Tumgik
#( even when i was working the crazy eleven hour shifts i seemed to have more time to actually write )
clochanamarc · 3 months
Text
i'm thinking that i might archive in the next week or two, largely bc i worry that there's people who misunderstand how much time the job is taking from me, and like, i know i'll be back home in less than four months (!!!) but it's also four months that none of ye signed up for? anyway, i'm not feeling bad, but i know it's not fair on you guys, so at some point in the next two weeks, i'll be revamping and providing you guys with plenty of information so you can decide for yourselves about following me again!
11 notes · View notes
nyxnygma · 2 years
Text
24-Hour Diner || Paul Stanley
[Paul Stanley x Fem!Reader]
Summary: Paul falls for waitress at a diner
Warnings: fluff, anxiety
Masterlist
Tumblr media
As a relaxed fan of the famous KISS, I never expected to end up being with the lead singer, especially due to my awkward nature aswell as just being average human being.
I worked as a waitress at a 24-hour diner when I met him. It was around eleven at night and the place was basically empty. I didn’t recognise him at first, I was used to his makeup and crazy costumes, but as he started talking, it hit me.
“I’m Paul by the way,” he smiled. My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to shake off the shock, it probably wasn’t Paul Stanley as my mind was so roan my just playing tricks on me.
“Y/N,” I smile as I carry on cleaning the marble counter tops. Working in a diner is one way to build my social skills as men keep starting conversations with me. However, Paul was different.
“What a beautiful name,” he smiled as he placed his mug back down. Just as he does so the song I Love it Loud by KISS starts to play from the radio and I must have been humming the tune as he started to chuckle.
“Kiss fan?” He ask with a smirk.
“I enjoy their music,” I smile in response. I look at he face closely as I try to work out if it’s really him and it must have been obvious.
“Yes,” he sighs.
“I beg your pardon?” I replied in confusion.
“I’m Paul Stanley,” he answers. I give him a skeptical look. “What you don’t believe me?”
“I mean you sound like him but anyone with a New York accent and the same bone structure could say they’re Paul Stanley,” I shrug, “I’ve white bald dudes claiming to be Prince.”
“Fair point,” he raises his eyebrows. “I guess you’re just gonna have to trust me, sweetheart.”
I blush at the nickname and decided it was the perfect time to clean table 15 because I knew if I responded I would stutter awkwardly. Why is socialising so stressful, jeez.
After five minutes, Paul orders something to eat and sparks up another conversation. He asked me questions and told genuinely funny jokes. 25 minutes past by in the blink of an eye and he started to flirt more.
“You sure blush a lot,” he comments.
“How could I not,” I smile back at him with confidence that appeared from nowhere, “with a hot guy like you flirting with me.”
“Hot?” His smirks. I nod. “Glad to know you think that. What time do you get off work?”
“In about..” I turn around quickly to glance at the clock, “35 minutes. Why?”
“Because I would like to take you on a nice walk so I could talk to you when your not working,” he answers. “I better order again.”
“A walk at quarter past 12?” I raise an eyebrow.
“I promise to be on my best behaviour,” he winks again. Usually I would politely decline, this is how a horror movie would start, but I genuinely like the guy and he seems to have a real interest in me. I was acting stupid.
“I guess I can go on a walk with you,” I smile as I grab the coffee pot to make my rounds.
As soon as my coworker walked through the glass doors, my shift was over. “I’ll be one second,” I smile at Paul before I rush off to the tiny cupboard that was turned into the changing room.
I threw off my work attire and replaced it with the outfit I was wearing earlier today. I stuffed the work dress into my locker and grabbed my bag. I tried to act casual as I walked up to the musician. It still hasn’t fully hit me that the famous Starchild was talking to me.
“Ready to go, doll?” He asks. I nod and he takes it upon himself to link arms with me as he chivalrously opens the door for me.
We walked around the luminous streets of New York as we carried on talking about everything and anything. From our family to our favourite movies. I didn’t even realise long we’ve been strolling around aimlessly until my ankles started to hurt. I looked at my watch to see it was 1:40 am. “Shit. It’s late,” I swore, “my roommates going to be getting worried about me.”
“Oh I’m sorry for keeping you out so late. It’s unusual for me to find somebody who is genuine and listens to what I have to say,” he apologises. “I’ll wave you a cab.”
“It’s late. I have a guest room if you wanna crash or something,” I suggest, I wanted to spend more time with him. I have never felt like this before.
“I have to sadly decline. If I come home with you I don’t think I will be able to resist you,” he answers truthfully, “I want you to know I enjoyed your company and I don’t want to make you think I just wanted to take advantage of a fan.”
I turned a shade dark red, “I understand.”
“Can I have your number so I can ask you to dinner some time?” He inquired. I nod and write my umber on his hand with the pen he had for autographs in his pocket.
“Goodnight,” I say ask I open the door to the cab.
“Goodnight, Y/N.”
One date turned into five dates, five dates turned into a 4 months long relationship, that turns into a year anniversary which turns into an engagement.
204 notes · View notes
mca-attack21 · 3 years
Text
Semi-Flayed
Steve Harrington x Reader. Season 3 finale spoilers.
Tumblr media
The floor was cold, the atmosphere chaotic. The screams of your friends were drowned out by the fireworks and snarls of the mindflayer. Despite the noise, you clearly heard Billy, or the Mindflayer rather, whisper, “Stay still, it will all be over soon," his words sent ice through your veins. You struggled against his grasp, but it was no use. Realizing the imminence of your demise, you felt an overwhelming sadness, not even for yourself, but for Steve Harrington, the first and apparently last love of your life. As the “flaying” began, he was the only thing on your mind. You hoped that he would survive this, that he would get out of Hawkins, that he would be happy. You hoped-
“Y/N!” Steve screamed as he blew his cover to run to your side.
This caught the attention of Eleven, who managed to use her powers to throw Billy away from you. She fell back against Mike. The rest of the kids were still blasting the mind flayer with fireworks. Steve used the opportunity to pick you up and carry you away from the action.
“Y/n? Can you hear me? You gotta wake up okay? I did not survive being tortured by Russians only to have you be flayed before I could even-” his voice broke, and before he could continue, he was rounding the corner to where Dustin was.
“Shit. Is she okay?”
“I don’t know. Billy - the mind flayer- how do we know if she? What if she was?” Steve tried, but his heart couldn’t even handle the idea of you being lost to him.
“She wasn’t flayed.”
“How do you know?” Steve asked reluctant to be relieved.
“The hive mind is activated, she would be awake and trying to kill us if she was,” Dustin explained.
“Then why isn’t she waking up?”
“I don’t know Steve, but we have bigger problems right now,” he said gesturing to the fact that they were almost out of Fireworks.
Steve hesitantly left your side to help the others and watched in absolute shock as Billy sacrificed himself. It was only moments later that the mind flayer collapsed. It was over. Jonathan hugged Nancy, Mike went to Eleven, Lucas held Max as she cried, and both Steve and Dustin turned towards you.
“Y/n wake up!” Steve tried shaking your shoulders. He lowered his head to your chest to hear your heart beating and feel your breathing, “Y/n, c’mon, I need you to wake up,” he tried again, sounding more desperate.
Before he could continue, the FBI came running in and they were all escorted out. Steve barely managed to convince the EMT to let him ride with you. He was stuck in the waiting room for what seemed like forever, shrugging off the nurses who offered to check out his injuries. Dustin, Mike, Nancy, and Jonathon came in, gathering in silence waiting for any news. The worst part for Steve was when your mother showed up, he had never felt more guilty than when he lied to her about what happened.
Eventually, the doctor came out with a flustered look on his face. He asked for your mom, and Steve quickly stood to join them. The doctor protested, but your mom assured him that Steve should come with her.
“So, I don’t know how to tell you this, but as far as we can tell there is nothing physically wrong with your daughter. She is seemingly in a coma with no cause. As such, there is nothing medically we can do other than sustain her condition if you choose to do so,” he then turned to Steve, “Can you run me through what happened again?” Steve managed to recount his story, trying to ignore your mother's sobs. As soon as he finished, he exited the room in shock, he sunk down to the floor, struggling to breathe, replaying the doctor's words over and over again in his head. His chest was filled with immense pain at the thought of losing you.
He sat there a while trying to calm himself down before forcing himself off the wall and back to the waiting room, where Will, Mrs. Byers, and Eleven had joined the others. All eyes went to him expectantly, but with one look at him Dustin said what they were all thinking, “Shit..."
Steve repeated what the doctor had said, Nancy pulled him into a comforting hug. While the others started brainstorming. There was an hour of outrageous theories until finally, Will realized something, “She wasn’t completely flayed, but the process was definitely initiated.”
“Obviously,” Dustin chimed in.
“But what is flaying? It’s like your identity being ripped away from you and replaced with the host mentality,” Will continued.
“So maybe Y/n’s soul or whatever was separated. Nothing medically wrong with her, because that’s not a physical connection” Mike added.
“So in other words, we have to jumpstart the connection again,” Lucas agreed, and then all eyes shifted to El.
“Do you think you could try to find her? Like you did Billy or Heather?” Mike asked.
“I can try,” El nodded.
Dustin walked over to where Steve was laying with his head in Mrs. Byers' lap. She ran her fingers through his hair like she had for her sons so many times, mind wandering to Hopper. Steve looked so broke, like he had given up any hope.
“We need to get into Y/n’s room, we think we know how to fix her,” Dustin announced.
It was like that swiped a switch in Steve, and he popped up at once, “What do you mean?”
Dustin explained everything to Steve and Mrs. Byers, and then again in layman's terms. From there the whole group formed a plan. Mrs. Byers and Nancy would go distract your mom. Dustin, Mike, and Will would distract the nurses. Steve and El would sneak into your room, while Jonathon kept watch. For once, everything went smoothly.
El was searching the cabinets for something to cover her eyes with, and Steve handed her the red ascot from his Scoops uniform. She went to your side and took your hand, instantly being transported into your consciousness.
It was dark, unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Every step she took was echoing, the entire reality was glitching in and out, but there was no sign of you.
“Y/n?” she called out.
The blackness would flash to a scene of you and then back to the nothingness, “Y/n, can you hear me?” El tried again, “I need you to focus on my voice, and I can bring you back. I’ll bring you back home, back to Steve.”
At the mention of Steve, the glitching stopped and El could see you know for the first time, you laid on the ground folded into yourself. You were pale and shaking, looking only a moment away from death. As she got closer she could hear you softly repeating, “Please don't, I'm sorry.” There was no indication that you knew she was there. She touched you lightly on the shoulder, but it didn’t phase you.
“Y/n? We need to get out of here, I need your help,” she tried, again receiving no response. The glitching started again, each time putting more and more distance between the two of you. El knew that you wouldn’t survive it much longer.
In the hospital room, Steve watched as blood trickled down Eleven’s face. He didn’t know why it was taking so long. He tried to get an idea of what was happening through the one-sided conversation that he was hearing, but even that was being drowned out by his fear of losing you, What if this didn’t work? The lights started flickering, the machines in the room going nuts, and then suddenly Eleven called his name, “I need you to talk to her, to bring her back.”
“What does that even mean?”
“Steve, we don't have time, just talk to her!”
“Okay….Uhm...Y/n? It’s Steve. Your boyfriend,” he started, feeling extremely uncomfortable, before his emotions took over. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t there to protect you. I’m here now though, and I need you to come back to me. I need you to wake up, cause you are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I don’t want to lose you. Not now, not ever. Please Y/n. I love you so much, please wake up." As he finished, everything went black, the entire hospital lost power.
