#especially over the course of thirteen hours

[decafvillain]

felt physically and emotionally terrible all day and had to think reeeeally hard to figure why?

and then realized. that I had largely forgotten to eat today.

#a yogurt cup; a lil bag of chips; and an iced coffee does not an adequate amount of foodstuffs equal #especially over the course of thirteen hours #anyway to correct this I frantically ate a bowl of cold leftover noodles and now they’re sitting in my stomachs like a brick #there’s just no winning with this corporeal form

[hugsandharrystyles]

Are you wet right now?

Summary: You go on a vacation with your parents and their best friend's family. The only problem is their ridiculously hot son, Harry.

Word Count: 5,000+

Warnings: so much tension, teens being dumb, angst of course

Let me know if you want a part 2 with actual smut :))

You officially hate Harry Styles.

You hate his stupid hair, his stupid green eyes, his stupid hair, and especially his stupid abs.

You don't think from the minute your and his family stepped into the private resort you've seen him with a shirt on. And you get it, it's hot outside, and you're on vacation, but he doesn't even have the decency to put one on at dinner.

Honestly, the whole naked chest thing wouldn't bother you so much if he didn't get so much attention for it. The resort your and his family picked was private, but being a young, hot superstar makes you an easy target. It's almost as if this is the week all families with teenage girls decided to go on vacation.

It's the worst when you'll be goofing around with him like normal, and a group of girls in their bikinis crowd over him, not even sparing you a glance as they shove you out of the way. It's even worse that Harry does nothing about it.

You've known Harry since you were little. Your parents have always been friends, so it was kind of inevitable. You knew from a young age he was going to be something big- with his talent and charisma. You've watched from the sidelines how he's grown and came to stardom.

Though, you and Harry hadn't always been friends. When you were both thirteen, Harry had asked you to be his girlfriend. It was young and childish love, but it was sweet. You were his first girlfriend, and he was your first boyfriend. You even shared your first kisses together. You could never forget it. He was so nervous and shaky, and the kiss was inexperienced, but it was probably the best kiss of your life.

Until you were with Harry at a birthday party where everyone was playing spin the bottle, and Harry landed on Cheryl Taylor. He barely spared you a glance before leaning over and planting your his lips on her bubblegum-pink ones.

You ran out of the house and called your mom to come pick you up. Harry had tried to talk to you for a week, and you avoided him like the plague, which was hard since he was your neighbor. He ended up cornering you at school and apologizing profusely. He explained how he likes Cheryl now and that you were just his best friend. He was so young and so doe-eyed that you had no other option than to forgive him and go back to best friends. That was the start of Harry's everlasting feud with women. In no way was he a womanizer, but he loved sex and didn't have any want for a relationship.

"Y/N, sweetie, did you hear me?" Your mom snaps you out of your moment with her question. You're currently all (besides Harry, God knows where he is and who he's with) lounging at the pool, enjoying the summer breeze and warm sun.

"No, sorry," You answer and turn your head towards her.

"It's okay- said we'll need to head up to our rooms in about an hour to clean up and get ready for dinner. We have reservations at that fancy restaurant we saw when we were driving into town!" Your mom says excitedly, and you smile with her.

"Sounds good," You answer and turn your attention to the romance book in your hands, but before you could get very far, you hear your name being called.

"Y/N! Come in the water with me," You hear Harry's whiny voice call.

"'M good," You answer back, very obviously annoyed. You're still upset about the mob of girls who had literally pushed you to the ground earlier while trying to get closer to Harry. He hadn't even noticed.

"Oh, c'mon, babycakes. You still mad at me?" Harry asks, and you hear him splashing out of the pool. The sound of falling water droplets gets closer until you feel them start to drip onto your bare stomach.

"First, don't ever call me that again. Second, obviously I'm still upset you jerk," You scowl and almost punch him when he takes your book out of your hands, placing it on the table next to you.

"I said I was sorry!" He whines. You hear your mom and Anne laugh beside you.

"I got a bruise, Harry!" You whine back and pout at your forearm, showing him the bruise.

"Oh, shit, I didn't know it was that bad," Harry whispers, so your parents don't hear him curse.

"Yeah," You sigh. "Had to crawl my way out, and you didn't even care," You say dramatically.

"Stop it with that. You know I care about you the most," He assures, and before you can resist, he slots his wet body over yours, making you squeal.

"Ew! Get off me!" You scream, and hear your and his families' laughter.

"No," He whines and shakes his wet hair out. He lays his face in your neck. "I'm sorry, moppet. I wasn't thinking. Never would want you to get hurt."

"It's fine. I don't care. I was just messing with you."

"No, you weren't. Could tell you were upset, and I'm sorry I'm a dick," He says quietly and presses a soft kiss to your neck.

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

"It's okay, seriously. Just- I don't know. It's fine, you goof." You wish to tell him how you really feel. How much you miss him when he's gone when you probably never cross his mind- the lack of texts proving to be true.

"Know I love you, right?" He asks as he perks his head up and grips your cheeks in his hands, smushing them together. You notice his eyes flicker to your lips but don't think too much about it.

"Yeah," You laugh nervously.

"What's with the hesitation?" He asks and releases his hold on your cheeks, instead cupping your neck, thumbs on your jaw, so he still has a bit of control over your face.

"Nothing- we just don't talk that much anymore. Haven't really since-"

"Harry, would you get off my daughter!" Your dad yells over, semi-joking. You laugh and push at Harry's shoulder. He gets up, but you can tell by his sorrowful facial expression that he's upset about something.

"Hey, what's-" Your cut off by a high pitched voice coming from the side of you.

"Oh my gosh. Are you Harry Styles?" The girl is probably about your age and very pretty. You can't help but sigh in defeat.

"That would be me. What's your name, pretty?" Harry's response feels like a knife to your heart, and you don't think twice before picking your book back up and tuning the conversation out. You do, however, peek your eyes over your book to see Harry walking away with the girl, arm around her shoulder- not even a glance back at you.

It's an hour later when you return to you and Harry's room. You hadn't seen Harry since he walked off with that girl, and you kind of hoped he wouldn't be back for dinner because you just didn't want to see him. Even after all this time, it's as if you can't completely squash your stupid crush on him.

You slide your keycard through the door and walk in, though, nothing could have prepared you for the sight in front of you.

Harry and the stranger-blonde are laying on his bed, practically grinding against each other in a heavy make out session. Your gasp is loud enough to break them out of their attraction, and you immediately hear them both curse.

"Shit!" Harry yells and pushes the girl off of him. She glares at the side of his face.

"You have a girlfriend?" She asks.

"No, no, she's just a friend."

Ouch.

"Um, I can just grab my things and go," You offer and make your way towards the bathroom to grab your makeup.

"No, Y/N-" Harry starts, but you cut him off.

"Seriously, it's fine. Um- I'll just find somewhere to get ready. You- uh- are obviously busy," You laugh embarrassingly. You quickly grab your things and your clothes and dart towards the door. You feel Harry grab your free wrist before you could make your great escape.

"Y/N, wait." His voice lowers so his guest couldn't hear. She was already mindlessly scrolling on her phone anyway, so it didn't even matter.

"What?" You ask.

"What's- why does this feel so... off?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. Obviously it's going to be a little awkward because-"

"No, I mean like- I feel guilty? Like I've just messed everything up," He whispers, defeated.

"I don't know what you mean. I mean it's not like we're... together or anything." The words hurt as they come out of your mouth. "We're- um- we're cool." You put the fakest smile you could muster before walking out of the room. You hear him call your name as you speed-walk down the hallway to your parents' room.

Once you're ready, you and your parents trail downstairs to the resort's foyer where you all patiently wait for Anne and her husband. You're shocked that after waiting for five minutes, you see Harry's parents and Harry stepping out of the elevator and walking towards you guys. You immediately dart your eyes elsewhere as to not catch Harry's gaze.

"Are we ready to go?" Anne asks, and you all agree.

The car ride is insanely awkward. Having not known about what had happened an hour prior, your parents had squished you and Harry in the back by yourselves, and no words have been spoken. It's even more awkward because he's chosen to sit in the middle, so there is no space between the two of you.

"Hey," You hear Harry whisper to you. You hum mindlessly in response, nose in your book. "Can we just- can we talk? Please." The desperation in his voice almost makes you feel bad. Almost.

"Really nothing to talk about," You say quietly, trying to just focus on the words on the page in front of you. "I just need to stop getting my hopes up," You mumble.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asks.

"Nothing, Harry. Just forget about it. We're good," You assure him, but you know he doesn't believe you. Instead of leaving you alone like you've asked, he takes your book out of your hands (making sure to bookmark your page) before tossing it to the floor of the car. "Hey!" You complain and go to grab it, but he captures your wrists in his hand and holds them to his stomach.

"What are you guys fighting about back there?" Anne and your mother turn around, confusion on their faces.

"He's being a menace," You seethe through your teeth.

"Hey- am not!" He whines. "I'm just trying to talk to her, but she won't get her nose out of her book!"

"You are ridiculous. I mean- first, you-"

"Shush!" Your mother cuts you off. Harry, always playing the victim, pouts and leans his face into your shoulder. "Look at him, Y/N. He misses you. Hand me the book," She demands.

"What?! You can't seriously be taking his side. You don't even know what happened!" You complain, and you scoff as Harry wraps his arms around your waist, hugging you entirely to close to his warm body.

"I don't care! You're both nineteen- I shouldn't be breaking up fights," Your mom says, but you can tell she's trying her best to not laugh.

"Fine," You mumble and hand her the book. Harry's acting like a needy puppy as he basically whimpers in the crook of your neck, his arms still snug around your body. You rest your hands on his arms and dramatically lay your head against the headrest and pout in self pity. That is until you suddenly feel something wet against your neck. "Hey, what are you doing?" You ask and shove at Harry's head. He practically growls, and you can see that he has the strap of your sundress in his mouth, gnawing on it like a child. You're taken back to childhood memories of Harry doing this when he's feeling 'small' or a bit anxious. "Oh my goodness," You sigh and settle to rubbing your hand up and down his back.

"I have to get a picture of this," You hear Anne whisper, and in a second you hear her phone clicking for a photo. The great part of Harry being an international superstar is that you know that picture will never be posted on anyone's Facebook.

After what seems like an eternity if a car ride, you’re finally pulling up to the restaurant. You begrudgingly pull Harry off of you so you could all exit the car and have it taken away by the valet. Harry ducks his head down in an attempt to not be seen and laces his fingers through yours. He's funny if he thinks this sweet act is getting him any tonight.

Your parents inform the hostess of your reservation, and you notice the way her eyes never leave Harry as she walks you to your table. His fingers finally leave yours as he pulls your chair out for you, and you resist the confused look you want to give him and just take the kindness.

It's not even two minutes later when the (very cute) waiter is appearing at your table with a smile shining your way. He asks for your drinks and tells you he'll be back in a minute for your orders, but not before flashing you one more smile.

"Seems like Y/N has an admirer," Anne laughs, and you blush.

"Oh, stop it. He's just being sweet," You mutter.

"He's- He's not sweet. He just smiled," Harry butts in, and you glare at him.

"Yeah, cause no one would ever want to flirt with me," You say, just to him.

"What? No- I didn't mean it like-"

"Okay, here are your drinks." The waiter appears again and this time gets your orders. The way he flirts with you makes you feel seen and wanted. It helps that he's attractive too- of course, no one could be more beautiful than Harry, though.

The night drawls on, and Harry gets weirder and weirder. He's getting increasingly more affectionate and lovey-dovey, and it makes a part of your stomach churn.

It's when you're all about to ask for the bill when your waiter comes out with a small bowl of ice-cream and sets it in front of you.

"Oh, I didn't ask for-"

"It's on the house, lovely," He winks and walks off, leaving you with a prominent blush and whistles sounding from your table.

"My goodness, Y/N," Your mother giggles, and her and Anne turn to gossip about your love life. You smile bashfully and look at Harry, about to rub it in his face that you're the one getting hit on for once, but you can't when you see the pitiful look on his face as he stares down at your ice-cream.

"Oh, what's wrong, bug?" You ask him, pinching his cheek and calling him the childhood nickname that always got him to smile. He grins dopily and leans his forehead on your shoulder to hide his blush. "What? Did you want to share my ice-cream?"

Harry wants nothing more than to tell you that's not what he's upset about, but he's stopped when you push him off and scoop some ice-cream onto your spoon. You hold your hand under the spoon as you direct it towards Harry's mouth, feeding him. He doesn't think he could ever hide the grin of you doing something so domestic with him as if he was your husband.

Suck it, waiter-boy.

You and Harry have just finished your desert when you're getting up and excusing yourself to the washroom. Once you've finished, you exit the restroom and are about to walk back to your table when you feel a gentle hand on your wrist. Your waiter.

"Oh! Hello," You laugh.

"I'm so sorry to be so absurd, but I couldn't live with myself knowing I let you walk out of here without at least trying to take you out on a date," He says bluntly. "It's no secret that I think you're stunning, is it?" He laughs, and you laugh as well.

"Is that so? Don't think I noticed," You play it off with a giggle.

"Can I please give you my number?" He asks, flashing you his best puppy-dog eyes.

"Yes, but..."

"Oh no, not a but," He dramatically cries, and you laugh. He's funny and cute. Maybe he's just what you need to get over Harry. "C'mon, we don't have much longer. You're family's already paid, and I'm off the clock, sugar."

"I didn't bring my phone with me! And if I go out to my table to grab it, they'll make a huge scene!" You whine, and he gasps with fake shock.

"What will we ever do?" He jokes, acting as if he's faint.

"If you keep making fun of me, I am going to kick you where the sun doesn't shine," You attempt to threaten, but you can't hold back your laughter.

"Here," He says and grasps your arm in his hand. He reaches into his pocket for a pen and starts writing his number on your arm. "Don't have my phone on me either, so this will have to do. Don't you dare wash your arm on your way back to your table," He jokes, and you laugh.

"Wouldn't dream of it," You say sweetly. "Okay! I have to go. They're going to think I fell in the toilet or something," You say, getting the cute waiter to clutch his stomach in a heavy laugh. Once he gathers himself, you quickly kiss his cheek in goodbye and run off to your table, guarding your arm with your life.

Your family is hardly waiting for you when you return, and you plop yourself back into your seat and pretend to engage in the conversation.

"Hey, what's that on your arm?" You hear Anne's voice drag you out of your thoughts.

"Oh, um- the waiter found me and gave me his number," You mumble bashfully and fail to hide the blush on your cheeks.

"You're blushing!" Your dad has to embarrass you. You're about to reply when a splash of cold liquid makes your sentence get caught in your throat. It's all over your lap and arms, and you try not to cause a scene.

"Whoops!" You hear from beside you, and you see Harry grab a napkin and start to wipe you off. Before you can stop him, he rubs at your arm, smearing the phone number so it's unreadable.

"Harry!" You gasp. Your eyes meet his, and they tell you the truth. "You did that on purpose! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Your mother shushes you as people start to stare, but it goes right over your head.

"What, no- why would I-"

"You did! You've been acting weird the entire night! Do you just not want me to be happy?!" You ask, and when he can't answer, you huff and practically sprint to the doors of the restaurant. You don't make it very far away before there's a hand on your wrist and you're being pulled into a quiet alley- out of sight from people. "Let me go," You protest and try to shake Harry's hands off of you, but they're strong on your shoulders.

"Just listen to me, would'ya?!" He asks, obviously agitated with himself.

"No- Fuck you!" You retort and continue to struggle in his hold. Then, you feel his hands on your face, and ,suddenly, his face is extremely close to yours. He's going to kiss you. He's going to kiss you for the first time since you were both thirteen. It's all you've ever wanted, so why do you push him away? "No, no, no," You tut and push him off of you. "Are you crazy?" You shout.

"Hey! Are you two coming?" Your mom suddenly appears around the corner. You shrug yourself away from Harry and turn to your mom.

"Yeah, we're coming," You say and glare at Harry who is looking at you with puppy-dog eyes. You roll your eyes and trail off behind your mom. You all make it to the car, and there is obvious tension in the air with the scene you created, but you don't care and just plug in your earbuds, turning yourself away from everyone. You can feel Harry's longing stare from beside you, but you don't give him any attention. You almost jump when you feel your phone buzz in your lap- having being so zoned out.

Harry: Talk to me.

Sigh.

You roll your eyes and set your phone on the seat in between you and Harry. Several buzzes come through before you're opening your phone in annoyance.

Harry: I'm sorry.

Harry: Actually, I'm not.

Harry: Wait. I'm sorry about the water thing, but I am not sorry for trying to kiss you.

Harry: You're so cute when you're mad.

Harry: Actually you're cunt all the time.

Harry: Autocorrect. I meant cute.

You: Stop texting me... Cunt.

You see Harry laugh out of the corner of your eye.

Harry: Stop being irresistible, and I would.

You: Ew.

Harry: You love me.

Ouch.

You: That's the problem.

You send the message and then immediately drop your phone, face-down, into your lap and stare out the window next to you.

For the next half-hour, the car was relatively quiet. You were almost ecstatic when you see the familiar hotel come into view. You were the first one to jump out of the car and practically run into the building. You thought you would so lucky as to get a moment of peace by yourself, but that dream is quickly squashed when someone's hand sneaks in between the elevator doors last minute.

"Thanks for waiting up," Harry says sarcastically. You don't give him the satisfaction of a response. The air is stiff as the elevator starts to move. And then, suddenly, it comes to a halt. A very abrupt stop. "What the hell?" Harry says, and immediately after, all the lights, except for one emergency one, shuts off, leaving you two in a very dim light. It was just enough to see each other. It was enough for Harry to see the anxiety on your face.

"Knew I should've taken the stairs- Oh God." You can already feel your breathing becoming uneven.

"Hey, hey, it's okay- we'll be alright," He assures you and presses a kiss to the top of your head. He then presses the emergency call button and begins talking to the hotel staff for about five minutes. They explain that you two might be stuck up there for a few hours.

Great.

In the midst of the craziness, you had resorted to scrunching yourself into one of the corners of the elevator, trying to keep your mentality in check.

"Looks like we'll be in here for a while, moppet," Harry sighs and sits down against the wall opposite of you. You hum in agreement and keep your face pressed into your knees. "Might as well use this time to clear the air, huh?" He asks, and your breath hitches.

"Don't need to talk about anything," You answer simply.

"No?" He asks condescendingly.

"You're a jerk. That's about it," You say, raising your face to finally look at him.

"Oh, I am?"

"Are you just going to ask a question every time I say something, or are you actually going to talk?"

"Explain to me how I'm a jerk, please," He asks, genuinely wanting to know your side.

"I can't," You whisper, hiding your face again.

"Why not?"

Screw it.

"You know what? I'll talk," You decide. "You're not going to like it and will probably think I'm a freak, but I don't even care anymore." You take a deep breath and lift your head.

"Y/N, what are you talking about?" Harry asks, clearly confused.

"You remember when we were thirteen and we dated?" You ask bluntly. He's clearly taken aback.

"Um- well, yeah. We were each other's first kisses," He smiles as if remembering the memory.

"Yeah. And then at a party you went and kissed Cheryl Taylor and totally blew me off. You didn't even look back to see if I was okay! God, I get that we were thirteen, but Harry, I really liked you, and you didn't even care. We went back to best friends, and you acted like nothing happened, but I couldn't forget- I still can't. The way you blow me off when you even catch a glimpse of a girl- it makes me realize you haven't changed since we were thirteen, and I don't think you ever will. You don't text or call when you go on tour. I text, I try to call, so don't you dare ever try to put some weird manly claim on me just because you can. It's not fair that I love you in a way I'll never be able to shake when you can just toss me to the side when it's inconvenient for you."

The end of your speech had the air running cold. Harry was silent, stoic. His eyes were slightly wide and glassy- hands fidgeting as if they didn't belong in his own skin.

"I don't- um, I don't know what to say," Harry whispers after a few minutes of muteness.

"I know. You don't have to say anything. I get it."

"You don't- that's what I'm trying to figure out how to say-"

"Don't. Don't do that," You cut him off. "That's the worst thing you could do right now." Your voice shakes. "Don't you dare try to tell me you 'loved' me out of pity."

"But what if it's true?" He counters.

"Then you have a real strange way of showing it."

That shuts him up for a minute, enough time to let you collect yourself again.

"Look, I know it was a lot to spring on you, so it's probably making you think some things you don't actually feel-"

"Then why would I have gotten so mad at the restaurant? I had no idea about how you felt, so explain that," He counters. You're caught there for a moment.

"I don't know, but obviously your affections aren't very meaningful if you were sucking some other girl's face literally three hours ago."

"Fuck, I know how this looks, but it seriously didn't mean anything. I didn't even know how you felt about me! You can't blame this all on me when you never said anything!" He's starting to get riled up now. Harry's used to getting whatever he wants, whenever he wants, and you're not making this easy on him.

"You're such a brat. Stop whining and take responsibility."

"Oh, I'm the brat?! You've been fucking whining this whole trip, and it could've been you I was pounding into the mattress if-"

"I'm whining because I love you!" You yell.

"Well, so do fuckin' I!" He counters back, both of you staring at each other intensely and breathing like you've just run a marathon. Just as he's about to say something, a voice sounds through the elevator's speaker.

"It seems a though the fire department got here much quicker, so you two should be out within the next five minutes!" The awfully chipper lady informs you.

"This isn't fucking over," He practically growls at you as you start to hear the elevator being pried open.

