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emberfrostlovesloki · 3 months

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The Cherry on Top [Hotch x Reader]

Photo credits: Center Left (@bau-bitch02) (@agentdilfhotchner) Right (@thyme-in-a-bubble)

Prompt: When the reader gets drugged on a case, she inadvertently tells Aaron about all the dreams she’s had with him. He then has to decide how he’s going to move forward with information that leaves him needy and wanting of the reader.

Pairing: Aaron x fem!BAU!reader. The reader uses she/her pronouns

Category: angst/smutt

Word Count: 16.7K

A/N: Hi loves! First off, this story is 18+, minors DNI. Please respect this boundary. Content Warnings are below the cut. Here is another fic based on the amazing @imagining-in-the-margins January/February Writing Challenge. The prompt this was based on was “Characters decide to try something new in the bedroom.” I wrote this fic specifically for my friend @tgskitten who always gives me such encouragement! ILY. I also want to shout out @silk-spun for reading all my snippets and hyping me up SO MUCH! This is a slow burn to smut and I hope it brings you as much joy as it did me. I had a lot of fun writing the smut scenes and I hope the build-up is worth it (pun intended). If you enjoy this fic, likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated! I hope you’re having a great start to your week and thanks for reading. Love Levi - ❤️

Content Warnings: Death by overdose [victims of unsub], drugging [reader], misogyny/sexism [slight], hospitals, sex [fingering (reader receiving) p in v (Hotch and reader) oral (implied reader)] dom!Aaron/praise kink [slight]. Use of pet names [love. Kitten, my girl].

List with all stories

_y/n_ = your name

_y/c/e_’s = your color eyes

_c/t_ = coffee or tea

_y/c/e_ = your color eyes

_y/l/n_ = your last name

_y/h/t_ = your hair type

_y/f/c_ = your favorite color

Aaron had been on over a hundred cases at this point in his career. He thought he had seen just about everything there was to see on a case. That was until the BAU headed out to New York City for the new case. In a city of 8.4 million, something big had to happen to get the attention of the massive police force or other authorities in the City that Never Sleeps. The eclectic death of eight people due to an ecstasy overdose in the dance club scene in the Bronx was strange enough to have the NYPD baffled and get the BAU involved. With over fifteen clubs covering the area, the police and other local law enforcement did their best to canvas the area, but had yet to find anyone. Similarly, finding the distributor of the drug was just as difficult for the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force due to the large amount so illegal uppers and downers that were handed out, bought, or stolen in the club scene every week. The team had debriefed the case in the conference room, gone over the lengthy victim’s list, and boarded the jet. During the short hour-long flight, the team tried to throw as much out on the table as possible. JJ and Emily were looking at the victims to see if there were any connections. Rossi and Aaron were thinking about priors while Emily thought about the varieties that the profile was showing and trying to cut any unnecessary leads or possibilities. Lastly, Spencer and _y/n_, the newest addition to the team, were looking at a map of the area where the attacks had taken place so far. The young duo also looked at similar clubs in that borough to see if there were connections in the locations. The pattern seemed to be that the first three attacks had happened in a cluster at the center of the club scene moving outward. There had been only one death at each club so far. Whether this pattern would hold was unknown, but so far it seemed like the unsub was staying consistent. Therefore, Spence and _y/n_ tried to think of the best place to canvas first. The duo debated the size of the clubs, the atmosphere, and the pricing to get into each establishment. They needed to narrow down the choices to four clubs so that the team not waste any time once they landed. The team tossed the proverbial ball around the cabin of the jet. Whenever any of the small groups needed a fresh perspective they would ask the other members of the team for their perspectives. This was one of the things that _y/n_ loved about the team. There was a fierce focus on each of the subgroups, but when help was needed or an important fact was noted, it was shared with the group. This way the team was up to date with everyone. The communication with the team always kept _y/n_ on her toes. It was like watching a basketball change hands midway across the court. One such example was when JJ said, “Just a reminder that the last two victims were underage. Jessica was nineteen and Lina-Lee was eighteen-years-old. Aaron and _y/n_ looked over the JJ and both said, “Got it.” Though it might seem like a curt response, there wasn’t time for extra words or thank you’s at the beginning of a case. At the start of a case, it was all thinking caps and coming up with a practical plan. That being said, the information was useful to both groups. Aaron turned to Rossi and softly said, “So the unsub doesn’t care about age. They’ve killed people ranging from eighteen to thirty-one. Rossi nodded and stated, “So it’s less likely that these killings are meant to target any certain group. Revenge becomes less of a factor and psychopathic tendencies are more likely.” “Right,” Hotch said as he added two more names of previous killers that better matched the new information. Similarly, _y/n_ and Reid started to look at clubs that seemed to have a reputation for letting in those who were below twenty-one.

_y/n_took a moment to look over the team. She was still surprised that she was here. Her hard work and dedication in the academy, plus an extensive amount of research on the BAU and criminal behavior had gotten her here. It didn’t hurt that Director Strauss had suggested to Aaron that he, Rossi, and the whole team find someone new to train after Gideon’s abrupt departure. She didn’t want the team to be caught off guard like that again. Like most things, Aaron was hesitant about the idea. However, he realized the practical need for what he had called, long before _y/n_ joined the team, a “spare” member. Hotch knew that sounded callous, but the dynamic of such a tight-knit group could so easily be tipped off balance by the edition of someone new. Because of this, he was less than enthusiastic. Nonetheless, some soul needed to be chosen. When word got out that the BAU might be looking to expand, the transfer requests came tumbling in. Hotch, JJ, and Rossi all looked over the files. Any of the agents were already well up the FBI ladder. Aaron said no instantly. “Too big personalities,” he’d said. There there hundreds of underqualified individuals. Rossi said no to those too. After a week of the search, JJ said in desperation, “Why not pick a N.A.T or a probie? I don’t think either of you is going to find what you want in these candidates. Hotch had balked at the idea, but Rossi, on the other hand, said, “Listen, it’s not a bad idea. We could build them from the ground up.” Hotch ran a hand through his hair and said, “We’re talking about a person here, Dave, not a dog.” Rossi shrugged and said, “Well I don’t think it’s a bad idea. Who was the one N.A.T. who had the gall to ask about the position?” J.J. handed over the file which Dave looked over. Aaron wasn’t convinced to try anything so unorthodox until he’d had about a half dozen failed interviews with other, older options. Finally, Aaron had given up and went with Rossi to watch the N.A.T.s during an exercise. _y/n_ had stood out clearly as having street smarts and practical know-how on the test case. When Rossi asked the instructor about her. It turned out _y/n_ had been the N.A.T. who had inquired about the position. Of course, the BAU hadn’t replied to her inquiry about the team, it would be bad form, but now that they were there, it didn’t seem like the craziest thing possible. After that, _y/n_ was kept under close observation by the BAU without her knowing. When the last month of the course came around, Aaron asked to meet with _y/n_. That conversation and what he was potentially offering her was the most stressful thing _y/n_ had ever been through. And when _y/n_ graduated near the top of her class, she got the placement of a lifetime, of a million lifetimes. There was praise and bitterness from her classmates, and _y/n_ took both in stride.

_y/n_ moved her eyes back to the map, as she almost got caught looking at Aaron for too long. It was hard for _y/n_ to believe that that had been over a year and three months ago that she joined the team. She had grown a great deal since then, but _y/n_ was aware that she still had growing to do. She was on the most accomplished team in the FBI. She’d be learning for the rest of her life from the team. Even though _y/n_ had been on the team for some time, she still stayed a bit reserved. In some ways, she doubted herself and considered that she might be removed if she made a big enough mistake. She also was aware of the dynamics of the team. She didn’t want to ruin what they had. Even so, _y/n_ had slowly integrated into the team. Learning s about each member. _y/n_ found herself drawn to Rossi, Emily, and Aaron most. There was something about their stoicism that resonated with her. Perhaps it was because they stayed the most quiet like her. That didn’t mean that _y/n_ didn’t want to know about them, in fact, it made the trio more interesting by their nebulous nature. _y/n_ was most interested in Aaron’s mercurial nature. He seemed to shift from hot to cold in an instant. But he was the best reader of emotions she’d ever seen. He seemed to know what she and the team were thinking even before they thought it themselves. _y/n_ knew, this was why he was the leader. Because he was so good at profiling people. _y/n_ tried to stay away from him, even a year later. That didn’t mean that she wasn’t interested, or more than slightly infatuated with him. However, _y/n_ had seen far prettier and talented women throw themselves at him and fail. She was not going to be one of them. _y/n_ felt a warm set of eyes on her form. She looked up ever so slightly to find Aaron’s brown eyes looking back at her. _y/n_ felt that flustered, stomach-tangled-in-knots type of feel that she had to walk out. _y/n_ cleared her throat and told Reid, “Gonna grab a c/t_, Spence? You want one?” Spencer smiled and said, “Sure, thanks.” _y/n_ stood, to get the drinks. She made sure to add, “I’ll put about five hundred sugars in yours.” Spencer let out a laugh and said, “Hey, Morgan gets to tease me about the sugar thing, but you put sugar is yours too.” _y/n_ rolled her eyes with a soft chuckle and moved to the back of the plane.

Hotch followed _y/n_ with his gaze. He had doubted the idea of having someone so inexperienced on the team. As it turned out, _y/n_ absorbed information like a sponge. Not only that, but she was willing to take critiques and grow from them. And heaven knew the first few months were filled with corrections and critiques. A weaker person would have dropped out. _y/n_ hadn’t. He had garnered respect for her for that. Not only respect but some admiration, as _y/n_ threw herself head in on cases that even the team was turned off by. Her sense of moral right and wrong seemed unshakable. It was rare to see that in a new agent. He wondered what had defined her code of ethics to such an extreme. In time, he hoped she would tell him. Aaron suspected that as quiet as _y/n_ was, she had picked up a lot about the team. Her silent observations he caught her in sometimes were both respectful and thoughtful. She never stared at anyone too long. But when she looked, she really looked. Like she was trying to solve some complex puzzle. And what was more complex than the BAU? Aaron couldn’t deny that when he felt her _y/c/e_s gaze on him, it didn’t elicit something in him. That hadn’t been something he’d felt originally, but it, whatever it was, had grown with time. The small or big feelings both Aaron and _y/n_ were harboring for each other would be blown wide open on Friday night.

The plane landed in NCY, and the team was instantly hit with five o’clock rush hour traffic. It took them a decent forty minutes to get to the precinct in the Bronx. It was Wednesday, and so far the murders had happened on consecutive weekends starting on Thursday to Sunday. If the pattern held, this would give the team one day to canvas the clubs before the weekend when another attack might occur. When the BAU did arrive at the station, they were met the the large hustle and bustle and chaotic energy. The precinct was so big it had little mini departments in the space, and for once there was room for the BAU to spread out and work without feeling cramped or in the way. _y/n_ looked around slightly overwhelmed. This was one thing that Aaron had noticed about _y/n_. When things were incredibly hectic he could see _y/n_ trying to overprocess everything at the same time. Hotch knew that not everyone was Reid, Not everyone could just take everything in all the time. Due to this, Hotch stepped closer to _y/n_. Whenever he did this, it seemed to ground her. He could tell that she paid more attention to him than her other surroundings when he was nearby. He would stick around _y/n_ until she had calmed down and the new environment became more relaxed. He didn’t do this to baby her. It was like when he told Morgan to calm down or Reid to stay on topic. He understood his team needed guidance and help now and then, and he was there to provide it. However, Hotch was not so stupid to not understand the effect he had on _y/n_. But that, like his growing feelings for _y/n_ was something he ignored. He knew that if he gave into those desires for his newest agent, he’d be like a man starved of affection. That was because he was a man starved of affection and he didn’t think _y/n_ needed that in her life right now. Once the team was in the room the department had given them, Hotch said, “Morgan can you close the door?.” As he said this, _y/n_ felt him move to her left. _y/n_ took in a very small, hopefully unnoticeable breath. The fact that _y/n_ was so drawn to her boss was concerning. But he seemed to get her better than some of the other members of the team. He always seemed to know when she needed a hand or a moment to decompress. _y/n_ appreciated this because she had been so unsure of her at the start of her journey at the BAU. How he acted around her now reassured her that he had some level of trust in her performance and contributions to the team. She had worked her butt off to get to this place and it was affirming to know it was paying off. _y/n_ took one second as the very slight scent of Aaron’s cologne drifted her way, as he set his file on the table near her. _y/n_ considered how Aaron’s affirmation was probably part of what made Hotch so attractive, She such little of that in her daily life that any was lapped up with a greedy desire. Albeit very much under the surface. _y/n_ would never say how even the hint of subtle praise from him made her knees weak. There was no time to interrogate that thought as Hotch said, “Alright, we need to put all our facts together, build a sketch of a profile, and then get a plan in place for the rest of the day. Everyone nodded along and started getting ready for a second debrief that normally happened once the team landed.

A half-hour later, after starting a profile, the teams split up into smaller groups. Aaron and JJ were heading to see the families of the victims to see if they could gather more about the victimology and build out the profile that way. _y/n_ and Derek were headed to the bars where the first four deaths had happened. They hoped to see if there were any details the police had missed and profile the staff at each establishment. Lastly, Emily and Spencer were headed to the hospital for more details from the coroners. Hotch and Em’s group took cars, but _y/n_ and Derek decided to walk as the nearest club was about a twenty-minute stroll away, and taking a car would just waste time. The first two clubs gleaned little information as the first two victims hadn’t died on the property's premises. The first had died at her girlfriend's house, and the second had passed in his parent's house. Both were found deceased the next morning. However, the third victim had died in the parking lot of the club she had been dancing in. The team expected that the dosage of drugs was increased for a faster death. Where the first two clubs had let _y/n_ and Morgan in easily, answered all of their questions, and showed remorse at the deaths that had happened, the third club, Club Rio, held a different atmosphere. The bouncer, a big burly man sighed once he saw the two professionals and asked, “Cops, Reporters, or others?” Morgan stepped forward saying, “FBI.” _y/n_ and Derek flashed their badges and the man’s eyes went wide in surprise for a second. He sighed and said, “Well at least it’s something different. Dan is getting annoyed by all the feds.” The man stepped aside and let them both into the building. As _y/n_ passed the man, she asked, “And Dan is?” The man replied to her back, “Owner.” _y/n_ nodded and followed Derek into the den.

_y/n_ was always surprised by just how small some club spaces were. The dance floor was just a small square with tables and couches in raised areas around the stage and a sunken floor. _y/n_ reflected that when she had been in her clubbing days, she had been inebriated, the writhing bodies around her had seemed normal and comforting even. Being surrounded on all sides, the other bodies had been like a buffer from the rest of the world and the loud music. Now that this case had come up, _y/n_ realized how vulnerable she had been on those occasions. How easy it could have been to take advantage of her, even if she thought he was being safe. With that somber thought, the duo approached the bar. The barista mixed drinks for the four early patrons. She looked at them and asked, “How can I help you?” Derek replied, “We need to speak to the manager or Dan if he’s here?” The bartender said, “Okay, give me a minute, Dan’s in the office upstairs.” It was clear the woman was so used to grabbing the owner at this point that she didn’t even ask to see any credentials. She slipped out from behind the bar, opened a door, and walked up a set of narrow stairs. Morgan leaned against the bar and looked over the space. _y/n_ was doing the same and a bright pink poster on the wall caught her attention. She moved over to it and realized it was outdated. It was from the night that the third victim had been found dead. It was an advert for A Barbie-themed night at the club. The poster didn’t match the dark interior at all. That was why it had stuck out. All the other posters were also for themed nights in the past and future. Rave Night, Emo Night, 00’s Night. Something clicked in _y/n_’s brain as she realized there might be another pattern here. Before _y/n_ could say anything, a lean, scrawny man emerged from the door with the barista. The man approached Derek and said, “What other questions could you possibly ask me that everyone else hasn’t already?” _y/n_ watched Morgan shift his weight from one foot to the other trying to decide if he should be stern or just take the flippant tone. As usual, Morgan just took it, through _y/n_ knew if pushed too hard, Derek could be provoked into a reaction. Morgan just said, “I’d like a list of patrons ID’d for the night that Sandra Klare passed.” Dan stilled, knowing that they didn’t card, saying, “Well our card reader is down right now. It might be a few days for us to get back to you, Mr…” “Morgan,” Derek offered. _y/n_ had moved closer to the pair and said, “That’s okay, just send it to us as soon as you can. You could also send over the security camera footage from inside the building and any from the back or parking lot.” Dan’s eyes snapped over to _y/n_ and then they took a far too long looking her over. His eyes rested on her chest as he stated, “Sure, I can get you those tapes, along with a drink if you want, miss…” _y/n_ cut him off and said, “It’s Agent, and I don’t drink of the job. Now tell me, how many minors do you think you let in every night because it’s clear to me that you're not carding which is a violation of state law.” Dan’s eyes snapped back up to her face, and he replied snappily, “You have no proof of that.” Derek scoffed and said, “Great, then you’ll have those ID lists over today. Now if you’d show us the spot where the victim was found, we’d appreciate it.” The next half hour was a bit tense and Dan glared at the FBI agents who looked over the space with a calculated eye.

When the team regrouped, everyone shared. JJ and Aaron had discovered that all of the victims had been mostly wallflowers. Kids and adults who kept to the background and wouldn’t normally be found in a club. Some of the parents and friends of the victims were shocked to find out those closest to them had died at or near a club. None of the victims had taken drugs before to their knowledge. This added a new angle to the type of people that were being targeted. Spencer had found that the dosage of ecstasy had been increased with each case, which was why the first few victims had died at home or outside of the club, and the last few had been in the parking lot or in the club itself. Emily said, “The unsub is escalating their kills. Probably because knowing someone is going to die isn’t enough now, they need to see the chaos that it causes. Morgan and _y/n_ shared last, noting how hesitant the last club was to give information. Derek added that the only places that didn’t seem to have cameras were the restrooms, but in a busy club, someone could get drugged anywhere. It was at this point that _y/n_ shared a theory saying, “I think there might be a pattern with the clubs that the unsub was picking each night.” Hotch looked over at her and said, “What is it?” _y/n_ averted her gaze from his and said, “Themed nights. The day the third victim died was a Barbie-themed night, and the second was an Emo Night I think. That might be why the victims were willing to go to the clubs in the first place. A normal club night might not be appealing to them, but if they were playing music they liked or had something that drew them to the club they might be willing to go.” Hotch nodded and said, “It’s a possibility.” He slipped his phone out of his pocket and quickly dialed Garcia. He put her on speaker and when her chipper voice said, “You’ve reached the queen of fun and sparkles, how may I help you today?” Hotch held out the phone, and _y/n_ took it saying, “Penelope, can you get a schedule of themed nights at the clubs in the Bronx? Can it go back two weeks and then up through this weekend as well? Also, see if they match up with the dates of the first eight deaths?” Garcia’s classic long nailed key tapping ensued for a second before the tech said, “Give me one second, baby girl.” There was an anticipatory minute before Garcia said, “And the winner is _y/n_. Every night that a victim has died so far was a night with a club that was hosting a theme of some kind. Those often draw a younger crowd. I’m emailing over this weekend's schedule for the clubs that are hosting theme nights as well.” Hotch nodded and took his phone back, saying, “Thanks, Garcia. You’re the greatest.” The warm reply of “No good Sir, You are the greatest. Garcia out.” The subtle warmth that _y/n_ saw in Aaron’s eyes was rare, but when it was there, _y/n_ wished it would last forever. That he’d look at her with that kind of affection.

Rossi pulled her from her thoughts when he said, “We’d better give a profile now. If we hurry, we can get to some of the clubs before there’s a huge rush. We’ll need some officers to cover the other clubs that are on Garcia’s list.” Everyone agreed and moved outside to the main part of the precinct. Aaron called for the Chief of Police, Officer Jason. After delivering the profile and making a coordinated plan, the BAU was on the move again. Spencer had calculated the most likely clubs to be hit. Given that Rossi and Aaron were a bit too old to look natural in a club environment, they both decided to stay in support vans near the two clubs the BAU would watch that evening. Meanwhile, Emily, JJ, and _y/n_, and Spence and Derek would all be mic’d up and scout out the two clubs of premium interest. It was simple for Derek and Reid to get ready, just changing into simple t-shirts and jeans. Morgan added a leather jacket over his white shirt. But for the women, it was a bit more of an ordeal. Given that the victims were probably really into the theme nights, they wanted to match the victim's previous behavior. The subsub seemed to target women more, so it was more likely that they would go after Em, JJ, or _y/n_. The club that Prentiss and JJ would be scouting out was having a hippie-themed night, and both women sported bell bottoms. JJ added a headband and Emily found a crochet vest to wear. _y/n_ meanwhile was headed to a rave-themed night and needed a hand getting the complicated top on over her cropped long-sleeved shirt that covered everything that the over-shirt didn’t cover. As Emily tied the last of the bows at the back of _y/n_’s irradiant star top, she asked, “Did y’all ever imagine when you joined the FBI that we’d be playing dress up on a Thursday night?” JJ laughed at the statement and _y/n_ said, “Not that it didn’t cross my mind, I’m just more surprised that this precinct has these clothes on hand. You don’t think they’re from people that have been detained, do you?” Em dropped her hands and looked at _y/n_ when she turned and said, “Who knows? But the NYPD is the biggest police force in the States, maybe they bought them just in case of an occasion like this?.” _y/n__ nodded and looked over her colleagues and had to let out a small laugh saying, “Look at us.” JJ smiled and said, “Look at you _y/n_. You still pass as a college kid.” _y/n_ flushed and said, “Well it’s a blessing and a curse. The owner of one of the clubs today spent all day looking at my tits and ass. It’s not something I love. Gotta love being a woman in the FBI, right?” Em and JJ nodded. They’d all had their share of bad experiences being ogled by cops and citizens alike. The three of them moved out of the locker room they had all changed in.

Aaron, Rossi, Reid, and Morgan all looked over to them, along with the other plainclothes officers who would be scouting out the other clubs. The policemen were not as good at hiding their reactions at the lady's entrance as the BAU men were. Aaron took a moment to look at his watch to stop the flush on his face from becoming more prominent. He knew _y/n_ was a lovely woman, and her outfit only highlighted that fact. Again he reminded himself of the restraint he needed to have as her boss. He didn’t let his mind go there. It was 9:30 p.m. and the rush at the clubs was likely to start at 10:00 p.m. Hotch cleared his throat and said, “Alright, let’s head out. Remember, we check in every half hour, and if you see anything suspect, let Rossi or I know.” The agents nodded their agreement to the plan. The two teams split into their vans. Aaron was going to be overlooking Emily and JJ, and Rossi would take Reid, _y/n_, and Derek. Rossi dropped the trio off two blocks from Club Noir so it wasn’t obvious that undercover agents were present and looking over the club. This was _y/n_’s first time in an undercover position and she was thrilled and terrified at the same time. The inside of the club was so loud that the three of them had to scream to indicate which part of the club they would look after for the first half-hour shift. The trio had planned to change places after each check-in with Rossi to make sure they kept up with the flow of traffic and that nothing slipped them by. Derek’s first shift was by the bar, trying to notice if anyone seemed to be slipping drugs into the drinks of the patrons. Spencer was taking the outer perimeter of the club, looking at the groups clustered around tables and talking more leisurely, and _y/n_ took the dance floor. The sea of bodies felt claustrophobic and hot. It was hard to look at what was going on with those dancing. The looks of euphoria on the faces of the dancers who were so absorbed in the music were disturbing. It was hard to tell who might be under the influence of drugs and who wasn’t. _y/n_ strategically moved around the floor to try and get a good look at everyone there. This was hard work, and by the first half-hour check-in, _y/n_ was exhausted. She found her way to the back of the building near the bathrooms where it was less crowded. The team checked in with Rossi with nothing much to say.

The rest of the night seemed to go well until one a.m. when _y/n_ heard a scream come from the dance floor that pierced above the music. It was Derek’s time on the floor and the music and dancing came to an abrupt halt. By the time the lights were on and _y/n_ made it to the center of the floor there was a small crowd gathered including Spencer. Once _y/n_ saw the young woman on the ground seizing, she called 9-1-1 immediately to report the situation. Reid was talking to Rossi over comms and within moments cops were in the building and cordoning off the area. Derek was trying to get the woman into the recovery position. Meanwhile, _y/n_ was trying to calm the woman who had found the victim. The lady seemed almost as distressed as the woman on the floor. _y/n_ wondered if she was on any substances herself or if this was just shock. _y/n_ leaned down and said, “Hey, hey, I need you to take some deep breaths for me. Just calm down.” The short blond-headed woman nodded and tried to regain her breath. After a few minutes, _y/n_ pulled the woman aside to a cleared area of the club, _y/n_ flashed her badge at the woman and said, “What’s your name? Can you tell me what happened?” The woman sniffled before saying, “I’m Jeanie, King. I was just dancing and I noticed the woman next to me seemed to get agitated. I tried to talk to her but she seemed so absorbed in the music. I thought maybe she was okay, so I kept dancing, but when I looked over at her again she was on the ground. No one else seemed to notice, and a guy almost stepped on her face so I screamed. I didn’t know what else to do.” _y/n_ nodded and said in a reassuring tone, “You probably saved her life.” Though _y/n_ said this with sympathy, she was very weary of the woman in front of her. Jeanie seemed too composed after what she said. Her story too ordered. _y/n_ got the woman a glass of water before moving to help with crowd control as the paramedics and the other half of the BAU arrived. She stepped close to Hotch and he looked down at her asking, “What happened? Did you see anything? Derek and Spencer didn’t seem to pick anything up. _y/n_ sighed and said, “I didn’t see too much apart from the bartenders pouring heavy shots and some guys being handsy. I went to the lady's room a few times but there wasn’t anything suspect going on in there apart from a couple hooking up in one of the stalls.” Hotch nodded but could see that _y/n_ had more to say. He waited for a second before _y/n_ said, “The woman that noticed there was someone in trouble, something about her feels off.” _y/n_ looked over to Ms. King, and Aaron followed her with his eyes. The woman that _y/n_ was looking at was calmly sipping a glass of water, and he could tell why his agent might suspect the woman. Hotch moved his eyes back to _y/n_’s and he said, “Call Garcia and ask her to search the woman’s name. Let’s see if something comes up. We’ll be here all night anyway clearing everyone to go home.” _y/n_ nodded, pulled out her phone, and moved to call Penelope.

Aaron had been right about how long it was going to take. There were over ninety people in the club and every one of them needed to be searched, questioned, and then let go. Even with a lot of officers involved, it wasn’t until six forty-seven a.m. before everyone had been removed from the club. Three minors had been arrested for underage drinking, and five people were arrested for possession of drugs. One older man had ecstasy, but it was in pill form and not the liquid form that the hospital had identified with with first victims. Everyone was exhausted when they got outside. The scent of liquor lingered on them all, and Hotch said, “Let’s get two hours of sleep and then we’ll debrief after that. He could see the exhaustion in everyone’s eyes, and he felt it in his own. The team silently left the club to the hands of the police officers. As _y/n_ stopped at the door, she turned around. The club, with all of the overhead lights on, looked like the end of a play with all the props and litter still on the stage. The stagehands were too exhausted to pick up any of the trash post the last show. Red Solo Cups and beer bottles dotted the tables and floor. The scene looked sad now. It was hard to believe that hours earlier people had been so careless here. A deep voice called _y/n_, and she turned her head. It was Hotch. He stood in the doorway, bathed in the rising sun. It took a moment for _y/n_ to register that he’d asked if she was okay. _y/n_ shook her head ever so slightly to clear it of the fog and exhaustion before moving toward the team Leader. She tried to smile and said, “I’m fine. Sorry. Just thinking.” Hotch gave a small nod and kept the door open until she was outside and trailing Morgan down the road to the vans. He watched her retreating form. _y/n_ had taken off the potentially revealing top that had caught his eye the moment she had left the changing room with Emily and JJ. She was now wearing a jacket on top of the long-sleeved shirt she was wearing. He had beaten himself up on the van at how captivated he had been when seeing her in such an outfit. He knew he’d ordered her into it and the fact that his restraint was that weak eat at his morality like rust on iron. Hotch often asked himself if he was a good man. And _y/n_ seemed to push that question in a direction he had never considered before. He let the thought drop, and he moved to the van as well. He made sure not to get into the car with _y/n_. He needed a few moments to think without her face or soft voice digging deeper into his psyche.

The two hours at the hotel were short lived with most members of the team taking a shower and then getting a bite to eat. As the team ambled out of the vans, _y/n_ took a second to stretch her arms and roll her neck, outside the precinct. She didn’t want to seem unprofessional in front of the officers. She didn’t want to seem unprofessional with the team either, but the ache in her arms and neck needed to be alleviated somehow, and she didn’t see anyone ready to give out back rubs at the moment. _y/n_ let out a soft chuckle at the idea and Emily asked, “What are you laughing about?” It wasn’t an accusation by Prentiss. Emily knew that _y/n_ was taking this case as seriously as all of them were. But everyone needed a moment of levity, especially after a new victim had been found. _y/n_ dropped her arms and said, “Oh just thinking about how my clubbing days are way behind me. Dancing for two hours last night was so hard on my feet, I’m gonna be sore for a week at least.” Morgan chipped in saying, “Well at least you looked natural out there. Did you see Reid?” At that, Em, Morgan, JJ, and _y/n_ had a small, good-natured laugh at Spencer’s less-than-coordinated dancing ability. ‘Hey,” Reid said, “It’s not my fault there’s not a good rhythm to that music.” The playful banter subsided as the team moved inside. Hotch was the last to move into the building and for a moment, he felt left out from the ability to just laugh and joke around like the rest of his younger agents. He knew it was stupid, so he let it go like he let most small things go in his life. In the room the team had taken over, the group moved around restlessly talking. Emily said, “Honestly, we could have had a hundred police officers in our club and someone might have still died.” _y/n_ nodded along and said, “Our team had a good system. We were constantly monitoring and checking in and someone still died.” Rossi could hear the frustration in _y/n_’s voice and chipped in, saying, “The problem is, the clubs are the killers hunting ground. Unless the unsub starts killing elsewhere, that is the most consistent thread we have.” Aaron added, “What makes it difficult is the amount of people we have to try and profile, and the fact that the ecstasy is given in liquid form. It could be slipped in someone’s drink, or shot up, or given in a load of other ways and the victim might not know until it’s far too late.” The Chief of Police, who was unhappy with the BAU’s performance so far had joined them and said, “Well we could end this right now by closing the clubs for public safety for a few weeks.” hotch nodded his head no and said, “That’s not going to do any good. If you cut off the unsub's normal pattern they’ll likely move to another space and we’d have to rebuild the profile again. Either that or they just wait until the clubs open up again. Both ways result in the unsub continuing to kill people.” The Chief of Police raised his hands and asked, “Would he just give up after a while?” Morgan looked over to the man and said, “No. This person needs the validation that killing gives them. The feeling of power or control.” Officer Jason sighed and said, “Well what do we do going forward? Tonight’s the busiest night the clubs see, and although a killer is on the loose, people are still flocking to them.” Hotch looked at the man and the with authority he held, replied, “We use the profile. We add the new data, speak to the latest victim, and keep looking. The unsub has to know that we’re onto them, especially after last night. We, or one of your officers likely met them. So they’ll probably change something tonight, or get sloppy. We can add more officers in the clubs which will push them even further.” Jason nodded and said, “Won’t that mean that it’s more likely that someone dies?” Aaron nodded but said, “It is, but that’s why my team is here. To make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

The rest of the day passed by slowly. Spencer and _y/n_ went to the hospital to see McKensie, the latest victim. The pair were led to the back of the hospital. The woman had previously been in restraints but had settled down after receiving specialized care by the hospital staff. _y/n_ sat down next to her bedside and said, “McKensie, can you tell me what you remember from last night?” The woman turned her eyes to _y/n_ and Reid and said, “I don’t remember a lot. I didn’t take anything intentionally I swear. I just like the music they play on rave night. I just felt hot all of a sudden and the lights started acting funny and I got so hot. Before I knew it, I was on the ground and I couldn’t move.” McKenzie closed her eyes before saying, “My mom’s gonna kill me when she finds out what happened.” _y/n_ smiled sympathetically and said, “I’m sure she’ll understand. Thank you for speaking with us, McKensie.” Spencer stepped forward and set his card on the table saying, “If you remember anything else, please give us a call.” The woman nodded and the pair left the room. Outside of the hospital, Spencer asked, “Why would you keep going back to a place where you know you might die? Why take the risk?” _y/n_ looked at Reid. What she was thinking might rub against his problems with drugs, and she was hesitant to speak her mind. Reid could sense this and he said, “You can say what you’re thinking you know? I see you hold back sometimes on the jet or a case. But your thoughts are useful, or at least they let us think about things from a new angle.” _y/n_ looked at him and replied, “Thanks for telling me that Spencer. What I was thinking was that whenever anyone takes drugs it’s putting their lives on the line. That risk is worth it to them until they realize what it might mean. I understand that feeling. It’s just terrible that that choice was stripped from the victims.” Reid nodded and said, “Do you think the unsub is a user?” _y/n_ shrugged and said, “I don’t know. If they’re as calculated as we think they are, then I don’t think they can be.” Spencer nodded and they kept talking about the case until they arrived back at the precinct.

