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ktgoodmorning · 4 days

Text

Annoying

Aitana Bonmati x ADHD!reader

This is just my experience as someone with ADHD, I know it doesn't speak for everyone!

Masterlist

You were rushing around your house, trying to get ready for the day as fast as you possibly could, already borderline late for training as you ran around grabbing things. Aitana had gone early for media duties which left you to barely scrape yourself together in time, even though you had an extra hour to do so. Usually when she was around you could just match her morning routine in a way that made your own go much more smoothly. Without her, somehow no matter what you did or how much time you gave yourself, you always ended up running around like this, praying you didn’t forget anything.

It wasn’t until you reached for your keys to leave that you noticed Aitana had left a sticky note on top of them for you:

"Phone, Bag, Boots, Change of clothes, Coffee, Take your meds

I love you, see you soon! -A"

Her note made you pause momentarily, the first time you did since you left your bed this morning. You were beyond grateful for Aitana and the way she helped you out. You never asked her to, but over the course of your relationship she had learned the things you struggled with and slowly started to do things like this to try to help. Usually it worked. Sometimes you got too used to her notes and reminders that you started ignoring them and she had to find a new way to catch your attention, but she almost always managed to succeed.

You read through her note quickly to double check everything. Your hand tapped your pocket, making sure you felt your phone. Your bag was on your shoulder which you partially unzipped to double check that your boots and clothes were there. The travel mug that Aitana had given you as a gift when you first started dating was in your free hand, but your meds. Of course you forgot your meds. Somehow after years of taking them you still forgot at times, instantly running back to grab one before heading to training.

Your drive to the stadium worked to reset your mood, somehow dragging you out of the stressed and frantic state you had been in just moments earlier. The second you parked, you bound into the stadium with a kind of pep in your step that only you had. Your head was buried in your phone, doing who knows what, as you quickly made your way to the locker room, only stopping when you narrowly avoided running into Mapi.

“Aye, watch where you’re going, amiga! What’s got you in such a rush?”

“I don’t know, just in a good mood I guess! Excited to see Tana and for a good day of training. The weather’s beautiful out today, I think it’ll be a good day. Maybe after training I’ll just lay out in the sun for a while. Or maybe I’ll go on a walk or something with Tana. I don’t know, it’s just beautiful out, I’m so excited!”

The defender shook her head at you with a light laugh, very used to your chatty nature. She was probably your best friend on the team, after Aitana of course. At times, Mapi was the only one who could keep up with you. It made for the perfect double dates that allowed you and Mapi to talk each other’s ears off while your girlfriends could do some bonding of their own. Both Aitana and Ingrid loved to see the way you could match each other’s energy in ways that nobody else could. “Maybe you should back off the coffee, I feel like you get more and more hyper every time I see you.”

“Maps, we both know that won’t help. The coffee barely does anything, it’s more just a habit at this point.” She nodded in agreement, knowing you were right. You’d tried coming off caffeine before and it never did a lot; the coffee just helped you regulate and get into your morning routine, something that you could desperately use the help with.

As you pushed open the door to the locker room, you bounced right to your girlfriend to greet her with a hug. “Tana! Good morning! How was media?”

“It was okay.” she gave you a small shrug as she pulled away, “How was your morning? Did you get my note?”

“Yes, I did! I definitely would have forgotten my meds without it, so thank you.”

“Well I’m glad it helped! Your drive was okay?”

“Oh my gosh yes! I found this new podcast I was listening to. It was so interesting you wouldn’t believe it.” You sat down next to her, starting to put on your boots and get ready for training as you continued talking, filling her in on all the details you found interesting while she just listened. Somehow Aitana never got tired of listening to you talk. She loved the way you got so excited about such random, seemingly small things, that most people wouldn’t care much about, even if she hardly understood what it was you were talking about.

As you made your way out to start training for the day, you continued to speak eagerly, almost yelling unintentionally. Aitana was fully focused on you, while those around you half-listened, amazed by her ability to keep up with you. When you got excited about whatever you were talking about, you often gradually increased your volume as well as the speed you spoke at so it was always easy for everyone around you to hear, as long as they could keep up.

After your outdoor team training session on the pitch, you all made your way inside and cleaned up a little to eat lunch. You sat at a table with Aitana, Mapi, Ingrid, Frido, and Esmee- your typical “family” on the team. The entire time you ate, your leg was bouncing relentlessly.

As soon as she noticed it, Aitana laid a hand gently on your knee to get your attention so she could give you a questioning look as her way of seeing if you were okay. You responded with a short nod, but the anxiety was still clear on your face.

Your girlfriend had mastered the art of leaning into your side in a way that let her talk to you more discreetly, “What’s wrong, mi tesoro?”