"Oh, until you drop to your knees and beg for my forgiveness, we're not talking."

"Think it'll be the other way around, babe," He answers back slyly, and you know the games have just begun.

#harry styles angst #harry styles fluff #harry styles smut #harrystyles #one direction

[cursedkeyboard]

Babies shouldn't grow up ☆ Jason Todd & GN!Reader (PT.5)

What does Jason do after he tries his best and fails spectacularly to keep his nosy family away from his kid? Make sure he is still your favorite when everyone starts spoiling you rotten, of course. [PART ONE ♤ PART TWO ♤ PART THREE ♤ PART FOUR ♤ PART FIVE ♤ PART SIX]

Pairings: Platonic Jason Todd & Child GN!Reader / Batfamily & Child GN!Reader

When everything was said and done, Jason explaining why he didn't want to expose you to more dangers by introducing you but also the reason why he felt compelled to be honest with you about their identities, the bats soon started to try and bond with you

Dick was the first one, as always, and introduced himself as "little wing's one and only older brother"

You giggled when Jason groaned at that, embarrassed, and Dick took that as a win

Dick's older bro charms 1 - Bruce's gloomy dad stare 0

After getting called out by you so directly and plainly, Bruce had been awfully quiet as everyone interacted with you

It wasn't every day he got called out for the worst mistakes he comitted

But he also was still reeling at the fact that he was a damn grandfather

Steph cooed at how small you were, pointing out how even Damian was taller

Which, in Jason's opinion, was totally unfair since you were only eleven while Damian was thirteen, going on fourteen, and had been trained for along time

Also, excuse him, only he could tease you

Dick would be asking Jason one and a million questions about how he'd been taking care of you, your education, health, etc

"Of course I– You think I wouldn't send my kid to school, Grayson?"

His kid, they thought, part giddy part dumbfounded

"Woah, woah, I'm just asking! Technically you're legally dead and the little angel over here doesn't exactly look like you."

Wow, for some reason that really pissed Jason off

He tucked you under his chin, squeezing you gently as you rested your head on his collarbone

"I signed the papers. I'm not fucking dumb, Dick, I've been the legal guardian for about a year now."

At that, Steph stopped trying to take pictures of you with her eyes alone and quirked one of her eyebrows

"Legally?"

"... For the most part."

No one said anything at that, it's not like any of them really followed the law, especially not the old man behind them

You huffed in amusement at that, making Dick and Steph's hearts warm up

Damn, not even an hour into meeting you and they were already feeling those fuzzy, soft feelings in their chests

Needless to say, it wasn't a casual evening but it wasn't what Jason had been dreading, not at all

There was no screaming about him being reckless, no one tried to take you away from him, Bruce didn't even say much

Damian was still a brat and tried to pick on you, judgy little shit, only to get the nastiest clapback that made Dick choke on his spit

They all knew he was just feeling jealous, like every kid feels when a younger, cuter child shows up in the family

Boohoo, Jason thought as he watched fondly as you and Damian bickered, the demon brat was never as cute as my kid

Bruce, despite his melancholic gaze and awkward nature, managed to talk a bit to the both of you

He'd tell Jason that if you ever needed anything, to just use his credit card, no questions asked

Bruce would always be a call away and with Cass slowly taking over the mantle, he had a bit more time in his hands when the League didn't need him

He'd support the both of you to hell and back, his own way of repenting, and all he asked in return was...

For Jason to visit more

Because he was still upset about not having all of his kids home for Christmas

And bring you with him

it was high time you met everyone and became an official member of the family, he already knew exactly where your portrait would go

And despite his hesitance, you wanted to be a part of Jason's entire life, not just a hidden piece

Jason could never say no when you did a terrible impression of puppy dog eyes

So this is how it started; the start of the bats spoiling the hell out of you

After a couple of dinners together, lunch, and a tour around the manor and the batcave, seeing all of their old and new suits, ("Tell me you didnt actually wear this." "Shut it, I was a child." "I'm a child and I'd rather die than ever touch this."), with you glued to Jason's side always, packages started showing up at the doorstep

At first it'd be cute and silly things like a plush of the newest Pokémon and matching scarves for the incoming winter

Maybe even their own merch, because they're all losers deep inside

Then it was Bruce taking over any kind of expenses you and Jason had because, in his words, he wanted Jason to focus on raising you instead of worrying about rent

–Not like he wasn't already using Bruce's money to pay for everything

But he still felt begrudgingly soft at having his dad care for him and his kiddo like that, though he'd never admit it–

And then Babs and Tim upgrading the cyber security all around your block in the chance of a villain attack or any creeps following you home

From Duke and Cass asking Jason to spend time with you for some bonding time to your entire wardrobe turning into designer and your school materials updated by Wayne tech

Fuck, you even had terribly expensive yet thoughtful action figurines from your and Damian's favorite animated shows

The brat tried to hate you for ripping everyone's attention away from him, for making Bruce and Dick all... gooey, but it was hard when you had Todd's knowing eyes and a developing charm that always cracked a smile out of him

Infuriating, like father like kid

But... he liked you, quite a lot

And, throughout it all, Jason was panicking bad

Look, Jason Todd was always a jealous person by nature

He never liked his things touched, never liked sharing his interests in case someone also got interested in it, and he was particularly possessive with the few romantic partners he had

So when your attention was suddenly split among all of his family, Jason felt a little upset

It's like when a cat that usually only likes you allows other people pet it

Jason didn't quite feel betrayed but... that childish fear of not being your favorite person was very real in his head

So he upped his game

Whenever any member of his family gave you a gift, he'd get something better the next day

If they took you to a cool place, say an arcade or the mall to hang out and get to know you better

Jason was already booking tickets to go to Universal and taking you out for nightly motorcycle rides

Damian was insisting on watching the new season of your favorite show?

Next weekend he'd have prepared the living room to look like a cinema, with snacks and popcorn, for a movie marathon

Babs and Steph got you interested in makeup?

Regardless of gender identity, you know Jason would watchevery YouTube tutorial known to man about makeup so you won't have to ask the girls about it

Bruce would grow all fond of you once you got past, but did not forgive nor forget, the things he's done to Jason and started interacting more with him

So once he's talking about how he learned multiple different languages growing up, during one of the monthly family dinners, Jason would already be Googling how to learn another language fast

And god forbid Dick messed with your hair

He was not above picking a fight with Nightwing for ruining the hairstyle he spent hours doing for you

Look, Jason wouldn't be as petty as to keep you away from his family

No, in the contrary, he really, really loved watching you be coddled and loved by some of the most powerful people on earth

Getting the childhood he had so desperately wanted

It allowed that restless part of his soul to settle knowing you had them looking out for you, always

But Jason also would always want to be your number one

Your favorite person

Your hero

You dad

Yeah, he could admit it now without fear, he's definitely your old man

How could he not be when he's cutting apples for your school snack and making sure you go to bed before nine?

Never mind his age, Jason even bought a grill so you two could barbecue on the rooftop, there's no other more dad move than that

So, after a few months of this real life sitcom, when you were both on the couch watching Pride & Prejudice (Jason's choice tonight), all cuddled up and cozy

You'd rest your head on his shoulder and sigh happily

"You don't need to do all this, you know?"

"Hm? Do what, kiddo?"

"Trying to one up everyone. It's funny and I'm not exactly opposed to being spoiled as hell–"

"You're such a brat."

"Shut up– but you'll always be my favorite, you know that, dad."

Oh.

Oh.

Ok. Wow. He was tearing up.

"Oh, fuck off, don't do this to me."

His voice would be a little wobbly as he hid his face in your hair, squeezing you gently in his arms

And you'd giggle and hug him tighter too, your face warming up nervously but no longer afraid of muttering that one little word that had been stuck in your throat for so long

You two were so, so similar in that regard, afraid of overstepping despite the bubbling emotions inside you, the overflowing love threatening to spill out

So much faith and trust, devotion, care, and adoration

And all it took was one sentence to make it all better

"I still wanna go to the convention next week, though."

And Jason would laugh, teary and almost breathless, and press a kiss to your forehead, feeling happier than he's ever felt

"Yeah, okay, you nerd."

Wonder who you got it from

That night solidified it for him, calming his anxieties and petty jealousy

Jason would always be your favorite person

And you wouldalways be his favorite little one

Nothing would ever change that

To be continued... for one last time.

#jason todd #red hood #red hood x you #platonic #gender neutral reader #jason todd x gn!reader #platonic jason todd x reader #platonic red hood x reader #batfamily x reader #gender neutral y/n #dick grayson #bruce wayne #batman #stephanie brown #dick grayson x reader #bruce wayne x reader #platonic batfamily x reader #batfamily x gender neutral reader #red hood x gn!reader #red hood x gender neutral reader #red hood x y/n #jason todd x gender neutral reader #found family #batfamily x gn!reader #platonic batfam #child reader #batfamily

[cloudywriting05]

enjoy the silence. ｡˚⋆☽ ◯ ☾₊‧˙⋆ peeta mellark. {2}

→ THG peeta x fem-reader 3 parts.

→ 1, 2, 3

→ may be grammar errors

→ 799 words

→ smut, edging, mentions of spitting in mouths, rough sex, slapping, soft dom!peeta etc, slight fluff

→ summary: you and peeta are the district 12 tributes for the 74th annual hunger games. you have severe anxiety, and peeta knows how to calm you down, somehow.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　

YOU laid in his arms silently for what felt like forever, and without having to look up, you knew he was awake too.

You let your left hand fall softly onto his upper arms, your finger naturally began to trace his biceps that you assumed were protruding because of the position of his arms. His skin was alarmingly soft, and he didn't move an inch as you traced up and down his arm. You silently scolded yourself for not taking the chances presented to you at District 12 to get to know him better, it was never a thought. He was always there but never there.

You still remember the day he approached you after you had bought bread from the bakery. He stopped you right as your foot was about to grace the stairs. You still remember the feeling of worry, his expression had you convinced you might've taken something on accident; and then he told you. He told you he thought you were pretty, and that he liked you a lot. You remember telling him you liked him too, and then scurrying off to return the bread. You were both thirteen.

"Peeta?"

He let out a soft groan. "Yeah?"

"Do you remember when you told me you liked me?" You asked, although you knew the answer.

"Of course," he chuckled softly, "how could I forget? I totally screwed that up."

"No, you didn't. I was just too young and too hyper to realise that you were being serious." You protested, still laying on his chest, with your left hand resting exactly where you left it. "I'll never get how you liked me, matter of fact, how anyone liked me at 12."

"Are you serious?" He scoffed while raising his upper body from the bed just to look you right in the eye. "Back at 12, my Mom and Dad would not shut up about how perfect you were and how gorgeous you turned out to be from the second you became a regular. Every time you left the store it was a she's so beautiful or what a gorgeous girl."

"Really?" You stared at him in shock. Your parents drilled it into your head that you always cheerfully greeted and farewelled the Mellark family, and so you did, every time without fail.

"Yes, for years straight. If I wasn't around to say it to, they would say it to the other customers, who would always agree. You just have to accept you are are the Districts sweetheart."

"No, I wasn't, Peeta."

"Yes, you were. You were the pretty girl who was sweet to everybody, mean to nobody, and used her pocket change to buy food for those who had none."

"Now you're saying it out loud, you're making me sound like a saint."

"Everyone cried when you got reaped."

"Everyone cries at anyone being reaped." You spoke.

"I know, but yours was different for everyone. Especially me. I almost felt better when I was called right after." He confessed.

"Wow, Peeta. You must really like me, huh?" You looked into his eyes and felt your pulse flutter while your eyes fell to his lips, a rush of warmth spread through your body. And within a second the pulsating between your legs became harder to ignorer. You didn't know if it was because of the way his hair looked, or how his arms looked as he used them for support to sit up, or everything that's come out of his mouth for the past hour.

"Something like that." He replied as your eyes wandered back to his and for a moment, you held the contact.

Only two things were going through your mind. You either asked him to lay back down to go back to sleep or make getting on top of him easier. You silently chose the latter. You leaned in, clenching your eyes shut, and felt his lips on yours within seconds. Relief washed over your body, and with all the worry gone like that, all that was left was the violent urge to let him fuck you.

You slipped a leg over him and shifted on top of him, and within an instant, his shirt was on the floor beside the bed. He didn't waste a second as his hands slithered around your waist, and then down to your ass which he gripped with what felt like every ounce of his strength of strength. Your mouth opened slightly, and it didn't take a second for him to do the same. He kissed you like he was hungry, like he'd been starving, and you fucking loved it. His right hand slid up your back and into your hair, he grabbed a ball of your hair firmly which turned you on way more than it should have.

#peeta mellark #katniss everdeen #the hunger games #thg #thg series #peeta x reader #peeta x y/n #peeta x katniss #peeta smut #the hunger games peeta #josh hutcherson #Spotify #ballads of songbirds and snakes #tbosas #tbosbas

[mint-yooxgi]

{24} - Hotel California - Yandere!Demonic Entities!Ateez X Reader

Yandere AU & Demon AU - Based off of This ask and Hotel California by Eagles

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Fluff, Slight Humor

Pairing: Ateez X Reader

Words: 7,479

Warnings: Intense/Extreme Violence: descriptions of past mental and physical torture, past verbal abuse, past physical abuse, Mental Illness: depression, anxiety, Extreme Blood and Gore, Slut Shaming, the guys really take no liberties with Miyeon, heavy angst. This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: It’s a little shorter than the usual chapters, but I like where I ended it, so I hope you all too. Next chapter will contain all the repercussions of the trauma and events that have taken place, so you’re all in for a wild ride. Please heed the warnings, the guys are extremely violence towards Miyeon in this chapter, and it’s describes in detail. Also, Kuroo will be back next chapter, I promise! As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy~

Main Story - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five - Part Six - Part Seven - Part Eight - Part Nine - Part Ten - Part Eleven - Part Twelve - Part Thirteen - Part Fourteen - Part Fifteen - Part Sixteen - Part Seventeen - Part Eighteen - Part Nineteen - Part Twenty - Part Twenty-One - Part Twenty-Two - Twenty-Three - Mini Masterlist

The moment the eight of them return to the lobby, they can immediately tell that something is wrong. Not only did they just go on some wild goose chase for the past two hours following leads that only led to dead ends, but not once did they see sight nor hear any sounds of Miyeon, Dimitri, or Malik.

To say they are frustrated would be an understatement.

That’s when they all inhale sharply. Your scent is the strongest it’s ever been throughout the foyer, and the house is quiet. Too quiet.

They spot the blood. The drops of red drip almost delicately in a trail across the floor, smeared in some places as if there had been a struggle the entire time.

Panic seizes every single one of them, especially when they all take deep breaths only to scent someone they had been desperately hunting this entire evening.

A weak mewl comes from the hallway leading to your room. A sound which has all of their spines straightening. Fear flashes across their faces as they all share a look between each other.

Thirty seconds.

Thirty seconds is all it takes until they hear the most heart wrenching, gut twisting scream pierce the air. A deafening shriek filled with nothing but terror, pain, and desperation.

Their blood runs cold.

Never have any of them moved as fast as they did then, instantly appearing inside the dance studio to see the chill inducing sight before them.

Blood covers a good portion of the floor, one of the mirrors shattered along the wall. Glass litters the ground, a pool of bloody vomit resting beside the debris. Though, that’s not the worst part. 

The worst part is the chair that they see placed directly in the centre of the room. Your beaten and bloody figure is tied to it as Miyeon stands over you, a wicked smile on her face. Your whole body is limp, head tilted forward as fresh cuts line your entire figure, or at least, what they can see of your back.

Mingi nearly collapses to his knees right then and there, along with both San and Wooyoung. Each male is utterly stunned, nothing but raw, hot fury coursing through their veins as they take in this heartbreaking sight before them.

“I was wondering when you would be joining us,” Miyeon smirks, not even bothering to look at any of them.

They only allow themselves one second to process their emotions before they’re moving.

Before she even has the chance to glance upwards, Miyeon is thrown off of you. Eight earth shattering roars reverberate around the entire room, shaking the entire house and causing more glass to fall from the tarnished mirror.

Furious, terrified, and thirsting for blood doesn’t even begin to describe how all of them are feeling right now. However, what each male does know, is that they are absolutely horrified by what has occurred to you inside your very own home. Miyeon is most certainly not leaving here alive. Hell, she’s lucky to even still be breathing as the entire wrath of the Eight Kings comes crashing down upon her.

The sound of another mirror shattering fills the room as Miyeon is pinned to the wall. A gasp escapes her as her eyes go wide, coughing up blood as she’s held captive by a hand tearing straight through her gut.

Never have any of them seen Yeosang move so fast. The anger radiating off of him is unlike anything before: his eyes as black as night, and soul calling for Miyeon to be shredded apart for ever daring to touch you. There is a darkness to him that even he has never experienced before as his whole body shakes, claws extending within Miyeon’s body as he tears through her gut. Slowly, his features begin to shift, unable to control the way his teeth elongate into fangs, or how his pitch black eyes sink into his skull as his ears sharpen into points.

On one side of her, twisting her arm in an unnatural angle as the bones continue to snap, rests Hongjoong. A snarl pulls at his features, eyes pure black as nothing but low growls escape him with every breath. 

Seonghwa mirrors him perfectly on the opposite side, claws sinking into her flesh as he twists her arm in another unnatural angle. Not even the satisfying pop of her shoulders dislocating serves to offer them any sense of relief for the moment, needing to tear her apart limb from limb, and then absolutely incinerate the remains for ever laying a hand on you.

“You wanted my attention so bad, and now you’re going to take everything I give you.” Yeosang snarls, twisting his hand inside her gut and hearing as she whimpers in response. “I’ll make you regret ever laying a single finger on My Queen.” His glare is deadly, sharp. A look so full of disgusted hatred, and unquestionably unforgiving. “By the time I’m done with you, you’ll wish you’d never met me before in your life.”

The way they can feel Miyeon attempt to reach out to continue shredding through your mind has them seeing red.

Immediately, both Jongho and Mingi are spearing her mind viciously, trapping her within the confines of her own head. The way she cries out in pain form their intrusion isn’t enough. It will never be enough. Not after what she’s done to you.

The whole while this is occurring, Yunho, Wooyoung, and San all rush over to you. This time, when San reaches your front, he cannot prevent himself from falling to his knees at the sight that greets him. An image that has tears springing to both his and Wooyoung’s eyes instantly.

Your head still leans forward, unsupported by your neck as blood drips down almost every free inch of your body. Your left ankle is swollen, along with your right wrist. A dagger slices clean through your left hand, blade embedded in the arm of the chair as it pins you in place. Another, familiar pommel sticks out of your right thigh.

Though, that’s not the worst of it.

Each male saw the four punctures on your back as they rushed over to you, imitating the wounds you received from those arrows all those weeks ago. Wooden splinters and glass shards litter your entire body, concentrated the most along the skin of your back and arms. 

Blood trickles from your mouth, face beaten and swollen as blood drips from all of your cuts and scrapes. Your neck is littered with incisions. Punctures line either side of your throat, a clear indication of where nails have sunk into your flesh and drawn blood. 

A larger, much deeper slash rests along your upper chest, along with the entire length of your left arm, trailing from your shoulder all the way to your wrist. Though, the largest cut seems to be one that starts from the right side of your lower stomach and trails upwards over the centre of your chest before just missing your bra which hangs on by literal threads, only to continue for a short slash just above it.

San’s entire body begins to shake, his eyes bleeding black as he zeroes in on the mark carved into the skin of your chest in the ancient tongue. From the way he can hear Wooyoung’s breathing deepen beside him, he knows his brother isn’t fairing any better.

There, sitting upon your chest, bleeding red with your blood, rests the most vile word known to them imaginable. No direct translation of such a word can ever be found in any book, but the meaning and intent is clear. Even the closest translations aren’t nearly as bad as the meaning behind such a word, for it encompasses all and none at the same time.

Vile, worthless slut. Undesirable. Unloveable.

Taking a deep breath, San steadies his nerves.

“Baby?” His voice comes out much weaker than he wants, but there’s no way for him to control the emotions swimming through him at this very second. “Baby, can you hear me?”

Your eyes are glazed over, nearly rolling into the back of your head as you groan. You barely manage to raise your chin, but each male can tell it’s only subconscious at this point. You’re almost too far gone.

“Kill me,” your voice is the weakest it’s ever been as the whole room goes silent, each male’s heart stopping for a brief moment as your words wash over them. “Just kill me.”

More tears gather in San’s eyes, falling freely down his face as his heart squeezes painfully in his chest. He can sense Wooyoung shaking beside him, Yunho fairing no better as San spares a glance upwards to see the male standing directly behind you. The elder male’s hands are frozen in the air, halfway in placing them onto the sides of your head as he was about to attempt to free your mind from Miyeon’s hold.

The sound of Miyeon’s maniacal laughter fills the room, more blood spilling from her lips.

“I broke her!” Nothing but unfiltered glee resonates within her voice as she turns her head in your direction. “I finally broke her!” She cackles once more, coughing in the next moment as Yeosang tears his hand from her gut only to shove it into her right lung next. “Have fun with your useless doll.”

In the blink of an eye, Wooyoung has stood back to his feet. His entire body trembles as he begins to walk over to Miyeon still being pinned to the mirror. Slowly, his claws extend, chest heaving as nothing but pure hatred floods his veins.

