts she wishes she could afford, if they went to the mall after school to look at clothes and boys. If they were smart.

She wondered how many girls talked to Eddie every day at school. And how many of them he said the same sweet things to. How many of them he shared cigarettes with and called sweetheart.

He only said their names, that they were talking about Aaron. She reminded herself, taking a drag and wiping her eyes as she heard the familiar pop and clank of Junior taking apart the dinner table, and the squeak of Aaron turning on the faucet.

She sighed in relief at the thought of him cleaning up without being asked, hoping he doesn’t throw out the leftovers again, but was too tired to care enough to rush back in to set out the Tupperware.

The tired screen door jolted Honey from her thoughts, “Hey, there.” Eddie said softly as he stepped onto the porch, closing the door behind him. Honey turned in an instant, his footfalls growing nearer until he sat in a chair on the porch to light a cigarette.

“Hi.” She smiled, the ache fading. He pulled the chair next to him closer and patted it. She obliged immediately, which Eddie loved.

She looked him over as she got comfortable, his long legs somehow looked sexier as he sat, his knees slightly bent and spread. He must’ve caught her looking cause the next thing out of his mouth was, “See something you like?”

She was stunned at the question, her mouth trying to form all the defenses she could, but none came to mind.

What's so wrong with a little flirting? She wondered. He is flirting with me right?

She nodded instead and averted her gaze to her hands. Eddie scooted his chair closer to her with a lit cigarette between his lips. He took it away and exhaled. “Oh, I see… tell me about it then.” He nodded and waited for her answer as she puffed a couple times. “Clamming up on me now? Cat got your tongue?” He teased.

Honey glowered with a smile nagging at her lips, “No, I just—I uh, I like… your clothes.” She muttered.

Eddie bit the inside of his cheek to conceal his growing smile. “Thanks, babe—like yours too.” He said more cooly than he felt and winked. He stole a long look at her legs stretched out in front of her, scarred and bruised in some places.

“Y’know, letting me stay for dinner is just about the same as feeding a feral cat? I’m just gonna keep coming back now.” He nudged her shoulder, his dimpled smile coaxing her own out of her.

Honey shook her head and took a drag. “Well, whenever you wanna meal.”

“Don’t tell me that, Honey, I’m a weak and hungry man.” He chuckled at the lift of the corners of her mouth before they fell again. He glanced down to her hands, her cigarette cradled between her little fingers, her once healthy and polished nails now short, chipped and jagged. He knitted his brow.

“You okay, Honey?” He asked quietly.

“Mhm!” She nodded around her cigarette, “I’m good! It’s been a good week. A really good week.” She reminded herself with another nod. A tether tugging in Eddie’s gut told him she was lying, but didn’t have any reason to believe otherwise so he nodded.

“That’s great.” He nodded.

This is so stupid. He whined internally.

“How was school?” She asked.

Eddie groaned and leaned back, “The usual torture, y’know, iambic pentameter, decimals and fractions, the ever stupid and useless Pythagorean theorem.” He rolled his eyes.

Honey tilted her head in confusion, her eyes seemingly vacant though she was panicking behind those beautiful eyes. Eddie’s eyes widened before he leaned forward, “English and math are hard for me. Along with science and history and everything else. I’m barely scraping by, actually.” He felt a pang of guilt in his chest.

She nodded her head as the tension eased. She put out her cigarette and for a moment he worried she would leave again. Instead she turned in her chair to face him better. “Could you tell me?”

“What?” Eddie asked with quiet alarm.

“What’s.. iambic pentameter mean?” She asked quietly.

Eddie could only stare back for a moment before clearing his throat and answering. “Uh, well, it’s uh… S’like…�� he took a puff to buffer and blushed when she chuckled. He smiled, comfortable in embarrassment, “—See I told you, I’m not good at school!” He shook his head and continued to struggle for the right words, but met her eye when he heard the sound of her soft laughter. Immediately his thoughts stopped, his heart pinching when her eyes flicked to him behind the cigarette.

He felt the dumb smile tug on his lips as he stared unashamed. She pulled her knees to her chest as her cheeks flushed. “What?” Her smile still lingered as she ducked to hide a little behind her bent knees.

“Oh, uh.. nothin’— just uh—” He shrugged it off casually as he lost all remaining bits of his facade, flaking apart the longer she smiled at him and laughed at his foolishness. Being laughed at never felt so good before.

“—Saw something you like?” She asked daringly just above a whisper. Eddie chuckled and blushed, pressing his lips together to keep from smiling as wide as he wanted to. He failed as he nodded and leaned forward.

“Yes, ma’am.”

She took a long breath in and out to steady herself and bit back her smile. “Tell me more.. about school.”

“Tell me more about you.” He countered. She quirked an eyebrow at him.

“You didn’t answer my question yet!” She shot back, leaning back in her seat and taking a drag. Eddie’s eyes gleamed at her playfulness.

“Iambic pentameter…” he thought with searching eyes, “It’s…like a way to write poetry. Like a rhythm you follow or something.” He shrugged, “Your turn.”

“I… uhm,” she sighed, suddenly rigid. Eddie softened, the playfulness fading away.

“You said you like to be outside?” He offered. Her eyes caught his, questions forming behind glossy crystalline eyes. She nodded, “Yeah, yeah, of course.” She chuckled.

Eddie smiled, “What else do you do outside?” He handed her his cigarette.

She smiled as a thought hit her, “I like to garden, plant flowers an’ all.” She nodded and smoked. Eddie smiled, because of course she would.

“Ooh, are you gonna have flowers in the spring?” He asked with an interested smile. He could already picture her long hair tied up while she spent time weeding and mulching— bare knees on the grass and hands stained with soil clinging to her fingernails.

“I sure hope so!” She smiled in wonder, “Tulips, begonias, marigolds, roses, ugh. And all the colors!” She gushed.

For a moment Honey forgot about the girls and even the worries following her from Oklahoma. Eddie listened intently and asked little questions about planting just to see her eyes widen and make more words come out of her mouth.

But then a white Pontiac pulled up to Eddie’s trailer, the top down and stuffed full of cheerleaders and letterman’s.

Eddie sighed, “Shit.” and stamped out his cigarette. “I have some business to attend to, sweetheart, but will you be here when I get back?” Eddie asked with a small pout and puppy dog eyes. She looked nervously from him to the waiting car, Eddie whined and gave a pathetic “Pwease?” that made her grin until her eyes almost closed. She pushed his shoulder with her hand.

“Yeah, I will. Go on now.” She answered softly with a tensed smile, unable to look at him and looking ahead at the trailer across from their lot instead. Eddie’s eyes softened as he nodded at her, “I’ll be right back.” He stood up and took large strides towards his home with his hands shoved in his pockets.

Honey didn’t miss the way two cheerleaders hopped out of the car, smiles on their faces as they bounced over to Eddie with eager greetings. She glanced to the rest of group in the backseat, the remaining boys looking at her shamelessly and exchanging murmurs.

She knew their kind, too well. She hardened her face and took another heavy drag on Eddie’s cigarette before closing her knees and drawing them to her chest, suddenly aware of how short her shorts were.

Her eyes darted back to Eddie, hearing his easy laughter as he held the door open for the girls walking inside. He didn’t spare her a glance as he followed them, the ache in her chest blooming again.

“Hey, cutie!” The boys whooped and hollered to Honey. She didn’t look their way at first, opting to take a drag instead. “What’s a pretty little thing like you hanging around the likes of the freak?” A blond boy hollered, catching her attention at the mention of Eddie. The guy hopped out of the car, two more of him following as he approached her.

Honey hopped up and turned to walk back inside, “Oh, c’mon, I just wanna talk! How come I haven’t seen you around before?” He asked before she spun around, letting the door snap shut before she grabbed the abandoned shovel from Terry and Tommy’s hole digging.

The boys let out amused chuckles, staying on the grass before the first step to the porch. She clenched her jaw and stared the boy down. “I’m new.” She gritted.

The boy nodded, “You, uh, you goin’ to Hawkins High?” He asked as his eyes raked her over again, his friends snickering behind him.

She shook her head no, looking to Eddie’s door again, willing it to open any second. “You should come hang out with us.” The boy said, the other boys agreeing. “Got some drinks, some snacks, getting some party favors from Munson… gonna go down to the lake to swim later. Do you like to swim?”

He seemed almost genuine, Honey almost answered his question, but before she could answer, the screen door behind her busted open, Aaron charging outside with Jun hot on his heels. “What the fuck are you doing here?” Aaron asked with bile on his tongue.

The boy looked surprised when he saw Aaron behind Honey. “Oh my gosh, Aaron Haller! Why am I not surprised to see you here of all places?” The jocks snickered yet again, the scene being good fun for the likes of them.

“I asked ya a question, Jason.” Aaron took a step forward before Honey blocked the way and Jun placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

“Nope, nope.” Jun muttered quietly, as if to say ‘not yet.’

Jason turned his attention back to Honey, “To answer your question, Aaron, I’m here to pick up from Munson. But you should know all about that don’t you, farm boy?” He asked, mocking his accent.

Honey scrunched her brows and looked to Eddie’s trailer, where the girls were emerging with a fairly large brown paper bag in hand, Eddie behind them, smiling until he followed their line of sight. His eyes were wide when he saw her, clutching her shovel and looking like a wild animal backed into a corner.

“Jason!” The blondest girl shouted from the car, “Quit messing around, we got the stuff.” The two girls looked at Honey once more before exchanging words and smiling to one another, it made Honey’s stomach churn. Jun sighed and turned to the door, disappearing inside.

“That’s enough.” Eddie muttered, shoving his way between Jason and Honey on the stairs, the boys retreated slowly as if they didn’t even want to risk touching him, except Jason.

“Why don’t you let her tell me that?” Jason asked, his eyes back on Honey.

Her mouth opened to respond, but Eddie was faster, a mocking chuckle leaving his smile before he said, “You think she’s holding a shovel for fun? Get outta here, man, you got your stuff, now get lost.” Eddie’s jaw was clenched as he waited, wondering if this was about to turn as bad as he suspected it would.

“Last time I checked this isn’t your property, freak.” He spat.

Just as Eddie was going to speak, the door burst open, hitting the side of the house to reveal Jun looking more tired than anything as he held a broken over shotgun at his waist, casually sliding shells inside, “Yeah? Well, it’s mine,” he racked it, Aaron yanked Cal and Janie backwards against the house at the sound, “—so get the fuck out.”

“—Honey?” Terry rasped through the screen as he rubbed his tired eyes. Janie made a break for the door, scooping up the boy and wordlessly running into the house to lock the door behind her. The sound made Jason almost shiver.

Jason stared at him with wide eyes, fear filling them before they eased as of a realization came to him, making him chuckle half heartedly. “D-Do you know who I am?”

“I don’t care who your daddy is, you little shit.” He raised the gun, “I ain’t afraid of another charge. I suggest you get a move on.” Jun warned one last time. “One…” He started.

Jason stood, the only one still left on the patchy lawn. Jun cocked his brow at him daringly.

“Jason, come ON!” Another girl shrilled.

Jason swallowed hard at the vague threat. “Just trying to be friendly, sir, that’s all.” He raised his hands as he retreated to the car.

“I’ll see you around.” Jason muttered, his eyes not leaving Honey’s until he was in the car, driving away.

No one moved until the car turned onto the main road, then Honey sighed and dropped the shovel with a heavy clunk.

“Fuck, Jun, you didn’t have to pull a gun on em!” Honey scolded at her brothers back, the man knocking in a set rhythm before the locks clicked and the door opened back up to reveal Janie’s tear stained cheeks. “You really wanna be that family here too? You want people to think you’re a criminal??”

“And what, let ‘em get comfortable on the porch? Not everyone that turns up on our step is the welcome wagon, Honey!” Jun hollered as he unloaded the gun, letting the shells clatter to the floor.

“I didn’t say that—I coulda handled it!” She followed him as he went to hang up the gun on the wall.

“Yeah, sure looked like it, were you planning on using that shovel or?”

“If you would’ve given me a chance to—“

“Jason Carver doesn’t take no for an answer.” Eddie piped up by the open door, his arms crossed in front of him as he leaned against the frame. Aaron nodded. Everyone’s eyes were on Eddie.

“He may seem real nice and all, but when he isn’t with his girlfriend,” Eddie stared into Honey’s eyes, “He’s with anyone else.” The words were sour even at the sound. The phrase burned Honey’s chest.

Anyone else.

“Thanks.” She said dryly, her tone cutting through Eddie and making him almost flinch. “Janie, will you put Terry back in bed?”

“Aaron’s gonna read to all us.” Terry said into his sisters shoulder as she walked, the older boy sighing and walking along reluctantly, tossing Eddie a ‘be right back.’

“I’m gonna hit the hay.” Jun said, walking down the hall to his room.

Then it was just Honey, Eddie, and Cal, standing in thick silence. Cal cleared his throat and made an excuse about homework before escaping to his room with the boys.

Honey sighed when she heard the door shut and finally took a peek back up at Eddie. His eyes were already on hers with concern. “Are you okay?” He asked.

She nodded unconvincingly, “Yep. ‘M fine.” She unfolded her arms taking a couple steps back, Eddie spying the slight tremor she had in her hands.

“I don’t believe you.” He whispered, taking a step closer, daring to catch her hand as she turned. Her eyes snapped to his again, her heart pounding in her throat. “Those guys—those guys can get very scary, very fast, you know what I mean?” He asked gently. Honey’s eyes softened as she nodded understandingly.

“I know you’re tough, Honey.” He stepped closer again, still not dropping her hand, “I know you can handle your own. Hell, if I needed someone to fight, you’re the first person I’d think of— don’t tell Aaron I said that.” He joked, smiling a bit when her frown cracked from its place. “But I don’t want, uh, I don’t want Jason Carver—or anyone else— messing with you—guys. So if anyone starts shit with you, you tell me. Okay? You tell me.” He nodded, moving to bring his hand up to her cheek until she flinched away.

Eddie’s mouth parted with a gasp before she yanked her hand back, stepping into the kitchen and wiping her face with her hands as she assessed the dinner mess. She nodded, “Yeah, uh, I will. I’ll let you know, Eddie. Thanks.” She glanced at him as she opened the fridge, putting on a semi-convincing smile before she ducked to grab the lunch meat, bending at the waist.

Eddie watched the fabric stretch over her ass as she did, but the sight didn’t bring him joy the same way it always did. A heavy sigh escaped him before she shut the fridge and opened a cabinet, pulling out stacks of Tupperware and brown paper bags. “Thanks.” He said dejectedly.

He watched her work in silence before walking up behind her, closer than he’d ever been before. He placed his hand on the counter next to hers. She smelled him before she felt him behind her, the heady sweet smoke following him and making the back of her mouth tingle with want. “Honey, are—are we okay?”

Honey looked at his hand first, debating on slipping her fingers through his right there to tell him what was on her mind. About the pretty girls that made her feel bad about herself, about the weird, scary way Jason looked at her. She wanted to tell him a lot of things. She put down the spoon but didn’t turn, their fingers brushing but not overlapping just yet. She sighed as words failed her and settled for “Course we are.” instead.

Eddie’s eyes looked sad when she finally peeked up at him. He shook his head ever so slightly, “I don’t—“ the sound of a bedroom door opening jolted them apart, Eddie stepping back to lean against the sink while Honey returned to her leftovers, boxing the last of it up for Jun’s lunch.

Aaron came out of the hallway with a sigh, “Dr. Seuss never lets me down. S’like magic sometimes, don’t you—” He stopped just short of the kitchen, looking at his sister and then Eddie, “What’s up? We good?”

The pair nodded and confirmed, “Yeah! Great!”

“Absolutely.”

Aaron looked less than convinced before he flopped on the couch, “Alright, weirdos.”

“I’m gonna go.” Eddie said, turning for the door.

“See ya, man.” Aaron said as he looked around for the remote. Honey was setting out all the bread she’d need for the kids sandwiches when she looked back to sneak a peek.

When her eyes landed on the door, she found him waiting for her with one foot in and the other on the porch, his eyes set on her, “Bye, Honey.” He said in the quiet, dreamy way he always did sending a little wave her way. He waited for her to say something back— for that assurance.

She sighed before her face softened, “Bye, Eddie.” She wiggled her fingers the way he did, turning back around before he could spot the blush and smile blooming again on her face no matter how much she bit it back. She shook her head at herself as the warmth faded into that ache again, and slapped some mayonnaise on the white bread.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The next day at lunch, Aaron flopped down in his chair next to Gareth, digging out his sack lunch from his bag as he voiced his loud opinion on the schools ‘no hats’ policy, then tossed another to Eddie at the end of the table.

Eddie looked at the boy like he had two heads, “What’s this?” He opened the top and peered inside.

“Sister sent it for you.” Aaron said through a garbled mouthful of sandwich, bouncing his eyebrows suggestively. Eddie dumped the contents out on the table, a ham and cheese sandwich, a ziploc bag of chips, a small red apple and a Twinkie. He smiled to himself before he noticed the yellow sticky note still stuck inside the bag.

“No fair! She gave you a Twinkie and I got a ding-dong, what the fuck!” Aaron complained, looking at his own lunch. The guys chuckled and made awful ding-dong jokes as Eddie carefully extracted the note from the bag without drawing attention. He took a bite out of the apple and looked to the paper in his lap, only to find a simple smiley face looking back at him.

💖Taglist darlins (please lmk if you wanna be added or taken off!) 💖

@gaysludge @feminist-mina-harker @superbcoffeedrinkersubparwriter @superbreblogger @dylanmunson @miarosso @madmaxoolitchi @bimbobaggins69 @cherrycolas-things @big-ope-vibes @k8loo @loving-and-dreaming @jadequeen88 @josephfakingquinn @v0relino @newshade

#a girl called honey #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson fanfiction #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson x anxious!reader #Eddie munson x neighbor!reader #neighbor!eddie #eddie munson x oc #eddie munson imagines #eddie munson au #eddie munson pov #eddie munson x fem!reader fluff

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fbwzoo · 3 years

Text

I have a pinched nerve in my back by my hip and it fucking sucks. Besides work being hard and painful, and still hurting when I get home, and just general misery, I also can't do shit with the dogs. I haven't been able to give them a walk for like 2 weeks, and I miss it. We've played in the backyard some, but not enough, especially this week.

We have potato dogs, so they're not like, eating the couch or losing their entire brains over this. But Addy is being a bigger butthead than usual with barking, fixating on the couch, not listening, etc, and I know it's bc she's bored and antsy. Just very frustrating bc it's not her fault but it's not my fault and I'm trying to do more chews and enrichment, but even that's hard when I'm mostly stuck on the couch when I get home.

#fbw rambles #fbw rants #just feeling whiny and tired today #Addy was being more annoying than usual last night #before Jack got home and she glued herself to him #that's the other thing - she's a goddamn velcro dog and i do not want her or anything touching me when i hurt #and she doesn't understand why she can't flop all 70lbs against me #and she's a meathead so she doesn't LISTEN when i tell her no #and then she hurts me #sigh #spring isn't having as much an issue with it bc he's smaller #so the house is already more room for him #and he plays with the cats #going to chiropractor today so maybe that'll help #and I'm off work all next week too #gonna be hard to make myself rest without feeling guilty tho

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sequinsmile-x · 3 years

Text

Exhaustion

Part of the Full House series

Words: 3.4k

Warnings: Mentions of pregnancy and non-graphic descriptions of a traumatic birth

Read on A03 or under the cut

Let me know what you think!

There was something wrong with her. That was the only thought that was circling around her brain on repeat. Emily was exhausted. Bone deep exhaustion that she had never experienced before, not during all her years working at the BAU, or those early days with Ian Doyle when she thought she would be caught out any second. Even when she’d had Ivy, those endless early days of motherhood with her first ever baby, she hadn’t felt like this.

Aaon kept telling her it was normal, that a new baby combined with just how traumatic Audrey’s birth had been would make her recovery drawn out. That on top of that Ivy, who had always typically been a Daddy’s Girl, was suddenly obsessed with Emily, the jealousy of having a new sibling who took so much of her mother’s attention making her cling to her. Tears and tantrums ran high whenever Emily was out of her sight, all but glued to her side at every waking hour.

She knew he was right. She had been there too when the doctor explained that it would take her weeks, potentially months, to completely recover from the birth. It had only been three weeks, still so recent that she sometimes caught Aaron looking at her like she might disappear, like he might lose her.

Emily knows he almost did.

Knowing all of that didn’t help. It didn’t stop the feeling of shame that would crawl up her spine at the frustration she would feel at never having a second alone, despite her own hesitance to ever let the girls or Jack out of her sight. She knew her own anxieties were born out of having her baby ripped off her chest only seconds after she had been placed there, things getting hazier by the second.

She felt over touched. Every nerve on edge whenever tiny hands reached out for her skin. And she was so angry at herself for it.

There was something wrong with her,

Aaron had been hesitant to go back to work, his understanding of how she felt despite her never putting it into words as clear as ever. Emily had encouraged him, knowing that they would have to go back to normal as soon as they could. When he immediately got sent away on a case, one he was now finally on the way back home from a week later, she almost regretted it.

It had been a long week. Audrey had barely been sleeping and was cluster feeding throughout the night, and Ivy wanted to be with her at every possible second. Jack was a saint, helping Emily where he could in distracting Ivy and playing with his sister. He’d even brought Emily a cup of tea at one point a couple days ago when she must have looked particularly drained. He hadn’t done it since, spooked by the way she had almost immediately burst into tears despite her assurances that it was a lovely thing to do.

Jessica had popped round the day before, sympathy on her face and a casserole in hand. Emily knew that Aaron had asked her to check in, and she was grateful for it. Jack was with Jessica today, the boy excited to spend an evening with his aunt. She had offered to take Ivy too, but the way the little girl had gripped Emily’s shirt at the suggestion had made her decline, knowing ultimately it would be worse for everyone if she had accepted.

“Mama.”

Emily turns to look at Ivy. The toddler was sitting next to her on the couch as Audrey slept in the bouncer chair just to the left of them. It was the only place she could get the baby to drift off for any period of time during the day.

“Yes, sweetheart?” She smiles at her daughter, discreetly checking the clock on the wall behind her. Aaron would be home soon, and she was almost more excited to have someone, anyone, else here with the girls than she was to see him.