In your head, every nightmare you had ever had was playing through your mind. You were cold and afraid, feeling lost beyond anything you have ever felt. Whatever was happening to you it was killing you, you could feel it draining you. A strange numbness started to overtake you. You weren’t giving up, you were running out of fight. Just as you were trying to prepare yourself for whatever would come next, you heard a familiar voice, “Okay….Uhm...Y/n? It’s Steve. Your boyfriend.” Hearing his voice made everything stop. A warmth filled you, and you forced your eyes open, seeing Eleven.
"El?" you asked weakly.
“You’re going to be fine, I’m here,” she reassured, moving towards you and taking your hand.
The next thing you remember was hearing Steve’s voice, “Are you okay?” he asked, you forced your eyes open to see who he was talking to.
“I’ll be fine,” Eleven reassured him, wiping her nose.
“Everything was going crazy in here and then the power went out...Is she okay now?"
Suddenly Eleven’s face lit up, “Why don’t you ask her yourself?”
You had never seen Steve turn around so quickly in his life, a wide smile on his face as he practically dove onto your bed holding you like his life depended on it. “Nice to see you too,” you laughed. God did he love that laugh, and that smile, and you.
“I am so glad that you are okay,” he sighed, allowing himself to relax a little for the first time since he had found out about the Russian code from Dustin.
“Are you okay?” you asked running your finger lightly across his cheek. His eye was swollen and undoubtedly painful. His lip was busted and his nose was also bruised and swollen. In other words, he looked like he got into a fight with his hands tied behind his back.
He put his hand over yours and pulled it down to his chest over his heart as he had done so many times before, “It’s worse than it looks, I promise. I’m just glad you're okay.”
You were going to ask him what happened but were interrupted by the kids coming in excitedly. They were vividly telling you everything that happened after you were “Semi-flayed” as Will had coined it. You listened to every word, happy to know that it was all over. Their commotion gained the attention of the nurse, who proceeded to kick everyone out. Well, everyone but Steve who was practically glued to your side.
She went back to find the doctor and notify your mother, promising to bring back the ice that you requested for Steve’s eye. There were more happy reunions, followed by another round of tests, and finally, you were discharged. Joyce took Will, Jonathan, Dustin, and Lucas home. Nancy took Mike and Eleven back to her house. Your mom went back to your house and you went with Steve to his.
You both were exhausted but found it hard to sleep.
“What happens now?” you asked innocently.
“What do you mean?”
“How do we move forward from this? I mean nothing can ever really be the same can it?”
Steve thought for a moment, “I think we grieve and heal, then we start looking for the little victories again until this is nothing more than a memory.”
You nodded, “I love you, Steve Harrington,” you spoke softly.
You missed the grin that spread across his face before he kissed your forehead, “I love you too.”
You laid like that for a while, it didn’t take Steve long to fall asleep. You thought about what he said. Tomorrow would be hard, and the day after that too, but eventually your life would become some type of normal again. You shifted to look at his face, careful not to wake him. You felt a sense of relief, knowing that as long as the two of you had each other, you could work through the rest.
501 notes · View notes
tomtenadia · 3 years
Text
A Little Braver - 23
Here we are... the fluff is finally here and Rowan is back.
Enjoy the chapter.
Tumblr media
6 months later  
The months and seasons had slowly turned and autumn in Terrasen was in full swing with the trees now having lost of all of their leaves and the days turning chilly and October had brought with it all the smells of the season.
Rowan got out of the airbase and looked up at the sky and he could smell snow in the air. His favourite type of weather. He breathed in deeply and enjoyed for a second the feeling of being on land once again after months on a ship. This last deployment had taken a toll on the whole squadron and all of his team members had plans of enjoying their well deserved time off.
“Rowan!” A voice called him and he turned seeing Gavriel coming his way “need a lift somewhere?”
“I was going to call a taxi.”
“Come, I’ll drive you to the fire station.” The man said, knowing full well where Rowan was headed.  
Rowan nodded and thanked him. Aelin had told him she was coming off shift around noon. It was eleven and he had some time. 
“Are you looking forward seeing Aelin again?” Asked Gavriel once in the car.
“Yes, I have missed her like crazy.”
The man at his side chuckled “you never missed Lyria this much. Never spent so much time on your phone either calling her or texting her.”
Rowan sighed “Aelin is different.”
Gavriel nodded “you found a great one. Truly.”
Gavriel had never been a fan of Lyria either. And the more he thought about it the more he realised that a lot of people have never been keen on his ex wife. No one ever believed she was actually in love with him, but his friends now were fully supporting him with Aelin. Maybe this was how it was actually meant to go.
While he was wool-gathering they had arrived at the fire station and Gav had parked beside the pavement to let him out. 
“Have fun you two.”
“Have a nice time off too, my friend.”
Rowan grabbed his duffel bag and turned to the yard. The doors to the apparatus floor were closed. He peeked through the glass and spotted engine and truck. Good, they were in. Now he had to try and make it a surprise.
A moment later he spotted Luca coming out of the main communal area and grabbed his arm “shhh Luca, it’s me.”
The young man turned and smiled deeply when he recognised him.
“Can you please ask Aelin if she can come out here? Invent an excuse, please.” The boy grinned and nodded in understanding “welcome back, captain. She missed you.”
“I missed her too.” He admitted while adjusting his uniform.
At that Luca walked out and Rowan bravely climbed on top of the engine. Dropped his bag and lay low until he heard her voice.
“Luca, what is it? Is there something wrong with the rigs?”
Rowan kept silent and hid a bit better but with his height it was difficult. He also felt the crazy urge to giggle like a schoolgirl.
His legs hit the rail and he noticed her turn around looking for the origin of the sound.
“Come out. Show your face. I can kick your arse.”
He grinned and sat on the rig with his legs swinging from the edge while she had her back at him “Is that so, captain?”
He saw her turn and her expression morphed in the smile he adored. Being apart from her had been hell. He had no true idea how mad he was about her until he was forced to spend six months away from Aelin. The thought that he still had four years of that, made him want to scream.
Aelin gasped as she noticed Rowan sitting on top of the fire engine “you are back.” She said softly and Rowan nodded and heard her sniffle “you are truly back.” Aelin could not believe her eyes and for a moment she thought she had fallen asleep and it was all a dream.
“Come up here and see it for yourself.”
Aelin moved as if in a daze, slowly climbed the ladder and once at the top his strong arms pulled her to him and they fell into a heap on top of the hoses.
“Hey you…” he said as Aelin lay on top of him. Her blue eyes fixed on him.
“Hey you…” she replied burying her face in the crook of his neck to inhale the scent of him. He was home, he was back. He was real. Rowan’s arms wound around her in a tight hug “you have no idea how much I missed you. Since they told us when we were coming back I have been counting the days that I still had to spend away from you.”
Aelin did not reply she just melted in his embrace “you have been away from me 192 days and 20 hrs.” She said softly against his neck. She had counted each single day and the more they accumulated, the more she longed for the moment she could hug him and kiss him again.
“It felt like an eternity.”
Rowan turned his face and finally met her gaze and his eyes dropped to her lips and she must have noticed his stare because she looked up at him and kissed him.
The taste of her lips was enough to cancel all the longing of those months apart. He deepened the kiss, his tongue teasing her lips until she opened for him and a moan escaped Rowan’s mouth as tongues clashed and she moved fully on top of him.
“Aelin…” he said against her lips.
“I know, we are on top of the engine and I know how paranoid you are. Let’s just make out for a while, then once I am off shift we can go home and indulge in more private activities.”
They made out heavily for a good half an hour, then they finally came up for breath. With his hand Rowan pulled back a strand of hair from her face then flipped her nose feeling desperate for contact with her even if they were almost glued together.
“You seem tired.”
Her head thumped on his chest “long and busy shift.”
“Looks like someone needs some heavy cuddling tonight.”
She stared at him and grinned “always. And a back rub.”
“Something else?”
Her grin became wicked “of course, but later.”
She had so much to tell him but she would do it once they were back at home. On top of a fire engine was not ideal.
“I thought you were going to bring Lorcan too.”
“He will meet with Elide later I think. He always has a lot to do after we come back from a mission. But he will see her. The man has been pining like crazy.”
Aelin laughed “honestly? I can’t believe it.”
“Hey I was there and I couldn’t believe it.”
Aelin sat up “come on, let’s go and say hi to the others.”
“No,” he pulled her down back to him and squeezed her.
She brushed his hair and he closed his eyes and he almost purred in delight. Aelin smiled. Iceman, the man who seemed incapable of showing emotions was addicted to cuddling.
They stayed on top of the rig until Aelin heard Peter’s voice and second team arriving.
“Come on, buzzard, second team is here which means it’s time for us to go home.”
Swiftly she made her way down and Rowan followed.
“Hi Pete!” She greeted him happily.
The man looked behind her back “welcome back, sir.”
Rowan turned red at being caught sneaking down the engine but the other captain did not seem bothered.
“Thank you. It’s nice to be back.”
In that instant her whole team poured out in the main area and spotted Rowan behind her.
“Oh, that’s why she never got back.” Said Brullo.
“Yes, yes, the captain and I were cuddling on top of the rig. Now go home and relax.”
Lysandra moved closer to her ear “go and get some, girl. Just don’t make me an aunt yet.”
Aelin laughed “promise.”
The team walked out and Aelin grabbed Rowan’s hand “let me get out of this uniform.”
They reached the changing rooms and it was full of the guys from the second team. She went to her locker and opened the door and disappeared behind it.
“How was the night, cap?”
“Long,” she said, popping her head from behind the door “it seemed like the whole of east Orynth needed us last night.” She saw Rowan on the doorstep and smiled at him while wearing a polo shirt and then a hoodie “oh yeah we had to evacuate a couple who got stuck in an elevator.” And she grinned at Rowan “and by the time we got to open the trap they had decided to pass the time in an interesting way.”
“No bloody way,” commented Peter from his corner.
“The idiots,” she slammed the locker closed “I’ll see you all in a day.” She grabbed her bag and joined Rowan who was waiting for her. He pulled his arm around her shoulder “do you always change with the guys around?”
“Are you jealous?” he did not reply.
“Ro,” she stopped “they are not interested in me. And if I have to strip naked for my shower I’ll do it in private. But if they see me in my knickers and bra, what’s the difference with strangers seeing me in a bathing suit?” She replied “and as you saw I wear sports bra and comfy knickers for work. The sexy stuff is just for you.”
“I guess that firefighting with a thong is not recommended.”
Aelin laughed and they got to the car “jump in, buzzard.”
Before going home they stopped at the supermarket and Aelin explained she had nothing in the house and Rowan rolled his eyes muttering something about her diet.
At the supermarket she went to get a hand held basket but Rowan pulled her towards the bigger trolleys telling her that they needed to do a big shopping since he was back and was going to cook.
Once inside, Rowan offered to push the trolley and Aelin just grabbed his arm and walked at his side, happy at the domestic scene. They were shopping together and he had not mentioned his flat. Maybe she was worrying about nothing about asking to make it official and move in with her.
“Why are you buying all these veggies?” She asked him as he stopped at the vegetables and fruit aisle.
“To cook.” He stooped for a kiss “and stop complaining.”
They kept walking around the supermarket and Aelin saw the trolley getting fuller and fuller. It looked as if Rowan had every intention of keeping her well fed. Not that she complained.
An hour later they finally made it to the checkout. Rowan told her to put the groceries on the belt while he packed and she giggled at the military precision with which he packed.
She paid for the shopping and he carried the bags back to the car.
“We should have a budget for groceries. This one was big because you have nothing in the house.”
“Make sure the budget allows for chocolate expenses.”
“We’ll see.”
They got back in the car and not long after they were finally back at home. 
Once inside, Rowan dropped the bags on the kitchen island and started unpacking straight away. 
Aelin dropped his bag in the bedroom and joined him in the kitchen with bird Rowan in her arms “someone else wants to say hi.”
Rowan smiled “it’s actually quite nice. It looked lovely online.”
Aelin hugged the toy “he is so soft.”