You gave her a small shrug in response, not quite sure how to put it into words yourself. “I don’t know, I’m exhausted from this morning but also feel like I have so much energy I might explode so I can’t quite figure out how to fix it.” This feeling wasn’t all that uncommon for you, something everyone was quite used to seeing cause you frustration.

“Want to go on a short walk or something? Get out your energy?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think that’ll do it. I feel like I need to do some sprints or something but I know that’s a bad idea after everything we did in training today, so I’ll just get over it. I’ll be fine.”

She looked unsure at you, knowing that after lunch you had a team meeting where you’d be sitting to watch film and talk game tactics. That long period of sitting and listening wasn’t going to be easy for you if you were full of pent up energy but she knew that you knew yourself better than she did. Pushing you never worked well and typically just filled you with more frustration so she decided to let it be and just help you out if you had any issues later.

The meeting started okay. You weren’t exactly paying close attention but you did when you needed to, and it worked just fine. It was about fifteen minutes into it that Aitana noticed you picking at your nails. It was a habit you had most of your life, and one you constantly claimed you were trying to quit, but just never could. The second she saw it, she placed your hand in yours, just to hold it. It was her way of stopping you from picking without actually calling it out, knowing that would bother you instantly if she did and only make you want to do it more.

When you took her hand, you used your free one to play around with her fingers. You’d mess with her watch and her rings, just whatever she had on that you could mess with. The two of you had this routine for so long that the feeling of you playing with her hands was almost comforting in a way. She had gotten to a point where she always made sure she had something on that you could use to fidget, whether it was jewelry or even just a simple ponytail holder on her wrist.

But the longer the meeting dragged on, the less you were entertained by whatever was on her hands, eventually returning to destroying your nails. Once again, Aitana was more prepared than you ever realized. Before coming into the room, she had grabbed a random pen she found somewhere and put it in her pocket, knowing you’d have a hard time during this meeting. So the second your hands left hers, she silently passed it to you.

All you could do was look at her with admiration. You couldn’t believe how good she was to you or how well she knew you. How did she always know exactly what you needed? The dark haired woman gave you a knowing smile before turning back to Jona to listen to him talk, something that encouraged you to do the same while you kept your hands busy with the pen.

You were glad it was just a random pen off the floor because you broke it just before the meeting wrapped up, something you did a lot. The second you both heard the quiet “snap” of the piece breaking off, Aitana gave you a pointed look while your face immediately turned suspicious, looking at her, somehow trying to feign as if you hadn’t just broken it. Both of you struggled to keep a straight face and hold in your giggles to do your best to keep paying attention and not be a distraction. It was hard to hold in your snickering as you now had two pieces of pen to mess with while the meeting finally came to a close before you could break anything else.

As you left the room, to return to the locker room to going home, your girlfriend giggled at you and your antics. “How do you always end up breaking whatever I give you?”

“I don’t think it’s my fault! I think you just find bad pens!”

“You know, I don’t think it is! It happens every single time!”

“Tana, did you ever consider that maybe I’m just really strong so-“

“Aitana, how do you put up with this one and her yapping? Do you ever get any peace and quiet or does she talk like this through the night too?” Cata threw her arm around your girlfriend’s shoulders as she joined the two of you.

You knew she didn’t mean anything by it but the words still made your heart drop. It was one of the things that made you insecure at times even though you were always unable to stop yourself. You annoyed yourself at times with all your talking and often had to work to suppress the voice in your head saying that everyone hated you for it.

The second the words left her mouth, the rest of the conversation was mute to you, not hearing the way your girlfriend defended you and got harsher with Cata than she normally ever did. You were immediately stuck in a whirlwind of your own thoughts and insecurities which remained there as you showered and changed.

Unless you had somewhere specific to be, you typically took your time getting ready to go home, stopping to talk to your friends or just getting lost scrolling on your phone. It was because of this that Aitana was shocked when she returned from the showers to see you and all your stuff already gone. Because you had driven separately that morning, she wasn’t worried about you leaving without her, more worried about how out of character this behavior was for you. So she immediately picked up her pace in hopes of getting home as quickly as possible to make sure you were okay.

Aitana noticed right away when you went quiet but wanted to give you some space. Sometimes if she prodded too much, it made you feel like she was parenting you more than being your girlfriend so she wanted to give it some time to see if you’d come to her or sort it out on your own before she pushed you. She hoped maybe your car ride home would work as a “reset” to your mood.

When Aitana unlocked the door to your shared apartment, she was surprised to find you peacefully asleep on the couch. If she hadn’t known better, she would’ve thought you’d been there for hours based on how comfortable you looked. You liked naps at times, especially when you didn’t feel like facing your emotions so she probably shouldn’t have been as surprised as she was. Deciding to join you, she grabbed a blanket to lay over you and sat down next to you with a book, doing her best not to wake you, even though she knew she would be doing so soon so that you’d have a hope of getting to sleep later that night.