The sun dipped below the tall buildings. and the team got ready to go out again. Penelope had developed a new list and Aaron hoped that the unsub wasn’t going to change their pattern now. He did decide to change who was with whom in each club. The team was canvasing two clubs like last night. One was bigger and the other was smaller. Aaron assigned JJ, Derek, and Spencer to the bigger club with Rossi. He, Emily, and _y/n_ would take the smaller club. Rossi suggested that he and Aaron also go inside the club with the team. Dave said, “Listen, if there are already going to be lots of officers in uniform there we might as well be there too.” Hotch couldn’t argue that logic and agreed. He knew that he and Dave would be more useful to the team inside than out. Because everyone was going in, they all took a few minutes to get dressed. Everyone was a bit more reserved that night. The themes were Disco night and Emo night, so all it took was bright or dark colors. The team was more somber this time, especially _y/n_. The prospect of going undercover again just didn’t have the same rush as last night. Aaron, Emily, and _y/n_ all entered Club Drake at staggered times. Aaron decided to get to the highest spot he could that would give him the best look over the space. He found a dark corner and leaned back with a beer in his hands that would never get touched. Emily took the first shift at the bar and _y/n_ moved onto the dance floor. Everyone looked for anything that matched the profile. Someone young and confident. Someone looking to prey on those that showed vulnerability or stayed in the background. The strobe lights overhead made it hard for _y/n_ to see much else than the pulsing bodies around her. If _y/n_ looked hard, she could see Aaron in the corner of her eye, but she avoided her gaze because it was hard enough to dance and look for odd behavior while also dancing and not looking like her body was aching from the effort. Meanwhile, Hotch watched from above. He could see the club almost in its entirety. He understood now how hard it had been for his team last night. No wonder they hadn’t been able to see much. Aaron tried to pinpoint his members in the swell below. He could find Emily easily, she was hanging around the bar and hallway to the bathroom. It was harder to pinpoint _y/n_ on the dancefloor, but when the light was slightly brighter between songs, he caught a flash of her moving her body to a beat so loud it hurt his ears. He could see she was talking to someone on the floor, but there was no humanly possible way for him to hear the conversation. The song changed and a man seemed to approach _y/n_ She seemed to nod and then they began dancing to the new song close together. Closer together than she needed to. Hotch had to drag his eyes away. He knew _y/n_ knew what she was doing, but seeing her so close to so many people put a pit in his gut that he felt when things were stressful. It didn’t help with his heightened feelings for _y/n_. But he had a job to do, and he was going to do it to the best of his ability and no unwanted feelings were going to get in the way of that.

The night continued on and on with Emily and _y/n_ changing roles twice and Hotch brushing off a few people asking him if he wanted a drink above the din of the music. They continued to check in with each other. Despite their careful watch, no one stood out to the team or the police officers who had been briefed on what to look for. _y/n_ moved from the floor to the bar. To look convincing, _y/n_ went to grab and drink. When she got to the front of the line, _y/n_ quickly scanned those sitting and watching the football game and the hallway to the bathroom. She had passed Emily as they swapped roles and Prentiss nodded her head no, indicating that she hadn’t seen anything. _y/n_ returned the gesture. _y/n_ snapped to the present when the bartender said, “What do you want sweetheart apart from standing there in a daze?” _y/n_ cleared her throat and said, “A tonic with cranberry juice, please.” The man nodded and grabbed a tall glass, filling it with ice. The man sitting at the bar said, “You not drinking tonight, babe? You should lighten up or something.” _y/n_ shot him a frown but an oddly familiar voice said, “He’s right you know. You looked just as fake on the floor today as you were last night.” _y/n_ whipped her head around to try and find who had spoken to her. It was hard to tell with the crowd, but a short blond-haired woman was moving quickly toward the back exit and _y/n_ swiftly wove her way between those waiting in line and those dancing. Agent _y/n_ stumbled out of the exit almost out of breath. She looked down the dark alleyway but saw no one. But who she was looking for was behind the door, and when the heavy metal door swung closed, _y/n_ found this out. Jeanie, who had found McKensie yesterday said, “You do need to loosen up, Agent,” as she stepped forward and plunged a needle into _y/n_’s neck. The move had happened so quickly that _y/n_ took a second to push the woman away from her and pull the needle out of her neck. _y/n_’s eyes flashed to the empty syringe and then to Jeanie. She tried to move forward, but the ground seemed to sway a bit. _y/n_ looked at the unsub and said, “What did you give me?” Jeanie smiled maliciously and said, “Well nothing that bad yet. Just relax a bit and I’ll give you something really fun in a minute. _y/n_ tried to get away but fell over her feet and onto the pavement. The world was spinning and once she was on the ground, she tried to pull for her coms. The unsub watched as _y/n_ helplessly and openly took out a mic from her shirt. The woman leaned down and stomped on the device, smashing it to smithereens. _y/n_ watched helplessly as Jeanie pulled something from an inner pocket and said, “I think we’re going to have some real fun tonight.”

Inside the club, Aaron had lost track of _y/n_ when she and Emily had switched places. He didn’t see her anywhere and it was starting to bother him, but it was only five minutes until they would check in and he was sure she was just checking the lady's room or something. He continued to look around until his watch hit 12:30 a.m. He switched on his coms and checked in with Prentiss. He could see her look up at him for a second from the side of the bar. She said, “Still nothing. At least it’s not so busy right now.” Hotch nodded and said, “Okay, well keep a look out. I haven’t seen anything from here either.” He took a breath and said, “Have you seen _y/n_? I lost her a few minutes ago at the bar.” There was a second of static before Emily said, “I don’t see her. Have you tried her com?” Emily was looking at him now from down below and he shook his head no. Aaron switched to _y/n_’s channel and he asked, “_y/n_, are you there?” There was only static. Hotch tried twice more, but there was still nothing. _y/n_ wasn’t one to miss a check-in. Even though there was no direct reason to panic yet, the bad feeling Hotch radioed Em again asking, “Could you check the lady's room? She’s not answering.” Emily shot him a nod and moved toward the bathroom. Hotch continued to scan the area with no luck in finding _y/n_. Aaron now kept his eyes trained on the hallway to the bathroom hoping that _y/n_ would emerge with Emily. Maybe even with that small smile, she gave him on the rare occasion when she knew no one was looking at her but him. That wasn’t the case, however. Five minutes later, Prentiss returned alone and said over the radio. “She wasn’t in there Hotch. I don’t know where she would have gone without telling us.” Aaron clenched his jaw and looked over the dance floor again. Something seemed to be off in the center of the floor.

Amid all the dancing people a lone figure, a familiar figure stood transfixed, looking at the lights coming from the ceiling. “Aaron called Emily and said, “I found her, but something’s wrong. She’s in the middle of the floor, but she’s not moving. See if you can get to her. I’m coming down.” Hotch moved as quickly as he could away from the corner and down the stairs without causing a scene or a panic. Hotch and Em got to _y/n_ about the same time. It was clear to both of the agents that something was wrong with _y/n_ immediately. _y/n_ was swaying to the deafening music. Aaron moved to face her and noticed the glassy blown-out pupils along with the profuse amount of sweat pouring from her face. Emily shouted, “_y/n_. What happened?” _y/n_ lazily turned her face toward her colleague and said, “I don’t know. Don’t you see the colors, though? So pretty.” Aaron knew that _y/n_ was in a world of her own now. If _y/n_ had been drugged with ecstasy what she was seeing or hearing was nothing like what he and Emily were. _y/n_ pulled at the neckline of her shirt and said, “Why’s it so hot in here?” Hotch could barely hear her above the noise. When _y/n_ swayed forward on her feet and toward him, he caught her in his arms. She was slick with sweat and he half lead, half dragged his agent to the side of the floor. Many of the patrons were looking at them now. The people at the edge of the floor made space for Hotch to lay _y/n_ down. She was panting now and Aaron called out to Emily saying, “Get every cop in here to not let anyone go. Call an ambulance and stop the music as fast as you can.” Emily nodded and ran away toward the first officer she saw. Hotch didn’t pay much attention to anything else as he focused solely on _y/n_ She was coughing now and her breath was coming in too fast for her to get proper oxygenation. Hotch called to a concerned-looking onlooker to hold down _y/n_’s arms and another to hold her legs. He said it with such authority that neither people he enlisted could refuse him. Once _y/n_ was held still from thrashing around, he took hold of her head and made sure her mouth was open to breathe better. During the chaos, the lights turned on and the music stopped. There was chatter and movement from nearby, but Aaron couldn’t afford to notice it. Emily was back at his side and said, “Ambulance is on the way. ETA five minutes.” Hotch nodded and replied, “Good. Get someone to bring over a bucket of ice. She‘s overheating and we’ve got to get her temperature down.” Prentiss nodded and ran off again. Aaron wiped away a strand of drool from her mouth and said, “Hold on, _y/n_. Just hold on a few minutes more.” By the time a bartender came with ice, _y/n_ seemed so far away from him. Emily asked, concerned, “Where do you want the ice, Hotch.” Aaron took a breath and said, “Pour it over her chest, groin, and neck. Let’s hope it cools her down. All he could do now was wait for the ambulance to arrive. That took what felt like hours. Hotch was grateful that Emily was there to control the flow of traffic, and equally grateful when the rest of the team arrived.

When the paramedics arrived, Aaron allowed himself to lean forward for a second into the pool of ice water that had melted off of _y/n_’s overheated body. He only allowed himself a second thought as he, Derek, and Emily followed the stretcher holding _y/n_ out and toward the waiting ambulance. One of the paramedics asked, “What’s happened to her? Is this another one of those druggings?” Aaron nodded his head and replied, “I believe so. She was out of it when I found her and struggling to breathe.” The paramedic nodded and said, “It could be an overdose depending on how much she was given.” The two men efficiently lifted the stretcher into the transport vehicle and Hotch asked, “May I ride with her? I’m a federal agent and so is she?” He flashed his badge, and the man he was talking to nodded saying, “You can take the crash seat, just stay back while we work.” Aaron agreed and watched with concern as the doors to the ambulance were closed and it started to move. _y/n_ was manipulated like a doll as an oxygen mask was put over her face. Hotch looked at the metal floor as the medic cut open her shirt to place a cooling blanket over her chest. It wasn’t a long ride to the hospital and that, Hotch was grateful for. They took _y/n_ back into the ER while he moved to the front of the hospital. He called the team and gave them the update, and he asked for the same. Rossi replied, “We have everyone from the club still here and we’re looking over everyone, but Reid and Em want to wait with you. Would it be alright to get more officers over here and let them go?’ Hotch pinched the bridge of his nose and said, “Yeah. That’s fine. The one positive thing about this is that she saw the unsub. That’s if she makes it out of this and if she has any memory of what happened before she was drugged.” Dave heard the soft desperation in Hotch’s voice. He wasn’t surprised. He’d seen Aaron’s slow transformation around _y/n_ over the last year. It wasn’t surprising to him that an event like this would pull out Aaron’s proactive instincts. To reassure his friend, Rossi said, “I’m sure she’ll be fine, Aaron. She’s a tough one, just give it time.” Hotch let out a sigh but knew Rossi was right. He wrapped up the call and then moved inside for the vigil that would last until someone from the hospital gave him news or Spencer and Prentiss arrived. He checked his phone and saw missed calls from Garcia, and a text from JJ saying that she was headed over as well. Aaron ignored these things for just a moment and sat with the anxiety that _y/n_ being targeted had done to him. He’d have to face the feelings eventually and he figured he might as well start on them now.

The time passed, and the team members who could come and sit with him did. To keep his mind from wandering, he spoke with the team about the case and how they could update the profile now that one of them had been drugged. It was Spencer who mostly answered his questions and even took some notes. Even with that being the case, Hotch couldn’t keep pretending and he and Reid lapsed into silence. Another half hour later, a doctor appeared. The group stood up and approached the man. The doctor’s name tag read. Dr. Piatte. The man held a clipboard in front of him and he said, “The patient, Ms. _y/l/n_ is almost stabilized now. She was given a pretty high dose of ecstasy for her size along with another depressant. Now that her vitals, temperature, and breathing have all leveled out, all we can do is make sure she’s comfortable until the drugs leave her system. Everyone nodded and Aaron asked, “Is she awake? Could someone sit with her while she’s detoxing?” Dr. Piatte looked at him and said, “Ms. _y/l/n_ is conscious, but not lucid. She’s said a few words here and there, but none of it has made much sense. If you’re hoping to talk to her, I’m afraid that won’t be possible.” Hotch shook his head no and replied, “I’m not interested in getting answers for anything. I was just wondering if one of us might sit with her. To keep her company. Maybe she would be more relaxed if one of us was there.” The greying man thought for a second, before saying, “I don’t mind if one of you sits with her. Just don’t excite her and only one of you can be in her room. She’s in a highly suggestible state mentally and she needs as much peace as possible.” The team understood and Emily, JJ, and Spencer looked at Hotch, understanding that he wanted to be with _y/n_ but not sure how to say that. JJ broke the silence by saying, “Why don’t you sit with her, Hotch? The rest of us can go back to the club and help the others out. We’ll send you updates about over there, and you can keep us informed about anything that happens here?” Hotch nodded and replied, “Okay, thanks JJ. Is that alright with you Em, Reid?” Both agents nodded their heads. Aaron bowed his head for a second before saying, “Thank you. I’ll send you an updates regarding _y/n_. With that conversation, Aaron followed the doctor back to _y/n_’s room. He realized that he was being overly protective of _y/n_ and that the team might have noticed it, but he didn’t have the energy to worry about that right now. JJ had thankfully saved any awkwardness in that area and he reminded himself that he’d have to thank her once they were back home. He’d need to thank the whole team for their hard work. Anytime one of the team got hurt on a case, he was reminded how dedicated everyone was, and he needed to highlight that more often. But for now, he only had a mind for _y/n_. When he stepped into the hospital room, Aaron’s eye fell on _y/n_. Her face was still flushed and the closer he got to her bedside, the more he realized how uncomfortable she still might be, even now that she was in a hospital bed and on Benzodiazepines. He watched as _y/n_’s eyes traced patterns on the ceiling where none were to be found. Similarly, _y/n_’s hands tapped out a rhythm that he couldn’t hear, some music only accessible in the recesses for her drudged mind. Hotch sat down and contemplated just how vulnerable _y/n_ looked. He’d never seen her this way before and it made him uncomfortable in the way that he knew there was nothing he could do about it. Like watching a car crash. But this was less than the crash and more of watching the fire slowly die down to a more relaxed state. As the minutes ticked by, _y/n_ seemed to relax and so did he.

An hour later, Aaron had almost fallen into a half-sleep, when _y/n_’s body jerked slightly and she made a sound that Hotch couldn’t quite identify. He watched as _y/n_continued to move in the bed softly and her hands gripped the sheets in a way that he thought might be indicative of discomfort. Aaron got up to get a nurse to see if _y/n_ needed help, but when she called out his name in a breathy half-sigh half-moan, he stopped in his tracks. When _y/n_ said, “Don’t stop, God don’t stop, Aaron,” Hotch turned on his heel and looked at _y/n_ from a distance. He noticed now the rhythm of her hips moved in a way that might indicate an intimate moment was happening. _y/n_’s expression which he had taken as pain at first was full of ecstasy, and not the drug that had been pushed on her. He watched as her breath picked up and her body moved until finally, she let out a soft cry, with her body shaking for a moment and then collapsing fully back on the bed. When _y/n_’s body was flushed with the bed and she had caught her breath after what had been an apparent climax in her dream, she said, “So good, Aaron.” Hotch was at a true loss for what to do. _y/n_ seemed to be relaxed, but now that he’d witnessed her dreaming about him, dreaming in a way that had given her release, he felt like he’d witnessed something highly personal and something that he was sure _y/n_ wouldn’t want to have seen. Nevertheless, he couldn’t help but be surprised and slightly flattered that she should think of him that way. He felt his core tingle at how she’d called out his name, how her face had looked at the height of her dream. Not only was his mind thinking, against his better judgment, about how lovely she had looked during release, but his lower body started to get similar ideas.

Hotch felt his cock begin to harden and internally said, “Shit.” He shouldn’t be here, not like this. Not feel this way when _y/n_ had no agency right now. He was going to attempt to leave again but as he turned a second time, _y/n_ called his name again, this time it was clearer. He turned and saw her looking at him. Her eyes were clearer now. Still a bit glassy, but not so far away. _y/n_ spoke again saying, “Hotch, you’re here?” Aaron let out a breath and approached her bed, pulling a chair up near her and saying, “Yeah. I’m here.” _y/n_ blinked a few times and replied, “You’ve never been here after a dream like that before. It’s so strange.” Hotch shifted closer. He realized that she was still not fully herself He brushed a strand of her _y/h/t_ away from her face and he couldn’t help himself from asking, “What type of dreams? What do you mean, _y/n_.” _y/n_ softly pulled the palm of his hand into hers and said, “Don’t you know? You’re there for all of them. You’re being funny today, Aaron.” Hotch quickly moved and held onto _y/n_’s shoulders as she tried to sit up fully. He tsked and said, “Hey, now. Just relax you’re in the hospital, _y/n_. I need you to relax or I’ll have to get a nurse.” Hotch knew he should get a nurse anyway, but once that happened the moment would be ruined and some selfish part of him that had longed for _y/n_ had him ask, “What are you trying to do? Where do you think you’re going, agent?” _y/n_ stilled at his final word and looked at him, saying, “I just want to put my head in your lap. Please, just for a minute. It’s always so warm and cozy.” Aaron flushed darker because this must have been something that had happened in one of her dreams because he’d never let her rest her head in his lap before. That wasn’t something even he’d dreamed about with _y/n_, and he’d had plenty of dreams with _y/n_ in the staring role before. His cock twitched in his pants comfortably, so he moved his mind back to _y/n_ who was leaning dangerously forward. He tried to gently get her to relax back onto the bed, and he said, “You need to relax, _y/n_. You shouldn’t be sitting up.” Non-lucidly she replied with a little laugh, “I’ll lay down if it’s on your lap.” Hotch was at a crossroads, he knew that MDMA could make its users very suggestible and overly sexual. He couldn’t know if this was what she wanted. But _y/n_ continued to insist and kept trying to sit up and be close to him. Finally, after the fifth time of her getting up again, Aaron moved to sit on the edge of the bed. He knew he could call a nurse, but that would most likely mean that _y/n_ got strapped to the bed and would be uncomfortable for the next few hours. So he compromised and let her place her head on his thigh. She relaxed immediately once her head was settled. It was a shocking departure from her jittery movement from before. And that was how Aaron ended up in a position he could never have imagined. He couldn’t have predicted any case that would lead to his moral quandary, and it only got more morally grey from there.

Hotch shifted his hips the slightest bit and that did not help him. _y/n_’s head was fully in his lap now, and he knew it shouldn't be. When she was settled, _y/n_ started describing some of her dreams. Dreams about him. About him naked and doing things to her while _y/n_ was also naked. _y/n_ described them in detail. The words had made Aaron's cock twitch in his pants. As _y/n_ set her head in his lap and breathed over his groin, he hardened fully again. Aaron knew _y/n_ wouldn't be saying these things if it wasn't for the drugs. _y/n_ was a hard worker, a reserved agent, and he shouldn’t be doing this. Yet here he was, and _y/n_ was almost purring with contentment. Hotch took a stabilizing breath and said, “You’re like a kitten like this.” _y/n_ nuzzled her head into his lap further and said half asleep again, “I’ll be your kitten if you want, Hotch.” Aaron bit back a groan and endured the torture of _y/n_ being so close to his erect member without any option to do anything. From her description of her dreams, _y/n_ would love to take care of the need pressing against the fly of his pants, but she was incapacitated and not in her full mind. Hotch did his best to stay still and try and picture anything else but the lurid details of _y/n_’s dreams. Eventually, she slipped off into what seemed to be a deeper sleep. Once Aaron made sure her breath was even, he slipped off of the bed and made sure _y/n_’s face was resting on the pillow before he made a quick retreat to the nearest bathroom. He moved to the sink and felt about as hot as _y/n_ had looked at the club. He turned on the tap and splashed cold water on his face and the back of his neck. He walked around the small space for a few moments just thinking about the case and nothing but the case. In a few minutes he’d managed to calm his erection, but he wasn’t sure how he was going to deal with all that last night had revealed. Aaron moved back to the reception area to give himself some space from _y/n_. One positive was that it was unlikely that _y/n_ would remember anything that she’d said or did the previous night. He pulled out his phone and called Emily to see what the team was currently doing. Prentiss picked up on the first ring and said, “Hey Hotch. How’s _y/n_ holding up?” Aaron flushed but managed to say, “She’s… she’s doing better. Still a little out of it, but not as bad as two hours ago.” Emily didn’t comment on his long pause and waited for Hotch to continue. Aaron took a second to think about how to word his request and said, “Would you be willing to switch spots with me? I’d like a fresh look at the scene and profile, and you know how I feel about hospitals.” There was a pause before Em said, “Sure, Aaron. I’ll just tell the team and then head over. Be there in about twenty minutes.” Aaron breathed a sigh of relief and thanked her before hanging up. Hotch didn’t want _y/n_ to wake alone, but he didn’t think it would be a great idea if it was him she woke up to. It might result in an awkward moment that _y/n_ didn’t need right now.

A few minutes later, Emily showed up and she filled Aaron in on what he’d missed and how the team was back at the precinct. She noticed how odd he was behaving, but didn’t ask him about it. Aaron was a mystery that she still hadn’t cracked yet, but if it was something important, she knew he’d tell her or ask for help. So she gave him a pat on the shoulder and watched as he left the building before being led back to _y/n_’s room by a nurse. Emily sat on a chair and watched _y/n_ sleep for an hour. At around seven a.m. _y/n_ shifted on her side and opened her _y/c/e_’s. They were red and sore looking, but they were back to normal and Emily leaned forward asking, “Hey, _y/n_. How are you feeling?” _y/n_ coughed but managed to say, “I’m okay. I know who did it. Who the unsub is.” Emily nodded and gave the woman on the bed a paper cup of water. _y/n_ took a small sip and said, “It’s Jeanie King. The woman who found the last victim. She led me to an alley and I was dumb enough to follow her.” Prentiss nodded and said, “It’s okay, _y/n_. Let me just text the team that information. You just relax and I’ll call a nurse to see how you’re doing.” _y/n_ gave a small nod and looked up at the ceiling tiles. When Emily was done with her phone, _y/n_ looked back at her with a little smile which Prentiss returned. _y/n_ said, “I’m glad it’s you here Em. I had some really lucid dreams during the night and I feel like I said some very private stuff. So how bad was it? What did it say.” Emily stilled for a moment and realized, perhaps, why Hotch was so different when she’d seen him. Emily cleared her throat and opted for honesty, saying, “Well I didn’t hear you say anything, _y/n_ but I wasn’t the one here all night.” _y/n_’s eyes went wide and she asked softly, “Who was here, Em?” Prentiss bit her tongue before saying, “Hotch.” _y/n_ covered her face with her hands and said, “Oh my God, kill me, Emily. If I said any of those things to him I’m going to jump out of the jet.” Prentiss sympathized and patted _y/n_’s shoulder saying, “I’m sure it wasn’t that bad, _y/n_. Even if it was, you were drugged, you couldn’t have helped yourself from saying stuff,” _y/n_ just groaned in reply, still covering her eyes. Emily called for the nurse to hope that some distraction would ease her discomfort.

The case didn’t take long to wrap up now that _y/n_ had identified the unsub. The hospital released _y/n_ a day later and Jeanie King was found in another club the next night looking for yet another victim. The woman was disturbed and believed she was doing a great service to those she had drugged. She thought she was letting them experience a good life and time. A life that she had not experienced until she had started taking harder and harder drugs. The tough life and expectations of her home had sent her into a downward spiral. In all, it was a pretty cut-and-dry case, except for the place where the killings happened. To have it be so open and public an arena. When _y/n_ was back on her feet, the team left for home. When _y/n_ saw Aaron for the first time, he very quickly averted his eyes and she noticed him flush, and that was all she needed to know that she’d said something inappropriate to him while he had been with her in the hospital. Aaron didn’t get flustered, nothing ever flustered him, so his response was enough. To his credit, Hotch recovered more quickly than _y/n_ as he, like the rest of the team asked how she was doing. _y/n_ was flustered but tried to play it off like she didn’t need all the attention. She moved as far away from Hotch as possible because she still didn’t know the extent of what she’d said to him. If it was what she remembered, it was bad. The team glanced between the two who normally were pretty close but suddenly weren’t. Only Emily had an idea of what had happened and attempted to bridge the awkward silence in the cabin by asking Spencer a question about the case. Reid jumped at the chance to talk about famous female poisoners. This helped the team breathe, but even so, _y/n_ hardly looked at Aaron during the hour-long trip home.

The team hoped that whatever was happening between _y/n_ and Hotch would go away quickly. But even two weeks after they were back, there was still an awkwardness between them. They worked fine, but the dynamic had shifted, and not for the better. Finally, Rossi and Emily were over the drama and both went to Aaron on the same day to ask him to make it right, or to at least talk to _y/n_. Dave was straight to the point, reminding Aaron that he was the leader of this team and he needed to lead right now. Emily was a bit more nuanced and entered his office near the end of the day. He looked up from his desk and asked, “What is it, Em?” Prentiss smiled and said, “You know you’re not bad for what happened at the hospital, right?” Aaron’s dark eyes flashed to hers and he knew she wasn’t just talking about the fact that _y/n_ had gotten hurt. He slowly said, “I feel like I used her. I should have left when she started talking about that stuff.” Emily shrugged her shoulders and said, “I don’t know if I was in that position and I was spilling my heart out I’d rather not be saying that to an empty room or a nurse that doesn’t care.” Aaron clenched his jaw and said, “She was sharing more than just her heart, Emily.” Em sighed and said, “Well you’re free to feel that way, but you need to do something about it. Either apologize or tell her you feel for her too, because it’s not working right now and you know it. And just for your information, she feels just as bad about saying that stuff to you as you feel about listening to it.” Prentiss didn’t let him make any excuses or try to avoid the real issue, that _y/n_ had shared her feelings and he needed to respond to them in some way. Either positively or with rejection, he had to make up his mind for the sake of his team, but even more for _y/n_’s sake. Hotch sat back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair. His team was right and he wasn’t going to be a coward and just let things fester between _y/n_ and himself. He’d talk to _y/n_ tonight, about what he was going to say, he wasn’t sure, but he was going to say something.

It was seven p.m. and dark outside the Quantico field office. The bullpen was empty except for _y/n_. Aaron knew _y/n_ was a hard worker, but after the incident in NYC, she’d stayed later and later. She stayed until after he’d left the office for the last week. He wasn’t sure if this was her punishing herself for what she’d admitted, or just an attempt to not have to be in a confined space with him like the parking garage or the elevator. But Aaron wasn’t going to let that happen tonight. Tonight he was driving her home. This would give them time and space to talk about what they needed to. It would also ensure an endpoint to the conversation once they arrived at _y/n_’s apartment. Hotch stood up from his desk chair and packed his briefcase before moving outside his office and locking the door behind him. _y/n_ looked up at Aaron as he moved down the stairs. She let out a sigh because once he was out the door she could go home too. But Aaron didn’t do his normal hand raise and “See you tomorrow _y/n_.” Nope. He was walking over to her, and _y/n_ shifted in her seat a bit. She pulled a file in front of her to look like she was working, even though she’d finished a half-hour ago. _y/n_ looked up at him and tried to act cool. She knew it had been strange, that she had been strange since the drugging and she hated it, but _y/n_ didn’t know how to say, “Hey, sorry boss. I didn’t mean to talk about my sexual fantasies with you while I was on drugs.” Instead, _y/n_ just asked, “Hey Hotch. What’s up?” Aaron parked himself by her desk and he said, “I thought I’d give you a ride home?” _y/n_ flushed and said, “It’s alright. I still have this file to finish, but thanks for the offer.” Hotch stood still and said, “_y/n_, you’re finished with that file. It’s late, let me give you a ride home, please.” _y/n_ had never heard him use this tone before, and she looked up at him almost forgetting how terrible she felt about herself and the situation she’d gotten herself into with him. The way he offered made _y/n_ realize why she’d fallen in love with him in the first place. The warmth, yet strength he demonstrated was just so overpowering. _y/n_ snapped back to herself and realized thinking like that had gotten her in trouble in the first place. Aaron saw the shift on her face and he said, “I’m not taking no for an answer, _y/n_. So you might as well grab your stuff. I don’t want you on the bus this late.” _y/n_ turned her head from him so he wouldn’t catch how flustered she was. She didn’t argue with him, it would be pointless and she’d say something stupid anyway.

The car ride was as awkward as either of them had imagined. It was silent until they were five minutes from _y/n_’s house. _y/n_ finally plucked up the courage to look at Hotch and say, “Listen, Hotch, about the last case…” She cut herself off not knowing what she wanted to say about the last case. Aaron took the reigns of the conversation by saying, “_y/n_, I’m sorry for putting you in that situation. I shouldn’t have stayed in the room with you. It was wrong of me.” _y/n_ swallowed and asked one of her hard questions, “What exactly did I tell you? What happened?” Aaron pulled into a spot near _y/n_’s unit and replied, “You told me about your dreams. With me. And I listened because I wanted to know. I’m sorry for violating that trust with you.” _y/n_ swallowed and looked out the window. It was as bad as she feared. _y/n_ felt like crying. The emotions had sprung up like an untapped oil well. Perhaps because she was new and thought maybe she’d get kicked out for something like this, or because she knew Aaron would never feel the same way. Never look at her the way she looked at him. _y/n_ said in an almost inaudible whisper, “No, I’m sorry. I’m sure you didn’t want to hear something gross like that with me. I know I’m nothing like that to you.” Hotch hadn’t expected _y/n_ to say that. He didn’t know what he expected, but it wasn’t that. Hotch furrowed his brow and said, “What do you mean, _y/n_?” _y/n_ huffed, trying to stop the tears from falling down her face as she said, “I know you wouldn’t want to be intimate with someone like me, okay? I get it. I’m just a newbie with a crush. Why would you ever look at me like that.” _y/n_ tone spilled from sorrow to anger quickly.

The silence was deafening for a moment before Aaron said, “_y/n_. You’re a good profiler, but you’ve read me wrong. I like you the way you like me. I have dreams about you too.” The quiet in the car was so deep that the only thing that could be heard was their breaths. _y/n_ turned her head to look at him. She couldn’t believe what she’d heard. Finally, while his gaze was reaching into her soul, she said, “What did you say?” Aaron flushed and raised a hand to her cheek as he deliberately said, “I have dreams about you too.” Hotch took a breath and rubbed his thumb over _y/n_’s bottom lip which was hanging slightly slack with shock. He leaned in closer. So close that his breath fanned her face as he said, “I don’t want to hear you put yourself down like that ever again _y/n_. Do you understand?” _y/n_ nodded slightly. Their mouths were just an inch from each other. When _y/n_ couldn’t wait anymore, she closed the gap between them. Hotch’s lips were warm and soft, meeting hers with enthusiasm and energy. As soon as their mouths met, nothing could stop them from going all in. _y/n_ sucked in a breath and Aaron’s large hands wrapped behind her back, holding her close to him. _y/n_’s hands made it to his hair, and she pulled at the short strands. Aaron groaned into her touch and his hands slipped under the back of _y/n_’s shirt. Hotch slipped his tongue into _y/n_’s mouth. He explored every inch of her mouth and softly bit at her lower lip where his thumb had been mere moments before. _y/n_ moaned into his rough affection. _y/n_ pulled away breathlessly from his mouth and said, “Inside. Let’s go inside.” Aaron’s eyes were full of desire, so dark almost that they looked black. They flashed with anticipation of having more of _y/n and he nodded. The pair got out of Aaron’s car and he locked it behind him as they walked to _y/n_’s apartment. They didn’t run to her door, but they didn’t amble either.

_y/n_ pulled out her keys and she could feel Aaron right behind her, like a shadow. He was so close that she swore his warmth was radiating over her back. She knew if she took a half step back, she’d be pressed against his chest and groin, and god she wanted that so badly. To be pressed into every part of him. _y/n_ quickly unlocked the door and once they were inside, she flicked on a light. _y/n_ heard the door close behind her and a firm hand on her shoulder. Hotch pushed _y/n_’s back to her front door and pinned her there with his arms. _y/n_ ran her tongue over her lower lip, making him want to taste her even more. He leaned down and kissed her again. His hands found her hips and his fingers dug into the soft flesh, seeking traction to keep him steady as his head spun with the overwhelming power _y/n_ had over him now. Aaron felt like a man parched in the desert and he’d finally found an oasis. He was going to have his fill. _y/n_’s hands roamed over his body that held such strength and power, yet contained a soul that longed to belong. Hotch pressed his body to her, pinning her further, but _y/n_ didn’t complain this was what she’d wanted for months. _y/n_ felt his erection and she provided him with some friction and he groaned, a deep sound coming from his chest. Aaron pulled back and said, “Do you want this? Are you sure you want to do this? Once I start I won’t be able to stop.” _y/n_ nodded mutely for a minute before saying, “Aaron, I told you how much I wanted it. I wasn’t exaggerating in the description of those dreams.” Hotch nodded and looked around the new space. He asked, “Bedroom?” _y/n_ flushed and said, “Down the hall, on the left.” He smiled at her and bent down slightly to pick _y/n_ up. He gave a little grunt at shifting her weight into his arms and also the fact that her core was now pressed his this throbbing cock.

In the bedroom, he let _y/n_ down, and she kicked off her shoes and turned on a few lamps. Aaron watched her and then moved behind her. His arms wrapped around her torso and he kissed the crook of her neck. _y/n_ sighed and let him give her open-mouthed kisses. However, she was ready for him. She could feel herself dripping with anticipation, and she turned in his arms. _y/n_ kissed up his jawline while her hands undid the buckle of his belt. Aaron let out a breath, realizing that _y/n_ wanted to pick up the pace. He helped her take off his pants and he returned the favor by stripping her of her _y/f/c_ shirt. His gaze roved over her body now in pants and a simple bra while she took in the bulge in his pants. Aaron pushed _y/n_ to the edge of the bed and she got on her mattress facing him. Aaron hovered over her before kissing her again. He murmured, “Such a needy kitten. Begging me to fuck you.” One of Hotch’s hands slipped under the cup of her bra and he kneaded the tissue and tweaked her nipple until it was taught under his fingers. He flicked it a few times as _y/n_ squirmed on the bed. She panted, “Aaron.” Hotch moved his other hand to the clasp of her bra and unlatched it with ease. He slipped the straps down her shoulders and marveled at what he saw beneath the fabric. Hotch tossed the bra aside, and he moved his mouth to suck on the _y/n_’s right breast, he said, “I need you to be patient for me kitten. I’m going to take this slowly because we can only do it for the first time once, and I want it to be something you remember.” _y/n_ nodded and said, “I understand. I’ll try and last for you.” Hotch’s tongue licked over her nipple and she moaned and arched her back at the feelings. Before Aaron went back into to suckle her again, he said, “Atta girl.” _y/n_ paid attention as Hotch’s mouth licked over her nipple. He sucked and licked it in a way that she knew he was adept with his mouth, both here, and elsewhere. His mouth and hand which was stimulating her other breast were making her even warmer and wetter. She loved the attention he was giving her, but she wanted to see him. To have him fill her to the brim like she knew only he could do. After a few moments, Aaron’s left hand traced down to her stomach, then to her naval, and finally past the band of her panties. She let out a long moan as his finger traced the contours of her arousal. Hotch pulled his face back and he said, “You sound so pretty when you make those noises, y/n_. Like a melody I’m never going to tire of.” He’d started to rub his pointer and middle finger between her folds and _y/n_ said, “Aaron, please, I need you in me.” Hotch’s face split into a grin and he said, “I can feel that kitten. You’re so wet for me already.” _y/n_ nodded and said, “I am. I have been…” _y/n_’s voice was cut off with a groan as Aaron started to circle her clit. Hotch chuckled and let _y/n_ catch her breath as he took off his shirt and briefs. _y/n_ looked at Aaron’s cock that hung thick and heavy by his stomach. He was as impressive as she’d dreamed. Probably more so, but those dreams were gone now that she was in front of the real thing. Aaron noticed her gaze and he said, “Don’t look so shocked _y/n_ or you’ll scandalize me.” _y/n_ laughed, appreciating that he could have some humor at the moment. She said, “What if I praised you instead?” Aaron stilled at the phrase and said, “You don’t need my ego that big right now _y/n_.” His hands slipped to both sides of her panties and she let him slide them down her legs and to the floor like her bra.