“Come on, help me unpack.” She put bird Rowan back in the bedroom and went back to the kitchen and together they methodically unpacked the groceries ready to feed a family of five.
Slowly she watched her fridge become full again, something she hadn’t seen in six months.
“Now, let me take a shower, get changed and I’ll make lunch.” He kissed her softly and Aelin purred.
“A quick shower. If you come in as well we’ll never have lunch.”
“Spoilsport.” She turned but Rowan grabbed her arms and pulled her to his chest, his arm around her waist and his mouth on her neck trailing hot kisses along its length. Aelin threw her head back, but Rowan pulled back “fun times later. Food first.”
Aelin groaned in silence at the loss of contact with his body.
When he came back from his quick shower he found her on their bed with her huge hockey jersey and a pair of shorts, barely visible under the huge item of clothing. His eyes landed on her long legs and until that moment he had not fully realised how desperately he needed her. But lunch was a priority and he could not get distracted.
“Come on young lady, let’s go and get you fed.” He offered her a hand and Aelin climbed down the bed and they got to the kitchen.
Aelin sat on the counter and studied him while he set out all of the ingredients and started prepping them.
Then she decided to be brave and pose the question “Ro, do you want to move in with me? As in officially?”
Rowan looked at her perplexed “I thought that’s what we were doing? Living together?”
“Are we though? We never talked about it. You just stayed here after the accident.”
“So?” He asked while slicing the carrots.
“You still have your flat and some stuff there. And I understand if you want to keep your place for yourself to have a moment away from me if it gets too much. I know I am an handful.”
Rowan threw the veggies in the pan and then moved to her.
“Rowan the hob.” She ordered him. Her firefighter paranoia kicking in.
He switched off the gas and moved to her, between her legs and gently took her face in his hands “I only kept my flat in case you got fed up with me and threw me out. I don’t need it. I can sell it.” His hand brushed her hair “I thought I threw you enough hints that I was not moving out. Yes, you are a handful but I love living with you.”
Her arms went around his neck “so we are doing it.” Rowan nodded and kissed her “I can bring all my stuff here in the next few days.”
“I have a spare bedroom, dump your stuff in there.” She grinned and her legs went around his back and kissed him in a dangerous way, but he pulled back.
“Lunch?”
“I am famished.”
“Then let me cook.”
She smiled and swinged her legs happily. She could not believe it. She and Rowan had been together officially for around nine months but only spent three of those together and they were now officially shacking up. She was excited and for some strange reason it felt normal. With Sam it had taken much longer. They had been dating for over a year before she asked him. But with Rowan had felt natural, probably because of how their living situation had started.
“Now, this is how a stir fry looks like.”
“Still too many veggies.”
“Menace.”
Aelin grinned and stole a piece of chicken from the pan. His food tasted so much better than her mess.
Eventually they finished dinner and ended up on the sofa, Aelin all cosied up against him mentally getting ready to tell him everything that had happened while he was away.
“Ro,” she said softly, holding him “I have to tell you something.”
He looked down to her and her tone scared him.
“What, Fireheart?”
Aelin loosened a breath “while you were away a lot of stuff happened. Bad stuff.”
She felt him stiffen “how bad?”
And Aelin told him. About Hamel, her working with the police. Being assaulted in the house, Aedion being shot and the wedding postponed. Her going undercover and almost getting killed again before the detectives shot Hamel. About Hamel being the cause of Sam and Thomas’ deaths.”
Rowan stood abruptly and started pacing in the living room. His expression difficult to read. Rowan paced a bit more and a few times it seemed like he wanted to say something but then stopped. There was rage in him.”A guy, a stranger was in our house and tried to kill you. Hamel’s men tried to kill Aedion and you, not happy of all this, just went and played cop and almost got killed again?” He was not raising his voice but Aelin knew, he was furious. He paced around the coffee table “Rutting hell, what the fuck were you thinking?”
Aelin was taken aback by the harshness of his words “why you didn’t tell me?” His tone angry. His hand nervously ran through his hair. For a brief second he even stopped his pacing but never looked at Aelin in the eyes.
“You were away. How could I?” She stood in front of him “if I had told you, you would have worried and not concentrated on your job and risked getting killed. And I could not have that. I…” she felt tears stinging her eyes “I can’t lose you.”
“What if I lost you?” He shouted back at her, giving his back to Aelin “I can’t lose you either. And I almost did. Twice.” He walked out on the balcony and Aelin let him go and went back to the bedroom and curled on the bed hugging bird Rowan. And cried.
Rowan leaned against the rail of the balcony and stared at the lights of the city slowly coming alive as darkness fell. He was furious, but not at her. He was mad at fate who gave him a woman to love once again and did its best to take her from him. In an instant all his fears, all his doubts and his reasons for not getting involved again had come back. He took his head in his hands and the weak part in him told him to bail. To ignore that just earlier they had taken an extra step in their relationship and just get out of there. Go back being alone and cold. It was far easier. 
Except it was not.
He turned to the house and looked at the bedroom. Aelin was curled in bed. He could not leave her. No matter the fears, he could not give up on her, not when she brought him happiness and gave him again the will to feel. He could not go back to a life of ice, pain and guilt. So he did the only thing he could do. He walked back to their bedroom.
She was all curled up and hugging the bird he gave her.
He climbed in bed with her and pulled her closer but Aelin turned and faced him, her eyes all puffy.
“I am sorry, I am a jerk.” he whispered, brushing her hair from her face and drying her tears with the back of his hand “I haven’t seen you in six months and all I can do is shout at you.” He kissed her once “I am not mad at you. Yes, you are reckless but I am more mad at what happened.” He hugged Aelin and drew her closer “I can’t stand the idea that you had to go through all this. And Sam…”
Aelin buried her face in his neck “I am better. Lys and the guys kept me from breaking down. Without them I don’t know…”
Rowan sighed “I should have been here. It looks like I haven’t learned from my past.” At the deep anguish in his voice, Aelin grabbed his face and kissed him deeply.
“You make me stupidly happy.” He told her, a hand brushing her head “and no matter how scared I am of your job or of what the future holds for us, I am not letting you go.” But she sensed unease in his voice.
She sniffled  “you are still a bit mad at me.”
Rowan shook his head “no, not at you. At a lot of things, yes. But not mad at you.” His forehead brushed hers “I was overwhelmed and I overreacted. I am glad you did not tell me.” His nose bumped hers “you are right I would have been worried sick and not being able to concentrate and in our line of jobs is a deadly thing.”
Aelin nodded and kissed him gently “thank you for coming back to me.” She whispered against his lips.
“I made you a promise.” His hand sneaked under her shirt, caressing the length of her back. Aelin rolled on her back and pulled her jersey off, remaining only in her shorts. Rowan’s gaze became lustful and she pulled him down to her for a heated kiss. Rowan reached for the back of his t-shirt and pulled it off and discarded it on the floor and then moved on top of her, caging her head between his arms. Aelin took in the expanse of his chest with her hands, then followed the lines of his tattoo with her fingers. 
“I missed this so much,” he whispered as his head ducked in the crook of her neck.
“Definitely better than on the phone,”Aelin joked pulling him down to her completely, skin touching. His mouth trailed south leaving scorching kisses on her collarbone and then down to her breasts. Aelin’s back arched on instinct and in response Rowan took one of her hard peaks in his mouth and Aelin moaned, fingers burying in his back and leaving gentle moon-shaped marks.
Aelin rocked her hips for friction and she felt Rowan grin “so impatient.”
“I need you…” she breathed “we can have all the foreplay in the second run, but not now…”
His mouth bit lightly on her neck then his hand slid down until it hit the band of her shorts and knickers “so I guess you don’t need these…” and in a swift motion she was bare in front of him.
“Well, if I am naked, so do you, captain.” Rowan smiled and peeled off his briefs. He leaned back down and her legs wrapped around him and she pulled him much closer until she felt him nudge her near where she desperately needed him.
“I love you,” he whispered and after months apart they met again.
*
Aelin was sitting against the head of the bed and Rowan’s head was in her lap while her fingers played gently with his hair “do you know how to ice skate?” She asked him.
“A bit, why?”
“They opened an ice rink down in the main square and I was wondering if you wanted to go with me. It’s been a long time since I did it.” He turned on his back and looked up “I’d love to. Want to go tonight?”
Aelin nodded “can we have dinner out as well? Have a proper date?”
“Are you asking me out, captain?” Rowan smiled and stretched his arm to caress her cheek.
“Well, it’s my right as well to woo my boyfriend.”
Rowan smiled and sat back up and went to kiss her “I am yours.”
“What time does your shift starts tomorrow?”
“At ten and it’s my usual 24hrs shift.” She told him.
“We should not stay out too long. You came off another night shift this morning and never slept. I need to tuck you in in bed early.”
“Yes, sir.”
Rowan got off the bed and stood, holding out his hand to her “come on, miss firefighter, let’s get you ice skating.”
Aelin beamed in joy and got off the bed and went to put some clothes on. A polo shirt and her favourite TFD hoodie. Then she moved to the bird toy and got her dog tags from it.
“Make sure you have a nice layer on, it’s getting colder outside.” He pulled a scarf around her neck “forecast says it might snow.”
Aelin groaned “I love winter, but snow always causes so many accidents.” Then she realised what she said “I am sorry, I didn’t mean…”
He stooped to kiss her “it’s okay. I am fine.”
She smiled back at him, “let’s go skating, captain.”
Hand in hand they walked to the main square enjoying the chill air and the winter feeling.
“Look,” said Aelin once they reached the square  “They have street vendors.”
“I thought you wanted to go out for dinner.”
She turned around and walked backward facing him “but this is winter fair food. It’s so good.”
“Come,” Rowan grabbed her hand “I’ll buy you dinner.” They walked to one of the stall “what do you want?”
“A nice juicy burger.” She smelled the food around her “and a couple of skewers as well.”
Rowan bought the food for her and himself and they sat down on a bench munching away happily.
In front of her the ice rink was surrounded by people being happy and having fun. Then a little blonde girl with pig tails ran to her “hello, gorgeous.” Aelin picked up the girl “where are your parents?” The little girl pointed in a random place. Rowan ruffled her hair and the girl giggled happily.
Then all of a sudden “Lynne.” And a woman hurried towards them “momma.” The little girl screamed at recognising the woman. Aelin passed the child to her mother “thank you,” said the woman hugging her daughter.
“She was adorable,” said Aelin leaning her head against Rowan’s shoulder. He kissed her head “she really was.”
Rowan eventually stood and took Aelin’s hand “Ice skating?”
Aelin joined him and together they went to the rental place and got their skates and changed into them.
Aelin took tentative steps to the entrance of the rink while Rowan had his hand on her lower back.
While Rowan went for the cautionary approach and moved some baby steps on the ice, Aelin was being her usual carefree self and jumped straight in the fray “Come on, buzzard, it’s easy.”
By the time she completed a few laps around the rink, Rowan was still holding to the edge for dear life. She slid to him and took his hands “come with me.” She took his hands and placed them on her sides “easy… follow me.” Slowly he got more confident and they managed to skate hand in hand.
The hour on the the ice was up and they were sitting on a bench again when when Lys texted her that she and Aedion were meeting Elide and Lorcan and have dinner together and invited them as well.
“We don’t have to go if you don’t want to see Lorcan out of work.” But his smile turned wicked “Oh no, I need to see smitten Lorcan.”
Aelin leaned forward and kissed him “but no jokes in front of Elide.”
“Don’t worry I’ll just gather enough material to take the mickey out of him when we are alone.”
Gently she patted his arms “you really are evil.”
He nodded proudly “no news there. You should know by now.”
The other two couples arrived not long after and Rowan laughed at seeing Lorcan with his arm around Elide’s shoulders. The scene was almost ridiculous given how tall was the man compared to the woman.