She let you sleep for about a half hour before gently running a hand over your face and playing with your hair lightly to bring you out of your nap. “Baby, I think you should wake up, otherwise you won’t be able to go to bed tonight.”

All you did was grumble and pull yourself closer to her, not in the mood to be awake and certainly not to be talking right now. “Why don’t you lay here for a few minutes to keep waking up, and I’ll go make you a snack?”

“Thank you, Tana.” You mumbled with a lazy nod. You knew she was right, and were glad she was giving you the time you needed to get yourself awake, never in the mood to be talking after waking up from a nap. Knowing you didn’t wait for her after training today, it was clear she was going to ask you about it because of how unusual it was for you. You liked to be glued to your girlfriend’s side whenever you could be so it was obvious to her that something was wrong when you voluntarily left on your own.

When she returned with your food, Aitana was surprised to see that you hadn’t fallen back asleep but were now sitting up, scrolling through your phone, much more awake than when she left a few minutes earlier. She had done this enough times before to know that beating around the bush would only grow your anxiety so as soon as she sat down next to you, she decided to ask. “Hey, what’s going on with you? You’ve been quiet since the end of training today.”

“I don’t know,” you shrugged, “just tired I guess.” You both knew it was a lie and your lack of eye contact made it even more obvious, but you really weren’t good at opening up unless someone (Aitana) pushed you.

“Come on, baby, we both know that’s not true, you've been too quiet. What's on your mind, sweetheart?” she gave your knee a reassuring squeeze as you picked around at your food. “Talk to me, you know I just want to help you. If you just want to rant, I’ll listen or if you want a solution to whatever it is, I’ll help you with that too. Just talk to me, please.”

You remained silent, stubbornly doing your best not to give in to her even though you knew you would soon, just biting your nails and avoiding eye contact. “Do you want me to call Mapi and you could talk to her about it? She would always listen if you want that. I just think you should talk about it, that always helps you clear your head and make sense of everything.”

“I don’t want to talk to anyone else right now, I just want you.” You groaned dramatically at how good she was to you and how easily she broke down your walls."The stuff Cata said just kinda got to me earlier. Aita, I feel like I talk too much sometimes and it just feels like I’m so annoying to everyone else." You paused, clearly not telling her the entire story as your voice dropped to a whisper. “And sometimes I get nervous that you’ll realize how annoying I can be and leave.”

Her face dropped as the words left your mouth, instantly heartbroken over the way you thought about yourself. The dark haired woman moved closer to you, bringing her hands to gently cup the sides of your face. "Love, it is when you go quiet, that I worry about you. It’s not annoying. I- It makes me happy to see you so happy. I love seeing how excited you get when you talk about things you like, it’s adorable. So please, don't ever think that. I would never do that to you, I promise.”

“Do you promise you don’t get annoyed with me, though?”

“I absolutely promise that. I love when you talk so fast I can’t keep up or when you accidentally end up yelling cause you’re so excited. I love when you’re bouncing around and giggling and when you talk to me until I fall asleep, or, even better, until you fall asleep and aren’t making sense anymore. I love everything about you, even if you don’t.”

“Thank you,” you leaned into her side, allowing her to wrap an arm around you and hold you close. “I love you, Tana.”

“I love you, baby. Now why don’t you eat some of this before it goes cold? Maybe we can watch a movie or something then.”

“That sounds perfect… as long as I get to pick the movie?” She rolled your eyes at the hopeful look in your eyes, both knowing that she would instantly give into you and let you pick, before settling in next to you for your night of relaxing together, while you undoubtedly talked through most of the movie.

This one felt a little too real lmao. Wouldn't be surprised if I did some more in this universe. As always, requests and feedback are more than welcome!

Masterlist

#aitana bonmati #aitana bonmati x reader #aitana bonmati imagine #barcelona femeni #woso imagines #woso #woso x reader #espwnt #sefutbol fem #woso imagine #wosoreadingaitana #wosoreading24/7

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em-prentiss · 4 days

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I’ve got my eye on you

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You’re really in no shape to be at work. Aaron coaxes you home.

Cw: fem!bau!reader, reader is on her period, newly established relationship, fluff, use of pet names, no use of yn

Wc: 1.9k

if you have any Aaron requests, lmk <3

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Your stomach cramps again as you walk out of the elevator. Wincing, you hurry into the bullpen, desperate to sit down and ease the ache in your lower body.

Morgan looks up at you as you dump your things on your desk and sit down with a sigh.

“Twenty minutes late, princess,” he grins. “Late night?”

“Not today, Derek.” You stuff your face in your hands, the pounding in your head intensifying. Your voice is low, strained, nothing like the usual teasing tone you take up with him.