Furious doesn’t even begin to describe how Wooyoung is feeling. Not only did Miyeon have the audacity to invade their home, but she dared lay her filthy hands on you. His precious Angel is beaten and bloody, lost in the recesses of your own mind because of her. Not to mention she’s been torturing you in his dance studio. A place that was all his own. A place that he hadn’t even gotten the chance to share with you yet, and now, your first memory of the room where one of his oldest and deepest passions comes to life will forever be tainted by her.

The sound of hissing meets each one of their ears, poison beginning to drip onto the floor as it seeps from his claws. Not just any poison. Wooyoung’s most deadly poison that he’s ever had the pleasure of creating.

Yeosang barely manages to tear himself away from Miyeon as Wooyoung steps in front of her. A wicked smile is on the younger’s lips, eyes crazed as he meets her gaze.

A pause. Silence.

A dull thunk resounds around the room as Wooyoung instantly has his hand around her throat, shoving her harshly into the broken mirror behind her. His claws pierce her flesh, the poison burning her skin on contact as she screams from the pain.

Wooyoung’s chest heaves, eyes long since having bled black as he watches deep purple veins begin to appear along Miyeon’s skin as the poison takes hold. He tightens his grip.

“You dare touch My Angel?” His voice is low: ominous and threatening. “You’re lucky to even be alive right now, Mimi.” 

The way he hisses out her old nickname has a shiver of fear rushing down her spine. Already, the effects of the poison are taking hold, the blood spilling from her beginning to turn black as it burns her from the inside out. Slowly.

“When we’re done with you, there will be nothing left.” Wooyoung snarls, hearing his brothers growl their agreement from around him.

Backing away, Wooyoung makes sure to leave his claws embedded in her skin as he shreds into her throat. Not enough to kill her just yet, but enough to leave deep gouges in his wake.

Just as Wooyoung steps away, Yeosang is back to take his place. Another hole is ripped into Miyeon as he shoves his hand into her stomach. In the blink of an eye, he’s  tossing her onto the floor behind him, right between Mingi and Jongho, who stand waiting with weapons in both of their hands.

Instantly, Mingi is crushing Miyeon’s hand beneath his foot, a blade being shoved through her one shoulder as he pins her down. A position Seonghwa is quick to mirror on her opposite side as he shoves a blade of his own into her other shoulder while crushing her wrist beneath his one foot.

Miyeon’s legs kick helplessly out below her, soon being pinned down by both Hongjoong and Yeosang as each male steps on her knees. A satisfying crunch can be heard as they do so, wicked grins pulling at all of their faces all the while.

By her feet, Jongho now stands. An axe rests over his shoulder as he stares down at her with nothing but pure malice in his eyes.

Taking a deep breath, he tightens his grip on the handle.

All the while, two males continue to do their utmost to help you in whatever ways they can for the moment.

As soon as Wooyoung had began to walk over to Miyeon, San had went to reach for the dagger embedded in your one hand.

“San,” Yunho warns, a worried look being sent his way. “If you so much as touch that dagger while she’s in this state, her mind could be lost forever.”

Pain is such a fickle thing.

“Then hurry up and do something about it!” He retorts, panic and worry clear on his features as he continues to kneel in front of you for the moment.

Without wasting another second, Yunho’s hands gently place themselves onto the sides of your head, fingers pressing into your temples. His eyes close, beginning to delve into the deepest recesses of your mind, and what he finds waiting for him has tears immediately springing to his eyes.

Never before has Yunho seen your mindscape this dark. The barren wasteland laid out before him is the worst he’s ever seen it, scraps of dull memories torn asunder littering various areas around him. Not even on that day that you broke down in front of all of them was your mind this bad. Hell, if it weren’t for the scattered memories, or the faint sobbing he can hear in the distance, he’d swear he was looking through the mind of someone who had died.

A hissing voice spewing the harshest insults inside of your mind draws his attention.

Delving deeper, Yunho’s breath hitches in his throat. His eyes shift restlessly beneath his lids as he searches for you everywhere within your own mind. Still, that voice echoes shamelessly, spitting venom at you with every chance it gets.

The worst part is, you believe it. Whatever Miyeon did to you, she purposely made that voice return, and now, you believe it once more.

Darker and darker it becomes, Yunho noticing false memories being embedded into your consciousness the deeper he goes. False memories of the eight of them berating you, and gazing upon you with the most vile looks of contempt he’s ever seen. Looks of which he knows would never dare cross any of their features when gazing upon you. 

The only problem is, he cannot remove them quite yet. Not while you’re still trapped within the confines of your own mind. He doesn’t want to hurt you, and he most certainly cannot risk losing you. He would never forgive himself if he did.

Frantically, he searches for you. Yet, despite everywhere he looks, he cannot seem to find you. Your sobs continue to echo louder and louder, that voice a throbbing shout now as it surrounds him from every angle.

He can tell that you’re slipping, and fast.

With everything that he is, and with all that he has, Yunho latches onto your mind. Just as he did on that day you came back pierced by arrows, he tethers your mind to his. This time, though, he sends soothing thoughts down the mental link, coaxing you to give him something, anything, as to a hint on where he can find you within your own mind.

“Come on, Petal,” he mumbles, eyes still fluttering every which way beneath his lids. “Come back to me. To us.”

It’s as if you’ve heard his every plea, even if only subconsciously.

Only once has Yunho ever had the privilege to glance your soul. Whether you were aware that you had been showing him or not, he’s still not entirely sure. However, what he does know, is that your life-force is the most vibrant, brilliant, and absolutely magnificent thing he has ever had the pleasure of laying his eyes upon. Besides you, of course. The fact that it’s apart of you only makes it that much more special.

The faintest glimmer of your soul begins to shine through, flickering beside him as he continues to traverse your mindscape. In fact, it startles him so much that he falters in his step for a moment as he watches that little orb take shape in front of his very eyes.

He swallows thickly, rushing after it the moment that it darts away from him. It’s almost as if it’s telling him to hurry, for you don’t have much time left before you fully succumb to the darkness of your own mind.

In the distant, a figure curled in on themselves begins to appear, a shadow towering over them. The figure trembles like a leaf in the wind, shivering as the shadow berates them, kicking them and beating them in every way imaginable. Desperately, the figure covers their ears with their hands, as if to attempt to block out the shadow in any way that they can to no avail.

Yunho’s heart aches as he knows that that figure is you.

Briefly, that little orb pauses just above your shaking form on the ground, as if to say ‘look here!’. Then, once it deems Yunho has seen what it’s wanted to show him, the little orb is slowly sinking to the ground before being reabsorbed by you.

You don’t even notice.

Reaching out, Yunho gently caresses you mind with his own.

The entirety of your mindscape rumbles, and that shadow over you seems to pause it’s movements momentarily. You, on the other hand, freeze in your spot. Slowly but surely, you begin to raise your head.

Petal, Yunho’s soft voice calls out to you, his heart aching as he steps in closer. Petal, please. You don’t have to be afraid anymore. We’re here now. I’m right here.

Lies! The shadow hisses, it’s voice sounding like a mixture of your own degrading thoughts and Miyeon’s harsh tone. You couldn’t even save yourself, so you had to conjure up an image of a man who doesn’t even love you to save the day. After all, who could ever love you?

That’s not true, Petal. He attempts to keep his voice steady; even. You know that’s not true.

Yunho goes to take another step in closer, only for him to hit an invisible barrier of some sort. Desperately, his hands press against the mental block, doing whatever he can to reach out to you for the moment.

See? See? He doesn’t even want to get anywhere near a vile creature such as yourself! He can’t. He’s too disgusted by you to try. The shadow spits, cackling maniacally in the next moment as you curl back in on yourself.

No, Petal. Don’t listen to a word she says. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere. Yunho pleas for you to listen to him. To look at him. Please, Petal. You’re not alone. I’m here now. Please, just let me in.

The barrier falters slightly for a moment, so Yunho is quick to continue.

With everything that I am, I am so in love with you. Please, you know that I am. More than anything. I will never leave you. I’m right here. Softly, he calls your name, and he watches you lift your head to meet his gaze. The barrier begins to fade. You are My Muse. My Petal. My Queen.

He hears your breath hitch, and he knows he’s not the only one.

That shadow begins to fade.

You are safe. We’re here now, and I swear on my life I will let nothing harm you again. Yunho breathes, eyes flitting everywhere over your figure as you slowly begin to sit up. You are more than worthy. You always have been, and you always will be.

He watches you begin to stand, the shadow screaming beside you as your body begins to glow faintly, getting stronger and stronger with each passing moment.

You are loved. Fuck- are you ever loved. Yunho finally breaks through the barrier, rushing over to you and pulling you into his arms. By me. By all of Your Kings. By your family. By your friends, and so many more.

You came back for me. A sob tears from your throat as you bury your face into his shoulder, arms clinging onto him for dear life as you absolutely shine in his arms.

I promised you that I would never let you suffer these thoughts alone. I’m right here, and I always will be. He squeezes you tighter in his hold, pulling away only briefly to stare deeply in your eyes. Now, let’s get you home.

The shadow has completely dissipated by now, a lightness returning to your mind as he begins to lead you through your mindscape and back out again. Yunho even goes so far as to hold your hand in his, guiding you gently as he rids your mind of all of these negative and false thoughts.

Every fake memory Miyeon has implemented inside of your mind, he burns, allowing you to recognize the invalidity of each as you pass them by. A fact which is made all the more easier when you begin to point them out to him along the way, muttering about how you just knew that they couldn’t be true. Not when you have your other memories of how they’ve always made you feel.

Of course, he’s careful not to overstep or invade any of your own personal memories. No, those are for you to share when you’re ready, or when the time is right. If you choose to share them at all.

Finally, the two of you manage to reach your void, and Yunho nearly collapses at the sight before him. No wonder you couldn’t reach out to them to warn them of what had been going on. Miyeon had literally trapped you within your own mind with no escape.

Taking a deep breath, he destroys the barrier without a second thought. Instantly, that mist begins to roll back in, covering over their strings once more.

Again, Yunho’s heart aches as his eyes scan the cracked and shattered walls of your void, noticing the drained lake with an unfamiliar stone resting at the bottom of it. A stone of which he’s quick to dispose of, summoning it to his hand and crushing it to dust within his palm.

Slowly, the cracks begin to mend, and the lake of your void begins to fill with that all too familiar black water.

Turning to you, he tenderly cups the side of your face with his free hand. Ready?

You nod, your lips pulling upwards softly. Ready.

Without another thought, Yunho pulls you out of your own mind and back to the reality before you just as Mingi stabs Miyeon in her shoulder.

Time works very differently inside one’s own mind.

Blinking groggily, your vision begins to clear. Faintly, you can see someone kneeling before you, tears falling freely down their cheeks. Another blink, and your eyes finally focus in on San kneeling before you, his hands shaking as he holds them in the air halfway between your body and his own. 

He’s still wearing your sweater.

“Sannie?” Your voice comes out raw, throat aching from the shrill scream of terror that had escaped you only ten minutes earlier.

“Baby? Oh, thank fuck,” he sobs, reaching for you and cupping your face tenderly in his hands. “I’m so sorry.”

More apologies keep falling from his lips as you notice Wooyoung coming to kneel beside him. Tears of his own line the younger’s eyes, falling freely as he sees your own back in proper focus for the moment. A sense of relief floods their veins. However, they’re not in the clear just yet.

Slowly, San reaches for the dagger embedded in your hand.

“I’m so sorry, Baby,” he keeps his voice low as he notices tears gathering in the corners of your own eyes. “I have to pull this out. I promise I’ll make it quick. I’ll-“

San chokes on his own words, throat tightening as he sees your whole body trembling from the pain.

Instantly, Wooyoung’s hand is on the hilt of the other dagger in your thigh.

“We promise to make it all better.” He swallows his emotions for the moment, tears blurring his vision. “We have to take these out before we can start healing you, but I promise we’ll make all the pain go away.”

You squeeze your eyes shut, nodding as much as you can for the moment as you brace yourself for the removal of the two blades still embedded in your body.

“On the count of three,” San begins. “One.”

“Two,” Wooyoung breathes.

“Three.” The grin on Jongho’s face is downright insane as he brings his axe down over Miyeon’s left ankle, but all you can hear is the dull thunk of the blade sinking into the floor behind you.

Just as they promised, the removal of the blades is quick, but unfortunately, not painless. The sharp sting of the daggers leaving your skin has you squeezing your eyes shut as your tears finally begin to fall silently down your face. Your head is thrown back, and you feel someone place their hands against the side of your temples once more in comfort.

Your eyes fling open, breath catching in your throat momentarily as your whole body tenses. That is, until you see Yunho gazing down at you with nothing but worry shining within his orbs as tears of his own trail down his cheeks.

Softly, he smiles down at you, caressing your features tenderly with his thumbs. A silent reassurance that he’s right here. That’s they’re all right here, even if you cannot see them.

Your whole body aches, and you can feel the threat of unconsciousness lingering over you once more as your body begins to shut down. Breathing becomes increasingly difficult, your lungs screaming in protest with each inhale.

Wooyoung’s soft call of your name is synonymous with San’s frantic call of Seonghwa’s.

Clutching the dagger in his hand, Wooyoung draws your attention to him once more.

“Stay with us, Angel. It’s almost over, I promise.” He keeps his tone low, gentle as he does whatever he can to reassure you for the moment. “I don’t smell anything, but I need to taste your blood to see if there’s any poison in your system. Is that okay with you?”

Your vision begins to blur at the corners, but you find enough energy to nod faintly in confirmation to his question.

Switching the hand that’s holding onto the dagger, Wooyoung is quick to swipe a finger along the flat of the blade. In the next second, he’s dabbing the tip of his finger against his tongue, only tasting the smallest amount possible to check for any poison.

Vaguely, you register that the hand he now has holding onto the dagger is covered in a shiny black substance. You blink, unsure of what it could be.

Both San and Yunho look at Wooyoung expectantly.

“Her blood is clean.” He states, and you hear all three of them breathe a small sigh of relief.

In the next second, you see Seonghwa appear in front of you.

The eldest’s expression falls, his entire body feeling as if he has suddenly been submerged in ice as panic seizes his very soul at seeing you in this state. Painfully, his heart squeezes in his chest.

“Oh, My Divine,” he nearly chokes on a sob, tears lining his vision as he continues to take in your beaten and bloody appearance. “I’m so sorry.”

In no time at all, both Wooyoung and San begin to heal your every wound. One works on the front of your body while the other moves to your back.

It is then that you register that Yunho has stepped away from you for the moment. However, what you fail to see is how the male moves quickly over to Miyeon’s figure still being pinned to the ground by his brothers, taking Seonghwa’s place and pushing the blade deeper into her one dislocated shoulder.

Forcing your eyes to remain open becomes increasingly difficult, head spinning as your breathing begins to come in jagged pants.

“Here, My Divine,” Seonghwa is quick to create a small incision on his wrist, bringing it up to your lips immediately as he sees his blood starting to swell on his skin. “Drink this. You’ll feel much better.”

Even if you wanted to decline, you don’t think you’d have the strength to. Which is why when the eldest offers you his blood to heal you, his opposite hand coming up to help support the back of your head, you start to drink.

Your eyes fall closed, focusing on breathing through your nose for the moment and remaining conscious. The subtle taste of dark chocolate fills your senses, along with a slight tinge of iron that settles onto your tongue the more of Seonghwa’s blood you consume. With every sip, you slowly begin to feel a bit of your strength returning to your body.

After some time, Seonghwa carefully begins to pull his wrist away, moving to brush his hand over your forehead tenderly. His fingers trace the side of your face, healing the scrapes and cuts he can see for the moment. Already, the swelling is beginning to go down.

Another small sigh of relief escapes the three men surrounding you.

The bindings tying your wrists are finally snapped off, the sound once more synonymous with the thunk of Jongho’s axe as he cleaves Miyeon’s right hand from her body.

There is nothing but pure hatred shining in her tear filled gaze as she looks past all of them to see you being coddled by Seonghwa. Blood fills her mouth, and she turns her head to the side to spit it upon the ground. The black substance burns her throat, those purple veins still slowly spreading throughout her body as ice floods her system.

There’s nothing quite like the sting of your body slowly shutting down when you’re a demon. Such a poison was concocted for this very reason, meant only to affect those with demonic blood. A poison which is quick to take hold, but slow in death. One of the many reasons Wooyoung chose such a toxin to invade Miyeon’s body.

Of course, it helps that he and his brothers are all immune.

The blade Mingi has lodged in her shoulder gets twisted harshly, drawing her attention back to the males surrounding her body. Only now, San has come to join them, and he is not too fond of that harsh glare sent in your direction.

“You dare gaze upon Our Queen with such vile hatred in your eyes?” San hisses, voice low and ominous as he summons a spear to his hands. “Learn some respect.”

The tip is jabbed into the socket of Miyeon’s right eye.

A scream tears from her throat, head thrashing and only causing each of her wounds to aggravate even more as her body twitches beneath their hold.

“All of this-“ she pants, gritting her teeth as she struggles to free herself. She should have killed you when she had the chance. “All of this for some stupid, pathetic whore.”

All of their eyes flash, but again, it’s Yeosang who acts first.

Smashing through her teeth, the male tears her tongue from her throat, tossing it across the room in an instant. Leaning in, he makes sure to keep his voice low as his eyes bleed black once more. “Never shall another vile word against My Beloved be spoken by you again.”

For the first time in her entire life, and using the one eye she still has left, she glares at Yeosang. Nothing but betrayal and hatred shines in her gaze as she watches him stand back to his feet, not even sparing another glance in her direction as he begins to walk towards you still sitting in that chair.

A shriek of outrage builds in her throat, blood flowing from her wounds endlessly.

Oh, the perks of keeping their victims alive for as long as they want, making them feel every ounce of pain until all eight of them are satisfied. Finally though, it’s time to finish Miyeon off, once and for all.

Crawling on top of her, Hongjoong is quick to straddle her thighs, pinning her broken body beneath him. A maniacal grin of his own stretches across his lips, eyes blazing wildly as he looks down upon her.

“What’s the matter, Mimi?” He hums, tilting his head mockingly. “Cat got your tongue?”

Another outraged gurgle escapes her throat, beginning to choke on the blood building in her broken mouth.

A dagger appears in his hand, and he makes quick work of slicing her chest open and exposing her ribs.

“Perhaps,“ starting from the bottom, Hongjoong cracks her very first rib, “you should have,” three more ribs with each word spoken, “kept your big,” another, “fat,” another, “mouth,” and another, “shut.”

With each rib he snaps, Miyeon whimpers in pain. Tears leak freely out of her remaining eye as Hongjoong happily breaks open each and every one of her bones to expose her organs. Tearing her left lung out, he’s quick to reveal her beating heart. A frantic organ which pulses erratically as terror consumes her very soul.

An unnerving grin settles onto Hongjoong’s face as he pushes himself up from her body. Briefly, he locks gazes with Yunho, allowing a single memory to flit through the younger male’s mind.

The two of you appear to be in the garden, you resting comfortably with Hongjoong for the moment as you speak.

“There’s a few pointed things I would like to do to her for what she did to him,” a frown pulls at your features as clear venom coats your words. “To what she did to all of you.”

“Oh?” Hongjoong quirks his brow, curiosity shining in his gaze as his heart begins to pound beneath his chest. “Care to share, My Love?”

Your eyes briefly meet his own before drifting to stare intently at the fountain in front of you. You shift slightly in your seat, crossing your one leg over the other as you pull his hand further into your lap.

“I think tearing out her heart after cracking open her ribs one by one for easier access is a good start.”

Yunho inhales sharply in realization, heart pounding within his chest as his eyes flash black.

“Will you do the honours for Our Queen?” Hongjoong meets Yunho’s gaze once more, that sinister grin still tugging at his lips. I know that she’d want it to be you, since she cannot do so herself.

“With pleasure,” Yunho snarls.

His dark gaze locks in on Miyeon’s frantically beating heart as he shifts to kneel beside her, her one eye watching his every move.

“I’m surprised you even have one,” Yunho scoffs, hearing his brothers exhale short puffs of agreement from around him. Allowing his eyes to bleed black, Yunho snarls, “burn in hell.”

In the blink of an eye, Miyeon’s heart is torn right out from her chest.

A moment later, and her soul is shredded from existence.

Standing back to his feet, Yunho drops Miyeon’s heart unceremoniously beside her head. Her expression is frozen in a scream, back arching off of the floor as her one dull eye shines in terror.

Finally, they all release their hold on her body, stepping away from her in the next moment. Without wasting another second, all of them are surrounding you, needing to make sure that you’re okay and most importantly, still breathing.

Blood still covers almost every free inch of your torso, smeared across your face and neck as Wooyoung, Seonghwa, and Yeosang comfort you gently. At least your wounds have all closed by now, the majority of the swelling having gone down thanks to Seonghwa’s blood flowing through your veins.

Your one hand is gently clasped in Yeosang’s own, his thumb rubbing tenderly over the skin as Wooyoung continues to kneel before you. Jongho is quick to join Wooyoung, kneeling beside him and reaching for your other hand. Carefully, he lifts your wrist into his grasp, fingers lightly brushing over your skin as he caresses you. The tears he had so desperately been holding back begin to fall from his eyes as he takes in your bloody state.

A fact of which is mirrored by all of them, though not every man lets them fall for the moment.

“It’s over, Starlight,” Mingi breathes, his tears falling freely down his cheeks as he places a gentle hand onto your shoulder. “You’re safe now.”