Aaron looked over her swollen pussy and noticed how slick it was with her readiness. He looked at her and asked, “How do you want it, _y/n_?” _y/n_ propped herself up on one elbow and used the other to pull him into another kiss before saying, “Just like this, with you on top, putting your weight into me.” Aaron nodded and helped her get into a comfortable position on her back. He asked while flicking a finger over her clit, “Are you on the pill or do I need a condom?” _y/n_ was squirming again under his skilled fingers as she said, “I’m on the pill. You’re good.” Aaron smiled and stopped his hand. _y/n_ almost mewled at the loss of feeling, but Hotch quickly replaced his hand with this cock. He guided it up and down her opening to coat it with her slick. _y/n_ arched her back and let out a long moan as he guided the tip inside her. “Aaron,” she called out as he kept pressing in and out of her. He looked down at her face, which radiated her pleasure. He checked in anyway asking, “Is it too much? Are you comfortable?” _y/n_ nodded and said, “It’s perfect. Just keep going, please. You’re not gonna hurt me.” _y/n_ opened her eyes enough to see his smile and he pressed his length further into her weeping cunt. It took him three full thrusts to seat himself in her. No matter how ready _y/n_ said she was, he wasn’t going to press her or harm her. _y/n_ wrapped her arms around him and he began to thrust in and out of her. _y/n_ let out a litany of sounds and words as he established a pace. Aaron struggled to keep his composure as left her warmth and wetness tight around his cock. He groaned as he kept moving inside her. _y/n_ hands raked down his back, asking him to move more. Aaron complied with her unspoken request. He started snapping his hips into her, filling her each time. _y/n_ let out a strangled cry that was his name and he replied, “That’s a good girl. You’re taking me so well aren’t you kitten.”Hotch stifled her future cries with his mouth. The veins on Aaron’s dick gave the perfect feeling for _y/n_’s walls to feel the sensation of Hotch’s fast pace. He was doing as she asked, putting his full weight into every thrust. _y/n_ quickly started feeling her core tighten and the fact that he wasn’t letting her get any sounds out only amplified the orgasm that she knew was fast approaching. Aaron moved one hand to her clit and began rubbing soft circles over her nerve spot. He pulled his mouth away from hers so she could hear _y/n_ pant his name and have her breath pick up even more. Aaron quickened and tightened his attention on her clit and he knew she was close as her walls tightened around him and her back arched further off the bed. He was close too and he gave her his all as his hips rocked into hers. He looked at her face and hair above her head as he said, “Let go kitten. You can let go for me.” At his encouragement, _y/n_ let her climax peak and she felt herself seize all over as the wave of euphoria crashed over her. The look on _y/n_’s face and the way _y/n_’s cunt got even tighter with her orgasm had Aaron spill into her harshly. He called out her name as he let go. Hotch leaned forward on his arms to stop from collapsing on top of her.

Both of them took their time to catch their breaths and Aaron looked over to her saying, “That was, that was amazing, _y/n_.” _y/n_ looked at him, eyes still blown from her climax. She ran a hand over his cheek and said, “That was better than any dream I could imagine.” Hotch laughed and said, “I’m not sure about that. Some of them sounded pretty nice. Maybe we should try some of those things later on.” Hearing Aaron say that _y/n_ sobered and said, “So, we’re going to keep doing this?” Hotch looked at her and sat up from her side. He kissed the tip of her nose and said, “If you want, _y/n_. I’d like to if you're comfortable with it.” _y/n_ nodded slowly and said, “I do want that, but what about the team and the rules? Is this even allowed?” Aaron smiled down at her glowing body and said, “Yeah, we’ll have to talk about that. But it can wait for tonight. I never want you to think I don’t dream about you like you did with me. And I’m going to make sure I show you that thoroughly with time.” _y/n_ beamed and tried to sit up, but Aaron held her back and asked, “What are you trying to do, kitten?” _y/n_ flushed at the nickname and replied, “Just getting some towels to clean us up?” Hotch kept his gaze on her face before flicking it between her legs. He looked back at her and said, “You must be joking if you think I’m going to let that all go to waste. Now lay back down and let me take care of you.” _y/n_ let out a little gasp at the request, but let Aaron push her back on the mattress. He kissed down the valley of her breasts, stomach, and finally to their shared release. As his mouth expertly lapped up what he’d spilled in her, mixed with her climax, both Aaron and _y/n_ realized they’d found something very special in the other. Aaron had found an agent willing to stick with the BAU in the good and bad times, and _y/n_ had found a leader she trusted enough to follow into the fire. And well the sex, the intimacy that they had had and that to come, well that was just the cherry on top.

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eetherealgoddess · 2 months

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helloo, I just want to tell you I've been your fan since I downloaded tumblr. I can't, your fanfics are to die for. 😭 I'm sorry, I've been the one liking your stories from the start, I hope it doesn't bother you and I'm sorry if it does.

can I request a really really dark supernatural au smut bonten x fem reader? I can't explain how much I love your supernatural au fanfics😭

Although idk who you are specifically, I appreciate all your likes and the request so you don’t have to be sorry!! I embrace all feedback!! Unfortunately, I don’t think I made this dark enough, but I hope you enjoy it anyway!! ♡︎♡︎♡︎

Y’all it’s wild cuz blood actually makes me queasy and uncomfortable. Especially gore and yet I write and read it even though I gotta pause to breathe from time to time lmao. This one is FULL of blood and gore. So be mindful!! ꨄꨄꨄ

ꨄBlood Thirstyꨄ

Oneshot - Yandere Bonten Djinn Au

❦Your blood is enticing to Bonten❦

Sano Manjiro, Hanemiya Kazutora, Sanzu Haruchiyo, & Haitani Brothers x Reader

MY TR FANDOM WORKS ARE ONLY ON TUMBLR, AO3, AND WATTPAD UNDER EETHEREALGODDESS! REPORT IF YOU SEE IT POSTED UNDER ANYONE ELSE BUT ME!!!

The male leads are Djinn, based off of the show Supernatural, though I’ve created my own version for the story. I’ve never watched the show but I searched up supernatural monsters and found Djinn.

In this story, they’re tattooed beings who drink blood and eat flesh. They trap their victims by luring them with their glowing eyes that cause a hypnotic trance. Their tattoos will glow the same color as their eyes. They can only be killed with a silver knife laced with an antidote created by Djinn slayers.

Djinn are not mine nor is this the original type of creature. There’s also another definition that has nothing to do with the show so you should research that if you want to find out because I don’t have enough info on that to be able to explain it.

Not fully proofread

I apologize if I get any Japanese etiquette or culture wrong, I literally have to research the culture for some of my fandom stories so if anything is wrong, please excuse my ignorance.

Notice:

✩Y/n is 18+. I picture her as a black female but you can see her however.

✩Some parts of the story may not be realistic or factual. After all, this is a work of fiction.

✩Although it's a dark 'romance,' I do not condone any of the behavior displayed.

✩Dark content such as: gore, violence, triggering topics, graphic scenes, vulgar language, explicit sexual content, etc.

✩There may be scenes that involve non con and/ or dubcon so don’t read if that makes you uncomfortable

✩That being said, this story is for 18+ only.

Enjoy!

Blood Thirsty

You were quiet, hand covering your own mouth as your eyelids flutter closed. You lean your back against the shelf of books, hiding in an aisle of the abandoned library as you sit with your knees to your chest. You contain your vomit as you listen to the sounds of your friend's flesh ripping apart, the blood splattering against the floors as the putrid smell of death reaches your nose. Your other hand is placed against your pounding heart as your body tenses, hair sticking up as you prevent yourself from having an anxiety attack.

Earlier, you and your friends had gone to a local nightclub just to get out and have fun. Because the night club is owned by Djinn yakuza members, it was a sacrificial night, the full moon being the reason for this massacre. A ritual that was made into an agreement between humans and Djinn. Djinn can survive off of animal prey, which is what they eat until the night it’s time to feed. You had no idea the building was owned by not only a criminal organization but Djinn creatures at that. Not until one of your friends said, “Who knew Djinn could give us such a great time?”

Apparently your other three friends didn’t know either, eyebrows furrowing when they heard the news. It was already dangerous to be out late at night since that’s when they prowl on a full moon, but to also attend a Djinn club is just asking to be somebody’s meal. You smacked her shoulder and asked, “Why did you bring us here knowing that it’s feeding night?”

“They’re hot!” She responds, “If they’re gonna be active tonight then I know I can score at least one in exchange for my blood!” The creatures are known to be attractive, adding to the hype of the tattooed beings. Unfortunately, your friend is so boy crazy that she’ll put everyone at risk just for a chance with a murderous creature.

You all escaped and ran as fast as you could when all hell broke loose, ending in this dark dusty library, choosing your spots to hide in. You knew you couldn’t stay in the same spot for long. You knew you were going to have to move before they stopped feeding. The blood curdling screams of your friends begin to quiet down as you look over to the original friend who put you all in this predicament. She sat at the aisle across from you, eyes wide as well as her own hand covering her mouth as her body trembled. You both eyed each other in terror before you motioned for the door opposite of the sound. It was a few aisles down. You both have the potential to make it as they continue to eat.

You nod at her before standing on your feet, crouching as you peeked behind your aisle, instantly regretting it as you turned back away from the gruesome scene. Holding your stomach you ease your way to the other side of the aisle in front of you, hands trembling as you hold your breath once pausing, listening for any movement towards you. When all you heard was the usual ripping and bone cracking you turned to look at your friend who's following behind on her own side. You both move again and again until you finally make it out of the door, sprinting down the hall until you make it outside.

Your original plan was to keep running until you didn’t hear your friend behind you, turning around you noticed her standing in place, staring to the side.

“F/n! F/n! Come on!” You call out to her, confused as to why she stopped.

“But he’s so pretty.” She says breathlessly, her eyes beginning to glow purple.

You follow her sight, startled when you notice the shirtless man with a large tattoo on the left side of his torso, as well as a symbol on his neck. His purple mullet flowing in the wind as he stands across from her, eyes and tattoos glowing purple. Blood stained his mouth as well as his chest, his hands dripping with the substance as he licked some of the liquid off his fingers. You turn away as you grab her face, turning her to face you.

“Wake up! Wake up now! We’re gonna be killed!” You shake her face as her mouth hangs open, slobber dripping as you shift your gaze back to the male who stood still. You know you should leave her, but you can’t. You know it’s her fault, as well as yours for even being out in the first place on a night like this. Tears fall down your eyes as you contemplate whether or not to leave her to die. The only way she can be pulled out of the trance is by the Djinn releasing her or death.

You could be a savior and offer yourself up, but fear overtook your senses. You couldn’t possibly save her, so you decide to make a run for it while you still can, releasing her face. Before you could run, claws wrap around your wrist, yanking you back as you fall on the grass, bottom making contact with the ground as another tattooed being crouches over you. You noticed the yellow glow against the tiger symbol on his neck as well as the symbol that matches with the purple eyed Djinn on the right side of his chest.

His smile was as cold as his golden gaze, eyes refrained from glowing as he stared down at your fearful face. Blood covered his torso as well as his hands. You could see that his teeth were also stained with red as his smile widened.

“Where do ya think you’re going?”

You could only stare back at his face before you looked over to your friend, your hand reaching out in reflex as you called out to her when she walked over to the male. A hand on your chin forces you to turn your attention back to the brunette with blonde strands hanging over his face.

“Hey! Pay attention to me. I asked you a question.” He eyes you with an irritated gaze, causing you to yelp when he squeezes your chin tightly, claws poking your skin.

“Playing with your food, Kazu?” Another shirtless man walks toward the two of you from inside the building, fresh blood covering his mouth as well as his whole torso while the large tattoo on the right side of his body as well as the one on his neck glows purple.

He stops next to you both, sniffing the air as he eyes you and your friend with a lazy smile.

“Are you radiating that sweet scent, darling?”

“N-no! I don’t know what you’re talking about!” You say as you pull back from the man’s grip.

The purple eyed man’s fingers met his chin. “Hm. Of course you don’t. You smell it?” He faces the crouching man.

“Yeah. That’s what brought me over here. Never smelled blood like that before.” The tiger symboled man pushes himself from the ground, standing over you as their intense gazes study you like you’re a new specimen.

Your eyebrows furrow as you notice their eyes becoming dim, faces turning red as they hold dazed looks on their faces.

“Man, your smell is intoxicating.” Kazutora breathes out, chest rising as he drags a large sniff of the air.

“Maybe we should preserve this one, yeah?” The short haired man suggests.

“You think boss’ll allow it?” Kazutora questions.

“Allow what?” A pink haired man entered the scene, walking until he reached the two men standing above you. His hair covered in blood as well as his face, hands, and chest, as if he rubbed himself against the liquid while feeding. You eye the blue glow of his wrist, the symbol matching the iciness of his piercing eyes. He sniffed the air, facing you as he observed your figure. Bending over, he grabs your arm, pulling you up on your feet and smelling the limb.

His face instantly warms, eyes dazed as he continues to sniff the sweet aroma, using a hand at the back of your neck to pull you closer as he nuzzles your neck. You put your hands on his chest as you pushed yourself away, his hand preventing you from moving as you struggled in his grasp.

“What is that?” He pulls back, turning to the others as he releases your neck only to keep a hold of your arm.

Kazutora shrugged. “That’s what we’re trying to figure out.”

You hear the sound of flesh ripping along with a familiar scream of pain. Turning your head, you eye the gruesome sight. The man has your friend’s detached arm in his hand. A big gash is left where her arm used to be as her legs tremble, her eyes staying wide as they continue to glow purple. Blood drips from the wound as he bites into the flesh of the arm, more blood staining his mouth as he moans while satisfying his hunger.

Your hands shake as you eye the display in horror, tears streaming down your face as you watch your last friend become a beast’s meal. Instincts going haywire, you wanted to run away, but if you did, you knew you’d be easily captured by the Djinn considering their abilities. They have the upper hand against the human species. You’ve always wondered why they didn’t just take over. You could only stand there amongst the men, feeling helpless, weak, and vulnerable. It disgusted you to be so human in this predicament. You were going to die and you had no choice but to accept it.

“Awe, she’s crying. I think you’re hurting her arm, Sanzu.” Kazutora jokes, pointing at your tears. You ignored him as you turned your head away from your friend who’s shoulder just got bitten off, using both of your hands to cover your ears, the sound driving you crazy.

Sanzu releases you just in time for you to lean over and vomit. Bile burning your throat as you gag and dry heave.

“Disgusting.” Sanzu hissed as he walked towards the purple mullet. Kazutora leaned over with his hands on his knees.

“It’s amazing how you still smell sweet. There’s no way boss won’t take you home with us.” He beams.

“He does have a thing for sweet things.” Ran states with a cigar in his mouth, sparking it before shoving the lighter in his pants pocket.

A short man walks out of the building, the men immediately turning their attention to him. The atmosphere darkens almost as much as the voids you’d call his eyes. He gave you an icy glare, causing a rapid chill to run up your spine as well as sending alerts to your instincts. Your body tenses as he comes closer. You hear him sniffing, eyeing the blood on his mouth as well as on his chest, bloody claws by his sides. He stops in front of you, gazing into your soul as you shift in discomfort.

His gaze slightly softens as the familiar red hue forms on his face, panting softly as he drags more of your fumes through his nostrils. You eye the blood staining his platinum hair, the stench of flesh and blood surrounding you. His palm rests on the side of your neck for a moment before he uses a claw to nick the skin, slicing a small cut in between your neck and shoulder causing you to flinch. He leans in, warm breath grazing your neck before his tongue slithers against your wound. His sunken eyes widen as his hands grab your shoulders, pulling you in as you place your hands on his chest in an attempt to push him away before you yelp from the fangs piercing through your skin.

He gulps your blood down, moaning against you as you fall backwards. He lands on top of you, a hand sliding behind your neck while the other balances next to your head. Your hands grip his shoulders as your eyes shut tightly in pain. You hiss and whimper under him as the others, including Sanzu and Rin, watch as if they’re in their own trance. He finally pulls his teeth out of your neck before he grips the back of your neck tightly as he nuzzles against the wound. Your blood rubs along his face as he engulfs himself. He breathes your scent in deeply before pulling back.

He pants as he sits on top of you with intense eyes. You avoid eye contact by looking at your own blood covering the hand that felt the moisture from your neck. Your hand trembles as you look at the men who stood around you. He stands up and walks away from you. He flicks his head, motioning for them to grab you. When you see this, your fight or flight kicks in causing you to hop up and run. The only place you could go was the forest but if you stayed hidden there until the sun rose, they would have to let you go in order to not break the treaty.

“So she wants a chase?” Rin questions with a smirk as all the executives stand and watch you run.

“Bind her and bring her to the car when you’re done.” Mikey says before he hops into the car.

With a wide grin that shows their sharp stained teeth, the four men began to sprint after you, Ran dropping the cigar in the process.

You run as fast as you can, grunting and breathing hard as your heart pounds. Your chest tightens as the pain in your legs form fast from running at a speed you’ve never had to run. You hop off of mini hills as well as passing many trees. The only light allowing you to see in the moonlight shining through the leaves. You just had to find a hiding spot to survive the night. You wouldn’t have run into the forest if they weren’t blocking your way. You knew you couldn’t pass them.

You groan as the pain becomes almost unbearable, the tightening of your body making it harder to breathe. You knew you’d have to stop soon but your adrenaline is pumping and you refuse to let them catch you. At least not easily. You thank the heavens that you hadn’t worn heels, the platforms of your shoes smacking against the grassy terrain, attempting to not fall on loose twigs or branches. As you run, you also gaze around for any mud to prevent yourself from sliding on it.

You pant, mouth wide open as you peek behind you. Seeing nothing there you continue to run as you look for the perfect hiding place. If you were being honest with yourself, there’s a low chance of surviving without being caught. They probably know exactly where you are and just allow you to run because they like to play with their prey. You’re not dumb. You were just scared. You had to try. Before you could plant your feet into the ground, you run into a figure in front of you, slamming into them.

Your friend's blood stains your clothes, mixing in with your own as the man wraps his arms around your waist, pulling you in as he leans over to smell your blood.

“I don’t think we’ve properly met.” A hand covers your mouth, blocking your scream. You’re forced to turn the other way, your back against his chest as he holds you in place. The other men stood in front of you in a curve, staring you down with glowing eyes.

“I don’t think I want to put her in a trance. I like it when they fight.”

“I want a taste. Mikey made you look so good.”

Suddenly, fingers connect with your chin, moving your head to the side as the person in front of you sniffs before leaning into the spot Mikey focused on.

A long tongue glides against your neck, the short haired man moaning softly before his teeth sinks in. You yelp in pain as another bite comes from behind, the man’s younger brother getting his own taste from the other side of your neck. The arm around your waist tightens you in place. You smack Ran’s shoulder as you try to push him away, tears rolling out of your eyes at the pain.

“You guys are hogging her all to yourself.” Kazutora states before snatching one of your arms. He bites into your forearm, eyes widening when the blood hits his taste buds, eagerly draining you. Sanzu does the same to the other arm, shutting his eyes as he drinks from you. You could only cry out in agony as they drain from you. Your body weakens as well as you becoming light headed. This goes on until you begin to see stars, your vision blurring. They pull away from you just in time before you faint, your body weak against the man behind you as you lean back.

Suddenly, your bottom met the ground as the man sitswith his back leaned against the tree. You begin to feel kisses littering all over your neck, lips hitting the blood that continues to ooze out.

“You taste so fucking good.” He whispers as he licks the liquid. Your eyelids are heavy as you sit barely awake. It feels like your black out drunk, going in and out of consciousness from whatever was spiked in it.

You look into the eyes in front of you, the person kneeling before you as two palms hold your cheeks, lips meeting yours as you’re forced to kiss the man. You couldn’t even flinch when he nipped your lip, blood drawing from you as you sat weakly.

“Let me go.” You whisper against his lips, not having enough strength to say much in a louder tone. He pulls back as he smirks.

“Go where? You can’t even walk.” Sanzu says as he crouches beside you, eyeing the wound on your neck and using his fingers to force you to turn towards him.

The red hue is still stuck on all of their faces, dazed eyes as if they’re intoxicated by your scent.

“I wonder what your thighs taste like.” The golden eyed man states before kneeling and pulling your leg open. He leans over and begins licking and sucking your thigh before sinking his teeth in. Another grunt leaves out of your mouth from the pain.

“I wonder how you taste down here.” A hand coming from behind slips into your pants as you try to wiggle out of his grip.

“Stop! Don’t touch me!” You cry out angrily. The hand dips into your panties, slowly rubbing up your slit before landing on your clit.

“I bet your cum is as sweet as your blood, huh?” The man behind you chuckles as he rolls his finger against your clit.

“I think we should find out.” His brother adds on, smiling as they nod at each other. Kazutora moves away from your thigh as he wipes his mouth, licking the blood he wiped from the back of his hand.

Rin pulls his hand out of your pants before reaching under your thighs and pulling them as far back as he could. Ran uses a claw to cut a slit from the zipper of your pants down to your ass. He tears a hole into the pants, stretching them to get a good view of your panties.

“No! Stop right now! Please!” Your head falls back on Rin’s shoulder weakly as you use your hands to cover yourself. Sanzu grabs them, securing your wrists above your head.

Ran leans over as he slices through the middle of your panties. He closes in and takes a big whiff of your vagina. Using two fingers, he gently spreads your lips apart with one hand while the thumb on his other hand pulls the hood of your clit back, revealing the bud.

“What a pretty pussy.” You twitch slightly as you feel a blow of air on your clit.

Your face warms up when you feel his lips grazing your clit, leaving a soft kiss on the bud. He does it once more and then again as he looks at you with intense eyes. You bite your lip, sucking your teeth as you turn away, only for Sanzu to use one hand to force you to look up at him. Leaning over with one hand still gripping your wrists, his lips meet yours. Rin keeps your legs pulled back, piercing his claws into your skin to draw some blood, watching as you flinch in pain, all the while Ran licks up your clit before he gives a few more kitten licks. Finally, he closes his mouth around the bud, sucking and flicking his tongue as he dives in.

Kazutora, who's still kneeling on the ground, licks up the blood dripping from your thighs. You whimper against Sanzu’s mouth.

“I think we should put the bind in between her breasts.” Rin says as you jolt from Ran’s tongue. Sanzu pulls back.

“We should put it on her face, that way everyone knows who she belongs to.”

Kazutora pulls back. “But she has such a pretty face, I don’t want to mark it.”

Ran continues to suck your clit as he lowers his head to lick some of your slick from the hole itself, his long tongue pushing inside as he uses a finger to rub your clit. He doesn’t pay much attention to the conversation, too obsessed with drinking your juices as your pussy contracts. Your head falls back with your eyes shut tight.

“Fine. Take her arms.” Kazutora grabs your arms as he stands up, Sanzu kneeling to tear the middle of your top open, revealing the lack of bra.

“Wow, you were already ready.” Kazu beams.

Sanzu sticks out a claw as his eyes glow, along with his tattoo. The beam reaches his hand as the claw meets with your skin, Rin holding you tighter as you scream in pain. The claw penetrates your skin as it drags into the shape of their Bonten symbol, blood dripping down as you struggle in his grip.

“Stop! Stop! It fucking hurts!” You cry out, your own nails digging into the skin of your palms. Kazutora forces you to turn to him with one hand, trapping your screams with an open mouthed kiss.

The contrast of pain between your chest and pleasure from your pussy shamefully causes you to near your orgasm as Ran tongue fucks you and rolls a finger around your bud. Your pussy drips with juice as your body convulses, just in time for the bind to complete as it glows a blue color that swirls into all of their signature colors before it resembles a normal tattoo. You yell out as you finally reach your limit, creaming on his face as he laps up the juice. Not long after, you finally pass out from all the overwhelming sensations.

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popatochisssp · 6 months

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Would it be too much to ask what kind of jobs the new skeles might have since you already shared bram would be a groundskeeper at a cemetery?

Looks like I never officially did this one for Wave 2, just Wave 1 over here.

So, while we’re at it, let's do 2 and 3!

Ash (Undergloom Sans): He’s semi-unemployed, or self-employed depending on how you look at it. He busks, playing his trombone out on the street and accepting donations from anyone who feels so inclined. He likes playing music and the idea of brightening peoples’ days in the middle of their commute, so the money doesn’t really matter to him. Sometimes he picks up small gigs at local venues, mostly by word of mouth, and eventually he breaks into the tutoring scene—teaching his favorite instrument to young aspiring musicians who find the same joy in it that he does.

Yrus (Undergloom Papyrus): He works as a professor at the local community college, teaching anthropology. He’s passionate about the subject and can’t think of anything he’d rather do than share it with a classroom of humans who probably have no idea how interesting they really are. If only one student walked away from his class with a new appreciation for what humanity’s all about then he’s fulfilled—but he tends to send a lot more away with that than just one, since he’s a very popular, friendly, and accessible teacher.

Brick (Horrorfell Sans): He’s self-employed, knitting blankets at home and selling them online. He doesn’t need a job at all, between the Queen and his brother, money’s not an issue, but he’d go crazy if he didn’t have something to do all day, and nobody wants to see what he looks like when he goes crazy. He takes commissions often, but other times he just makes things according to whatever he’s feeling and what color yarn he has handy and sells to whoever feels like buying it.

King (Horrorfell Papyrus): He works as a physical therapist. He more or less taught himself to walk again after losing his leg, and a second time after getting a replacement, so he very personally understands the need that exists for people who are injured and want to get back to their normal life—but maybe lack the discipline, the knowledge, or the tools to take that journey solo. He’s hard on his patients and sadistically merciless, but his success rate in terms of mobility recovered is very high and any complaints after the fact are begrudging at worst.

Merc (Horrorswap Sans): He’s a home baker, making cakes and small pastries for a small but growing client base. He likes the freedom of getting to pursue his passions seriously and to be his own boss, set his own hours, screen his own clients, et cetera. He puts a lot of time and care into what he makes, both in terms of flavor and decoration, and finds nothing quite so satisfying as a repeat customer or a glowing review and recommendation to someone new.

Ell (Horrorswap Papyrus): Freelance programming is what he does for cash. It was something he could both learn how to do and actually do remotely, without the need for more than the bare minimum of in-person contact. He likes problem-solving, and complaining about the problem-solving, and the field is pretty much always in demand so if he’s bored of certain kinds of jobs, or sick of the person giving him the jobs, he can jump ship at any time and be a contractor someplace else.

Pitch (Horrorswapfell Sans): He’s a boxer, more amateur than pro so he doesn’t make a ton doing it, at least not consistently, but he likes fighting and draws in a decent crowd by being a bit of a spectacle (a blind skeleton in the ring) so the entertainment value is worth something. Aside from that, eventually, he fills in for his brother as a combination business partner/agent/accountant, helping him get jobs and keep clients and manage the money he makes doing so.

Nemo (Horrorswapfell Papyrus): He’s unemployed for a long while, but ultimately breaks into professional photography, with a specialty in travel photographs. He likes taking pictures and getting to see the world in the process, and it helps that it’s a family business so he and his brother have pretty much full control over what jobs he takes and for how much. He doesn’t really concern himself with the money numbers, though, he just likes filling out his portfolio with gorgeous locales all around the world.

Sunny (Gastertale Sans): He does a lot of odd jobs, all over the place, generally (things that are considered) unskilled labor—bussing tables, janitorial work, desk clerking, that kind of thing. He doesn’t like the thought of getting too stuck into any one thing and being unable to try something else out later if it doesn’t work out, and there’s something to be said for the satisfaction of being closely connected to the results of your labor. Sometime down the line he will end up sticking in one career, as a dealer for a casino, because it combines his social, charming nature with his sharp eye and quick hands, but until then he’s happy to bounce around.

Aster (Gastertale Papyrus): He’s a bookkeeper at a nondescript company. He’s organized and thorough with record-keeping and double-checking data, and he likes putting those skills to use to make sure his employer’s finances and transactions all balance out at the end of the day. Some might find it boring work and he could almost certainly qualify for a much more ‘prestigious’ job doing something else, but he’s satisfied having a job that doesn’t require all of his effort and brainpower, so he can save some of that for his personal life and private interests.

Spectr (Transcendtale Sans): He’s a nomad, a wanderer, he has no job. He’s a robot in the shape of a monster—ostensibly still a monster, even so—in a world full of humans that as yet believe monsters don’t exist, so even if he wanted a job, getting one would be logistically difficult. Luckily, he feels no special need to be gainfully employed and just spends his time wandering around and taking in the world. If he needs something, he’ll either just take it or use one of his brother’s accounts to pay for it.

PapAIrus (Transcendtale Papyrus): He’s a performer, a disc jockey who mixes, makes, and plays music to crowds at clubs, raves, and discos, anywhere he’s welcome. He takes advantage of the perception of his holographic form as an artist’s gimmick, like Daft Punk, Hatsune Miku, dead musicians projected onto stages to play posthumously… In his defense, that last one is sort of exactly what he is, except he didn’t really start making music until after he died. Still, he has fun doing it and adores the fame he’s steadily gaining as a popular, cutting-edge technology music act.

Xanth (Ascendswap Sans): He does aura readings for people. For those interested to know, he shares his perception of their colors and the flow of energy in and around them, and just generally describes the sense he gets about a person. What he does is really more of a soul read than an aura read, so a lot of the color meanings and terminology he uses contrast with the kind of readings his clients may get from humans who practice something a little bit different. Still, he’s earnest in his desire to help people understand themselves and their energies and emotions, so he gets a lot of recommendations and repeat clientele who trust he’s the real deal.

Piper (Ascendswap Papyrus): He works as an event planner, organizing gatherings, arranging vendors, booking venues, the whole nine. He has a great reputation for making things go smoothly and always seems to be able to talk out bumps and snags before they ever become a major problem. He also maintains great relationships with people in the industry and delights in having connections just about everywhere in case he needs to call on a favor to make something happen for a client. He's got the magic touch and the silver (gold) tongue that makes everything fall into place just so.

Carmine (Underfell Fruition Sans): He works as a clerk at a pawn shop. He gets to handle a lot of interesting items and assess roughly how much they’d be worth, and he’s pretty good at haggling and negotiating with people who might not agree with said assessments. Sometimes people will come in with broken stuff they wouldn’t be able to get too much for, but maybe he can cut ‘em a deal, fix it up on his own dime and if they come back for it, great—and if they don’t, his boss’ll be happy to have something that works to sell to somebody else at a markup, how ‘bout it? He does a brisk business and both sides of the counter love him.

Tank (Underfell Fruition Papyrus): He’s in construction. He’s huge, strong, takes direction well, and diligently follows rules and protocols—he’s an ideal fit for it. He likes to work hard and be able to see a job come together, knowing he had a part in it and being satisfied with the quality of his contribution. He especially likes to take every safety training and equipment certification course he can attend because he likes knowing what the rules are and being specifically told how certain procedures are run, machines operated, et cetera. He’s very likely to be apprenticed in as a foreman if not the inheritor someday of the construction business by its current owner for his work ethic and dedication, but that’ll be a long ways from now.

Vi (Swapfell Fruition Sans): He works as an independent auditor and combs through companies’ records, internal and external documentation, processes, and accounting and ensures everything is being done in accordance with industry standards. In short, he shows up, demands to see everything they have, and looks through it to see if they’ve lied, did something wrong, or lost information they weren’t supposed to. Sometimes he can do this remotely but other times he has to travel out to a physical office somewhere and sit down with a bunch of stuffed file cabinets, and he really doesn’t mind either way. He likes the work and he’s good at it—maybe because he’s good at it—and he finds it satisfying to catch the tiniest little misses and errors to demand an accounting of them.

Hunter (Swapfell Fruition Papyrus): He’s a trail maintenance worker for Ebott National Park. He walks the paths and hiking trails and makes sure they’re safe and unobstructed for visitors, as well as whatever odd jobs in the area that happen to come up—looking out for invasive species, helping with a bench install, directing lost tourists, that kinda thing. It’s not especially glamorous work but it’s pretty much exactly where he wants to be and he’s happy to do it, probably wouldn’t pick any other job in the world…except maybe to volunteer for a seasonal fire-watch position and do pretty much the exact same thing, but more isolated and with a big cool tower to sit in.

Kohl (Descendtale Sans): He works as a mortician at a local funeral home. He generally isn’t expected (read: allowed) to deal with grieving families, that’s more the funeral director’s purview, but he works behind the scenes embalming, processing, and otherwise preparing the dead for their final party and last ride home. He has a strong stomach—or rather, no stomach at all—and doesn’t get squeamish or emotional about the dead, so that works out. They also let him work nights so he has several long, quiet hours of methodically going through the routine with no (living) humans around to irritate him or vice-versa. Sounds like a good gig to him.

Bram (Descendtale Papyrus): Yes, still a groundskeeper for the cemetery and loving it. It was something he kind of fell into through his brother, when he didn’t really know what he wanted to do on the Surface, but his brother sends dead humans off to their final resting place and said final resting place was looking for someone to dig holes, mind the grass, keep everything looking neat and nice—and that’s certainly something he can do! He also works nights, being that monsters are almost entirely nocturnal these days, so he’s also an unintentional scarecrow deterrent to teenagers sneaking in late for partying or spooky dares when they see a slim, bony silhouette materialize out of the shadows with a shovel in hand, asking if they’re just visiting or thinking about moving in.…

#anonymous #headcanons #undergloom #horrorfell #horrorswap #horrorswapfell #gastertale #transcendtale #ascendswap #underfell fruition #swapfell fruition #descendtale

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dreamii-krybaby · 5 months

Text

Y’all remember my raspberry swap au? Which is basically a doll and uzi role swap

Here are like some main ideas

Fist of all, Khan WAS the assigned colony leader but after getting murdered by the disassembly drones (N *cough cough*) alongside Nori, in his will he gave the role to one of his trusted friends, “Adán” (which is Doll’s father btw)

Adán is much more younger than Khan and didn’t have much experience, so getting the role of leader of the colony, plus the fact he is grieving Yeva’s death deeply and has to deal with Doll’s antics takes a heavy toll on him

Adán tried to give the job to someone else but no one wanted and he felt he would be disrespecting khan. So what’s up with his relationship with doll?