“Aren’t they cute?” Whispered Aelin, grabbing his hand and walking toward the couple.
“Hi guys,” said a very happy Elide, waving her hand at Rowan and Aelin.
“Hi, darling.” Aelin hugged her friend and then looked up at the man at her side “evening, commodore.”
“I am just Lorcan tonight.”
Rowan snorted loudly “sure, Lor,”
“Lys and Aedion are on their way.” Added Aelin.
“Did you go ice skating?” Asked Rowan to his boss.
Elide laughed “I tried to convince him but he laughed at me.”
“Oh it would have been amazing to see the drunken giraffe.” commented Rowan with a wicked grin and Lorcan growled back at him “Whitethorn…”
“What’s the drunken giraffe?” Aelin smiled, ready for some snooping.
“Don’t you dare…”
And now the whole group was even more interested.
“So,” started Rowan with an evil grin “Lor was my captain and I was just a lieutenant. We had a team evening here in Orynth and it was winter. The ice skating rink was out. We had a few girls we wanted to impress, so we took them out.” He narrated, while Lorcan glared at him “Lorcan tried to skate but he is stupidly tall and well…” Rowan moved his arms with a jerky motion “it was hilarious.” He continued “his girl called him a drunken giraffe.”
Everyone burst out laughing and for a moment that story threw a funnier light on the man who seemed to be made of ice.
“Fine, fine Rowan you had your fun.”
Elide gave him a pat on his shoulder and in that instant Lysandra and Aedion joined them.
“We are here. Sorry we are late, parking was a pain.” 
Aelin jumped all excited “we can finally have dinner.”
“You haven’t stopped eating since we arrived.” And Rowan pulled Aelin to his chest and kissed her temple “I love my bottomless pit.”
“Ow, you two are so cute it’s disgusting.” Joked Lysandra wrapping her arm around Aedion’s midriff.
“Come on let’s go to dinner before Aelin turns hangry.” Elide took Lorcan’s hand and dragged him away and the rest followed. 
Once at the restaurants they got a table for six and sat down. Aelin grabbed the menu and started perusing “this place seems amazing.”
“I think we need a nice bottle of wine to celebrate that you two boys are finally back.” Suggested Elide who, all of a sudden, was confident and seemed to have lost all of her shyness.
The waiter came and took their order and as usual Aelin shocked the poor youngster with her gigantic order.
“Captain, are you sure you can afford feeding her?” Joked Aedion.
Rowan shrugged and smiled at Aelin “the bank doesn’t offer mortgages for feeding your girlfriend, apparently.”
The rest of the group laughed.
Then the wine arrived and they toasted and Aelin looked around at the table and smiled at the scene. Of being with her friends and Rowan. She placed her hand on his and gave him a big smile. She kept repeating to herself that he was back and he was real.
Lorcan took a sip of his wine “this feels nice,” and a weak smile painted his lips “after six months of bad food and no treats, this feels like bliss.”
“I didn’t pin you for a wine lover, commodore.” Said Aelin sipping her wine and agreeing with the man. It was a nice one he had got.
The man shrugged “we are posh boys, of course we like wine.” He gave her a half smile.
Aedion snorted “that’s all you can handle.”
“Ok,” almost shouted Lysandra “this is a dinner to have some fun together, not a pissing contest to see who is better between the army and the airforce. Now you three behave.” She pointed her finger at them and Aelin hid her smile behind her hand.
“So,” started Rowan trying to change the topic “any new plans for the wedding?”
Aedion nodded “we have a temporary date in January. We just need to find a venue and few other bits and bobs. And hope for no interruptions this time.”
“At least this time my girls will have their real partner at their side.” She looked at the two men “I am waiting for you two to melt when you see in their dress.
“Oh, believe me they did the first time around too.”
Rowan nodded remembering Aelin in her dress. Yeah the shower had been quite longer than his usual “Both Lorcan and I remember the dresses.” Admitted Rowan trying to sound as casual as possible.
Lorcan looked away almost embarrassed by the admission but Elide gently pinched his side “admit it, you loved it.”
“I did.” He said quietly.
“So captain,” began Lysandra while sipping more wine “are you going to teach our Aelin to cook?”
Rowan chuckled “I can try but I have a feeling it’s a suicide mission. As a soldier I can see when it’s time to push back and retreat.” He brushed his hand on her head softly “but it’s fine I love cooking.”
Aelin was about to reply but their food arrived and her focus disappeared on the plates placed in front of her.
“Sometimes I think she would find me more interesting if I dressed up as a giant hamburger.” She stuck out het tongue out at him and he flicked her nose. After six months away from her he was desperate for some contact. He would have loved to go home and partake in more interesting activities, but the idea of having dinner with the other two couples had been quite pleasant. And Aelin did not seem displeased by his extreme need for PDA.
“So, Lorcan, are you coming to the station one day to see Elide in action?” Suggested Aelin with a grin and Elide almost glared at her nervously.
The man lowered his fork and looked at her “I think I might.” Replied the man eagerly “I must admit, I am quite fascinated.”
“We can also give you a proper tour of the firehouse. The official one.”
“I think we can take them on the trucks, one each” suggested Aedion “I am happy to take the commodore. But you guys need to stay inside the truck.”
“Are you sure it’s okay?”
“Hey, I have seen you fly, it’s only fair.”
“You seen him fly?” Elide’s face turned to Lorcan “Can I see you fly?”
“I am sure the commodore and I can give you a lovely display of how I kick his arse.” And Rowan grinned wickedly at his boss.
“Please, please.” Singsonged Elide, taking his hand.
Lorcan nodded “let me know of a day off and we can get it organised.”
“Yes!” Shouted Elide all excited.
“Actually…”  continued Lorcan “we sometimes give tour of some ares of the base. I might be able to get permission to invite the whole station for a tour and with the excuse of a drill we can give you a show.” He explained “I think we owe it to the TFD for the help they gave us.”
Rowan stared at Lorcan in disbelief. He knew everyone joked but Elide really was doing the miracle on him. He had never seen his CO so relaxed and willing to offer a tour of the base. Usually he would  shove that kind of stuff to him. Rowan gave a big smile to Elide and a silent thank you. Lorcan actually seemed happy.
“I am sure the guys would love it.” Then Aelin turned to Aedion “are you willing to come for one day at posh house?”
“I guess I can do that.” And he smiled.
Lorcan nodded “Rowan, liaise with the captain and choose a suitable day.”
Rowan squeezed her hand under the table.
“Ok good, Rowan is coming to the station tomorrow morning. You can join us around nine.”
“Am I?” But Aelin looked at him puzzled.
“Yes, unless you have other plans.”
“Uhhm I was planning on going kitchen household shopping but I assume I can do grampa stuff another day.”
Aelin patted his head “good, grampa. Come and have some fun.”
Lorcan nodded “9 am sounds perfect. I must admit I am looking forward to this.”
“And coming from Lorcan this is the best compliment ever.” Joked Rowan.
“This is going to be much more fun than you guys running drills with us.” Explained Aedion who for once did not seem to have any problems with the airforce. 
The group finished their meal and Aelin was the only one who actually went for dessert and everyone took the mickey out of her.
“Of course she gets the cake.” Elide rolled her eyes “how is it that you are not the size of a zeppelin I do not know.”
“Uh, I love you too.” Added Aelin while munching her cake away.
After the meal the group said their goodbyes Aelin and Rowan walked home, taking a detour through the park, hand in hand.
“I had a lovely evening.” Said Rowan pulling their twinned hand to his mouth and depositing a gentle kiss.
“I can’t believe Lorcan. He is so different.”
“I will be forever grateful to Elide. He is like another man.” He explained “I have known Lorcan for a very long time and I have never seen him so happy.”
Aelin almost skipped happily “are you looking forward to tomorrow?”
“Very much. I really want to see you in action.” He gently pinched her butt and Aelin squealed “you and your sexy jacket.”
“It’s called turnout or bunker gear.” She said to him leaning forward for a kiss “not as hot as your jumpsuit…” She swayed her hips in front of him.
He took a couple of steps and folded his arms around her waist and turned her around “you look hot even covered in grime.”
Aelin chuckled “you never saw me coming out of a house collapse after slithering through the debris and come out with my clothes white, my hair grey ad my face verging on black.”
His hand caressed her sides “Imagine the long shower…” his lips brushing hers gently.
“We are in a park, captain.” Her arms sneaked around his neck.
“I am just reminiscing our first kiss.” And slowly pinned her to a tree.
Aelin leaned forward and kissed him first “I’d throw my shoes at you but they are trainers and would hurt. It’s a shame I don’t have my flats on.”
“My menace…” he whispered, their mouths sharing a breath. “I should take you home. You have work tomorrow.” And pulled back from her, grabbing then her hand and resuming walking.
“You fuss too much.”
Rowan rolled his eyes and smiled “let’s just say it’s in the job description for boyfriend.”
“What else does it entail?”
He took a long pause staring toward the pond “make you happy, mostly.”
Aelin stopped him and turned him to her “you do. Make me happy, I mean.” Rowan stooped and kissed her hard “home, now. It’s getting near your bed time.”
“Sexy bed time?”
“No, young lady, we are going home and tuck you in bed and no shenanigans allowed.”
“You are no fun,” she complained walking away from him pretending to be mad.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her back “You came off shift this morning and I got home this morning. We both need rest.”
Her smile turned wicked “I might go and find myself a younger model. I wonder if Fenrys is interested in a sexy firefighter.”
A second later Aelin found herself pinned again against a tree and his lips on hers, the kiss demanding and almost possessive.
When Rowan pulled back they were both breathless, his forehead leaned on hers “don’t even joke about it.”
“Jealous much?”
“You are my girl.” He whispered against her lips and the tone he used made her heart melt.
“Said that again.”
“You,” his lips travelled along her neck “are,” a gentle nip of his teeth “my girl.” And a searing kiss.
How was it possible that the man in front of her could stir such deep passion and desire in her? Something so strong she had never felt before with anyone. It felt like an all consuming fire. She just hoped it would stay like that forever. She felt his hand sneak under her hoodie and touch skin and groaned into the kiss “let’s go home, captain. We are in a park and both about to lose it.”
He nodded silently and started walking home as quick as they could.
As soon as they were through the door to the house, Rowan lifted her in his arms, kicked the door shut with his foot and walked to the bedroom.
“I thought you said no shenanigans.”
“Fuck it.” He let her slid down and a second later his hand had started peeling off her clothes and she did the same.
“Show me what you got.” A second later she was airborne in his arm and then in bed. His strong body hovering over her. His pine green eyes trained on her and she could see the desire in them.
When he kissed her again her toes curled and heat began pooling at her core.
“I love you,” she whispered against his lips. It was all he needed and a moment later his name was on her lips begging him for more over and over again.
TAGS:
@rowaelinismyotp @swankii-art-teacher @courtofjurdan
@whimsicallyreading @tillyrubes10 @surielandiareendgame
@aelin-bitch-queen @bruiseonthefaceofhumanity @acreativelydifferentlove
@mis-lil-red @thegreyj​ 
65 notes · View notes
wandas-sunshine · 4 years
Text
Apologies (Kinktober Day 3)
Tumblr media
Kinktober Schedule
Prompt: Dom/sub Dynamics
Pairing: Stephen Strange x Reader
Word Count: 1,947
Warnings: SMUT 18+, Dom/sub dynamics, heavy Sir kink, corporeal punishment, oral sex (male receiving)
A/N: I don’t think I ever specified a gender for the reader, but there are uses of the terms kitten and babydoll if that ruins it for anyone. Tag list for kinktober is still open!
You’d been sitting on the sofa when Stephen came home. You could tell just by the sound of his steps that it hadn’t been a good day. You sat your book down and stood up quickly to scamper to his side.