“Can you stand?” Hongjoong appears in your vision, shifting beside you as he brushes a comforting hand down the side of your arm.

Weakly, you nod in response.

Slowly, you begin to push yourself forward on the chair, your entire body groaning in protest. Your joints ache, eyes squeeing shut as you hoist yourself onto your feet with the help of all of them.

Their hands are gentle; soft in their hold on you as you sway slightly. Faintly, a blanket is wrapped around your shoulders, and you turn your head just in time to see San now standing beside you as he helps to cover you up for the moment.

You blink in thanks, hands barely having the strength to clasp onto the edges of the blanket in order to wrap it fully around yourself for the moment.

“Is she-“ your voice catches in your throat, strained and raw, “is she-“

“Dead, My Love,” Hongjoong keeps his tone low, soft so as not to overwhelm you for the moment.

“She cannot hurt you anymore,” Yeosang whispers, nothing but the sincerest of promises shining behind his eyes.

“Let me-“ you swallow the dryness of your throat, “I need to see.”

“Please, My Divine,” Seonghwa shoots you a worried glance as he prevents you from turning around with a gentle hand on your back. “It is a sight you should never have to see.”

“Please,” a weak plea, as you attempt to turn once more, “I need to.”

It’s then that each male realizes just why you so desperately need to see Miyeon’s corpse. It’s not that you don’t trust that they killed her. It’s for your own confirmation, your own reassurance that she cannot hurt you anymore.

Slowly, and with all of them helping you, you turn to face what once was Miyeon’s body.

The inhale you take is small, albeit sharp as you gaze upon her ruined corpse. Her broken ribs stick into the air at odd angles, body contorted in pain as you spot a bloody lump right beside her head.

Instantly, your shoulders are relaxing, a sigh of relief escaping you as your whole body seemingly deflates. Tears gather in the corners of your eyes as you finally feel a sense of comfort and safety wrap itself around you like the blanket you so desperately cling to that rests upon your shoulders.

Finally, you no longer have to be brave.

Nodding faintly, you go to take a step to exit the room, only for your legs to falter beneath you. Immediately, they’re all surrounding you, and you find yourself collapsing into the nearest male’s arms.

Seonghwa holds you close to his chest, feeling the way your whole body trembles in his grasp as vicious sobs wrack your entire form. Tears fall freely down your face as you cling to him for dear life, allowing yourself to feel all your emotions that you so desperately kept at bay the whole time you were with Miyeon.

That’s when they notice, your void is down.

Every single one of your thoughts slams into them, your emotions washing over them as their hearts squeeze painfully in their chests. Each male cannot prevent the way tears now flow freely from their own eyes as they surround you on all sides. Slowly, a gentle hand is pressed onto your form by all of them, letting you know that they’re right here, and that they’re not going anywhere any time soon.

They will protect you with their lives, even if it’s the last thing that they ever do.

Your next words absolutely shatter their hearts.

“She made me believe you weren’t coming back,” you sob, grip tightening its hold on Seonghwa’s shirt desperately. “I thought-“ you choke on your breath, eyes squeezing shut, “I was so scared.”

San is the next to embrace you, pressing himself against your back as the eldest pulls you in closer to his chest.

“We’re right here, Baby,” he whispers, voice catching the slightest bit as he is overcome by his own emotions. “I promise it’s all over now.”

More violent sobs wrack your fragile form.

“We won’t let anything else hurt you,” Yunho is the next to surround you, caressing your mind softly with his own and offering you any and all comfort that he can for the moment.

The pain filled wails you release torment them in every way imaginable, nothing but regret and self-loathing filling each male as they watch you fall apart right before their very eyes. If they had just stopped to think for one second, or if one of them had stayed back with you, none of this would have happened. Miyeon wouldn’t have been able to touch you, and you wouldn’t be hanging on to the last bits of your waning sanity as you absolutely break down for the moment.

“We’re not going anywhere,” Jongho promises, being the next one to surround you.

“She can’t hurt you anymore,” Wooyoung’s voice is low, attaching himself to the pile of males embracing you.

“You’re safe now,” Yeosang whispers, eyes shining with unshed tears as he clings onto that ever growing circle of his brothers around you. “I promise.”

“Tell us what you need, Starlight,” Mingi adds himself to the pile, speaking softly. “Tell us what you need, and we’ll do everything in our power to provide it for you.”

Hesitantly, Hongjoong stands off to the side. He cannot help but blame himself for everything that’s happened. It was his responsibility to make sure they could protect you. It was his fault their wards couldn’t keep Miyeon out. He allowed her to slip right through the cracks, torturing you inside your own home. The fact that they had no idea what was going on for two hours has his chest heaving, a crushing feeling filling his lungs with every breath.

The worst part? Miyeon used his own damn dagger to torture you with.

Tears fall freely down his face as Hongjoong is overcome by his own emotions. It’s as if he was the very one who inflicted such brutal torture on you. He might as well have been, given how badly he’s screwed up.

It’s your own voice that manages to pull him out of his own thoughts.

“All of you,” you breathe, a tremble to your voice as you squeeze them tighter. “I need all of you.”

Whatever thoughts that had been swimming through Hongjoong’s mind vanish in an instant as he nearly collapses onto the pile of his brothers embracing you from every angle. His sobs echo alongside your own, the others fairing no better as they offer you whatever comfort they can for the moment.

Your entire body relaxes, sobs beginning to quiet down for the moment as you bask in the feeling of Your Kings surrounding you from every side. Each of them holds on to your mind just as tenderly as they embrace you from every angle.

Finally, you are safe. Finally, you can relax. They will watch over you as you rest, protecting you with everything that they are. You just know that they will. Nothing will ever harm you again. Not while they are around.

Closing your eyes, you feel yourself slowly succumb to the darkness once more.

#yandere ateez #ateez imagines #ateez scenario #yandere hongjoong #yandere san #yandere mingi #yandere seonghwa #yandere jongho #yandere yunho #yandere wooyoung #yandere yeosang #yeosang scenarios #mingi scenario #jongho scenario #yunho scenario #san scenario #seonghwa scenario #hongjoong scenario #wooyoung scenario #kpop au #yandere kpop #yandere au #kpop scenario #demon au

[buckleyseddie]

ohhh maybe "pull over. let me drive for a while"?? i love you <3

hi baby thank you i love you <3 @lesbiandiaz also asked for this one so i hope you both enjoy this little thing

***

When Eddie wakes up, it’s to the rumbling of the Jeep beneath him and the sound of Buck’s astronomy podcast coming from the radio, the volume turned low so as to not disturb Eddie’s sleep. Buck must’ve switched to it after he dozed off because Eddie vividly remembers falling asleep to the sound of Buck’s soft humming instead. He remembers thinking how there’s nothing he’d want more than to fall asleep to that, with his kid sleeping soundly in the backseat, for as long as they drive places together.

One look to the rearview mirror confirms that Christopher’s still sleeping, head lolled to the side and his glasses sitting crooked on his nose. He’d fallen asleep almost as soon as they left the campsite; as much as Chris likes to complain about having a bedtime at thirteen, staying up way past it last night to stargaze really took a toll on him. Out of the three of them, Eddie’s the only one who shouldn’t be tired, not when he’d fallen asleep when only a few stars could be seen in the sky. Buck and Christopher had stayed up until two, whispering about stars and constellations and planets; quietly, trying not to disturb Eddie, who’d been called in for an extra shift right before they left for their camping trip.

He’d woken up hours later with his son’s head on his shoulder, snoring softly and Buck, still awake, sitting on Christopher’s other side, leaning back on his palms and looking up at the sky. For a moment, Eddie had stared at Buck, at how beautiful he looked bathed in moonlight, his face so peaceful and relaxed.

He’d thought that by staying very still, Buck would think that he was still asleep, but something must’ve given him away because, without taking his eyes from the sky, Buck had said, “oh good, you’re awake. I can carry Chris inside his tent, but I was ready to leave you out here.”

Eddie had snorted, careful not to wake up his son. “Well, it’s not so bad out here.” He’d fallen asleep under the stars one time, he could probably do it again.

Buck had grinned at Eddie over his shoulder. “Tell that to the mountain lions.”

“I know you didn’t bring me and my son to a place where there are mountain lions roaming around.”

“Of course not,” Buck winked at Eddie, pushing himself up to his feet. “Coyotes on the other hand-” He’d trailed off with a goofy grin that Eddie had wanted to kiss off his face even though he was being an idiot (especially since he was being an idiot).

“Shut up,” Eddie had said, but when Buck had picked Christopher up, careful not to jostle him, and taken him to his tent, Eddie had made his way to the one he would be sharing with Buck, away from any coyotes that might be lurking in the trees.

“Hey,” Buck says now, pausing the podcast and turning to Eddie. “Did I wake you? Sorry, after you fell asleep too I needed something to keep me awake and music wasn’t enough.”

“No, you're good,” Eddie says with a shake of his head. “I should be sorry, I’ve been falling asleep on you all weekend.”

Buck pouts a little. “And I was the one who dragged you camping on your day off after a forty-eight.”

“Yeah, because my son’s been obsessing over constellations and planets since his school took him to the observatory and you thought he’d like to go stargazing,” Eddie says, reaching over and grabbing Buck’s hand, giving him a soft smile. Buck takes his eyes off the road for a second to return the smile, it’s genuine if only a little tired. “And he did. And so did I, even if I didn’t do much of it.”

Eddie still got to listen to Buck and Christopher geek out about planetary lineups and satellites and moon phases on the drive up, he got to tease Buck for failing to start a fire so they could make s’mores several times before he got it right (“my job is to stop fires, Eddie, not start them!”). He got to watch Buck stuff his face with as many marshmallows as he could (five marshmallows!) while trying to keep them all awake until the sky was dark enough to see anything. Christopher dared Buck to fit a sixth marshmallow and it ended with him spitting out the rest, and Eddie had laughed and told Buck it was okay, that he knew just how much he could fit into his mouth, and then he got to watch Buck blush to the tip of his ears. He also got to kiss Buck goodnight in their shared tent, and having only started doing that recently, the novelty of it still hadn’t worn off (though to be honest, Eddie doesn’t think it ever will).

Eddie’s thoughts get interrupted by Buck freeing his hand from his so he can cover his mouth when he yawns. It makes sense that Buck is the most tired. He stayed up later than Christopher last night, and even much later than Eddie, and he was the first one up this morning. He hasn’t been able to take a nap because he’s been driving. He even had to switch from music to his podcast to stay awake because both Eddie and Christopher fell asleep, and he had no one to talk to him.

“Hey,” Eddie says and Buck hums tiredly. “How long until we make it back?”

“Hm, maybe an hour until we’re home.”

Home. Eddie’s house. Where Buck will linger after dropping them off until it’s too late to head to the loft so he’ll end up staying the night. It’s something that has been happening since before they got together, only now Buck gets to sleep on Eddie’s bed with him instead of his couch.

Which is good for many reasons. One of them being the fact that Buck clearly needs some proper rest.

Right now, he’s blinking his eyes repeatedly, trying to stay alert. Eddie puts his hand on Buck’s leg. “Buck, you’re tired.”

“I’m fine,” he says, grabbing Eddie’s hand in his and bringing it to his lips, kissing it.

“You’re falling asleep, baby,” Eddie says and watches with a thrill as Buck melts a little at the pet name. “Pull over. Let me drive for a while.”

“You hate driving,” Buck says with the same little smile he gets when he teases Eddie about his permanent passenger princess status.

“I do, but you know what I’d hate more? You crashing us and our kid into a pole because you fell asleep behind the wheel,” Eddie says, kindly ignoring the way Buck’s breath hitches when Eddie says our kid. “It’s only for an hour, come on.”

It shows just how tired Buck feels that he doesn’t put up much resistance. “Hm, okay.”

He pulls the car over and they both climb out. Eddie takes a moment to stretch his legs and Buck takes the opportunity to walk over to his side and crowd him against the door.

“Hey,” Buck says, hands on Eddie’s hips, his nose brushing against his. “Thank you.”

Eddie smiles, pushing up and kissing Buck’s lips. “I got you.”

“I know.” Buck can’t help himself and leans down to kiss him again and Eddie can’t help but let him, let Buck kiss him on the side of the road, on their way back to their home with their kid still sleeping soundly in the backseat. Eddie might just stay here forever, powerless to pull away from Buck’s lips-

That is, until their kissing gets cut short by Buck yawning again.

“Okay,” Eddie says, manhandling Buck until he’s the one leaning against the door. “Let’s go before you fall asleep on your feet and I have to leave you out here with the coyotes.”

“You wouldn’t dare, you love me,” Buck says, grinning from ear to ear, looking far too happy despite Eddie’s teasing.

Eddie can’t help but grin right back when he says, “yeah, I do.” Still not used to being able to say it so freely. “Come on, let’s go home.”

If possible, Buck’s grin gets even bigger.

#i wrote this yesterday but i fell asleep before i could post it oops #hope you enjoy it <3 #buddie #buddie fic #monse writes #i still have another one to write but i'm gonna reblog the prompt list again in case anyone wants to send another one #lesbiandiaz #cowboy-buck

[stusbunker]

Spotless: Canto

Chapter Thirteen

Featuring: Dean Winchester/Reader, Dean/Bela

Other characters: Reader's OC family, Ellen, Dean/Jo, attempted Reader/Cas, Pam/Lee, Sam, Cole/Reader's sister and Garth/Bess

Word Count: 5009

Warnings, etc: Mutual pining. MORE BACKSTORY AHEAD, story takes place currently in Dec 2017, flashback to Jan. 2004 in italics, all towns mentioned are made up, I gave the reader the best dad in the world (you're welcome), underage drinking, talk of bar hook ups, car accidents, injuries, character death, guilt, stupid brother-in-laws, unbeta'd

Special shout out to @thoughtslikeaminefield who helped immensely on sorting out the backstory for this chapter and the next, way back when I started outlining this thing.

Series Masterlist

You made your way through the harrowing process that was holiday travel, flashing your medical card at the TSA agent and going through the regular pat down deal before finally getting to your gate. It was mild in LA, but you brought your puffy coat with you on the plane because December in Nebraska was never that kind. It was also a free blanket once you reached cruising altitude.

You put your phone in airplane mode, popped in your earbuds and let yourself nap for most of the three hour flight home.

You didn’t go home often, your schedule never left you with much time off, especially over the last couple of years. Or, at least, that’s what you told yourself and how you avoided invitations from your family. Between the band and Bobby, all you would have to do is ask for time off and they would have given it to you, of course they would. But it’s not like they aren’t workaholics themselves.

The wind rattled the jet bridge as you made your way to the gate, dozens of strangers trudged along beside you as you felt the first hint of true winter air. You turned your phone back to normal settings and tried not to get caught in a young family’s way as you all followed the signs to baggage claim. You smiled as you heard the familiar buzz of the accentless plains’ speech in the surrounding conversations, you were really home.

You stepped out of the line of traffic to find a restroom and clear out the ridiculous amount of notifications you received while in the air. You had texts from both your mom and dad, your sister, Sam, Dean, Bobby and Ellen. You opened up the chat with your dad because he was picking you up and said you had landed and told him where to look for you because you knew he parked instead of waiting in the chaos of the arrivals area traffic.

You ignored your mom and sister because it was all wondering when you got in and you’d have time to reply on the drive home. You opened Dean’s message and it was a picture of a ‘Nebraska… the good life’ sign taken out of a car window. You sent a heart emoji and told him that you just landed, because no matter how tough he was Dean always complained about flying and you needed to give him proof of survival.

Sam’s message was a compilation of shots of Dean sleeping with random things propped on his head or shoulders, which meant Dean was probably driving the last stretch to their dad’s and Sam had been saving those for blackmail. You laughed, forgetting you were in public and rushed out a reply before saving them to your phone.

You read the message from Ellen but stopped yourself from fully opening it. You locked your phone and shoved it into your pocket. Right now nature’s call was more important than answering questions and you always had to be careful how you replied to your surrogate mother, she could always read between lines you didn’t know you’d drawn.

Twenty minutes later, you were greeted by a burly bear hug, compliments of your dad, that knocked the handle of your duffel out of your grip and rocked you on the spot. He smelled like engine oil and canvas with winter still clinging to his Carhartt, you held on tight.

“Glad you’re home, sweetheart,” he mumbled, breaking a way with a firm hand on your shoulder. “Got everything?”

“Yep!” 

He smiled his tight lip smile, where it was all in the eyes, and nodded. “Alright then, let’s get out of here.”

The ride home was uneventful, catching up, complaining about traffic, asking about the weather, all while you cleared through your messages and emails. You stopped for a late lunch and got the rundown on your older sister and four-year-old niece. 

“Any word from Cole?” you ask about the elephant in the conversation.

“Nothing she’s telling us. Figured you’d know more,” your dad sighed.

You tisk, “like she tells me anything.”

“Maybe she would if you called her,” your dad replied, eyebrows up and knowing.

You rolled your eyes, you and your sister were not close. After she got knocked up by a guy known for his charm, you pretty much never heard from her. You weren’t worried about her, she always had a tight friend group that was impenetrable. But when her husband suddenly dropped off the face of the Earth, you started to pay attention.

Your mom had generously kept you in the loop, whether you liked it or not.

You and your dad finished your meals and got back on the road. The town of Mills’ Crossing had roughly a population of one thousand people with enough villages and farmland surrounding it to make it feel bigger than it was. Your first trip to LA the summer before starting college was mind altering. Coming home was surreal, knowing everyone (to some degree) everywhere you went was almost alienating after so long living amongst droves of beautiful strangers.

You never sought that kind of attention.

Your parents lived in the same three bedroom ranch you grew up in on a quiet street with normal, working class people as neighbors. It was the exact opposite of your place now, where you were wedged in a neighborhood that was both overpriced and rundown and your neighbors came from every walk of life imaginable.

Luckily for you, you were charged next to nothing by LA standards of rent.

Your dad drove through town with the radio on classic rock, like always, unless he was in a mood and he put in a Maynard Ferguson cd or Tower of Power, blasting brass to wake up. Meanwhile, you took in all the things that had changed since you left, not that there were many. As you approached Hound Drive, a familiar apprehension crawled into your stomach, taking you back to a snowy night almost fourteen years ago.

“Come on! They’re not going to be there all night, and it’s not like we can follow them to another bar,” Jo whined at you as you put on your makeup. She barely needed any, which always made you jealous. But you didn’t want to rush yourself and look like you were still in high school. Bela had taught you a lot about maintaining a strict beauty regimen during your first semester and you were going to put those lessons to good use. So what if you were late.

You primped your hair and took one last look in the mirror.

You drove to the Roadhouse in your ancient Buick LeSabre, which still had a cassette deck. But you had upgraded it with an adapter so Jo slipped a burnt cd into your Discman and turned up the volume, Phantom Traveler’s latest recording blasted through the old speakers. The open road and the entire world were at your feet.

“I can’t believe they’re still playing around here,” you said, letting the drum beat add to your excitement.

“Dean says they’ve had some nibbles from labels, but he won’t tell me which ones,” Jo confided.

“How often do you guys talk?”

“Enough that my mom got me my own phone line for Christmas,” Jo admitted.

You shrieked. “Girl, I know that bill has gotta be ridiculous.”

“Yeah, but I’m paying for it. And it’s worth it. Can’t be as bad as his cell bill.”

You giggled. “Which one is the one you want me to talk to?”

“Castiel, Cas, he’s the quiet one with blue eyes. Not the guitar player, that’s Lee. He’s been eyeing the drummer, so don’t get any ideas there. Trust me.”

You tried to picture who she meant from the handful of times you’d seen them play, but came up empty. The parking lot was packed and you pulled your jean jacket tight against the falling snow as you made your way to the entrance, missing the California weather you’d been soaking up since starting school. A wave of smoke and stale beer hit you as you stepped into the bar, an old jukebox filled the dim space and you tried to act like you weren’t too young to be there.

Jo navigated the crowd and you kept pace behind her, scanning your surroundings until you found a group of guys who towered over both of you at the pool tables. 

“Dean!” Jo called over the cacophony at a guy in a vintage leather jacket drinking a beer. He was even more hot up close, almost casual until he spotted her and his entire face lit up.

“Here she is!” he called, stepping away from a long haired guy to drag her in for a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“This Y/N?” Dean asked, holding out his hand for you to shake. 

You shook it like your dad had taught you, firm and with eye contact. “Hey.”

Dean cupped your hand in both of his before turning and tucking Jo into his side and gestured to the guy he had been talking to. “This is Lee, and that’s Cas, Pam’s around here somewhere. What are you ladies up to?”

You nodded at the other guys, older than any of your classmates, but still welcoming. You couldn’t have known that your life would change in impossible ways that night. 

         Jo challenged the winner of that round of pool and you mingled, not sure what to do with yourself besides tease Jo and try and seem aloof. Apparently, the band were out for a good time and even though you were driving, you accepted a beer from their pitcher when they offered. It was crappy, but it was free and you weren’t about to play prissy to get something that tasted better.

Around ten o’clock, Ellen spotted you and you gave her a hug and asked about her shift. She eyed Dean with suspicion as Jo flirted with her cue in hand. You tried to keep Jo’s mom’s attention away from the budding romance, but other customers were more effective than your rambling about California ever was. You left her to work and got suckered into a game of pool.

“Cas, please, teach this girl how to shoot. Explain the physics of it or whatever, because I can’t watch Sammy win that easy,” Dean begged his friend, who you had learned was the keyboard player.