Its strained, due to Adán being new to the job and having to manage so many things, he is overworked and burned out and is not in the right headspace at all. And is in deep grieving, which has let him to not pay much attention to doll’s needs, he occasionally seems to be in his own bubble not paying attention to anyone or anything.

Doll is also grieving but in a different way, it has mostly affected her academically. And since her dad hasn’t been paying attention to her emotionally she occasionally lashes out, which lets to arguments which lets to her getting ground and things getting progressively more complicated.

She eventually makes a friend at school, lizzy :3

Meanwhile Uzi kinda goes the same path as Doll does in canon. She plans a whole revenge plan on prom night. On everyone favorite’s boy, N. Who takes more different personality.

Oh and Adán and Doll speak english! But with a very heavy russian accent, but there are scenes where they actually speak russian. Meanwhile Uzi speaks japanese! She got it from Nori.

Also Uzi’s home is similar to doll’s but different aesthetic as in the composition and colors. Also her parents corpse’s are on the living room (get it- haha)

She also has countless of gadgets and weapons littered around and buckets and bags full of drone parts and oil. Also, yes her house is infested with insects but like i was thinking that instead of roaches its like moths or spiders.

Also instead of Uzi bringing knifes she brings many little gadgets, but one of my ideas is that she carries a purse that actually turns into a sort of weapon but still thinking about it.

As for Doll, her equivalent of Uzi’s SAH railgun would be maybe a crossbow or a dagger with poison but am still thinking about it. May go with the crossbow

Also since Doll and Uzi are based on highschooler archetypes, i was thinking that Doll takes more on the “quiet true crimes artsy kid” meanwhile for Uzi, am still figuring her archetype, but definitely am thinking that she is that one kid who gets the highest marks without even trying.

As for Yeva and Nori, their personality wont change that much, as for now. Yeva is more unstable rather than unhinged. As in constant breakdowns, anxiety attacks and dwelling in unhealthy coping mechanisms (Smoking and drinking). She tried her best to make Doll think everything was ok but she became dependent a bit on Adán and all of this happened when she started getting the visions. And I was thinking that instead of doing drawings its maybe something with photography maybe, like collages maybe. But idk

Adán was there for Yeva but things got complicated as he couldn’t deal with how unstable Yeva became. And he blamed himself deeply after Yeva was murdered by the disassembly drones, by being shot in the head.

Also character design wise, Adán is almost the same as his canon design, Doll gets a wardrobe change, Uzi does too. Am still thinking about the rest.

If you have any ideas pleaseeee tell me. I would greatly appreciate it. Also you can ask me anything regarding this AU

Also Yeva’s and Nori’s and Khan’s death didn’t have a big time gap btw, maybe a few months apart.

Also I was thinking of Uzi trying to restrain N by building her own contraption :3

Edit: when the whole “leaving your kid to die” shit happens. When V and Doll team up and beat J’s and N’s ass and win. Adán immediately goes to hug doll and try to apologize but Doll shoves him away and call’s him out, telling him that she feels like she is being treated as nothing but as a burden. Then the rest plays out like in canon mostly

This let’s to Adán trying to find ways to cope (in a healthy way) and get some sort of help with managing the colony and his grief

Edit: Nori’s and Khan’s corpses display nanite acid and have parts that are completely burned or melted off.

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veronicaleighauthor · 3 months

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Embracing My Inner Marian Brook

SPOILER ALERT!!!

First of all, Praise Jesus, we’re getting a Season 3 for “The Gilded Age!”

::WARNING:: ::THIS IS A LONG RAMBLING POST::

::sighs::

I can’t believe Season 2 of “The Gilded Age” is over. Why did we get nine episodes in Season 1, but only eight in Season 2?!?!?! Not that another episode would have been enough for me. The costumes, the snobbery, the grandeur, the upstairs/downstairs relations – I love it all. It may even surpass my love for “Downton Abbey.” I think it’s because I’m American and this is based in America, and we just don’t have the period dramas that Britain has. We had “Mercy Street” for only two seasons – I’m still not over the cancelation of that show. Anyway, I can easily get lost in the show’s world, even though my ancestors of that era were farmers, laborers, and factory workers in the Midwest. There’s a derogatory comment made in Season 1, that in the past, Bertha Russell dug her own potatoes before she married George and they made their fortune. My people would be closer to that than anyone else on the show.

Last season, I was really drawn to Peggy Scott’s character. I still adore her, but during my rewatch of season one and watching this season, I’ve realized something. My personality is closer to Marian Brook’s. According to a Myer-Brigg’s personality test, I’m an INFJ-T and though I’ve searched around on line, I found only one site that claimed Marian was an INFP. We’re not twins, but I really feel I’m closer to her in personality than I am with any other character on the show. Except maybe Gladys Russell. I might be similar to Gladys…Poor girl.

We’re introduced to Marian Brook in Season 1 when her father dies and she learns she’s left with nothing. Her world is turned upside down. She receives a letter from her Aunt Ada in New York; it contains a train ticket and encouragement to come live with her and her older sister, Agnes van Rhijn. Marian accepts, arrives in the city with Peggy Scott who helps her on the journey, and she is thrust into New York society. Since Agnes married into an Old Money family, Marian is considered part of that family by connection. She makes friends with the Russell siblings across the street, who are New Money! She is also friendly with Mrs. Chamberlain, who broke the rules and is ostracized. ::gasps:: As she navigates society, an attorney friend from her hometown in Pennsylvania, Tom Raikes (who lives up to his surname) shows up and much to Agnes’ disapproval, he pursues Marian. She is persuaded to believe she is in love, and maybe in a sense she was. Maybe it was a first love kind of thing. The audience, and Aunt Agnes especially, knows something isn’t quite right. Tom proposes, Marian accepts, and an elopement is planned and attempted…Well, Marian follows through with the plan, Tom fails to show up and later dares to show his face at Mrs. Russell’s ball. ::boo, hiss, boo:: Marian is brokenhearted, but she’s young and resourceful, she will heal.

Season 2 opens and as the Opera War is being waged, we discover that Tom Raikes is newly married and though Marian is a little affected, she is moving on. She has taken a position teaching water colors painting at a school. ::gasps:: Aunt Agnes is horrified. No one from an Old Money family works. It’s not done, it’s not genteel. While Marian loves her life in New York and the society she belongs to, she finds purpose in teaching her class. It eventually involves into teaching other pupils how to read and write. Just when she finds her place in the world, a cousin of hers (or is it a nephew) by marriage, Dashiell Montgomery arrives on the scene. Newly widowed and the father of a daughter, he soon sets his sights on Marian as a prospective second wife. Marian appreciates his company and likes him and his daughter (despite them insulting her by saying “she’s not a real teacher” and making an off-handed comment that the poor people can wait to learn to read, her attendance at this fancy gathering is necessary). Dashiell is…not a bad man, and in Aunt Agnes’ eyes, he’s a good catch. I have a hard time getting past the Tsar Nicholas II beard that he sports (I swear, whenever he was on the scene, all I could think of was Tsar Nicholas II). But when he puts Marian on the spot by proposing to her in public, to be kind and show compassion to his daughter who desires the match, she accepts…

When the van Rhijn’s encounter financial troubles, I feared Marian would be pressured to continue with the engagement. Thankfully, she waited for a private moment to part ways with him. Aunt Agnes reminds Marian she must be careful – her reputation has taken two hits, society won’t accept a third. But she is free. Free to teach, to help with social causes, to perhaps find love with the Russell boy.

The internet seems divided about Marian’s personality type. One site claims she is a INFP and that’s close to what I am. In my recent binges of the show, I have seen parallels between our personalities. She seems more traditional at first, relying first upon her father and then Aunt Agnes for support. She and Peggy Scott befriend and support one another, yet it is not without some troubles. Though Marian believes all people are created equal and treats them as such, she originally thinks Peggy is poor and calls on her at the Scott family home bringing a “charity bag.” Thankfully their falling out only lasts an episode or two. We are horrified when she misses the racism Peggy faces at a shop she likes to buy from. A well-meaning person, she misjudges Tom Raikes. The audience can see he’s more in love with New York society than he is Marian herself. This nearly leads her into scandal. When Dashiell obviously begins to pursue her, rather than bluntly dissuade him, she permits his attentions because he does some kind things and he’s closely connected to her aunts. For me, that one hits close to home. Marian is nice, but when compared with the more dynamic Bertha Russell or force of nature Agnes van Rhijn, she doesn’t stand out.

A Collider article criticizes her for being the “least interesting character.” I initially overlooked her too. Maybe it was my acceptance of that I’m closer to Fanny Price of “Mansfield Park” than say Elizabeth Bennet of “Pride and Prejudice,” encouraged me to give Marian Brook of “The Gilded Age” a second look. Marian is more introverted; she often has her nose in complicated books like Henry James’ “The Portrait of a Lady” and she doesn’t make waves until she really has to. She enjoys fashion and pretty things, wishing for a fancy fan, that Bertha later gifts her. When pressed, she will stand her ground and fight for herself and others. The criticisms she’s received from articles and online comments, reminds me of the criticisms I received over the years. That I was too shy, not outgoing enough, that I rarely talked, that I could be a Miss Priss. I don’t always have the best judgment about people and I can be swayed into doing what others wish. I prefer to handle things privately.

You know what, there’s nothing wrong with being shy, introverted, reserved, traditional, etc, etc. Shy girls deserve a place in the narrative too. Marian Brook is this “least interesting” girl’s favorite character. I can’t wait to see what Season 3 has in store for her. ::sighs:: 2024 is going to be a long year.

Who is your favorite character from “The Gilded Age?”

#the gilded age #period drama #marian brook #tga spoilers

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hellowhisperingstars · 10 months

Text

Chapter Eight: The Deal

Summary: Time has moved forward and after months Eddie asks an important question. Unfortunately, your perfect little world starts to crumble.

Pairing: Rockstar/Bar Owner!Eddie Munson x Baker!Reader

Words: 12K

Warnings: 18+, time skip, very slight dom/sub dynamic if you squint, smut, PinV sex, fingering, nipple play, cussing, overuse of pet names, Y/N used, hospitals, death of a family member, funeral, verbal abuse, name-calling (derogatory: reader gets called a whore), controlling parents, protective Eddie, angst.

A/N: Here is chapter eight! This one took me so long to do and I am so sorry about that but here it is! It's sad. So maybe some tissues? I know I mentioned it in the status update but I am thinking of making some time stamps about what Eddie and our little baker did during the time skip. If anyone has any ideas you want me to write about, feel free to drop them in my inbox!

Likes, comments, and reblogs are always greatly appreciated! <3

Please let me know if you would like to be added to the tag list! I will be double checking if you have your age in your bios! AGELESS OR BLANK BLOGS WILL NOT BE ADDED TO THE TAG LIST!

Previous - Masterlist - Forward

Days turned into weeks and weeks into months, the frost of winter had melted away and the flowers of Spring were in full bloom, the promise of Summers' warm breezes not far away, and the bakery was exploding in even more bright colors and fun treats to mark the changing of the seasons. The little winter decorations on the cakes and cupcakes have been switched out for sunflowers and beach balls. The cake you had finished that morning for the display case was a fun one with ocean waves, a beach towel, and a little umbrella to set the tone of the scene.

Moving behind the counter, you grabbed the empty plates from the cases and smiled at a small boy as he looked at the cake in awe. Chuckling a little bit, you placed the plates on the back counter and grabbed a baking tissue and took a cookie from the freebie jar behind you, and passed it over to him with a wink. “On the house.”

“What do you say, Colton?” His mother said as she smiled down at him, her hands filled with the small box of goods and a second much younger child who was perched on her hip. Much too small for a cookie.

“Thank you!” Colton cried with big round brown eyes that reminded you of Eddie’s.

Eddie. He had completely consumed you, body and soul, and when you weren't at work or with friends and family you were with him in your own little world where he made the rules and you obeyed. A world where you didn’t have to think of anything. You loved that world and though you were too scared to admit it out loud yet you loved him. The thought made your heart beat faster in your chest. Shaking the thought from your head you smiled at the little boy in front of you. “You’re very welcome!”

Giving the little ones a treat was always one of your favorite things, they got so happy over a simple cookie. You wave as the little family leaves your shop, their forms fading into the night. You watched as Emma walked around the counter and locked the new door turning the open sign to closed before she turned and started to clean up the cafe tables. You had kept the old one for the hell of it and it’s currently living its best life in your office leaning up against the wall until you can figure out what you wanted to do with it. The light above you flickered before completely going out, frowning, you looked up glaring at it. That light has been the bane of your existence for a week now, you’ve changed light bulbs, called electricians, and not one of them has figured out what was wrong with it. “For fuck’s sake…”

“Light again?” Marty asked as he started to cash out the register.

“Always this goddamn light.” You mutter with a sigh. “Tried every damn thing to fix it and nothing.”

“I can fix it.” A voice said behind you as two arms wrapped around your waist.

Jumping you looked over your shoulder with a squeak. Eddie had a bad habit of sneaking in and scaring you when you least expect it. “Holy shit!”

“Hi, my little sugar cube.” Eddie laughed as he pulled you close to his chest giving you a kiss on the side of your neck before he looked up at the light. Cocking his head to the side as it flickered back to life before dying again. “Huh. How long has that been happening?”

“A week,” Marty said, passing you the bag full of money so you could put it in the safe in your office until tomorrow morning. “No one can figure out why and any bulb we change it to does the exact same thing. Dies.”

“It’s taunting me.” You glare at it.

Laughing, Eddie looked down at you, his hands squeezing your waist. “Want me to fight it? I’ll kick its ass for you.”

“Can you?” Turning, you put your hand on his chest, batting your eyelashes at him like a damsel in distress.

“Get me a ladder babe and I’ll take it out.” He smiled as he pulled you close to him pushing his nose into your hair.

“You guys are gross,” Emma smirked as she passed you both to throw away the trash.

“She’s just jealous.” The rockstar laughed as he looked up at the light again. “But seriously do you have a ladder?”

“In storage.” Looking over at Marty you asked him to show Eddie where it was. Putting your head against Eddie’s chest you sighed when he put his hand on the back of your head. “I have orders to make. I’m super behind.”

“Go on,” Eddie said, kissing the crown of your head before pushing you towards the kitchen with his hand that dropped from your head to lay on the small of your back. Glancing up at the light again he narrowed his eyes at it. “I’ll take a look at this.”

Eddie grunted a little as he twisted the light back into place; it had taken him a little while to figure out what was wrong, got shocked a few times in the process, but he got it in the end. He’ll make the permanent fix tomorrow when the stores are open. Climbing from the ladder he closed it and pushed it up against the wall behind the counter before he followed the sounds of Madonna into the kitchen, to you. The music was playing at a decent level for the time of night. Peeking his head in he smiled at you as you sprayed some oil into four tins. Looking a little more stressed and tired than he left you.

“Well, I found your problem with the light,” Eddie said as he wandered back into the kitchen rubbing his hands on his jeans to wipe the dust from them. “It’s something with the wiring. I’ll have to stop at the hardware store in the morning to get the supplies I need. Should be good to go by tomorrow afternoon. I’ll have to cut the electricity for a bit though.”

“How long?”

Rubbing the back of his neck, Eddie thought for a moment. “Twenty minutes? Thirty tops. It’s an easy fix but I wanna make sure I don’t burn down the shop.”

“I appreciate that,” Looking up you smiled at him, new streaks of flour had appeared on your face as you moved about the kitchen getting two different kinds of batter poured into the freshly oiled tins so all four could go into the oven. “Thank you so much, babe. You’re a lifesaver.”

“Not a big deal, sweet thing.” He shrugged as he walked in further looking around the kitchen as he walked towards the island bracing his arms against it. The air smelled sweet, like chocolate and sugar cookies. "You amaze me, you know that? I wouldn't have the patience for this."

"You have like an entire Rolodex of cocktails in your brain and you can learn a song just from listening to it." You giggled.

"Yeah, but a little extra booze doesn't ruin the drink. Too much salt can ruin an entire batch of cookies."

"I’ve done that.” You laughed, “When I was in school. They were awful."

"You really like baking, don’t you?"

"I do. It was kinda the one thing I was good at. Everything has a set amount of ingredients and once you get those down it’s simple science. It helps to relieve my stress. Most of the time anyway, right now I’m about six orders behind. Tiffany being sick and Ada out of town has really fucked me up schedule-wise. Plus with Nana being sick I’ve been very scatterbrained.” You said wiping your forehead on your arm as you picked up two of the now cake batter-filled tins. “Can you grab that oven door for me?'' You gestured with a tin in your hand.

“Oh yeah,” Eddie said, grabbing the door and pulling it open for you to shove the cakes in. He knew your grandmother wasn’t doing well and he could see how it was affecting you. The heat of the oven blew his hair back a bit and he watched nervously as you placed the tins in, scared you would burn yourself. “Careful.”

“I got it,” You chuckled. Looking at the top rack you grabbed the oven mitts from the magnet on the side and pulled the tray of cookies out. Turning the opposite way to not burn Eddie you placed the hot cookie sheet on a round corkboard to cool. Tossing the mitts on the counter you turned the heat up and changed the time on the oven before turning and grabbing the last two tins and shoving those inside with the others.

“Cookies out and cooling, cakes are in. What else?” You mutter to yourself as Eddie closes the oven watching you walk over to the board hanging on the wall. Grabbing the list you pull the pencil from behind your ear and cross off three items from your agenda. “Mrs. Webber wants two dozen blueberry muffins.”

Looking up at the clock you see that it’s close to ten and you still need to frost three dozen cupcakes, decorate the sweet sixteen cake when it comes out of the oven and cools, and start a strawberry cheesecake. “Fuck. I’m going to be here forever.”

“I can help Sweetheart,” Eddie said coming around the counter and placing his hand on the small of your back letting his fingers knead the muscles there. “Tell me what you need me to do.”

Groaning at the feel of his fingers massaging the tense muscles you closed your eyes for a moment just enjoying the attention, all you wanted was for him to take you upstairs and turn your brain to mush. But that would have to wait. Blinking you looked over at the rack of cupcakes for a seven year olds birthday party. “How do you feel about frosting and sprinkling cupcakes?”

Looking over to where the trays of marbled cupcakes sat he nodded. “I think I can handle that.”

“You need to wash your hands though.” You said, glancing down at his hands. “And put your hair up.”

Bringing his hands up, Eddie's eyebrows crinkled together as he looked at them. They looked pretty clean. Shrugging he pulled his long hair up into a bun that sat at the back of his head a few loose curls falling back into place to frame his face. “They're not even dirty.”

You took his wrists in your hands, sighing still stressed. “You were just up on a ladder fiddling around with dusty wiring. Dirty hands will contaminate the food and I don’t have time to remake them.”

Eddie raised his eyebrows at your tone and stared you down for a moment before he smiled. He enjoyed it when you were feisty.

“You may be dominant in the bedroom, Sir.” You said with a smug grin as you examined his hands before looking up at him from beneath your lashes. “But I am dominant in the kitchen. My bakery, my rules. Wash your hands please.”

Chuckling, Eddie leaned forward placing his face just inches away from yours. “Yes, ma’am.”

Biting your lip, you let one hand drop and dragged him with the other towards the sink, turning the water on you pushed your hands under it before pumping some soap into your palms and looked up at him to follow your lead. A little giggle bubbled up as he pushed his hands under the water with you letting you drop a pump of soap onto his palms before you both washed the soap away. Grabbing the paper towels from the counter you handed him two sheets before grabbing your own and drying your hands before tossing it into the trash can. Leading him over to the cupcakes you grab one off the rack and hold it out to show him. “Okay, so. This is the easy stuff, not that I think you couldn’t do it if it was complicated, it's just tedious. All you have to do is take a cupcake, spread the frosting on, and then roll the top around in the sprinkles. Like this.”

You demonstrate for him, taking the knife you scoop a good dollop of teal frosting onto it before spreading it around. “The frosting doesn’t have to look pretty so don’t worry too much about that.”

Placing the knife back in the frosting bowl you grab the bowl of sprinkles and put the top of the cupcake inside, rolling it around gently letting the sticky frosting coat itself in sugar sprinkles. “Once it looks completely coated just put it to the side. We can box them up later.”

You pointed to the resting area and gently placed the finished cupcake down, looking over at him with a smile. “That’s pretty much it.”

“I can definitely handle that babe,” Eddie said with a confident nod.

“Then I will let you get to it. Those muffins aren’t going to bake themselves.” You laughed and turned to go but stopped and looked back at him, watching as he grabbed a cupcake. Lifting up on your tiptoes, you placed a kiss on his cheek before you placed your heels on solid ground again pressing your forehead into his shoulder. “Thank you, Sir. You’re saving my ass here.”

Eddie smiled down at you when you used his title. “I’m always here to help you, sweetheart. All you need to do is ask. Now check those cakes and start on the muffins baby.”

Giggling, you nodded. “Yes, Sir.”

The two of you worked in peace with only the sounds of baking and music filling the room. After a check on the cakes, you took them out when they were ready and placed them off to the side to cool, moving the cookies from the sheets and onto a rack and placing the baking sheets in the large sink to wash later. Moving about your kitchen you grabbed the items you needed to make those blueberry muffins. A few minutes later Whitney Houstons “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” started up making you dance a little in your place mixing the wet ingredients with the dry ones to form a batter.

A groan came from the side of the kitchen where Eddie was stationed with a cupcake in his hand. “Not Whitney Houston.”

“Um no, none of that, you do not disrespect the Queen in my kitchen!” You cried feigning offense as you looked up at him. Grabbing a spatula from the counter still coated in the muffin batter, completely forgetting the task at hand, you used it as a microphone as you sang the song as loudly as possible to get under his skin. Laughing, you started to dance around the area looking at him as he watched you, chuckling at your antics.

He knew he should get you back on track if you wanted to finish all your orders but just watching you let loose in this moment wasn’t something he wanted to end so quickly. He has seen so many sides of you in the last few months and yeah, he loved your submissive side. But this side, the goofy side, was his favorite. Leaning back against the counter he smiled as you got closer to him.

“Oh I wanna dance with somebody, I wanna feel the heat with somebody, yeah, I wanna dance with somebody. With somebody who loves me.” You sing as you point at him, doing a little twirl you sway your hips, and walk back to your spot tossing the spatula into the sink as you go.

Back on the baking wagon it doesn’t take you long to whip up the muffins and put them in the still-hot oven before you look over to see Eddie is almost done with the cupcakes. Looking back up at the clock you yawn, shaking your head to wake you up as you gather the ingredients for that cheesecake.

“I heard that.” He said, turning to look over his shoulder at you. “Is that last order easy to make?”

You shrug letting out another yawn. “Kinda, it takes an hour to bake a cheesecake unfortunately, and it’s for an early morning pick up so I have to get it done tonight or Mr…” You grab the ticket to look at the name. “Lewis is going to be pissy and I don’t have the energy to deal with it. I can frost the lemon cake tomorrow morning since it’s for a late pick-up.”

“Tell you what,” Eddie said as he counted the last few cupcakes, there were only about four left. Taking a moment to step away from the cupcake corner he moved towards you letting his hand cup your cheek and brushing some flour off your face. Dropping a kiss to your forehead he looked into your eyes. “Let me finish up with these and I’ll help you with the cheesecake. We can clean up and box orders while it’s baking. Then we can get you to bed. Sound good?”

“Stay?” You ask, grabbing onto the hem of his shirt.

“Yeah, baby.” Eddie nodded, kissing your forehead again. “I’ll stay. Let's finish up, yeah?”

With the two of you working together and you showing him how to do a few things, the last items on your list were done, either sitting on the counter to cool or in the oven. You laughed at the jokes Eddie was telling you as you packed up already completed orders, putting a few on the shelves and the ones that needed to be kept cool in the fridges. Once the cheesecake was finished you took a knife to the edges to keep it from sticking to the pan as it cooled and set it under a cover on the counter as you watched Eddie move around the kitchen and shop double checking locks on the doors and windows, switching off any lights still on as he did. Back at your side he grabbed your waist and turned you towards the stairs.

“Let's get you to bed, sleepy girl,” Eddie said as he followed you up the stairs to your apartment. His hand was on your back making sure you were steady on the steps. Once at the top of the stairs he leaned over you to open the door and let you in first before closing it and flipping the lock in place as you shuffled to your room exhausted, pulling off your shoes and clothes and tossing them on the floor like a Hansel and Gretal bread trail for Eddie to follow. You had even gotten your bra off without taking off your shirt. Chuckling, he toed off his boots by your front door and followed you picking up your discarded clothes as he went until he was in the room with you and dropped them in the hamper by your dresser.

You had already collapsed horizontally across the foot of your bed in just a pair of panties and a camisole you had under your shirt, a groan leaving you as your eyes closed. With a shake of his head, Eddie got ready for bed tossing his clothes on the floor by your dresser before he moved over to you his hands rubbing up and down the backs of your thighs trying to coax you into bed like a normal person. Speaking softly he smiled down at you, “Come on baby. You’ll be more comfortable with your head on a pillow.”

Groaning you lift yourself up on tired arms and with Eddie’s help you crawled to the pillows before flopping down again. His little laugh made you smile into your pillow as you felt him pull the covers out from under you and slip into bed next to you tucking you both into the cool sheets. Sleepily, you waited for him to get situated, once he was you cuddled up to him letting him pull you closer so you could hear his heart beating in his chest. A happy sigh left you and you felt him kiss your head as sleep pulled you under.

Eddie smiled as he watched you, your breathing becoming even as you fell deeper and deeper into your dreams, the hand that wasn’t around you was playing with a lock of your hair. In a quiet voice, he whispered, “I love you, sweetheart.”

Rolling over you cuddled deeper into Eddie’s arms, your hand resting right over his heart. Blinking you opened your eyes, feeling your hair move as he breathed out, his nose buried in your locks. Smiling a little you looked up at his sleeping face, he looked so cute. Placing a kiss on his chest you carefully lifted his arm so you could crawl out from under it leaving it on his chest as you sat up. The bathroom was calling you, getting off the bed slowly so as to not wake him, you pull off the gross day-old camisole and panties and grab his shirt off the floor pulling it on over your naked chest before you wandered into the bathroom to do your business. It’s while you’re brushing your teeth that you get an idea. You were going to make him breakfast. Carefully and as quietly as you could you slipped from the bathroom watching him to make sure he didn’t wake up and tip-toe out of the bedroom, heading into the kitchen to get everything you needed out of your cupboards to make cinnamon rolls.

You got to work, it was so easy for you now, you could do everything from muscle memory. Flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, yeast, milk, butter, and eggs are all you needed. Prep was quick and soon you had a soft dough that you had kneaded to perfection and set aside to rest for a moment as you were getting the cinnamon sugar filling ready. Once that was done you grabbed the dough and started to roll it out into a large square on the counter. Not long after you had started that process, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around your waist from behind.

“Hmm, didn’t scare you that time, I must be losing my touch.” Eddie chuckled as he placed his chin on your shoulder.

Laughing, you looked over at him dropping a kiss to his cheek before leaning over to grab the butter that you had left out to soften and a knife, scooping up a good glob to spread over the rolled-out dough. “Well, good morning. Sleep well?"

"Absolutely. Cuddling up with a pretty girl? The best sleep ever. Plus I got to wake up to you baking in nothing but my shirt. It's a good morning." He smiled, kissing the side of your neck. "Need any help?"

“Not with this. Think you can handle the coffee?” You eyed him over your shoulder.

“Can I handle the coffee?” He scoffed, before smacking you on the ass as he moved to the pot. “Just watch babe, this is going to be the best cup of coffee you’ve ever had. Oh, it was hot in the room so I opened your windows to get some air. Hope you don't mind."

The only thing he was starting to hate about this apartment was how hot it was getting with summer just on the horizon.

“That's fine.” You chuckled as you got back to work dragging the knife around to spread the butter then added the brown sugar and cinnamon to the dough using your hands to spread it evenly. Moving to your sink, you do a quick scrub of your hands, drying them on a towel before you start rolling the dough into a long cylinder, grabbing the little plastic pack of unflavored floss you rip off a good strip and push it under the dough, carefully cutting it into 12 little rounds, before placing them evenly into the pan you had previously greased. Placing a clean towel over them you backed away. "Those need to rise for about an hour."

To make it easier on yourself later you mill about your kitchen cleaning up the mess, wiping down the counter, putting bowls and utensils in the sink to wash, and throwing away the bit of floss and other trash. You felt him watching you the entire time. "I hope you like cinnamon rolls."

“Love cinnamon rolls. Don't worry about the dishes. I got 'em.” He said as he finished the coffee prep and turned it on to brew. He waved you away as you started washing, physically moving you by placing his hands on your waist.

“No, it’s okay. Most of these are from yesterday anyway.” You laughed shaking your head but let him move you.

“You just took the time to make us cinnamon rolls from scratch. I can do the dishes, I don’t care how long they’ve been sitting there.” With his hands on your waist, he lifted you up with ease placing you on the counter by the sink, his hands caging you in as he placed them by your thighs on the counter pushing your legs apart to stand between them. “Now you sit your pretty ass here while I get these dishes done.”

You playfully glared at him and gave him a little salute. “Yes, sir.” You said with slight sarcasm. Yelping a little as he slapped your thigh with just enough force to get his point across.

“You were being so good. Don't make me punish you this early in the morning.” He said with a smirk and narrowed eyes as he moved away to clean up the dishes in your sink.

“So I realized that I never actually asked this,” You said, with a giggle pulling a thread at the hem of his shirt. “But why aren’t you guys on the road right now? It’s been months of you guys just living in the bar.”

“Well, we had just finished a world tour and all agreed that it was time for a break. We've pretty much been nonstop since we got big. Wanting to kinda play catch up with all the big names, never wanting to be the problem band, we just kept saying yes to anything they threw at us and never really stopped. It was a lot of tours, albums, interviews, and music videos. Then we bought the bar about four years into this weird fame we had found ourselves in. Then there was all the construction, permits, paint colors, wood flooring, and all of that to deal with. It was just a lot. But Gareth was getting married, Jeff and Lizzy wanted some time to just be a couple, Brandon had that family reunion he wanted to go to and I was just burnt out.” Eddie said as he scrubbed at a bowl. “Just needed some time to decompress and be normal for a while. Ya know?”

You nodded in understanding. You were thankful for this little break, you would have never met him if it didn’t happen. “I get that.”

The two of you sat in comfortable silence as you watched him finish the dishes and dried his hands on a towel. He moved towards you caging you in again as he leaned in for a kiss. “You’re beautiful you know that. Bedhead and all.”

You giggle as you wrap your arms around his neck placing your forehead against his. Your legs wrapped around his boxer-clad hips pulling him closer to you. “So are you. Prettiest boy I’ve ever seen.”

Eddie smiled, “How long did you say those cinnamon rolls would need to rise?”

“About an hour and that was maybe ten, fifteen minutes ago... We have a bit of free time. Why?”

His smile turned into a smirk as he grabbed your waist and flipped you over his shoulder holding onto the backs of your thighs with a firm grip as he took you back to your room. It’s not the first time he’s done this but you’re amazed every time that he can hold your weight. ”I wanna have a little fun with you.”

Laughing, you risk the chance of punishment and reach down along his naked ink-covered back, giving his ass a good slap before he can deposit you on your bed. You bounced on the mattress when he threw you down gently. You love how he can just manhandle you like that.

“That was cute. But that's your one.” He said, holding up a finger with a smirk. “Next time you're getting your ass beat with my belt. I know how much you hate that.”

You pouted at him which just made him chuckle before he pounced on you practically ripping his shirt in the process of getting it off of you.

“Good morning ladies,” He said to your breasts as he cups them in his large hands, his thumb and index fingers squeezing your nipples into little erect buds in greeting.

You moaned a little when he brought his plush lips to one of your nipples, his tongue swirling around it. You found your hands on his hair and you were surprised when he let you stay there. He usually pinned your arms down but you weren't going to complain if he just let you hold on to him. A whine left your lips when he bit into the soft flesh using his tongue to soothe the abused bud. You huffed as he switched to the other side, never one to leave all his attention on only one of his favorite things for too long. You felt the heat start to simmer in your belly as little shots of pleasure went straight to your core. You needed him. Bad. “Oh... Sir please.”

“Nuh-uh,” Eddie said popping his mouth off your breast before he crawled up over you a bit to be face-to-face with you. “No, Sir today. Today, I'm just Eddie. I like hearing you call my name.”

“Eddie,” You sighed as you ran your hands through his hair bringing him closer to you so you could kiss him. “Eddie. Fuck me. Please? I need you. Please.”

“Shit baby,” He laughed as he kissed the tip of your nose. “When you beg so pretty like that how can I not?”

You smiled up at him as he leaned back straddling your waist for a moment before he moved off you to remove his boxers and toss them on the floor. You laid back on your bed getting comfortable as he pulled open the drawer of your nightstand where he has stashed away some condoms. Looking over at him you licked your lips as you watched him pump his fist up and down his length a few times before you held your arms open for him. “Come here, big boy.”

He smiled at you as he climbed onto the bed again laying next to you, placing the condom on your stomach as a way to tease you, a promise that it will be used, before pulling you close with the arm that slipped under your shoulders, letting his free hand caress and grip your tits, going back to abusing your nipples before moved his hand up and he ran his thumb across your bottom lip. “Open up for me, Princess.”

You obeyed, your lips parting as your bottom jaw dropped down so Eddie could shove his fingers into your mouth, your tongue getting to work, twirling and licking at the digits for a few moments before he moved them down where you wanted them most. You huffed a little laugh as he swung one of his legs over yours and pulled it towards him so he could easily get between your thighs.

Widening the space for him you hummed at the first touch of his wet fingers against your folds, he stayed there for a moment just letting his fingers play and collect the slick that was starting to drip from you. He could play you like a fiddle at this point. He was the only one that could get you this wet this fast, whatever magic he used you prayed to whoever was listening that he never stopped using it.