“I’ve missed you,” You murmured, taking his coat to hang it up. “I made your favorite for dinner.”
Stephen hummed out a low rumble in his throat. A tiny smile crossed his lips, and your stomach fluttered at the small accomplishment.
“Thank you, kitten. I’ll eat later, I have some work to finish up.” He slipped past you, and you pouted at his back. That wasn’t fair, and, truth be told, it worried you. He’d been working himself too much. You trailed after him and lingered in the doorway.
“But Stephen,” You half whined. The man turned to you with an impatient huff. “You’ve already worked 16 hours today.”
Stephen set his things down and settled into a chair.
“And there’s more to be done. Now some quiet, please.” His words were final, and you were usually so obedient for him. But with your Dom’s wellbeing at stake, you had one more trick up your sleeve.
The step into the Dom/sub dynamic of your and Stephen’s relationship wasn’t the first one. You’d been together more than a year before you really gave it a thought. But now, it was all natural.
You slipped quietly into your shared room and fetched the cabinet key that laid on Stephen’s bedside table. You unlocked the cabinet tucked away into the closet and let the doors open. Inside hung all of the fun little items you and Stephen had collected. Floggers, paddles, whips, and riding crops hung on the inside. A few toys were neatly displayed, the rest organized in the drawers. But you weren’t looking for any of those. No, your coveted item was hanging right at the center of everything.
You plucked your collar down and grinned. It was a simple little thing, black leather with a heavy ring in front and a buckle at the back, but it always filled you with pride. You didn’t need anything fancy, just a reminder that you belonged to Stephen.
You made your way back to where he was working, moving to kneel at his side, your collar resting in your lap. He barely spared you a glance. You shifted closer, your hands moving to rest on his thighs, still clutching your collar.
“Did I say you could touch me?” He questioned, voice steady and uninterested. But you knew you’d won. That was only a rule during playtime. You pulled your hands back, but you left the collar settled in his lap. He picked it up, leaving his work to run his fingers over the smooth leather.
“Is there a reason you’re acting up?” He questioned. You hung your head.
“I miss you, Sir...You’ve been too busy for me.” You confessed, resisting the urge to fidget, instead keeping your palms flat on your thighs. Your words were enough to make Stephen realize how little attention he’d really been giving you, and a pit opened up in his chest. What kind of Dom was he if he didn’t spare enough time for his pretty little submissive?
“I’m sorry, babydoll. I’ll make it up to you.” He reached down to gently stroke your head. “But you can’t be breaking the rules to get Sir’s attention, can you?”
You shook your head. He patted his lap and you stood slowly. Ever impatient, he guided you to sit in his lap.
You relaxed instantly, just having missed feeling him against you. He carefully fastened the collar and gave it an experimental tug.
“How’s that feel?” He murmured in your ear. You shivered and beamed, eyes falling shut.
“Good. Thank you, Sir.” You hummed out. Stephen didn’t answer. Instead, he nudged you back onto your own two feet.
“Good. But you still need to be taught to behave. Bedroom, get the bamboo paddle.” He ordered. You squeaked. The bamboo was your favorite, and the smirk on Stephen’s face said he knew that too.
“Yes, Sir.” You scurried back to your room with a grin on your lips. You plucked the paddle from it’s hook and laid it on the bed. With a final glance at the door, you knelt on the bed beside it.
It felt like ages before Stephen came in, but you didn’t move a muscle. You could see the proud gleam in his eye, and a wave of arousal washed through you.
“Strip.” You stood and stripped your clothes off, leaving them folded nearly on the chair beside the bed like you’d been taught. Finally, you were standing bare in front of him, your hands clasped behind your back.
Stephen took a long moment to look you over. It really had been too long since he had given you proper attention.
“I think 20 strikes will suffice. 5 for interrupting Sir while he was working, 5 for touching Sir without permission, and 10 for not telling Sir when you need him. Does that sound fair?” Stephen picked up the paddle and weighed it in his hand.
“Yes, Sir.” You knew your limits, and he seemed happy with your answer.
“You remember your safeword?” He guided you to turn around, his hand sprawling across your upper back to gently bend you over. You nodded. “Use your words.”
“Mangoes. It’s mangoes.” You answered. Stephen hummed.
“Hands on the bed. You’re gonna count for me.” He gently teased the edge of the paddle over the swell of your ass, then up your spine and back down. Your hands fisted into the blankets.
Stephen was patient, sometimes irritatingly so. It’s what made him a good surgeon, but it drove you crazy when he strung you out. You let out a startled hiss at the press of the cool paddle to your skin.
“Count.” He reminded, but he hardly gave you a second to process the word before the paddle came down against your ass.
“One,” You squeaked. He soothed over the spot, teasing you with the power he held. Then two more swats in quick succession. “Two, three.”
You were careful to keep up. Four, five, six. But you were growing convinced that Stephen was trying to throw you off simply for the fun of it. Seven, eight, nine. You were squirming, desperation swirling in your stomach. Ten, eleven, twelve. Your hand flew back to protect your increasingly sore backside. Stephen’s hand caught your wrist and he sighed.
“You may want to think twice about that. You know better.” He let you go and you quickly put your hand back where it belonged. The next hit came harder and you yelped. “Count.”
“Thirteen. I’m sorry, Sir. I’ll be good, I promise. I’m sorry.” You pleaded. Stephen didn’t answer, landing a swat right over your sit spots. You’d be feeling it for days, and just the thought had you gushing. Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen. Tears were welling at the corner of your eyes. Stephen shushed you gently, his free hand running soothing strokes over your back.
“Almost done, kitten. Only four more. You can do that for me, can’t you?” He urged you on sweetly, and you mumbled a barely there affirmation. You relished the tiny break you were given as he caressed the backs of your thighs. You sniffled, and Stephen pressed a few kisses between your shoulder blades.
He continued with his gentle encouragement as he delivered the final swats, fast and hard. Then he sat the paddle aside and helped you to stand straight. You curled into his chest, but he didn’t reprimand you this time. His fingers brushed the few remaining tears away.
“I’m sorry I misbehaved, Sir.” You looked up, and Stephen smirked.
“How sorry, babydoll?” The question made you tip your head, but your sincerity never faltered.
“I’m so so sorry. Let me make it up to you.”
And when you said such precious things, Stephen couldn’t help the way his cock jumped.
“Down, take out my cock.” He ran a hand through your hair before gently guiding you down to your knees. You looked up at him through your eyelashes as you made quick work of his belt and the fastenings on his pants. You tugged them down with his underwear and helped him out of them.
His cock stood half hard and mouthwateringly beautiful in front of your face. Your hand lifted to wrap around it, but you paused just before you touched him fully. You looked up again.
“Sir?”
Stephen continued to run his hand through your hair and gave you a little nod.
“Do as you please.” And you had every intention of doing just that. You reached out to give him a few tugs. His manhood was hot and heavy in your palm as you teased him to full size.
You leaned in and lapped at the head of his cock with a practised ease. You ran your tongue over the vein lining the underside of his shaft. He didn’t make a sound, but his hand tightened in your hair.
You grew tired of the teasing quickly, taking the entirety of his length into your mouth. You suckled, your tongue swirling before you took him deeper. You pressed farther until he was nestled in your throat and your nose bumped against his pelvic bone.
“Hands behind your back. I want to see what you can do with just your mouth.” Stephen commanded. And his voice sounded almost strained, like he was trying to hold back any sign of pleasure. Nevertheless, you obeyed, folding your hands behind you, letting them rest right at the swell of your ass.
You drew off before bobbing your head. You tried to keep yourself steady now as you sucked him off. His groans finally began to come out now, loud and desperate as his hips picked up a rhythm. He held your head steady and fucked into your throat.
You were a mess, spit leaking down your face, and tears streaking your face as you tried to keep your throat open enough to accommodate his sheer size.
“Fuck,” He groaned, head tipping back. You were always so perfect for him, the way you took his cock so well.
Your eyes opened again to look up at him. Even with his head tilted back, his eyes stayed trained on you, dark and steady.
“You’re gonna make me cum right down that pretty little throat.” He warned you, and the thought sent a shock to your core. He was close, you could tell. Your throat was sore, and your lips were swollen, the ache in your jaw was getting worse by the minute, but all you cared about was sucking him dry.
His fingers tightened painfully against your scalp, nestling your head all the way down on his length and shooting rope after rope of cum down your throat. You took it as well as you could, swallowing it down. A bit trickled from the corners of your mouth, leaking down your face with the rest of your mess.
Stephen beamed down at you, and his hands moved to smooth your hair. He hooked two fingers into the ring of your collar and tugged you back to your feet.
“Are you okay?” He asked, brushing his thumb over your bottom lip. He always thought you looked so perfect after you went down on him. You nodded a little.
“Am I forgiven, Sir?” You asked sweetly. Stephen chuckled once again, but he nodded.
“All forgiven. Now come on. I haven’t been taking care of you. Sir has a lot to make up for too.”
Tag List: @dragonofthenorth0726​ // @vozit​ // @realgaytrash​ // @i-love-books-so-fricking-much​ // @nikkiofasgard​ // @duvetsandpillows​
694 notes · View notes
philliamwrites · 3 years
Text
killing me softly with his song | (Childe / Reader) [chpt.1]
Fandom: Genshin Impact
Pairing: Childe / Reader
Tags: #fem!reader, #from childhood friends to lovers, #reader is a fatui agent, #slow burn, #unresolved sexual tension, #mature language, #forbidden love
Words: 2k
Summary: "Lybuov zla, polyubish i kozla," sighs your sister as she wipes off the table, but that makes you feel even more miserable. Falling for a goat might save you from an actual heartbreak by Tartaglia's hands.
____________
Loosely connected chapters about you and Childe finding happiness. Maybe.
Notes: Part 2
Masterlist
***
childe? what a problematic asshole i hate him i- *trips* *thousands of pictures of childe spill from pockets* fuck those aren’t mine i swear i’m just holding them for a friend i- *slips on a pile of pictures* fu ck no they’re not mine i hate him i just- *more pictures fall out as i fall to my knees, desperately trying to pick them up* hang on a sec jUst LISTEN
Chapter 1
     A cold gust of icy wind drives you deeper into the sheets and you swear by the name of Her Majesty Herself once you get up and find Alexei, you’ll smother him with a towel for leaving a window open in the middle of the night.
    Somewhere outside, a rooster crows. Fine, not dead of the night then, but no one cares for technicalities like these when sleep is involved. Especially after a night like this one, when Alexei fucked you into oblivion and back, you need every minute of shuteye you can get before another day of exhausting missions in the Chechnaya Taiga of Snezhnaya claims your last strand of sanity.
    It’s peaceful mornings like these that make it all worthwhile though—the quiet during the early golden hour when people slowly wake up to a brand-new day and get ready to do their chores, their factory work. The sheer number of possibilities stretching out before their hands, and hope rekindled every morning despite the harsh cold waiting at their doorsteps. You love how everything stands still, how even the uncaring universe seems to grant people a sliver of peace, allows them to be soft and vulnerable. To be kind to themselves by indulging in a freshly brewed cup of coffee or tea. Nothing can spoil this for you, nothing and no one—
    An awkward cough sounds from the door. You close your eyes, willing him to disappear by simply ignoring him, but his eyes burn into the back of your head like two smouldering coals and eventually, you turn around to see Alexei standing in the door frame, shifting from left to right. “There’s someone out there who wants to talk to you,” he says.
    Turning around, you try to disappear into your pillow. “Whoever it is, I’m sure they can wait until it isn’t such a damn unholy time.”
    Alexei clears his throat. “It’s uhm … it’s someone from the Fatui.”
    Your eyes snap open. Suddenly the warm, cosy blankets feel like a snake’s tight hold around your body, and you struggle out of its grip, grabbing for the dressing gown you carelessly threw around the back of your chair last night.