Cas rolled his eyes and circled around the table to your side.

“Not exactly subtle are they?” you conspired.

“No, but Dean always tells me my people skills are rusty, so this is him playing wingman,” Cas admitted. “Here, you want to brace the cue on your left hand.”

“I know how to do it, I just really don’t care if I win,” you said out of the side of your mouth.

“I won’t tell if you won’t, but it will be a lot easier if you play it up,” Cas admitted in his low voice, knowing you both were stuck in this setup while neither of you were particularly interested in one another.

“So, what? I just let you put me in position, cop a feel?”

Cas’ eyes sparked with amusement. “I’m fine with verbal instructions if you’d prefer.”

“Nah, it’s okay, let’s give them something to talk about.” You winked at him and saw the blush creep across his cheeks with his gummy grin.

“If you say so,” Cas whispered, stepping behind you to guide your arms.

The rest of the night was a blur. You started drinking soda around midnight, knowing your parents would kill you if you came home smelling like booze, even if they couldn’t enforce a curfew on you anymore. But Jo could sneak behind the bar like the thief she was and everyone else was getting sloppier for it. Knowing Ellen, she was keeping tabs, but as long as she had an eye on you both, you knew you couldn’t get into too much trouble.

Sam wasn’t much older than you, but being in a band and astronomically tall gave him sway into the not getting carded club. He asked you about school and you told him as much as you could, though most of your classes were just prerequisites at that point. He seemed really smart and thoughtful, but maybe it was just because he was less lewd than Dean or Lee.

Jo held her own, like always, keeping the men on their toes like the bartender she had grown up to be. It was no wonder she had made friends with them when they played there after their dad begged Ellen to give them a place to play. Stopping back on their latest self-scheduled tour had just lined up for your winter break and Jo’s night off.

At some point, you lost Jo and when you tried to go find her, Lee dragged you back to the tables with a game of ‘Never have I ever’, they didn’t even tease you for drinking soda. Dean appeared out of nowhere and stole Cas’ beer, before a very flushed Jo rounded the table and deposited a half empty bottle of Jack Daniels for them to split. That earned her a chorus of praise, but something told you she had been off stealing bases instead of just booze.

You smirked at her and bit your lips. She just nodded at you and mouthed ‘later’.

Later came with Ellen kicking everybody out, warning you to get Jo home to bed before she could put her to work closing the place up. You huddled in your car as Jo and Dean had their goodbye in the parking lot, Sam honking the horn on an old Chevy for Dean to wrap it up. You hoped they had done just that, curiosity ate at you as your car warmed up.

Finally, Jo dropped into the passenger seat with her dimples on full display.

“Oh my god, dude!” you balked.

“I know! Shut up.”

“Tell me everything and then I’ll decide if I will!” 

Jo smirked and turned down the volume on the radio. “He is such a good kisser, Y/N, you have no idea.”

“Uh, I couldn’t have guessed! God, you were out there for like twenty minutes.”

You pulled onto the side street and increased the speed of your wipers, the steady snowfall had turned into a cascade and you really needed to see. Jo continued about her rendezvous with Dean in the men’s room and how he’d fingered her against the stall door. 

“Oh my god, Jo!” You were impressed, guys were always talking about this shit, but apparently it was worth it to Dean to see Jo squirm.

“He was so into it, like obviously, he’s a musician, he’s got good hands, but it was like he liked doing it,” Jo continued. “Ugh, he better call me before they leave town.”

“He will, he’s got it bad, even I can see that.”

She beamed. “Yeah? What did Cas say? Did Dean tell him anything?”

You threw your head back and laughed, feeling the tires slip on the unplowed road. You righted the wheel and checked your surroundings, slowing slightly to keep steady.

“Cas didn’t say anything about you two, but I could just tell, okay? Call it bff intuition, okay?”

You made the turn onto Hound Drive, three blocks from Jo’s neighborhood, feeling the way your backend fishtailed with even the most careful of maneuvers. Jo continued her story, talking about Dean promising to take her out, just the two of them, about how big the backseat was in his car. And just as you made her promise to be safe, headlights blared on the wrong side of the road. You spun left to avoid a head-on collision, but the other driver wasn’t slowing down and before you even fully stopped you were T-boned directly into Jo’s door.

You woke up to the sound of the other driver screaming at you if you were okay. You couldn’t move your right leg and Jo hadn’t woken up. There was glass and blood everywhere. And even though the snow had gotten worse, you couldn’t feel the cold. The paramedics told you it was shock, they wouldn’t tell you if your best friend was dead or alive.

Your mom hugged you at the door, followed directly by your niece, Ada, running from the playroom shrieking your name. It felt good to be so welcomed, so loved. You held them both longer than they meant you to. Your sister gave you a sad smile, but hugged you too. And you told her honestly that it was good to see her. You hoped she meant it when she said it back.

You dropped your stuff off in your old bedroom and joined everyone in the living room where the Christmas tree was bursting with years of handmade ornaments. You could spot the new additions from Ada’s preschool. You wondered if you’d ever have little hands in your life to make macaroni art with. It wasn’t something you ever really thought about, but leave it to being home or the adorable company to stir up those nurturing instincts.

“Wanna play cards before dinner?” your dad asked, breaking you out of the daze of the tree’s lights.

“Obviously,” you replied and marched over to the pantry to fish out a deck and the coin jar.

Christmas Eve was magical, carols on the old stereo and lots of snacks. Your aunts and uncles and cousins came and went, making sure to leave time for everyone to get to church for the candlelight service. Ada fell asleep in your dad’s arms before the closing hymn of Silent Night sent you all back home to await spiritual and material gifts.

You opened presents at the crack of dawn, you could tell your parents had missed having little kids to cater to with the amount that “Santa” brought that year. But you couldn’t blame them, the coffee was bottomless and breakfast was to die for. Nothing could beat home cooking.

Just before ten, you had your dad drop you off at the Roadhouse and you let yourself in through the employee entrance. Ellen’s smoky voice greeted you before you even made it into the kitchen, “here comes Trouble!”

“Merry Christmas!” You called back, smiling, she was the one who had given you that nickname in the first place.

She tossed the towel she was wiping her hands with onto the counter and held open her arms. You stepped in to hug her and a piece of your heart thrummed inside your chest. 

“It’s damn good to see you,” Ellen whispered, though nobody else was there.

“Yeah,” you agreed, still holding her tight.

Ellen pulled back and looked you in the eye, dark eyes full of wisdom and sorrow. “You doing alright?”

You nodded and sighed. “Same old, same old.”

Ellen hummed, still watching you. “Okay, if you say so. Why don’t you wash up and we’ll finish up these trays?”

Every year on Christmas day Ellen opened the Roadhouse for a free dinner. She sent fliers to the nearest homeless shelter, veterans outreach center and local churches. She served everyone, no matter what and whatever leftovers she ended up with, she left at the firehouse for the night shift to enjoy. The bar itself was closed, it wasn’t about money, it was about something bigger.

Whenever you were home for the holidays, you helped. It wasn’t much, just chopping vegetables and serving the people as they came through, but it made you feel good to be able to do something. To be able to be there for Ellen on one of the hardest days of the year was the least you could do. Your family never questioned you ditching them and before Ada was born, your parents volunteered sometimes too.

Something about this year, you were grateful for it to be just you and Ellen doing all of the prep work. An old radio played the classics in the corner and you helped finish the green bean casserole. You worked in comfortable silence, every once in a while answering questions that came up about life and the band. The one you didn’t want to answer popped up just as the last tray went into the oven.

“So Dean’s seeing your friend, huh?”

“Ellen,” you groaned. You did not want to lie to her.

“What? Is that a bad thing?” she prodded.

“No, it’s just weird talking to you about it, I guess.”

“Girl, I’ve heard more gossip than you could shake a stick at. I’m just checking in on you all. It’s not like I get updates all that often,” she finished with a flawless guilt trip.

“Yes, Bela and Dean are an item,” you said in a confessional huff, crossing your arms over your chest and waiting for the interrogation to begin.

Ellen hummed again and bit her bottom lip. “Well, I guess that’s something. She good for him? I know he’s been going through it again.”

“He’s been doing a lot better. Sam and Bobby got him a therapist,” you sidestepped beautifully.

“No shit. Huh.”

“And we’re ramping up for a new tour. New album is all done, just waiting for clearance from the label and that’ll be on the market in a couple of months.”

“I’m sure that’s great, but I’m worrying about you as individuals, not as rockstars and company,” Ellen smiled sadly at you. “You know that, right?”

You melted inside and nodded, letting your defenses down. “Yeah, I get that.”

“Okay, well, let’s go move some tables while everything cooks,” Ellen said, guiding you out to the main room of the bar and grill.

The day became a whirlwind of small talk and easy smiles, faces you remembered but names you couldn’t really recall. Just after three Garth showed up with his wife Bess and little girl in tow to give you and Ellen a chance to sit down and eat yourselves. He had worked the bar through dental school and ran a small practice on the edge of town after settling down. He was always in a good mood and its genuineness thrived at the holidays. 

Ellen watched the small family fondly as she tucked into her mashed potatoes. “They’re expecting again, twins,” she confided in you.

“Good for them,” you said between bites.

A couple of older guys sat at the other end of the table, sipping coffee and talking about a mutual friend. They must not have had anywhere else to be and it made you mix of sad and proud that Ellen did this whole thing in the first place.

Nobody should be alone on Christmas.

“How are you doing? Still dragging your feet about putting more sandwiches on the menu?” you asked Ellen, changing the subject.

“Oh, I’ll do it eventually, maybe before the summer tourist season. I’ll have some more staff by then,” Ellen answered non committedly.

“But things are going good?” you pressed.

“Yeah, I mean, my back is still acting up, but can’t really complain,” she replied.

“You seen Cole around?” you asked about your elusive brother-in-law.

“Not lately, but I heard he wandered off on your sister, what a coward,” Ellen muttered.

“Yeah, well, we’ll see. He seems to get his mind on something and he can’t leave it until it’s sorted. Maybe missing Ada’s at Christmas will wake him the hell up,” you sighed.

Ellen gave you a knowing look.

“When do you want to head home? I usually wrap this up around five,” she asked.

“That works for me, no plans for the rest of the day, thank God,” you said before excusing yourself for the bathroom. The gentle croon of ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’ reverberated through the bar and the persistent ache inside you reminded you it still existed.

When you got back to the main room, Dean and Sam were there giving Ellen hugs and asking in hushed voices about what was going on. 

“You mean she didn’t tell you? I’ve been doing this for years, her too most years,” Ellen chided. 

“Hey, guys. Merry Christmas,” you said as they turned and hugged you in turn. Sam got to you first, hugging you to his chest with a quick clutch on the back of your head. Dean sauntered closer and you could tell by the look on his face it had been a hard day. You hugged him and could smell the whiskey on his breath, but trusted Sam to be the safe driver.

“You better eat now that you’re here, nobody gets served on Christmas, you understand?” Ellen laid out the law before corralling them towards the line.

Dean nodded and hid his face, shoving his hands in his pockets as you went behind the line to let Bess get off her feet. 

“Wow, Ellen, you’ve got all the fixin’s,” Sam pointed out.

“It looks amazing, thanks for letting us crash your meal,” Dean said softly.

She looked him over with her classic tough kindness. “Anytime, hon.--- Now don’t you worry about anything, let John rot in his own stubbornness, alright?”

Dean didn’t say anything, just hummed in agreement and turned his plate for you to add the gravy. You hadn’t thought you’d run into them since you were only home for a couple days, but something about being back and guessing what had been going through Dean’s mind made you feel oddly protective. And you couldn’t help but watch them both as they sat at a booth by themselves and ate in near silence. 

The remaining guests came through by themselves, occasionally two at a time. But just before Ellen was going to call it a young family came in with their three kids and little Gertie had somebody to play with as you dished up plates for them all. Ellen ducked into the kitchen for to-go containers, wanting to send some home with them before taking the rest to the firehouse.

Dean and Sam stuck around, wiping down tables and making sure everybody had a way to get to where they were going. Once Ellen had her truck loaded up, you turned to say goodbye to the boys.

Instead Ellen interrupted, “you’ll get her home safe? I’m wiped and would appreciate it.”

“Wha–I thought you were taking me?” you felt instantly guilty about pilling on to Sam and Dean’s Christmas.

“We got Trouble, it’s fine,” Sam answered over your head.

“Come here,” Ellen insisted, pulling you into another motherly hug. “Don’t forget to call me when you get back to California so I know you’re safe. That goes for you two, too!”

You held her tight and promised. “Love you.”

“Love you more,” Ellen replied, brushing the hair out of your face and thumbing your chin before pulling back to hug the boys.

You stood there next to Sam’s car and watched her pull out of the parking lot, the winter chill enough to keep you in the moment. 

“I guess we better get going,” Dean said to Sam more than to you.

“Yeah, did you still want to swing by St. Mary’s?” Sam asked quieter. Your mind spun on the idea of them going to church, but then you remembered what lay behind the aging brick building.

“Maybe we should ask her if she wants to go,” Dean said, looking you in the eye.

You swallowed and shook your head. “It’s okay, if you don’t mind dropping me off first. I know it’s in the other direction.”

“It’s fine, we’re not in a rush,” Dean answered for them both.

You climbed into the backseat, finding evidence of their cross-country trek strewn about. You pushed some wrappers off the seat and clicked your seatbelt. Sam turned down the music and double checked your parents’ address. Dean whisper-sang along with the radio while you asked them about their trip. 

It wasn’t a long ride, nothing in town was, but you hoped it was enough to even Dean out before going to see Jo. You told them you’d see them next week, double checked Dean would be back for the photoshoot to accompany his interview with Meg on the 31st, and that everyone would be going out for New Year’s afterwards. It felt ludicrous to be discussing LA excess after the humbling day you’d had, especially in the driveway of your parent’s home. Even if that was the life you all led, you didn’t want to look at it too closely.

“Alright, drive safe, talk to you soon,” you said, finally opening your door to find a familiar truck parked behind your dad’s.

“Tell your folks Merry Christmas,” Sam said. 

“Later, Trouble,” Dean added, watching you with something unsaid behind his gaze.

It turned out, Cole had shown up not long after you left, arms full of presents for everyone. And he and your sister had taken a walk to talk things out while Ada napped. Which was probably the only reason your dad hadn’t kicked him out on the spot. You sat down on the floor with Ada to open the gift Cole had brought for you while your mother’s favorite Christmas album played. 

It was a double sided picture frame, one side held Ada’s school picture and the other had a picture of the rest of your family from one of their camping weekends the previous summer. 

“I know you’re big time in LA, but figured you probably have a desk or something to put that on,” Cole said shyly. 

You felt the heat behind your eyes, but you wanted him to know where you stood, squarely on the fence about him still. “Thanks, I know just where to put it. Look at that big girl, huh, can’t believe it.”

“I am gonna be fibe Auntie Y/N. I’ve been big a long time already,” Ada said firmly.  You couldn’t help but laugh and hug her little shoulders. “I know, babygirl, I know.”

Tagging:

@deans-spinster-witch

@mrswhozeewhatsis

@cosicas-cuquis

@fics-pics-andotherthings-i-like

@suckitands33

@ladysparkles78

@deans-baby-momma

@stoneyggirl2

@sassy-pelican

@leigh70

@globetrotter28

@winharry

@lastactiontricia

@rockhoochie

Chapter Fourteen: Pomposo

#spotless series #dean/reader #dean/jo #dean/bela #flashback #rockstar au #fake dating #slow burn #character death #car accident

[moodymelanist]

Nessian surprise pregnancy announcement

happy April fools 🩵 also combining this with this prompt ⤵️

After nine long months, Cassian could hardly believe he was seeing his daughter in his wife’s arms. She was the most perfect thing he’d ever seen — second only to Nesta herself, of course — and he didn’t think he’d ever forget the moment he’d first gotten to hold her in his arms. She was so tiny that part of him had been scared he’d somehow hurt her, but he’d stopped worrying about that the moment her small fingers curled around his pointer finger.

Nesta looked completely exhausted in her hospital bed, but she seemed just as in awe as Cassian was. “She’s so beautiful.”

“Are you surprised?” he fired back, looking away from their daughter’s perfect face to look at his wife’s stunning one instead. “I mean, look at the material.”

“Shut up,” she replied with a good-natured roll of her eyes. “She’s all you, anyway.”

Seraphina did look a lot like him, with her dark hair and golden-brown skin, but Cassian had studied Nesta’s features enough to know them when he saw them. “Nah. She definitely has your nose.”

“Whatever you say, baby,” Nesta responded tiredly. She shut her eyes and gently shifted around to find a more comfortable position, sighing as she found the relief she was looking for.

He couldn’t decide where he wanted to look more. Between being in total awe that his wife had brought their daughter into the world and that said daughter was absolutely adorable, it was almost like sensory overload. He decided to look back and forth between them every few minutes, more than happy with the pretty picture his family made.

He never thought he could have this for himself, but damn did it feel good.

“Don’t tell Feyre and Rhys,” Cassian murmured, his fingers gently combing through their daughter’s hair, “but our kid is way cuter.”

“Fuck,” Nesta hissed quietly, not wanting to wake Sera as her own eyes snapped open. “We never told them!”

“Fuck,” Cassian repeated. Sera opened her eyes and immediately narrowed them at him from his volume, and he sheepishly passed the baby over to Nesta before it turned into a full-blown crying episode. “Come here, let me get a picture.”

Nesta had been so nervous about something happening to the baby after the experience Feyre and Rhys had had with Nyx that she’d begged Cassian not to tell anyone. It had been hard keeping such a big secret from their family, especially with how often they liked to get together, but they’d somehow managed to pull it off. The first few months hadn’t been too bad, but once Nesta had started showing, they’d had to come up with increasingly more elaborate reasons for why Nesta couldn’t come to their family get-togethers.

“Say cheese,” Cassian said, holding up his phone for their first picture as a family. Nesta gave the best smile she could muster given how tired she was, propping up Sera’s head so her little face was visible, and Cassian snapped a bunch of pictures. “These are nice.”

He picked the best looking one and sent it in their family group chat, sending all the details about Sera’s weight and height and time of birth. It didn’t take long for people to start texting back, but instead of the congratulations texts he was expecting, he got a wide array of question marks and confused emojis.

Whose baby did you steal for this?? Mor had written.

Ha ha, very funny, Lucien added.

Cute baby, though, Rhys texted, replying to Mor’s original message.

“Why does everyone think I’m joking?” Cassian asked, showing Nesta the texts.

“Probably because it’s April Fool’s, you idiot,” Nesta answered fondly. She took his phone and sent another picture, this time of a close up of her sweaty, exhausted face. “Bet you they won’t think we’re joking now.”

He laughed as he read the caption she’d written with the picture. Trust me, the thirteen hours I spent in labor aren’t a fucking joke.

Sure enough, within the hour their entire family was gathered in the hospital room with a truly ridiculous amount of balloons and baby gifts. Judging from her victorious smile, Cassian knew Nesta would be holding this over him for the rest of their lives.

tag list: @perseusannabeth | @bookstantrash | @charming-butt-insane | @oversizedbats | @melphss | @sv0430 | @podemechamardek | @autumnbabylon | @live-the-fangirl-life | @julemmaes | @that-little-red-head | @jmoonjones | @sayosdreams | @thewayshedreamed | @hiimheresworld | @brieq | @pearlfortears | @swankii-art-teacher | @nerdperson524 | @snickerdoodlechittybangbang | @imsointobooks | @nesquik-arccheron | @sweet-pea1 | @champanheandluxxury | @dustjacketmusings | @mrs-shadowsinger04 | @unlikelypersonalknight1 | @goddess-aelin | @arinbelle | @talkfantasytome | @simpingfornestaarcheron | @duskandstarlight | @letstakethedawn | @vidalinav | @c-e-d-dreamer | @dealfea | @katekatpattywack | @burningsnowleopard

#acotar #acosf #Nessian #nesta archeron #cassian #anon asks #moodymelanistwrites #nessian prompts #⭐️

[raayllum]

The high mage office becomes a bit of a ramshackle, afterwards.

The first and most obvious reason is that, while spacious, it was only really meant to accommodate one mage and possibly an apprentice at a time—not three mages, piles of books and magical objects stacked ceilings high.

That, and the youngest of their little club has by far more clutter than Kpp'Ar or Viren ever did, the eldest mage thinks.

Callum is quick witted and talks too much, otherwise staying silent for hours, out of studiousness or bother, eyes hard whenever he looks at Viren.

His old apprentice is the most out of place, perhaps. Viren has forsaken dark magic, a path Kpp'Ar never thought possible, especially with what Viren had imprisoned him over. But Viren throws the books of dark arts only sour looks and dour frowns, reluctant to even touch them never mind read them. He and Claudia are alike in that way, Kpp'Ar supposes, seeing how they've grown side by side now as adults. They're no longer dark mages, but they refuse to try their hand at primal magic and arcanums, either.

For Claudia, Kpp'Ar thinks it is a lingering trace of stubbornness and pride. For Viren, it's likely fear—for if he can't connect, then he is shut off from magic forever. And if he can, then all the pain he caused and dark roads he took might've been avoided.

He helps out, mostly, running messages—taking letters to the rookery, labelling bottles, taking the messiness of Callum's notes that Kpp'Ar's eyesight is too poor to make out, and turning them into something coherent. Not unlike the work he'd done when he was an apprentice, if muted and with a hesitance rather than a persistent, desperate hunger.