“Gotta get you ready,” He mumbled into your skin as he kissed your forehead. “Don’t want to hurt you now do I pretty girl?”

You shook your head as your hands reached up to pull his face down to your lips so you could kiss him as he pushed his now-soaked fingers into you, pushing and pulling in and out until he felt you relax into his touch. His lips caught your moans as he kissed you, his tongue invading the space between your lips to dance with your own.

Eddie took his time, working you open and winding you up until he was satisfied and he pulled away, carefully laying you back against your rumpled bedding as he kissed his way down your body to settle between your legs. Grasping his cock in one hand he tore open the condom package with his teeth and rolled the latex down his shaft, rubbing the tip of it against your wet pussy, coating the rubber with your slick before he settled it at your entrance and gently pushed in.

Your back arched as he settled inside of you letting you get accustomed to how full he was made you feel. God, he always felt so fucking good. His hands grabbed your hips as he started to move his hips thrusting slowly as he watched your face, the look of complete ecstasy on your features was enough to make him cum right then. But he wanted to draw this out a bit.

It was the slowest, softest, sex you’ve ever had with him and you loved it. You loved the tie me up, tie me down, tease me, and make it rough sex but this was like a breath of fresh air for you both as you just enjoyed the feeling of other, but you needed more. You rolled your hips and clenched down on him making him grunt as his hips stuttered a little. “Careful baby, keep doing that and this’ll end sooner than we want.”

“I want you to cum.” You moaned as his tip hit that spot that made you melt. “Wanna feel it. Eddie, baby, please. Faster. Want you to cum for me..”

“Jesus fuck,” He muttered as he leaned over you capturing your lips with his. One arm braced against the bad as he leaned over you while the other drifted down to play with your clit. Circling that little bud just the way you liked, the way that made your hips buck up against him causing him to go just a little deeper.

“Eddie!” You whined, a little too loudly, as he played with you. You were being pushed closer and closer to that edge but he was dragging it out driving you crazy.

“Shhh,” Eddie said with a chuckle. “Not so loud baby, your windows are open. Do you want all your customers to hear what a good girl you're being for me?”

You shook your head, no you didn't want them to hear you. You wouldn't be able to look them in the eye if they did.

“Then you have to be quiet,” Eddie smirked, dropping kisses and little nips to your neck. “Only I get to hear you fall apart. You're my good girl, yeah?”

You nodded a small uh huh falling from your lips.

“I want you to-oh shit- say it.” He said as he sped up, the tip of him continuously hitting that perfect spot in you, driving you higher and higher as he went faster and faster. “Say-say you’re my good girl.”

“I-I’m your good girl,” You gasped out, your back arching off the bed as the coil inside you twisted so tightly it was about to break. Just saying those words almost made you lose it. You were so fucking close. “Gonna cum. Shit. F-fuck. Eddie. Eddie!”

“Go on baby, cum for me. Cum all over me.” Eddie moaned, burying his face into the spot between your shoulder and neck and biting down on it to cover his own groans of pleasure when you both fell together. The feeling of his dick twitching inside you filling the condom up with his warmth made you slap your hand over your mouth to cover your loud moaning as you convulsed under him, your hips rolling as he continued to thrust brokenly, both of you riding out your highs. "Oh fuck. That's it. That's my girl. Such a good fucking girl for me baby."

Your hand slipped from your lips and you buried it in his hair as his forehead fell to your sternum. His name whispered into the air like a prayer. His weight on you felt amazing and all you wanted to do was stay like this forever. Both of you groaned as Eddie pulled out of you so he could get comfortable laying down between your legs. For a few minutes, it was quiet between you two, just the sounds of the outside and your heavy breathing, but Eddie’s muffled voice broke through the silence and made you look down at him. “What?”

He looked up at you then, nervousness clear in his eyes, you didn’t like that. Eddie wasn’t nervous, he was cocky and charming, but not nervous. Taking your hand in his he kissed the back of it and pulled it to his chest. “Be my girlfriend?”

A bright smile spread across your features as you grabbed his face pulling him up to kiss him. Pushing your forehead against his you nod as a laugh left you. “Yes, absolutely yes!”

The smile on Eddie’s face was enough to make your heart beat faster in your chest. “My girl.”

“My boy.” You whisper as you rub your nose against his. “We should get up baby. I have cinnamon rolls to make you.”

“Oh fuck yeah!” Eddie whooped as he sat up on his knees pulling you with him. “I got myself a girl that can cook! Shit, I’m gonna have to start running or something and I hate running.”

Laughing, you push him away from you a little as you got situated on the edge of the bed, you bite your lip as you watch him walk to the bathroom to get rid of the condom and grab a washcloth for you. Your head was cocked to the side as you not so subtly stared at his still naked form. Your hot-ass rockstar dom boyfriend.

“Whatcha staring at babe?” Eddie smirked as he walked back to you washcloth in hand. Pushing your torso back onto the bed he chuckled as he opened your legs to clean you up.

“Just my super sexy boyfriend.”

“Super sexy?”

“The sexiest.” You smile, letting him wipe you down before he helps you back up and you move toward your dresser to grab some clean underwear and clothes. Eddie was by your side in an instant after tossing the washcloth in the bathroom and opening the drawer you had cleared out for him a month ago so he could grab some of his own clean clothes. He was at your place enough you felt it right for him to have his own space.

Once dressed you kiss his shoulder as you walked by and head into the kitchen to finish up those cinnamon rolls. Preheating the oven and grabbing two mugs from your cabinet and pouring the coffee for you and Eddie. Setting his on the counter for him as he came out and smiled at you while you fix up yours the way you like. Taking a sip of the brew you made a noise as the oven beeped telling you it was ready. Placing your mug down you grabbed the tray of cinnamon rolls and opened the oven shoving the treat into the hot cavern and closed the door. Setting a timer you grab your mug again and lean on the island counter to enjoy that buzz of the coffee and the afterglow of a good orgasm.

Soon the scent of cinnamon was filling your apartment as you placed your mug down to start on the cream cheese frosting. Whipping that up quickly you laughed as Eddie walked up behind you, leaning around to grab a finger full of the topping, and chuckled when you go to slap his hand away but miss and the icing-covered finger popped into his mouth. A shocked laugh left you. “Eddie!”

He smirked and kissed your cheek making an obnoxious sloppy kiss noise that made you laugh more. Chuckling, he backed away to let you work but his eyes never left you. You. His girlfriend, his sub, god he loved you. He had no problem admitting it to himself but god help him if he had to say it out loud, it was too soon. But he’s known for months how he felt. Smiling to himself he took a sip of his coffee and looked at the timer as it beeped. “I got it.”

“Thank you,” You smiled as you finished up the icing and smiled at him. Soon the rolls were covered in sticky icing and both of you had a plate of the warm gooey treat. Taking a seat at your dining table you got comfortable with your legs up on Eddie’s thigh as he rubbed your calf. You licked your fingers clean as you chewed on a piece, a hum of contentedness leaving you. “Damn, I’m good.”

“Oh, so humble.” He smiled as he ate his own piece.

You stick your tongue at him as your landline started to ring. Wiping your hands on a napkin you carefully moved your legs off Eddie and stood up making your way over to the phone. Picking it up you placed it to your ear. “Hello?”

Eddie turned in his seat so he could watch you but his heart started to thud in his chest when the happy expression on your face fell and he stood up walking over to you in concern.

“What? Is she okay?” You muttered into the phone, tears starting to collect in your eyes. “I'll leave right no- oh… okay. Well, um. Thank you for letting me know Evelyn. I’ll be by the hospital to see her later today... Bye.”

Taking a deep breath you hung up the phone and stared at the wall for a moment. You thought she was doing better…

“Baby?” Eddie asked his hand landing gently on your back. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

“Nana’s been sick.” You sniffled looking around, feeling a little lost. “She seemed to be doing okay recently but she was rushed to the hospital last night. But they aren't allowing visitors yet. So I can't see her.”

“Oh baby, I’m so sorry.” He said pulling you to his chest. There goes the peaceful morning you were having.

You had left a few hours after that phone call the need to see your grandmother was driving you crazy. That was a few days ago and he hadn't seen much of you but Eddie understood. Your grandmother was important to you, he wasn't about to get mad about the lack of attention. Steve even took a few days off. You and Steve needed to be there for her. He just hoped for your sake she was gonna stick around for a little longer.

Eddie stood leaning back against the bar counter cleaning a glass, barely listening to Gareth as he told him about an idea he had for the next campaign when the phone rang bringing him out of his thoughts. Sighing he put the cup down and flipped the rag in his hand over his shoulder, holding up at hand to get Gareth to quiet down, before he grabbed the phone. "Hellfire."

“May I speak to Mr. Munson please?” An older tired female voice cracked over the line. He could hear beeping and other noises in the background.

Narrowing his eyes Eddie braced his empty hand on the counter. “Speaking.”

“Mr. Munson my name is Margaret Y/L/N. I'm Y/N and Steve’s grandmother.” She coughed then making Eddie stand up straight a tingle going down his spine. Why would your grandmother be calling him?

“Are you alright?” He asked concerned, that cough didn’t sound good.

“Fine, thank you.” She sighed as she cleared her throat. “I was wondering Mr. Munson, when you get a moment if you could come and meet with me? I have a favor to ask you.”

“What kind of favor?” Eddie asked as he checked his pocket for his keys and wallet. He would go right now if that’s what she wanted.

“It’s for Y/N.” She said quietly like it was a secret.

“Is now a good time? I don’t have anything I need to do.”

“That’s perfect actually.” She agreed. “I’m at IU Health University Hospital. Room four, eight, four, nine on the West side.”

“I’ll leave right now. See you soon.” Eddie said as they made quick goodbyes. Looking up at Gareth, he pulled the rag from his shoulder, dropped it on the counter, and moved around the bar quickly, heading towards the front door. “I’m going out.”

“Everything okay?” Gareth asked as he looked up from the paper he was working on.

“Yeah. Just something I gotta do. Don't destroy the place while I’m gone, ya?”

“No promises,” Gareth yelled back as the front door closed.

“What was that about?” Jeff asked as he peeked his head out of the kitchen.

“No idea.” Gareth shrugged.

Eddie stood in the elevator nervously watching as the number ticked higher until he was at the floor he needed. Fuck he hated hospitals, the overly clean smell assaulted his senses as he walked from the elevator out onto the floor. Looking at the plaques on the wall he was able to find Room 4849 fairly easily. Peeking his head inside he knocked on the door of the room announcing his presence. "Mrs. Y/L/N?"

“You must be Eddie.” Your grandmother said as she looked him over. Assessing him. He scuffed his boot against the linoleum floor feeling like a child in trouble.

“That would be me.” He nodded, shoving his hand into the pockets of his jeans to keep from fiddling with the rings he had on his fingers. He walked farther into the room and stopped a few feet away from her bed. She was smaller than he imagined, frail, definitely sick. Wires and tubes were attached to her chest and arms tracking her vitals as the nasal cannula supplied her air. But she was still the same woman in all your photos. The person you loved the most. “It's nice to finally meet you. Y/N talks about you a lot. I see where she gets her good looks from.”

“I can see why she likes you.” Nana smiled as she pointed to the chair next to her bed. “You're quite the charmer. She talks about you too you know. I know all about the great Eddie Munson the rockstar.”

He chuckled as he took the seat, getting as comfortable as he could in this uncomfortable situation he found himself in. “I'm not that great.”

“I see fame hasn't gone to your head. That's a plus.” She laughed a bit, turning her head to cough. Clearing her throat she looked over at him. “Now I'm sure you're wondering why I asked you here.”

“That did cross my mind.” He nodded with a smile as his leg started to bounce.

She sat in silence for a moment before she took a breath and looked over at him with sad tired eyes. “I'm dying, Mr. Munson. There's no reason to hide it. I'm scared that after I’m gone my son will use it as a way to get Y/N to do what he wants. And he'll start by taking away one of the things she loves the most.”

“The bakery…” He knew it instantly. You loved that place. It was your heart and soul. You worked so hard to keep it running like a well-oiled machine. It made his blood boil just thinking about it being taken away from you.

“The bakery.” Nana nodded, coughing a little as she took a deep breath. “Now Y/N owns the company but I own the building that Sugar Cloud is in… My grandchildren tell me you own a bar. So you know something about property management.”

“I do,” He nodded.

“Mr. Mun-Eddie. Is it alright if I call you Eddie?” When he nodded with a quiet ‘please do’, she continued. “I would like to sell you the building the bakery is in. My only request is that you allow Y/N to continue to work and live there.”

Blinking, Eddie sat up straight, confusion settled on his features. Sell him the building? “Why me? Why not just let Y/N have it?”

“One thing you need to learn right now if you are going to be in Y/N’s life is the fact that my son is a selfish bastard. If something doesn't benefit him he wants nothing to do with it. He hates the bakery and always has. It's something Y/N has that he can't control and if given the opportunity he will sell it out from under her and she will lose everything. But if someone outside of the family owns the building he can't touch it.”

“Should we tell Y/N?”

“That would be up to you. She’ll just offer to buy it from you.”

Eddie nodded his head slowly, the gears turning. It was a no-brainer he would do anything for you and if that meant spending a shit ton of cash to let you keep your home and business then so be it. “I'll do it, I'll buy the building. I’ll tell her at some point. I don’t want her to stress about it right now.”

She sighed in relief, a small happy smile on her face that quickly turned into one of worry as she looked down at her hands in her lap. “Thank you, Eddie. I worry about what will happen to them, my grandchildren, when I'm gone. Chippy, I'm sorry Steve, can handle himself but he needs support and an understanding ear. Y/N, I'm afraid, will be railroaded by my son. Do not let her be pushed around.”

“I won't.” He shook his head. “I promise. I'll take care of both of them.”

“I know you will. You are a good friend Eddie. I can see why Y/N loves you.”

“She loves me?” He gave a surprised chuckle. His heart beat a little faster in his chest.

“You tell her I said anything and I'll deny it,” Nana said, pointing at him with a shaky finger. “I know my Birdie. She loves you. Just give her some time.”

“I will.” He nodded.

The two of them sat and chatted for a little longer. Just getting a feel for the other, it almost felt like Nana was still sizing him up to see if he was good enough for you. He won her over in the end, even getting her to laugh a few times. Eddie liked your grandmother; she was quick-witted and funny. He was sad that he probably wouldn't see her again after this. He smiled a bit when Nana handed over a piece of paper that had the information for the real estate lawyer that would take care of the transfer of the deed. Eddie put it in his wallet for safekeeping. When he left he took her hand promising once again to take care of you and then he was off.

Giving her a little wave Eddie stepped from the room and headed down the hall, his head in the clouds as he thought about what was going to happen now when he passed an older man and almost knocked into him. “Oh shit, sorry man.”

“Watch where you’re going!” The man snapped as he fixed his suit jacket.

Raising an eyebrow at the well-dressed older man, Eddie watched him walk away before he shook his head and went to the elevator. He didn't notice him walk into your grandmother's room. He had almost collided with your father but he brushed the interaction off; he had a guy to call and a building to buy.

Between the bakery and helping your grandmother get comfortable back in her room at your father's home, you didn’t have much time to see Eddie and it made you feel incredibly guilty. You had just started a relationship with him and then you basically vanished off the planet. Steve tells you that Eddie understands and he’s sticking around, all you had to do was call if you needed him and he would be there in minutes. That made your chest bloom with warmth, you loved that man.

Over the next few days, Nana’s health started to decline even more. The real estate lawyer had called and informed her that Eddie had gone through with his promise and bought the building; knowing that you would be protected in at least one aspect of your life, she was ready. Your grandmother passed away in her sleep two weeks after her talk with Eddie. She went in the comfort of her own room with you and Steve by her side.

You weren't handling it well. Over the next week, you had thrown yourself into your work, or cleaning your home, or your office, or Eddie’s home, hell you have even washed your car at least three times, anything to keep your mind off the fact that she wasn’t just a phone call or a drive away anymore. And sleep well, that didn’t come easy.

It was the night before the funeral when Eddie rolled over in your bed, his arm reaching out to pull you closer so he could cuddle you. He knew you needed more love now than ever and he was more than willing to give it to you, but when his hand landed on cool sheets he sat up on his elbow looking at the empty space next to him. You had been up for a while it seems. Wiping the sleep from his eyes he looked around the room, you weren't in bed and you weren’t in the bathroom. So where were you? That’s when he noticed light coming from under the closed bedroom door and pushed the blankets off his legs so he could go to you. The closer he got to the door the more he could hear what was happening on the other side. You were crying.

Frowning, Eddie opened the door slowly so as to not startle you and moved into the dining room so he could comfort you. A cup of water was in your hand as you sat at the dining room table the only light coming from the kitchen, giving him some way to see you. “Oh, baby. How long have you been up?”

Sniffling you shrugged, “I don't know. I’m so tired but I can’t sleep.”

You looked up at him with watery red eyes as he placed a hand gently on your back rubbing it softly as more tears ran a familiar path down your cheeks. Your face crumbled when he moved a lock of hair from your face. In a stuttering whisper, you muttered, “I m-miss her so m-much.”

“I know, sweetheart,” He shushed you as he wrapped you up in his arms letting you cry into his stomach as you clutched onto his sides. “I know. I'm so sorry.”

He let you cry a little longer just holding you as you sobbed, leaning down to kiss the crown of your head every once in a while. After a while he reached his hand out and grabbed the cup of water leaning back a bit so he could see you better he offered you the cup. “Drink some of this baby.”

With a stuttering breath, you leaned back wiping your face with your hands before you carefully took the glass and brought it to your lips, taking slow steady sips. His hand went to the back of your head his nimble fingers massaging your scalp a little to soothe you. Once you were done he took the glass from you, placed it on the table, and helped you up. “I know it’s hard but you have to try and sleep baby. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.”

“I know,” You nodded and let him guide you back into bed before he left again to turn out the kitchen light and he was back quickly. He slid in next to you, pulled the covers up to your chin, and wrapped his arms around you again getting you comfortable enough to hopefully sleep. Quietly he started to hum, it was a song you recognized and just the sound of his voice was enough to lull you to sleep as he started to sing under his breath.

“You're just too good to be true. Can't take my eyes off of you…”

The morning came too soon and it brought the annoying sound of your alarm blaring into existence. Groaning you rolled over practically throwing your clock against the wall to shut it up. You felt Eddie’s arms tighten around you as he kissed the back of your neck. Sighing, you looked over your shoulder at him. “We have to get up. Need to grab Steve and Robin on the way to the church.”

Eddie nodded and let you go so you could get ready. He watched as you got off the bed looking more tired than you did last night as you staggered to the bathroom. Wiping his hand down his face he looked over to the window that faced out onto the street and sighed before he got up. He knew there wasn’t much he could do but be here for you but he wished he could take your heartbreak away. Moving to the closet he pull out the nice suit and tie that he had brought with him for the funeral. When you asked him to come he didn’t hesitate to say yes. He knew you would need him today, Steve was bringing Robin for support so it was only fair that you bring him. Plus he promised Nana that he would take care of both you and Steve. Placing the suit on your bed he moved back to the closet and pulled out the black dress you were planning on wearing and placed it on the bed next to his suit.

He looked up at you as you walked out of the bathroom a few minutes later looking a little more put together with your hair and makeup done in a subtle but pretty way. Walking up to you he cupped your cheek and gave a peck to your nose before he traded spaces with you leaving you to get dressed as he went to the bathroom to get ready. Once he was freshly shaved and his hair pulled into a bun at the back of his head he wandered back into the bedroom to see you sitting on the bed in your pretty black dress, putting your black heels on. The same heels you wore to the bar on New Year's. Eddie dressed quickly, letting you straighten his tie once it was around his neck so it gave you something to do rather than just sit there idly. Grabbing his keys and wallet off your dresser he turned to you. “I’ll drive okay?”

You nodded and took his hand letting him lead you to the front door and down to the empty kitchen. You had closed the shop today, not in the mood to deal with the hustle and bustle of the normally busy bakery. He held the back door open letting you out first and closed it behind him locking it with the spare key you had given him. Leading you to his car he opened the door for you, helping you in, and putting your seatbelt on for you like he always did. He was in the driver's seat in a flash and soon you were both on the road to Hellfire to pick up Steve and Robin before you were back on the highway towards Indianapolis to say goodbye to your grandmother.

You went through the motions at the church greeting and thanking all the people that came to say goodbye to your grandmother. You wanted to cry, but at this point, you weren't sure you had enough water in your system to produce them so you stood there stoically between your father and Steve when all you wanted to do was sit with Eddie and let him hold you. You felt your father seething silently next to you, he wasn’t happy with you. The look on his face, when you introduced Eddie, was one of anger and recognition. They had seen each other before. But you didn’t know where. You tried not to let it bother you but the curiosity was eating you up inside. You glanced over at Eddie to see him give you a small wave. You gave a sad little smile back.

Eddie was watching you from the pew he sat in with Robin, she was fiddling with her hands, she hated funerals but she was here to support Steve and you. His eyes moved over the line of your family greeting everyone as they entered. He recognized your father as the guy he almost ran into that day at the hospital when he met with your grandmother and he knew by the look on your father's face that he was pissed. Eddie being there threw some kind of wrench in his little game with the Malloys and that didn’t sit well. His eyes moved around the church until they stopped on Peter Malloy. The man was shocked when you introduced Eddie as your boyfriend and the handshake he received was one that showed his frustrations. He expected to see Peter staring at you but instead, he was glaring at Eddie. Eddie narrowed his eyes at Peter almost daring him to start something. But he wouldn’t. He knew that. This wasn’t the time and place for a fight, he wouldn’t embarrass the families like that.

Soon it was time for the funeral to start, both you and Steve joined him and Robin in the pew, you tucking yourself under Eddie’s arm. Your father looked over at you with narrowed eyes before he turned around and the priest started to speak. You felt Eddie squeeze your shoulder in reassurance, with him here your father wouldn’t say shit to you, he would make sure of it.

The funeral was progressing as planned, the priest spoke, saying kind words and prayers, family, friends, and people you didn’t know all got up one by one to talk about what a lovely person your grandma was. With every person, your eyes narrowed until you just closed them and leaned into Eddie more, you were positive Nana didn’t even like half the people here. If any more of these fake ass people told you ‘I'm sorry for your loss’ one more time you were going to lose it. Throughout the entire funeral, you didn’t look at the casket. You couldn't. It would make it real.

The church part of the funeral ended and you watched as Steve and a few of the other men in your family, your father included, carried the coffin out into the waiting hearse before you were all ushered into your cars to follow it to the cemetery. Your stepmother waved you towards the limo they had rented but you shook your head and walked back to Eddie’s car, you weren't going to step foot in that car, your father was already mad at you, and you didn’t want to give him the space to yell at you. Not today. With the four of you now back in Eddie’s car, Steve refused the limo as well, you followed the hearse to the cemetery. The rest of the day goes on without a hitch and you had to admit you always thought the spot your grandparents chose to be buried was beautiful. There was a nice big tree that covered them in shade, and a pretty stone bench right under it, plus the view was beautiful, you could see right into the heart of the city. At night all those lights would look magical.

You had barely paid attention to anyone that wasn’t Eddie, Steve, or Robin all day, and when you finally looked up your eyes quickly caught on Peters. Why the Malloys were here you didn’t know. Your grandmother wasn’t a fan of them. She didn’t like this game your father was playing and she made it known. But Peter was glaring at Eddie. How long had he been doing that? Did he think you bringing Eddie was some sort of slight against him? A way to show that you were indeed not interested in him? If so good. Maybe he’ll get it and continue to leave you alone. You looked up at Eddie as he passed you a rose to put on Nana’s coffin and as the line of mourners went by you waited until you were one of the last people to put your flower with the others. Your hand found Eddie’s as he walked with you and together you placed your roses. “Goodbye Nana.”

There was to be a reception with food and drinks at your father's house after the funeral, but all you wanted was to just go back to Hellfire and have a drink; forget today ever happened but you also knew your father would have a fit. So Eddie convinced you to go just to save yourself the ear full you would get over the phone. As you pulled up into the large driveway you looked over at Eddie as he whistled. “Damn, this is your house?”

“My dads but yeah,” You nodded as you got out of the car. “This is where I grew up.”

“It’s so fancy,” Robin said as she looked around giving Steve a little smile. “Why isn’t your parent's house this fancy?”

“Have you seen Hawkins? This would look like a castle out there.”

Taking Eddie’s hand again you pointed to the left side of the house towards the backyard as the four of you walked up the front steps. “My old room is on that side of the house. You can see the entire backyard from it.”

“I would love to see it,” Eddie smirked as he pulled you close. “Wanna see all the New Kids on the Block posters you have on those walls.”

“Oh, those are long gone.” You chuckled a little, your first laugh in days. “Replaced them with a better band.”

“Oh?” Eddie smiled, he had missed your laugh. “Got posters of a cool new band up there?”

“Mhm!” You nodded. “My favorite band… The Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Dave Navarro is so hot. I was so sad when he left.”

Eddie practically fell over his hand on his heart. “Please say sike…”

Sticking your tongue out at him you opened the door and ushered them in. “You know I love Corroded Coffin. So hush.”

“You are just asking for a spanking baby,” Eddie muttered in your ear as he walked by you. You hadn’t been in the best headspace to play and whenever you tried to initiate it, Eddie had gently pushed you into just cuddling. You were upset at the time but after a long talk with Eddie about it, you understood and appreciated it. He was always looking out for you.

“Maybe,” You shrugged. “Keep that in your back pocket for a little while.”

“Oh, I will.” He nodded with a smile at you. “I got a tally going.”

“Fuck.” You mutter as you walk into the house. You needed a drink.

You were successful in avoiding your father and the Malloys for most of the reception but that came to an end when your dad found you speaking with an old friend of Nana’s. Eddie had wandered off to find a bathroom leaving to speak with the lady. “Mrs. Anderson, thank you for coming.”

“Thank you for inviting me.” The older woman said as she gave him a little smile. “Your mom was such a lovely person.”

“She really was.” He nodded with a sad smile. “Would you mind if I stole my daughter for a moment?”

“Of course not.” She shook her head and gave your arm a pat. “I’m sorry for your loss dear.”

“Thank you.” You said and she waddled away, your dad's hand came up and gripped your elbow tightly. Keeping your arm close to him so no one would see he ushered you quickly into the library, closing the door behind you sighed as you pulled your arm away from him. “What?”

“Is this some kind of joke?”

“Excuse me?” You asked looking at him with confusion.

“Bringing that man with you?” Your father's face was completely red at this point. You knew he was pissed but to yell at you at the reception with all these people around who could hear? He was being bold. “Did you do this to just rub it in Peter's face?”

“On today of all days, you’re worried about Peter?” You snapped, “I’m sorry if my boyfriend, who is here to support me, has thrown your plans out the window. What? Did you expect me to just fall all over Peter in grief?”

“I expected you to behave better.” He snarled. “You’ve barely spoken to the Malloys and I have been fielding questions all day about the two-bit rockstar my daughter brought with her. I know who he is! I saw him on those posters you had in your room!”

“He’s not a two-bit rockstar!” You hissed. “He’s an award-winning musician and a great fucking person, who by the way has shown me more love and care about Nana dying than you have!”

“Is that it? Is this some way to get back at me? You think I don’t care about how you’re feeling so you whore yourself out to the first man that looks your way?”

“Hey!”

Your head snapped to the left to see that the library door had been opened and Eddie stood there looking pissed with Steve and Robin behind him. You breathed a sigh of relief and practically ran to him when he held his hand out to you. “Babe... it’s okay...”

“No, it’s not okay,” He muttered, shaking his head, making sure you understood that fact before he turned to your father, pushing you behind him.

"Excuse me but this is a private conversation between my daughter and myself."

"I don’t give a fuck about your conversation. You could be the goddamn Queen of England for all I care and I'll still interrupt you cause you don't talk to people like that. And you sure as shit don’t get to talk to her like that.”

“Eddie, baby, let’s just go… please?” You ask putting your hand on his shoulder. You just wanted to get out of there.

“Yeah, okay.” He nodded with a glare to your father before he turned around and pulled you close making sure you were okay as the four of you walked to the front door and out of the house towards home.

“Oscar,” Your father said as he glared at the spot you were all just standing at.

“Yes, Sir?” Oscar asked as he came around the door frame, he was never too far from your father in case something was needed.

“I need you to do some digging.” He muttered as he looked over at him. “Find me anything and everything you can on Eddie Munson. He’s in the way and I need him gone.”

“Yes, Sir,” Oscar said with a nod as he pulled a cell phone out of his pocket. He had work to do.

Tag List:

@eddiesprincess86 @haylaansmi

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie x reader #eddie munson fanfic #dom!eddie munson #sub!reader #rockstar!eddie #barowner!eddie #stranger things #stranger things 4 #stranger things fanfiction #st s4 #sugar cloud series #multi chapter

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materialtintin · 1 year

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so. I wrote a haddotin drabble solely based on this image n I couldnt decide where to post it but I'm gonna put it under read more here and then maybe move it to ao3 later on. Enjoy some spring fluff!

Tintin In Pink

Haddotin fluff, 1K, Tintin gets a new sweater and it ignites what they should have seen coming a long time ago.

The image came to Haddock like he was in a dream. He knew rationally that it couldn't be, since he had just woken barely an hour ago to the chirping of magpies beginning to nest in the rose bushes below his bedroom window. But as he stepped out onto the circle beneath the looming entrance of his chateau, the retired sea captain was greeted by a vision that blossomed before him as if he was seeing with color for the first time. In some ways, he was seeing one color in particular with new eyes.

Tintin was kneeled just beyond the pavement of the driveway, having parked further down, and was just about to enter Marlinspike at his usual time on the weekends. He and the Captain had begun visiting each other most weekends when they lived only a few blocks from one another in Brussels, and the routine only seemed to lengthen with each visit now that the gorgeous grounds of the estate was solely theirs to wander for hours. Sometimes their visits led to more adventures that put them far off across the world, but often it's only result was an afternoon and night completely gone by with laughter and music and easy conversation.

There, ruffling the fur of his companion as Milou looked captivated by the sprinkling of blossoms in the air, was Tintin in a brand new baby pink sweater. Perhaps ‘new’ wasn't the proper term, as it was in the exact style as his other more commonly seen jumper, but the softness of the scene before him paired with the shock of seeing Tintin in something other than his usual blue stirred something deep within Haddocks heart. He adored the ginger journalist, more than he had ever felt admiration or appreciation for anyone else, and at this point it would be a slight against Tintin's investigative genius to think the lad wasn't aware of the fact. Haddock wore his heart on his sleeve, and now on his face as his cheeks flushed to a similar shade as the sweater once Tintin finally looked up and flashed Haddock with an open, carefree smile. He rose and walked up to where the captain still stood frozen on the front steps, with Milou following patiently at his heels,

“Good morning Captain! I hope you've been well.”

“Aye, Tintin… you look bonny in that new getup, if I say so myself”

Then it was Tintins turn to blush. His eyes widened and color tipped the tops of his ears, as he met the Captain's gaze and then quickly looked away.

“Thank you, Captain. I wanted to try something new.. I suppose its been to my benefit?”

He moved to push on the double doors of Marlinspike, but was stopped by a large, calloused hand lightly latching on to his upper arm. He turned to face the Captain again to quip about spring fever getting to both of them, only to see Haddock earnestly gawking at both Tintin's face and back to the sweater. Of course Tintin had picked up the pink jumper with the thought of the Captain's reaction to it in the forefront of his mind, but had only expected the sailor to be surprised, or to perhaps rib him a bit about getting out of his comfort zone. Now it was the Captain who seemed completely like a fish out of water, struggling to contort his mouth into any words that encapsulated what a beautiful sight the young reporter was to him.

“Yer like a fresh spring morning, lad. I thought I might… well, I… “

“Oh please, you're flattering me too much! Its just a-”

In a flash, the Captain swept an arm around Tintin's waist, pulling him into an embrace where their sides were fully pressed together. Haddock was still fumbling with words, trying to explain what was in his mind and why his body was reacting faster than it, but Tintin saw more in his swimming eyes and flushed face than any combinations of the older mans colorful vocabulary could express.

“I think you look quite dashing yourself, you old so-and-so.” Tintin said, now with an embarrassed grin pulling his features. The Captain smiled back, though he struggled to form any more coherent thoughts now that his and Tintins faces were so close. He could see the individual freckles across the bridge of the reporter's nose, the hint of darkness below his eyes belying the constant spring in his step. The Captain thought of the days and nights they spent together, all the times he'd seen Tintins expressions flow between joy and stoicism, rage and exhaustion, but the Captain couldn't ever recall seeing the glow in the ginger's crystal blue eyes so close, and so raw.

“Blistering.. typhoons, Tintin. Before we go in, I just wanted to-”

The Captain was interrupted by a pair of soft lips touching his own, softly first with hesitation, and then firm as Tintin felt the Captain begin to respond. The ginger let a puff of air out through his nostrils, suddenly melting into the embrace with the Captain and reaching his arms around the taller mans shoulders for support. Haddocks hands went to the lads waist, as their kiss deepend and the wind scattered white blossoms across the pavement and through the air where they stood. The world filled with all of its dangers and misadventures dissipated, and like a key turning into its lock for the first time, the duo felt the summation of all of their perils and tribulations come to this kiss, the gentlest and most fulfilling moment after surpassing countless dangers. It was as if they had been kissing for the past 100 years, in every former life, and had simply forgotten.

Milou yipped at their feet, excited by the breeze and swirling patterns of blossoms and leaves, and the happiness radiating off his two companions. When Tintin and the Captain finally broke away from each other, they sported a pair of dopey grins. Tintins eyes flit from his Captains face to the spring wonderland around them, watching the large trees around the front of the chateau shake with the light breeze. They held each other in comfortable silence for a few moments, before Haddock slipped his hand down from where it rested at the small of Tintins back to reach for his hand, feeling Tintins smaller hand squeeze his in reassurance.

“Lets head inside, lad. I had plans for the afternoon, but it seems like I completely forgot them.” the Captain murmured into the ginger's temple, leaving a kiss beside Tintins quiff and squeezing his hand back. Tintin chuckled, turning to push on the entrance doors once again,

“Oh, I’m sure we'll come up with something. We -oh! Oh, hello Nestor.”