    The sun hangs low in the east, painting the city of Kerch that stretches outside of your window a sheen of dusky gold. When the red-brown bricks of the dacha cottages come into view, you think of the gingerbread houses you used to make as a child every year in celebration of Her Majesty the Tsaritsa of the Zapolyarny Palace.
    Cold already seeps into your bones even though the robe is tight around your body. You hiss when your bare feet hit the icy floor but can’t find your slippers. Time to die like a woman.
    You brush past Alexei, who’s scratching his head, still just in his underwear and you think him crazy for walking around half-naked like that even though it’s minus 58F outside and the heating systems inside your barracks only start to work once outside temperatures drop to minus 75F.
    Maybe what they say is true. People from around Noyabrsk in the north of Snezhnaya regularly dip into frosty rivers and you do remember him mentioning ice swimming is his hobby. It was one of the few things you thought attractive about him. Actually, it was the only thing you thought attractive about him.
    Light streams into the floor from the kitchen, flickering once, twice in dangerous foreboding. It’s time to switch the lightbulb. Tomorrow. Tomorrow for sure, because that isn’t important right now. What’s important is Tartaglia sitting at your table, leaning back in a chair, both feet crossed on top of the table, and eating your leftover mayonnaise sandwich you saved up for breakfast.
    His eyes slide lazily toward you, taking in your form—barefoot, shivering even though the fur from your bathrobe is of the finest white wolf fur obtainable on the market.
    Tartaglia finishes your sandwich, smacks his lips and licks mayo off his fingers. He doesn’t even like it, and you know from time to time he can’t handle dairy all that well. He just eats it because he knows how it infuriates you.
    “Alexei, huh,” he says in lieu of hello. “Didn’t know you’re into himbos.”
    Behind you, Alexei makes a sound like a kicked puppy. You glare at him over your shoulder, then jut your chin towards the front door. “Out. Now.”
    He doesn’t wait for you to repeat yourself. Surprisingly fast for a guy this big, he bolts into your room, gets dressed in record speed and leaves your little one-bedroom apartment without so much as a Goodbye or “We’ll hear from each other,” and you prefer it that way. It saves stuff from getting messy.
    Speaking of messy, you really wish Tartaglia would have sent you a note before coming. The smell of icy wind and snowy forests clings to his clothes. He must have come straight from a mission, not unusual in the slightest, yet in most cases he sends a message your way just to make sure he doesn’t run into one of your one-night stands and it doesn’t get ugly.
    Like right now.
    “I thought you had a little more class than that,” he says nonchalantly. His feet keep wobbling from left to right until you make your way over and push them off your table. Not that you actually sit there to take your meals, no. But this is your home, you have to assert dominance.
    “Well, I’m not picky,” you say, taking the empty chair opposite from him. “The nights of Fyrva’snezh are really fucking cold.”
    “I’m sure Fire-Water will do the same trick.” He’s sulking, yet he has no right to it and knowing Tartaglia, that’s why he sulks even more.
    Your relationship can be summarised with one word: complicated. Which is funny, because besides martial arts classes (taught by a teacher that is a real ball of sunshine who could easily snap your spine like a twig) and infiltration tactics courses (led by a grumpy teacher who once woke you all up in the middle of the night to do a spontaneous quiz about infiltration steps and everyone who failed or fell asleep had to run a marathon through the forest in their underwear) you had to take at the Fatui military school of Zapolyarny, they also teach mathematics and molecular physics, and that shit was complicated.
    Growing up in a small seaside village—bless little Morepesok; how much you miss babushka Katya’s refreshing botvinia soup—with only a handful kids your age, gravitating towards Tartaglia was the natural development. He loves ice-fishing, you love eating fish. You gag just smelling solyanka, he wolfs it down like it might be his last meal on earth. Opposites attract each other, as they say, and how true it is for you two—you, the morning person and he, the night owl; his will of iron and your nerves of steel. Your bow, his sword, even though Tartaglia is a masochist who likes to make it hard for himself by trying to switch weapons solely because you’re better at it than him and he is a sore loser.
    His worship of Her Majesty the Tsaritsa, your fear of Her Majesty the Tsaritsa.
    “I don’t think you came all the way here just to call me a slut,” you say. He is in no position to do so anyway, because Camilla from the ptychy’moloko shop down the road that leads to the Sarov church didn’t shut up about blowing him for weeks until you sent her a liver of a pig and claimed that was the leftovers from the last girl that thought she could put a leash on the Eleventh of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers. Camilla quickly moved on to an inconspicuous merchant who sells matryoshka dolls for a living and all is well that ends well.
    “What do you want?”
    Tartaglia starts tapping a gloved finger against the wooden table, a nervous tick you don’t know he’s aware of.
    “I’m leaving for Liyue first thing tomorrow.” His tone is low when he speaks, his earlier nonchalance replaced by a sense of urgency.
    “Okay.” It isn’t the first time he’s leaving Snezhnaya by order of the Tsaritsa, but every time he does, something inside you leaves with him. “So, you want me to keep an eye out for Teucer and the others?”
    “He’s really unhappy I’m leaving again already.” Tartaglia doesn’t mention the reason he was sent away just a couple of months ago to Inazuma was because he accidentally blew up an artillery factory belonging to a nobleman that secretly shipped orders to Fontain. The fallout from that was easier to handle with him not being anywhere nearby. Tartaglia is like a pair of hot tongues; no one is sure where to put him or how soon he would cool off, but if they just drop him, he might light the world on fire. Kid gloves are put on and a careful perimeter marked out.
    “And what excuse did you make up this time?” You knock your foot into his leg, lingering on his calf just a second too long before withdrawing again. “Another business trip to promote your toys? You can’t hold up this charade forever, you know.”
    “Why, your eyes feast on Snezhnaya’s greatest expatriate toy seller, now extending to the Liyue Branch of our Institute for Toy Research.” Tartaglia’s eyes have taken on a playful glint, and he leans forward as he speaks. “You wouldn’t be so cold to break a little boy’s heart. That’s not you.”
    You want to remind him that you have no problem to put an arrow between a man’s eyes, or rip out his fingernails, one by one, to get the information that you want.
    “You owe me, toy man.”
    “Put it on my tab.”
    Tartaglia looks like there’s something else he wants to say, but as always, he decides to swallow those words even though they must hurt like swallowing needles. You know that feeling, and so you help him sort out his tightly entangled yarn of emotions by figuratively pushing him off the cliff.
    “Don’t forget to bring condoms. I hear the women of Liyue are beautiful.”
    Tartaglia goes a sickly grey colour, like the ashes of a dead fire, but he’s been the leading role of this play too long to fall out of character now. He gets up and stretches like a cat getting comfortable in a spot of sunlight. His jacket rides up, showing a stripe of skin, and you quickly turn your head away before giving into leaning over the table and mark him with your teeth.
    Patting his left pants’ pocket, Tartaglia says, “I’m always prepared.” He carries a grin that is dry, humourless, and for a brief moment, you two lock eyes, trading a look that feels like a dare. You allow yourselves to imagine how he picks you up and carries you to your bed where you two would proceed to fuck without abandon through the whole day and the following night, leaving the bed only to get food until Tartaglia leaves for Liyue and you’d send each other love letters until his return. What an idea. What an utterly stupid, naive, wonderful idea.
    “Well, lucky ladies,” you say, not bothering to hide the jealousy in your voice because jealousy is easier to handle than regret.
    “Lucky indeed,” he agrees and dons his easy-going smile, one that he’s perfected after hours upon hours in front of the mirror until it accomplished what he wanted: to mock people, infuriate them.
    On his way out, he stops to ruffle your hair in an affectionate way, one typical for childhood friends, but the distance between you is like the ocean separating Snezhnaya from Liyue.
    It was on the very first day of your conscription into the military organisation, Number Six of the Ten Laws that the Fatui abide by: Any physical or romantic relationship between Fatui agents is prohibited. As thou would not exchange flesh with thy brother or sister, so thou shalt not with your comrade, for he or she is thy brother or sister in arms.
    And everyone knows Her Majesty the Tsaritsa’s word is law, and though the law is hard, it is the law.
__________________________________________________
please drop by my ko-fi if you enjoyed my writing!
74 notes · View notes
snapefiction · 3 years
Note
Can I request a Snape x Reader where the reader gets pregnant and reveals her pregnancy in the form of a Christmas gift, maybe some cute baby kittens? 🥺 absolutely love your work, and thought to keep it christmassy!
A/N: Thank you so much for your compliment and for this cute request! I hope you like the way this one turned out! ❤️
❤️ Please remember that English isn’t my native language and that my Writings will include Mistakes and maybe weird formed sentences. ❤️
Word count: 2189
Warnings: Mentions of throwing up, Swearing
Due to your Job at the tea shop at Diagon alley you always got very busy around the Christmas Holidays. Starting at the end of November the Wizards, Witches, goblins and a lot of more magic beings started to flood the small shop only to get the best tea in whole England, atleast that's what Severus your longterm boyfriend called it. Severus was a Potions Professor at Hogwarts one of the most popular schools for magic. The two of you met around 6 years ago when he ran into your shop only to get a bag of tea. He was very late and you actually already had closed but when your gaze met his you fell for him. That's why you let him in your shop after closing time to buy the last pack of peppermint tea. On the Next day he came back early in the morning as the first costumer of the day only to buy some more tea. This continued two weeks long until he had every variation of tea at his kitchen and finally dared to ask you out. Since then the both of you have been inseparable. The both of you never fought- you always somehow agreed with each other on every topic. Even though he might be a little older than you are, eleven years to be exact, he always shared your opinions. 
That's why you knew exactly what to get for Severus on Christmas and what not. To bring more happiness into the small house at Spinners end the both of you always thought about adopting a cat. At first Severus was a little bit skeptical but when he saw that little kitten at the animal shelter in Cokesworth he fell in love with a little lady named Ally. He was crazy about her and you had never seen him this happy about something before. Because the Owls approached shortly before Christmas this year and you couldn't take some time off before the 24th of December you had to decide that Ally would move in with you the day after Christmas. It wouldn't be fair to her if she, as she was only a kitten yet, would've to stay at home all alone all day long. That's why you decided to wait which seemed to be the best solution for everyone.
Anyways. Today was the 16th of December and only after two hours after your shift started your feet started to hurt. This usually only happens short before your shift ended at 7 Pm but not at 2Pm. Not thinking anything about it you kept working and selling everyone the most variously teas in town. But it wasn't until a few hours later as you noticed how the smell of Vanilla almost made you choke. It turned from one of your favourite smells into your worst nightmare. Thinking about enchanting the damn box of vanilla tea you got more and more stressed out by every minute.
,,Is everything alright Y/N?" Your co-worker and chef Kim asked as she passed you a cup of tea. Curious she raised her brows.
,,Yes, I'm alright. Just caught a Cold or something." Smirking she nodded and you knew that she probably thought of completely other things.
,,Or maybe it's because you are all my cupcakes, dear." She now said in a bit huffing tone only to show you the empty plate as an evidence sign.
,,I'm sorryyy- they're just so great." Rolling her eyes Kim now sat down next to you. ,,I know. That's why you stole them the last few weeks from the fridge."
,,I'll get you new ones tomorrow, I promise." Chuckling you grabbed a cookie from your lunchbox before taking another sip of your tea.
,,I really hope so. Or else I have to ask Severus for a Potion that could make you hate Cupcake or I don't know.. enchant them or something. He's probably more intelligent than I am when it's about inventing spells and potions." She mumbled while browsing through a new catalog of tea ingredients and jars. The day went by without any further events and you almost couldn't wait anymore until Severus would come back home in less than 8 days by now.