“Snowman?”

Emily has to stop herself from sighing. Frozen was Ivy’s favourite movie and she had already lost track of how many times she had watched it in the last week.

“Are you sure? We could watch something else.” Emily tries to reason, her usual rule of limiting screen time very much out of the window. She knows it was fruitless when Ivy furrows her brow at her in a way Aaron always insisted was all her.

Ivy shakes her head, her dark brown and unruly curls moving as she did. “Snowman.”

“Ok. Snowman.” She grabs the remote and turns on the tv, not even remembering the last time they had a different DVD in the player.

They get part way through, Emily plotting the death of Olaf in her head as she watches, before Audrey starts to gristle. Emily reaches down to get her, wincing at the sudden movement, still healing from giving birth, as she unbuckles her and pulls her into her arms.

“You’re ok, baby.” She whispers, kissing the top of Audreys head, her dark hair matching her sisters. The newborn almost immediately starts rooting at Emily’s chest and she adjusts her shirt so she can start to feed her.

As soon as Audrey is in her arms Ivy is up against her, standing on the couch as she tries to get as close to Emily as possible.

“Ivy, Mommy just needs a bit of room ok?” She smiles at her eldest daughter, trying to maintain the gentle approach she had always taken with her. “I can cuddle you after I’ve fed her.”

“No.” Ivy says, leaning into her side. “My Mama.”

She has to stop herself from flinching as Ivy’s little hand tangles in her hair.

There was something wrong with her. _______________________

He doesn’t think he has ever been so excited to get home. He had spoken to Emily as often as possible, quick phone calls and texts exchanged to check in on his family. The moment Penelope had told him that they had a case on his first day back after Audrey’s birth his heart had dropped to his stomach.

Emily was more than capable of looking after the kids alone, he knew that, but he was worried about her. He had been worried about her since the second he was left alone in a room holding his minutes old little girl as his wife was rushed away, an emergency taking over what should have been a joyous moment. He could tell something was off, that some part of her was doubting her abilities, but she wouldn’t talk about it, smiling wryly at him whenever he told her how fantastic a mother she was.

As Aaron walks into the living room he sees his wife sitting on the couch. Their three week old in her arms as she feeds her, their 3 year old standing on the couch cushion pressed up against Emily’s side, her tiny hand wrapped in her mother’s hair as she watches her baby sister eat.

Frozen, Ivy’s favourite movie, is playing on the TV, and Aaron winces as the song about summer floats around the room, making him briefly wonder to himself if the murder of a animated snowman would be considered justifable homicide, given that their toddler demanded they watch it on repeat.

Then Emily looks up and catches his eye, exhaustion rolling off of her in waves, and he pushes any other thoughts to the back of his head.

“Hi sweetheart.”

Her response is a trembling smile, and before she can speak Ivy turns, a wide smile on her face as she looks at him.

“Daddy!”

She doesn’t run to him like she would have only weeks ago, instead staying next to Emily. He scoops her up anyway, kissing the side of his daughter's head repeatedly as she giggles.

“Daddy, stop.”

He does, laughing as he leans down to kiss the top of Emily’s head. He frowns as she flinches, readjusting Audrey as she finishes eating.

“How are my girls?” He asks, settling Ivy on his hip. “I missed you.”

“Missed, Daddy.” Ivy says, eyes focused back on the tv.

‘Oh, Frozen. Mommy’s favourite.” Aaron says, any laugh from his own joke dying in his throat when he sees the very real glare Emily throws his way as she stands with Audrey against her chest, gently rubbing the little girl's back to burp her.

“I’m going to go change her.” She says, attempting to throw him a smile before she heads upstairs.

“Mommy seems grumpy.” Aaron says turning to Ivy, bouncing the little girl slightly to make her laugh, the concern on her own face too much for him to bear.

“Drey cry lots.” Ivy explains, her expression serious.

Aaron nods and kisses his daughter's forehead, settling her back down on the couch. “You stay here ok? I’ll be back in a minute.”

He heads upstairs, following the sound of his wife’s gentle words to their baby to their bedroom.

“Em?”

She turns to look at him briefly, tears shining in her eyes that set him on edge immediately, before she looks back at Audrey in her arms, the baby settling down. Emily flinches when he touches her shoulder, pulling herself away from him and the movement makes Audrey cry again, any progress Emily had made her to calm down gone in a second.

“Damn it.”

“Sweetheart?”

“I’m ok.” She says, sounding anything but. “I just need five minutes where someone isn’t touching me.” Emily says, desperation laced through her voice. He stops himself from walking towards her, from pulling her into his arms and providing the comfort he is itching to give her. “I’m either feeding Audrey, or Ivy is clinging to me like she’ll never see me again. I love them more than I can possibly explain but...” A sob escapes her and she wipes her cheeks. “I am so tired, Aaron. I just need five minutes.”

For a second Aaron isn’t sure what to do. His fingers twitch at his sides, his natural instinct to reach out for her almost overwhelming. Emily and Audrey both crying the only sound in the room.

“Pass her over.” He says eventually, hands reaching out towards her.

“Aaron-”

He smiles at her in an attempt to reassure her. “Come on, sweetheart. You need a break.”

“I can look after my own children.” She says, accusation in her voice.

“I know you can, love.” He steps towards her, careful not to reach out for her like he so desperately wanted to. “But you need some time to yourself, you need to get some rest.”

She nods, albeit reluctantly, passing the baby over as she does, kissing the top of her head as she lets go.

“You only just got home.” She says, wiping tears from her face now that her hands were free. “I didn’t even say hi.”

Aaron holds Audrey to his chest, smiling at his wife. “That’s ok. We’ll be downstairs.” He walks out the room, gently closing the door behind him. He looks at his youngest curled up on his chest and kisses the side of her head. “Let's go see what your sister is up to.” _______________________

When Ivy suggests putting Frozen back on almost as soon as it is finished he manages to distract her. He asks her what they could do instead with only a limited amount of time left before bedtime. Her eyes light up immediately, running off to the room that used to be their den but was now a playroom. The sound of her dragging her dress up box, almost entirely stocked by Penelope, into the living room wakes up Audrey. He picks her up from her bouncer before she can cry loudly enough to disturb Emily, hoping he could give her as much time as possible.

Ivy already has her Elsa wig on, and Aaron already knows where this is going when she pulls out the Anna wig.

“Daddy Anna.”

“I think my head is a bit big.”

Ivy, not put off by her father’s logic, places the wig on top of his head anyway before grabbing some reindeer antlers he had never seen before from the box. She goes to place them on Audrey’s head. He stops her, unable to suppress a smile when she frowns. Emily’s frown.

“Sweetie, no. Audrey can’t be Sven.”

“Drey play.”

“She’s too little.” He says, putting the antlers back down. “But we can play. Just you and me.”

She has Emily’s smile too. _________________

Emily wakes up, rubbing her eyes as she looks at the clock on the nightstand, seeing she’d had about an hour's sleep. That, combined with the time to herself and the quick shower she had managed to fit in had calmed her nerves somewhat. Nowhere near all the way repaired, but enough to settle her back down.

As she sits up in bed she feels an all too familiar ache in her breasts, a sign that Audrey would need feeding again soon, and she runs her hands over her face before she gets up in search of her family.

She can hear laughter floating up the stairs, her husbands mixed in with Ivy’s, her precious giggle warming Emily’s heart as much as it did the very first time she heard it. She pads down the stairs quietly, the socks she had stolen from Aaron dulling the sound of her footsteps. Love blooms in her chest, spreading through her body at the sight that greets her.

Aaron is sitting with a childs wig on his head, one she knows Penelope bought Ivy when she offhandedly mentioned one day how much her daughter loved Frozen. It looks absurd. Tiny in comparison to his size. His sleeves are rolled up and his tie is off, the top couple of buttons of his shirt undone and she can see his jacket folded over the armchair.

She observes him for a moment as he sits patiently listening to Ivy mostly babble to herself, interest in whatever she was saying all over his face. He had Audrey against his chest, the baby looking impossibly tiny up against him, only one hand securing her to him. He was a little thicker now than he was when they first got together, something Derek gently teased him for and called his ‘dad bod’.

Emily loved it and told him frequently. She loved that his embrace engulfed her. That it made her feel safe and secure whenever she was in his arms. She knows he does the same for their children. Has watched as he has soothed nightmares and scraped knees with the calming presence only their family are truly privy to.

She smiles as Ivy passes him a stuffed animal, a dog that she was obsessed with, that had reindeer antlers secured to its head. It’s almost bigger than Audrey, and as Emily watches him with a baby and a stuffed dog in his arms, their toddler excitedly talking at him, she doesn’t think she has ever loved him more. _______________________

They settle Ivy into her bed, both knowing she will likely make it into theirs at some point in the night, and eat dinner together.

Aaron has a quick shower as Emily feeds and rocks Audrey to sleep. She had just laid her into the bassinet on her side of the bed when the door to their ensuite opened, her husband making his way out already dressed in his pajamas. Emily yawns as she climbs into bed, him quickly following. He keeps his distance from her, space between them that they don’t usually allow and she smiles tiredly at him, her words from earlier clearly still on his mind.

“Are you ok, sweetheart?” He asks, his concern for her clear.

“I’m ok, I promise.” She reaches out for his hand, linking their fingers between them. “I’m sorry about earlier.”

He squeezes her hand. “Em, you have nothing to apologise for.”

“I just…” She trails off, shaking her head at herself as tears fill her eyes. “I just don’t want you to think I don’t love them. That I don’t want this.”

“Baby, of course I don’t think that.” He says, his other hand cupping her cheek, thumbing away the tears that have escaped. “I know you love them. I’ve never doubted that for a single second.”

“I’m just so tired, Aaron.”

He finally pulls her into his arms, releasing a breath he didn’t know he was holding when she relaxes into his embrace, her face tucked into his neck.

“You’re being hard on yourself, my love.” He kisses the side of her head. “You had a baby 3 weeks ago. You almost died having her, remember?”

“I know.” She says, sniffing. “I know that. I was there.”

“Then give yourself a break.” He pulls back to tuck some hair behind her ear. He wants to say so much more, to assure her how good a mother she is, how much all of their kids love her, but he knows now isn’t the time. Knows her well enough to know she will assume he is simply just saying it. “We should get some sleep.” He kisses her softly. “She’ll be awake soon enough demanding your attention.” He says, tilting his head towards the bassinet.

They settle down, her facing the bassinet with her back to him. Aaron wraps his arm around her, pulling her closer so her back is pressed against his chest.

“You make a good Anna.” She quips as the image of him earlier with Ivy making her smile and it makes him laugh.

“Ivy gets more and more like you every day.” He says, pressing his lips to her temple. “I just hope she uses her attitude to run a company or something, and not a gang in prison.”

Emily reaches behind her to smack his shoulder in mock offence. “That’s rude.” She sniffs. “She’d run an excellent gang.”

She can feel herself falling asleep, the ever present exhaustion taking over.

“Em?”

She hums her response, turning her head just enough for his lips to land on her cheek.

“If you could kill Olaf how would you do it?”

She laughs. “I love you so much.”

The last thing she hears before she drifts off is him how much he loves her, how much he loves their family. _______________________

When she wakes the bed is empty, as is the bassinet and she immediately panics, fear lancing through her as she sits up quickly. She shakes off the lightheadedness caused by her sudden movement and takes a deep breath, logic taking over as she calms herself.

Emily pulls a robe on and walks downstairs, the light from the living room illuminating the hallway. She smiles when she sees Aaron sitting and holding Audrey in the crook of his arm, a bottle she had pumped earlier in the day in his hand as he fed her.

“Did I not get an invite to this party?” She asks quietly, not wanting to wake up Ivy upstairs.

Aaron turns to her and grins before looking back down at the baby. “Is Mommy allowed to join us?”

Audrey makes a small noise that makes them laugh and Emily walks over to join them on the couch.

“You could have woken me up.” She says, leaning forward to stroke a finger over Audrey’s dark hair.

“I know.” He leans forward to kiss her head. “You needed the sleep.” She opens her mouth to say something but is interrupted by a door opening upstairs, and the sound of little feet down the hallway and stairs.

Emily groans slightly. “It’s like she has a radar for where I am.”

Aaron only has time to laugh in reply for Ivy is downstairs, climbing onto the couch with them and into Emily’s lap.

“What are you doing up, little miss?” Emily says, tapping the toddler on the nose, making her giggle. “You should be sleeping.”

“Snowman?”

Emily shakes her head. “No, Ivy. It’s too late to watch it now.” She pauses, and bites her lip as she suppresses a smirk. “Daddy said he’d watch it with you tomorrow though.”

The look Aaron throws at her over their daughter's head makes her laugh, and for the first time in over a week, probably since Audrey was born if she was honest with herself, she knows everything is going to be just fine.

#hotchniss #hotchniss fan fic #hotchniss fanfiction #aaron hotchner #emily prentiss #aaron hotchner x emily prentiss #Girl Dad Aaron #family fluff #CM Fanfic #pregnancy #birth #momily #Aaron being a great husband #i spent my day writing this #and watching Silent Witness with my cat #No regrets

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thosebrookfieldgirls · 2 years

Note

https://youtu.be/wu-7soEIHgY (last one I promise)

I like to imagine this but with the characters from Thorns and ink (both OCs and cannon characters) and this is like one of the girls recounting the event years later XD

I can see it now. For starters, we are all in agreement Kris is telling the story right? Good. Now for who went to this party of the century and where was it held?

Epel threw the party and it was in Pomefiore while Vil was out of town for a shoot. Rook was left in charge, but we all know how little he commands in the way of authority. Probably rationalized that Vil didn’t say Epel couldn’t have a party and so just decided to vibe with it. Because of this Kim was most definitely there freaking out along side Epel as things went completely off the rails. Alin had threatened to tell Vil, till Eduardo and Nik told him to not be a wet blanket and then Alin grumbled and hid in his room while the two Pomefiore third years supplied the booze (since drinking age is likely eighteen on Philosopher’s Island as it falls in the Queendom of Roses’ jurisdiction and that is based on the UK where the drinking age is eighteen)

Riddle had forbid anyone from going to the party (didn’t tell the teachers though because it wasn’t technically against the rules to have a party and he couldn’t prove anyone’s drinking age since he wouldn’t be there)… needless to say Ace and Deuce snuck out with Cater and Whitley, and Trey had to drag them all back before Riddle found out. Val went because she needed to help Kim and Epel with set up and she didn’t get to do this kind of thing back home with how busy she was. She wanted to have the high school party life at least once damned it!

Kris is telling the story, obviously she went along with Chui and Hunter because it has been forever since she got her party on, she wants to enjoy herself. Leona went for one reason and one reason alone, because she begged. He hates it until people get drunk enough to start being stupid, then he laughs and people watches at a safe distance where he can easily make a run for it if he needs to. Ruggie goes as well because food and booze. Jack stayed home despite Ace and Epel’s jabs.

Azul, Jade, and Floyd go for the sole reason of black mail. People say and do stupid things when drunk and they want to exploit it. Simple as that. Anne Marie goes mostly because if most of her dorm is going she needs to keep an eye on all of them... and she wants to have fun at a party for once. Gula goes for the same reason as Azul, Jade, and Floyd.

Jude wasn’t going to go despite Ban, Rushil, and Nasir begging her to go and make it a whole Billiards team event. She’s been to enough drunk parties thanks to her brother, she doesn’t need to go to another one. But then of course Kalim heard about the party and wanted to go, so naturally Jamil had to go to make sure Kalim doesn’t die or do something stupid, meaning Jude is going as well to make sure Jamil doesn’t kill a drunk student with fire.

Eva, Ortho, and Idia all did not go. Eva isn’t very fond of being around alcohol in the slightest so it wasn’t any missed thing on her end. However both Pyrrhus and Gregor go surprisingly enough. Turns out they were just irritated that Alin had told them off their sense of style and so they wanted to destroy the place and blame it on him.

Fiona also did not go. She wasn’t invited because everyone assumed someone else probably already invited her. Same with the rest of Diasomnia except for Toile who showed up and promptly glued themselves to Gula.

Now for the fun party

Who blacked out drunk?: Kris

Who broke the pool table in half?: Hunter

Who destroyed Vil’s room?: Nik (he just wanted to make this party blow up so Rook and Epel were in trouble too bad like fifty people saw his drunk ass stumble into Vil’s room)

Who warned about the teachers?: Chui

Kris: So I’m starting to black out and someone says ‘something something teachers’ and in a brilliant moment, of word association I yelled ‘fuck da teaches’ and everyone else joined in. About six-hundred drunk mages yelling ‘fuck. da. teaches’ with the confidence of people who can’t be expelled... but regular students

Trein and Crewel had shown up to break up the party after a couple had managed to get into Alin’s room and started going at it. So having had enough, he called the teachers.

Who grabs the 40 and yells scatter after smashing it?: Rushil

Kris: So I ran into the Pomefiore gardens, and I remember thinking to myself ‘that’s about as high as the Wieck family fence’ and then I woke up in Savanaclaw

Who stole the antique photos of Queen Grimhilde?: Gregor

Kris years later having graduated and was talking with him while he showed her the photo wall and he’s working on the Kingscholar royal family security system: But... why?

Gregor: It’s the one thing they can never replace

Kris, side stepping away: ... fair enough

#thorns and ink #twisted wonderland #twst #john mulaney #kristina kaiser #gregor thalia

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ave-aria · 3 years

Text

Rewind

Ectober Week 2020 Day 3: Rewind Summary: Maddie can't believe what she's seeing on the security tape. In shock, she hits rewind. Tags: Reveal fic, Blood, Angst, Implications of character death, Tragedy, Trauma, Oneshot

Rewind.

Maddie keeps her eyes on the tv screen as the figures wind their way backwards to the start of the video. She won't look away. Can't. Doesn't dare.

If she looks away, she'll have to focus on something else. The quiet, dusty lab around her. The uncleaned ecto-weapons by the door. The green blood smattered on the blade.

The hollow, empty house looming over her head…

The video hiccups a bit as she hits the start of the feed. Old VHS tapes are odd like that, buzzing out with static where the film wore thin from too many pauses and restarts. It's a sign she's hit the beginning. Maddie presses play.

"Mom and Dad would kill me if they knew I let you down here."

It was an old security tape, filched from the lab. Onscreen, three teenagers, her son at the lead, slip into the camera's field of view. Maddie leans closer, enraptured by the movement, even though she's seen this moment enough times to have it seared into her brain.

Maybe, if she focuses hard enough, she can learn the secret - how to rewind her own mistakes, go back to a time when none of it has happened, just like in the video.

"Whoa, check it out! This thing's huge! I can't believe your parents built this!" A pause, while the kid adjusts his glasses. "Bummer that it doesn't work though, dude."

"Damn. Was it really supposed to open a portal to the underworld?"

"It's 'The Ghost Zone,' Sam. And yeah. My parents were pretty heartbroken when it didn't work. It kinda just… fizzled out. I hope they're not too upset."

The detached, clinical angle of the shot doesn't do the moment justice. Danny'd always been such a kind boy, thoughtful and empathetic to a fault. Maddie's throat closes up a little, leaving her struggling to breathe. They had been upset. Unbearably so. Their life's work - as Danny put it - fizzled out before their very eyes. It'd been a hard loss to take, one that she and Jack might never have recovered from, had the Portal not miraculously started working on its own, days later.

God. Now she almost wishes it hadn't.

A bright flash draws her from her reverie. Maddie blinks at the screen. A camera flash. In her distraction, she's missed part of the video; Tucker's casual "Lighten up, dude,", Sam's request for a photo op, Danny grabbing a hazmat suit to pose with while she dug the device from her backpack.

"—Got it," Sam waves the printed Polaroid to air out the negative.

"Okay. I showed you the portal. Can we get out of here now? My parents could be back here any minute."

Where had they been that day, anyway? Maddie wonders. Grocery shopping? Visiting the park? Moping, as they tried anything to get their minds off of their most recent failure? If they'd been there —

If they'd been there—

"Come on, Danny," comes Sam's voice, treacherous in its fascination. "A Ghost Zone? Aren't you curious?"

Danny looks into the Portal, clutching the custom white suit made specially for him. Sam smirks, knowing. "You gotta check it out."

Maddie hits pause.

Rewind.

"You gotta check it out."

Pause. Rewind.

"You gotta check it out."

Rewind.

"—gotta check it out."

The remote feels cold and heavy, like ice in her hand. In that moment, a selfishness grips her. She could blame Sam. For all if it. Everything that happened, it all started here, and it started because—

—But she can't blame Sam, because the next moment, Danny turns back, his eyes sparkling with an adventurous spirit. It's a spark of curiosity, brimming at the thought of the unknown; a look she's all too familiar with, one she's seen often on her daughter's face, her husband's - even her own, in the mirror.

"You know what? You're right. Who knows what kind of awesome, super cool things exist on the other side of that Portal?"

That curiosity, it's a Fenton trait, not one that needs to be stoked like a fire. That spark's been burning within him, since the cradle.

"Don't go in," she whispers, as if her advice could change the course of history. Even if he could hear her, though, it would be no use. He can no more resist the call than he can resist breathing.

He pulls on the hazmat suit. Skintight, white with black edging. It's like staring at a photo-negative. Watching her son, Maddie's stomach twists.

How couldn't she see it before?

"Alright. I'm going in." He says. His first footsteps echo, loud, in the hollow of the blacked out Portal…

Maddie's breath shudders in. She grips the remote and, before she can stop herself, hits the button.

Rewind.

She watches as her son walks backwards, double-time, out of the entrance to the Portal. The panic that gripped her fades.

"Mads?" From somewhere up above, echoing down the staircase, comes her husband's voice. Maddie is glued to the video screen, and almost doesn't hear him. Regardless, she definitely can't answer. What would she even say?

"Maddie?" His heavy footsteps echo in the stairwell, trudging closer. "Are you down there?"

A hitch in the tape. Maddie presses play.

"Mom and Dad would kill me if they knew I let you down here."

Drawn by the sound, Jack trudges the rest of the way down the narrow staircase. She feels a slight reverberation in the floor when he reaches the landing behind her. She doesn't turn around.