And for the first time in a very long time, Kpp'Ar is a student.

Not officially, of course. Callum is the only official high mage among the three (or four) of them, and he's never taken on an apprentice before. Nor had he taken Kpp'Ar on when the old man had expressed a desire to learn primal magic—to see the world and his work again anew, with his unexpected second chance.

But you don't become a mage if you aren't observant, and intelligent, and driven, and able to learn at least a little from example. Kpp'Ar needles him about the arcanums he holds, which Callum is more than willing to spout nonsense about to someone, the nonsense gradually making more and more sense. Dark magic is about ingredients, the way machines are about gears and cogs. Primal magic is about connection, and cycles, a bridge, the same way a puzzle serves to be one: one for humans to solve from a Maker, whether that's magic or or the all forsaken All-Mother in Kpp'Ar's mind.

A puzzle he will, with gnarled fingers and a grizzled face, grasp one day with as much certainty as his jewelled cane.

Callum finds him one day, pouring over Earthblood tomes, and raises a brow and a cup of tea to his lips. "Didn't expect to find you in here so early."

"Shows you still have much to learn," Kpp'Ar mutters, turning the page. He squints, the candle growing dim.

Callum snaps and the flame sparks, emitting much more light. Some of his headache clears away. "If you're really set on an arcanum," Callum advises, jerking his head, "maybe think about the Sun."

Healing, vision, light.

Kpp'Ar eyes the candle.

"Perhaps," is all he says, and maybe he still has some pride of his own—he's more than double the boy's own age, after all, even with thirteen years lost to that accursed coin.

But then there are much worst things than taking advice—like taking the wrong advice.

That's another thing their little club has in common, he supposes.

#tdp #the dragon prince #high mage club #after the war #tdp kpp'ar #kpp'ar #ficlet #headcanons #indulgent? yes. fun? also yes #my fic #fic

[bulkyphrase]

Sineala Stony Podfic List

One of my minor beefs with AO3 is that’s there’s no good way to search for works inspired by a specific author. So if, for instance, you want to find all the podfic readings of fics written by a favorite author (@sineala) for a favorite ship (stevetony) you’ve got to do some digging.

Or rather, I had to do some digging and now you can sit back and enjoy the fruits of my labor. There’s 33 podfics on this list, so plenty to choose from!

All-Time Low read by AudioSilks (@whenas-in-silks) (Length: 1.5-2 Hours, Explicit)

Summary: Tony's lost his company to Obadiah Stane. He's lost it all: his money, his friends, his Avengers team... and his sobriety. Drunk, homeless, Tony is living on the streets, and when he runs out of liquor money, he sells the only thing he has left: his body. And one day, he has the exact wrong customer.

Backhand read by Cathalinareads (@cathalinaheart) (Length: 10-20 Minutes, Explicit)

Summary: Tony always knows what Steve needs, even before Steve does. But just because Steve needs something doesn't mean he likes needing it -- especially when what he needs is to hit Tony.

All the rest are below the cut!

Breaking Point (The Abort, Retry, Fail Remix) read by watery_weasel (Length: 20-30 Minutes, Mature)

Summary: Here's a fact about Captain America that the entire world knows now: the last thing he did was commit murder.

Convention Exclusive read by cookiemom6067 (@cookiemom6067) (Length: 10-20 Minutes, General Audiences)

Summary: "I'm interested in commissioning a sketch," Iron Man said. He leaned forward, edging into Steve's personal space, splaying his gauntleted hands on the table. "I'd like you to draw me wearing only a tiny thong, with Captain America staring at my nearly-naked body in horror." (Or: Steve Rogers, former artist for the Captain America comics, is signing autographs at a comics convention when he meets his biggest fan. Not an AU.)

Do It Over read by miss_marina95 (@missmarina95) (Length: 20-30 Minutes, Teen And Up Audiences)

Summary: The last words your soulmate says to you are written on your skin, and you won't know who they are until they die. The thing is, Steve and Tony die a lot.

Follow in Your Footsteps read by paraka (@paraka) (Length: 45-60 Minutes, Teen And Up Audiences)

Summary: When Tony is twelve, his soulmate's name appears on his wrist. Unfortunately, it's hard to find out anything at all about Steve Rogers. It turns out there's a reason for that.

Get Some Now read by where_thewind_blows (@flowersthroughthecracks) (Length: 1-1.5 Hours, Teen And Up Audiences)

Summary: Avengers Mansion has a mysterious feline infestation. Meanwhile, Steve just can't figure out how to ask Tony out on a date. And the thirteen teleporting cats sure aren't helping matters any.

Heart Covered in Smoke read by GoLBPodfics (@godoflaundrybaskets) (Length: 10-20 Minutes, Teen And Up Audiences)

Summary: And now Tony's standing here, at the end of the world, and Steve's coming to kill him. Honestly, he can't think of a better way to go.

Hidden Facets read by cookiemom6067 (@cookiemom6067) (Length: 20-30 Minutes, Mature)

Summary: The weirdest consequence of Tony's unexpected telepathy is not the fact that he now knows Steve has secret gay fantasies. It's not even the fact that Tony has a starring role in them. That's absolutely fine. Better than fine, even. But what Tony can't figure out is why all of Steve's secret gay fantasies about him are so goddamn sad.

How to Date a Robot read by crawfishing (Length: 5-6 Hours, Mature)

Summary: How do you date a robot? Even the twenty-first century doesn't have the answers to every question. Steve will have to figure this one out for himself -- after he politely rebuffs Mr. Stark's interest, of course. Sure, Mr. Stark is handsome, but Steve would rather be with his bodyguard. So when Iron Man agrees to go on a date with Steve, Steve couldn't be happier. He loves Iron Man with all of his heart, and their relationship rapidly grows serious. But why does Mr. Stark hate Iron Man so much? And why in the world is Mr. Stark trying to tear Steve and Iron Man apart?

Job Satisfaction read by The_Casual_Sounds (@the-casual-cheesecake) (Length: 20-30 Minutes, Explicit)

Summary: When Steve can't handle his work with the Secret Avengers, he has a rather unconventional arrangement with Tony to help relieve his stress. It almost works.

The Law Runneth Forward and Back read by RsCreighton (@rosecreighton) (Length: 1-1.5 Hours, Teen And Up Audiences)

Summary: It's been three weeks since Tony saved Steve's life at Mount Rushmore, and they're not talking about it. It's going to drive Tony insane. But they've got bigger problems, because Nightshade has turned Steve into a werewolf. Again. And all Steve seems to want is to be near Tony.

Like a Comet Streaming On read by RsCreighton (@rosecreighton) (Length: 3.5-4 Hours, Explicit)

Summary: Tony escapes Afghanistan with a functioning Iron Man suit and a perfectly normal heart. He even manages to bring Ho Yinsen home safely at his side. But he may as well have lost everything... because his wolfbrother is dead. Six months later, the Avengers find Captain America, frozen in ice, miraculously alive. Everything and everyone Steve has ever known is gone -- except his wolfsister, the recipient of the lupine version of the super-soldier serum, who was frozen in his arms. Tony has everything but his wolf. Steve has only his wolf. This is how their lives fit together.

Love Across the Multiverse read by Cathalinareads (@cathalinaheart) (Length: 1.5-2 Hours, Explicit)

Summary: Mojo presents: Love Across the Multiverse! In tonight's episode, a battle-hardened supersoldier finds himself drawn to his handsome, genius teammate! It's an agonizing duel between his long-held beliefs and the secret passions of his heart! Will true love conquer all? There's only one way to find out! Don't miss the highlight of the season! (Viewer discretion is advised. Mojoworld residents who do not vote for their favorite participants of the season will be summarily sent to the arena. All hail Mojo.)

Mercy in You read by Pywren (@phyrrhicvictory) (Length: 1-1.5 Hours, Mature)

Summary: When Tony comes back from a very bad D/s date, in pain and abandoned by his dom, Steve offers to help Tony out and give him all the aftercare he so desperately needs.

More Than Skin Deep read by AudioSilks (@whenas-in-silks) (Length: 20-30 Minutes, Teen And Up Audiences)

Summary: Tony can just about accept the fact that he and Steve were kidnapped and replaced by Skrulls for three months. But what he can't figure out is why none of the Avengers noticed. And what he really can't figure out is why none of their teammates will tell them what the Skrulls did while they were gone.

Never Too Late For Love read by Cathalinareads (@cathalinaheart) (Length: 10-15 Hours, Explicit)

Summary: Steve has always believed that a soulbond is a blessing -- a rare and beautiful miracle, joining the thoughts and feelings of two people forever, from the first time they touch. Steve knows he's not going to be one of the lucky ones. He knows Gail isn't his soulmate. But he loves her, even if they're not soulmates, and he's going to do right by her. After the war's over, he's going to marry her, and they're going to settle down. They'll buy a house. They'll have children. He'll see his family again. Maybe Bucky will live next door. It's going to be a good life. He doesn't need a soulbond. He'll be fine without one. Then Steve wakes up sixty years in the future to find that his wonderful life has moved on without him. His family is long dead. His fiancée married his best friend. And the only purpose he has left is leading the Ultimates, a misbegotten team of superheroes with flaws too numerous to count. Steve hates everything about the future -- but most of all he detests Tony, flashy and flirtatious, who embodies everything Steve hates about a world he never wanted to live in. And, oh, yeah, Steve has a soulmate after all: Tony fucking Stark.

The Ninth Step read by cookiemom6067 (@cookiemom6067) (Length: 20-30 Minutes, Teen And Up Audiences)

Summary: Steve hasn't seen Tony since he was rescuing him, drunk, from a burning building. But Tony's sober now, he's at Steve's door, and he wants to make amends. Though maybe "want" isn't exactly the right word for it.

Nothing Pure Enough read by grrreed_pods (Length: 10-20 Minutes, Mature)

Summary: You shouldn't be able to develop a Hanahaki fixation on someone you've never met who's been dead for decades. But Tony has always been special.

The Opposite of a Problem read by exmanhater (Length: 10-20 Minutes, Teen And Up Audiences)

Summary: "I promise to love, honor, and probably not obey you, and, uh, take you as my totally-unlawfully-wedded husband, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, until death do us part, or for at least the next seventy-two hours." (Or: Tony and Steve get fake-married for the sake of the mission.)

Plus One read by stuckwithyou (Length: 10-20 Minutes, General Audiences)

Summary: Tony wants Steve to accompany him to a gala. They're not together. Tony doesn't seem to think this is a problem, but he doesn't know about Steve's feelings for him. And Steve's certainly not going to tell him.

A Real Boy read by M_Samro (@msamro) (Length: 1-1.5 Hours, Explicit)

Summary: When Steve shows up for the Avengers' team meeting, he quickly discovers that the version of Tony in attendance this week is the artificial intelligence. But Tony is still Tony, the man Steve has loved for years, and him being a hologram doesn't stop the two of them from falling for each other. They just have a few kinks to work out.

Right All My Wrongs read by Amanita_Fierce (@amanita-fierce) (Length: 0-10 Minutes, Teen And Up Audiences)

Summary: Tony needs to clean up his act. Fury has a suggestion. Steve has a proposal.

Scars and Stitches read by Cathalinareads (@cathalinaheart) (Length: 10-20 Minutes, Teen And Up Audiences)

Summary: When Tony shows up to SHIELD to be fitted with the Iron Man armor, Steve, the original Iron Man, is there to help him out.

Slipping off the Page into your Hands read by RsCreighton (@rosecreighton) (Length: 7-10 Hours, Explicit)

Summary: Soulmates have their first words to each other written on their wrists. This should make it easy. For Steve and Tony, it is anything but. Steve's problem is that the future he has awoken into is nothing he was ever expecting: he has a soulmate now. Who might be a robot. And if his soulmate is Iron Man, how can he be so attracted to Tony Stark? It should be impossible. Tony's problem is that he is Iron Man, his soulmate is a man whom he in no way deserves, and he is going to fight everything in his heart and do his best to make sure Steve never, ever finds out the whole truth.

So Far Away From Me read by cookiemom6067 (@cookiemom6067) (Length: 20-30 Minutes, Teen And Up Audiences)

Summary: Captain America has a new hotline, and Tony is a frequent caller -- but for a very unusual reason.

Straight on till Morning read by M_Samro (@msamro) (Length: 10-15 Hours, Explicit)

Summary: Tony Stark resigned his commission in Starfleet five years ago, after a disastrous away mission, and he swore he'd never go back. He just wants to be left alone to build warp engines in peace. But the universe has more in store for him than that, as he discovers when Admiral Fury comes to him with an offer he could never have expected and cannot possibly refuse: first officer and chief engineer aboard the all-new USS Avenger, a starship of Tony's own design. What's more, the Avenger's captain is Steve Rogers, hero of the Earth-Romulan War. Believed dead for over a century, Steve is miraculously alive... and very, very attractive. But nothing is ever easy for Tony. As he wrestles with his secret desire for his new captain and his not-so-dormant fears, another mission starts to go wrong, and Tony becomes aware that Steve has secrets of his own -- and the truth could change everything.

Sucker Punch read by IronAudio (@ironlawyer) (Length: 2-2.5 Hours, Teen And Up Audiences)

Summary: Steve never quite warms to Tony Stark, Avengers benefactor. The Molecule Man never strips Iron Man out of his armor. Life goes on for the Avengers, but as disagreements split the team -- and Shellhead and Winghead -- again and again, Steve wonders why Iron Man always picks Tony over him. And when Steve finds out, it happens in the worst way possible.

To Make Much of Time read by paraka (@paraka) (Length: 2-2.5 Hours, Teen And Up Audiences)

Summary: When Iron Man rejects Steve's romantic advances, Steve is disappointed, but of course he understands -- Iron Man's secret identity is important. But when a portal opens and Tony Stark crashes into their midst from twelve years in the future, Steve starts to suspect that there are more secrets here than he can even begin to comprehend, and neither Iron Man nor Tony are providing any answers.

Veridicality read by hopelesse (Length: 10-20 Minutes, Teen And Up Audiences)

Summary: When Steve is accidentally exposed to a truth serum, Tony learns that Steve has been keeping a lot of feelings hidden.

Wish Fulfillment read by hopelesse (Length: 10-20 Minutes, Mature)

Summary: When Steve hears that Tony is alive again, he does what any Supreme Hydra would do: he captures Tony. Unfortunately for him, it's not the right Tony.

Wonders of the World (The Keep Me Safe from Harm Remix) read by Pywren (@phyrrhicvictory) (Length: 1-1.5 Hours, Explicit)

Summary: Steve, America's top cop, meets Tony, in the middle of launching Resilient, in a hotel room in Seattle. There, Steve finds unexpected comfort in Tony's presence. It wasn't supposed to be an assignation. But then, a snowstorm wasn't supposed to strand them together, either.

Your Name on Every Wall read by The_Casual_Sounds (@the-casual-cheesecake) (Length: 2-2.5 Hours, Teen And Up Audiences)

Summary: The Time Gem throws Steve into the past rather than the future, and in doing so, it gives him the opportunity to undo his past mistakes. But when it turns out that all of his mistakes involve Tony Stark, Steve begins to wonder if he's ever going to be able to mend things between them.

#steve rogers #tony stark #stony #podfic #marvel fic rec

[wrenreid]

Off Limits

content warnings: none(?)

Part Thirteen

Off limits. He said specifically that she was off limits. Sure, he was talking to Morgan, but it applied to everyone in the room - hell, probably everyone on the continent.

And I kissed her.

Because I’m an idiot.

A doe-eyed-seduced idiot.

Hotch might literally kill me if he finds out. Like she said, she was raised my a man who carries two guns.

He could play it off as a case incident, convince the whole team that it’s the truth.

I’m being paranoid. If there’s one thing Jade is not going to do, it’s tell her dad about what happened.

And she was right. It was just kissing. Of course, it was wrong, but it was just kissing. It’s not like we were sleeping together or even touching like that. It was perfectly PG 13. Not a reason for me to be murdered, and not a reason for me to feel guilty.

But I do. I feel like I’ve just done something awful. I lie in bed, my stomach aching. It’s been an hour since I left Hotch’s apartment. 60 minutes since my lips were on his daughter’s.

My mind races with thoughts that attempt to justify actions. I compile a brief list.

One: alcohol was in my system. Alcohol causes us to do things that we usually wouldn’t, especially kissing.

Now, sure, I only had one drink, and it was hours before the incident, but I’m still adding it to the list.

Two: the door step affect. We were right in front of the door of her apartment. It’s a classic, a cliche move.

Three: we were around people kissing at the party. Seeing them was a psychological trigger that caused me to kiss her. It’s science.

My justification list is short, but I think it’s somewhat valid. These three reasons make me feel slightly less guilty about kissing her.

I also feel guilty for the way I left. It wasn’t the nicest thing to kiss someone then leave because it was wrong. It was hypocritical on my part. But I wasn’t wrong about it being wrong.

I just hope she’s not mad. She was upset, I could tell.

———

I’m an idiot. I totally misread the entire situation we’ve had going on, didn’t I?

He doesn’t like me like that. I’m just his boss’s daughter. Like I always have been. He kissed me because… well, I don’t know. Maybe it was the door step affect. Which is totally a real thing. We were at my door, and it was awkwardly silent, and I moved closer so he kissed me… because that’s the thing you do. It’s a total cliche.

Sleep doesn’t come too easily for me, especially since I can still taste him on my lips. He tasted like a mixture of mint and beer, and it actually isn’t a bad combination.

It’s not until at least three hours after he left that I get to sleep.

“When are you headed back?” Dad asks me in the kitchen while he cooks Jack and me breakfast.

I take a small breath. “I’ve actually decided I’m not going back to New York.”

I think Aaron Hotchner nearly had a heart attack at his still youthful, healthy age. “You’re dropping out of college? What about law school? What about you’re future. Jade Brooke Hotchner, you better be joking right now, or so help me-”

“Jesus, Dad, chill out,” I toss my hands up in defense, a slight laugh stifling from me. “I’m not dropping out of school. I’m going online for the rest of the semester. I’ve already talked to the dean and my professors. They understand the toll a death takes on a family.”

“And law school?” He questions, his voice much softer than a moment ago.

“Georgetown has a great law school, and it happens to be only 30 minutes away from home,” I say, a small smile on my face.

My dad ponders all of this information. He sighs, then looks to me with saddened brown eyes. “If this is because of me, I promise I’m okay with you being gone. It’s for your future, Jade. I can take care of everything else.”

“Well, yeah, it’s a little about you. I know it’s easier on you when I’m here. But I also miss you. And I miss the little shit over there,” I motion toward Jack who is coloring aggressively. “And New York’s great, but I like D.C.”

The smile that grows on my father’s face nearly makes me cry. He wraps his arm around me, kissing my head. “God, Jade, you don’t know how happy this makes me. I’ve missed you so much.”

I wipe away a little tear, because he definitely just made me cry. “Ew don’t get all emotional,” I tease, sniffling.

He rolls his eyes and our morning plays out as normal, but I can sense the relief and joy radiating through him.

There’s a knock on the door around noon. Dad and Jack are out on a quest to find lunch to pick up for us, so it’s just me in my pug pajama pants and a cup of coffee.

“Spencer?” I look at him questioningly after opening the door.

“Can we talk?” He asks, playing with his hands.

“About?”

“Jade,” he gives me that sideways-head-tilt look that says ‘You know exactly what I’m talking about.’

I let him in, and we sit on the couch.

“I’m sorry,” Spencer admits.

“For kissing me or for leaving abruptly and hypocritically?”

He sighs. “All of the above.”

I dart my eyes in his direction. “State your case.”

“It shouldn’t have happened, and it was wrong, but it was not considerate of me to leave the way I did,” he explains.

I think on his statement and nod. Acceptable. I suppose. “You’re forgiven.”

A small smile creeps up onto his pink lips. The pink lips that were on mine no less than twelve hours ago. Fuck. No not this again.

“Friends again? I mean that’s what we were, right?” Spencer laughs nervously.

“Right, friends,” I nod. “We’re friends.”

“Good,” he smiles, bumping my shoulder with his.

“Good,” I repeat, letting a small smile overtake my lips too.

“I can’t believe I convinced you to go to a party,” I laugh, looking up at him.

“You must be some wizard or something.”

I roll my eyes. “Or maybe I’m just a really good pre-law student.”

His smile grows, and there’s a tugging in my chest.

“Hey, sweetheart,” my dad comes into my room around 2am. I’m falling asleep, but not quite there yet.

“Is everything okay?” I ask, mumbling.

“Yeah. JJ just called me about a case. We have to leave now, it’s urgent,” he tells me.

I rub my eyes. “Oh. Okay.”

“Text me if you or Jack need anything. I love you.”

“I love you too, Dad,” I say.

He and his pre-packed bag leave the apartment quietly. I sigh softly and lay back down.

Before I can fall asleep, I text my dad a “Be safe.” message. And then I text Spencer the same one.

I hardly look at my phone, especially on cases, but I’m glad I do. Jade’s name is written on my screen along with me words, “Be safe.”

Those two simple words, those six letters, draw a smile on my lips. I don’t know why, but her thinking to send me that makes me happy. But we’re friends, so of course she’d want me to be safe. And by the looks of it, she sent her dad the same message.