Waking up in the morning you knew something wasn't right. Your stomach turned around and you barely made it to the toilet until the cupcakes and cookies from yesterday and the tea made their way up your throat again. This couldn't be happening. It was the most important time of the year for the shop and you just couldn't get sick right now. Somehow, even though you were 25 Minutes late, you still made it to the tea shop where a stressed out Kim was awaiting you.
,,Y/N! Thank Merlin you're here! I though you wouldn't come at all." Shaking your Head You silently took her place at the cashbox so she could do her job. As the lunchtime came around and you got to close the shop for round about 30 Minutes Kim wasn't waiting long until pressuring you to another smalltalk again.
,,Why do you look so sad? Did you forgot the Cupcakes or something?" Her Face was tensioned as the thought of not getting her loved cupcakes again.
,,They're in the fridge." You sighed before rubbing your eyes and leaning back against the wall. Watching her hovering above the plate of cupcakes you had to talk to her. ,,Sorry for being late. I just- I had to throw up all morning long. It's a nightmare." Holding a Cupcake in her hand the pink haired woman who was also somehow your best friend now listened closer to what you said.
,,Let's hope You're not pregnant, I wouldn't be able to lead the shop without you." She mumbled and bid into the sweet bakery in her hand. ,,Maybe it's just something about your Period coming up. PMS or so what."
,,I don't know. I can't even remember my last Period." You joked innocently, bid into a cupcake as well only to almost spit it out a few seconds after. Kim's eyes widened as well.
,,No way!" She said now putting the cupcake aside. ,,No fricking way!" Kim now gasped and held her hand above her mouth. You instantly realised that you couldn't remember your last period because you didn't had one. Wiping your mouth with a paper towel that Kim just gave you you rethought the last few months. The last time you really remembered your period was around October. October?! ,, Don't Play jokes on me!" She almost squeaked jumping happily up and down. If you really were pregnant she'd always of course support you and Severus. Wait- Shit- you had to tell Severus! But you didn't even made a test yet. Was it even necessary? Of course it was necessary. Looking back at Kimberly you just noticed how she had been talking to you all the time.
,,You know what, Sweety? You will take some time off today. I'll get Sarah to help me out and you can things get figured out, ok?"  Just nodding easily you couldn't be happy just yet but just worry. If you were pregnant you were sure that Severus would be a lovely father but what about you? Are you ready to be a mom? A good mom the child of someone like Severus would deserve? And even worse if you weren't pregnant, would you feel sad or relieved? Would Severus even like to have kids with you? Your thought were so busy to rethink everything that you got out of words when you sat at the bathroom on the rim of the bathtub holding up the potion Kim just handed you and thinking about the Muggle pregnancy test you also got which were also about to tell you if you were expecting a baby or not.
,,And how do I use the potion?" You had asked Kim on the phone.
,,You have to spit in it and maybe shake it a little bit. If it turns red you're not pregnant." She said as her curiosity almost made her jump through the phone but you just hung up while still being shocked. Doing as she said you spit in the small jar, mixing it up with the fluid in it and shaking it. As you sat it down on the counter you buried your face in your hands. This was nerve wrecking! And a few seconds later you had your results.
24th December You had set up the Christmas Tree by yourself and already made Dinner so you and Severus could relax as soon as he would arrive late at the evening. Also you managed to pick up Ally earlier then planned due to Kim telling you to stay at home until Severus would be back again. The last few days you were so nervous it was stealing your sleep. Not being able to relax you sat on the couch watching Ally sleep in her small basket. Only when you heard the Keys turn in the lock you felt like some weight fell off your shoulders.
,,Y/N, love. I'm home." Your tall Boyfriend instantly went looking for you. Pulling you close to kiss you he softly hummed against your lips- you missed him so much! After he let go of you he instantly kneeled down to pet Ally. ,,She's so cute, isn't she?" Nodding he looked up to you. ,,She's a baby!" His voice was so high pitched it made you chuckle instantly. He was a strict man and seeing him becoming so excited about this tiny kitty was just too cute. As he got himself to let go of her he took off his jacket and sat down on the couch next to you. He always enjoyed slowly arriving at home just spending the first few moments with you but you were just too tensed. ,,Ready for Dinner?" You quickly pressed. Before Severus could answer you already hurried to the Kitchen.
The Dinner went on surprisingly unproblematic. He talked about the so very ugly Christmas sweater he got from Minerva and how he gave her some pink socks in return. To his disadvantage she loved the socks and wasn't upset or anything at all. They loved getting themselves the ugliest Presents they found so they could watch the other one being teased. Last year he got her the Biography from Lockhart- ohh she was raging about this one! ,,I'm never ever going to wear that ,thing'. Anyways, your presents are always the bests. I can't wait to see what you got me." He said before downing the last bite of chicken down with some wine. Smiling nervous you just nodded getting up to wash the plates. ,,Y/N, let me do that after we unwrapped our gifts." He smiled and kissed your neck softly.
Your legs felt like they would collapse any second that's how nervous you were by now. How would he react? Well, you were about to find out.
Sitting next to each other at the couch he smiling gave you another kiss. ,,What's bothering you so much?" He whispered against your lips and you knew your cover has been blown. His hands carefully petted the small kitty who just walked over his legs to lay down on your lap.
,,I'm just nervous that you maybe won't like my present. That's all." And by that you gave him the small box form below the tree.
,,I'm sure i will love the present as much as I love you." His smile was as wide as could be but as he opened the lid of the box and it discovered the small cat plushie, the potion you used to discover your pregnancy and a small baby body in the colours of Slytherin it faded. He was staring at it not believing his eyes. ,,What does this mean?" You opened your mouth but no words left your mind.
,,Y/N, if you're just joking - that's - that's not funny." He said now suddenly vulnerable and his eyes started to glistening. ,,I'm pregnant, Sev." You mumbled trying to hide your Face behind your hair. He suddenly breathed out and he hugged you tight.
,,I'm going to be a father?" Getting up while still hugging you he spun you around. Chuckling you noticed how all your worries weren't important at all. The relief was knocking all your doubts down. Looking at Severus you couldn't help it but cry - he was so very happy.
,,You're going to be the best father ever." ,,And you the best Mom. I knew that your present would be the best!" Letting you down you both sat down again. Instantly Severus hand found their way to your stomach trying to feel any type of Life.
,,Well, I have to admit that the new teacup I got for you isn't as good as your surprise. But I hope you still like it. I never thought I’d become a father myself- that’s so great!“ And again you kissed him being happy about the changes and the new members of your family. The both of you couldn't be happier!
Taglist: @deepperplexity , @monstreviolet , @wow-life-love4
Let me know if you want to be added in my Taglist. :)
179 notes · View notes
writtenonreceipts · 3 years
Text
Thank-you for 100+ followers!  Here’s a little thank-you fic, I so appreciate the the support. ~5.7k words.  Rowaelin.
Sometime Around Midnight
Three years ago when he would have a day off, Rowan found himself hiking in the mountains.  Two years ago when he would have a day off, Rowan found himself pacing the hospital halls.
Currently when he would have a day off, Rowan found himself at work.
He no longer knew what a day off actually looked like and that was fine with him.  
“What are you doing here?” 
Rowan looked up to see his longtime friend and co-bar owner, Fenrys come in from the storage room.  He had a clipboard in hand, his gold-blond hair hanging in long, loose curls around his shoulders.
“Working,” Rowan replied.  He wiped down the metal table before him where he’d accidentally upended an entire tub of maraschino cherry juice.  Thankfully there’d been no actual cherries left so there wasn’t much lost there, but the mess was still annoying.
“Go home, Rowan,” Fenrys said.  He jabbed the clipboard his direction as he came behind the bar and examined the on the floor stock. “You haven’t taken a day off in two years.”
“Not true, last week you and Lorcan forced me to go camping,” Rowan said.
“Forced being the choice word of that sentence,” Fenrys replied.  He leaned back against the bar and examined his friend. “C’mon man, she wouldn’t want to see you like this.”
Rowan slapped the cleaning rag down on the counter and scowled. “I guess we’ll never know, will we?”
It didn’t take much else for Fenrys to surrender.  But Rowan could see the mixed look of anger and disappointment in his friend's eyes.  It was easy enough to ignore when one of the regulars came in and ordered his drink.
Rowan poured the man his whiskey, neat, and went back to cleaning up behind the bar.  It was only eleven in the morning and it was already proving to be a miserable day.  Especially given the fact that Rowan was haunted by that damn piano with it’s strange cadence.  And even though Rowan knew next to nothing about classical music there was something about the way that the chords were struck that told Rowan someone one was sacrificing their heart and soul to whatever god might be listening.
And Rowan found himself wishing that he could be the one to say that he was there.
Not long after that, Lorcan came in for the start of his shift.  It was a strange time, but he was taking classes at the local community college and the later afternoon and evening shifts worked best for his schedule.  Not that Rowan minded working around his friend’s schedule.  It was what he did.  What they all did for each other.
With his ever-present scowl Lorcan shuffled behind the bar and pulled his shoulder length hair back into a bun.  He greeted Rowan with a grunt and started on making sure there were plenty of clean glasses to be prepared for the rest of the night.
“You could go home man,” Lorcan said quietly as he leaned against the bar. “You’ve been working non-stop all week.”
All week.  All year.  
It all rolled together in one fat miserable existence.
Rowan merely shrugged. “Nah.  I can’t leave you here alone.”
“It’s a Tuesday,” Lorcan said.  He rolled his eyes. “What’d’ya thinks going to happen?”
Nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  But if Rowan went home all he would do is stare at his phone, the tv, the wall.  He didn’t sleep much anymore despite how exhausted he was.  Besides, Rowan didn’t want to owe Lorcan anything.
“Shut up and go wipe down tables,” Rowan growled.  He leaned down and grabbed a bowl of limes from a mini-fridge beneath the bar.  He had a feeling they would need them at some point that night.
And hours later, he was right.
It was near closing time, one in the morning, and a woman with golden hair twisted into an intricate braid atop her head stumbled in.  She slid into a barstool with easy grace and immediately ordered an entire bottle of tequila.
Rowan stared at her.
She was beautiful, there was no mistaking it.  With her large, golden blue eyes, full lips, and sexy black dress that dipped into a sinfully low v--Rowan had a hard time looking away from her.
“You do know we’re closing soon, right?” he asked even as he lined up a few shot glasses.
“Shut up and pour,” she said.  
Rowan was never usually one to take orders from someone else, particularly when that someone was out looking to get blackout drunk.  And yet, when she stared at him with those sharp eyes and hard tilt of the chin, he decided that listening to her might not be a bad thing.  So, he poured.
The woman slammed back two shots before snatching the bowl of limes he’d cut earlier.  Without even hesitating, she began sucking the slices dry.
“Feel better?” he asked.  
She flipped him off and grabbed a third shot.  She didn’t seem at all affected by the tequila which in and of itself was a phenomenal feat.  But Rowan recognized the drinking and the behavior for what it was.  She was trying to forget.
One o’clock in the morning in the middle of the week and she was ready to lose herself to anything and everything.
“Riddle me this barkeep,” the woman said as she twirled one of the shot glasses between her fingers. “Why do men make promises they have no intention of keeping?”
Rowan watched her, somewhat concerned.
She truly seemed far to put together for a bar like this, a neighborhood like this.  Far too attractive to be alone, even pontificating on the idea of being alone.  And yet, as she downed another shot and sucked on another lime--Rowan had a feeling that this was who the woman really was.  Confident and self-assured.
He poured her a glass of water just to be safe.
She scowled and glared at the offending drink.
“I do know how to handle my liquor,” she said.  She gave him a pointed glare.
“Whatever you say, Princess,” he replied with a growl. “I’d just rather not spend half my night cleaning up after you.”
“You are a cranky old buzzard,” she said.  Her full lips jutted out in a scowl and Rowan had a hard time tearing his gaze from them.
He needed to focus on something else. “Buzzard?”