Morgan immediately frowns in concern. “Hey, are you okay?” He leans over the divider between your desks and takes a closer look at you.

“Fine,” you mumble, your voice muffled. You lift your head and give him a weary smile. “Just tired from last night’s case.”

He nods and leaves you alone as you turn on your computer and sigh at the stack of paperwork ahead of you. Looking up out of habit, you smile at the sight of Aaron in his office, his head bent as he works on something.

The two of you had your first date just before this previous case. He got you flowers, specifically ones that wouldn’t trigger your allergies, and when he told you that with a flustered smile you felt yourself fall impossibly deeper. You had kissed him to stop his rambling, threaded your fingers through his as he walked you to his car and opened the door for you. Like a gentleman, you’d thought giddily, your heart bursting at the image of him in your head perfectly meeting reality.

He got you ice cream after dinner, intimately aware of your sweet tooth, and you were left wondering if it was too soon to think about marriage.

It had been a perfect night, one that left you wanting for more of him just like this; funny and relaxed and soft. You’d wanted so badly to push him into your apartment, have him take off your dress and press his lips to your skin. But you forced yourself to say goodbye at the door, his chaste kiss sweet against your lips. You wanted to take it slow, to do it right. He wasn’t going to be a quick fuck for you and you wanted him to know that.

Because you’re in love with him, have been for years. And you’re pretty damn sure he’s in love with you too.

You’re broken from your reverie when you hear Emily approaching, a steaming mug in her hands. You give her a questioning look when she sets down the mug on your desk, the light color of the liquid telling you it’s some kind of herbal tea instead of coffee.

“You’ve got that first day period look about you,” she whispers before you can ask. You smile and pick up the tea, taking a sip and feeling the scalding liquid burn all the way down.

“That bad, huh?” You close your eyes when Emily brushes your hair away from your forehead. Her short nails scratch soothingly against your scalp and you hum, resting your head lightly against her stomach.

“You’re a little pale,” she murmurs. “Did you eat?”

You say nothing and bring the tea to your lips again, avoiding your friend’s gaze.

“Typical,” Emily sighs—quite boldly of her, knowing she’s no different. “Hotch won’t be happy about that,” she teases softly, her lips turning up in a gentle smile. She may or may not have given you and Aaron the final push you both needed.

You shrug as your cheeks tint pink. “I’ll eat in a bit,” you say, in no hurry to do so with the way your stomach churns. “The pain really blocks my appetite.” You scrunch your nose.

Emily hums, all too familiar with the feeling. “I’d tell you to take some meds, but you need to eat for that.” She strokes your hair soothingly, making you lean into her touch.

“I will, Em,” you smile up at her. “When my stomach settles. This is helping by the way, thanks.” You tilt your head to the mug you’re now holding against your stomach, the heat of it seeping through your shirt.

“You’re welcome,” Emily squeezes your shoulder and heads to her own desk.

Sighing, you tip your head back and adjust your grip on the mug in your hands, wishing you had something for your thighs too. And your head. And your lower back.

You give yourself a few seconds before you rub your eyes and sit up straight, trying to start on your report.

The words blur on the page in front of you and you blink, trying to bring them back into focus. You sip your tea, hoping it’ll kick start your brain into writing something, but your head pounds incessantly, jumbling up the words in your head.

The next sip of tea brings a sudden nausea with it, the liquid sloshing around in your empty stomach with nothing else. You set it down with a grimace.

Fucking great.

Morgan and Reid are bickering incessantly behind you, Emily clacks away at her computer and Anderson is talking louder than usual, his voice piercing your head. You blow out a breath and grab your pen, forcing yourself to ignore them and look at your paperwork. You squint at the paper, the bright fluorescent lights of the bullpen like needles in your eyes.

You give up and slump on your desk with a groan, welcoming the darkness and the cool wood against your forehead. You cross your arms tightly over your aching stomach, feeling the frustrating press of tears against your closed eyelids.

Aaron leaves his office in search of coffee and catches sight of you with your head on your desk, your hair shielding your face. Your back shudders as you inhale, the ragged rise and fall of it visible even from a distance.

He hurries down to you and gently touches your shoulder, your name falling softly from his mouth. You tilt your head up to look at him, too tired to lift it from the desk. “Aaron, hey.” You give him a worn out smile.

Your hair falls into your face. Aaron gently brushes it away and notes your crossed arms held tightly against your stomach, your nails digging into your biceps.

“Are you okay?” He asks worriedly, eyeing your tired face and the bags under your eyes. “You look pale. Are you sick?” He presses the back of his hand against your forehead, but your skin is cool.

If the cramps weren’t currently tearing your body to shreds, you might have felt the butterflies at his obvious concern. “I’m not,” you say slowly, wetting your dry lips. “I’ll be fine, my head just hurts a bit.”