Yet, the simple text message makes this way-too/early jet ride bearable. My head leans against the window as Hotch goes over the case. We all give our input and pre-mature theories as we wait for landing.

its my 18th bday🥳🥳

happy criminal minds evolution day!!!

fourteen

tags: @pauline5525mgg @theintimatewriter @lilibet261 @greysviolets @jazzymariexoxoc @one-sweet-gubler @thatsonezesty13 @necromaniackat @awhoreforspencerreid @sebs-oxygen @scarredelirium @bts-sugaplum @awesomeness1679 @preciousbabypeter @yazzyu @cynbx @r3idsp3ncer @1010lizz @tiredbut-here @skulzombiw @lena-1895 @eevee0722 @shakespear-picaso-lovechild @daydreamingqueen1 <3

#criminal minds #criminal minds fanfiction #spencer reid fanfiction #mgg x you #spencer reid angst #spencer reid #spencer reid smut #mgg angst #mgg fic #spencer reid and reader #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid x you #spencer reid x self insert #spencer reid series #spencer reid criminal minds #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid fandom #spencer reid fic #spencer reid fluff #mgg #dilf spencerreid #criminal minds x y/n #spencer reid x fem!readr #spencer reid x reader #criminal minds x reader #spencer reid x oc #spencer reid x original female character #mgg fem!reader #mgg x y/n #matthew gray gubler smut

[cloveroctobers]

PAUL CHO — summer prompts 🍋

A/N: let’s give it up for our beloved himbo, paul 👏🏽 beef is relatively a good show minus that disgusting being that shouldn’t be welcomed back next season. I was just happy to see Steven in more work and was definitely checked in. Although the posts are now dry in the beef tag, especially for Paul! I’m still going to drop this and head out. The Cho bros deserve some love and something easy, although this is mainly Paul focused! The point still stands ☝🏾

PROMPTS from here + using: i. one passes out from heat stroke & ii. 3AM convenient store run for slushies and snacks.

·˚ ◌༘₊ ·˚₊· ͟͞꒰ׂׂૢ ·˚ ◌༘₊ ·˚ ͟͞꒰ׂׂૢ · ·˚ ◌༘₊ ·˚₊· ͟͞꒰ׂׂ�� ·˚ ·˚ ◌༘₊ ·˚₊· ͟͞꒰ׂׂૢ ·˚ ·˚

Paul knew that the both of you shouldn’t have been outside today. He was perfectly fine being locked up in his empty apartment, streaming live on twitch for income with the AC and fans on full blast. However he let you, his best friend persuade him to get out of the house.

Being locked up in the house became a routine after everything went down. Paul didn’t want anyone inside of the apartment, including his own parents who spent their time in a motel while they waited around wishing and praying on Danny’s well-being. Paul cut most of his other friends off and fell into a dark space as everything that unfolded began to truly settle in.

It wasn’t until you came along, threatening and ready to break the door down did Paul let you in. Even if you weren’t talking, he still sorta enjoyed your company since the apartment felt lonely and stuffier than usual.

Despite the warnings of the heatwave, which made news that it would be approaching the city a week prior, you thought it was a good idea to head out to the pier on a early Saturday afternoon.

The both of you took the hour and in a half ride out to the pier, with you driving Danny’s rusted truck since your 2008 Mitsubishi was in your cousin’s shop with its radiator being worked on. The ride was peaceful enough, with the stereo on blast and the windows down but talking about what transpired was Paul’s boundary that you respected while you still came around.

You hoped he would too.

The sun was roasting down on the both of you as you trailed along the deck, a few people were also walking but not much: one woman with an umbrella who carried on in the opposite direction, a elderly man with a bucket hat on was up ahead by the edge fishing, and a family was tending to each other as the mom attempted to soothe her screaming baby who seemed to be upset that their maybe five year old brother smacked their now melting ice cream to the ground, the father seemed to be hiding his laughter with his own ice cream while he kept a tight grip on the leash of their fluffy white dog, until his wife started fussing him out.

Paul watched them for a moment on your way by, even turning over his shoulder to continue watching them while he held onto a yellow slushie, and you were right beside him with your water filled tumbler that you barely took a sip out of.

“The big brother looks like a turd,” Paul comments as he turns back to face your direction.

You shrugged, “I would have yanked my sister by the edges if she did me like that on this hot ass day.”

“He’ll learn.” Paul answers with a small grin by his lips.

He suddenly stops and hands his passion fruit slushie to you, “Hold this for a sec, I’m taking my shirt off. It’s seriously sticking to my stomach.”

Stopping you take the beverage as Paul swiftly yanks his shirt over his head, and throws it over his shoulder before the both of you carry on walking, “That’s better.”

“Did you even put sunscreen on?”

“Of course I did. You only reminded me thirteen hundred times this morning.”

“I mean on your torso, smart ass.” You motioned while Paul glanced downwards and hummed thinking about it.

“Uh…I didn’t think about that. Maybe I would have considered it if we went to a nude beach,” he smirks and bumps his shoulder with yours.

Scoffing you stop walking and reach out to pull on his wrist. Paul turns to you as your now searching your Prada mini backpack for the aerosol free sunscreen.

Paul gives you a look, “really?”

“Yes, really. You are not getting a sunburn on my watch, bestie. I don’t want to hear you bitch and moan about it later. Now be thankful I care and turn around.” You whirled your finger around, while cradling your tumbler underneath your arm and against your stomach as you shook the can about.

Paul rolls his eyes with a sigh before doing so and says, “I better not catch you looking at my ass.”

“Oh, brother.” You mockingly gag while Paul laughs.

You get to work spraying the sunscreen all over his back, hands feeling hot against Paul’s slightly sticky skin, rubbing the white residue in before gripping his shoulder to spin him around to spray his front.

“Go ahead, I’ve always known you wanted to cop a feel.”

“Nope! You’re gonna do that yourself since you want to act like a pig.” You mockingly give him a smile before twisting the can and shoving it into Paul’s hands.

Paul’s laughing as he did the honors and bites down on his bottom lip, “is this doing it for you?”

“You’re nasty,” you scrunched up your nose before throwing the sunscreen back into your expensive bag which was your first big purchase all on your own due to finding your place in the cam career field, “and I’m strongly considering karate kicking you in the throat.”

“Hey! You’re supposed to be hyping me up.”

He began to flex and pose on the pier. Sunlight hitting him just right along with the gold chain around his neck as his tawny skin shined underneath the rays.

“Not when you do douchebag things, babes.” You snapped and pointed at him before you walked away.

Paul’s getting a kick out of annoying you, it’s his thing. Always has been since the both of you went to high school together with you transferring from the east coast sophomore year. It wasn’t a instant thing of being friends, he just knew you since you were basically a friend of a friend’s sister’s new friend. He didn’t know how you did it being friends with his friend’s friend’s sister since she was a know-it-all who eventually ending up working in real-estate according to Facebook.

Imelda “Melly” Alcantara.

She ended up switching up on you senior year by trying to accuse you of flirting with her no good boyfriend that nobody in the friend group liked. He got handsy with you, legit tried to get up underneath your skirt at the lunch table but she only saw one side of it despite her twin brother telling her off and ready to throw hands at her smug boyfriend. Paul always suspected that Nimuel had a crush on you which you denied (he had quite a few girlfriends, some upper and under class throughout the years—basically he was in and out of relationships but all his exes had to say was, “he’s too sweet.”) once the both of you became close.

It would have been interesting to see where Nimuel ended up, since he was the only one that promised to keep in touch with the both of you out of the group. The both of you lost him not long after graduating, one day before his eighteenth birthday to a drunk driver.

Losing anyone is painful but losing someone you thought and wanted to be around forever is a indescribable feeling. You start to think about the what if’s and play the last memory you had of them along with the good ones. The light of the world dimmed a bit that night and that’s probably one of the reasons why you and Paul held on a little tighter to your friendship.

“You actually look like you need the sunscreen more than me,” Paul tells you as he peeks over at you, faintly remembering how hot your skin felt against his back. The sunscreen had to do something about that right? Paul thought.

The both of you were approaching the end of the pier where the seagulls squawked on and fled the closer you got. The sea smelled like salt and seaweed as the turquoise waves rolled underneath your feet, sparkling like diamonds with each way the rays hit the water.

“Hm.”

Your head seemed to pulsate a bit, along with a throbbing pain that started right after. Leaning against the banister, there was a smile that appeared on Paul’s face as he slurped down the rest of his slushie. The sea was kinda therapeutic and shit if you thought about it, Paul thought to himself while your thoughts were placed on mute.

He began speaking randomly about the water but nothing he said was heard. You fell to your right, tumbler clunking to the floor while you now lay on your side. Paul’s eyes are wide in confusion; it takes him seconds to spring up once he realizes it’s you on the ground. If it were any other time he would have assumed you tripped or something, you were kinda clumsy which is why you never made it on the cheerleading team (or step) with your other friend from the friend group, Shaina Kaylock.

Last Paul knew, she was studying to be a doctor and was all grins as she completed her bachelors that she posted on Instagram which was also her circular profile pic. She was always kinda spacey, loved to do shrooms, and was definitely a horse girl so Paul honestly assumed she would be a vet maybe instead of studying to be a whole oncologist.

A doctor’s a doctor right? Paul kinda wished Shaina was here right now you know? Since you just decided to take a nap on him.

“Hey, what the hell? C’mon, stop playing around.” Paul bends and reached over to pull on your bare shoulder but it’s dead weight as you’re now on your back.

He feels his heart almost spike at this image and his breathing halts at the sight of you. He tossed his empty cup to the side now, down on his knees as he grips your jaw and lightly starts tapping on your face. You don’t flinch even when he starts putting more force into those taps. Paul doesn’t even see any specs of sweat by your hair line and your skin feels dry, which is also weird to him since he saw you applying more black girl sunscreen to your face not long after your Uber dropped you off with a pocket mirror as your guide in his living room.

Your skin should at least feel tacky if not damp.

Paul was for sure not a doctor but this was terrifying to see. He’s screaming for help now but of course the pier is now empty before his eyes settle on a tumbler waiting to slide into the ocean. Careful Paul stretches his long limbs out for the bottle and snatches it towards him; he’s unscrewing the top and dumps some of the water on your face.

Still nothing.

Then it registers for him to check his pockets for his phone and he’s telling Siri to call 9-1-1 while his heart feels like it’s about to fall out of his ass.

A heat stroke.

You were so concerned about Paul not having any sunscreen on and you go and have a heat stroke on him.

The irony!

It’s five (if you could sync your thoughts with Paul, you’d tell him it’s nine but that would turn into a whole argument that you were not willing to waste your breath on) in the afternoon and your eyes are not the size of the moon since they’re still very much closed. Paul’s quietly entering back into the room and he notices that the cooling blanket that’s been on you since they loaded you into the ambulance has been removed.

Which means your shivering must have stopped.

Paul’s eyeing you as he listens to your heart rate, walking around your bed to place some snacks down onto the night stand. The minute he does take his eyes off you, Something to the right of him flings out in his direction making Paul jump.

“What the fuck?” His voice booms.

Your laughing while you pull your hand back to rest against your stomach, “gotcha!” You say before you fall into a coughing mess.

The scowl on Paul’s face turns to concern as he holds the slushie up to your lips, leaving you to take a sip and allow the blueberry slush to melt in your mouth.

“Yeah, I see you’re doing somewhat better.” He places it back on the stand before pulling a chair closer to your bed.

Slowly blinking you say, “…where am I? Who are you?”

“This isn’t a joke. I thought it was over for you and you’re still not out of the woods yet so I’d knock it off if I were you.” Paul folds his arms in front of himself.

So serious, that one.

You already knew this since there was a nurse who was in here not too long before Paul came back. She removed the blanket once there was no shivering and told you they were waiting on your urine test along with some other stuff you forgot, considering you were half-awake. You were sure the doctor would be back whenever since you hardly got any sleep in this kind of place.

“Oh-Kay then Paul, what did you bring me?”

Paul rolls his head to the side as he peeks at the snacks he went out and got for you. He knew how much hospital food sucked taking into account the one night he stayed up here with Danny, telling him exactly how he’s made him feel and that sure he’s wanted him out of his life but that didn’t mean Paul wanted his big brother dead.

He wasn’t sure what the nature of their relationship would be once he woke up and Paul was sure his parents would want them to mend it. However he was tired of his parents wanting him to sweep shit under the rug and ignoring the problem. It was time for Paul to do his own shit, for real this time.

Being in the same hospital Danny laid in was making Paul uneasy and you joking about your health without knowing the end result was making Paul triggered honestly. He’s also saw Amy on his way in but he didn’t want to bring that up either.

“I’ve got all your favorites. I didn’t want you to starve in here, your options are: mambas, sea salt and olive oil popcorn, lemon zing pistachios, or chocolate orange crips.” He blinks back over to you.

You reach for the crisps but Paul smacks your hand down, “I got you, relax.”

He pops the bag open for you while you hold your hand out for the snack. You waste no time slapping the orange crisps into your mouth and hum while exhaling in content, eyes closed.

Paul sniffs at the snack and pops one into his mouth, “it better be worth it for the price I paid for these.”

He shrugs after tasting it before tossing it up into your lap before folding his arms along the edge of the hospital bed. He places his chin on top of his clasped hands while you happily eat your snack before focusing on the energy of the room.

“We’re gonna be alright, kid. What did Bob tell us on the ride up to the pier?”

“I don’t want to quote fucking Bob Marley right now.”

“Well…” you clutched your pearls, “this is my message to you-o-o: thanks for the snacks and being here.”

Paul’s eyes are on yours now, “where else would I be? I’m not going anywhere.”

You shush him, “just take my love and don’t question it.”

“Fine…only if you agree to make out with me.”

“And he’s back! Over.” You respond into a makeshift walkie.

Paul winks just as you poke his cheek with a tired smile. He sits up after awhile, watching the profile of you as you seem to be okay and worked up a appetite when you probably needed more fluids on top of the IV in your left hand right now. You were always stunning to Paul no matter the stage and he almost passed out himself when you stood up from the couch in that tube dress you had on earlier.

Yet he had to keep his composure because you were simply his best friend. Although it slipped out sometimes and you brushed it off as mere flirting majority of the time, there were truths behind a good portion of Paul’s past statements. Putting the shallowness aside, he always admired how you were able to adjust to any situation and if the situation required for you to have a moment, you allowed it to be felt and picked yourself up just to carry on. You were also very nurturing which provided balance to Paul’s tenderness.

“I don’t know…you okay over there Pauly Wally? You’re looking like you’re a little bit in love.” You joke.

I might be.

Paul snorts instead and uses his fingers to close your eyes for you, “I think you need another nap.”

You laugh just as a knock is heard at the door. Both of your eyes turn to the door as Paul’s hand drops to rest against the one that just hid the crips behind your pillow. The both of you feel your lips twitch as the doctor enters the room, one of your fingers lifting to intertwine with Paul’s as the doctor is ready to deliver some news while the heat continues to steam outside.

·˚ ◌༘₊ ·˚₊· ͟͞꒰ׂׂૢ ·˚ ◌༘₊ ·˚ ͟͞꒰ׂׂૢ · ·˚ ◌༘₊ ·˚₊· ͟͞꒰ׂׂૢ ·˚ ·˚ ◌༘₊ ·˚₊· ͟͞꒰ׂׂૢ ·˚ ·˚

Continue along with my summer anthology prompts here.

#Spotify #beef #beef netflix #Paul Cho #Paul Cho x reader #Paul Cho x black! reader #Danny Cho #amy lau #young mazino #summer prompts #summer prompt #queued

[shuadotcom]

Crush on You | HJS

❄ Summary: Joshua hates the idea of you being all alone for winter break so he wants to surprise you.

❄ Pairing: Joshua x GN!Reader

❄ Genres & AUs: Fluff, friends to lovers au, college au

❄ Rating: PG

❄ Warnings: None just Joshua being the sweetest

❄ Words: 3.3k

❄ Note: First fic of 2023! Big thank you to @toikiii​ for reading this over for me! This is an old fic of mine that I’ve been meaning to get around to rewriting when I was feeling especially soft. My brain simply would not rest and I literally couldn’t work on any other wip until I got some of these Joshua feelings out. The swiftness at which he shot up my bias list since last year is unfair because I didn’t ask to be this down bad for him, yet here I am.

I told myself I’d start working on my Seventeen wips in the new year and here we are - soft hours for Joshua are open forever!

Being broke during winter break sucks. Being broke during winter break and alone sucks even more. Being broke during winter break and being alone and being in a whole different country sucks the most.

You plan on buying your plane ticket to go home for the break early on. You tell yourself over and over again that you’re going to get it months ahead of time. Of course what you plan and what actually happens are two different things.

September is when you’re going to get the round-trip ticket. If you get it out of the way three months in advance, you won’t have to worry about doing anything last minute or having to pay more as the day grows closer. You have the money in your account and as soon as you finish your homework for the week, you’ll sit down, get the ticket, and plan the trip.

Unfortunately, you make the fatal mistake of allowing all of your friends to squeeze into your dorm room to celebrate the coming weekend. Thanks to the half-full bottle of soju that spilled all over your laptop, you learn two things that day; one is to never let a group of college boys drink excessive amounts of alcohol in your dorm room. The second thing is to never let a drunk Kwon Soonyoung anywhere near your expensive things ever again. Ever.

October rolls around and after buying a new computer and making sure Soonyoung knows that he’s indebted to you for basically the rest of his life, you’re back to saving up again. That’s short-lived though when you leave your backpack, which just so happens to have most of your textbooks in it, on the train.

This time you mostly blame Seungkwan. There’s a new restaurant opening in Gangnam that he really wants to try and everyone else is either busy or doesn’t want to go. He has to bribe you with a free meal, but you ultimately agree.

The problem is, he gets so caught up in trying things and gushing over the food that you miss your train back to campus, meaning you’ll likely be late for curfew. He pays the bill and the two of you sprint to the train to catch the next one. Once you reach your stop, you have to push through the abnormally crowded train passengers to get out, and in the process, your backpack is forgotten on the seat you and Seungkwan shared and you don’t realize that your bag isn’t slung over either of your shoulders until the train is long gone. While, yes you blame the incident on your forgetfulness, Seungkwan had told you that he'd carry your backpack and then didn’t so it’s still partially his fault.

November is your fault, which you can admit. Dragging along as many of your thirteen closest friends as will go with you to a SHINee pop-up shop in Busan means more planning and money than you account for. At the time all you have on your mind is getting your hands on as many limited edition fan items as possible, but once you’re faced with the double-digit number in your bank account, irresponsibility and guilt settle heavily on your shoulders.

December brings on tests and projects almost nonstop which barely leaves enough time for you to sleep and eat, so your mind is on school and school alone. You’ve seen the holiday decorations and heard plenty of people talking about the upcoming break, but your homework takes precedence over anything else.

After months of excuse after excuse, and you simply forgetting, here you are now; alone while all of your friends have already gone home for break, most of them only having to hop on a train to get there. Barely anyone is on campus at all and the few students that did stay back are unfamiliar to you so you choose the solitude of your own room for the next week.

Your family doesn’t have the funds to get you a ticket, so your financial irresponsibility is your problem and yours alone. Of course, your friends offer to pay for your ticket home, which when you decline, their next suggestion is to let you go home with one of them, but you turn them all down on that offer too. You want them to enjoy their time with their families and not have to worry about their foreign friend tagging awkwardly along.

You regret your decision just a little bit as you trek through the freshly fallen snow to the bus stop. The fact that the school's cafeteria would be closed with most of the staff gone, hadn't occurred to you either, which is why you found yourself in the small tteokbokki place about fifteen minutes away from school on New Year’s eve.

You’re in the middle of grumpily stuffing your face full of rice cakes when your phone rings on the table. After glancing at the contact name and photo, you quickly swallow the food in your mouth before swiping your finger across the screen to answer the phone.

“Yeah?”

“Is that any way to greet your lovely friend?” A chuckle comes through the line making you scoff while simultaneously trying to ignore your rapid heartbeat.

“You're Joshua, you don't count.”

“Are you saying if I was Jihoon or Jeonghan you would've answered nicer?!” He gasps in faux offense.

“I don't know, maybe. Neither of them has hit me in the face with a door you know,” you taunt, trying not to laugh. You’ll never let him live down the fact that your first time meeting was due to him accidentally smacking you in the face with the door to your shared math class.

“How long are you gonna keep bringing that up?! I said I was sorry!” Joshua lets out a deep sigh and you can practically hear him sulking over the phone. “Anyway, where are you?”

“Tteokbokki,” you simply answer, not needing to explain where since he’ll know “Why?”

“Go back to your room.”

“What?”

“I sent you something and you have to hurry back, like, now.”

“Bu-”

“I'm serious you have to go now. I’ll time you and if you aren't there in less than twenty minutes, I'm sending it back.”

“You can’t just unsend a mailed gift!”

The sound of the dial tone is his reply.

You usually aren’t one to listen to people demanding you to do things. You can admit to being pretty stubborn and petty at times and you can proudly say no if you didn't want to do something.

Well, unless the one telling you what to do was Joshua Hong.

You did a flawless job (in your opinion) of hiding the fact that you’ve, more or less, fallen for one of your best friends. All of your male friends were handsome and fun to be around, but there is something about Joshua that you can’t put your finger on, but it makes you feel so many things for him. His sweet smiles always make your heart practically beat out of your chest. His laughter makes you weak in the knees; the sound is like your favorite song. Anytime you sit close to him, you find yourself daydreaming of being more than friends, the urge to hold his hand always at the forefront of your mind.