"The police called back. Officer McNally said he'd file a missing persons report, and they promised to keep their eyes open. But—" she hears the way uncertainty causes his voice to die in his throat when she doesn't turn to greet him. After a long moment of silence, he draws up to her side. "What are you watching?" he asks at last.

"It kinda just… fizzled out. I hope they're not too upset."

Question. He'd asked a question. Maddie swallows and struggles to answer. "Security tapes," she chokes out.

Understanding, an incomplete kind, dawns on Jack, and vigor jumps back into his bones. "Mads, that's brilliant!" he booms. "Why didn't I think of it? He comes into the lab all the time! We can use the security tapes to see when he last—"

"I found this tape in Danny's room," she interrupts.

Again, his voice falters in confusion.

"Under the bed," she elaborates, as if that will help. And continues watching, detached.

"Can we get out of here now? My parents could be back any minute."

The flickering light of the tv fills the lab, ominous in its glow. Jack hesitates. Maybe he's picked up on the subtext by now. Maddie can picture his eyes drifting from the staticy screen to the items in front of it, scattered across the table. He reaches out fro the shoebox sitting beside the tv. Taped to its front, written in the cursive, unmistakable scrawl of their son's handwriting, is a note that reads:

'If I Never Come Home'

"Maddie, what is this." Jack's voice is uncharacteristically heavy. Looking to her for guidance. For answers.

For once, she has none to give.

"Watch," Maddie whispers, still trapped by the screen. Automatic, her fingers hit the button.

Rewind.

With no other options to grasp at, he does.

"Mom and Dad would kill me if they knew I let you down here."

Watches as the kids approach the Portal.

"Aren't you curious?"

Watches as their son zips up the hazmat suit.

"Alright, I'm going in."

Watches as he disappears into the empty cavity of their greatest invention.

Click.

Watches as it thrums to life, with a scream.

"Da—Danny no!" Jack yells in tandem with the two remaining teens. He lurches forward, hand outstretched, to stop the agony onscreen. "He's not - when did he -"

"It's old, Jack," Maddie whispers. "From when the Portal started working."

Jack spins to stare at her. "You mean - Danny's the one who—" he's visibly struggling with the information, the same way she did, on her first viewing. "But—he never said—"

Right, Madie thinks. He never said anything. Jack's confusion is laughable, though. Why Danny never told them—that much is painfully clear.

"Guys?" Over the yelling and the panicking and the electric cackle from the Portal, their son's terrified voice cuts through the din. "G-guys help, what's happening?!"

Tucker and Sam are black silhouettes stumbling backwards from a swirling green glow, but they freeze and scramble to right themselves, lurching forward to catch someone as he stumbles through the gate.

Phantom - Danny - emerges from the portal, falling to his knees.

"…No," Jack says. Disbelief is thick in his voice. "That can't be… no."

Maddie lifts the remote.

Rewind.

A flash of light. A curdling scream. A shock of confusion, panic, scramble.

Danny Phantom stumbles from the portal.

Jack stares for a long time. Then he reaches out, snatching the lid of the shoebox for a second look at the evidence. The note, accusatory, stares back at them.

"This is how he tells us." Jack doesn't often whisper, but it seems like he can't do anything else. Her husband looks at the empty shoebox, the screen, the VCR. "Our son is Danny Phantom, and this is how he tells us. I…" he trails off.

Maddie almost can't believe it, how easily Jack arrives at the conclusion. It took her twelve viewings for her to wrap her mind around it, and it still hasn't really sunk in. But then, that's always been Jack's strong poing - those intuitive leaps of logic. Ones every scientist both loathed and envied.

"Did it kill him?" he moves seamlessly onto the next question that tripped her. Somehow, Jack's voice is even quieter this time.

Maddie shakes her head no. If they watch the video long enough, about ten minutes in, Danny manages to change his way back to human. If their invention did kill him, it wasn't permanent. Not that time, at least.

She's too close to thinking about it.

Rewind.

"But—" she can't stop Jack from thinking, though. He barrels on, heedless of breaking the fragile grasp Maddie has on her sanity. "But if all this time — Phantom—"

A hitch in the tape.

"We've been—"

Press play.

"Mom and Dad would kill me if they knew I let you down here."

"—Don't tell me we've been trying to waste our own kid—"

If Maddie weren't so detached, she might laugh. Waste. God, he can't even say it.

"Trying?" she asks instead. Bitter, the word sticks to her tongue.

She's not looking at the tape now. She's looking at him. And Jack, oh, Jack, he just stares down at her, a dark horror growing in his eyes.

He whips around to look at the bloodied weapons sitting at the base of the stairs.

Exactly where they left them two days ago, after that nasty ghost fight. When they came home to find a broken house, their daughter crying at the kitchen table, and their son just - gone.

"No." Jack backs up a step. "No no no no no no no—"

A flash of light. A curdling scream—

In an instant, Jack is moving. He snatches up weapons, whatever he can find, and bolts for the staircase, vaulting his way up to ground floor. Distantly, Maddie hears the doors slam. The RV thrumming to life. The screech of tires as Jack peels out of the driveway.

In the cold wake of his departure, Maddie turns back to the tv. She should go after him, she knows. But she's not quite done watching. Jack's always been a man of action, after all, but she's the analytical one, who studies, who marvels, who gathers the facts she sees.

Phantom, onscreen, slumps against his friends while he drips ectoplasm to the floor. He stares down at his white-gloved hands, his glowing green eyes wide in shock. Maddie wonders if he knew, then, what would become of him. What his parents, who raised him, who swore to protect him, would do.

She can't face those questions. Not yet. Not yet. Instead, she lifts the remote.

And rewinds.

A good scientist, a rational scientist, never draws conclusions while she's still gathering evidence. So as long as she's still watching—

A hitch in the tape. She's at the beginning. Maddie presses play.

"Mom and Dad would kill me if they knew I let you down here."

As long as she keeps watching, she doesn't have to do anything with this information. All she has to do is watch.

So she watches. She rewinds. And she plays. She can't look away—

"Mom and Dad would kill me if they knew I let you down here—"

She doesn't dare.

"Mom and Dad would kill me if they knew I let you down h—"

All she can do is rewind—

"Mom and Dad would kill me if they knew I let y—"

And rewind—and rewind—

"Mom and Dad would kill me if—"

Until she finds evidence contrary to her theory…

"Mom and Dad would kill me—"

Or she finds Its inevitable End.

"Mom and Dad would kill me if they knew I let you down here."

Rewind.

"Mom and Dad would kill me if they—"

Rewind.

"Mom—"

Rewind.

"Mom—"

Rewind.

"Mom—"

[AO3] [FFN]

#Danny Phantom #Ectober #EctoberWeek2020 #Rewind #Reveal Fic #Identity Reveal #Maddie Fenton #Jack Fenton #Character Death #sorry for the length #oneshot

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paralleledmediaexperience · 3 years

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a part 2 to this ficlet as requested by @xanthomonus in the notes! I’ve got at least one more part conceptualized (no way you can guess what’ll happen there) though i may extend it or add more, so if anyone would like to be tagged let me know!!

Sam is insistent that they try to research ways to get Cas back. Jack has explained that Amara won’t fail- it is simply the process of extracting an Angel from the Empty that takes time, since she didn’t want to wake or anger it like… well, like what Jack had done. He could feel Amara’s sincerity in a way that he was certain Sam and Dean wouldn’t understand, let alone be comforted by. She’d been in his head, crossed with his soul in the transfer of power. He’s kind of sure that if he hadn’t missed Cas so much too, she probably would have ignored Dean’s request altogether.

But it makes Sam look less frazzled when he’s able to lose himself in the research for something, and Jack doesn’t mind sitting with him and pretending he’s not hiding chapter books behind the large tomes. He’s been working his way steadily through some books Sam had collected for him last time they had been out shopping, and while he had enjoyed the first one (a mystery about siblings called the Boxcar children even though they no longer lived in a boxcar) he’d chosen Matilda next, because she sounded nice. And he was right! Matilda was his new favorite, even more than his last favorite, which had been Where the Wild Things Are.

He doesn’t even notice when Dean walks in, because Matilda had just glued a hat to her father’s head, but he does when Sam says, “What, none for me?”

“You’re a grown man, Sammy, you can make your own food. He’s four years old with a foot injury.” Dean says, scowling at Sam. The effect is rather ruined by both Dean’s flour dusted apron and the plate in his hands, and Jack smiles when he turns back to him instead. “You both missed lunch.”

Sam grumbles, but gets up anyway, stretching. “If you didn’t make me food how could I have missed it?”

“Shut up,” Dean shoots back half-heartedly. “Here, Jack, and don’t let him steal off your plate just because he got distracted reading.”

“Thanks, Dean!” Jack says brightly, moving his secret reading setup to the table instead of his lap and pushing it away, ignoring the way Sam’s eyebrows raise when he notices his no longer hidden book. Dean sets the plate down and ignores that Sam sends him one last annoyed face before heading off to the kitchen, where Jack knows there is going to be a plate ready for Sam, or at least a serving of the macaroni and cheese sprinkled with bacon bits and breadcrumbs that Dean’s brought him. “Are you making something else?”

“Just some bread,” Dean grimaces down at the mess of flour across his front, and Jack has to contain his giggles when the movement reveals a streak of flour in Dean’s hair.

“Just some bread,” Sam echoes, swinging back through the door with his own plate of macaroni. “Dean. Do I need to remind you that we need vegetables and can’t live off of carbs and meat alone?”

“It’s macaroni, Sam, quit whining and just enjoy it,” Dean rolls his eyes. “I swear, you’re the pickiest-”

“It’s not being picky, it’s eating healthy-”

“Same difference!” Dean insists, his twitching lips betraying the irritation in his voice.

“Just one meal with something green a day, Dean, I’m begging you.”

Eyes flicking back and forth as they snipe at each other, Jack takes an appreciative bite of the macaroni. Expectedly delicious, because Dean made it and Dean didn't make bad food the way Sam sometimes did. Mostly.

“Then beg,” Dean proclaims stubbornly, eyes narrowed. Sam doesn’t respond, his own expression pinching up into very familiar exasperation.

“Actually, I’ve never had brussel sprouts before, and Claire said I should try them!” Jack interjects. He isn’t sure what a brussel sprout is beyond a vegetable, but Claire had said he’d like them and that he should bother Dean into making them.

Dean looks unimpressed though, gaze switching from Sam back to meet Jack’s eyes. “You want me to make you brussel sprouts?”

“Please?” Jack tries, unsure if Dean thinks there is something wrong with brussel sprouts or if he is still simply offended by the concept of vegetables.

The please works, Dean’s capitulation coming in the form of a displeased huff and an, “Alright, fine.” He swings back around to point at Sam accusingly. “I’m blaming you for this.”

“As long as we get something from each of the five food groups, sure,” Sam says, taking his seat again. “And no, you don’t get to use tomatoes as the catch all.”

“Fine,” Dean bites out again, clapping Jack on the shoulder as he starts to turn away.

“Thank you Dean! Love you!” Jack says, and he hears Sam’s quick inhale just as he sees Dean almost stumble and he smiles to himself.

“Love you too, kid,” Dean manages to get out, hand squeezing just a bit tighter on his shoulder. “Alright, go back to your books, I have to go to the store for brussel sprouts apparently.”

The speed at which Dean walks away couldn’t be called running away but Jack definitely thinks it qualifies as retreating, and he straightens up a bit, very proud of himself for receiving his second ‘love you’ from Dean in twice as many days. He watches Dean get out the door before turning back around in his seat.

Sam is staring at him with a blinking mixture of incredulity and open affection, the smile on his face wide, if confused. “That’s… new?”

“Yep,” Jack confirms, pulling Matilda back towards himself and abandoning the pretense of reading the book Sam had suggested he search through. Sam had already searched it himself twice. He doesn’t manage to open it, because Sam continues.

“And I don’t need to check that it’s actually Dean?” Sam teases, bewilderment clear and pride clearer. “Saying yes to vegetables AND and I love you?”

“It turns out,” A voice whipcracks out, startling them both, “That Dean Winchester is actually a big old softie at heart. Who knew?”

“Balthazar?” Sam says, and Jack almost gets bowled over by the wave of shock. Balthazar? He knew that name. He stares openly, unheeded as Balthazar talks to Sam.

“Well, except Castiel, of course, but that Profound Bond of theirs hardly makes it fair,” The angel says, stepping forward. “Yes, Sam, I’ve been hand delivered back from the dead, at the temporary cost of my Grace. Don’t look at me like that.”

“Your grace?” Jack asks, curious about how Sam had been looking at him, but unwilling to turn around and take his eyes off of the angel Cas had once killed. “What do you mean?”

“Ah,” Balthazar strides over, and before Jack can say anything he’s got him clasped by both shoulders, staring into his eyes with a curiosity so intense Jack almost steps back towards the table. “And you’re Jack, I assume? I was warned that there would be no murdering of nephilim if I returned.”

“So Amara freed you?” Sam cuts in, and Jack huffs out a small breath as Balthazar lets him go to spin back around and face him. “Did she have a reason?”

Jack doesn’t voice his own question, which feels far more important. He wants to know when Cas will be back.

“Uh, yes?” Balthazar sneers. “Most of the angels are dead, Sam, no thanks to you and your brother and my brother. I’ll admit some of us deserved it- were rather asking for it, if you ask me- but it did leave dear aunty with rather less personnel than she wants to run heaven with.”

“She’s not grabbing all the angels, is she?” Jack breathes, terrified suddenly, despite Balthazar’s assurance that Amara had apparently set him off limits.

“Not a chance. Seemed to have a list in mind, and I think I was simply the first she found. I thought perhaps…” He trails off, just for a split second before he grins again, bright and covering up anything he might have been about to show. “Well, I didn’t, actually. Rather hard to do when you’re sleeping in eternal torment.”

Jack catches Sam’s flinch, and frowns at the other man. “Are you sure you were the first?”

Balthazar ticks his head to one side, considering. “Well, I’m the first to show up here, I’ll assume by your reactions, and given that she’s bringing us back graceless, I imagine any others will also be sent here.”

Jack scowls. If so, then Cas may be further off than he hoped. But this was- conclusive proof. Amara could do it, and now they would just have to deal with powerless angels until she came back and dealt with them herself. And Cas would be home.

Sam sighs, deep and weary and cheerless. “Yeah. That would make sense. Well, we can put this away, then.” He closes the book on the table with a hefty thump and then stacks Jack’s abandoned tome on top of it. “And I suppose we should try to make sure we have rooms ready. Jack, would you-”

“I’ll call Dean and let him know,” Jack says, suddenly tired and wanting to get away from Balthazar, still staring at him hawkishly, wanting to be away from the library, where more angels could show up without warning. He wants to hide in his room or possibly Cas’ until Amara brings him back and takes all the others back to heaven or whatever she planned to do. He wishes viciously in his head that he hadn’t opened his mouth about brussel sprouts and that Dean was still here in the kitchen where Jack could escape to without feeling alone. As it is, he grabs Matilda and his plate, still half full of macaroni, ready to walk away, but he catches Balthazar’s face again.

“You’re hungry,” Jack realizes as he says it. Balthazar has a facial journey of his own to deal with that fact before he grimaces.

“Human,” he says, displeasure and embarrassment warring on his features, even as his stomach growls.

Jack doesn’t want Balthazar here, he doesn’t want Amara to try to find anyone but Cas, or at least to find Cas first, and he most definitely doesn’t want to share his food that Dean made him, or Dean and Sam’s attention in general, and he swallows all of this down and he says, “Here. If you’ve never been human before, you’ve never really tasted food, right? Dean’s always makes the best food.”

He holds out the plate and drops it into Balthazar’s hands and tries his best not to stomp out like a real child, or run out like he’s scared, but he makes it around the corner and leans against the wall, out of sight.

Except that Sam immediately pokes his head around, following him. “Jack?”

“I don’t like this,” Jack says plainly, staring up at Sam like maybe he could explain why all of the good feelings he’d been having had shriveled up in his stomach and refused to leave, even though Sam clearly didn’t think Balthazar was an actual threat to them.

“I could tell,” Sam says, almost teasing again, but he drops it immediately. “Is it okay, Jack? Because we can absolutely just send him and any others that show up to the nearest motel instead.”

“No,” He says immediately, but he pauses after, thinking. He takes a deep breath in, trying to ease the odd tightness inside his chest. “No. They can stay here until Amara gets back. I just…”

“Don’t like it,” Sam nods, as if that explains it, and Jack guesses it does. “Well, Dean won’t like it either, so you can let him know that the two of you are free to hole up wherever you’d like to get away from them, and I’ll try to deal with them myself as much as I can.”

The tightness in his chest does soften, another breath rushing out like he’d been holding it. “Thanks, Sam.”

“You know I love you too, Jack,” Sam says, earnest and open and Jack barely makes the decision to hug him but he ends up wrapped up in Sam’s arms anyhow.

“I do. I know. Love you, Sam,” Jack says, fixing his grip on Matilda as he pulls away. “Okay, I need to go call Dean, because if he leaves the store before-”

“He won’t want to turn around, yeah,” Sam laughs.

Jack can’t help the smile that bursts across his face. “Well, I can’t use it too often, or it might not work anymore, but maybe if I say please.”

#Jack Kline #Sam Winchester #Dean Winchester #Balthazar #supernatural #my fic #creativecaviar #me remembering that time i tricked my cousin into eating brussel sprouts. ehehehehe.#also!!! what the FUCK balthazar's voice is very difficult but also very fun and rewarding to write so PLEASE tell me whether it reads okay #my in my head: ive seen four year olds become territorial when their parents have visitors this is gonna be SO funny #anyway Jack IS going to get I love you's from all his dads thank you much. we just gotta wait for Cas.#this isn't going on ao3 until i have a good name for it so if you like reading better there suggest a fic name this time so it can go up

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totallynormalfanficauthor · 3 years

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Sally stared down at the hair tie in her hand. She weaved it between her fingers, silently contemplating something in her head. She looked up at the mirror situated in front of her. Her eyes glued to the long, red hair that flowed off her shoulders and down her back, like a crisp waterfall of blood. She always did like the way her hair looked, but she was having some trouble with it this morning.

Should she wear it up? Or leave it down? And if she did put it up, what style should she choose? A ponytail? A bun?

Sally always found it fun to experiment different styles with her hair. Always intrigued to know what different things would look like. Find out what she liked, and what she didn’t. But sometimes it was tricky to decide how to wear it, which more often than not led to her giving up and deciding to leave it down for the day- which, she had no problem with of course.

As Sally stared at the mirror, going over her options quietly to herself, she suddenly heard a knock on the bedroom door. It caught her attention right away.

“Sally?” a voice came from the other side. She relaxed, knowing who it was instantly. Although, she’d be concerned if it was anyone else. “..Are you still in there?”

“Yes, Jack.” she called back to her husband.

“May I come in?”

“Of course.”

The doorknob slowly turned, and opened. There stood Jack, one hand inside his pocket. He smiled, and made his way over to her in a moment. She smiled back as he kissed her on the cheek.

He spoke softly, “Good morning, love.”

“Good morning. I didn’t think you were still home..”

“I’m taking it a little bit easier, today. I’ll be heading into town this afternoon.” He paused, resting his head on hers. “-but I wanted to come check on you.”

Sally smiled, and blushed, patting his hand which was perched on her shoulder. “Aww, that’s sweet. I’m fine, thank you.”

“What are you up to?”

Following his gaze, she knew he was looking at the hair tie. No doubt what he was referring to. “Oh, just…” she looked back into the mirror. “...trying to decide how I should wear my hair.”

“Hmm..” The skeleton backed up a bit, and she turned around to face him. He placed a finger on his chin in thought. “Your hair looks gorgeous no matter how you wear it, Sally” She smiled, and sighed.

“Yes, I don’t have a problem with it.. I just like trying new things.”

“I see…” He tapped his lips. Sally could feel his gaze as he studied her. “What about… instead of doing something with all of it, I could give you a braid. Riiiight...” he stepped forward, running his fingers through the side of her hair draped down around her face to her shoulder. “-Here.”

She blinked, slightly surprised. “You know how to braid?”

He nodded. “I do, believe it or not.” His hand cupped her face. “So, what do you think?”

Sally thought for a moment. Truthfully, she wasn’t 100% sure. She’d never tried a braid before. But, the thought of Jack doing her hair for her warmed her leaves from her head to her toes. She leaned into his touch. It was almost impossible to say no. “Sure, I’d like that. Thank you.”

“Of course.”

With that, he took her hand and led them over to their bed. She followed his movements, sitting down next to him once they got there. He folded his legs behind her, and she nervously played with the end of her dress. “You’re sure you don’t mind?”

“Of course not, you’re going to look as beautiful as always! I assure.” Sally nodded finally, as Jack reached forward to begin.

He took three small strands and went to work, weaving them in and out of each other. Sally smiled, and closed her eyes. She always loved it when Jack played with her hair. Even if this was a little different, the feeling was similar. His hands were always so soft, and gentle with her. His touch made her feel loved.

Sally had never had anyone else do her hair before. It was.. really nice, actually. Within a couple moments, he had finished. She handed him the tie, and he carefully wrapped it around the end securely. Then he kissed the top of her head.

“You’re finished?”

“Yes. Shall we go see how it looks?”

He stood, and offered his hand to her. She took it, and they both walked back over to the mirror. Sally peered in. She smiled widely. Jack wasn’t kidding her- it looked lovely. He had braided a couple strands down the right side of her hair, that stopped at about her shoulder. The braid itself was really neat, certainly better than anything she could do. She turned her head at different angles, admiring herself.

“Ooh, Jack... This looks so pretty.” She looked up at him, her eyes sparkled. She definitely looked forward to wearing it like this more often. “Thank you.”

“Anytime, dearest. I think you look terribly gorgeous.” He wrapped an arm around her waist, cupping the side of her cheek with his free hand. She giggled, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“You always say that..”

“That’s because it’s always true.”

Jack leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. Sally melted into the kiss, tilting her head to get it at a better angle. His hand tangled into the back of her hair, careful not to mess up the braid. The ragdoll sighed contently through her nose. She truly loved this man, and Jack loved her just the same.