A bit is a gross oversimplification, and from the look on Aaron’s face, he knows it too. “Just your head?” He raises his brows, his eyes pointedly drifting down to your stomach.

A strange heat rises to your cheeks. “I’ll be fine, Aaron.” You insist as you lift yourself up against the chair. The light shines directly into your eyes and you wince, pressing your palm against your lids.

“Clearly,” he mutters, looking at your desk and the still empty paperwork and reports you have yet to fill out. “Go home. You can finish this tomorrow.”

“No,” you shake your head adamantly despite the roiling in your stomach. “I’m fine, I just—” You shut your eyes and blow out a shaky breath when you feel a sudden cramp in your abdomen, “I just need a minute.” You rasp.

Aaron eyes your dull skin and the way you tightly grip your seat, your knuckles sharp as you take in ragged breaths. He sighs and crouches down in front of you, the gentle way he says your name forcing your eyes open.

“Please. Go home or I’ll drive you myself.” His brown eyes are soft with concern, his brows furrowed and lips tipped downward.

You want to shake your head, but a sharp pain in your stomach almost makes you gasp. You bite your lip and look down at your watch. “It’s only 11.” You protest weakly.

Aaron shakes his head at your stubbornness, your pain clear in the way your face twists. “You’re in pain, sweetheart,” he whispers, unable to stop himself from saying it. Your eyes widen slightly at the nickname, but he continues, undeterred.

“Please. Go home, take care of yourself. You can be here first thing tomorrow, I promise, but you’re not well now.” He’s using the same soft, soothing tone he uses whenever Jack is sick and refusing his medication, and it seems to have the same effect on you.

You wilt against the seat and nod. “Okay,” you finally relent, the relief obvious in your voice.

Aaron smiles slightly, dimples poking out in victory as he stands up. You don’t even have to pack anything, your purse still closed on your desk. You pocket your phone and stand, your hand reaching for Aaron’s elbow when you stumble slightly.

“Sorry,” you mumble.

“Shh, you’re okay,” he steadies you with a hand on your back. “Come on, I’ll walk with you.”

You don’t protest and allow him to walk you to the elevator. A part of you is surprised that he’s showing this side of him at work, uncaring of the team’s piercing gazes that you can feel following you all the way out of the bullpen.

You lean into his side a little when you’re out of sight, the warmth of his hand on your back seeping into your skin as you wait for the elevator.

You’re almost disappointed when it dings.

The doors open and you walk in with a quiet sigh. Aaron walks in with you too, ignoring your surprised look. You open your mouth to protest, but he speaks first.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay driving? I can take you,” he offers.

You smile. The thought does sound nice. But you shake your head, despite your aching body and the long drive ahead of you. And the crushing need to let him take care of you. “I’ll be fine.” You force yourself to say. “Thank you, though.”

Aaron nods. “Drive safe.” He smiles at you gently. “Text me when you get home.”

“I will.” Your fingers magically find their way into his hair. You push the soft strands away from his forehead, biting back a smile when he involuntarily leans into your touch.

His hand finds the curve of your waist. “Maybe I can come by later?” He whispers.

You feel your body grow warm, a comforting glow that he always brings out in you. You smile, momentarily distracted from the pain in your body.

“I’d like that. But I won’t be much fun,” you gesture to yourself with a shrug. The elevator stops and the doors slide open into the parking lot.

“That’s just nonsense,” Aaron tilts your face down to kiss your forehead, his palms warm on your cheeks. “Be careful, honey.”

“I will.” You stamp a quick kiss on his lips, your cheeks warm, and head to your car. Aaron holds the elevator doors open and waits until you get in before heading again to the sixth floor.

He walks back into the bullpen, past his team gathered at Emily’s desk, including Garcia. They smirk at him and he glares back.

“Not a word.”

#aaron hotchner #aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotchner x you #aaron hotchner x y/n #aaron hotchner x fem!reader #aaron hotchner fanfiction #aaron hotchner fic #aaron hotchner drabble #aaron hotch imagine #aaron hotchner fluff #aaron hotchner imagine #aaron hotch x reader #aaron hotch x you #criminal minds x reader #criminal minds #soft aaron hotchner

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love-that-we-were-in · 15 days

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betting on all three for us two

pairing: frat!luke castellan x reader summary: you think you like being a little more friendly and a little less competition with luke castellan this year. a sequel to this fic word count: 3.1k warnings: none

author's note: frat luke my dearly beloved loser son who studies pre-med this is for you you know who you are i love you

The fall semester comes at you faster than you’d like, this rapid change from a golden summer to the crisp air of being back on campus. You’re rooming with someone from an old anthropology elective you took, Silena finally moving into her sorority house. It should feel weirder, how everything has changed since spring break.