The stoic butler stood a few feet away from the pair, holding the chateau door slightly ajar and giving both of them a look that could only be described as unamused. He cleared his throat and nodded to Tintins greeting before facing the Captain,

“There’s tea and aperitifs laid out in the main study, but I’d be happy to bring them to the porch if that would be more convenient. It seems to be a lovely day outside.” he replied tonelessly, glancing down at the pairs hands still intertwined before regaining composure and looking at the beet red face of the Captain. The ghost of a smirk played at the butlers lips, but he turned and disappeared into the house before even hearing the Captain's spluttering response about the study being just fine. Tintins twinkling laugh echoed into the front room with the soft thumps of two pairs of feet and four furry legs walking through the halls, the flash of pink color that sparked something new flitting past the windows, with one hand still linked tightly with another.

#haddotin #the adventures of tintin #my wriitng #this def isint my favorite thing ive written but it still ended up kinda long #and i wanted to share #txt #its not spring but it was like 75 on wednesday so im feeling spring fever

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respectthepetty · 10 months

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Reading the (Visual) Rainbow 101

Lesson 7 - It Could All Mean Nothing

Because I get so many asks about colors, I decided the best way to celebrate Pride is to educate anyone who is interested in how to better Read the (Visual) Rainbow and simultaneously allow myself to appreciate queer media.

We've ventured through six lessons on how to read visuals in order to understand a piece of media's overall message. We journeyed through colors, barriers, symbolism, and cultural significance, but what if the image is just an image? What if it doesn't have a deeper meaning? What if it means absolutely nothing?¹

¹ It doesn't. An image always tells us something.

Those Darn Blue Curtains

If you've been around the internet in the past decade, you might have heard about some blue curtains.

The joke about the blue curtains demonstrates that sometimes the creator does not intend for an image or an object to be meaningful. Sometimes the curtains are just curtains that happen to be blue.

But that doesn't mean they're meaningless.

Literary Criticism

Literary theories are ways in which we can approach and examine a piece of text. Several literary theories exist. One theory tells us to only look at the work regardless of who wrote it or who the intended audience is (Practical). Another theory demands that we include the culture in our examination of the text (Cultural). And another theory requests we solely look at the formal elements of the text (Formalism) while another theory requires we include ourselves and our perspectives in the analysis (Reader-Response). Many more literary theories exist, and all have also been applied to media. Visual media is different than written text, so these theories have shifted into Critical Media Studies, but much like Literary Criticism, it helps viewers examine and analyze media using different theories.

Critical Media Studies

If we were watching a series that featured blue curtains, depending on which theory we use, we could interpret the message differently.

If the blue curtains don't mean the character is sad (Psychoanalytic Criticism), are the blue curtains making a statement about masculinity (Feminist Criticism or Queer Theory)? Are they being filmed up-close or off-centered to reflect the character's situation (New Criticism)? Or do the blue curtains quickly remind us this isn't a Dutch house (Cultural) because most Dutch houses don't have curtains?

Now, you might be thinking that if the blue curtains could mean any of those ideas, then nothing really matters, but we have to remember that we aren't placing value on these items because their purpose isn't TO BE the story but to merely reinforce it.

Since the blue curtains are there to support the narrative, we have to evaluate if they matter WITHIN THAT SPECIFIC NARRATIVE. Have the curtains usually been open and now they are closed? Did a character spend an unnecessary amount of time talking about them or use them for an odd purpose? Has the color blue been significant to the narrative before we saw these curtains?

If so, it matters to that narrative.

Video Examples

If you watched the two suggested videos from the previous lesson, the first video is Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande's "Rain on Me" and the second is a parody from Japanese comedians Naomi Watanabe and Yuriyan Retriever which means it has comedic elements. Although the parody is well done, we can see the comedy aspect in several scenes such as the singer being showered with dango (sweet rice dumplings) instead of daggers like Lady Gaga was in the original.

The original song is about overcoming tragedy and being grateful to emerge from such an ordeal even though the damage is apparent, something both Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande had to do in very public ways. The original video reinforces the song's meaning by showing Lady Gaga standing up with a dagger in her thigh (the obvious injury) and proceeding to dance in the rain which is symbolic of grief and absolution.

We can analyze the use of feminine colors (pink and purple). We can consider the post-apocalyptic setting. We can analyze the clothing with all of its chains and spikes. We can ponder why at the end, Lady Gaga styles her hair like Ariana Grande's while Ariana Granda leaves behind her signature high ponytail to wear Lady Gaga's hairstyle. We can wonder why the women are in opposite 'worlds' for most of the video, only to merge at the end.

And we can compare the parody to it and see it does an incredible job of parroting these elements. Then, we notice that unlike the original, the comedians don't fully come together because there is a barrier between them.

We must remember that this is a parody, so not every component, if any, is serious. But for the parody to include all the other important pieces mentioned above, why would it exclude the two women's worlds merging when it was very important in the original?

We could reach for a deeper meaning that maybe the parody is commenting on how the two women are still divided by society. We see there are more masks in the parody as well, so perhaps it's making a statement about women's voices being silenced because we notice the masks in the original as well.

But then we have to remember some of the lessons we have learned: lesson one taught us to think about the creator and the context, while lesson six told us to think about the culture and the context.

These videos were filmed in 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic. Precautions such as masks had to be worn to limit the spread of the virus, and different countries had different regulations. Therefore, in the Japanese parody, where both the leads are without masks, a barrier had to be placed between them.

The barrier and the masks aren't pointless though. They tell us about the time period and the circumstances in which the videos were made, but they don't have any effect on the videos' narrative. So although they are meaningless to the plot, they aren't meaningless to our understanding of what we are seeing and why.

So What's Your Point?

Don't look for meaning that isn't there, but don't assume meaning isn't there because you don't want to look for it. When we look for evidence that only confirms what we already believe or find new evidence and interpret it in such a way to support our already existing beliefs, this is considered confirmation bias. We want to avoid being biased, but we also want to avoid being dismissive.

Sometimes, all it takes is a few words into a search engine, and we can find the information we seek directly from the artists themselves. Depending on the medium, maybe the artist spoke about the symbolism during an interview. Possibly the director or cinematographer mentioned a detail during some behind-the-scene footage. Or by chance, someone was brave enough to ask the creators on their social media platforms or during a Q & A session.

For example, if Ayan's hip and thigh tattoos in The Eclipse drove you so crazy that you begged your mutuals to help you figure out what they were only to find a video of the actor stating they are his actual tattoos, you might be upset to learn what the tattoos say had no bearing on the plot BUT you will also learn that the director wanted an actor with tattoos because it visually showed the bad boy persona the character had which is important to the plot.

Nothing is truly pointless, but you don't have to make everything the focal point. Once again, the visuals strengthen the narrative's message; they shouldn't distract from it.

Activity

Using your knowledge from the previous lessons, watch Lil Nas X's "Industry Baby" music video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTHLKHL_whs

Think about how the colors, visuals, barriers, group outfits, and cultural elements support the video's overall message.

We will briefly review it in the final lesson on Friday.

#Reading the (Visual) Rainbow #lesson seven - it could all mean nothing

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desertfangs · 8 months

Note

Marius and Louis for the character ask

Send me a character and I will do the thing (although I've already done most of the main ones and Armand is on deck)

Louis:

Sexuality Headcanon: I think Louis is pretty asexual tbh. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t participate in sexual or romantic activities but I think while Louis likes intimacy, his brand is more skewed toward cuddling under a blanket together reading a book or watching a movie.

Gender Headcanon: Oversized dusty sweaters are Louis’ gender. Also he identifies as tired.

A ship I have with said character: Louis/Lestat of course! Louis, regrettably, realizes that Lestat is his person. I also think his relationship with Armand is complex and fascinating.

A BROTP I have with said character: I can’t put Daniel for every one of these (but I think after some awkwardness on Night Island and again in TG, they are friends!) so uh… maybe Antoine. Honestly they’d have a hell of a lot to talk about if nothing else.

A NOTP I have with said character: Again, I just don’t have a lot of these. Maybe Gabrielle? Although I hope they kissed under the mistletoe one year at the Coven Christmas party just to watch Lestat squirm.

A random headcanon: I think Louis enjoys folding laundry. For all his sitting around in dusty old clothes, I think he finds the process of folding–especially warm stuff right out of the dryer–soothing. I imagine TG sends their laundry out but also has a pretty sizable laundry room for when it’s needed and I can see Louis doing a load of towels or blankets and then sitting on the sofa and folding them neatly.

General Opinion over said character: Louis was my first guy in this fandom. I guess you call it a blorbo now. I’ve always appreciated his cynicism and his love of reading, his desire to learn more about his kind. The reunion scene in TVL is one of my faves, as are Louis’ scenes with Lestat in TotBT.

Marius:

Sexuality Headcanon: We wants to be dommed and would rather die than admit it

Gender Headcanon: @uncivilcivilservice said his gender was Roman and yeah, I’m gonna second that

A ship I have with said character: Marius/Pandora is fun. I like him with someone who can stomp on his dick.

And whether you see Daniel and Marius as platonic or romantic, I do really like them together. I think Daniel’s sense of humor and directness are refreshing for Marius, and Daniel gets him to try new things. Marius is a grounding force in Daniel’s life and a constant, even-keel source of love and affection. I also think Daniel could be a great mediator between him and Armand and/or Lestat and maybe that’s why Mr. Molloy is not in the last book.

A BROTP I have with said character: IDK man… Marius is the person who desperately needs a bro but is awkward and stoic and refuses to ask for help or admit he wants to hang out and thus is often alone (relatable AF tbh).

A NOTP I have with said character: I don’t really have one. I don’t know, to me a NOTP is a strong aversion bordering on squick, and I just don’t have a lot of that in this fandom.

A random headcanon: I think sometimes he Facetimes Daniel from Court when he’s not there to ask his opinion about innocuous things like which tie he should wear or what color they should paint a wall, not because he needs another opinion but because he likes to hear Daniel’s take on random stuff and hear what Daniel is up to, and it often leads to long, tangential conversations about the most random stuff. General Opinion over said character: Marius is great! I don’t know why he gets so much flack in fandom (I mean, I do, but 😑😑). He is absolutely that guy who tries to hold things together and seems like he’s got it all figured out until you get to know him and then you realize he’s kind of a dork and doesn’t know any more than anyone else. He’s just doing his best!

#marius de romanus #louis de pointe du lac #thank you for the ask anon!#anonymous #answers in the desert #vc headcanons #vc #vampire chronicles

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emberfrostlovesloki · 6 months

Text

Demons [Hotch x Reader]

Photo credits: Left and Right (Google) Center (@hotchs-big-hands [my beloved])

Prompt: The team is forced into very close quarters during a case on an offshore oil rig in Alaska. It’s bitterly cold and there’s nowhere to go, and three men have been beaten and stabbed to death. The team must solve the mystery before it’s too late. A mix-up in rooms also has Aaron and the reader closer than ever. It allows him to learn something new about her.

Category: Angst/comfort

Word Count: 15.6K

Content Warnings: Sleep paralysis, canon typical violence, death (of a victim and unsub), beating (with a blunt object), choking (briefly described), mention of death by stabbing, the threat of death by knife/gun, mention of drowning (unsub), mention of abuse (in the past [Hotch]), slight mention of blood, language, hospitals, slight body image issues (Hotch). Please let me know if I missed any.

A/N: Ahhhh, hi loves. Did anyone ask for something this long? No. Did I expect to write this much? No. But the scenes kept coming, and I kept writing them down. I just love the writing process. It’s so cool. But enough of that. This story’s mostly based on a northern gothic vibe and the age-old, ‘only one bed’ trope. I am very happy with how this turned out and I hope you all like it too. You could read this as a stand-alone or as a prequel to my story, Unwanted Attention (linked). A huge thank you to my top hype woman @sadgirlzluvdilfs (ILY) If you like this story as well, likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated! I hope you all have a great Friday night! - Love Levi.

List with all stories

_y/n_ = your name

_y/e/c_ = your eye color

Hotch got a call from Strauss in his office. He had hoped that Monday would be a quiet work day for himself and the team. He was currently drowning in paperwork, and as he glanced down at the bullpen. He could see his team trying to do their best to also catch up on the more clerical side of their jobs as FBI agents. Strauss had told him to meet her in her office immediately. He replied, “Yes, Ma’am. I’m on my way.” He hung up the phone, grabbed his shoulder bag, and moved toward the elevator. It was a short ride up to the twentieth floor of their building, and Aaron wondered what he should prepare for when he arrived at Struas’s office. He walked down the long hallway and knocked twice on his boss’s door before opening it. Aaron was not expecting to see The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Frank Ridgewell, seated across from Strauss. Both the Commissioner and Strauss stood when he entered her office. Erin gestured to Ridgewell and said, “Agent Hotchner, I’m sure you know Commissioner Ridgewell.” Aaron nodded. He had never met the man in person before, but he was aware of who he was, and how important he was to the United States. Aaron extended a hand and Mr. Ridgewell took it, giving it a firm shake. Once the quick introduction was done, Strauss said, “Let’s all have a seat.” From Erin’s tone, whatever was happening here was important. Strauss indicated to the other man in the room, and Frank turned toward Aaron asking, “Are you aware of the new offshore drilling operation in Alaska?” Hotch furrowed his brow and replied, “Only tangentially. I understand that the rig was built quickly and there was a land dispute. I’m also aware that there were environmental protests over beginning new drilling so close to a naturally preserved site.” Ridgewell nodded and said, “You’re correct. As of three months ago, the oil rig has been fully operational. The rig employs sixty-seven people in total. Fourty-four of those individuals are employed part-time or have shift work on the operation. The other twenty-three are full-time employees that work one month on-site and three weeks off.” Aaron had his legal pad out and was taking a few notes as the Commissioner spoke. He was waiting for the important information with a bit of impatience. This had to be important if it wasn’t coming from JJ. If it was coming from the top, he needed to be meticulous in his work and the various details being thrown at him.

After another minute of the smaller details about the rig and its crew. Ridgewell’s tone changed. The man said, “Well all that preliminary information is building up to say that within the first three months of operation, three men have been killed. Only one of the twenty-five men working full time on shift could be responsible for the deaths. The three victims were found beaten and stabbed to death at various locations on the job site. The first victim was found by one of the security guards and the next two were found by workmen.” Aaron nodded, finally understanding the gravity of the situation, and asked, “And you believe that the BAU can assist you in finding the unsub on this oil rig?” Frank looked confused as Hotch said, “Unsub,” and Aaron clarified, “The Behavioral Analysis Team calls potential murderers Unknown Subjects, or unsubs for short.” At hearing this, Ridgewell nodded and replied, “Yes, yes I do, but there’s more to it than just the killings.” Aaron raised an eyebrow and Strauss chimed in for the first time during the meeting, saying, “Take a look at these Agent Hotchner.” Strauss pushed a file labeled ‘Classified,” in front of the Unit Chief. Hotch opened the folders and inside found a dozen or so copies of transcripts and pictures of messages that had been unencrypted. The jist of all of them was that the three deaths had been an intentional attack on the U.S. oil and gas industry. After Aaron had carefully examined these pictures, he looked over to Strauss and then Ridgewell. He asked, “So you believe there is credibility to these claims?” Ridgewell gave a half-shrug before answering, “We can’t be sure yet, but if this information got and with the new site already having a negative reputation, there would be dire consequences. The current administration is desperate to keep prices on gas and oil low and even a momentary shutdown of operations would affect the bottom line. And heaven forbid those messages leaked to the public. Half of the States would be in a panic, and there'll be a run on fuel.” Hotch nodded. This case was more complicated than he had first expected. Strauss looked at her Senior Agent and stated, “We need you and the team in Alaska as soon as possible. This is a matter of national security. Agent Hotchner. You and the BAU will need to be extremely careful.” Aaron replied, “Yes, Ma’am.” He then turned to Ridgewell and said, “I’ll need to brief my team. We’ll be headed to the site by the afternoon.” Frank looked relieved and replied, “Thank you, Agent Hotchner. I’ll email you the file with the current crew of the rig and their supervisor. I should warn you that it’s going to be close quarters up there.” Aaron nodded. He didn’t ask for elaboration about the space, he was going to be there by the end of the day anyway, and he didn’t have time to think about it right now. Hotch stood and shook hands with Ridgewell and Strauss before straightening his jacket and moving outside to the hallway again.

Back in the bullpen, he moved to his office, He would need to check his email and do a bit of research before calling the team to the briefing room. He moved toward his office and Rossi passed him. Dave looked over his neutral expression. Though Aaron rarely showed his emotions openly, Rossi knew him well enough to know that something was amiss. David flashed him his, ‘New case?” Look, to which he nodded affirmatively. Aaron could see Rossi’s shoulders fall slightly. Hotch understood that his friend had also wanted a break. The caseload had been extra heavy over the last month and a half, and the team was aching for a break. As the two men passed each other on the stairs, the sound of laughter caught Aaron’s attention. He knew the laugh well. Better than he should. Aaron turned and saw _y/n_ sitting at her desk. She had a file slightly covering her face and her _y/e/c_ eyes were bright and wide. Emily and Derek were standing beside her having made some joke that he hadn’t heard. Looking at her like this, as a casual observer made a small flame in his chest flicker slightly, like a lighter being turned on by an unsteady hand. Aaron had begun to recognize that the small attraction that he had for _y/n_ had grown. Now every time he looked at her, he felt the need to stifle a sigh. For now, he was safe. _y/n_ hadn’t shown any particular interest in him, that he could tell. Or maybe he was just pretending to not notice when _y/n_ looked at him for longer than necessary, or how she checked in on him often, just to make sure he was really doing alright. Hotch turned away as another peal of laughter emerged from the group downstairs. In his office, he turned on his lamps and opened his email inbox for the new information Strauss had CC’d him. It was a good 110 pages of personnel files and maps of the site. More important for the team was when the supply boat schedule which went to the rig in the morning and early evening. It took Hotch a full hour to skim all of the new information. He sent Garcia an SOS to get as much dirt of the Northern Oil and Gas Supply LLC as she could. Particularly the new oil site called Farpoint 52, -153. The name was unassuming, and the first thing Penelope told him was that the numbers were latitude and longitude points in Alaska, but not those of the actual site.

When Aaron was ready, he had seven file folders with all the most important information accumulated including pictures of the victims that the local PD in Anchorage had just sent over. The attacks were brutal. The injuries on the three bodies seemed to be caused by blunt force trauma, and as Ridgewell had said, there were multiple stab wounds on the victims as well. Hotch took a long breath as he got up and moved outside his office. He knocked on JJ and Rossi’s doors and gave them their files. JJ said, “I’ll get Garcia to come and set up the screen in the briefing room.” Aaron thanked her, and she and Rossi moved out of his way. Hotch placed his hands on the railing of the stairs and called out for his agents saying, “BAU team, I need you in the conference room.” As all four members of the team looked up to him, the mood of the room changed, dimming from how lively it had just been. Hotch turned toward the meeting room before he could see their faces fall once more. Sometimes he thought that he couldn’t keep doing this to them. To himself. The isolation he felt when he was home alone left him a breathless aching mess. It was rare when he allowed those feelings to overwhelm him, but sometimes he couldn’t help it. When this happened, he often found himself in a steaming hot shower. So hot that it hurt. When he couldn’t control his emotions, he felt like a kid again after his father had gone on either a verbal or physical diatribe about his perceived shortcomings. The reminders of the abuse he endured for years would flare up and make him feel a different kind of shame and hurt than letting his team down. By the end of the shower, he had normally excised these emotions and feelings of weakness and would fall into a fitful sleep afterward.

_y/n_ watched Aaron turn quickly. She let out a long sigh at the announcement about a new case. Everyone on the team was exhausted, and it seemed that Hotch was the most exhausted of them all. She had watched him closely over the last month. Something about his demeanor had shifted. _y/n_ wondered if it was the two-year anniversary of Hailey leaving him that had initiated the change, or if it was something else personal or professional. She wanted to ask him what was wrong. How she could soothe him from the stress she could sense coming off of him. But she assumed that might be stepping over some personal work line, and she was still relatively new to the team. She didn’t want to risk any consequences for being overly personal. For now, all she could do was watch and wait for a time that seemed appropriate. She was fully aware that that time may never come and would have to be okay with just being near someone as commanding and steady as Aaron.

In the briefing room, everyone but Hotch and JJ sat. Aaron moved to the head of the table and said, “This morning I got a call from Director Strauss. When I got to her office, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commissioner was waiting for me. He has a case for us in Alaska that is a top priority. And…” Hotch paused as seven pairs of eyes waited for more details. Realizing that it might be more efficient to have his agents just read the brief in their files, he said, “Actually, why don’t you just turn to page one in your files and read over the case notes so far? I’ll give you a few moments.” The team opened the files in front of them and read the 1,000-ish word briefing on the first page. They were all aware that this case was different than the rest and that the brief hadn’t been written by JJ. Spencer and _y/n_ could tell it was Hotch’s writing almost immediately. The tense use and wording were very direct and blunt, just as Aaron was. Not that JJ added fluff, just that she took a few more words to make a point than their Unit Chief. Once those seated at the table had read over the first page and taken a look at the victim's pictures, Aaron moved forward and said, “Well as you can see, this latest case doesn’t have a lot of victims, but the timeline is progressing quickly and given that the crew is so small, these deaths have caused issues in the operation of the rig. On top of this, it seems that foreign agents are claiming they are playing a part in these deaths. If this is true or not; we can’t be sure until we find the Unsub.” Rossi tossed in the comment, “If it is foreign agents, they are most likely to come from Russia or the Middle East where much of the oil in the U.S. comes from. We should look at the crew and see if there are any potential ties to those countries.” Hotch inclined his head at the suggestion. It was a good one. With the primary details being said and a long flight ahead of them, Aaron concluded the information session by saying, “I recommend bringing the warmest clothes you have in your go bags, and something waterproof if you have it; I’m sure you can guess that it will be cold and wet where we’re headed.” Aaron looked at his team as they started standing, and he added one last thing that stilled the team and drew their attention to him again. He simply said, “I understand that this team has gone through a lot in the last few cases. I know you’re tired. After this case, I’m going to do my best to find some time for us to be off and recuperate for a bit. Please know that your efforts and work don’t go unnoticed by me. That’s all.” With his mini pep-talk finished, the team moved into action again. Aaron had meant what he said of course, but had also said it for himself too.

As everyone filed out of the room, _y/n_ approached Aaron and just barely touched his forearm to get his attention. Hotch looked down at her and asked, “What is it, _y/n_?” Sometimes when _y/n_ looked at him specifically, intentionally, he thought he saw a flicker of something more in her eyes than just attention and respect. He thought he saw it now, but he cleared his head. Now wasn’t the time for those thoughts. _y/n_ didn’t seem to notice how deeply he was looking at her when she said, “When you spoke to Strauss this morning, did she say anything more about the case? Is there anything else we need to know?” She hoped she wasn’t asking for information he couldn’t give. Hotch continued looking down at her for a moment before replying, “She just said that we needed to be safe. There are a lot of unknowns here. More than usual for a case.” _y/n_ acknowledged his statement and said softly, “Got it. See you in the parking lot.” With that, she quickly left to gather her go-bag and race to get some coffee if she could before the jet left for Anchorage. When _y/n_ had gone, Aaron took another moment to minorly compose himself. Then he moved to catch up with Garcia. He was going to ask her to join the team on this case due to the technical aspects that might be involved. He had a sinking suspicion that getting her on wifi all the way out where they would be might be harder than on the mainland. If foreign assets were involved or there was tampering with the equipment of the rig’s systems, Penelope was the most capable of any of them to lend a hand.

Thirty minutes later, the team piled into the jet with their go bags and files. Garcia was a balm to what seemed to be an already dreary case. As everyone sat, the ideas started flowing about motive and the type of unsub that they were dealing with. Spencer and Morgan were thinking about the physical elements of the unsub. Things like the impact of the wounds, the type of weapon being used to inflict them, and the force that would be needed to cause them. Their top ideas for weapons were a baseball bat or some other blunt object that had lots of fulcrum power. Meanwhile, JJ and Emily were looking through the personnel of the twenty-five full-time employees. Garcia was on every possible legal and illegal site that tracked energy and messages that could possibly correlate with countries like Russia, Iran, or Iraq. Rossi and Aaron were looking deeper into the oil company as a whole. To them, it seemed a little sketchy and the fact that Mr. Ridgewell had asked for the team personally belied that there might be some shady business not only from outside but inside the company as well. Rossi was talking about a possible correlation with BP and their recent legal troubles. As all this was happening, _y/n_ sat and listened to the cacophony of sounds bouncing around the plane. She had her notebook out and was taking her usual annotations on the case and jotting down when someone on the team said something she thought was important. She was feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the chatter happening around her, so she took a moment to grab a coffee from the back of the jet. The team had moved out so quickly that she didn’t get a chance to grab a cup in the office break room. She moved past Hotch and noticed he wasn’t holding a cup either. _y/n_ stopped briefly in front of her boss, and he looked up at her. She made a hand motion to indicate ‘drink?’ Aaron gave her a small, grateful look and nodded his head yes.

At the back of the jet across from the small sink and mirror, was the coffee machine. She put in the water and a capsule for the Keurig. _y/n_ placed a cup under the dispenser and pushed run, on the machine. _y/n_ somehow hated the Keurig coffee more than the office coffee. It managed to always taste burned and flavorless no matter which flavor of pod she picked. But the caffeine was a necessity at the start of a case for her. It was half ritual half desire, and she didn’t fight it. When her cup was finished, she started the process again for Aaron, who no matter what coffee he was drinking, seemed unfazed by the quality of the brew. As Hotch’s cup started filling, _y/n_ doctored her own cup with milk and white sugar. Once both drinks were ready, she placed lids on the cups and moved back to the cabin of the plane. As she passed Hotch, she seamlessly handed his cup to him, as she settled back to her own spot further down the row. Garcia watched as this happened. It was like moving a baton between two runners in a relay. ‘They hardly looked at each other while it happened!’ The technical analyst thought. Penelope hadn’t been on a case since _y/n_ had joined, and this behavior was new and exciting for someone like Hotch. Garcia had taken special care with _y/n_. The newest BAU agent was young, and she knew more about _y/n_’s background than most of the team. Because of this, Garcia had done her best to uplift and support _y/n_But it seems that _y/n_ was supporting the team in small ways too. Penelope knew that _y/n_ was attentive and sharp in her mind and actions if she needed to be. But this was generally hidden beneath her gentle warm exterior. But seeing _y/n_ meet even the smallest needs without even being asked to was such her thing; at least, that was what Penelope thought. Now that she was here seeing this, Garcia was going to have to pay more attention to _y/n_ and Hotch. Because she wanted to know if this was just a them thing, or was _y/n_ acting like this with the whole team?

_y/n_ sat and took a sip of the coffee that was a little too hot. The liquid burned her tongue and she made a small face of pain. Thankfully no one was looking at her at the time. _y/n_ set the cup in the cupholder next to her seat and looked at the picture of the rig itself again. This setting was so bizarre for a crime. Even the photos of the outside of the rig made her feel unnerved. _y/n_ tried to think of any prior cases like this. There had to be some. _y/n_ was fiercely thinking about old cases. Old old cases even. This case was going to require thinking outside the box. Finally, with eyes closed and brows pinched, some ideas started coming to her. With some inspiration, she began writing quickly on a new page of her notepad As this was happening, Aaron looked around the cabin. Everyone was still intensely focused, and he walked around each group to see what they had come up with so far. Spencer and Morgan had surmised that the unsub was probably smaller than they might assume. Given that they used blunt objects to kill the victim. If the unsub had a lot of strength, they should be able to kill their victims without the need for an object. Between JJ and Emily, they had pinpointed a few possible workers who might fit certain profile types and those specifically seemed to be linked to odd organizations or firms that could be linked to terrorist organizations. As Aaron moved to ask Garcia how it was going, she shooed him away with a tut-tut indicating that she was too busy for a check-in at the moment.

The last person he needed to see was _y/n_. As he approached her, she seemed deep in thought, and he sat across from her and sat for a minute or two in silence as he let her wrap up whatever she was writing. When _y/n_’s pen stilled, she looked up at him and he asked, “You seem to be having some ideas overhear. Mind sharing them with me?” _y/n_ nodded, looking down to her notes. She resisted the urge to say, ‘I don’t feel good about this case. I can’t pinpoint it, but something feels off here.’ Instead, she said, “I was thinking about the setting; the rig. Looking at the ariel photographs, the maps of the interior, and the security footage from the main hallways made me think about something. It’s so isolated. If you work there then it’s a tight space, and you work a dangerous job, and you see the same twenty or so people day after day for three to four weeks.” Hotch nodded along, getting a feeling for where she was going. When they made eye contact again, he said, “And?” He was encouraging her to finish her thought. _y/n_ gave a soft sigh as if she was doubting herself. Whether there was doubt or not, _y/n_ continued, saying, “Well those working conditions can’t be good for one’s psyche. I was considering some old cases. I know that Cabin Fever isn’t a diagnosable psychological condition, but there’s a history of those symptoms manifesting in groups of isolated people. I’m thinking as far back as the Donner party in 1846. There was the Highcliff’s in 1980, and more recently the Smith and Wess party in 1992. I know these are ancient cases for the team but it seems to fit to me. I know this case could be way more complex given the terrorism element, but just looking at the brief you wrote, I think this might be a case of insanity due to the location. I could be wrong. I could be totally off here, but it’s what I’ve got so far.” Aaron thought about what _y/n_ had said and replied, “I’m not saying that that train of thought is not out there, but given the novelty of this case, I think we need someone who is thinking with a separate mind frame. Once we’re on site, keep what you have here in the back of your mind. If you see anything that relates to this theory let me know immediately.” _y/n_ nodded at him in agreement as he stood and made his way back to Rossi. Sometimes when Hotch or anyone asked her her thoughts early on, she feared that she sounded unhinged, or worse, stupid. _y/n_was still finding solid footing with the team, but Hotch never dismissed her ideas unless they were fully implausible, and she appreciated that about him.

The flight moved quickly after this. Although there were five hours left, the team regrouped and shared what they knew before touchdown in Anchorage. When the jet landed, the sun was already setting in the West although it was only 5:30 p.m. It only took a few minutes before they arrived in the SUVs at the dock with the resupply boat that would take them to the rig thirty minutes offshore. The team turned in all three sets of keys to the cars to the police officer waiting for them at the dock. Aaron promised to call the local LEO when the team was ready for their return to the small airstrip. The team pulled their go bags from the back of the cars. Derek was kind enough to carry Garcia’s pink and sparkly duffle on top of his small carry-on suitcase. The team had bundled up in their jackets and they were buffeted by the harsh northern winds beating them from all sides. As they boarded the gangway, Hotch momentarily steadied _y/n_ who he was walking next to. Though she seemed okay, it seemed to him that she could use a steadying hand for a moment as she battled the wind. When she felt Aaron approach her and then place a steadying hand just barely against her back she looked at him. He wore that expression that just said, ‘I’m here.’ _y/n_ gave him a nod, indicating that she appreciated the gesture. Aaron kept his hand where it was until they got on deck. Once they were on a more sturdy surface, Hotch removed his hand but moved to take the handle of _y/n’s small wheeled case in his open left hand. Their hands brushed briefly as they exchanged the weight of her luggage. Neither Aaron nor _y/n_ said anything at the exchange, but she gave him a soft smile as he moved toward the stairway that led to the passenger area of the ship. This had become a little pattern of theirs over the past few months. There was a kind of shared understanding of care between them. Aaron told himself that this was him taking care of his newest agent, and _y/n_ told herself that this was her trying to prove that she noticed the small needs of the team; both of them were lying to themselves.

Once the team was downstairs _y/n_ took charge of her case again, as Aaron and JJ moved to the control room to introduce themselves to the captain and get some relevant information. While the team waited to start moving, they all settled into the uncomfortable benches either in the center of the boat or those near the sides of the room that had a few windows looking out onto the choppy Alaskan Sea. After a few minutes, the boat motors started roaring to life and the resupply vessel moved toward the open water. Garcia moved to sit next to _y/n_ who had slumped down on a bench next to one of the windows. The waves were a dark green and blue, and the clouds had turned a charcoal grey as the sun started to dip below the horizon. Penelope looked over to _y/n_ and asked, “How are you holding up, friend?” _y/n_ looked over to Garcia and said, “I don’t like this Penelope. This feels off to me. This case.” Garcia nodded along and said, “Trust your gut _y/n_. You know yourself better than anyone else. If you ever need to talk, I’m here for you.” _y/n_ nodded and both she and the tech whizz turned to look as Hotch and JJ returned from the bridge. Aaron stepped into the center of the room. The boat listed up and down slightly, but he seemed perfectly stable even as the boat took on a large wave. In his smooth voice, Aaron said, “According to the skipper we should be at the rig in around twenty-five minutes. Apparently, the seas are pretty rough tonight. Once we get there, the boat will take a few minutes to dock. A worker on the rig is going to get our luggage for us, so leave it here by the door when we disembark. Once we’re on the rig the first thing we'll do is meet the foreman. As you saw in the file, his man is Mr. Obermann. Once I’ve introduced us all, we’ll get a tour of the rig. Find rooms and then debrief if that sounds alright?” Everyone agreed and said so in some way or another. _y/n_ always found it interesting that he said things like, ‘If that’s alright with you.’ To the team. It’s not exactly like they had a choice on what happened at the start of a case. _y/n_ hypothesized that he did this to give them an allusion of control. Also, if someone did really have a suggestion that the team do something differently -- like asking to go to a crime scene or the hospital or something like that -- then he would consider it. However, Aaron was usually good at predicting the needs of the team and the case. He was their leader after all.

The resupply boat arrived at the rig and the size of the massive object that was being buffeted by the cold waves was more massive than any of them had imagined. The rig wasn’t the only thing being pushed by the harsh wind. As the team got outside and made it to the short ladder they would need to climb to get to the main platform. Derek helped _y/n_ and Garcia get to the ladder while Aaron helped JJ, and Rossi provided Emily a steadying hand. The whole team pulled their jackets tighter around themselves as they made it to the main door. A worker pulled the heavy metal door open for them. The door led directly to the crew’s rec room. Mr. Obermann was waiting for them and stood as the team entered the room. Aaron moved to the front of the pack and introduced himself and the team quickly. Mr. Obermann looked stressed and worn out which was understandable given the circumstances. The man said, “Well I appreciate you all coming so far. If this doesn’t get fixed it will be hell for the company, but more importantly to me twenty-five good hard-working men. Because you’ve all come I’ve sent all the temp workers home until you find our guy. What did you call him again?” Aaron replied, “The unknown subject, or unsub for short.” Obermann nodded and said, “Yeah. That. The men that are still here are freaked. They all think they’re going to be the next victim. It’s not good for the job as they need to pay full attention to what they are doing. Risk of injury on offshore rigs are thirty three percent more likely than those on land.” Obermann stopped to take a breath before continuing, “Now I’ll give you a tour of the place. I need you all to put on hard hats.