#the nightmare before christmas #tnbc #nightmare before christmas #fanfic #fanfiction #oneshot #ship #jack skellington #sally #sally skellington #jack x sally #braiding #hope you guys enjoyed!#i am sick rn so i apologize if this isn't my best work #but i hope you will like it nonetheless #long post

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extremelyblackandwhite · 3 years

Text

innocence - 20

PAIRING: bodyguard!bucky barnes x innocent actress!reader

WARNINGS: age gap

A/N: enjoy xxx

NEXT CHAPTER

Y/N was sat on the floor of her bathroom, leaned against the absurd quantity of objects barricading her door. She would be alright, she would be alright. Only someone with super strength could break through it ... or an axe. As that thought crossed her head all she could think of was of a little memory of her childhood. She and her younger brother had padded down the stairs to where his parents were watching a movie she would later learn it was the Shinning. She couldn’t forget the scream she had let out as she saw Jack break through the door using an axe and right now, right now all she could think of was that, something breaking through her door and harming her.

She looked at everything in her bathroom thinking of what she could use as a weapon to defend herself. Suddenly her friends back home forcing her to choose reusable razors were her best of friends. She could probably arm someone with the razor blade or try to stab them with eyebrow scissors. Bucky had once told her the damage doesn’t need to be big, only in the right place.

She continued to stay sat down, mumbling to herself she would be fine until she heard footsteps. They were loud, heavy and echoey. Her breathing stopped, hands over her mouth fully knowing any sound would give away her location. However was walking in her flat kept walking and the steps got closer and closer until there was a knock on her door.

- Y/N? Y/N, it’s Steve. Open the door. - her heart returned to beating, breath normalising as she broke through her barricade, opening the door. It was really Steve, standing in front of her and was this another situation, she wouldn’t know what to act but right now, right now he was the best thing that could’ve arrived.

Steve however seemed to lose colour to his face as the mirror became visible to him. Bucky hadn’t told him what was written in the mirror and if he didn’t know, he wouldn’t definitely be pleased about it.

- I checked the flat, there’s no one here. Whoever wrote that isn’t inside the flat, you’re safe. - he put his hands in his back pocket, seemingly conflicted of what to do or what to say. His eyes whoever were glued on those words, scribbled in big letters, tarnishing her reflection. He felt guilty for those words he had told her, maybe Bucky was right in being mad at him. - Do you want some tea? Yeah, you should get some tea, maybe some food?

- I really don’t want any of that.

- It’ll help you calm down.

- I’m calm! - the words came harsher than she anticipated, tears pooling at her eyes as she turned her head away from him. However, turning his head away from him meant looking straight into the mirror, those words in front of her, written across her forehead only added salt to injury. She held her hair, trying to hold in the tears. No, she was not going to cry, she was not going to cry.

- Hey ... - Steve pulled her in for a hug. - It’s okay. I’ll make you some tea and we’ll wait for Bucky. I promise no one is gonna come in and harm you.

- I don’t want Bucky to see me like this. - she wiped the tears with her back of her hand.

- It’s okay, just come with me okay? - Steve took her by the hand to the kitchen but not before locking the bathroom door. He’d deal with that later. Walking into the kitchen, things looked normal. Everything looked so normal, Steve wondered how someone could’ve easily entered her flat. - You can wash your face in the sink, it’ll hopefully reduce some puffiness and the red eyes. I’ll put on the kettle and we’ll have a tea, okay?

She didn’t reply to him, merely nodding before making way to the sink in the skin. Shaky hands reached to the tap, moving it and causing the cold water to start streaming. Her mind got lost in sound, not wanting to get lost in her insecurities. The sound of water running, water boiling in the kettle and the cold feeling of the water against her warm skin. She felt like crying again. She shouldn’t be crying, she shouldn’t be a cry baby, she told herself. The water kept running, being slashed onto her face occasionally until the sound of the kettle on the background ceased.

Turning off the tap, she wiped her face clean with some kitchen towel before turning to face Steve who held one of her mother’s Christmas’ mugs up to her. She had that mug for what felt like ages now, the painting was starting to chip and there were English Breakfast tea stains on the bottom yet she couldn’t let go of it. She couldn’t let go of the only thing which seemed to make her feel as if she could control her life in a house filled with agency bought furniture.

- Is Bucky coming?

- Yes, he is. Just stuck in traffic. Brooklyn traffic is quite bad. - he chuckled, trying to break the ice. - We once got jammed in it when we were trying to leave Coney Island. Bucky hadn’t told his ma and she gave him an earful.

- Was it worth it? - she laughed of the thought of Bucky getting reprimanded by his mother.

- Yeah, he made me ride the Cyclone over and over again until I threw up and then tried to bribe me with ice cream.

- I know, he told me. - she smiled at Steve, taking him off guard. Bucky had talked with her about him? He wasn’t expecting that. Bucky barely spoke to him after the incident at the compound, if he did it was normally because he had no choice and if he were to guess he would say the two of them would probably be bad mouthing him behind his back.

- Wh ...

- Y/N. - she turned her head to the familiar voice, jumping from her seat when she saw Bucky standing in the kitchen, catching his breath in a white wife beater shirt and light grey yoga trousers. She wrapped her arms around him, letting his warmth involve her as he kissed the top of her head, arms supporting her against him. His eyes roamed the room, falling on Steve. - What are you doing here? Where’s Sam?

- Sam had his meeting ... I offered to come check on Y/N instead.

- How nice. - the sarcasm rolled off his tongue, something which came by unappreciated by Y/N who looked up at him with disapproval in her eyes.

- You should probably take her to a hotel for a few nights, maybe your Brooklyn flat? I can get Natasha and Tony to come take a look at her flat, look at the security cameras, scan for fingerprints.

- I can protect her, I don’t need your help.

- Can I show you something? - Steve remained his regular calm self, arms crossed over his chest as he motioned with his head towards the bathroom. Bucky was reluctant to get away from her, afraid if he let go something would happen to her. She, on the other hand, pulled away from him, giving him a reassuring look. His hand unlaced from hers as he followed Steve onto the bathroom.

He expected broken glass, artefacts that would show a break in but as Steve opened the door, the bathroom was intact. There was no broken glass, no forced entry just the word Slut scribbled all over her mirror. His blood boiled, fists clenching as he went to grab a towel to scrub it of the mirror but Steve stopped him.

- We need to examine it, first. It’s no good scrubbing it off. Right now, you need to take her out of here. We’re not sure how the person got in or how he got out, if there’s a blind spot he might try to use it again. Go to a hotel, register under one of your old alternate identities or to your Brooklyn flat.

- Yeah ... uhum ... you’ll sort it from here or should I drop her off in Brooklyn and return?

- Go be with your girlfriend, Bucky. - Steve smirked at the word, not remembering the time he had called anyone Bucky’s girlfriend.

- Should I pack? - Y/N poked between the two friends.

- No, I’ll ... I mean, I’ll get Sam to drop some of your stuff wherever you guys go.

- Thanks, Steve. - the actress gave him a quick hug before disappearing onto the kitchen to grab her bag and phone.

- I’ll see you around?

Bucky didn’t reply, instead turning on his heel and leaving the blonde hero in the bathroom. He didn’t know what to say, he didn’t want to say anything and so he left him there, instead walking to the kitchen and taking Y/N by the hand. She thought better not to say anything until they were in the car.

- What happened between you and Steve? - she asked once they were stuck on the traffic leading back to Brooklyn.

- Nothing happen between me and Steve, princess. - his eyes were glued onto the road, hands gripping onto the steering wheel.

- Really? Because if my best friend of more than fifty asked me a question, I wouldn’t just leave.

- It’s really nothing, Y/N. He was rude to you and he didn’t apologise, that’s all.

- No that’s not all. - she turned her head to face him. - At least it doesn’t feel like that’s the only reason. Do you wanna tell me? Is it because he was the first one on the flat?

- No, listen ... Y/N, it’s complicated.

- Do you want to be mad at Steve?

- It’s more complicated than that, princess.

- It’s a yes or no question, Buck.

Bucky sighed, turning the wheel towards Brooklyn once the traffic cleared. The conversation ended there but it didn’t end in her mind. She didn’t want Bucky to be mad at Steve because of her, or him to be mad at Steve at all. Yet, she wasn’t going to push his buttons, she knew better so she just put her hand on his tight, head tilted against her own shoulder, watching his wild blue eyes on the road. The drive seemed longer as he tried not to look at her. He didn’t want her to get caught up in whatever he was dealing with Steve. Maybe it was wrong of him to get mad Steve due to things he had bottled up for years, yet, he just couldn’t help it. He wasn’t a baby, he wasn’t a cripple, he shouldn’t be treated like one.

He drove up to his street, exiting the car first to check if there was any danger before opening the door to her. She looked around the neighbourhood, it was rather picturesque. Open large streets with close by apartments with little trees in front. It was the type of neighbourhood you would see in a coming of age movie.

- Come on. - he took her hand in his, walking her to his flat building. She stargazed at everything, watching the beautiful doors and matts until she reached Bucky’s door, the only door without an entry mat. - Listen, before you get it, you should know ... it’s not the best flat in the world. I’m still ... doing some things.

- I’m sure it’s charming.

- If you don’t like it, we can go into a hotel. I want you to be ...

- James. - she interrupted his rambling. - I’m sure it’s great.

- Okay ... - Bucky insecurely opened the door of his flat, pushing it open with his feet to allow her in.

She furrowed her brows as she entered the empty home. There was no furniture, just boxes and a furnished kitchen, possibly bought that way. Now she understood why he was so insecure about opening the door, while she had too much in her flat, he had too little. Y/N moved further into his flat, opening the first door she saw which proved to be his bedroom and her heart shattered. There was no bed, just mattress on the floor and a few notebooks surrounding it. No pillows, no sheets. Nothing.

- Uh .. we can buy you a bed. Whatever bed you’d like. - Bucky came up from behind her, kissing her shoulder.

- Bucky, how long have you had this flat?

- For a while now ... I know it doesn’t look good but I was thinking about buying some paint ... Yet, I don’t really know if I get to be like this for a while.

- What do ... Oh. - she turned around and placed her hands on her shoulder, giving him a slow, soft kiss. - You’re not going back to that. I know you’re not, you’re strong. This is your home, you should treat it like a home.

- Princess, I don’t need much.

- Well but if you don’t get a bed, I’m afraid I won’t sleep with you. Sounds dangerous. I don’t want to end up in A&E and explain to the nurse that my spine is cracked because my boyfriend doesn’t have a bed.

- Holding sex? That’s a low move, princess.

- IKEA. We need to go to IKEA.

- Are you sure you don’t want to rest? I mean, you just wen ...

- We could get meatballs. - she interrupted him, clapping happily. - Meatballs and home shopping, it’s gonna be marvellous.

- Y/N, we can order in meatballs.

- But not IKEA meatballs. Come on Bucky, it’ll be fun! It’s like playing the Sims but in real life.

- I’m not gonna question you about what the Sims is. - he smiled at her excitement, pulling a strand of her hair behind her ear. - Are you sure you don’t want to test the mattress? I think I can make you like the bare mattress.

- I know, love. That’s exactly why I’m not gonna try the mattress. - she held onto his shirt, little smile on her lips. - But I do think you need to change out of your pyjamas and maybe put some shoes on.

- You’re being awfully demanding of me, Ms. Y/N. I might have to punish you later.

- Bed first and then you can do whatever you want.

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whump-town · 3 years

Text

See, How The Most Dangerous Thing Is Love

Where you go I'm going So jump and I'm jumping Since there is no me without you

She can’t stop running and, like an idiot, he keeps chasing.

warnings: i don’t think there is anything to warn against which seems odd... considering... but I did use some weird fucking metaphors and I don’t know if they make any sense...

Hotchniss

If the tension between Aaron Hotchner and Emily Prentiss wasn’t apparent upon their reunion following Elle’s leave, it was painfully clear after Tobias. Eggshells be damned. He inquires around her compartmentalization, tone dark, and judging where JJ had just meant to build a bridge. He had aimed to tear one down. To remind her just how out of place she is in this unit.

There can only be one lone wolf in the pack.

“You came off of a desk job--”

She narrows her eyes, feet shifting. He’d come out of nowhere, as she’s finding he often does, and that just aggravates her even more. She’s a trained spy and Interpol agent, he shouldn’t be able to sneak up on her. The shield she throws between them does nothing when he already has his own firm in place. Feet planted in preparation for her attack.

Her revenge is sweet.

It starts with the way her back draws tight as a bow.

“No, stop. Stop. All right everybody right now-- what’s my worst quality?”

The flip of her dark hair, drawing the limp branch of a tree towards her chest. Poised ready to strike out towards him and the tight coil of childish glee derived from mischief in her chest. Her words the fiery snap of its release, the edge catches his cheek to leave an open, jagged wound. “You don’t trust women as much as men.” The room’s attention lays in the silence of that lashing. Their eyes watching the dark crimson of his blood trickle down his cheek.

And he wipes it away. Unflinching as he powers on. He can see it in their eyes, the way they keep looking back at the wound on his cheek. Thinking about the words and their implications. How they each drew back and laid into him with their strikes.

He can see it in Emily, the way she awaits her second chance. She’ll draw that branch back again. There are more branches, he suspects, in her forest of mistrust and impatience with him. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t have a few branches of his own he’d like to hit her with.

It is only in the most fundamental way that they trust one another.

“Don’t get me wrong, Johnny.”

A drop of sweat runs along his hairline and down the back of his neck. The heat of Alabama in August is worse than Virginia and even stripped of his suit jacket, the weather is insufferable. The rickety old pisshole of a house groans under the weight of the four adults standing in the attic. With no draft and dust covering every visible surface, it smells like something’s crawled up here and died. He suspects, if he were to look hard enough, he’d find that to be true.

Johnny and Mark Wrights have been murdering and raping teenage girls from the local high school. Grown men covered in grim and old denim-- the epitome of the white trash that comes to mind when they set out to solve these kinds of cases. It makes Hotch feel a deep shame for being raised anywhere near the south. Now, as he stands pinned to Johnny’s chest, the heavy scent of pig shit and sweat covering the man, he feels deep condemnation for the south.

He wants to get as far from this town as possible.

Prentiss’ gun is steady. As far as agents to come to have his back, he’s lucky that it’s her. Her brows raise a fraction when she steps into the room, surprised that it’s him. It takes him off guard that she’s choosing empathy with these men. She repeats her earlier statement. “Don’t get me wrong, boys,” she shakes her head and her eyes flicker to Hotch. “That’s my boss you have there.”

Johnny digs the barrel of his gun into Hotch’s face, the metal biting his flesh. He’s antsy. Emily must see that… surely, she must know that she won’t be able to talk her way out of this.

“Now,” she smirks. Her inflection has risen to nonchalance as if talking to a friend. Her shrug of indifference makes his chest feel dangerously tight. “He’s a dick,” she informs them. “Makes my life a living hell.” His eyes glued to her index finger. She’s talking and moving and if she’s distracted him with her words then she’s distracted the Unsubs too. “He’s got a little boy at home though,” her eyes flick to him.

He’s hit with a sudden understanding.

“So…” he watches her back once again. A bow, bending to snap. He ducks, this time, when her branch comes flying back at his face. Throwing his weight to the side, he takes Johnny by surprise, and before he can blink there are two quick shots that ring the end.

For a stunned moment, he’s laid out on his back. His eyes are on the ceiling just breathing and shaking.

She comes to stand at his side, offering him a hand up.

He takes it.

“Don’t,” she says before he can thank her. Her eyes are dark. She’s displeased. Not only with him and the stupidity that got them in this mess, to begin with, but for the girls. Emily had wanted to bring those girls justice. To sit at Johnny and Mark’s court hearings. To drink herself numb and to see them thrown in jail so they’d never see the light of day ever again.

Executed in the attack of some rickety old house just isn’t the same.

He nods his head.

They part ways.

But he can see her back.

And she sees his hands.

She lashes out and he pulls scabs apart. He agitates old wounds. His thumb works across his finger, picking at a scab, and then he draws blood and she watches as he dumbly looks down at his hands. As if he’s confused at why it would bleed.

A serial arson typically leaves little room for emotional collateral but, of course, he makes an exception. He digs his thumb into his finger, rubbing back and forth, voice breaking, and attention split as he makes connections that no one else sees. Gideon steps to his side, calming Hotch and stopping the trickle of blood over his callused hands. Holds his own hands over the wounds.

She sees that day, the scars that litter his ledger. The scabs… Aaron Hotchner is an open wound. He can’t let anything go. Won’t let the wounds heal. He needs the pain the way she needs the bows. She hates that she’s starting to understand this man that she hates so passionately.

Hearing him shout, the pain in his voice as he tears viciously after Evan Abby makes her falter. There he goes again, picking at wounds that should have healed. Who exactly is he saving? It’s not Abby. The man is a walking corpse, riddled with cancer. Watching as Hotch sinks into Morgan’s arms, his dread and hopelessness bringing him to his knees.

The blood falls down his hands.

But he picks at a wound that makes her bow and all is right, once again, in their little world.

“I want you on that plane with me.”

She finds him on a bender a few days later. The case is solved but that doesn’t mean she feels any better about the way that they left things. A boy swept up in their carnage-- “the boy brought me this last one. Didn’t even ask him to.” She sits down one barstool away from him and wonders if he’s thinking about that too.

But he’s scratching. Not at his hands but at the tumbler he twirls lazily around, mesmerized by the amber liquid in it. He throws what little is left into his mouth and grimaces, not at the taste but at the scab he’s just pulled free. She watches the blood fall.

He gets good at stopping her attacks.

“There’s nothing we could have done,” he breathes, the hurt in his voice the only reason she doesn’t shoot him down with a scowl. For some reason, he takes the seat across from her and pushes a coffee to her. She looks at the mug and then at him. His head dipped, eyes on the sludge he’s calling a peace treaty.

She wraps her hands around the mug. The effect of the warmth is immediate. “I know,” she admits, sipping at the liquid. God, that pisses her off. He always makes the coffee perfect. She can’t even make her coffee the way she likes.

He hums, shaking his head. “I think…” he glances at her and looks out the window. “I think I’m still trying to convince myself that.” The soft admission is so… unlike him. Where is the gruff push? The fire in his eyes. She finds only hard truth. Standing rooted where he is, he frowns with something he can’t convince himself isn’t worry.

Where does she go? Tonight, he will go home and find it empty. Which is fine because he can’t be around Haley and Jack on a night like this. He is no husband. No father. He needs to remind himself of the emptiness that is Aaron Hotchner. The pain and the torture. He’s not meant to be a father and he pushes his father’s legacy a little harder each day he pretends his marriage is a happy one.

If she can not get lost in these faux realities… What does she do?

Him. She does him.

For a month he convinces himself that he can fix the little pieces of his marriage but finds his hands covered in the jagged wounds of the glass carnage. As it turns out, some things simply refuse to go back together. He bleeds and bleeds and Emily, of all people, comes to mend his aches. Moving him away from the fragments, forcing him to let go.

The sex is harsh. He’s rough and she lets him. Urging him on with the roll of her own hips, his hair gripped tightly in her hand. They’ve hurt one another gravely and to know his weaknesses makes her that much better at drowning out his pleasure. She’s surprised to find that his mouth isn’t just good for smart ass remarks.

It sparks something deep within them both.

“Garcia thought she heard…” JJ tightens her mouth, forcing her smile down. She glances over at Garcia, the two sharing smiles that can’t be hidden. For the first time in a while, Garcia came with them on a case. Meaning their usual splitting of the rooms didn’t work so Emily, instead of rooming with JJ, roomed with Hotch.

Garcia smirks at Emily, “I just heard someone up last night.”

Emily knows exactly what they heard. She feigns innocence none-the-less. “Late?” she asks. “I was in bed as soon as we got back.” Which is true because she had Hotch pinned to the wall with a hand down his trousers before the door could swing completely shut behind them. It didn’t take long for him to flip the script and have her on the bed. “I doubt it was anyone from the team, weren’t you all exhausted?”

Garcia accepts that as an answer. For now, that’s reasonable enough. It’s rather silly, is it not, to assume something is going on between Hotch and Emily, of all people. They really sell their pitch with the heated, just under their breath, argument that they have only an hour later. Though it isn’t to save face but because he’s an asshole sleep-deprived and she’s, truly, exhausted for the same reason. JJ and Garcia both feel rather stupid for having thought the commotion the night before could be them.

Six months later, it happens again.

“We were arguing,” Emily offers with hefty-sigh. She’s not just selling her role. Lately, they’ve had to repeatedly come to a heated, uncomfortable debate. Their relationship, what it is and what is really isn’t, is being questioned. Are they enough to power through the last year? Should they be something that makes it through the next?

She rubs at her eyes, careful to keep her hair brushed over her neck. While she’d checked and double checked this morning for any marks on her neck, Hotch has been rather nippy (in all sense of that word) and the last thing she needs is explaining some rogue hickey he’s placed. Unlike him, she doesn’t have a high collar to hide behind.

JJ raises an eyebrow but says nothing. The two of them are going through something, the whole team has noticed. Though, if they’re honest, they don’t suspect the rocks and tumbles of a relationship getting onto its feet. They’re waiting for one of them to snap. Whether it be Emily, who will likely pack up her belongings and leave. Regardless of her love for the team. Hotch… well, he’s losing his grip on his so solidly built and reinforced shields. His pain and discontent are slipping through his armor.

“Arguing?”

Emily sighs, nodding. “He’s an asshole,” she mumbles. “What do you want me to say?” Her tone, tense and defensive, raises a little more attention than she meant it to. Lowering her head, she digs her fingers into her temples. She’s not sure if it’s better or worse that Hotch notices immediately as he walks into the room. There’s a tense moment, the two of them just staring at each other, before he clears his throat and jumps right back into the problem at hand.

The case always comes first. Their relationship after every other conceivable thing.

It makes sense, for them, until it doesn’t.

“This isn’t what you signed up for.”

Up until that moment, he’d considered himself hiding fairly well behind his scowl. Aaron is safely nestled where Hotch can’t hurt him and, what scares him even more, is how protected he is from Prentiss. Because Emily might have tears streaming down her face right now but he knows he’s looking at Prentiss. From the steel in her dark eyes to the conviction that feels, and is, so misplaced.