You take the opportunity to build new habits. Early runs, no caffeine after 2pm. Little things that make the day go a tiny bit faster, building blocks to fit around your class schedule. Silena schedules weekly lunches for the three of you and there’s this gravity to it all that you want to study.

It had been nice to be home for a few months. Your mom had missed having you there, being able to show you the new flowers she planted, how the lemon tree in the yard is twisting weirdly. Board games and family dinners and friends who never left your town. Being back home was resetting. Being back on campus was restarting.

Lee catches you as you leave the gym, offering to walk you to class if you’re heading in that direction. You smile, telling him that you have a late start and pretend he doesn’t frown when your phone buzzes. He mentions that he’s thinking of starting a study group for one of your classes and you tell him you’ll think about joining.

While he heads towards the main building, you make your way to the campus coffee shop - caught behind the early risers desperate for something to get them through their first lecture of the day.

“Can I get a flat white and an iced americano with caramel to go please?” You smile at the girl working the counter, stepping aside to glance at your watch.

You run through your schedule for today, ignoring the text that comes through. You know exactly what it says, the same thing every morning, and you don’t even bother to roll your eyes at this point.

“I can’t believe you ignored my text,” Luke says when you reach the courtyard between the library and the medical building. “Not even a flame emoji.”

You stop in front of him, drinking in the jeans and sweater combination he’s settled on today. It’s a really nice sweater, dark blue and a little baggy. You wonder how quickly he’d notice it going missing. Probably not as quickly as he’d notice the stupid hat he’s wearing go missing. His backpack leans against the bench, pristine.

“No one uses those except you,” you shake your head, handing him the iced drink. “What time does your lecture start?”

Luke tells you as if he really needs to. It’s this thing you’ve started doing since the semester began, acting like you don’t know his schedule as well as your own. As if the both of you haven’t fallen into this routine in just a few weeks. Like it’s not a highlight of your day.

Clarisse thinks it’s adorable. Chris thinks it’s hilarious. You think it’s nice to have someone to share your free time with, beyond whatever else you and Luke have. It had been a fear of yours, when Silena mentioned not sharing a dorm with you, that you would fall to the sidelines. That life would come with these new priorities for everyone and you would only be fourth or fifth on their lists, too cemented in the day-to-day that you’d be forgotten.

Morning coffee with Luke stops that fear.

“Did Silena tell you about the party on Friday?”

“I have a study group in the afternoon,” Luke says, swirling his plastic cup around so the ice clinks together. “If I do go, I’m showing up late.”

“Maybe I’ll keep my eye out for you there, Castellan.”

He laughs and it’s like summer again. There’s something insane about hearing Luke laugh like this, unbroken and loud, nothing like it had been over the phone while you were back home.

“You’ve got dinner with Silena and Clarisse tonight, right?” He asks, swinging his bag over one shoulder. You throw your empty cup into the trash can as you both start walking. “Is there any point in asking if you want to come round after?”

You knock his arm with your shoulder, laughing, and, instead of feigning hurt like usual, Luke just takes your hand in his, the skin a little colder than you expect. Gazing down at your linked hands, you bite your lip before sighing.

“If I’m home before eleven, I’ll consider it.”

Last year, when you first met him, you thought Luke only got that determined glint in his eyes when he was competing. That it was a sign of an unanticipated thrill. Since then, you’ve learnt that it’s not that at all. It’s this thing that ignites within him, determined and passionate and a little boyish.

You think it might be one of your favorite things about him.

“I will take that deal.”

You wish you could say you were a little drunk. At least that way you would have something to blame. As it stands, you’re stone cold sober, maybe a little tired from class but nothing that can really be blamed for the lack of weight your actions seem to have right now.

The only thing you can blame, and you will, is the boy next to you, completely engrossed in the movie playing. They’d been watching it when you arrived, all settled on the couches and you assume this is something they do regularly, and at any other time you might’ve called it cute.

Not tonight. Not when you walked in to the discovery that Luke wears glasses and you didn’t know about it. It was something you played off, making a joke and settling into the cushions beside him. In the time since, Chris has left for his date with Clarisse and Charlie has pulled out some work to go through in the corner of the room.

“What’s up?” Luke asks when he realizes you’ve hardly moved in ten minutes, barely even breathing. And it’s the worst possible thing he could do, glance down through the frames with that small smile you’ve gotten used to and curls loose.

“Nothing’s up,” you let your eyes trail back to the screen. “This is a very cute tradition you guys have going on.”

Charlie lets out a little laugh from across the room. You feel the way Luke exhales against the side of your face. You think you’re able to go back to pretending everything is normal, make a joke and enjoy the rest of the movie. The second you feel Luke’s fingertips on the skin of your knee, gentle and warm, you know you can’t.