The protective headwear was passed out, and the team put the hats on. JJ, Penelope, and _y/n_ struggled not to laugh at the look of all the men on the team wearing the hats. Particularly Rossi, Morgan, and Aaron. Hotch looked like a midwestern politician trying to get votes from the rustbelt to _y/n_, and she actually had to cough to hide her laugh. She was fully aware that she must also look like a fool, but she just couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. Once they were equipped, the team and Mr. Obermann moved through an internal door that led to a long hallway. The foreman moved through each of the rooms on that floor, including his small office, the mess hall, the laundry room, and some of the sleeping quarters. They moved outside, and the team looked at the helipad, and the derrick that brought the oil up to the surface. The team moved back inside and moved down the steps to the first level of the rig. The lower floor was very dark and close to the water level. The sound of the waves could be heard through the thick steel and concrete which spoke to the power of the water surrounding them. Obermann guided through the more mechanical side of the rigs. The communal showers for the crew were also located on the second level. As they walked through the mechanical room, Obermann said, “This room is generally off limits, but as you know, the first victim was found here. I ask that if you need to be in here, let me know and I’ll send someone to open it for you.” The tour took a long time as the space was cramped and a lot of the rooms required them to be careful. Obermann led them back to the rec room where their luggage was waiting for them. Oberman said, “I’ll give you all a few minutes to pick rooms for yourself. The rooms that are free are downstairs. With all of you here, you’ll have to double up. The keys to the rooms are on the table and are labeled with the number that matches the door. Now I have some paperwork to attend to, but I’ll be in my office for any questions you have.”

As Obermann moved to his office, the team looked at each other. Having to share rooms was never something they enjoyed. Though the team was close, it was an entirely different thing to have to share a room. The team's cases often brought a lot of stress and little sleep, and having the privacy of their own space let them decompress in their own form or fashion was needed. On the rare occasions that the team did share rooms, it was fine, but everyone was far more comfortable alone. But, the work needed to be done, and they needed to start quickly, so no one made a fuss. With that out of the way, the team paired up. Derek, Spencer, and Rossi shared one of the rooms that had three beds, and JJ, Emily, and Garcia took the other room with three beds. Emily offered to share her bed with _y/n_ but _y/n_ said that she was alright being with Hotch in the room with two beds. If it meant having her own bed she would be fine. Aaron overheard _y/n_ and Prentiss’s conversation, and he felt a tug in his chest. He wasn’t sure if the feeling was because _y/n_ seemed so okay with sharing a room with him, or the fact that he was even thinking about it. Hotch had noticed his feelings change toward _y/n_ in the last few months. He wasn’t sure what was pulling him to her, but in some tiny way, things seemed to have shifted in the air for them. And Aaron knew that it wasn’t just him that felt the change. _y/n_ had started to adapt around him. Doing things for him she didn’t need to but that he wanted. He had started reciprocating the gestures and it just kind of clicked in place. Hotch hadn’t given this much thought yet. There hadn’t been time, and he wanted to wait before he did anything more. The fact that he was thinking this now felt like he was breaking some kind of supervisory rule. Even if _y/n_ seemed completely fine with sharing a room with him, he wanted to check in personally. As the rest of the groups moved down the stairs with their suitcases, Hotch stepped toward her.

When Aaron was next to her, he looked down into her eyes and said, “_y/n_, you don’t have to share a room with me. I can make another arraignment or sleep on one of the couches in here if you prefer.” _y/n_ appreciated the gesture, and she looked over what appeared to be the most old, decrepit, and uncomfortable couches she had seen in her life. Not only would Hotch’s sleep be compromised, but he honestly might be unsafe here given that the rec room was open 24/7. With the killings happening, she would never risk him like that. Even if she was uncomfortable with the idea of sleeping in the same room as her boss, she still wouldn’t make him sleep in a space like this. Although _y/n_ didn’t find the idea of sleeping in the same room as Hotch uncomfortable, she did find it a bit awkward. Over the past few months, she had had some less-than-professional thoughts about her Unit Chief. None of them had strayed into the lewd, lurid, or vulgar, but even so, being that close to Aaron made her insides flutter slightly. She told the butterflies just trying to take flight for the first time to slow down. For now, she was just thinking about this situation by internally telling herself, ‘It’s just Hotch.’ _y/n_ didn’t mean this in a demeaning way. Many of her close relationships or intimate moments with men were marred by pain or betrayal. So for her to simply and honestly say, ‘It’s just Hotch,’ meant a great deal. “Alright, but if at any time you feel like you need space during the night, just tell me and I’ll give it to you.” _y/n_ smiled and nodded, saying, “I will, Hotch. Now, maybe we should put our stuff away so we can get to work?” Aaron nodded in agreement and he stood more straight. The pair grabbed the last room key and their cases. The duo moved down the stairs and to the end of the hallway where their room was.

Hotch pulled the door’s key from his pants pocket and fitted it into the lock. There was the pleasant sound of the bolt clicking back. Aaron took the metal handle in his large hand. The door swung outward, and he froze momentarily as he looked into the room. _y/n_ noticed his shift in demeanor and softly asked, “What is it?” She pressed closer to him, and she realized why he had reacted as he had. The room they were supposed to share only had one bed and from the size of it, there was no space for another mattress. Aaron muttered something she couldn’t hear under his breath before he more loudly articulated, “There must be a mistake. I’ll talk to Obermann. Or we can talk to someone on the team. Emily will still let you sleep with her. I’m sure of it.” While he said this, two thoughts were happening simultaneously in _y/n_’s head. The first was that her work phone had vibrated in her pocket about ten times since she and Hotch had been trying to negotiate about the room. _y/n_ took a moment to look through her messages. It seemed the other team members were ready to start building the profile for the unsub and were waiting for her and Hotch. This meant she had little time to think about the second thought running through her head like a fire. Imagining sleeping in the same bed as Aaron, even momentarily pulled a light flush to her face. She pushed the latter thought back for later and said, “Hotch, we can figure it out later. I think the team is waiting for us in the rec room. Em said there’s coffee. Let’s just put our cases inside and you and I can figure this out later.” Aaron turned to _y/n_ with a furrowed brow. For a second he could see the flush on her skin but moved to look away not ready to acknowledge that fact yet. Though he wanted to rectify this situation immediately, _y/n_ was right. He gave a small sigh and said, “You’re right. We can figure it out later." With that Aaron and _y/n_ moved into the small space. Hotch pushed his suitcase under the small space of the bed while _y/n_ placed her smaller case in the only open storage area the room had. When this was done, they both left the room; Aaron switched off the light and locked the door behind him. As they made their way back up to the first floor, Aaron sighed. This wasn’t particularly Obermann’s fault, but it was a unique situation for sure. One that he would resolve to make sure _y/n_ was comfortable. For some reason when he saw her in pain or discomfort, it really ate at him. This had only happened twice, but those were two times he did not want to repeat. And he certainly wasn’t going to be the cause of her discomfort.

The pair moved back to the team and settled into the open spots at one of the tables in the rec room. The darkness outside the windows of the rec room seemed to try and penetrate through and around the lights on the rig, and the howl of the wind crashed with the waves as the team worked late into the night. They bounced ideas off each other and looked at the first three spots where the victims had been found. By 2:40 a.m. the team had a basic profile down. They assumed the unsub was around forty to fifty-five years old, which eliminated a little less than half of the twenty-five workers. They also assumed the man was important and potentially used violence as a substitute for sex and a form of release. _y/n_ kept the idea of cabin fever in the back of her head and suggested acts of hysteria or depression for the profile. She clarified, “We wouldn’t see that behavior here, but while this unsub is not on the rig I think bouts of anger and depression might be a pattern. He might have even lost jobs because of this before.” Rossi agreed and said, “We can ask Mr. Obermann about people with those traits tomorrow morning. We also know the attacks happen at night when most of the crew are asleep and only the night shift workers are awake.” Derek tacked on, “And they happen where there aren’t cameras or the lighting is too dark to see clearly. It’s often near the machinery to drown out any screaming.” Now that the preliminary profile was created, it would give the team a better chance to look over all the workers tomorrow who they were meeting in the morning. They had only met two men officially that night and it was the two security guards. One was a younger man in his thirties named Joe, and the other was in his fifties named Pete. The team had met the two while they changed shifts. Both men had introduced themselves and told the members of the BAU to call them at any time if they needed help. Derek and Aaron both clocked that neither man carried a gun, but did have retractable nightsticks in their belts.

By this point, it was nearly three, and many members of the team decided to call it a night. They needed to wake up at five a.m. to meet the oil workers before their shift started at 6:00 a.m. It was only Rossi, Garcia, Aaron, and _y/n_ left awake. _y/n_ could feel the weight of her exhaustion pulling at her. Her mind was foggy and looking at the files actually hurt her eyes. The lights on the rig at night were a bit dimmed and she longed to get to sleep. She pushed away from the table and Garcia looked up and asked, “Are you going to bed, darling?” _y/n_ nodded. At hearing this, Aaron looked over to her and she approached him. Mr. Obermann had retired hours ago and _y/n_ was sure Emily was out like a light by now. She could see Hotch eyeing the couches again and she just barely touched his shoulder. He looked over to her and she nodded her head toward his phone, which pinged once. Aaron picked up the device and swiped up on _y/n_’s text message. He quickly read it over. The message read: “Hotch. I guarantee that sleeping in the same room, even the same bed as you doesn’t make me uncomfortable. It may be unorthodox by FBI standards, but I’m tired and I don’t to wake JJ or Emily. Please don’t sleep on those couches or stay up all night to try and make tonight better for me. You need rest too. If sleeping with me makes you uncomfortable, I’ll take the couch, just wake me up and let me know.” Hotch turned back to _y/n_ and could see that she was being honest, about all of it. That she wasn’t uncomfortable, and that she would take the couch if he wanted to be alone. Again he had that feeling that he was being cared for by _y/n_. And even though he felt uncertain for some unknown reason, he couldn’t deny he’d rather be on a bed than the couches. Finally, he gave her a small nod letting her know that he would be down at the room later. Silently, _y/n_ mouthed, “Night Aaron.” With that, she slipped into the corridor and out of sight. Garcia had observed whatever that odd interaction was between her two friends and she was sure something was happening. What that was, she couldn’t say yet, but with her snooping and pleading skills, she hoped to find out soon enough.

After another hour, Aaron was the only one still up. He was stalling and he knew it. With a sigh, Hotch put his loose papers in his file. He picked up the manila folder and moved downstairs. The grimy, dim hall lights flickered and the shadows seemed to move as Hotch walked down the small corridor. Hotch stopped outside the showers and considered taking one. Again he was stalling. He didn’t need a shower, he needed sleep. He passed the showers and tried to unlock the door as quietly as he could. It was dark in the room and he felt around the dark space for the edge of the bed. _y/n_’s slow breathing filled the room along with the sound of the wave slapping the sides of the rig. Aaron knelt down and tried to quietly remove his suitcase from under the bed. He stopped once it was out and listened. From her breathing, it seemed that _y/n_ was still asleep. He unzipped the case and at this point, his eyes had adjusted to the darkness. He found his grey sweatpants and a sleeping shirt. He couldn’t tell what color it was in the dark but it didn’t really matter. He wasn’t trying to impress anyone. Once he had the articles of clothing, he pushed his suitcase back under the bed. Once he was standing again, he considered moving back to the showers to change. However, opening the door and letting in the light from the hall might wake _y/n_. He looked over at his agent who was turned away from him facing the wall. She was obviously asleep, and he decided to just quickly change in the room. He placed his pajamas on the empty side of the twin bed. He faced the other direction and quietly undid the buckle of his belt. He slipped it out of his belt loops and when it was free, he silently placed the leather on the bed. With a fast intentional movement, he undid the button and zipper of his pants. He slipped off the fabric and when his legs were free, he grabbed his sweats and slipped them on. Somehow Aaron felt that it would be alright if _y/n_ saw him in his undershirt or even bare-chested, but something about her seeing his legs or worse his groin -- even if it was covered with briefs was too embarrassing to think about.

A tiny voice in his head said mockingly, “And you just thought ‘you weren’t trying to impress someone?’” Hotch grit his teeth, removed his shirt and undershirt, and put on the soft cotton of his sleeping shirt. Aaron folded the clothes that he had put on the bed and set them on top of _y/n_’s case. He would hang them up tomorrow. He slowly sat down on the edge of the mattress and it dipped slightly with his weight. Very slowly he moved his legs onto the bed and it was just long enough to fit his tall frame. He lay on his back. For his sake and _y/n_’s he decided to sleep on top of the covers, while _y/n_ stayed bundled beneath them. This would at least give them a layer of separation between them. Aaron wasn’t sure if it was his was his stirring or even his body heat, but _y/n_ seemed to momentarily wake, and in a sleep-heavy voice asked, “Hotch.” It was hard to tell if she was still asleep or not, but he softly replied, “It’s me.” This answer seemed to soothe her and _y/n_ quickly fell back asleep. The exhaustion Aaron felt nearly made him fall asleep before he turned on his side to face the opposite direction from _y/n_. For once, he was grateful that he was so tired that his mind couldn’t wander to places he shouldn't let it.

An hour or so later Aaron woke when _y/n_ made a small sound in her sleep. It was like a little hum or maybe the softest “yes” he had heard in his life. As he came to a more conscious state he realized that he was warm. Warmer than he had been when he fell asleep. In his sleep, he had managed to get under the covers and he was nestled next to _y/n_. His right arm was around her waist and his face was pressed into the soft smooth skin of her neck. Hotch stilled his body. Apart from the fact that being pressed close to _y/n_ felt good, he realized that he needed to move slowly or he might wake her while he disentangled his body from hers. Hotch pulled his face back first, and in his tired mind, he thought about how he missed _y/n_’s crisp scent. Next, he removed his arm from her waist. _y/n_ made another noise at this retraction but still didn’t wake. Aaron thanked the gods for apparently making _y/n_ a deep sleeper. Finally, Aaron rolled onto his back and then to his original position facing the other wall. He was too drained to try and get out and above the covers again, and anyway the warmth from both the blankets and _y/n_ who was only an inch or so away from him felt good, and he fell back into unconsciousness after a few minutes.

In the morning, neither Aaron nor _y/n_ had the time to reflect that they had ended up in each other's arms again during the night because they were jolted awake by the sound of someone screaming. _y/n_ said, “It’s Garcia.” Both Aaron and _y/n_ quickly put on their shoes and grabbed their guns in case there was any danger. Aaron moved out the door first and _y/n_ followed closely after. The sound had come from the nearby showers. Mr. Obermann had set up for the showers to be open from six to seven a.m. each morning for the BAU women to shower safely and with the guarantee that a man wouldn’t interrupt them. This was something JJ had set up on the flight over to Alaska. JJ had ensured that the same was promised for the men on the team, but their hours were in the evening. As Aaron and _y/n_ arrived outside the showers, Morgan was gently guiding Penelope from outside. The technical analyst was sobbing and Derek sort of passed her over to _y/n_ who put her gun away. Morgan firmly said, “Get her away from here, _y/n_. We have a new victim.” _y/n_ nodded and she tried to comfort Garcia as they moved away from the new scene. Hotch slipped past them and at his point the whole team assembled. Rossi was acting as a guard against the workers who wondered what was going on, and if someone had been killed. As _y/n_ passed JJ, she asked the media liaison to come with her and Garcia to provide another more comforting presence for Penelope. JJ nodded and they moved back to the women’s room.

It was a hectic three hours at the start of the morning as a coroner and the local authorities were called. The oil workers became increasingly restless with all of the authorities and the BAU around. To the men, so far these newcomers hadn’t done anything to protect them yet. Once Penelope had calmed, _y/n_ sat on Emily’s bed and thought to the morning. To Hotch in his sneakers and grey sweatpants and dark blue shirt with his gun drawn. To Rossi in a dressing gown and undershirt, and Morgan in a tank and sweats. In fact, they had all been in sleeping clothes except for Spencer. _y/n_ expected that the young genius had stayed up all night. The sight of all of them with guns in such casual clothing would have been funny if it was in a dream or something. But this wasn’t a dream. They were isolated in the middle of nowhere. So far away from civilization that it took an hour for the coroner to arrive. _y/n_ thought back to her isolation theory. She looked forward to speaking with Obermann when she got the chance to see what he had to say. She could also get JJ to look over the personnel files with her for clues as well. After Emily dropped off a soda for Garcia, _y/n_ asked Garcia if she could describe what had happened in the morning and any clues she might have seen or observed. _y/n_ had her pen and pad ready when her friend began to speak. Finally, the police left, the coroner took the body, and the team changed into their professional clothes and assembled in the rec space. Obermann and all the workers minus the fourth victim were assembled.

Obermann spoke first and said, “Alright, new rule. Teams of three only. No one moves alone, even to piss. No teams of two, teams of three. I’ve called corporate and am waiting for a response. If they tell us to leave today, we will. But until then we can still do our jobs. And if you can’t tell me. Before we get to today’s work, I’ll have Agent Hotchner speak to you. Listen to him and his team without any grumbling or complaints unless you want to be written up.”With that, Oberman stepped aside for Aaron. Hotch tried to make this quick. He could tell the men in front of him were angsty. He cleared his throat and said, “As Mr. Obermann said, I’m Agent Aaron Hotchner. I work for the FBI in the Behavioral Analysis Unit. I and my team are here to find the person who is making this an even more dangerous place to work. I am sincerely sorry for your loss this morning. I and my team standing beside me will do everything we can to try and not allow something like that to happen again while we are here. If any of you see something off or suspicious, don’t hesitate to tell me, our Media Liaison, or anyone on the team. I promise we won’t get in your way. For now, that’s all.” Aaron stepped back and motioned for the team to move further back into the room as Obermann started giving the instructions for the day's labor. Aaron had cut out a lot of the formalities, his title, and the science behind the team's work. It wasn’t needed now. He had been speaking to hardened working men, not cops, and sounding fancy or professional wouldn’t make their opinions of him or the team any higher. As Obermann gave orders, Aaron similarly divvied up tasks for the team. Garcia, who had much recovered from her shocking morning would continue looking at the terror element and online leads. He and Morgan would look at the crime scenes. Rossi volunteered to watch the men at work and see if he saw anything that fit the profile. JJ, _y/n_, and Emily volunteered to look at the files of the employees again, as well as rewatching any relevant footage, and Spencer would work on a geographic profile if that was even possible in a space this small. Hotch, like Obermann, told his team that he wanted them in pairs. The events of the morning were a clear reminder that there was significant danger for everyone on the rig.

The team worked tirelessly through the day. They all even missed breakfast and lunch. They reconvened at mid-day and shared what they had. Rossi had suspicions about two men, Baker and Price. Em, JJ, and _y/n_ had thoughts about three men: Slainfield, Parkins, and Jotenson. _y/n_ also had a bad feeling about Pete. However, Pete was standing by them so she didn’t say anything to the whole team. But once the man was gone, she approached Aaron. He was leaning over his and Rossi’s notes on the table, but he acknowledged her presence by turning his head to her for a moment. _y/n_ said, “I think that there’s something off about Pete. He seems to match the profile well and…” She paused momentarily and Hotch looked at her closely, saying, “And?” _y/n_ swallowed and said, “Maybe this is silly but he gives me a bad feeling.” Hotch nodded and said, “It’s not silly. We’ll keep an eye on him.”

The team worked through the afternoon and into the evening. Every now and then they would update the group as they discovered new things. Morgan and Hotch had looked at the crime scene and the pictures of the victim. It was clear that this murder was faster and more reckless. It had happened in a more public place unlike the last three and there was less bruising which meant the death had been rushed. Hotch and Rossi made two hypotheses: one was that the killer was trying to show dominance to the team. To demonstrate that he could kill even with them watching. The second was that he was getting sloppy. He might be trying to show strength, but it was evident in the victim’s body that he was slipping. In the evening the team met for dinner with the rest of the workers. The BAU members all sat together at a table on the far side of the room. Clear cliques could be seen in the oil men as the group sat and chattered softly. None of the men looked at the team and they clearly didn’t want to be overheard. It was clear that the team's presence and the fact that a killer was among them was altering their behavior. As _y/n_ looked over the group and then to her friends it all suddenly felt like high school. And in a moment that felt like a bad teen romance, _y/n_ thought of the morning, before Garcia had shifted the course of events for the day with her discovery. _y/n_ had woken early. She wanted a shower even if she didn’t really need it. She had not expected to wake up warm and cozily tucked in Aaron’s arms with his face pressed into her hair. The comfort she found in his embrace knocked the senses out of her for a moment before she realized he was her boss and any feeling that might or might not been growing in her would be rejected. Not that she’d ever have the nerve to say or do anything. She liked her job too much to do something stupid. She liked Aaron too. As a colleague and friend, she wouldn’t want to make things awkward between them. _y/n_ came back to herself and wondered how she could navigate out of the small bed and his warm, strong arms to get to the showers. Just then Penelope had screamed and saved her from having to think about it. _y/n_ snapped back to reality as Emily said something to her. _y/n_ looked over at Prentiss and said, “Sorry, come again?” As she picked up her pizza for another bite.

To call the food good would be hyperbole, but the team was so famished the cafeteria-grade food tasted amazing. The workmen moved to finish their tasks for the night before turning in. The team continued working for an hour or so before many members also turned in for the night. Perhaps it was the cramped space or the fact that the daylight faded quickly leaving the rig in darkness much of the time, or just the sounds of the waves that made them all a little more sleepy than usual. Emily, Garcia, _y/n_, and JJ were one of the groups to turn in early. _y/n_ could tell that Garcia was going to start asking her questions about what the night with Aaron had been like. To avoid having that personal conversation right now, _y/n_ faked a yawn to indicate that she was really sleepy, which she was. Her strategy worked and Garcia, who was actively going to ask _y/n_ about her night yesterday stopped herself realizing that her friend was tired. Each of the women moved to their rooms and got ready for bed. When the lights were off and _y/n_ was under the blanket and her breathing was the only sound in the room, she thought she heard a creaking from the corner of the small space. _y/n_ sat up, but there was obviously no one there. She lay back down and pulled the covers over her head like a little girl. The place unnerved her. It was like an isolated haunted British mansion with a vengeful ghost roaming the corridors. Except this ghost was real and would do more than scare you to death. _y/n_ let out a sigh at her silly thoughts. She cleared her head and actually focused on getting some rest.

Aaron was not the last one up this time. That honor went to Derek who was chatting with Garcia about something technical that he wasn’t sure he fully understood. Hotch stood and excused himself. Aaron was smarter the second night, and he had set out a clean pair of pajamas and his toiletries for his shower night. Aaron grabbed the items and moved back to the shower room. Hotch stripped and moved into one of the communal showers. He pulled the frosted plastic curtain back for privacy. He turned on the water and flinched as the ice-cold water hit his skin. It took a moment before the warm water replaced the frigid. When the hot water did come, he let out a little sigh. He didn’t know where it had come from. He assumed it was from being so tired. From the real and present danger his team was in, and also that there had been a dead body in this very space many hours earlier. As he reflected, he thought, ‘These cases certainly make strange bedfellows of places.’ And it was true. Where hadn’t he seen a crime? Churches, dressing rooms, parks, campgrounds, strip clubs, showers, houses, houses, houses… Aaron tried to not focus on the morbidity of his job. He was actually thinking about the ‘bedfellows’ part of his thought. Because this case was making him have a strange bedfellow in _y/n_. In what world would something like this happen? In what twisted world was he so comfortable with it happening? He thought back to when he woke up holding _y/n_. Now Aaron actually stopped himself from groaning. ‘You’re tired,’ Aaron reassured himself. He more quickly worked through his routine of thoroughly cleaning his skin and washing his hair. After drying off with a towel and changing. He moved back into the room and settled into the bed. As he lay down, he looked at the metal ceiling painted an unimaginative hospital beige. He silently said, ‘You won’t hold _y/n_ tonight._’ He repeated it a few times. It was a technique he used with Jack when he had bad dreams. Aaron told his son that if you say something while you’re awake, like, “I won’t have a nightmare tonight,” that it will happen in your sleep too. Hotch softly chuckled at the fact that he was using a comforting technique for his son on himself. As his thoughts shifted to Jack, he slipped into sleep.

It was the middle of the night, Aaron woke when he felt like all the air had been sucked from the room and a heavy weight seemed to press down on him. He shifted up and looked at _y/n_. He was surprised when he saw her eyes wide open apparently looking at the foot of the bed. He could tell something was off. Her body was stiff like a board. Aaron tried to get her to relax by gently shaking her shoulder and calling her name, but this had no response. Hotch swallowed and placed his fingers over her pulse. It was a bit elevated, but he could see her breathing normally. Her condition scared him, and he called her name again. After a moment _y/n_’s eyes shifted from the edge of the bed and up to the ceiling. Aaron knew there was nothing there, but he looked up at the flat surface anyway. He tried shaking her again. He was wondering if she was having a stroke, but the odd symptoms didn’t look like those of a stroke, and _y/n_ was far too young and healthy to have a stroke. He would have seen it in her medical history and not let her on the team. For another agonizing minute, _y/n lay still. _y/n_ seemed to snap out of whatever this episode was. She quite literally collapsed into the mattress, and she took large unsteady breaths like she was panicking or had been unable to breathe over the last few minutes. Aaron’s voice was filled with concern and worry, as he brushed his hand over her arm and said, _y/n_. What was that?” In a strained voice, _y/n_ said, “Lights. Give me a minute.” Hotch nodded, and he felt relieved hearing her voice, even if it did sound distressed. He leaned over to his side of the wall and flipped the light switch on. The low-level fluorescent glow of the overhead made Hotch blink a few times. When his eyes had adjusted, he watched _y/n_. Her eyes were closed and she was clearly doing some breathing techniques to calm herself and her nervous system down. Aaron’s hand briefly ghosted over her upright palm. For a moment he wanted the take it in his own hand, but he stopped himself. He grabbed at the sheets of the bed and made a fist with the fabric instead. After a few minutes, _y/n_ sat up. One of her legs was bent to her chest, and she placed her forehead in her right hand. Aaron cleared his throat and as if she just now remembered he was there, she turned her head to look at him with her forehead still in her hand. She looked so scared. Her eyes shone with it. After a final beat of silence, _y/n_ said, “Do you know what sleep paralysis is?” Her voice was slightly hoarse, lower than its normal register. Hotch thought about what he knew about the condition. He’d heard of it before, but never experienced it himself. Softly, he replied, “I have. Though I don’t know a lot about it.” _y/n_ nodded and then said, “Well now you’ve seen it.” Seeing _y/n_ like this pulled at his insides, and he couldn’t take it anymore. He moved his hand to the small of her back to provide some comfort.

_y/n_ seemed to settle with his touch, and she took her head out of her hand. Aaron wanted, needed some answers. So as kindly as he could, he asked, “What is that like exactly? You were so stiff for about three minutes.” _y/n_’s brow pinched for a moment and she replied, “It’s like locked-in syndrome a bit. You’re aware, awake but there's no moving or being able to snap out of it. You’re trapped until the episode is over. People see, hear, or feel things. One or all of those things can happen.” Hotch’s mind went back to while the episode was happening. She had clearly been looking at something at the foot of the bed and then at the ceiling. He asked, “Do you see things?” _y/n_ nodded and said, “Yeah.” Aaron could see the discomfort as she thought about it. Aaron wasn’t going to press, but he did wonder what she had seen. His unspoken question was answered by _y/n_, who said, “For me, I… I see a man. He’s large and cloaked in a kind of shadow. Like his body is there but not there. He smiles at me but other than his mouth there’s no face.” _y/n_ swallowed thickly and said, “Normally he’s at the foot of my bed, but sometimes he’s near my face. Tonight he crawled up the wall and looked down at me from the ceiling.” While she spoke about the figure, her voice hitched and Aaron noticed the small sob she was trying to hide. Her description of sleep paralysis sounded horrible. His bouts of insomnia felt like nothing compared to what she described. It was an actual living nightmare. Hotch took a breath and started running a gentle circle on her back with his thumb. He wanted to know more. Like how often does this happen? Or if there’s something that causes these events. But right now he was more concerned about making sure _y/n_ was comfortable and felt safe.

Aaron removed his hand from her back, and this made her look at him more intently. He first acknowledged how frightening that sounded, and he said, “I’m sorry you’ve gone through this. It sounds, scary. Is there anything you do that helps you calm down? Is there anything I can do to help? I could grab you a coffee, or give you space if you need.” _y/n_ gave Hotch one of those small half smiles that she flashed him when he was doing something for her that he didn’t need to exactly. She replied, with a more stable voice, “I, um actually think that coffee might make it worse. Trying to stay up and outlast the feelings doesn’t normally help with anything. But maybe some water would be nice.” Hotch nodded and turned toward the small nightstand on his side of the bed. He grabbed the water bottle that he had taken from dinner. He had only taken a sip or two, and he offered it over to _y/n_ saying, “Is this okay? I just had a sip, but I can get you a new one if you prefer.” _y/n_ chuckled lightly as she unscrewed the cap and took a drink. She really wasn’t worried about germs from Aaron. After a few sips, she put the cap back on and Aaron placed it back on the table. Aaron then asked, “Is there anything else?” _y/n_ continued looking at him and said, “Normally I just grab a weighted blanket and and try and get back to sleep and pray it doesn’t happen again.” The idea that something like this would happen more than once in a night was abhorrent to Hotch. He looked around the room for anything that might act like a weighted blanket even though there wasn’t anything of the kind around. Aaron’s brain came up with an idea and his mouth voiced the thought before he could stop himself. He said, “Maybe I can hold you? It’s not a weighted blanket, but maybe it could help?” There was a silence after the offer was out there. Both Aaron and _y/n_ were a bit surprised. Aaron bit the inside of his mouth at what he had said. He feared that he had crossed a line, and _y/n_ looked at him like she was surprised that he had offered. However, much to Hotch’s relief, she said, “I’d like that, actually.” Aaron nodded and softly replied, “Okay. Do you want me to turn off the lights?” _y/n_ nodded and laid back on the mattress.

Aaron switched off the light and lay flush with the mattress as well. He wasn’t exactly sure how to start what he had offered without it being awkward or uncomfortable. So he started by just taking _y/n_’s hand in the darkness. He gave it a gentle squeeze, and she let out a breath at his touch. His hand trailed up her arm to her bicep where he ran his pointer and middle fingers up and down the area gently. He wanted to ensure that she was okay with this. After a minute of this, _y/n_ softly said, “Aaron, please.” Maybe it was the way he said his first name or the fact that he wanted to provide the comfort that gave him the courage to move his body close to hers. He placed a hand on her hip and asked, “Do you want to face my chest or face the wall?” Her comfort was most important to him. _y/n_ thought for a moment and said, “I’d like the face the wall.” Aaron hummed and positioned himself so his chest was against her back as she turned on her side. With his left arm, he wrapped his arm over her. It rested on her waistline. He didn’t add any pressure, but let the weight of his arm rest on the side of her body. _y/n_ could feel that he was tense; he might even be flexing. She didn’t mention this and after a few minutes, he relaxed like her. When he did this she could fully feel him pressed against her. The soft area of this stomach pressed against her lower back. Before she fell asleep she said, “Thanks Hotch.” With that, she slipped into oblivion.

In the morning it wasn’t odd as they got up. Aaron checked in to see how she was, and _y/n_ said, “I’m alright. I rested pretty well thanks to you. I really appreciate it, Hotch.” Aaron nodded and more nonchalantly than he really felt he said, “I’m just happy that I could help.” _y/n_moved to grab her towel, her work clothes, and her toiletries bag. She stepped into the shower and told JJ good morning. The media liaison was humming some county song behind her privacy curtain and told _y/n_ “Good morning,” as well. _y/n_ and JJ moved to the rec room together. The rest of the team was grabbing breakfast. As soon as Garcia saw _y/n_, she knew something had happened the previous night. The technical analyst and Emily approached _y/n_, and Penelope asked her, “Baby, did something happen? You don’t look well.” _y/n_ shook her head and quietly told her friends, “I had another episode last night. It was a lot worse than the recent ones.” Garcia looked at _y/n_ sympathetically and pulled her into a hug saying, “I’m so sorry, _y/n_. It’s gotta be this place. It’s giving me the heebie-jeebies too.” Aaron watched on as Em, Garcia, and _y/n_ had a quiet conversation near the serving table. He could just hear some of their conversation, and for a moment, he felt left out because _y/n_ hadn’t told him about her sleep paralysis but had clearly let Penelope and Prentiss in on the secret. Aaron realized that immediately that was stupid because the conversation about her sleeping habits didn’t normally just pop up around him. What would she possibly say, “Oh yeah, every now and then a literal sleep demon shows up by my bed, and he doesn’t have a face. Also, I can’t move when it happens. And it could happen anytime I sleep.” Aaron chastised himself and stabbed another bite of eggs onto his fork. At least now he knew about one of the challenges that seemed to haunt _y/n_ outside the job, and he now would do what he could to make her life easier while they were on cases.

The day moved quickly as some leads dropped cold and the pressure was on to get results. There hadn’t been a new attack which indicated that either the unsub was getting scared, or the fact that the team and the workmen being in teams of two and three had stopped them from being able to act. If the pattern of the last two killings heald, the unsub was likely to attack again today. During the afternoon, Spencer and _y/n_ were discussing her theory and the idea that the unsub was impotent. Spencer said, “What if he’s not important at all, but has a pain fetish or something?” _y/n_ looked at Spencer with apprehension, and she replied, “But the impotence matches with the profile. The bat or blunt object is clearly a replacement for the phallus. If the unsub has a pain fetish I think he would take much more time with the victim. Granted in a place like this, there can’t be a lot of time spent on each victim. I’m not sure, now it feels off.” Spencer leaned against the wall and said, “Let’s re-examine that part of the profile in a bit. I have some thoughts about your cabin fever theory.” _y/n_ gave the genius a small smile and said, “Shot. I’m all ears.” What both agents were missing about the first subject of discussion was that it was possible that more than one person was influencing the way the victims were being killed.