He swallows around the stupidity that tries to come fumbling out of his mouth. Something sentimental, foolish. “I don’t understand,” he manages. It has taken him his entire adult life to admit to that. To find the courage to say when he doesn’t follow and all for what? To sit here, at her hospital bedside, and grit out the confession. He can’t fucking say I love you but he can consume the poison of letting go.

To succumb where he should fight.

“Please,” she whispers, softly. But she hadn’t been the other half watching. Unable to do a damn thing while her screams, the muffled sounds of her body hitting the walls, had filled his head. He’d listened as Cyrus beat her. In a way, no he didn't sign up for this. No one in a relationship wants every thought about their partner to be about the end. Will it come soon? Leaving one partner to grieve the other longer than they knew each other? To answer to that mourning call-- what is left when all you are is taken? What parts of him are really her?

“If it’s what you want.” he rasps.

She turns her head, barring to him the sight of the bruise that takes up the right side of her jaw. That’s answer enough.

Dave takes her home from the hospital that evening, wondering what exactly it is that’s happened. He noticed the two of them today. He’s not stupid. “How are you feeling?” he asks, looking over at her on his passenger seat. Getting hurt happens but this is the first time she’s ever had to call someone to pick her up. Dave knows, in that way a parent knows that the silence of their children spells encroaching doom, who was supposed to drive her home tonight. One might call it, also, parental intuition.

She doesn’t lift her head from the window. Doesn’t even look at him. “Fine.”

Dave knows Hotch will answer with the same answer Monday when they return from the office.

Calling the two of them tense is an understatement.

Emily returns to work and they steer clear of her. The whispers follow her weary body around like a cloak. That she can manage. That is nothing.

It’s his absence that she feels.

Her coffee tastes odd. She’s grown used to the way that he makes it. Too strong and with no creamer but no matter what she does it just doesn’t taste the same. He’s even ruined tea. His mouth always tasted of Earl Grey or the bitter remnants of his coffee. Now, even smelling Earl Grey twists a knife within her. One she buried herself.

He’s fucking everywhere.

It’s driving her mad.

The worst part is that he’s not there.

In her bed, she rolls over. Throwing a leg over where his hips would usually be. She finds nothing but soft, used cotton. Not even the pillow carries the lingering scent of him.

His sweater hangs over a chair in her room but it’s absent of his warmth. She’s worn it too often and now she can’t even bring it to her face to pretend he’s here.

Nightmares plague her sleep and she wonders if this is penance for breaking his heart or if he’d just kept them away.

She watches, one night, as her nightmares crawl out of her ears sneer right back at her.

“Where’s Hotch?” Emily falls into step with JJ.

The blonde shrugs, “I called him twice. He’ll just have to meet us here when he wakes up.”

Though she falters, body stiffening and pausing, she tries to carry on unbothered. Seemingly unbothered by this progression. Hotch never lets his phone go to voicemail.

She’s the one that finds him four hours later. Lying supine, unresponsive in a hospital bed. The doctor’s words roll right off her, she takes in only that he will, eventually, be okay. And she wonders what it would have been like to really lose him. Not to just yearn for him but to not even avoid his eye in the hall. To hover with her finger over his contact and for there to be no possibility that he’ll answer.

Dead.

He could have died.

Stupidly, foolishly, she takes his hand. His eyes crack open and she pretends she doesn’t see his immediate relief followed far too closely by the pain. Physically brought on by the wounds of both her hands and Foyet’s. “I almost lost you,” she says.

He closes his eyes when she kisses him but when they pull apart he grimaces. Consciousness is painful, miserable. Her hand clutched by his, he manages a few weak breaths. Each one builds the strength to speak. “You can’t lose what you never had,” he answers, a moment later. By the time the cruelness of his truth has hit her, he’s slipped back under the drugs. His hand limp and clammy.

He’s right, though.

They both knew where he was coming in. The ins and outs of his embrace. That he’d pull her in and push her away in the same breath. Afraid, too afraid, to try at this again and, yet, he’d tried. He might not have had the strength to manage love but he’d held her through the nights. He knew her favorite foods and was never shy about tearing her apartment apart for missing the heating pad if she needed.

And what had she done for him?

She’d tricked him. Lured him in with the lies that she could do this. But she’s still drawn tightly. A bow that lashes out. Hurting others before they have a chance to hurt her and, as a result, she’s killed him more than Foyet could have dreamed.

Mostly, what he means is that she never allowed herself to have him. She never had him and, yet, she misses him every step of the way.

They have one another one last time.

She settles her hips over his and looks everywhere but the agitated, raised scars across his chest. He’s not cleared for strenuous activity but if he can’t have her, can’t feel her lips moving up his jaw and her fingers snaking up his side he’s certain that will kill him far sooner than any strain to his body. He’d rather die by her hand anyhow.

After that, there is no more, but it lingers thickly in the air.

She’s still Emily when her name comes out of his mouth. She still watches his lips, wondering if she were to capture them with her own if they would still taste the same. He looks for her first when things get dangerous and it’s his name she wakes up crying.

Haley dies. Emily puts distance between them but he still looks for her first.

“Please,” she places her hands on his chest. Forcing his body away even though just the feeling of her palms pressed to his chest sends yearning straight down her spine. “Aaron,” his name comes choked. “Please, if you knew me, if you had any idea of the things that I have done you’d run. I need you to run, don’t you understand that?”

He looks down at her, mouth open. Can she not see him? That he is a man made up of scars and scabs. A wound that bleeds. He picks and pokes and he bleeds all over everything. “I don’t run,” he says. He hadn’t run from the carnage of his marriage. Can’t she remember picking him up after that whole affair. Digging the glass from his hands where he’d stabbed and ripped himself to shreds to catch the falling debris of a life he thought he still had.

She deflates, sinking into the realization that her love is the worst thing for him right now. It’s a drug to him and she’s given him far too much. “I know,” she says, a tear slipping down her cheek. “Because you never know what’s good for you.”

His fingers ghost over her cheek and holds her face in his hand. “You let me decide what’s good for me,” he whispers. “I can protect myself, Emily.”

Not against this, she thinks. Not against her. He’s never known when to pull away and when to fight harder. It’s going to get him killed.

But it’s her laying on the ground, impaled, gasping for breath.

Hotch sees her blood all over Morgan’s hands. The hitch in the younger man’s choked breath as he recounts what happened. Attempting and failing to keep the details straight as he tells Hotch, in great detail, what happened. The way she’d lost reality for glimpses. Asked for him. Called out for Aaron, not Hotch, but Aaron. And Hotch doesn’t know what to say when Morgan rises to his feet and challenges-- “What the fuck was that about? What did you two do?”

But it’s fine because JJ comes out and places Morgan right back into his chair, silencing him with seven words. All hitting a little harder, too solidly across his shoulders. “She never made it off the table.”

Emily Prentiss never let herself love Aaron Hotchner but that never stopped him. And, in the end, she’d been there. Through Foyet, she’d been there. Where was he when she needed him?

He sends her to London with JJ, his goodbye rushed, and guilt.

She’s in London. He goes to Afghanistan. Neither make it home entirely alive.

She should have known.

Admittedly, she is a little wine drunk. Tipsy, really. Inhibitions lowered in the warmth of Dave’s living room. She’s missed them all so terribly that the ache of their absence being lifted has left her exhausted. She’d been in a near daze when she’d taken her wine and moved to the couch. Leaning into Dave’s side when he’d taken the seat beside her. While Jack and Henry recount the events of every day she’s missed according to their greatest accuracy.

Their silly little stories are well worth the soft laughter it draws from the others.

“Where are you going?”

So now, as she stands and leaves Dave’s side cold-- she’s not sure what she was expecting to find in the depths of his eyes but the fear is startling. “Water,” she says, holding up her empty glass. “Water and to pee, I’ve had way too much wine.” She tips the glass and winks at Jack. Trying her best to lighten the mood she hadn’t realized she’d tank just by standing.

Garcia peels herself from the chair she’s sharing with Morgan, ignoring the way he seems to startle at the aspect of losing her pressed into his side. “I’ll join you on the bathroom run, pumpkin,” she says, collecting her glass and Morgan’s from the table at their side. “Another drink, my chunky hunky?”

Morgan smirks but shakes his head, “no thanks, Baby Girl. Someone has to be sober for the drive home.”

As good as that plan sounds, Hotch still grunts. The room’s attention shifting to their leader. He’s been startlingly silent, even for him, all afternoon. Seemingly tucked away from every encounter they’ve had amongst themselves. “You’ve all had too much to drink to drive home,” he says. “You should… calls cabs.” The strength of his interjection leaves his voice as Emily meets his eyes. He lowers his gaze and with it, the point of his statement.

Dave does not fail to notice this. Clearing his throat, he agrees. “I’ll go call your cabs.” He stands, rubbing a hand down his face. Fingers working into the creases of his lips. “Aaron,” he nods his old friend over. “Give me a hand?”

That sets about the motion of the room.

Emily’s making her way down the hall when Garcia catches her. “What is it,” Emily asks, playfully. She waits for Garcia to catch up to her, holding out her hand for what she’s expecting to be a trip full of the secrets of her and Derek’s relationship. Something good. A win.

“Can you make him stay?”

Emily desperately wants to pull from Garcia’s hold. Her grip is intense, desperate. She tries to pull away from Garcia’s hold. “What?” she asks softly, looking over her shoulder for some help. “Who? Who needs to stay?”

The desperation in Garcia’s eyes is unsettling. She lowers her voice even more pulling them closer. Her voice breaks as she says it. Tears swelling and running against the mascara over her eyelashes-- “Hotch.” She clenches her teeth, showing the most self-restraint Emily’s seen since they stepped foot in this hall. “He left us,” she breathes, sadly. “A month after you were gone. I went to his office--” her eyes dart as she speaks. “I started bringing him coffee every morning to cheer him up.”

Emily swallows thickly around the guilt that creeps up. Her death had broken them. She’d known that, of course. She just hadn’t considered Hotch. Brave and strong and it’s so hard to tell when he’s hurting. Then to bare her lie? Another cross on his back. More weight on his shoulders.

“I went in--” the tears fall as Garcia’s voice shakes. “He wasn’t there. He’d cleaned his office up and you know how he is.” That big oak desk is always littered with paperwork. One side to the other. He stacks it everywhere. Leaving pens from one end of the room to the other. You can’t even sit on that old couch of his without getting stabbed in the ass by a pen he’s lost. “Clean,” Garcia whispers. “He just left, in the middle of the night. By the time we came in, by the time we could find him he was already over there. Afghanistan.”

The word makes Emily’s chest tighten. What the hell could he be doing over there? That station is always looking for profilers but it’s a death trap. Hotch had said it himself, warning her when they’d sent her the special request. They’ve been operational for five years and gone through seven profilers. All of which have died. No one makes it out of that station alive.

And he’d gone.

“Why would--” she doesn’t even want to finish the question. Doesn't want to put the truth into action. Admit that she knows exactly why he did it.

At least over there he’d die a hero. Leave his son a flag and another parent to bury.

It’s faster than anything he could swallow over here.

Garcia squeezes Emily’s arm, bringing her back to the present moment. To the thing in question. “Can you bring him back,” she whispers frantically. “Can you make him stay?”

Emily doesn’t honestly know. Has she ever been able to make him do anything? “Garcia, I--” Her mouth snaps shut as the man in question steps into the hall. His eyes dart between them and Emily feels rather like a mouse caught in a trap.

He clears his throat and scratches uncertainly at the beard he’s let grow back in. “I was just…” he looks at Garcia and then back at Emily. Clearly caught off guard. “Dave-- I… You’re, ah, the hotel is close to me. I thought I’d save you the cab fare if you wanted to ride back--”

“Yes.” Emily nods, far too quickly. “Thanks,” she says, looking anywhere but at him. “I’d, ugh, I’d appreciate that.”

Hotch looks between Garcia and Emily, before nodding and ducking his head. He leaves the hall, with a slightly awkward nod and steps out. Hands going to his pocket. Hiding.

“Will you try,” Garcia whispers.

Emily watches him walk away. The apprehension in his hesitant movements. His hand scratching at the back of his head until he can hide behind the shield of Jack’s eager talking. Sinking down beside the boy on the couch and hiding himself there. “I don’t know,” she admits, honestly.

The only person that can pull him from the ledge is Hotch and she’s seen him toe it once before.

Packing things up is simple enough.

Hotch stands towards the edge of the hall, Jack slowly falling asleep in his arms.

“Sleepy,” Emily asks Jack, running her fingers through his soft brown hair. Jack shakes his head but doesn’t raise it from Hotch’s shoulder. Hotch has wrapped him in his jacket rather than choosing to fight the boy into it. It’s more a blanket. She pulls it up around him a little better. “You’re not tired,” she asks. “I am. I can’t wait to get to bed.”

Jack smiles but doesn’t admit to the exhaustion weighing his little bones down. “Are you gonna sleep with us?” he asks. He looks down at her with the soft of his father’s. Same impossible depth is hidden behind light brown iris’. It breaks her heart to see the turmoil within him.

Emily frowns but she’s not forced to tell the little boy no. Instead, Hotch’s hand comes to the back of his head. Cupping his neck as Hotch turns to face her. “You don’t have to do anything,” he clarifies with an all too familiar look in his eyes. Mischief. A plan. “We do have the guest room. With clean sheets. You could come home with us.”

Home.

To a real bed.

“I…” she can’t force out the polite no her mother has solidified in her mind the answer to be. No because that’s not fair or right or-- she really wants to sleep in a normal bed.

He bumps her shoulder, “just say yes.”

She looks at him and then at Jack. It’s not a hard thing to want to go home with the two of them. After Foyet, she’d spent many nights camped out on their couch. Waiting for father or son to wake in a panic. He’d done the same in the hospital after Doyle, sleeping on an uncomfortable little cot just so the first thing she saw each time she woke up was someone she knew.

Now it’s different. The dynamic has changed. While he might not know the course of the night has changed, she does.

She just doesn’t know it’s a futile battle.

There is no use fighting over stupid things like sleeping. He tucks Jack into his bed and meets her in his room. She’s already pulled on his shirts over her head. Refraining, forcing herself from burying her face in the material.

It doesn’t stop her from curling into bed beside him. Pressing her face into his shoulder and focusing solely on his hand slipping under her shirt. “You tired…” he asks. She shakes her head. He hums as he thinks. Dragging his thumb over her hip bone, stroking the soft skin. “First crush,” he whispers, ghosting his lips over her neck.

She laughs at that, twisting in his grip to tilt her hips across his. Settling closer to his chest. Drawing her hand up she draws against his skin. “This girl named…” she taps at his chest as she fails to remember the girl’s name. “I can’t remember her name,” she admits, faintly. Blushing. “Does that surprise you?”

Hotch’s eyes have slipped shut, his face turned into her hair. He hums, scrunching his eyebrows. “Surprised about what,” he asks softly. “That you can’t remember her name or that it’s a she?” He pulls her closer, wrapping an arm around her hips.

Emily just… looks at him. He hasn’t even opened his eyes. He’s not even going to comment? She bites her lip and lowers her head back down. “What about you?”

“None. It’s… I’ve only ever--” he blushes, averting his eyes. “Only Haley and you.” He clears his throat… “That’s why I always tried,” he whispers. “Why I tried so hard…”

“It’s not like I didn’t try,” she defends, pulling away from his embrace. “I was trying to protect you from this whole mess. You’re the one who didn’t know when to stop.”

“I don’t know where you get off blaming me,” he says, pulling himself away. He sits up in the bed, turning himself so she can sit and stare at the wall of his back. Little scars marking up his back as he places his arms on his knees. “You ran, Emily. Every single time, you run. Not me.”

Neither look at the other.

“I’m sleeping on the couch,” he announces. “Stay. Don’t make me explain to Jack why you’re not here in the morning.”

She stays where she is. She turns this over in her mind. His words are an open palm slap to the face. She sleeps in his bed, holding onto his pillow and burying her face into the scent. She doesn’t leave but only because she doesn’t want to have to walk past him. This feels like winning so she stays. She eats breakfast with them in the morning, playing and laughing with Jack like she always has.

Like she always does.

“I leave Thursday, if you care.”

She says nothing which is perfect because he’s not sure he can handle anything she might think of.

She knows, without having to be told, that they blame her for not being to keep him here. And, maybe it’s her fault, because she didn’t really try, did she? She did what also does, she hurt him. Now she’s sitting here all alone, wondering what she could have done differently.

Everything.

“We’ll see you when you get home.”

She stands at the back of the group, watching the other’s pull him into hugs. Dave holds Hotch for a long moment, speaking softly so only the two of them can hear what’s being exchanged. Hotch pulls away from that hug with tears falling down his cheeks. “Don’t make me bury another son, Aaron. Please be careful.” And that’s when he sees her.

Derek pushes her forward and she feels all of them watching as she makes her way to him.

“I didn’t think you’d come,” he confesses. He doesn’t care that the others are watching. They know enough. They’ve always known.

She feels guilty and she should. “You told me goodbye,” she reminds him. He’d kissed her right before they sent her to London with a packet of new names and passports. To be someone other than Emily. For a second chance. “It--” she looks away. She’s running, again, she knows. And she has to stop running. “It was the only thing that kept me alive, Aaron. I couldn’t let you leave without having told you the truth--”’

He glances up and back to her. Just for a moment, he wonders if the others should be hearing all this but--maybe they’re past all that. Pretending is how people get killed, they learned that with Emily, and he really doesn’t feel like being their repeat.

“I love you,” she confesses. “I know you love me, you always have. I’m sorry that I keep--” fucking it up. “I love you and I need you to come home, okay? So I can stop running.”

He doesn’t believe her. He wants to believe her but everything about Emily Prentiss always hurts and he knows it’s stupid to trust her. “Okay,” he says, afraid anything more will send her for the hills before he can even leave the country. And like an idiot, he bends his neck into her touch. Letting her rise up on her toes to kiss him. “I promise,” he whispers.

Jessica gets the call at midnight. The Bachelor finale had ended hours ago but she’d been sucked into some History channel rerun about ancient Mesopotamia. It’s the haze of the light hour, the warmth of the undertones of sand, the steady deep voice narrating, and the blanket curled around her shoulders that puts her to sleep. She doesn’t stand a chance after the day she’s had.

The call comes at 12:34 and the urgent ringing of her cell-phone makes her heart kick painfully at her chest. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes with one hand, she accepts the call without looking to see who it is. Not that her tired eyes would have recognized the caller anyway.

Not serving as a soldier, the process for notifying the family of any health changes requires a different take. For Aaron Hotchner, it’s put into the FBI’s hand. He’s their tool after all, not the US Army’s.

“I’m sorry to wake you, ma’am,” the voice offers.

Jessica scowls at the formality, sitting up on the couch and desperately searching for the remote. She kills the screen and the room is bathed in silence, aiding her ability to understand and think about what’s going on. “Ugh, can I help you?” She pushes her hair up out of her face, searching the ground and coffee table for a spare hair tie.

“I’m calling in regards to Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner. I understand this number is supposed to be the personal line of Jessica Brookes? You’re his emergency contact--”

He deployed in October. Giving her only a week’s heads-up. He’d had the decency to look ashamed of himself, of the state of being he’s caused for them all. She’d understood his situation. Losing his friend had broken him irreparably and he’d wanted to talk about that even less than he had Haley. At least he’d warned her, she knows he hadn’t extended his team the same courtesy.

The man on the line goes on. Something about moving bases and a promise to get back to her as soon as possible.

“Thank you for your service,” the man concludes.

Jessica blinks, frowning at the phrasing. Aaron wasn’t serving. He was punishing himself. This was penance.

“Goodnight.”

She sits back on the couch, eyes vacantly taking in the wall in front of her. He’s on his way home. That’s good but she can’t help but… he’s hurt. Hurt enough for them to discard him back here. How bad is it?

Emily can’t deny her horror.

His eyes move to the blanket. To the empty space of where his limb once was. “It’s… It’s just a leg,” he whispers. He blinks heavily once, twice, and sighs softly as he fails to keep his eyes open. Humming, he parts his chapped lips but can’t find any more words. He’s too tired. “Could be…” his voice slurs and he exhales a heavy breath. “...worse.”

Emily wants to hit him but she’s done being defensive. She’s tired of being the first one to pull away. For once, she just needs to be the one that holds onto a hug a little longer. That lingers. “You could have died,” she whispers thickly. Gently, hesitantly she touches his hand. To her surprise he is the one to move, intertwining their fingers. She sits by his side, eyes glued the empty part of the bed. The nothing of where his leg is supposed to be. Does it really matter that much, though? A single leg?

Not to her. She’s had months to pretend. Every night she has escaped to a new reality with him. Come up with every variety of reality that might occur. What she’d do if he’d come perfectly fine and how they’d have kids and he’d never wake in the middle of the night with nightmares because she’d kill his monsters. How she would cope if he came home horribly disfigured or entirely different. Would it matter? They’d still be Aaron and Emily.

“I’ll never walk again,” he informs her. His head is tilted into the pillows, casually watching his news wash over her. He wants to know if she’ll stay if he can’t go. If all these years were about the chase, would she stay if he can no longer follow?

She sits down in the chair pulled up to the side of the bed. People have been in and out all afternoon but she’s the first one to receive this news. The other’s don’t really matter because he knows the script, can imagine how each of them react. Garcia will cry. JJ will too but not until she’s leaving. Dave will take it well but he’ll utter something strangely sentimental and sober with the realization that walking was never the priority of Hotch coming home. Morgan and Reid are his wild cards and he doesn’t want to tell them at all. But that’s just not how this works.

“At least you won’t go running off on me.”

He knows what she means, the implication and the diversion. With a huff he raises an eyebrow, “I’ve never been a runner, Emily.”

Emily.

No, she supposes, he never has. “If you can’t run,” she says, heart skipping around in her chest. She feels it pulsing in her throat, tossing itself around in her stomach. “If you can’t run then I won’t run.” She stands, swallowing thickly around the swell of fear in her throat. He watches her, looking up at her as she hovers for just a moment. When she kisses him there are no sparks. Something cold, icy runs it’s fingers into the grooves of her spine but she’s not gripped by any startling realizations.

It’s too late for that.