“You’re swerving,” he whispers, throwing a quick glance at Charlie to see if he can hear but the other boy is engrossed in his work. “Talk to me.”

“It’s nothing,” you bite the inside of your cheek when he nods encouragingly, incredibly aware of the patterns he’s tracing on your skin. “I just think it’s interesting that you’d choose to wear a hat all the time when the glasses are right there.”

“What?”

His hand stills and you wait. You wait and you stare at the shape of his jaw and you chuckle when it finally clicks, his adam’s apple shifting as he swallows the conclusion down. “Are you saying you like my glasses?”

You don’t like how uneven this all feels. Whenever you’ve been with Luke so far, there’s been this mutual balance that you’ve grown used to. Even before now, back when you were locked in silly competitions, you did it on even footing, the expectation that everything meant nothing and you wouldn’t be affected.

This, the way Luke grins around the realization, hand moving to rest on your thigh, is different. It’s heavier. It’s a loss after a winning streak and you’re kind of obsessed with the way it could drag you down.

“I just think that hat is stupid.”

“Yeah, okay,” Luke nods and you know, even if he doesn’t do it outright, he’s laughing. He’s categorizing the information you’ve just given him, placing it where it belongs in his mind, and it’s going to bite you in the ass. “Tell me more.”

“Luke,” you mutter, gritting your teeth. His fingertips brush against the hem of your shorts and, when you glare at him for it, he just shrugs. You throw a glance over in Charlie’s direction. Still nothing. “Are you insane?”

He tilts his head like he’s considering the question carefully. If Charlie were to look over, you know he’d assume you were locked in a debate about something silly - a staple of you and Luke - and it wouldn’t matter. He wouldn’t know for a second that you were holding onto Luke’s wrist, his hand itching to move just a little to the left.

You sigh and the boy beside you raises an eyebrow. You both know that you’ve lost this round.

When you press your lips to his bicep as the film credits roll, warm even through the fabric of his shirt, you mumble, “I really like your glasses.”

You aren’t used to watching things from a crowd. You’re used to focusing on yourself, on your team - not watching from a distance, surrounded by people who are there purely for enjoyment. There’s no winning from the stands.

Luke doesn’t know you’re here. You’d sent him a text that morning wishing him luck, arranging to meet him when his debate was over. You hadn’t bothered to message him when your afternoon class got canceled, choosing instead to race across campus and find a seat in the dim auditorium they’re using.

There isn’t the crackle of energy you get from swimming, or from watching Luke during track sessions. It’s less intense, for sure, a balance between the fire you know exists within him when he’s competing and the confidence he has in his own intelligence. You’ve argued with Luke, stupid things that neither of you care to take too seriously, and this is just the next stage of that.

He’s got his glasses on, you note, when the debate gets underway. He’s wearing his lucky green polo, even if he’d never personally call it that, and he’s switched his smartwatch out for an analogue one. The cheap biro you’re used to seeing him use has been replaced by a fancy silver pen that he still taps against his thigh while thinking. He’s sitting straighter than usual, shoulders back.

It’s almost like meeting him for the first time, focused and confident and sharp at the edges.

You’re kind of obsessed with it.

An hour and a winning handshake later, you make your way through the small crowd leaving to find Luke in conversation with one of his teammates. She smiles as you wrap an arm around his waist from behind, the slight tension still lingering in his bones melting away when he realizes it’s you.

“What are you doing here?” He says, turning enough that he’s actually facing you now. The girl waves you both goodbye. “I thought you had class.”

“Professor Chase had to cancel. His daughter got sent home from school with a fever.”

Luke nods, pressing his lips to the top of your head quickly. “You didn’t have to come to my debate.”

In the few months you’ve known Luke, you’ve learnt more about him than you expected to. You know from summer that Connecticut means looking after his sick mother, that he’s hoping to introduce some new charity events to ksig, that he used to go to a summer camp growing up. You know that his dad never showed up for anything and that he sits in the stands of all of your swim meets regardless of whether it cuts into his study time or not.

More than all of that, you know that the way he’s gazing at you now, a cross between awe and something deeper, is going to drive you crazy one day. You hope he can read the same expression on your face.

“Thank you for coming,” he says when everyone is finally dismissed, an arm thrown across your shoulders as you make your way out of the building. You loop a finger around one of his, just because you want to. “It means a lot.”

“I told you I would,” and you had, months ago, staring at Luke’s bedroom ceiling, back when you were still caught in the casualness of it all. When Luke was just someone you pretended you weren’t trying to bump into at parties. You’d told him that you would show up for him if you ever got the chance. He’d rolled his eyes, throwing a blanket over you both and told you to go to sleep. He’d drifted off with his nose pressed against your neck. “I keep my word, Castellan.”