It was late, again and Em and _y/n_ were calling it a night. _y/n_ had tried to get to bed before Hotch while they shared the bed. She hoped that if she was asleep when he got back, he would be more comfortable because they wouldn’t have to have any potential awkward ‘good nights’ or shifting around in the bed to try and get comfortable. _y/n_ for one, took what felt like half an hour to find a comfy position and actually get to sleep. The hallway to their room was cloaked in oddly long shadows. For a second Emily thought she heard a dripping sound and looked around for the source of the noise, but she couldn’t see anything from the darkened hall. Emily looked over to _y/n_ and said, “I don’t know about you, but I want to get the fuck off this rig.” _y/n_ nodded in agreement and said, “That gets an Amen from me.” As Prentiss approached her door, she fished for her keys and muttered, “Shit,” under her breath. _y/n_ looked over to Emily and asked, “What is it?” Emily said, “I left my keys on the table.” _y/n_ looked to her friend and then to her own door. It was only ten or so feet away and Em said, “You go to bed. I’ll be fine by myself getting my keys. JJ was planning on heading to bed soon too, so I’ll just walk back with her.” _y/n_ said, “You’re sure?” Prentiss nodded and both women headed their separate ways. Emily moved with determination, wanting to get to bed as quickly as possible.

_y/n_ moved down the hallway and passed the showers. Once she was past the site of the latest victim, a figure emerged from the entrance behind her. _y/n_ wasn’t aware of the man’s presence until he spoke, saying, “Ma’am, you shouldn’t be walking alone.” _y/n_ whipped around and saw the security guard, Joe. _y/n_ suddenly felt a dread build in her stomach, and Joe stepped toward her saying, “Let me walk you to your room at least.” Just as _y/n_ was about to say something, the man lunged at her. His strong hands found their grip on her neck and she choked as he restricted her airway and pushed her harshly against the metal wall. _y/n_ tried to fight the unsub, but her lack of air was making it hard. In an act of desperation, she used her right hand to find the man’s groin and she took his manhood in her hand squeezing the area tightly. Joe removed his hands from her body and said, “Bitch,” as he moved back covering his groin with his hands. _y/n_ tried to catch her breath. She pulled for the gun in her holster with shaking fingers, but Joe was quicker with his nightstick. As he extended the weapon it gave a little swishing sound. Before _y/n_ could fully protect her face with her hands the nightstick made painful contact on the side of her head. _y/n_ reeled, and she saw stars for a second. _y/n_ tried to stay upright, but the pain and confusion had her collapse against the wall. As she crumpled, she could hear Joe say, “How fucking dare you say I’m impotent. You’re going to regret that comment you little bitch.” _y/n_ closed her eyes as she saw the man’s hand holding the weapon raise and lower with considerable force.

Hotch moved down the hallway and stairs that led to the first level of the rig. He was in desperate need of a shower and a distraction. The day had been rough on him. He had had to speak to Obermann about the men suddenly acting different, even with hostility toward the team. They were obviously all on edge, but that didn’t give them a right to badmouth his team. He had also had a very choppy call with Strauss and Mr. Ridgewell. Both were disappointed that he hadn’t found anything yet. Aaron had to explain to Ridgewell specifically how unique a case this was. Aaron wondered why Erin hadn’t told the Commissioner this information before. Was his boss angry with him as well? Making him do this sort of soft groveling as a sort of punishment? To prove that he and the team were valuable? Aaron had also had a long conversation with Garcia about more messages that had been shared from the alleged foreign agents. Hotch was beginning to think that this part of the case was all a ruse by the unsub to distract the team’s time and energy. As Hotch got lower on the stairs, he heard a snapping sound and the small moan of pain that came after a particularly loud cracking sound had his hand on his gun in an instant. Aaron quietly moved down the final steps and he saw the younger security guard leaning over a prone figure that he recognized as _y/n_. Aaron authoritatively said, “I have a gun pointed at the back of your skull. Unless you want your brains decorating these walls, I’d put your hands behind your head and slowly stand.” Unfortunately for Aaron, Joe had heard Hotch’s footsteps and had grabbed his knife, which he kept hidden in his back pocket, and pressed it close to _y/n_’s neck. Joe called back, “I wouldn’t if I were you, Agent Hotchner. I have my knife pressed to your agent's neck. So unless you want her bleeding out from her carotid artery, I’d put down your gun, and kick it toward me.” Aaron clenched his jaw but replied, “Alright. I’m doing it now.” Hotch would never jeopardize a member of his team. The fact that he couldn’t see how hurt _y/n_ was and the fact that she wasn’t moving almost made him sick. He slowly moved his center of gravity down and set his handgun on the cold smooth floor. Aaron pushed the weapon toward Joe. The unsub felt behind himself until his hands found the gun. Joe moved to face Aaron, dropped the knife, and grabbed his nightstick instead. Joe commanded Aaron to raise his hands and put them behind his head. Hotch did as told and when the unsub was a foot away from Aaron, Joe quickly raised his nightstick and hit Aaron on the side of the face. The blow wasn’t well aimed, and it didn’t have as much power as he had used with _y/n_, but it was still enough to incapacitate the FBI agent for a moment. As Hotch slumped against the wall, Joe pushed past him and ran to an external door at the end of the hallway.

After a second, Aaron came back to himself and he clicked on his open communication channel with the team and he said, “The unsub is Joe Pabst. He just attacked _y/n_. He exited the southwest door. The channel came to life as Aaron moved toward _y/n_ on unsteady feet. He collapsed next to _y/n_ and checked her breathing and pulse. It was clear that she was unconscious and battered, but her pulse seemed alright. She seemed to be struggling to breathe due to the trauma on her nose. Aaron couldn’t tell if it was broken or not, but the blood leaking from it and the bruising already there told him that it was hard for her to breathe through it. Thankfully Rossi and Garcia came to his side in a second. Rossi motioned that he would stay with _y/n_ and at seeing this, Aaron got to his feet to pursue the unsub. He listened as Derek, Spencer, and Emily approached the man who had harmed _y/n_. Outside on the slick side of the rig, Aaron fought the wind. He moved up to the top platform and saw Derek and Spencer in a stand-off with the unsub who was on the rigging of the derrick itself. A light shone out, highlighting the unsubs form standing high above the waves. Hotch lined up a shot with the second gun he wore on his left ankle. Just as he was preparing to fire an incapacitating shot, Joe moved to the edge of the small platform, and by some twist of fate, or a simple design flaw, the chain railing slipped from one of its posts, and because Joe was leaning his weight on the barrier, he flailed wildly before plummeting into the choppy sea below. Aaron called Morgan on the secure channel and said, “Go see if you can find Joe. I’ll wake Obermann and let him know what’s just happened.” Derek confirmed Hotch’s directions. As much as Aaron would like the unsub to drown, it was still his job to make sure monsters like Joe faced the full weight of justice if possible.

A half-hour later Aaron was back by _y/n_’s side. Rossi had moved _y/n_ to the rec room and the travel medical evacuation team was en route. _y/n_ hadn’t woken yet and Aaron feared a bad concussion or worse, something like a brain bleed from the head trauma she had received. Aaron also couldn’t deny that he was feeling unwell. The lights were a bit bright for him, but he ignored his own pain to be seated next to _y/n_. When the helicopter came, Rossi insisted that Aaron ride with _y/n_ to the nearest hospital because he might also need medical care. Hotch acquiesced and boarded the helicopter with the paramedics and pilot. The sun was just rising above the horizon line as the chopper moved up and over where the Alaskan sea met the cold, hard land. At the hospital Aaron reluctantly submitted himself to an exam, but he only had thoughts for _y/n_ who was seen a few rooms down.

When _y/n_ woke a few hours later, her head pounded in pain. Even though she was hurting, she could sense that she was somewhere new. Her last memories were of Joe approaching her. As someone near her shifted, she opened her eyes and tried to see through the glare of her blurry vision. Aaron sat up as _y/n_ stirred. His head was lightly bandaged to stop the bleeding from his temple. _y/n_ struggled to say, “It was Joe.” Aaron nodded and said, “Yeah. Joe and Pete, but we can talk about that later. I’m going to call the doctor for you.” As Aaron waited for Dr. Ramirez to come and check in on _y/n_ he looked her over again. Her face was deeply bruised. There were other sites of trauma on her body including a fractured wrist and some bruised ribs. The doctors assumed that she had a grade III concussion due to the fact that she had been unconscious for as long as she had. Hotch could see the pain in her eyes, but even so, she said, “It’s nice to have someone one I really like be beside my bad instead of shadow man.” _y/n_ cringed slightly from the pain and how stupid ‘shadow man,’ sounded to her. She had never named her sleep paralysis demon. She refused to give it an identity. She looked at Aaron who was also a bit damaged. She wanted him to hold her again, but due to the fact that they were in a hospital, and he was her boss, that seemed a bit implausable. So she extended her hand out to him. Aaron took it in both of his hands, and his calloused fingers moved gently over her knuckles and palm. Before she closed her eyes against the brightness of the room, she saw a ghost of a smile on Hotch’s face. It always showed up in the crow's feet by his eyes.

A day and a half later, the team was headed back home. Joe’s body still hadn’t been found in the rough sea. It was possible that it may never be recovered. Aaron was fine with this. Pete, who had influenced Joe had been taken into custody and was awaiting a hearing. The doctors had recommended a three-day leave of absence for Aaron and a week-long recovery period for _y/n_ for both of their healing. Aaron was going to insist on a longer break for _y/n_. And if he was medically forced from the office, that should give the team a bit of a reprieve as well. As the team settled on the jet, Aaron found himself seated next to _y/n_. Discretely, his left hand found its place close to her thigh. The tips of his fingers softly touching _y/n_’s upper leg. _y/n_ seemed to be asleep, and Aaron looked over her face which was bandaging on her nose, crown, and temple. At his touch, _y/n_ shifted her body towards his in her sleep. The part of Aaron that was growing fonder and fonder for _y/n_ contentedly filled his chest. He would have to do some self-reflection once he was home about these feelings. Once his hand was a bit more firmly planted on _y/n_’s leg, Hotch thought about how demons really were real. Either those who showed up unwanted in horrifying waking nightmares, or people like Joe, who had been influenced by the older, isolated, and impotent Pete, who had told his protege to enact violence for him. But as Aaron looked over the dimmed jet cabin at his team --all of whom were asleep except for Garcia and Rossi. Aaron thought of them as his gaze returned to _y/n_. Yes, demons were real, but he was there to take care of them, whatever form they took. And that gave him the strength to keep going.

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lilover131 · 10 months

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Clear Card Chapter 75 Analysis

Omg, Chrissy posting a chapter analysis in a reasonable amount of time! It’s like a Christmas miracle in July! Now that I am mostly moved into my new place and am in a better place emotionally, I actually have the time to sit down and get this done quickly! I apologize for the delays the past two months, and I appreciate y’all being patient with not just that, but the lack of posts in general. I know I’ve been more quiet than usual for sure, and I’d like to get back to being more active on here.

This chapter was really fun in a lot of ways, but we also get a nice cliffhanger that isn’t entirely surprising. But nonetheless, I’m hyped and so ready for future chapters! Without further ado, let’s dig into chapter 75!

As usual, I will start off by talking about the color page. Omgggggg, I love this one. CLAMP gave us the colors for these new outfits immediately (the fanartists are grateful), and I love the similarity to this and the cover for chapter ____. Syaoran still has a serious expression, but certainly looks more serious than emotionless like the Kaito black cat version. And Sakura is actually smiling in this one as opposed to her almost confused expression in the previous chapter. The moon seems to replace the gears for the most part here, and this is symbolic as the moon itself becomes very important in this chapter! We also have Kaito’s clock face in this image, which is important for obvious reasons.

The chapter itself begins with Sakura revealing her Dream wand. It is not familiar to anyone of course, but Sakura stated to have found the key alongside her star key, and she felt it was important to use this one, especially as she and the others could sense that this was made with her magic. It seems logical to all that this staff existed prior to the world being rewritten.

Tomoyo advises both Sakura and Syaoran that the ear cuffs they are wearing are transmitters that will allow them to talk to each other. Moreover, they can be used to send audio and video to her tablet. Nakuru is impressed by the technology, but I never cease to be amused by Tomoyo’s never ending desire to capture literally everything on film. Hahahaha.

Sakura then pulls out the FLY card and uses it on Syaoran, which sprouts the wings that we’ve become familiar seeing on him. However, this is a surprise to everyone else, who of course doesn’t remember any of this from the previous timeline. Also, CAN I JUST SAY HOW HAPPY I AM THAT WE STILL GET WINGED SYAO?!! I was honestly a little depressed thinking we wouldn’t see any more of that. Lol. Kero asks why Sakura is using the FLY card on him and what she will do for herself. Sakura states that Momo told her that there were other cards that haven’t disappeared, and she calls upon FLIGHT (yay!!!). FLIGHT is honestly probably the best card of the Clear Cards, so I am stoked to see this card particularly returning. It is the only one from this deck that has really shown clear emotions and personality, and it’s so cute!!

Eriol seems impressed and through Nakuru’s phone can see the new card. He can tell it is made from Sakura’s magic and Kaho mentions that it is also Sakura’s summoning circle. With that, Sakura steps up to Akiho and asks to borrow her pocket watch for a bit. She willingly passes it along and claims she will be right back before she and Syaoran fly up into the air.

The couple has a beautiful scene in the sky with the moon in the background, and Sakura thanks Syaoran for coming along. He thanks her in return, but specifically for saying that he is her favorite person in the world. OMG, HOW CUTE CAN THESE TWO BE, SERIOUSLY?! I could not help but gush for a moment and just felt a warmth in my heart. But I absolutely love what Sakura says next. She says that when she found out the world had been rewritten, she thought to herself that if she had something to say, it was important to say it, because then even if the world was rewritten again, the words would still have been said and would live in their hearts. This kind of explains why Sakura has been a little more assertive in what she wants to say in the past few chapters, but I also think this is an important and beautiful message in general for everyone. We should all say what we want to say while we can, because they will live on in our hearts no matter what happens after.

While Tomoyo, Kero, Suppi, Nakuru, and Yuki are watching on the tablet, Touya speaks alone with Akiho. He tells her that despite Sakura’s flaws (which are hardly flaws but just silly teasing remarks), that she always carries out the things she says she is going to do. So if she has promised to find Akiho’s missing person, then she will. He is likely saying this to Akiho so she will be reassured that everyone will come out of this safely. So all they have to do is wait for Sakura to call them…together. He gives her a little pat on the head, and this is just such a sweet little moment between brother and sister.

Meanwhile, the rest of them are watching the ‘livestream’ of Sakura and Syaoran and just caught the cute interaction between the two. They comment on how livid Touya would’ve been if he had heard the conversation, and Kero and Suppi find themselves starting to pity Touya as a result. Lmaaoo. I guess it’s a blessing he didn’t overhear any of it.

Sakura and Syaoran are up in the air and discuss how they will go about finding Kaito, and Sakura says that she feels power inside of it, but that it doesn’t belong to anyone she knows. They come to the conclusion that it must belong to ‘the one who is missing’ and that it will lead them to him. Syaoran summons his rashinban and tells Sakura to place the pocket watch on it. She does as asked and Syaoran uses his locating spell. This has been a spell established in the original series as something he could do. In the Sakura card arc, Syaoran attempted to find Eriol via the coat he left behind on the feverish Sakura, and he mentioned this spell when Sakura transformed the SHADOW card at the school to locate Tomoyo (he couldn’t in the end since they didn’t have anything left behind by Tomoyo). The way the spell works though is that Syaoran can locate a person with an object of theirs that is left behind, and I’m so glad we finally get to see him use this spell successfully!

However, the result is rather unexpected. The rashinban shoots out a beam of light that points directly towards the moon. Syaoran assumes this must be a mistake because there are traces of moon magic in the pocket watch, and that perhaps this is why it is pointing towards the moon. This is logical, however Sakura then advises that his tracking spell is actually correct, and that what they are seeing isn’t the real moon. Syaoran is naturally confused by this, but Sakura acts immediately by summoning the SWORD card and slices right through the illusion.

This seems to open up a portal to where they want to go. Watching from England, Kaho and Eriol are commenting on how magic of this level would have taken the combined power of many sorcerers, but that Sakura was able to see right through it within seconds. She has certainly grown powerful, but Eriol states that this was not power she grew unconsciously but rather through sheer will. If she wants something done, her magic will guide her and do what she wants. It’s a good thing Sakura is such a pure and good human being. Can you imagine what someone with evil intend would do with that kind of power? Makes me shiver thinking about it…

Sakura and Syaoran have no idea what awaits them on the other side, but nonetheless they bravely go in together and without hesitation. The space they enter almost looks like a crazy Salvador Dali painting with warped clock parts all around them. I think this space symbolizes Kaito’s ‘time’. His lifespan is now a bunch of warped clock pieces that are broken apart (this is my theory at least). The beam of light from Syaoran’s rashinban continues to guide them, however where it ends is certainly unexpected. At the end of the light is...the dragon (the one we’ve seen from Sakura’s dreams) curled up asleep within a gyroscope of sorts. It seems to be trapped, and due to the light pointing at it, reason would deduce that the dragon is Kaito’s current form (likely a result of the curse put upon him by the Association and Akiho’s clan). Now, many of us have had theories that the dragon would ultimately turn out to be Kaito due to the dragon symbols that appeared in the corners of the ‘storybook’ formatting of his past as told by Momo. However, there was never any certainty until now. I can’t say I’m surprised, but I’m glad that we finally are getting some answers.

The only thing we need to know now is…well, what happens now? What will happen if they free and wake up dragon Kaito? Will he be violent and cause destruction? Will he remember who he is? And naturally…how in the world do they get him back to who he was? My current theory is that he will escape and enter Tomoeda, just like the first dream Sakura had about Kaito. I also believe that initially he will not remember who he is and cause destruction, but that Akiho will be the one to bring him back to himself. I also still think Syaoran will have some role here as CLAMP seems to have implied it, but we’ll see exactly what that is. I am extremely excited though to see where this goes, and I anticipate major drama in the next chapter! Let’s gooooooooooooooooo!!!!

#cardcaptor sakura #clear card #manga #chapter 75 #spoilers #sakura #syaoran #tomoyo #touya #akiho #nakuru #suppi #kero #yuki #eriol #kaho #chrissy talks a lot #analysis

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drvirgus · 2 months

Text

The life you dreamed of

(Series)

Description: Y/n a K-pop Idol of the 5-Member Group Moonlight. But what happens when she falls in Love? How exactly is her life as an Idol and why did she become one?

Idol! Yeji X Idol! Reader

Warnings: Mention of Bullying and Suicide, curse words

Chapter 24:

Masterlist

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Smiling, I looked once again into my phone camera. As usual, I was seated on my gaming chair, AirPods in my ears, and a cup of coffee in hand. I placed the cup on the desk. Legs crossed, this time I was wearing just a hoodie with the imprint of a game called Persona 5. Below, I had on my pajama pants.

"Hello and welcome back to what will Y/n do in her live this time?" I playfully said, laughing a bit awkwardly. A small sigh escaped my throat. "So, I've mentioned this several times, but I really hate doing lives alone. You guys understand that, right?" I asked as I scratched the back of my head.

"For one, there's the language barrier, although I try to speak both Korean and English. It doesn't always work, unfortunately," I said as I started to hum a bit. "Of course, I think about what exactly I should do or say before starting the live. But in my opinion, my stories are really boring," I laughed.

I tied my hair back again since it had gotten a bit longer, falling over my shoulders. They were still short, but hey, at least longer than before, which honestly bothered me.

"I've really been thinking about going to the hairdresser again. My hair has gotten a bit longer, and that's why I want to cut it. You might not know, as you probably never really saw me with long hair, but long hair really doesn't suit me at all," I said, laughing lightly. My hand wrapped around the cup again, and I took a sip.

"Also, I'm considering dyeing my hair. Not my whole hair, but... hm... rather these Oreo hairs. Like Jennie-Sunbaenim, Ryujin Unnie or Yeji. So just a few strands. The only question is, in which color? I've honestly thought about doing it in purple. What would you guys recommend?" I asked, interested, looking at the many comments.

I'm living for the idea of Oreo hair on you, just like Yeji! 😍 Please make it happen!

Your stories are never dull, Y/n! We genuinely enjoy every moment of your lives! 💖

Your lives are boring because you're boring. No amount of hair dye can fix that. 🙄

Channeling Jennie's vibes? Yes, please! Can't wait to see the transformation. 🌈

Your slightly awkward lives are what make them charming! Keep being your authentic self! 😊

You think you're unique with Oreo hair? More like a wannabe trend follower

What actually happened to the rumors? What happened with Noh Jeong-yang?

My eyes were glued to a particular comment. Almost immediately, I licked my lips. As more comments about the topic started pouring in, I took a deep breath and put on a smile, shaking my head slightly.

"Noh Jeong-Yang. She was charged and lost the court case. That's all I can say about it. I haven't personally met her, and we have no contact with each other. To be honest, I want to nip this topic in the bud. I don't want Wooyeon-ah to be dragged through the mud, and I don't want any haters to speak ill of Wooyeon," I said a bit more seriously. My smile faded as I took another deep breath.

"I don't want to sound rude or attack anyone. But Wooyeon was my best friend. After seeing people making fun of the death of Taehyung-Sunbaenim's grandma, I don't want the same to happen to Wooyeon. So, I won't be saying anything more about this topic in the future. I apologize to the fans who are genuinely concerned and sincerely hope you understand," I added, bowing slightly.

Y/n, your honesty and openness with us fans is what makes you so special. We appreciate you keeping us in the loop about your life. Can't wait to see the new hairstyle! 💇‍♀️💖

Y/n, you're just attention-seeking. Your so-called 'best friend' drama is just a stunt for publicity. 🙄

If there's a kissing scene, I'm placing my bets on Y/n and Kim Tae-ri. Sorry, not sorry! 💋 #ShipSailing

Y/n, if you dye your hair, make sure to match it with your gaming chair. Aesthetic matters! 😂💁‍♀️

Y/n trying to answer rumors like a pro! Meanwhile, I can't even decide what to eat for dinner. 😂👏

Okay, but can we talk about the chemistry between Y/n and Kim Tae-ri in the drama? 🔥 Ship sailing smoothly! 🚢

Sending virtual hugs, Y/n! We're here for you no matter what. Stay strong! 💪💕

Who else is low-key hoping for a 'Jennie Oreo' hair reveal on the next live? I can already imagine Yeji being totally heart-eyed! 😍 #YeYnForever

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Astonished and with my mouth wide open, I stared at my sunbae on the stage. JYP was singing "Sweet Dreams." My mouth seemed to refuse to close. Until someone nudged me. Immediately, my mouth snapped shut, and I looked to my left. Almost instantly, I jolted back in shock.

That... That... That was... That was... PARK BO-YOUNG!!!!!!!!

My breath caught, and I immediately ignored my sunbae's performance. Newjeans had already drained all my energy as I loudly sang along to every single song. But now, my eyes were fixed on the actress next to me.

"I love you," I said, and the woman next to me heard it, causing her to look at me in surprise. Embarrassed, I felt my cheeks visibly heat up. I laughed nervously and bowed once as an apology. "I mean... uh... I know you. No, well... Um... I like you. Not romantically, I mean... Acting! Yes. You, uh..."

Bo-Young giggled at my clear stumbling and grinned happily. The older woman bowed in return as a thank you, but I ended up bowing almost three times as deep. My heartbeat quickened as the woman immediately started a conversation with me. Apparently, she knew me too!!!

Now I could die happily!

However, it didn't take long to hear that when Newjeans and JYP performed, cameras were pointed at us. Almost immediately, each of us gasped for air. I mean, everyone knew how to pose, even if you couldn't control it. Hey... at least I tried to clap.

But... this makeup... why did it remind me of Jackson Wang? Of course, only the kind ordered on Shein...

And this dress. It was beautiful.

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Y/n and the actors looked like they just stepped out of a K-drama, and there's JYP, stepping out of our nightmares. 😅

Newjeans: 🌟 Y/n: 🌟 Bo-Young: 🌟 JYP: 👻

I love how Y/n and the actors were all graceful, and there's JYP, the embodiment of chaotic energy. 🤣

Newjeans got us vibing like proud parents, and then JYP came on, and suddenly we're all sending each other therapy bills. 🤦‍♂️

I swear, during JYP's performance, we all collectively forgot how to breathe. Is that part of the concert experience?

Y/n trying to handle the shock of seeing Park Bo-Young is all of us handling the shock of JYP's unexpected serenade. 💔😂

Does he have a humiliation Kink? Everytime i see him he does something like that

"Look at this. They're roasting JYP so hard," I said, laughing as I glanced over at Yeji beside me. The redhead slowly opened her eyes. My smile faded, and I lifted my head from her chest. "Oh, sorry, baby. You're right. It's late," I said with a slight smile.

Yeji mumbled something and looked at the clock. Almost immediately, her forehead furrowed. "It's only 7 PM," the older one said, yawning. I chuckled and shrugged my shoulders. Yeji pulled me back into her arms.

"Yeah, you're right. We have an early appointment at the hair salon tomorrow. A bit of sleep won't hurt, huh?" Yeji sighed softly. Amused, I snorted. My arms wrapped around the taller woman. The blanket was warm and heavy, making it easy to relax.

Yeji was the first of us to fall asleep. My smile grew as I observed the sleeping face of my girlfriend. My heartbeat pounded in my throat. It was unbelievable that I still felt so excited...

"Goodnight, baby."

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Smiling, I stepped out of my manager's van, Yuna closely behind me. I extended my arm to the woman behind me, which she promptly took. After all, she was wearing high heels. Yuna looked at me with a smile. "It feels like we're going to an American prom," Yuna said, laughing lightly. I couldn't help but laugh too.

Since we arrived, photos of us had been taken repeatedly. I smiled into the cameras. Yuna still clung to my arm as we slowly entered the building. I led Yuna, and of course, myself, to one of the tables. Yuna's mouth opened in surprise, and she automatically moved closer to me.

"Oh God... Is this a VIP party? I know almost everyone here," Yuna exclaimed. She squeaked a bit when she gripped my arm tighter. Wincing in pain, I hissed, "Calm down first. Let's find our table first. Which letter do you have?" I asked, and Yuna looked at me. She let go of my arm, "J," she replied, and my eyebrows almost shot up.

"Oh. Are we not sitting together?" I asked, and Yuna also looked surprised. Sighing, I smiled nervously. God, I hated sitting next to strangers...

I immediately extended my arm to the younger one, which she promptly took. Slowly but surely, we strolled to her table. On the way there, we casually greeted everyone. Orange hair immediately caught my eye, and my mouth opened. Yuna grinned widely and immediately sat down next to my girlfriend.

"Yuna, let's switch," I immediately suggested. A nervous smile on my lips. "No. You spent time with her yesterday and this morning! Now it's my turn," the younger one said, laughing. Yeji also laughed, so I looked at her. A small smile on my lips.

"Hey, sexy. Nice hairstyle," I said, winking, which made Yeji laugh even more. She licked her lips once, "I could say the same to you," Yeji replied with a small grin on her face. But my eyes fell on her outfit, and I gasped. Almost automatically, my hand landed on the table as I leaned slightly towards the person sitting.

"Hwang Yeji. Do you want to send me to the grave?" I asked, making Yeji tilt her head, grinning broadly. A laugh escaped her, which she tried to cover with her hand. "So? Do you?" I asked teasingly once again. However, Yeji stopped smiling, her fingers around my elbow as she looked deep into my eyes.

"Not yet. It's way too early. Not until you become a Hwang as well," the older one replied, leaving me speechless. My heart threatened to jump out of my chest, and my entire face turned bright red. "Oh. Are you blushing?" she asked in a deep and sexy tone.

"Yeji-ah," I complained a bit louder, which only made Yeji laugh even more. Goosebumps ran over my entire body, and I straightened up again. "Move. That's my seat," I heard someone say to Yuna, and I had to start smiling.

Ryujin also smiled at me as Yuna looked at her with her mouth open. "I'm table J," Yuna replied, but Ryujin shook her head. She pointed to another table. "There's your seat," the older one said, and almost immediately, Yuna pouted. "Oh, come on... I never get to see Yeji-Unnie," the younger one complained as she slowly stood up from her seat.

But my eyes returned to Yeji, and I smiled. "I should find my seat now. Shall we go home together?" I asked, and the older one nodded immediately. I nodded as well and sent her an air kiss as quickly as possible, then disappeared from her table.

When I finally found the letter of my table, I sat down immediately. I felt someone hit me with a bag, so I looked at the person next to me with enlarged eyes. It was Karina from Aespa.

"Oh my God. I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" the older woman asked, and almost immediately, her hand landed on the back of my head. Nervously, I laughed and waved it off, "It's okay. It honestly just surprised me a bit," I replied as calmly as possible. The woman next to me sighed in relief and sat down.

Next to her was Namjoon from BTS, which honestly made me nervous. Immediately, I grabbed my champagne glass and took a big sip. Immediately, I heard Namjoon chuckle. He also held a glass, occasionally taking a sip from it. "Let me guess," he said, humming. His eyes on Karina and me.

"Extroverted?" he asked, pointing at Karina. "And you're probably introverted," the older man said, causing my mouth to open slightly. Karina immediately agreed, while my eyes narrowed a bit, but I started to nervously laugh at the same time. "Um... how did you figure that out?" I asked, and Namjoon laughed again.

"You're clutching your glass as if your life depends on it," he replied, making me blush even more. Karina now looked at me with a smile, "What percentage?" she asked interestedly. Clearing my throat, I placed my glass on the table and looked at the two idols. "96," I replied, which seemed to shock both of them.

"Don't worry. We'll take care of you," Karina said, laughing slightly, and she immediately wrapped her arm around me. My face turned even redder as I simply started to smile.

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Laughing, I glanced at Karina and Namjoon as the three of us started to dance. We swayed to the music, each of us holding a drink. My cheeks were already a bit red from all the alcohol I had consumed.

Perhaps I was already quite tipsy...

"I'm going for a smoke," Namjoon said, and my eyes widened a bit. Karina just nodded it off, but I held the older man's arm firmly. "What about the cameras?" I asked, which made Namjoon laugh. "Don't worry. I found a good corner. No cameras there," he replied, and I immediately nodded. "I'll come with you," I said, causing Karina's eyes to widen.

Relaxed, Namjoon and I headed to that quiet corner. He grabbed a cigarette and lit it. He noticed my look and offered me one. "Thanks. I don't bring cigarettes to avoid smoking, of course. You know... for female idols, it's still a bigger scandal," I sighed as I lit my cigarette.

"I know. I hate it too. But that's how it is. Everyone... has some opinion about you. The problem is you can't make everyone happy," the older man replied as he exhaled the smoke.

We continued to talk about how unfair it all was and how sexist it is. Namjoon also told me that he was reading a feminist book, which honestly surprised me. It was nice to talk to him. He was smart and patient. He let me speak and followed my thoughts.

Together, we all returned to the party, and almost immediately, I noticed Karina taking photos with some people. However, my eyes immediately fell on a bundle of orange hair. With a broad smile, I went straight to her, my arms around her waist.

The older one startled and turned to me. Simultaneously, she also wiped away my grip. My mouth opened in surprise, but Yeji immediately relaxed when she realized who was touching her. A laugh escaped her throat as she looked at me.

"You smell. Have you been smoking?" the older one said, her tone a bit more serious as she scrutinized my entire face. I visibly swallowed nervously and took a step away from her. Yeji sighed irritably, her eyes now slightly narrowed. Karina was right by my side, her arm around my shoulder since she was taller than me.

"Oh, Yeji. You know Y/n?" she asked, visibly surprised. Yeji glanced at the arm around my shoulder and then at Karina. "Yes," she replied, and Karina chuckled. Her fingers pinched my cheek. "Isn't she sweet?" Karina said, laughing lightly. I smirked, causing Yeji to narrow her eyes even more.

"Are you drunk?" the older one asked, looking at me. I just smiled even wider, trying to appear sweeter. Yeji took a deep breath and looked at me, her eyebrows tightly furrowed as she still noticed the arm around my shoulder. Karina didn't seem to notice at all.

Unfortunately, I didn't notice it either. Karina's body leaned against mine, and she just grabbed my glass, drinking from it without asking. Nervously, I swallowed when I immediately noticed Yeji's expression. Even Ryujin noticed this. "Karina, let go of Y/n," the slightly older one said, looking back and forth between Yeji and Karina.

"Why? She's so warm and sweet. Almost like a teddy bear," Karina said, visibly amused. I felt Yeji grab my wrist. "We should go home," Yeji said, her voice quieter. I nodded immediately with my head. Ryujin also grabbed Karina immediately and whispered something into the older one's ear.

I swallowed. "Are you... mad?" I asked, now a bit quieter as I approached her. Yeji took another deep breath, her hand in mine. "You said you'd quit smoking," Yeji said a bit softer. I pouted immediately. "I'm sorry. But I swear I haven't smoked all day," I replied now more seriously. Yeji smiled slightly.

Her hand still in mine, she said, "Let's go home. I want to spend some more time with you. Just you and me." The smile on her face made me smile too. I looked around. "But... can we stay a bit longer? I... would honestly like to have another drink," I replied, causing Yeji to start laughing.

She nodded her head. "But not too much, okay? I don't want you to fall asleep," Yeji said, smiling. Almost immediately, I heard Ryujin and Karina gasp for air. Both seemed to have heard it.

"Asleep?" I asked, tilting my head to the side. Yeji just smiled. "Oh. And no more flirting," Yeji added as she lightly squeezed my hand and then let it go.

Karina, Namjoon, and Y/n hanging out together? Squad goals! 🌟

I love the camaraderie between these idols. It's heartwarming to see them having a good time!

The way Y/n flirts with everyone is so cringy. Can't she be more professional?

I ship Y/n with both Yeji and Karina, they look so cute together! 🚢💕

Ryujin needs to mind her own business. Stop interfering. 🤦‍♂️

Karina and Y/n dancing together is ICONIC! Friendship goals, seriously

Why is Yeji acting like a jealous girlfriend? It's just annoying. Y/n can handle herself, she doesn't need a babysitter

Ryujin and Karina witnessing the drama like they're watching a K-drama live. Can we get popcorn?

Ryujin playing matchmaker with Y/n and Karina. Is this a new idol ship? #KarYn #MatchmakerRyujin 🚢💖

Namjoon diagnosing Y/n's personality based on how she holds a glass is peak Sherlock Holmes material

#newjeans hanni #hanni pham #itzy x yn #itzy x reader #itzy yeji #yeji x reader #hwang yeji #shin yuna #huh yunjin #haewon

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