But he tastes like Aaron and to a girl who’s never had a home in one place, she’s only ever running. Here, against him, she knows what people mean they say a person can be a home. Because she wants to curl into him and forget the edges of Emily. Aaron. It’s always been Aaron.

It surprises him that she stays. She waited until things got hard.

“I’m going to have to go to physical therapy every week.”

She shrugs, “I’ve got a library of books waiting for me to read them. I’ll tackle my reading list.”

“I can’t walk,” he reminds her.

She raises an eyebrow, “so? I didn’t love you before because of your ability to walk.”

“Emily--” he needs her to understand this isn’t as easy as she’s making it. Using the bathroom, showering, sex isn’t even going to be easy. She can’t just brush it off like it’s not going to bother her. It’s bothering him! “Emily, I can’t hold your hand when we go downtown. I’m going to need your help taking a shower and getting to the bathroom. I’m going to have to look for a new apartment because the one I have, there’s no way I can work a wheelchair around in it. It’s-- I’m not the same! We’re not the same!”

She knows. Yesterday she asked Morgan to rig up something in the bathroom. She spent hours with Morgan trying to put a handle or a rail in beside the toilet without ruining the wall. Ordered a shower chair last week that Morgan is probably putting together right now. Garcia and JJ are looking for apartments with larger floor plans because she doesn’t want to be presumptuous and assume he’d want to move into a house with her. But she’s waiting for the right time to bring it up.

“Maybe that’s for the best,” she says. “That we’re not the same. I’m different too.” Does she need to create her own list? Dedicating it all to words for him to comb over. She can’t sleep through the night. Even though it had been a wooden stake that had “killed” she can’t hold a knife. Her hands tremble, this weakness she can’t explain. Her abdomen is just scars, riddled with ugly skin hardened by trauma. Is he prepared to see that?

“Look at me,” she says, squeezing his hand. “It’s been me and you for years. You’re the only thing I really know. So, I’ll take you as you come. However you come. You loved me when I ran, I can love you with a little baggage.”

He frowns, trying to find an out. Not or himself but for her. But she’s unwavering. “Baggage,” he finally caves. He smirks, shaking his head. “Of all the words in the language you know and you pick baggage?”

She cringes, shrugging, “I didn’t really think about it. It just came out.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

She smiles, “you love it.”

He hesitates for a moment but nods, “I do.”

#criminal minds #aaron hotchner #emily prentiss #criminal minds fanfiction #hotchniss

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kecpdriving · 3 years

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Illicit Affairs - Aaron Hotchner x Fem!Reader

pls like & reblog & pls send me asks (i’ve turned anon on now) about how you feel ily <3

note: this is not a soulmate au, but there's soulmate energy happening so it moves fast-ish? also lmk if you wanted to be added to the tag list.

previous chapters

Chapter three: I’ll be awake and I’ll be with you.

THROUGHOUT THE LAST MONTH OR SO You and Aaron had exchanged flirtatious letters between each other. They were filled with admirations and stories. Aaron wrote about how badly he craved to hold you - to touch you in every way imaginable. He told you stories about when he thinks of your beauty and your laugh while working a case.

You wrote how this was exhilarating. Leaving the letters where Haley could possibly notice was thrilling to you. It was fun now. You were seeing them everyday now. You wrote too Aaron in one letter that you needed to be alone with him. You wanted to see that rare smile you and Jack cause up close and personal. You told him that you needed to hear the words he wrote whispered in her ear.

They got the letters every night when you would leave. You would leave Aaron’s in his coat pocket when hugging them goodbye, in their mail addressed to Aaron only, or in his office on the desk. Aaron had the easy way out. He put the one he wrote to you in with your nightly pay. This had been your only way to be romantic with each other. The only way to flirt. Of course you texted with each other. Aaron wasn’t big on texting though and Haley knew that. And he knew Haley better than anyone, Aaron knew she would be suspicious if he suddenly was glued to his phone. Plus, you told him to not worry about texting you at night when it was time for him to be with Jack.

You did talk on the phone a lot. Almost every night around eleven or twelve. Even when Aaron had been away on a case, he would still call. One night about four days ago, one of Aaron’s agents heard him telling you that he missed you so much and how he couldn’t wait to see you. You laughed when hearing the panic in his voice when they heard the agent tease him for flirting with his wife. Only if they knew who he was really talking to.

You were finishing up writing your letter for tonight while watching the news on the tv. A big storm was hitting and it did not look pretty. You hated storms much like Jack who was sitting a distance away from the window but still watching the harsh rain fall and the big gusts of wind blow trash cans around and branches off trees. It was to get worse. Thunder clapped loudly in the sky and that’s when Jack ran over to you and cuddled into your side. You could see the bright lightning bolts in the sky light up what usually is a pretty sunny street.

“Hey, Jack,” you rubbed his back to comfort him. He cried into you and broke your heart. “Can I tell you a secret?”

“What secret?” He peeked his head out of your side with tear stained eyes. You frowned and wiped the tears away from the boy's eyes and dried his cheeks.

You picked Jack up into your lap and faced the window while sitting on the couch. “I’m also afraid of storms. When I was about your age though, My Papa told me that when it would thunder it meant all the Angels in heaven were bowling. And when it’s really loud and there’s a bolt of lightning that means they got a strike! It helped me to not be so scared of storms.” you explained the old tale parents would tell their children to not be scared anymore. you watched as Jack relaxed. He didn’t seem so afraid anymore.

Jack turned to you and pointed out of the window, “Can we watch them play?”

“We sure can! We just have to stay here and not go close to the window, okay?” Jack nodded and laid against you. They stayed like that for a few hours while Jack told stories about random things he’s either made up or stories about his dad. He loved that man so much and it warmed your heart. Maybe one day you could love Aaron just as much. Jack was dozing off in your lap and to be quite honest, you too was dozing off. Watching the rainfall for so long felt so relaxing. Right before you were about to fall into a slumber, the front door opened with a huff and puff of someone who could only be Aaron. Like always, he put his keys down, his briefcase, and his coat away.

“Hey there sleepy heads,” you smiled lazily and Jack waved at his father who was approaching jack and you. Everything in Aaron wanted to lay down with you and just fall asleep, but he couldn’t. Something within him was so happy at the sight of you and Jack cuddled together. “Hey buddy, go to your room, okay? I’ll be up soon.” Aaron shook Jack and he listened. Jack ran right up the stairs.

you sat up and smiled at Aaron while yawning and stretching your arms a bit. “Sorry for nodding off a bit. I know I’m supposed to have all eyes on him. We were watching the rain- I told him the old angels tale. It’s 8:30, you’re home late.”you realized the time when looking at the tv box in front of them. “I literally thought Jack and I were sitting there for like twenty minutes.” you laughed to herself.

“Don’t worry about nodding off. You looked tired this morning,” you were exhausted. Lately, you’ve been tossing and turning and only getting a few hours of sleep every night. It was probably from stress and your mind constantly spinning with thoughts. “Haley should be home in a few. She was about ten minutes from here when she called me right before I walked in.”

“Okay. Jack already ate. He’s all set for bed. Just needs to brush his teeth and- Ah!” You were cut off by yourself when you screamed at the world's loudest thunderclap. It sounded as if every house around them fell down. Covering your mouth from pure shock and embarrassment, you looked up at Aaron who was laughing at you. “It’s not funny!”

He finished up laughing and dragged his hand down his face that rested on his chin, “Yes, it is. It’s okay, we’re all afraid of something. Now just listen to those angels bowl while I go get Jack ready for bed.”

Aaron went upstairs and maybe two minutes later Haley walked in absolutely drenched in rain. You had gotten up and collected your things when Haley stopped you. “Honey, I can’t let you drive in that. My car was slipping all over the road. I couldn’t see through my windshield even with my wipers on. It’s bad out there. We have a guest room, please stay here tonight. It’s bad out there. Aaron won’t care if you stay.” No, Haley, he most certainly will not care.

You looked out the window to see how bad it actually was outside. It was bad and it was only getting worse. looking at Haley who was awaiting for your answer and took a deep breath. “That would be nice, Haley, thank you.”

“Awesome. I’ll go set up the guest room.” Haley was off to the room down the hall near Aaron’s office. you put your bag back down and keys beside it. She hung her coat and left her shoes by the door where they had been all day long. Aaron had come down the stairs dressed in black joggers, a plain t-shirt and some socks. It made you smile to see him dressed so casually. His hair even looked a bit messy.

“Hey,” you crossed your arms and stood in front of him. “I’m spending the night. Haley didn’t want me to drive in the storm.” you explained the situation to Aaron who smirked. You knew what he was thinking -- you were thinking it too. “I’m grateful. I hate driving in storms.”

Aaron walked past you, following him to the little cart they had with all kinds of alcohol displayed on it. He poured himself a glass of something. It looked like scotch or bourbon but to you they were the same drink. “Sounds nice. We are very glad to have you.” For a minute there you thought he was mad. “Would you like a drink?”

“I shouldn’t. I’m at my workplace.” you chuckled softly. Aaron loved that sound.

“Nonsense. You’re off now, Y/N! Have a drink,” Haley spoke as she rounded the corner. It was like she was listening in on the conversation. She leaned into Aaron and held onto his arm as if she was marking her territory. She kissed his arm lightly and smiled. “You’re our guest, let us treat you.”

“I’ll have a glass of wine, please. Red,” Aaron took out two bottles of wine to have you pick which one you wanted. “Thanks.” Aaron went to go open the bottle and left you and Haley alone together. It felt awkward to just to stand there looking at each other and not talking. And that’s when it dawned on you, youhad the perfect thing to say.

“Haley, do you have any tampons?” Really, Y/N, that’s your best ice breaker? You did need one though. you grinned awkwardly and Haley just laughed and took your hand, leading you to the half bath.

“You look petrified to ask! They’re under the sink in a basket. There are also some pads if you like those. Usually I keep them in here and in the bathroom in Aaron and my bedroom. Don’t be afraid to go in there if you need to.” Haley nodded and let you do what you needed. Did you really look scared? It was probably because you felt so weird knowing you and Aaron were going to have their little chat later in his house with his wife around. When you were done, you walked out of the bathroom to see them sitting in the living room. Aaron looked half dead and Haley did too.

Aaron smiled at her and handed her the glass. “Hey, Y/N, i’m wiped out. I’m going to get some sleep. All three of us sleep like rocks so make yourself at home. Goodnight.”

You nodded at Haley’s announcement, “Alright, get some rest. Goodnight!” And then there were two. Hotch looked at you when he heard the bedroom door shut upstairs and smiled. God, his smile was so nice. He didn’t look like the intimidating FBI agent anymore. He looked relaxed and happy. You were drowning in his eyes. They were so pretty--sometimes they looked green and sometimes brown but never a mixture of the two.

“Penny for your thoughts?” He asked in a low voice while you toyed around with the glass in hand. you stayed silent for a second and looked off to the picture of the family that was placed on the mantle next to the tv. “Hey, talk to me.”

You shook your head and sipped the wine you had left. “Not while she’s still awake okay? This is risky right now because all I want to do is kiss you and run my fingers through your hair. I can’t do that out in the open where she can walk out any second.” You explained and he understood completely. You were right, it was risky. All he wanted to do was lift you into his lap and kiss you all over.

“You’re right. Okay, come to my office in like an hour. Go rest and clear that pretty head of yours.”

“Sounds good to me.”

About an hour or so later you knocked on the door and the knock was so gentle he could have sworn and it was jack. “Come in.”

“Hey,” you stood in the room and closed the door behind you. hour body language was awkward and uncomfortable, not your usual confidant stance. “I uh.. Can I sit?”

“Please, yes, of course.” Aaron motioned towards the chairs in front of his desk. He closed the file he was working on and slipped some papers into the manila folder that had the bureau logo on it.

“Our letters seem so confident and bold and now i can’t even figure out if it’s appropriate to ask you how you are.” Aaron laughed because he felt the same way you did. It was new territory for the both of you. All of this was so new and so wrong.

Aaron didn’t waste a single second before asking the one thing they were both thinking. “Y/N... I- what is this? Obviously there's feelings here. And I mean real feelings.”

You shook your head and looked around the office. “I have no idea, Aaron. I’ve never even felt you. I haven't hugged you, shaken your hand, even brushed my fingers over yours. We’ve never even kissed. How could you ask me what this is when we’ve never even touched. I feel so helpless, she is always around.” You had a frustrated tone in your voice. You wasn’t angry or upset, just confused. You thought Aaron thought you were insane.

“Come here.”

“What?”

“Come here, Y/N.”

you got up, confused, and walked around to Aaron. He turned in his office chair to face you. You were just standing in front of him awkwardly. Taking him all in. You smiled at his casual wear. You wore something similar. To her babysitting duties they have no dress code for you, but to just dress appropriate. You dressed pretty nice for Aaron to notice, but this morning you got your period and threw on leggings, a white tank top that was tight to your skin that was slightly cropped. He took your hands in his and smiled. You could have melted to the ground right then and there. “That's how my hands feel,” he whispered to her.

He let go of your hands and started to feel your body. Starting with your arms, his fingers lightly traveled the soft skin, giving you goosebumps all over. His hands swiftly moved to your torso. He ran them over your back and then to the front again. He felt the skin exposed from your short shirt, and even went riskier and moved his hands under the thin fabric. He didn’t do it in a way that he was going to feel your breasts, he was craving to feel you just as much as you were craving to feel him. He took you by the hips and brought you to sit in his lap.

“And this is what my lips feel like,” he whispered to you as he brought his hands to your cheeks and cupped them. When your lips touched, you could have sworn you felt real sparks. It was the best kiss either of you have ever had in your lives. His lips were rough but tender. Yours were plump and soft against his. Your hand came up and held his wrist, your other hand held your balance on his shoulder. Soon, it started getting heated. He swiped his tongue at your bottom lip for entrance. It was pure bliss for you both to be doing this. his lips found your neck and left wet sloppy kisses down it and onto your collarbones. You were also grinding on each other a bit which earned whimpers and groans from both of you.

“Wait, wait, let’s stop here for now. I can’t-” You fixed your posture while still sitting in his lap. You were catching your when you put her hands on Aaron’s chest and like instinct, he held them.

“I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have been so forward like that. Did this make you uncomfortable?” You loved seeing the caring side of Aaron. He was so gentle.

“No, Aaron. That was amazing. I can’t go any further because I have my period and your wife is upstairs. I can’t have sex with you if she could pop in any minute.”

“So, you do want to have sex eventually?” he smirked and leaned his head on the back of the chair while he held your hands on his chest.

“Well… yes.” You blushed.

“Good.”

You teasingly rolled your eyes, “Shut up! Kiss me again, please.” Their lips met again but this time a lot more softer. One of Aaron’s hands held your thigh and rubbed gentle circles into it with his thumb while his other hand played with your hair. You had your arms wrapped around his neck while your hands played with his hair. Your lips danced together so perfectly. It was as if their only purpose in life was to kiss one another. And in these small romantic moments, all of the stress and anxiety from Haley washed away. It wasn’t even a thought in mind while you held each other close and made out.

“You are a very good kisser, Aaron Hotchner.” you said while breaking the kiss again. you sunk down on him a bit and took his arms to wrap around your waist. You leaned your head on his shoulder and squeezed him tight. He held you tighter in his arms and rubbed your back so softly you almost didn’t feel it. He leaned his head against yours and breathed in your scent. You smelled like vanilla and lavender. “I don’t want to let go.”

“You don’t have to sweet girl,” He whispered to you and left a kiss on the top of your head. “But I can make this a lot more comfortable,” He said as you felt his hands at the bottom of your thighs pick you up and walk over to the small couch he had against the office wall. He laid down with you still in his arms. Finally, you stretched your legs out and fixed your position to be more comfortable. Your head was leant against his chest where you could hear his rapid heartbeat. “This better?”

“A lot better,” He let his hand play with your hair as you held onto his free one. you didn’t want to let go of him but eventually you knew you were going to have to. It felt unfair, but truly it was unfair to Haley. This was happening right under her bedroom and she had no idea. “We have to talk about this.”

“I know.” Aaron sighed and looked down at the girl he held. It felt so nice to be falling for someone again. It had been years and years since his heart raced like this. Since genuine excitement and nervousness arose inside of him because of another person. It had been so long since since he’d actually kissed someone with passion and even longer since he held a person who wasn’t his son close to him like this. He missed having small intimate moments with another person.

Truth be told, him and Haley weren’t as perfect as they made it seem. They had Jack because they both wanted kids but Aaron had fallen out of love with her long before Jack came along four years ago. They, in his opinion, lost their spark. He loved her as a friend, not a forever partner. He once did though. He had no idea where it went and he tried to get it back, but nothing saved his marriage for him. He didn’t have the heart to tell Haley because he knew she still felt the spark-- the love he lost. He knew this didn’t make it any better. Cheating made the heartbreak she’ll feel worse, but when he first saw you, he felt that spark again. He couldn’t waste a minute on it either. You noticed he was in a bit of a daze, so you began laying small kisses on his neck. He giggled softly.

“What are we doing?” You asked. you had a serious tone. “Aaron, you’re married. This is wrong--so wrong. You make me feel different and it scares me. LIke, I don’t even know your exact age by the way. There is so much to talk about here.”

“I’m forty-one. Forty-two in November. And I really want to take you on a few dates and hopefully become your… unfortunately married boyfriend.” Aaron laughed and you rolled your eyes at him.

you sat up but stayed on his lap, your hands cupped his cheeks. He looked so good it was hard to be annoyed with him. “It’s not funny, Aaron.”

“I’m serious. Soon enough I’ll be asking for a divorce. I just need to get certain things squared away and figured out, okay? I want to do this with you, Y/N.” He meant that and you could tell. You hated all of this so much. It wasn’t like you to do something so stupid.

You nodded your head to what he was saying. “Fine. That doesn’t mean I like doing this. Haley is kind and she deserves a lot better.”

“I agree.”

“You really want to try dating? We barely know each other. We call and write notes and sometimes text, I know. But what do we really know?” You questioned.

“Isn’t that the whole point of dating, to get to know each other? And then when you finally are comfortable enough to admit you know each other that's when you establish you’re boyfriend and girlfriend and in a relationship?” He did make fair points.

“That’s true. Okay, we’re dating? Or going to start to? When do either of us even have time for dates?” You stressed. To calm you down Aaron took your hands, kissed both and held them in his own. “Aaron.”

“Friday you’re not working. Haley has the day off. I’ll take you to lunch, okay? Lunch date good for you?” You nodded and kissed him.

“We’re so wrong for this.” you sighed.

“It’ll be okay, sweet girl, I promise. Now let me read that letter you shoved into your pants when I walked into the house earlier.” Damnit, he saw that? You reached into the waistband of your leggings and pulled out the folded sheet of paper. You sat up on top of him again and covered your face with your hands as he read over the words.

DEAR AARON

Lately, you’re all I think about before I sleep. Your smile, your eyes that are so easy to drown in, your voice. The way you look at Jack when he runs into your arms after a long day. You infiltrated my head, Mr. Hotchner. And I’m so very okay with it. I hope to get you up close and personal soon and to talk all of this over like you’ve been promising. You’ve got me helpless here.

Y/N

“You’re very cute, angel. Seems to me you got what you hoped for too.” Aaron smiled at the letter before putting it on the table next to the couch. “You’re all I think about too. I know I say it often but you are so special.” He took you in for a hug and you basically melted into each other.

“You are too, Aaron.”

Some time went by of you just talking about random things and taking breaks to make out and feel each other. When it got later, you began to fall asleep in Aaron’s arms and it killed him to disrupt your relaxation.

“Hey, let me take you to bed, okay?” you whimpered what sounded like no, no. Which made Aaron kiss your head. He moved around a bit and pick you up bridal style. “I know, sweet girl. I don’t want to let you go either. You need sleep.” He spoke as he walked quietly to your room. He gently laid you down into the guest bed. He undid the made bed and let you cuddle into it. You looked so beautiful when relaxed. Aaron bent down and gave you one last kiss before going to his own bed. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Aaron.”

That morning, you woke up to the smell of coffee being brewed. You almost forgot where you were for a moment. Looking out the window next to you, you saw how the storm had finally cleared. Breathing in, you got out of the much too comfortable bed and made your way to the kitchen. Aaron and Haley were standing there drinking coffee. You looked at the clock on your phone and it was only 7:05am. Aaron was reading a file and Haley was doing something on her phone.

“Good morning,” You broke the silence and the couple looked up from what they were doing. Aaron and her were both dressed for their jobs already and damn did he look good. “Thank you for letting me sleep here last night.”

“That’s no problem, sweetheart. Anytime. Coffee?” Haley said with that same gorgeous smile plastered on her face. You just wanted to rip it off. Not because you had something against Haley, no. You liked her. You were just not a morning person.

“I’m okay, thank you. I’m more of an iced coffee with lots of hazelnut creamer and sugar type of person,” Haley giggled. “Is it okay if i just run back to my apartment and freshen up? I live like a 15 minute drive away, I’ll be quick and be back in time before you guys leave.” you asked nicely. you really wanted to shower and change your clothes and brush your teeth and hair. You could only imagine how insane you must look right now. You weren’t the calmest sleeper.

Aaron looked at you and smiled. Looking into his eyes felt different since last night. It felt better than before actually. you almost wanted to run into his arms and give him a big ol’ kiss and tell him to have a great day at work. You couldn’t do that for obvious reasons.

Haley sawolled her coffee and began speaking, “Actually, we decided we’d relieve you for the day. Since you’ve spent every day here for the last month and because you had to sleep here. My sister is on her way. I hope that’s okay! We thought you deserved a break.” Haley explained nervously. You smiled at her kindly.

“That’s very kind of you guys, thank you. I appreciate it a lot. Tell Jack I'll be back to bug him tomorrow! And again, Thank you for everything.” Both Haley and Aaron said you’re welcome and all three said goodbye. You were just about to open the door when you felt a hand on your shoulder.

“Your pay, sweet girl,” He whispered that last part. “Have a nice day.” “You too.”

you got into the car and opened the envelope of money for your note immediately:

DEAR AMARA,

I’m writing to you from this morning. I scraped my last letter because now I have better things to say. I miss your lips already. And that soft skin. Holding you made me feel the same happiness I feel whenever I hear Jack’s laugh or see him smile. I can’t wait to kiss those pretty lips again, sweet girl. I promise this will all work out and we will be happy, okay? Now, whenever you read this, please text me your favorite type of food so I can figure something out for friday.