“I know.”

In the evening light of campus, you think it might mean something more. Buried under the timing and the bitter wind until it’s a promise only you and Luke could translate. Asking him about where he wants to go for dinner, you like that no one else could understand the depth of it.

+1.

Silena catches your attention as you enter the kitchen, grinning wildly and explaining her concept for tonight. Drew gave her permission to throw this week’s party, something themed and fun and it’s something she’s so proud of that you can’t help but grin back at her energy.

“Even Charlie came,” she tells you excitedly, handing you a drink. “I feel like tonight is going to be it.”

In all the years you’ve known her, she’s been counting down to it. You don’t exactly understand the fundamentals of what it is, if it’s a real thing or something she can just sense intrinsically. There have been moments where she’s thought of it before, mentioned it offhandedly before shaking her head - as if knowing she was wrong.

“What even is it?” You ask and, for the first time, she breathes deeply instead of shrugging it off.

“The beginning of the end,” she says and that doesn’t exactly explain anything. “Everything is about to change.”

You still don’t really get it, but she’s as confident in this as she is about her clothes, so you nod like you understand. She sends you away not long after that, turning her attention to the new group that’s just walked through the doorway, mentioning that you need to be in the basement in about an hour and you just accept your fate, moving into the next room and falling into conversation with Rachel.

Luke slips into the basement just as Silena starts yelling for everyone to do so, catching your eye across the room and waving. When you’re all instructed to sit down in a circle, you wonder exactly what Silena has planned for tonight. When she places a near empty bottle down in the center of you all, you laugh.

“Are we actually playing spin the bottle?” Chris asks, prompting a murmured chorus of agreement from everyone else in the room. Silena frowns at him.

“Wanna bet he ends up getting the most into it?” Luke whispers in your ear and you raise an eyebrow at him. “Loser has to buy the coffee tomorrow morning.”

“You’re on,” you bump your fist to his to seal the deal. “I think he’s gonna get bored by round 3.”

“Only boring people get bored of this game. It’s about drive.”

“It’s about power?” Luke lets out a laugh and Silena turns her glare to you. “Sorry.”

She starts to explain the rules of the game, as if you’re all twelve again, and you bite your lip harder with every comment Luke makes under his breath. It’s a little mean, a little stupid, and you wish you were fifteen again, playing a proper game of spin the bottle for the first time.

Nothing much happens for the first few rounds, Chris starting to grumble the longer the game goes on. Luke clicks his tongue when you point it out, cursing his best friend like this was the worst thing that could’ve happened to him.

Lee spins and it’s like cosmic interference when the bottle stops between you and Luke, the two of you glancing at each other and then back towards Lee.

“Should I spin it again?” Lee asks when no one says anything. Silena shakes her head and says, “You can choose or we can vote if that makes you more comfortable.”

“Please let us vote,” Chris shouts, animated and you narrow your eyes at him, ignoring the smug smile Luke gives you. “I’ll never ask you for anything ever again.”

Lee glances between you both again, at where your knee rests against Luke’s thigh and the beer you’ve been sharing for the past twenty minutes sits between you. “It might be better to vote.”

“Sure,” Silena smiles before silencing you all. “Everyone that wants Lee to kiss Luke, raise your hands.”

You raise your hand and Luke mumbles beside you, flicking your leg and you poke him in return. Anything to avoid kissing Lee Fletcher after two years of avoiding it.

“That is an overwhelming majority,” Silena says and you know, just by the way her eyes slide over to you, that she didn’t even bother to actually count. “Lee, you may now kiss Luke.”

There’s this moment where you think Lee is going to just leave but instead he stares at the boy next to you, the relaxed set to his jaw, the annoying baseball cap on his head, how he’s so unbothered by it all. You watch as something clicks in his mind, you really want to know what it is.

Whatever it was, it makes him grab the bottle again, ignoring Silena’s protests. It lands on the girl from Luke’s debate team and she straightens her back ever so slightly.

“Silena,” Lee says as he leans towards the girl. “I’m not going to kiss Luke or his girlfriend.”

“Damn straight,” Luke mumbles, grabbing your hand from your lap and holding it in his instead. It’s stupid and it really doesn’t matter to either of you, you know that, but there’s this way he says it - almost like it’s the worst thing he could’ve imagined - and it settles in your gut with the beer you’ve been drinking. “Me or my girlfriend.”

“I’d really like to meet her,” you say, laughing when he huffs and pulls his hat down on your head. When you push the visor up to see him properly, all rosy cheeks and compacted curls, you think you might have found it. Whatever it is.

Based on the way Luke’s nose scrunches and his eyes crinkle, you think he understands that too.

#luke castellan #luke castellan x reader #percy jackson and the olympians #pjo #luke castellan x you

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