Obviously, you haven’t told a single soul about this and you plan to keep it that way. The last thing you need is to disrupt the dynamic of your newfound family with a silly little crush, but you still can’t help the giddy feeling you get around him or the way that you tend to do nearly anything he asks of you.

Today is no expectation as you promptly stand up, throw away your trash, and beeline out of the restaurant and to the bus stop to go back to campus.

With your boots caked in snow, palms sweaty, and breathing labored from fast-walking to get here, you’re back at your building and rushing into your room. Upon stepping inside, you instantly note that it looks different than the way you left it.

Your walls, which are usually covered in posters, now have sparkly, silver stars hanging haphazardly around the room. There’s a string of blinking fairy lights hung up on the ceiling, a few feet above your head and there’s a candle burning that smells strongly of sugar cookies. Sitting on your desk is a small artificial Christmas tree complete with rainbow-blinking lights and a little gold star on the top. Your eyes only scan these things briefly before they land on the man sitting cross-legged in the middle of your bed. His phone is next to him, playing a soft R&B song that you can’t name, but it sounds nice. He’s wearing a red and white sweater and a glittery ‘Happy New Year’ headband. Joshua’s wide, bright smile completes the ensemble.

“Surprise!” Joshua bounces off your bed and throws his arms in the air.

You’re still standing in the doorway, unsure of what to even say. A jumble of things runs through your mind, but the only thing you manage to get out is, “How'd you even get those lights on the ceiling? You’re not that tall.”

Joshua throws his head back and laughs in response. “I show up here when I'm supposed to be at home and turn your room into what looks like the holidays threw up in it, and that's what you say to me?”

As if a switch is flipped, you snap out of your daze and kick your soggy shoes off, tossing your coat on the back of your desk chair and plopping down on the edge of your bed.

“Okay then, why are you not in California and how did you do this?” You try your best not to sound as giddy as you feel and ignore the somersaults your stomach is doing under your sweater.

“Well, as you know I did go home.”

“Yes, we all facetimed for Christmas I’m aware.”

“Don’t interrupt!” He playfully scolds, and it makes your face heat up. “As I was saying, I went home, but I was still thinking about you here alone and I just couldn’t stop imagining you sitting here with no one to celebrate any of the holidays with and I hated it. So, I bought a plane ticket and got back here this morning to surprise you. I actually didn’t know if you’d be in your room or not, but when I came by you were already gone so I let myself in and decided this was a better surprise than showing up with the decorations in my arms and making you put them up with me. Worked pretty well I'd say.” Joshua pats himself on the back and admires his work with a pleased grin.

“Okay… but why?”

“Why what?” Joshua sits on the bed next to you, your body going rigid. You try to create some distance between the two of you, the usual butterflies in your stomach going insane.

“Why did you go through the trouble of setting all of this up and leaving your family? During the holidays of all time.”

Joshua's face is suddenly serious as he turns towards you. “Because I know you. I know when you're unhappy, even when you try and hide it. You've been unhappy all month and I could tell. When you’re sad about something you get weirdly quiet all the time, whether you notice or not. You also get more agitated than usual and you stare off into space a lot.” He scoots closer to you ever so carefully. “We've known each other for two years so I've had plenty of time to pick up little things about you. I probably know more about you than you think.” Joshua shrugs and glances away from you. His tone has been casual, but you don’t miss the blush that spreads over his face.

“So… you ditched your family early to come back to school during break and spent your time and money on decorations for my room because you wanted me to not be unhappy?”

“Well, I mean you're my friend, obviously.” His face is still turned away from you, but the strain in his voice is noticeable. Seeing Joshua act so flustered gives you a boost of unexpected confidence, so you decide to see how far you can push this conversation. Admitting that you have a crush on him terrifies you to no end, but maybe you can gauge his feelings.

“But I'm also friends with Mingyu and Chan and they didn't go out of their way to do this for me.”

“Yeah, but they're not clever enough to think of doing this. And they're also nowhere near as nice as I am.”

“What about Wonwoo? He's pretty smart. And Seungcheol is actually the sweetest man I've ever met. If anyone would've planned all of this, it would've been him,” you say matter-of-factly.

Joshua finally turns to look at you then, clearly offended.

“What do you mean?! I’m very sweet! How about that time I brought you all of your homework and let you copy my lecture notes that whole week you were sick! And the time last year that I surprised you with EXID tickets for your birthday! And let us not forget all the food I’ve made and bought you when you have cravings! I’m so nice I don't know how you stand it! Seungcheol sucks." He puffs out his cheeks and crosses his arms, a pout forming on his perfect lips.

You have to turn your head and change the giggle you nearly let out into a cough.

“Well yeah, but Seungcheol always compliments me. He also makes sure that when he gets coffee for himself before our Tuesday morning class, that he brings me a caramel latte since he knows it’s my favorite. You've never brought me anything before our class.”

Joshua’s brown eyes stare into yours as you talk, his jaw clenching in annoyance, but you keep talking. “Oh! And he always holds doors open for me. Let's not forget what happened the last time you and a door were anywhere near me.”

“Not this again -” He groans out through gritted teeth.

“And, Seungcheol also makes sure any restaurants we go have plenty of nut-free options for my allergy and -” Joshua grabs your waist, tugging you forward and sending you falling against his chest. When you look up at him and your eyes meet, he hesitates for only a second before bringing his lips to meet yours.

He moves his hands up to cup your face and turns his head, aligning your lips at a better angle. Your fingers grip the front of his sweater, hands bunching up the fabric.

Kissing Joshua Hong is only something that you dream about and keep to yourself, but this moment, right now with him, is better than any scenario your brain has conjured up on its own.

The two of you lose track of time, nothing mattering except how soft Joshua’s lips are and how good he smells, and how warm his hands on you are.

It isn’t until you need to breathe do both of you pull back slowly, neither of you really wanting to do so. Once your eyes flutter open, they widen, the realization of what just happened hitting you. Joshua on the other hand looks much more relaxed - relieved even.

“I can’t believe you kissed me,” you breathe out, almost in a whisper, afraid that if you’re too loud you’ll wake up from what you’re still convinced may be a dream.

“I can’t believe you kissed me back.” The two of you share a quiet laugh.

“Is that why you came back to do all of this for me?”

Joshua gives you a look that very much feels like a non-verbal ‘duh!’ “I thought it was obvious honestly. I’ve wanted to kiss you since I first met you.”

“With my bloody nose and all, huh?”

His pretty face twists in agony at your teasing. “You’re going to make me apologize for the rest of my life about the door huh?”

“Yeah, probably.”

“Our kids are going to ask how we met and you’re going to tell them that their father nearly knocked you out and had to rush you to the campus infirmary and how for the rest of the day I stalked you around school to make sure you didn’t randomly pass out because I gave you brain damage.”

You chuckle at his dramatics, telling your heart to stop trying to leap out of your chest at the idea of kids and a future with Joshua. You’ve been more than friends for less than an hour at least - you have got to calm down.

“Oh, before I forget, no more talking about Seungcheol like that anymore, okay? And I'm going to tell him not to bring you lattes in the morning because I'm going to do it.”

“But your classes on Tuesdays don’t start until eleven.”

“Guess I'll just have to get up early and meet you then. I’m going to be nicer than Seungcheol can ever hope to be. You’re mine now so no one can be nicer to you than me.”

“Whatever you say, Shua.” You roll your eyes at him, fighting back a giddy smile.

“Good. Now that that's settled, let’s pack a bag for you.” Joshua hops off of the bed and drags your suitcase out from under your bed.

“What? Why?”

“You wouldn’t let me buy you a plane ticket back home, so you're coming home with me,” he says as he bounds over to your closet. Just as you open your mouth to object, he puts a hand up. “You're not going to spend the rest of the break here alone. I got a round-trip ticket for myself and one for you too. The flight leaves tomorrow morning, so we should get your stuff ready now.”

Crossing your arms, you watch him casually look through your clothes. “And what if I didn’t like you back? You didn’t even know that I felt the same way about you.”

He only shrugs. “Honestly? I didn’t plan that far ahead. I just wanted to get to you so you weren’t lonely anymore and I’d figure it out from there.” He emerges with an armful of your sweaters, beginning to neatly fold them and set them in your open suitcase. “But now I don’t have to vanish off the face of the planet due to embarrassment and a broken heart which is good because I told my parents I was bringing you back. My mom is super excited to meet you.”

The thought of going home with your friends was awkward to you which is why you turned everyone down. The thought of going home with your used-to-be-friend-who-is-now-your-boyfriend makes you just as nervous, if not more, but even so, you don’t object as you join Joshua in packing your things and set your bag by your door for the morning.

The two of you spend the rest of the night cuddling, something you never want to stop doing with him as long as you live. When the countdown to midnight starts, you watch on your laptop as a new station counts down and as soon as midnight hits, Joshua’s pulling you into another kiss, this one just as magical as the first.

Your lips are still tingling when he pulls away and rests his forehead against yours.

“Happy New Year, Y/n.”

“Happy New Year, Shua.”

Sleep comes next for both of you, Joshua mentioning that the flight is pretty early and that you need your rest before dealing with the chaos of the airport. He rambles a little as you fall asleep, going on about wanting to take you to all his favorite places back home. Just hearing the excitement in his voice helps you decide that maybe visiting his family wouldn't be so bad. Especially if he keeps kissing you the way he does and looking at you with those soft, sparkling eyes. Hell, if he asked you to fly to the moon with him right now, you’ll likely say yes without a second thought and not regret a single thing. Not as long as you’re with him.

#kvanity #joshua hong #joshua hong fic #joshua hong fanfic #joshua fic #joshua fanfic #joshua fluff #joshua hong fluff #joshua x reader #seventeen x reader #seventeen fic #seventeen fanfic #seventeen fluff #hong jisoo

[benkyoutobentou]

31 Days of Productivity Reading: Retrospective

This ended up being an entire essay so I had to make it into its own post!

How did my goals turn out? I'm so glad you asked.

Finish No. 6 volume 3

[X] Read [half of] 憎らしい彼

Read 独り舞

Read at least ten volumes of manga

[30/31] Read at least an hour per day

Personally, I think I did alright with my goals, especially considering how busy I was during the first few weeks of the month. I only missed my reading goal one day out of the month! I'm happy with that! That one miss was definitely odd though. The very next day, I found myself debating if I should still hit the hour mark. After all, I had already missed one day. What's one more? But I squashed that thought and continued on as though I never missed at all. Missing only once is better than missing twice!

During the course of this challenge, I finished twelve books (two novels and ten manga volumes) and started one more novel. The two novels I finished were No. 6 volume three by Asano Atsuko and 独り舞 by Li Kotomi, the novel I started but didn't get around to finishing was 憎らしい彼 by Nagira Yuu (which is the second book in the美しい彼 series). The manga volumes that I read were 僕らの地球の歩き方 (5) by Sorai Mone, 光が死んだ夏 (4) by Mokmok Len, ベルサイユのばら (1, 2) by Ikeda Riyoko, ３月のライオン (5) by Umino Chica, and ロンリーガールに逆らえない (1-5) by Kashikaze. If I were forced to pick a favorite of the month, I think I would have to choose volume five of ボクチキ but I feel like that's kind of cheating, since it's already my favorite manga series. Most of what I read during the month ended up being continuations of series that I had previously started reading, and I only read two completely new to me things (独り舞 and ロンガル).

Did my physical tbr shrink during this challenge? No! Not at all! Yikes! At the beginning of the month, I got a huge package of eighteen books from a lovely friend over on Instagram who doesn't read Japanese and was getting rid of them anyways. Then, I found the entirety of Basara at a used book shop and picked up the first five volumes. I want to start reading more older and classic shoujo, so this was the perfect opportunity to pick up a series that I probably wouldn't have read otherwise. So in the end, my Japanese tbr ended up expanding by thirteen books, but at least it didn't expand by twenty three, right?

As much as this challenge was a success, it was also a failure. I started this challenge to encourage myself to prioritize reading in my schedule and, honestly, that didn't happen as much as I had hoped. I talked a bit about this with a neighbor who wants to practice piano more, but I think that sometimes, putting emphasis on something can create a mental block, no matter how much you enjoy the activity. Especially with a challenge like this, I constantly felt like I had to have enough time to read. What even is enough time to read? Instead of picking up a book whenever and wherever, I was trying to force time for it, which just ended up making it so that I would push off reading until the very end of the day. It's the same as with practicing piano. If you stop to play a little song when you have five minutes, you'll probably play a lot more in the day than if you specifically try to find enough time for a full hour long practice session. Often, those little pick ups turn into a lot more if you let them.

I mentioned this a bit before, but I'd like to say it again and possibly expand on it. I think I'd like to bring this challenge back in a few months, but instead of focusing on time spent, focus more on page count. This would encourage those small pick ups rather than discourage them, as I felt this timing method did. Each time I wanted to read, I had to start the timer, stop it every time I got interrupted, and overall it was kind of a pain. Definitely not the ideal reading circumstances.

One thing that I did like about the timing system was being able to see my average reading speed. My average speed ended up being a little bit faster than what I had previously thought! My guess before this was about five minutes per novel page. I'm not a whole lot faster than that, but small progress is still progress! It was also interesting to see how my reading speed differed between different manga series and wh that was. I read some series that I knew were slower reads for me (３月のライオン) and some that I knew would be easier (ロンガル) but actually seeing the differences in the way the manga was written and drawn and how that related to my reading speed was interesting. I didn't get to all the manga series I wanted to in the end, but I won't stop reading just because this challenge is over.

Overall, I am really glad that I did this challenge. I had a lot of fun writing these updates each day and I am glad that I got through some books on my tbr, even if I would have liked to have made a bit more progress than I did. Expect to see more of this in the future! Just, maybe not the super near future. I'm also thinking of other fun reading challenges to do... Someone I follow on Instagram has an immersion bingo board that they complete each month, so maybe I could do that with my Japanese rads? Much to be considered... Until next time!

#i actually found that i kinda had choice paralysis today #i started two different (eng) books today and really should get to my library book #and im also kinda feeling like i might pick up a volume of manga tomorrow (today when you see this) #benkyou posting #langblr #studyblr #language learning #polyglot #30 days of productivity #booklr

[freddieslater]

20 or 27 for Hensper? Your choice, or maybe you can include both? Up to you! Thanks!

It's only fair, after all of the hard work that Henry does in a day, that he deserves to sleep. Jasper doesn't even mind that he's chosen to pass out with his head in his lap. He lay down about a half hour ago when he came into the Man Cave, and told him he wasn't going to sleep, he just had a sore head and needed to rest his eyes.

He's been dropping in and out since then. He keeps mumbling that he's awake and tells Jasper to pick up the conversation where he dropped it when he noticed his eyelids going.

'Why don't you just go home?' Jasper asks. 'You know, to get some real sleep? In your bed?'

Henry scrunches up his face and shakes his head. He reaches up like he's trying to literally swat him away but instead just sort of ends up... caressing his face.

'No, no... 'm fine,' he murmurs. His thumb somehow ends up on Jasper's bottom lip. 'I'm just... resting. What... what were you saying? The, uh... the thing... about the thing...'

To his credit, he tries to keep his eyes open. His hand flops onto his forehead with a thlup. He groans quietly.

Jasper chuckles and gently moves his hand from his forehead to his chest. 'You're so cute when you're half asleep like this.' He doesn't let go of his hand, smoothing each of his fingers out at the knuckles. 'Actually, you're always cute. But especially like this.'

It's probably a good thing there's no one else here to hear this. Charlotte's looking after the shop up above for him on his break, Ray is sleeping off the day's work in his room, and Schwoz is taking his sister back to the airport.

There's no one else here. Henry's probably way too tired to actually take in anything being said to him right now. It's probably like a vivid dream.

Even so, Henry smiles sleepily, his brows furrowing as he murmurs, 'You think I'm cute?'

Jasper nods. 'Of course I do. You're adorable.'

It's not like he doesn't say it at least five times a day. It's still worth it to see his reaction, the way he sort of rolls his head toward Jasper and spreads his fingers between his own.

Jasper closes his fingers to be properly holding his hand. It draws a slight murmur out of Henry, as well as that sleepy smile once again.

'Do you remember when we weren't, you know?' He lightly motions their hands. 'Like this?'

Henry's eyebrows do their little dance again. 'Secret superheroes?'

'No,' Jasper says. 'Like this. You and me. Together.'

'Oh,' Henry murmurs, then shakes his head. 'Not really. It always just felt like...' he takes a deep sigh and shrugs lazily, '...we were more than friends. You know?'

'Yeah, I think I do,' Jasper agrees sincerely. 'You know, I remember practising how to ask you out in the mirror.'

Henry laughs lightly and, finally, his eyes flutter back open to look up at him, waking up a little. 'Seriously?'

'Mhm. When we were... thirteen. Then you started talking about Kid Danger all the time, and I started to think you had a crush on him, so I kind of backed away.'

'Oh.' Henry reaches up and purposefully finds his face this time, stroking his cheek fondly, his gaze half-lidded. 'You're so cute. For the record, I'd definitely pick you over Kid Danger.'

Jasper smiles then stops. 'Wait, but you're Kid Danger.'

'Exactly,' Henry says. 'I'd still pick you, Jasp. Always.'

He's still a little bit confused, but he chalks it down to Henry's exhausted state for his slight incoherence. He kisses his forehead, making him go cross-eyed.

'You're a dork,' he tells him fondly.

#henry danger #hensper #jenry #henry hart #jasper dunlop #henry x jasper #jasper x henry #ask away earthlings! #oh look a wild anonymous #I'm so happy I got a hensper request thank you anon!! #these two are just so sweet <3

[hebuiltfive]

Thundertober Day Fifteen: Piano

... Sorry for another sad fic. This one was inspired by Maisie Peters' song 'Two Weeks Ago', which is about a break-up but of course I twisted it into this. Tissues at the ready...

AO3 here

Days: One ~ Two ~ Three ~ Four ~ Five ~ Six ~ Seven ~ Eight ~ Nine ~ Ten ~ Eleven ~ Twelve ~ Thirteen ~ Fourteen

Warnings for: Grieving/Mourning/Loss "Now this songs for you, and it's all I have, and I wish it was two weeks ago." Jeff finds solace in playing Lucille's piano. Tagging: @thunder-tober@skymaiden32@idontknowreallywhy@mrmustachious

Did she know how much he had loved her?

Had he said it enough? Had he shown her enough?

Vows that had been made which had promised forever now seemed meaningless. Naive.

Because forever wasn’t possible. It had never been possible, but he had believed it.

The bubble had been burst, and now he was alone.

He felt that more acutely in the early hours of the day, before the sun had even risen.

The funeral had been yesterday. There had been so many people who had turned up. Some had been family, some had been friends, others had been colleagues and there were a few who had shown their face as a way of supporting the family who had been devastated by tragedy.

He’d heard many voices throughout the day, some he recognised and others that were unfamiliar to him.

“… so tragic…”

“… and with such a young family too…”

Jeff had tried to block them out. He had tried to block it all out. There were five young boys who still needed him, after all. He couldn’t afford to lose it.

But, in those early hours when only he was awake, Jeff allowed himself time to mourn.

It had taken him two weeks to even look in the direction of Lucille’s piano. She had only just started to teach Gordon, as she had once taught the older three. Only Virgil had seemed to inherit her talents, and by how the lessons had been going, Gordon wasn’t going to become a virtuoso like his older brother, but that wasn’t the point.

Gordon would never be able to finish those lessons with her.

Hell, no-one would ever be able to hear her play again.

He sat himself down on the stool, running a hand over the closed fallboard. Only two weeks and yet dust had already begun to gather. He swung the lid open, taking in the sight of the ivory keys. A sob slipped out.

Fingers pressed gently. Middle C.

Then another. D.

Jeff worked his way up the scale, then all the way down to the lowest key.

It rang out hollow, as though it mirrored his soul.

Before he knew it, he was softly playing one of Lucille’s favourite pieces. He was by no means as competent in his playing as she had been, but Jeff knew how to play the basics. Through his teary eyes, he missed a few keys here and there, but continued despite the errors.

A hand rested on his shoulder, a tender touch Jeff almost mistook for Lucille.

His son.

Virgil’s eyes were red and stains down his cheek marked the tears that had recently fallen.

How foolish Jeff had been to play so soon after her passing. How inconsiderate he had been to—

“You’re in the wrong key.” Virgil explained, shuffling into the space on the bench beside his father. “It’s supposed to be played in F Sharp, which are these chords instead.”

Jeff watched his second son’s fingers glide over ivory with expert precision and for a second, he didn’t see Virgil.

He had been trying his hardest to not break-down in front of his boys but, in that moment, the dam burst and Jeff couldn’t help it. Virgil stopped playing and looped one arm around his father’s shoulders. They sat for a while, sobbing and remembering and wishing they could reverse time. Two weeks ago wasn’t that far. Two weeks ago was nothing in the grand scope of the universe. And yet, two weeks ago might as well have been two centuries ago.

In the following months, seeing the piano became easier. Jeff encouraged Virgil to play, especially when Alan was having difficulty getting to sleep. 

The more it was used, the less painful it became. 

The more it was used, the more if felt like Lucille was still with them.

The more it was used, the easier the grieving became.

#thundertober 2023 #thunderbirds fanfiction #five fics #jeff tracy #virgil tracy #thunderbirds are go