AARON

you kissed the paper and drove home with a smile on your face with the memories of last night playing over and over in your head.

#please reblog!#aaron hotchner #criminal minds #aaron hotchner fanfic #aaron hotchner x female reader #criminal minds fanfiction #aaron hotchner x reader #hotch #ssa aaron hotchner #haley hotchner #y/n fanfic #y/n #illicit affairs hotchncrs #illicit affairs #fanfic #fan fiction #cm #criminalminds #jack hotchner

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auroras-blend · 3 years

Text

The Enemy of My Enemy

Summary: Vittoria meets the one, the only, the woman who convicted her father, the ex-wife of her arch-nemesis, a dynamite lawyer: Marie Thibodeaux!

Notes: Told in Vittoria's POV. Marie is only a cameo 😢

A myriad of blue and purple puzzle pieces surrounded her skirt. Well, how am I supposed to do this in just an hour? Vittoria was more or less sour that her father left her with Sawyer in his office as he ran errands, because 1) she was with Sawyer and 2) she was bored out of her mind. When the door had shut, Sawyer had barked at her to be quiet and quite literally threw the puzzle box in her face and told her to play with it. It was brand new and she could only assume it was to go to one of the grandchildren he’d never seen. He barely has any photos of his family! There was a picture of him, his first wife, and two sons on his desk and another photo of his daughter to the side that both looked to be taken decades before she was born. I’d be sad if he were my father.

Sawyer was busy writing aggressively, his tone sharp and bitter as he was on the phone with someone. I should scream he’s killing me...that’d be funny. She giggled at the thought and earned herself a nasty scowl from the man himself. What was lovely about Sawyer was that he would swear around her because he knew damn well her mother did and he really seemed to be the only person who understood there was no more protecting her poor little ears, that he says stick out worse than Mickeys. They do not!

With a little huff, she began to assemble the puzzle of the sea, or at least that's what it said it’d be according to the box. And in her opinion, she was doing extremely well! “Look!” she pointed gleefully, “I’m almost done!”

“Wooooow,” Sawyer murmured, his eyes glued to his paper, “We should have you tested to see if you’re gifted…”

Vittoria pouted. “This is why you’re not married anymore.”

That little jab may have hit too close to home because he flung a paperweight at her that hit her in the face again. It wasn’t too heavy and it most certainly didn’t break anything, but the hate and suddenness of it made her start crying. “Keep your trap shut,” he growled.

It seemed he was even crueler today and of course she was his victim. Her little hands gripped the smooth glossy paperweight and threw it back, but it couldn’t go much farther than to bounce against the top of his desk. Her strength didn’t match his and she started bawling, “Pathetic weak little thing…”

“You’re so mean to me! I hate you and-,”

“WHERE IS THAT COCKSUCKING MORALLESS CLOWN-,” boomed a voice that made Sawyer go white as a sheet of paper.

The whites of his eyes were on display as he sprung out of his chair and shut the blinds. He ripped her off the ground and put a finger to her lips, “Shut up,” he whispered, “Shut up right now.”

Sobs still heaved from her body, the sounds being drowned out by the woman outside. “I-I can’t! You hurt me!”

“Fuck,” he cursed, “I’ll give you...two dollars! Two dollars if you’re quiet right now!”

Her cries quieted down, but not completely. Sawyer was close to trembling, his grip on her shoulders and the look in his eyes were pleading. Huh, he’s desperate… “Five,” she said.

Might as well...He grit his teeth and growled, “Fine. Now shut up.”

Vittoria nodded and retreated into the corner. “Ma’am, you can’t go in there-,” screamed the secretary.

Right as Sawyer was about to turn out the light, the door slammed open and smashed his hand against the wall. “Fuck!” he screamed in pain, pulling it close to him as he scrambled away.

The lighting fixtures flickered but remained on as who Vittoria imagined being the goddess Nemesis stood between the doorway to the firm and to Sawyer’s former safe haven. The woman was dressed in a dark navy blazer and skirt with a white undershirt. Circular glasses were falling down the bridge of her nose as her hateful gaze met Sawyer’s beady one. She had a straight-cut bob that fell beneath her chin, her hair grey in a way that demonstrated that too many people annoyed her in her lifetime. For a moment, her heart sank because that's what she could imagine her Mama to look like if she had lived that long. “You motherfucking son of a bitch!”

She even curses like Mama, well she has an accent. It sounded southern to her but with an air that she couldn't quite place. Despite being more or less terrified of everyone around her, she was unafraid of the woman. And she’s right. “Marie, you psychotic cunt, get the fuck out!”

The woman stormed right up to him and put her finger in her face. “HOW DARE YOU?! BRINGING HIM BACK!”

“It’s none of your business anymore, now get out! Call security!” he shouted at his poor shaking assistant.

“This entire case is my business! How much did it cost you to sell what you pass off as a soul?”

Vittoria giggled and right when she did, she clapped her hands to her mouth. The red-eyed gazes shifted to her, puffs of air coming out from their noses and mouths. “Oh...another one of your spawn’s spawn?” she sneered.

“No!” Vittoria protested, “I’m not related to him!”

The thought of being related to Sawyer revolted her to her core. “How fortunate for you.”

“I think so,” she smiled.

“Didn’t I tell you to be quiet? You lost that five bucks,” he seethed.

Damn.

“Who’s the kid?”

“I’ve been kidnapped!” she cried dramatically, wiping the remaining wetness from her eyes, “He’s a predator!”

Sawyer jumped, “No, she’s not! I did not!”

Her words seemed to be more terrifying than what the woman, Marie, threw at him. “You sick son of a-are you prostituting kids now?”

“ENOUGH!” he shouted, “Where’s that damn security?!”

“Because that’s the only way you can get rid of me, huh? Not in court but by men bigger than you to do your dirty work. Hell, you’re not even the boss. You don’t call the shots! You worthless piece of shit! How can you stand to look at yourself?”

“I ask him the same thing every day,” Vittoria shook her head sorrowfully.

“I’m this close,” he pinched his fingers and left a barely visible space between them, “To cutting out your tongue.”

Vittoria stepped back in fear. “Threatening bodily harm to a six-year-old? You really are a jack shit lawyer-”

“I’m nine actually. I’m just small,” Vittoria added. That information wasn't relevant but Vittoria thought it was.

“He also threw a paperweight at me,” she said pointing to the ball that stood still on the floor, “It hurt.”

“Oh...and assault. You really can’t get any lower,” Marie hissed, “I hope you can afford a good lawyer. I’d offer, but I despise you and I hate to take lost causes.”

Shivers rolled down her spine as she heard Sawyer grind his teeth. “Go back to the pits of hell where you belong, or whatever they’re calling Chicago these days, and maybe I won’t charge you for trespassing,” he snapped at the woman.

Marie scoffed, “You were so close to being free of him. And you brought him back, you pathetic worm.”

She could tell that dug into Sawyer deep. “He’s been a-,” he began to defend before eyeing Vittoria, “No. Just get out. I’ve got work to do.”

He retreated back to his seat and stepped on the puzzle she had been working on. No… Marie scowled at him, “You’re gonna end up dead one day.”

“We all do,” Sawyer sighed.

Anger rolled off Marie before her eyes met Vittoria’s. “Are you really okay, kid? You need any help?”

“I’ll survive,” she said politely.

Marie nodded. “If you ever need a good lawyer, don’t call him. He’s terrible, I should know, I was married to him,” she smirked, her eyes glowing with vindication at Sawyer whose own hazel eyes were full of hostility, “And I also beat his ass in court.”

Vittoria gasped. She was starry-eyed and already adored her, unknowing that this was the woman who convicted her father. Sawyer was glowering at her over papers, “ I’m meeting one of his ex-wives! “You poor woman. I’m so sorry,” she said with true genuineness, before clarifying her statement, “For being married to him. Not for beating him.”

Vittoria giggled at the last part. I love her. She’s mean to Sawyer. I’d do anything for her. She reminds me so much of Mama. With a last smile, she pushed by the security guards who finally arrived. Ooooh, Sawyer’s gonna fire them. Part of her was sad to see her go, knowing that Sawyer would wring her neck soon. For a moment, she had been transported back to how it was with her mother. It was probably a good thing Marie didn’t stay, otherwise, Vittoria most certainly would’ve imprinted on her and followed her around like a little duckling. “Can I be her?” she asked dreamily.

“No,” Sawyer said in a cold tone, “Come sit here.”

Vittoria obeyed and climbed into the large leather seat across from him, letting her legs swing back and forth as they couldn’t touch the ground. Wow, I feel like a grown-up. Sawyer put down his pen and looked at her. He wasn’t angry, just thoughtful and that confused her. He sighed and got up to open a globe in the corner of the room, “Whoa!”

Inside was an assortment of drinks and liquors that were half-empty. Beautiful amber-brown liquids filled the crystal cruet set, and Sawyer took the liberty to pour himself a drink. Sawyer closed the globe and gripped his glass and another empty one. Sawyer paused in front of a cabinet before opening the bottom door that revealed a mini-fridge. The cold air whooshed out when he pulled the door open, featuring rows of sodas, sparkling in their cans. “Rootbeer, black cherry, or strawberry?”

“What?” she whispered.

“Which one?” he asked again, gesturing to the sodas.

“Papa...Papa won’t let me. He won’t even let me have juice,” she frowned.

Sawyer shrugged, “Fine then…”

“Wait!” she called out before he closed the door.

She bit her lip. This is wrong. Maybe he’s doing this as a trap...but I’ve never had soda before. What if we get in a car crash on our way home and I die never having a soda?! No...Papa won’t let me and I have to be good for him, so no...I can’t have soda. And that’s that. “I’ll have the strawberry one please,” she said aloud and watched him pour the brown fizzing drink into a glass and hand it to her.

I can hear the bubbles! Vittoria felt giddy, excited to have something forbidden and sweet. Something she’d always wanted to try! A smile spread across her face as she put it up to her mouth, the foam and bubbles tickling her nose and causing her to sneeze. “Achoo!”

She wrinkled her nose to get rid of the itch as she pressed the thick crystal rim to her lips and tilted the glass back, allowing the sweet bubbly drink to drip into her mouth and leave a burning sensation down her throat. Vittoria coughed, “It burns!”

“That’s the carbonation,” Sawyer said plainly as he sat down again, “Vittoria...you know how we hate each other?”

She blinked, surprised at how honest he was being. “Yes…”

“Hm, well you know how we both love your father very much? And want him to be happy and safe?”

“Yes,” she said again, her voice worried.

“That woman who came in, my ex-wife, she doesn’t want that. She doesn’t want your father to be happy and she’s one of the people who believe lies about him. In fact, Marie is one of the people who spread those lies,” he scowled.

It was the first time she ever believed something Sawyer said. It was said with such a raw intensity that he couldn’t be lying to her, or at least lying to her entirely. “What?” she whispered.

“Vittoria, she’s not our friend. You can’t trust her and the moment she finds out you’re his daughter, she’ll want to exploit that, you. Marie will stop at nothing and will use you to take him down, which is why you can never tell her anything. Please, never talk to her again,” he said seriously.

“But...but she was nice,” she mumbled, to me.

Sawyer rolled his eyes, “Well this isn’t about us. It’s about protecting your father. So can you put our differences aside and treat her as what she is? A threat to our family?”

An alliance with Sawyer? She never wanted to agree with him on anything, but the way he was speaking set her nerves on alert. He means it...he’s serious. “Yes,” she agreed, “Anything for Papa. I-I don’t want to see him get hurt…”

“Good,” Sawyer nodded, “Then it’s agreed. You won’t speak to Marie or about her, ever again.”

“Agreed.”

“You are a smart girl, then,” he grinned, “One more thing, let me tell your father everything.”

“I’ll let you if you give me back my five dollars.”

“Not a chance.”

“I’ll go home and say it anyway,” she reasoned.

“Two dollars.”

“Three.”

“Two and a strawberry tab.”

“Three,” she insisted.

He narrowed his eyes, “Fine.”

“Thank you, Mr. Sawyer,” she said pleasantly.

Sawyer smiled greasily and leaned forward against his desk, holding out his drink. Vittoria took her cue and tapped her glass against his, a sweet clink, sounding out as they toasted. As she took a sip of her soda, she couldn’t help feeling like she made a deal with the devil.

#Marie Thibodeaux #charles sawyer #marilyn winslow #vittoria borghese #cameo

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sequinsmile-x · 3 years

Text

Empty Nest

A follow up to Full House .

Summary: Emily & Aaron raised their girls to be independent. They just wished they hadn't taken them quite so seriously.

Words: 3,140

Read here on ao3

It was harder than she expected it to be.

Audrey had spent years talking about going to Oxford for college. Initially Emily and Aaron had thought it was just a fantasy of hers, that when the time came she would pick somewhere slightly closer to home.

Then she applied. Without telling them.

The first they knew of her application was when she got in. A scream coming from her bedroom that Emily swore shortened her life by a couple of years, indicating something had happened. Emily remembered running in, thinking she was going to find her daughter hurt or worse, and instead Audrey was crying and clearly delighted. She had thrown herself into her mothers arms and cried into her shoulder that she had got in.

Emily remembers being grateful that Audrey hadn’t been looking at her at the time, her face pressed into her shoulder instead, because it took longer than it should have for the shock to wear off. She had fixed her expression by the time Audrey pulled away, a smile on her face as her daughter excitedly said she wanted to tell Aaron.

Emily had never been so grateful for growing up in the political arena. Ever since that moment she felt as if she was barely holding herself together, different scenarios of what could happen to her daughter when she was across an ocean, thousands of miles away, but she never let it show. Until she was alone with her husband.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t proud of Audrey. She was so proud that she could burst. She just wished that her daughter hadn’t taken the independence they had tried to instill in all of them all the way to it’s limit.

It’s how Emily finds herself in her bedroom, packing a suitcase for her and her husband as they prepare to take Audrey to England the following day. She stands, holding a shirt in her hands, as she thinks about when Audrey was small and refused to leave her side. Practically glued to her mother as often as she could be, tiny fingers digging into hair and clothing so she couldn’t be removed from Emily's embrace.

“Em?”

She turns to find Aaron standing behind her, a concerned look on his face. She folds the shirt in her hands and averts her gaze, looking at the suitcase on their bed. “Yes?”

“Are you ok?”

She throws the shirt into the suitcase. “Of course I’m not. She’s going to London.”

“Technically, she’s going to Oxford.”

“Aaron.”

He grimaces at the tone in her voice, and he knows that his attempt at humour has failed. So he goes for a different tactic. He walks over to her, wraps his arms around her waist from behind, and she automatically covers the hand he places on her hip with her own. He presses a kiss to her temple.

“She’s just like you, Em. They all are. Independent, brave. Wilful.” She pinches his hand for that, making him smile and kiss the side of her head again. “You almost went to London once.”

She narrows her eyes and turns in his arms, knowing they are about to have a conversation they’d had countless times over the years. She puts her arms around his neck. “That’s not true and you know it.”

“You would have gone if you weren’t pregnant with Ivy.”

She smiles at her husband, places a hand on his cheek. “I don’t like it when you say it that way, it makes it sound like I wouldn’t have stayed for you.”

He hums. “I don’t think Clyde has ever forgiven me for knocking you up.”

“Oh honey.” She pats his cheek, turns back to the suitcase she was packing. “He’s never forgiven you for threatening him during the Doyle situation. Me being pregnant and turning down the Interpol job was the icing on the cake.” ___________

“You guys really don’t have to come.” Audrey says, watching as Aaron checks they’ve all got their passports for the third time in five minutes. She looks to Emily, a pleading look in her eyes, and sighs when she sees the adoring amusement on her mothers face.

“Sorry sweetie, we’re coming with you.” Emily says, placing her hand on her husband’s arm to stop him checking they had all their documents yet again. “Now say goodbye to your brother and sisters.”

Emily watches as Audrey gives each of the twins a hug, promising she’ll FaceTime them as soon as she can. Cora and Hazel both hold on to their older sister tightly, their apparent aloofness towards the whole situation melting away now that Audrey was actually leaving. She moves on to Ivy, the most free with her emotions, tears streaming down her face as she hugs her sister.

She takes in a deep breath as Jack, who had come over specifically to say goodbye to his sister, hugs Audrey tightly enough to lift her off the ground. Emily was determined to not let her emotions show yet, so she clears her throat, tries to push them back down into her chest where they were blooming from. She feels Aaron’s hand press to her lower back, a silent show of comfort in front of their children.

“We’ve got to go, or we’ll be late to the airport.” Aaron says, a hesitancy to his voice she hasn’t heard from him in years.

Emily pulls Jack into a hug, and smiles when he hugs her back just as tightly. “It will be fine, Emily.” He gives her another squeeze before letting go. “And I’ll be here to make sure these two,” he says pointing at the twins, “Don’t give Ivy any trouble when you are gone.”

Ivy laughs, punching her eldest brother in the arm. She was back from college for the summer, about to go back to Harvard for her final year. “I can handle Cori and Haze.” She says looking at the twins. “Because I have dirt on them both.”

Cora and Hazel roll their eyes at the same time. “Of course you do.”

“Ok.” Emily laughs, stepping forward to hug Ivy. “We really do need to go.”

She hugs the twins at the same time, both of them wrapping an arm tightly behind her back. “Behave for your brother and sister, ok?”

“Yes, Mom.” Hazel says as she pulls back, a curious look in her eye. “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine, sweetheart. I promise.”

Aaron says his goodbyes too, his parting words with the twins a little more stern than hers had been, and as the front door closes behind them Emily feels like things might never be the same. ___________

Audrey holds it together the entire flight to London, and the journey to Oxford from there. Her excitement comes off of her in waves and she gasps when she sees the campus for the first time. They spend a day together, just the three of them, and they explore the place their daughter will live for the next three years.

It takes until it is time for them to say goodbye for their daughter to start to crack. The nervousness they had both seen, but dutifully ignored, under the surface starts to seep out in her fathers arms. The place she had always found solace in since she was a little girl.

He stands back and watches as Audrey and Emily hold each other tightly, neither of them seemingly willing to be the first one to let go. Eventually, Emily takes a step back from their daughter and places a hand on each of her shoulders.

“You can call anytime. I don’t care what time it is back home, just call.” She says, repeating what Aaron had said only moments before when she watched him hug their daughter goodbye. She cups Audrey’s cheek, wipes a stray tear away. “If you ever need me I’ll be on the first flight here. I’ll even use the jet from work.”

Audrey laughs through her tears, throws a look at Aaron over Emily’s shoulder with a raised eyebrow before hugs her mother tightly again. Arms wrapped around her neck in a way she hadn’t done since she was a little girl. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Emily replies, kissing the side of Audrey’s head.

They say their final goodbyes, and Emily manages to hold it together until after the door to Audrey’s dorm room closes. The sound of their daughter crying on the other side is the thing that finally pushes her over the edge after days of just about holding it together.

He wraps an arm around her shoulders and maneuvers her out of the building, exchanging knowing looks with other parents as he passes them by. Mothers of other teenagers being dropped off giving Emily sympathetic looks.

He wondered how many of them were dropping off their child a whole ocean away from where they lived.

Aaron holds her in his arms the entire journey to the airport, letting her cry into his jacket as he wipes his own tears from his face.

He tips the taxi driver an extra £20 for not mentioning any of the wrought emotions he had witnessed in his backseat. _________

They get home the following day before the twins get home from school. Ivy draws both of her parents into a hug, lingering in the embrace with her mother when she sees that her eyes are slightly swollen. She keeps her sister’s occupied when they get home from school, helping them with their chemistry homework whilst her parents unpack and try to pull themselves together.

Later that evening Emily is sitting on the couch, Aaron in his study doing some paperwork that had been ignored in favour of taking Audrey to England. The TV is on, some reality tv show that she isn’t paying attention to playing in the background.

“Mom?”

She turns to see Cora standing there, a cup of what Emily assumes is hot chocolate in each hand. “Hey, honey.”

“Can I join you?”

“Of course you can.” It feels ridiculous, Emily thinks, to be so excited at the prospect of her youngest’s company. The years had gone by so quickly, melting away until she suddenly had no little ones to look after. All of her daughters, and Jack, no longer needed her so intensely, and it still made her chest ache when she thought about it too much.

Cora smiles at her, rounds the couch quickly and hands Emily one of the cups before settling next to her. Pressing up against her in a way she hadn’t since she discovered liking your parents wasn’t cool. Sneaking under the blanket Emily had over her lap so they could share it.

Emily smiles, wrapping an arm around her daughter and pulling her closer, enjoying the closeness her 15 year old will allow her for now, memories of her as a little girl who once refused to sleep anywhere except pressed up against her mothers side.

She shakes her head at herself, as if to physically get rid of the sadness that had settled over her since they had left Audrey in another country. It doesn’t work, so instead she sits with Cora and snuggles a little closer. They sit in silence, both watching the tv, sipping their hot chocolates and enjoying each other’s company.

“Mom?”

“Yes, sweetie?”

“I promise I won’t go so far away when I go to college.” She presses her cheek into Emily’s shoulder as she speaks, seeking comfort from her mother.

“Cora.” She turns to look at her, sees the unshed tears in her daughter’s eyes. She knows she’ll never say it, the twins were both closely guarded with their feelings, but she can see how much she will miss her big sister. “You need to do what’s right for you.”

Cora sniffs. “I don’t want to make you sad.”

“Oh, sweet girl.” Emily says, the moniker she hadn’t used since Cora had been a tiny little thing, scraped knees from a day in the park and tears in her eyes as she tried to be brave, slipping out without thought. “I’m your mom, no matter what happens I’ll be sad when you move out. But I’ll also be so proud.”

Cora frowns, a look on her face she knows Aaron will say is all her. She opens her mouth to speak, to argue with her mother in a way that only a teenager could, when Hazel’s voice rings out from behind them.

“Damn it, Cori.” They both snap to look at her, and she is standing there also with two mugs steaming in her hands. “I thought we said I’d do it tonight.”

Emily raises her eyebrows and looks between her two daughters, a smile appearing on her face. “What, are you two taking it in shifts to cheer me up or something?”

The twins exchange a look that they perfected years ago, wide eyes at each other as they realise they’ve been caught out in their mischief. Hazel walks over to the couch, sits next to Emily on her other side and hands her the hot chocolate.

“You were just so sad, Mom.” She says, narrowing her eyes at her twin. “We thought we would try and make it better.”

“That’s very sweet.” She pauses for a moment. “Now you’re both here, why don’t we watch a movie or something?”

They put on a Disney film, something the twins had been obsessed with when they were small and Emily had always insisted she would never watch again.

When Aaron leaves his study later in search of his girls, he finds them on the couch all fast asleep, Ivy sat on the armchair near them with an amused smile on her face. Emily was sitting sandwiched in between the twins, head resting on top of Hazel’s. Both girls curled around against Emily’s sides, their heads on her shoulders and arms wrapped around one of hers. Their dark hair all blurring into one. He sees the credits of an old favourite rolling on the tv and he turns it off before the sound of the next movie lined up would shock them awake.

He takes a couple photos of them, shoots one off to Audrey who he knows would get a kick out of it. Adds it to the favourites folder on his phone so he can treasure it.

“Mom will kill you for that.” Ivy whispers, before taking a photo on her own phone. Aaron raises an eyebrow at her. “What? It’s cute.”

It doesn’t hurt that it would also make for great blackmail material the next time one of the twins pushed the boundaries. ______________

Emily stares at a photo from their wedding day she keeps on her nightstand as Aaron gets ready for bed. It was her favourite from the day, taken by Penelope after they exchanged their vows in Dave’s backyard. Emily had a 9 month old Ivy in her arms, and Aaron had his arm around both of them. Jack was standing in front of them both, wearing a tux that matches Aaron’s, a wide grin on his face.

She smiles at the photo and thinks of how much their family had grown since then. Audrey was not planned yet, the drama of Ivy’s birth still sharp in both their minds. The twins not even an idea they had considered, the best and most welcome surprise of their lives.

“You ok?” His voice is soft as he climbs into bed, drawing an arm around her waist and pulling her to him.

She sighs, cuddling into his side. “I don’t know. She texted earlier saying she missed us. It’s just...so far away.” She doesn’t miss how his hold on her tightens. “How about you?”

He hums, presses a kiss to her forehead. “I’m ok. I just want to make sure you are.”

“Aaron.” She pulls away from him, placing a hand on his neck as she does so, her thumb tracing his jaw. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed you’ve just been looking after me this whole time.” She smiles fondly at him. “It’s very sweet, and I love you for it, but she’s your little girl too.”

He sighs at that, closes his eyes as he presses his forehead against hers. “Did we have to raise them to be quite so independent?”

She laughs at that, but it catches on a sob in her chest. “Damn our superior parenting skills. Raising all these amazing, intelligent kids.”

“I know.” He replies, hand coming up to tangle in the back of her hair. “We suck.” He pulls back to look at her, sees the same watery smile on her face he knows matches his.

“We really do.”

“What if she finds some amazing English guy and falls in love with him, Em? I can’t threaten someone over there. I have no jurisdiction.”

She laughs at that, fully belly laughs and she kisses him. She doesn’t mention that he has no jurisdiction here either, since he had retired a few years ago. “God I love you. So much.” She wipes a tear away from her cheek. “She’s been there two days days, honey. Let's take it one step at a time, ok?”

“Ok.” He kisses her again. “One day it will be just the two of us.”

Her smile trembles at that, the idea of the twins being out in the world too almost too much to bear in the moment. “Let’s not worry about that yet, ok? I’m sure when the time comes we’ll think of ways to keep ourselves occupied.”

The suggestive look on her face makes him raise an eyebrow. “Are you propositioning me, Mrs Hotchner?”

She leans in, stops just far enough away from his lips to speak. “Always.” ____________

Three years later they stand proudly as Audrey graduates from Oxford. Her things were all packed up in their hotel suite so she can fly home and do her postgrad at Georgetown. Emily still remembers the relief that flooded her system when she told them of her plans to come back to the states.

They go for dinner afterwards, the whole family having flown out for the ceremony, including Jack’s fiancée. Emily looks round the table, all of her children now grown up. Cora and Hazel were due to go to college in the fall, the later going off to California, and it felt like it never got any easier.

Aaron grabs her hand under the table, linking their fingers together to get her attention. “You ok?”

She nods at him. “I’m ok. I’ve got you.” She kisses him quickly, only to be met with a chorus of disgust from her children. She pulls back and smirks at her husband

Maybe having the house to themselves for the first time wouldn’t be all bad.

#Hotchniss #hotchniss fanfiction #hotchniss fanfic #aaron hotchner #emily prentiss #aaron hotchner x emily prentiss #momily #its just fluff guys #consider this as an apology for ITSWM #i'm not that sorry #but have some fluff anyway

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pvremichigan · 3 years

Text

Until We Meet Again. [Arc Drabble]

TW: Vomit, blood, alcoholism mention, murder mention, memory loss

“From the look of it, I think I only need one more. Does it have to be specific? ...”

“No... Alright, makes things a lot easier. Yeah... Yeah make sure you keep contact with him, keep trying. Do whatever you gotta do.”

The voice on the other line spoke back, giving Mich a short verbal response.

“I appreciate the help. I do. One more and... Yeah, I’ll head over. When?”

The woman looked outside the window, her heart sinking the more she thought about the outcome. This was now or never... And if she hesitated, she wouldn’t be able to go through with it. It’s just her... Just her at this point. She can’t deny the fear that built up inside, but time was running too thin.

The house was nearly covered inside with sticky notes about reminders and tasks, labels and tips. It looked like a damn video game tutorial... Everywhere there was SOMETHING about something or someone. Names scattered the notes, scribbled the more she had to remind herself. This morning she had gotten confused and a bit startled at the sight of two wolves in her house. She had no idea what to do, especially considering they were following her. It took far more than a half an hour to remember that those are her own dogs... Not wolves. Their names slipped her mind more often than not.

She was a mess...

“... I’m going to shoot for tonight. Can’t stall anymore. Don’t wanna risk any of the souls losing value.”

She sounded so unsure. It was as if she was pulling away by the minute. Her brain screamed that she didn’t want to do this but at this point, she really has no choice. It’s either this... Or lose herself to the brink of death.

“Yeah- Yeah I’m still here. Just thinking. I know, I’ll uh...”

It’s getting dark.

“I’ll head out now. I’ll be in touch. Thanks, Carter.”

As soon as the call ended, the weight of Mich’s body seemed to drop her down on the couch. Her legs had given out and her hands began to shake. She felt extremely ill, blocking her mouth with her fist just in case. Her blood chilled her body, everything felt cold and numb aside from the sensation of a rapidly beating heart. Funny... Her heart doesn’t even do anything for her, yet it can still react to her mind and emotions. It certainly didn’t help the situation.

Her skin grew cold. Her face pale... All she could do was sit stranded on the couch with an anxiously bouncing leg. The sound of the world tuned out. It was only ringing... Ringing that grew louder and louder. For a moment she could’ve sworn she heard it outside of her mind. It sounded so close, so real... And so utterly loud. Her eyes stared forward in contempt, her entire being practically frozen in this loop of doing nothing but break internally. This was a prison for her, this fear had been the warden keeping her in place and refusing to let her truly approach her mistakes with vigor. The fear creating a cowardess she had to face in any reflection she walked by. The fist didn’t fix anything... A wave of blood forced it’s way out of her throat and past her lips, an unprepared silent wretch as she was forced to hunch forward, splattering onto the carpet. No bile, no mucus... Just pure blood. Her nerves got the best of her. The last time this happened... It was right after she had shot Ryan dead. She stared in shock, frozen yet again as the shaking grew worse. In that moment, flashes of that miserable night sparked in her mind. All six shots... The tears that dropped from her eyes... And the final view of Ryan desperately and weakly reaching to her before his body went limp... And he lay there dead. Since that moment, her life had spiraled downward. One mistake led to years of agony and misery.

The paralysis caused by her fear had broken as she ran her hands over her face, tired and stressed from everything that had to be done. There were too many thoughts of regrets and ‘what ifs’ and ‘if only i’... But no matter the rate of those thoughts that haunted her in this moment, it still didn’t change the fact that what was done, was done.

It had been over 3 years now... Compared to her lifespan, it was such a short time to deteriorate her mind. She never recognized the importance of a soul until her actions truly came to bite her in the ass.

Now she has no choice but to risk everything to fix her biggest mistake.

The movement out of the corner of her eye had caught her attention. the larger dog... B... The larger dog... The big one... The older dog... Why couldn’t she remember his name? Mich felt the sting of tears burn the entire area around her eyes as she truly realized in that moment how far gone she was and how there was no turning back. Her own dog, her main boy and she couldn’t even remember his name. As the reality of the situation hit, her heart had shattered into pieces. Louder and harsher than porcelain could ever dream or glass could ever achieve. The strongest material out there had shattered within it’s final moments of stability. What could anyone make of a pile of rubble, sharp and dangerous to bother with? There’s no gluing that back together.

There’s no mending that object that had been beaten by the owner and those around her. There’s no salvaging what she had.

The woman got up, legs growing weaker as she slowly and weakly made her way over to the dog. The ears of the boy lowered a bit, noticing his mother’s energy was like nothing he had sensed before. The redhead fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around the dog. The dog she owned and knew... But could not name. Her silent tears dampened his coat as she continued to hold him. This was her physical apology for everything. Everything this dog witnessed through these years. He watched her heart shatter after Brandon... Then swell after Ryan. He met his new brother who he loves dearly. He noticed Mich fall into a habit of alcoholism... Smoking more often. Altercations happening frequently if not daily. There were people she had made mad pounding at the door. The casualties and violence had skyrocketed, and there was less remorse to be found in her actions. He watched his mother fall into the worst parts of her life... Watched her breakdown after that floating man came into the picture. He watched her begin to avoid Riley and stray away from him. He watched her flinch at Riley’s name... He watched countless nights of her getting drunk and crying herself to sleep. He even watched several weeks straight go by where she didn’t get up from the couch once. Then slowly but surely... He watched her forget everything she’s ever known. Her legacy, her empathy, her mind, her family, herself... And the most painful part, her own dogs. Beaux head seemed to push against hers, as if he were holding her back to tell her he forgives her... That he still loves her. He always will.

That’s his mom...

It had been a while that she had remained on the floor with Beaux. Nearly an hour of an unmoving embrace. During that whole time she tried her hardest to recall his name... She felt like a failure when the point came to where she just couldn’t. This was it. This was the final stage of it all. If she doesn’t get to it soon... She will never be able to finish what she started.

She’ll never be able to heal.

“I don’t know your name, I’m sorry... But if I come ba- ... When I come back, things will be different... I promise. I promise you, big guy. I’ll do better. I’ll be better. I’ll be a better owner...”

“I’ll be a better mom.”

She nodded into his fur to assure him she’d return. Whether he understood her or not, the verbal promise was also a promise to herself. She will return. She doesn’t have a choice. She has things to do here... People need her.

But how long will it be...

“Take care of your brother...”

Sniffling a bit, she tries to break away to stand up, but Beaux kept his head locked around hers for just a moment longer. Strained whines nearly whistle tone whistled through his muzzle. He didn’t wanna let go... But knowing his time was up, he finally let her stand up. The whining still rang, as if his last plea for her safety. Beaux grew anxious, his paws adjusting and shifting as he sat. She gave him a tight smile, patting his head and bending down once more to give him a soft, loving kiss on the forehead. One more pet and she had to pry herself away. Not looking back, she headed down to the cellar to collect everything she needed. By everything, she means everything she needed. Because for a couple of months, or even years...

She won’t be coming back.

Jack hadn’t been home that day. It made it much easier for her to leave without a trace. She grabbed the bag full of things she needed, heading back up the stairs. Her gaze was glued to the door, her steps coming to a halt as her body forced one more hesitation.

‘It’s now or never.’

That was all she needed to break the concrete around her feet as she forced herself forwards to the door, grabbing the handle and forcing her body to twist it. As easy as a task that it was, her body’s fear was the biggest obstacle there was. A war had ensued within her, but the first battle was a success as Mich finally pried the door open and dragged herself out. She shut the door behind her, locking it up and taking a step away from the house to look at it as a whole. The memories she had... The pain these years have brought upon her. All that was to be left in the past. It’s time to finish this... It’s time to move on.

A shaky breath, she took one last good look at it. A long moment of preparation and perseverance... One last good look... Before she turned on her heel and took her final steps away. She can’t go back now. There’s no going back.

She didn’t look back.

‘Until we meet again.’

#[[Pull the Trigger]];; ic #[[Trail of Smoke]];; Drabble #[[Gun Powder]];; Mich

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niawritess · 3 years

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The Lovestruck~Chapter 11

(5 December Sunday)

10:30 am

Sunday, your favorite day from the week where you sleep till noon without worrying about your college and your mom nagging you to get up early. However, here you are at the Café, standing behind the counter with Rose and Ria beside you staring at the person which you three have been longing to meet.

Song Joongki, AKA The Big Boss, your favorite actor was seated by the window table filming his advertisement as today was the D-DAY.

"O my god! He's so handsome in person!" Ria exclaimed, squealing while linking her arms around yours and you also smiled squealing silently whilst nodding at her remark.

"Thank you so much Rose for letting me be here to witness this wonderful scene." She clasped her hands staring at him with sparkling eyes and Rose chuckled at her while you rolled your eyes at her dramatic acting.

"In that case, you should thank your best friend as she was the one who requested for you." Rose smiled pointing with her chin to you and you gave your bestfriend a smug grin as she glanced at you.

"Y/n, you are the best!" She side hugged you and you cringed at her behavior before she looked at you still holding you.

"I'll always be at your service." She gave a cute smile causing you smirk as you looked at her and Ria got the message as she let go of you standing straight.

"Are you sure?"

"Okay, I take that back."

"No, you can't. You'll be at my service." You smirked folding your arms to your chest and she sighed defeated while rose giggled at you both.

Meanwhile, Baekhyun who had his back leaned against the counter watching you smiling and squealing at the man wasn't liking it a bit. He folded his arms to his chest while squinting eyes at him feeling frustrated at the sight, at the same time unknown and confused to this new sensation he was feeling.

"What so great about him?" He muttered annoyed and wondering why didn't he just skip today but couldn't as he wanted to see you, god knows why.

"I know right."

He jumped by the sudden voice beside him and tilted his head to the side to see Jack eyeing Song Joongki then to Rose making Baekhyun smirk at his jealous state not realizing he was feeling same.

"Oh! He is looking here!" Rose jolted making both males head whipped towards them.

"OMG!"

You and Ria squealed together as his eyes roamed around then stopping at the counter and he looked at Rose smilingly then to Ria who almost screamed as she squeezed your arm and lastly to you making your heart skip a beat.

You snapped out and were about to smile back but a broad back came in to your sight preventing you to do it as your tiny figure hid behind.

"What are you doing?" You tilted your head to look at Baekhyun frowning as he looked over his shoulder to see your puzzled face before he looked at Rose and Ria who were staring at him with the same expression as yours.

"Oh, Jack and I wanted to drink coffee." He answered proceeding to get the cups and you three nodded as he walked away from there with a satisfied grin on his face as if he won a mission.

***

11:32 am

It's been half an hour since the shoot ended and everybody went home except Ria and Jack. Rose and Jack had to discuss something related to contract so they were seated at the corner table whilst you and Ria were were sitting beside each other with Baekhyun across of you by the window.

"This picture came out so good!" Ria exclaimed staring at the picture which you three fangirls took with Song Joongki earlier before uploading it on her Instagram.

Ria took a sip of her coffee before glancing at Baekhyun who was staring at you without you knowing causing Ria's lips to curve into a smirk as her ship was sailing.

"Baekhyun sunbae?"

Baekhyun's head instantly jolted towards her and you also looked at her before she broke out in a shy grin.

"I wanted to ask if I can add you on my insta so I can tag you?" She asked hesitantly which you could see in her eyes causing you look at Baekhyun expectantly.

"Sure." Baekhyun immediately answered fishing out his phone and you smiled as you saw your bestfriend smiling in relief as you remembered how she awkward she got when locked eyes with him but seeing them getting along well, you felt happy.

"Y/n, tell me yours too." Baekhyun asked snapping you out of your trance and you looked at him with doe eyes.

"I will send her username to you but you won't find anything interesting since she just likes to explore." Ria told nonchalantly and you shot a glare at her.

"You know what's more interesting?" You uttered lowly gritting your teeth as she glanced at you. "My punch."

Baekhyun chuckled lowly shaking his head while Ria ignored your warning and shifted her eyes back to her phone screen.

"Woah y/n!" She exclaimed making you and Baekhyun flinch by her loud tone before she pushed her phone infront of you.

"Look at the comments." She scrolled through the comments. "So many guys are asking about you saying you are so pretty."

"The girl with the ponytail looks cute." Ria read the comment loud enough for Baekhyun to hear which she purposely wanted him to hear it.

Hearing this, Baekhyun's eyes widen as he immediately sat straight with his fingers gripping the coffee mug tightly as a sudden rage rushed inside him.

Your eyes widened hearing upon that and you don't know why, you immediately looked at Baekhyun who was already staring at you but then looked away before you glanced back at Ria with a dirty face.

"Block him." You spat before taking a sip of your orange juice and Baekhyun looked back at you before looking away as a smile crept on his lips which got unnoticed by you.

"You're just allergic to compliments." She retorted rolling her eyes before her phone buzzed and she excused herself out to answer the call leaving you and Baekhyun alone.

A silence followed between which you both found comfortable with stealing glances at eachother before Baekhyun decided to break it.

"Did you sleep well last night?"

Your head jerked up at him and you nodded giving him sheepish grin. "Yes, and I'm sorry for sleeping in the midst of talking."

He chuckled shaking his head. "No worries, at least you slept well."

You smiled. "Thanks to you, but I really don't do that though."

He hummed nodding. "But you did it to me."

"I said sorry though." You mumbled feeling guilty with your lips forming into a pout without you knowing and Baekhyun smiled at how cute you looked.

He laughed lightly. "I'm kidding, just teasing you."

You looked at him frowning. "You're always teasing me."

He just shrugged grinning cutely. "I can't help it, You're fun to tease with."

You sniffled before looking away from him wondering if he's like that to every girl and that thought somewhat made you feel weird inside.

"Are you going home alone? Should I give you a ride?"

You snapped out and looked at Baekhyun who was giving you a question look before you shook your head.

"No, it's alright. Ria and I are going to my home since we have a doctors appointment for dan."

He nodded. "Yeah, he told me."

You brows knitted. "He told you?"

"Eung, I called him to ask about his foot and he told me."

"Wait, so you have dan's number? Since when?"

"Since the day we met." He replied nonchalantly.

You leaned back on your chair amazed. "It's strange how he's took a liking to you this instant which is new to me, I don't even know why he likes you so much."

"Why don't you find out then?" He leaned forward placing his arms on the chair staring at you with a teasing smile causing your heart skip a beat before you bit your lip, letting out a out a nervous laugh.

"What's taking her so long?" You shifted your eyes outside, taking a sip from your orange juice calming your heart and Baekhyun couldn't help but smile at your flustered state as you seemed adorable yet innocent.

***

8:36 pm

"So, how is it going?" Jongdae questioned Baekhyun who's eyes were glued to the TV screen and the remote control in his hand as he was having a duel with sehun.

His brows arched. "Hm? What are you talking about?"

"Hyung, he meant your girl." Sehun intruded earning a glare from the latter and Jongdae nodded.

"She is not my girl, how many times I have told you and there's nothing going on. We're just friends." Baekhyun told them eyes still glued on the screen with his fingers taping the controller rapidly.

"Are you sure you both are just friends? Then can I talk to her? She seems cute though." Jongin wriggled his eyebrows getting a smack in return causing him wince in pain as he rubbed his arm while pouting.

"Why are you hitting him?" Junmyeon sat opposite of him drinking his water. "We're just asking what we see."

Baekhyun's brows knitted. "What do you mean? What do you see?"

"That how you're always smiling when you come back from work." Minseok remarked causing Baekhyun to tilt his head to him confused then back to the game.

"What's so surprising about that? Ain't I always like that?"

"You are but around us." Chanyeol uttered out of nowhere giving the latter scare before he plopped himself beside him staring at him.

"We have never seen you this open to any girl not even Somi, you know." He added getting Baekhyun's attention but he couldn't utter anything as he felt himself thinking about it.

"Okay, leave that. Tell me how's she like?" Yixing spoke making Baekhyun look at him perplexed.

"I mean, we have seen her but we've never really talked to her. So how's she like?" He added and Baekhyun somehow felt a little nervous for the first time talking about you.

He sighed licking his lips. "At first I thought that she's just an ordinary girl who's my co-worker, but when we started talking I got to know how innocent and pure she is."

"More than that her mind is so beautiful." He trailed off his lips forming into a smile. "She's like way different and down to earth girl."

"Oohhhh~~" Boys chorused together making the latter groan in annoyance and regretting telling them.

"Lover boy is in love!" Jongdae exclaimed loudly and baekhyun threw a glare at him before shaking his head while shifting his eyes to the game.

"Honestly, I don't know if it's really that feeling or just attraction." He rolled his tongue over his lips and the boys nodded, understanding his confusion.

"Figure it out before it's too late." Everyone turned their head to Kyungsoo who spoke the most important thing and Baekhyun sighed nodding.

"YESSS! I WON!" Sehun exclaimed making everyone startle by his outburst before Baekhyun's jaw dropped at the sight of him losing.

"NOOO!"

"Heol! Daebak! Baekhyunee hyung lost first time because of a girl!" Jongin yelled laughing getting a pillow thrown on his face by Baekhyun.

"Shut up!"

"Achoo!" You groaned sniffling before proceeding your way to the kitchen. "Who the hell is bad-mouthing me?"

_______________

@wooya1224 @buttercupbbh

#bbh #exo fanfiction #exo ff #baekhyun fanfic #baekhyun fluff #baekhyun gifs #baekhyun imagines #baekhyun #baekhyun x reader

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