“Your shirt,” she said pointing with a lime rind. “Those look like hawks.  And hawks are assholes that pick and mother-hen everything.  Buzzard.”
Looking down at his shirt, Rowan frowned. Indeed, the button up had birds in the design, but he didn’t think it was that noticeable.  Or at least not enough to comment on.  Even for a woman who most certainly was well on her way to getting wasted.
She grinned at his silence and plucked a cherry from behind the counter.  Watching him, the woman ate the cherry and kept the stem between her fingers.
“But I really would like to know,” she said, “why make promises that you don’t keep?”
Rowan shook his head.  Maybe he should just let her drink herself to oblivion.  It would make it easier to call a cab for her.  And he had a rule not to get involved in these deep philosophical-like talks.  They never served anyone well.
“It’s probably just me,” she said, so quietly Rowan almost missed it.
But her phone buzzed from where she set it beside her.  She glanced at it, laughed loudly, and shoved it away.
“Maybe I should try celibacy for a while,” the woman said.  She stole another cherry and sighed. “Because this dating thing is not working very well.”
Rowan waited until she’d gulped down half the glass of water before pouring her another shot.
“You don’t talk much do you?” the woman asked.
Rowan noticed then the distinct tint of her eyes.  Gold rimmed with blue.  Or blue rimmed with gold.  One of the two.  Whichever it was it was distinct enough that Rowan had a much harder time looking away this time.
“I try not to mingle with the crazy.”
She gave an affronted huff.
“Or the emotionally distressed.”
A snort.  She dropped the cherry stems into one of the shot glasses. “Cranky old buzzard.”
“I’m not old,” Rowan said.  
She laughed at him, a triumphant sort of gleam in her eyes.  
Rowan wished he’d carded her just to prove a point.  But he recognized her now, at least partially.  She’d come in once before months ago with someone that could have been her brother.  Lorcan had carded back then.  He carded everyone mostly so he could have a greater opportunity of throwing someone out.  
The last time she was here this doom and gloom cloud raging over her had been absent.  All she’d been was carefree.
She finished her water and nodded to the tequila.
“I think you’ve had enough,” he said, “besides, I should be finishing closing.”
Rolling her eyes, the woman picked up her phone--a call flashed on the screen and whoever it was had her grinning broadly.
“Dorian!” she cried into the phone with a happy lilt to her voice.
She was definitely drunk.
Rowan grabbed the dirty glasses he’d poured her and collected the lime rinds and cherry stems.
“Where the hell are you?” A voice demanded on the other line.  Loud and on speaker.  The woman made no effort to take it off speaker.
“Ugh, you’re too loud, asshole,” the woman groused.  She tried to snag the unattended tequila, but Rowan managed to slide it out of her grasp.  It earned him a pout, but he didn’t really care.
“Where are you?” the man on the other end repeated.
“The Cadre.”
A loud, very crude curse sounded. “Are you trying to get alcohol poisoning?  This is how you get alcohol poisoning.”
“Buzz kill,” the woman sang into the phone. She grinned at Rowan. “You should come get me. It’s way past the bartender’s bedtime.”
She hung up the phone without waiting for a response.
“You know,” she said, “this place is so close to my apartment.  But I never come here.”
“You must live in a crappy part of town,” Rowan said before he could stop himself.  But she didn’t seem to be at all offended.  In fact she laughed.
“If only you knew,” she laughed. Her demeanor turned serious and for a moment, Rowan thought that she might say something more profound, something that would help him better understand her.  Because there was something entirely different about her.  And not just the confident way she held herself or overtook a room.  But something.
It wasn’t long after that when the door to the bar opened and a young man entered.  He was tall with thick black hair and a lean build.  He held himself well though and the well-tailored suit only helped exude more confidence.  Or perhaps it was the woman at his side.  She was shorter, lean, and had long bone white hair that curled in loose waves.  Her golden eyes examined the bar with amusement.  
“Dorian!” 
Slipping out of her stool, Rowan’s once companion, ran over to the man with surprising agility for how much she’d been drinking the past hour.
“Are you kidding me?” Dorian groaned as he caught the woman. “I thought you were with Sam.”
“Nope,” the woman popped the “p” with a loud smack of her lips and giggled. “But I found another broody man to keep me company instead.”
The woman cast a bright, beaming look over her shoulder to Rowan.  And in all honesty, he didn’t know what to make of it.
The man, Dorian cursed, and passed the tipsy blonde over to his companion who rolled her eyes and said something softly to the other woman.
Dorian approached the bar and pulled out his wallet and handed Rowan several bills.  More than enough to cover the drinks and a tip.
Rowan glanced at Dorian more than ready to tell him off for whatever statement he wanted to make in front of the women.
“Thanks for letting her in,” Dorian said, his voice soft.  There was such sincerity in his words, that Rowan accepted the cash without realizing what he was doing. “And making sure she was safe.”
Rowan shrugged. “I was about to call a cab.”
“Still,” Dorian said.  He knocked his fist on the bar and backed away. “You’re a hopeless drunk Galathynis.”
“It fits, seeing as how I have a hopeless fiancé,” the blonde replied.  She paused. “Ex-fiancé.”
The doors of the bar shut behind them as they left and Rowan followed after making sure to lock up.  It had been a long night and he had no idea what to make of the woman who’d just left.
#
Once on a dare, Rowan shaved his head.  He’d been drunk when he actually did the deed because being sober for the event was not an option. His fiancée had asked him to shave his head for her.  No.  That was a lie.  She would have never asked him to do that for her.  But he knew he should have.  She would have loved it.
Two years after, Rowan still kept his head shaved. 
If pestered about it, Rowan would just say it was easier and more manageable this way. Anything to get out of mentioning Lyria. Anything to get out of thinking back on her.
When he saw the woman from the bar next it was at the bar.  At a decent hour this time.  
Well as decent as the hours could be for a grunge bar such as The Cadre.
It was nearing ten o’clock on a weekend and all the usuals were there.  Rowan expected it to be another regular night without anything exciting happening.
But then he spotted the woman with golden hair and distracting eyes come in.  She was alone, again.  But this time she wasn’t in a black dress with her hair perfectly braided in that crown along the top of her head.  Tonight, she wore black leggings and a long flannel shirt over a white t-shirt.  Her blonde hair hung in loose curls down her back.
And again—damn him—Rowan about found himself speechless.  It wasn’t something he was used to.  Not since Lyria.
“Well, if it isn’t the Buzzard,” crooned the blonde as she sidled up to the bar. 
“Are you going to drink me out of tequila again?” Rowan asked warily.
She flashed him a grin.  Yes.  She probably would.
Because Rowan had learned a long time ago how to read that grin.  Ferocious and cold.  The kind of grin that would take no prisoners and show no mercy.
As she ordered her drink, Rowan quickly became distracted by the late-night rush.  A college game had just finished up and post-drinking was required.  Not to mention it was the middle of the summer and everyone seemed desperate for escape.  Even to a place like the Cadre.
And still, all through the night, Rowan found his gaze wandering to the end of the bar where the woman had set up.  She spent her time nursing a drink, taking shots, and declining any offers to join anyone. 
“You’ve been staring at that woman all night,” Lorcan said, coming up beside Rowan.  The broad-shouldered man edged a palette of clean glasses onto the bar and began putting them away.
Rowan grunted and looked distinctly away from her.  He threw a towel on his shoulder and sidled past his friend to grab a new bottle of vodka from a shelf behind him.  Lorcan rolled his eyes but said nothing.  Nothing until the woman changed seats and came to an open space near the center of the bar.
She leaned against the bar and examined both men.
“Well you both seem to be enjoying your night,” she said dryly. 
“It’s a Saturday with a bar of grumpy old bastards,” Rowan replied.  Lorcan snorted back a laugh.  Whether in agreement or making a statement, Rowan wasn’t sure.  Either way, he’d make sure to punch his friend later.
“Then you’re right among friends,” the woman said.  She looked so serious as she said it that Rowan almost missed the sarcasm lacing her words.
It was Lorcan who laughed first and helped himself to a tequila shot before pouring one for the blonde.  She offered him a silent toast and downed the drink.
“I’ll get you another drink in a minute,” Rowan told her.  He still had to finish a few orders for another table of some ass-hat executives at a table near the back corner.
“Okay,” she said.
And then she was swiping cherries.  Again.  Perhaps it was Rowan’s fault for leaving the container up on the bar.  Rowan narrowed his eyes at her.  She smiled; her lips stained with that saccharine syrup.
She said nothing else, but leaned against the bar with nonchalance and yet her eyes seemed glazed over as she watched people slowly filter out.  It wasn’t that late, barely past midnight and a Thursday.  Yet as the hype simmered out from the baseball game, the bar still remained busy.  
As she nursed her second drink--despite the gleam in her eyes at the start of the night, she’d paced herself very well—the woman finally accepted a glass of water.
“I do not need any food,” she told him after he’d asked again.  Her lip curled a moment. “Unless you have cake.”
“Cake?”
“Cake.”
Rowan stared at her.  She puckered her lips.
“No,” he said slowly, “no cake.”
“Then no food.”
“You’re just going to sit here and drink all night?” Rowan asked.
“I’m in good company.”  She turned those brilliant eyes on him and for a moment Rowan felt as though he were staring through the universe as it collapsed in on him and he were left bereft in that unknown sea.
And then she blinked.
“Besides, it’s not like there’s anyone waiting up for me.” She threw a cherry stem down on the bar with a scowled. “Sorry, I’m sure you love hearing about everyone else’s problems.”
Rowan shrugged indifferently, even as she leaned forward on her elbows to watch as he shook drinks for a couple a few spaces down.
“You’re the perfect bartender,” she declared, “you don’t talk, you’re surly, and that whole brooding bastard look is working really well.  And I could say anything and not even faze you, couldn’t I?”
“Nothing surprises me anymore,” Rowan said.  He delivered the drinks as he finished them and returned to find her with more swiped cherries while texting someone.
She quirked an eyebrow at him before finishing the last of her drink.  She slipped out of her stool with much more ease that he would have expected.
“I wonder if you have it worse or better than the rest of us,” she said, smiling around a cherry stem.
And that image of her imprinted its self in Rowans mind long after she left.
#
Maybe, Aelin realized, she had an addiction.  The kind that made no sense.  The kind that gripped her with nothing more than coincidences and overthinking.  One that didn’t even require her to consume anything other than the sight of one person.
And she did not like it.
She didn’t even know the bartenders name.  All she knew was that he worked practically all the time at the rundown bar down the street from her apartment.  It made sense that she’d never been there before.  Sam didn’t really like the bar scene after all.  Said it was just too much.  And Aelin had known that.  Hadn’t really minded it because they had other ways of spending time together.
But that damn bar was like a stain on her mind.  It would not leave her alone.
So yet again she found herself there.
Too late or too early, she didn’t know which.  What she did know was that she probably shouldn’t have gone to the bar.  It wasn’t anything more than the fact that she really should be sleeping.  Or pounding down Lysandra’s door demanding a last-minute slumber party and not taking no for an answer.
But here she was instead.
When he looked up and found her entering the bar, he gave her a trademark scowl.  Aelin told herself that there was softness to his eyes.  No brief flicker of joy.  Just a scowl.  Because she was a pain in the ass.  
His silvery blonde hair was styled to stay out of his eyes and Aelin found herself desirous to run her fingers through it and see it messed up from it’s usual grace.  He wore jeans and a non-descript black shirt.  The style, combined with the lighting of the bar made his green eyes all the more vibrant.
“If you’re here to swipe cherries you can leave now,” he said.
“Just as cheery as ever, eh Buzzard?” she said.
He gave her a glass of water and left her alone for a few minutes.  It wasn’t much longer until he came back and began slicing limes.
Aelin watched him work in silence.  Despite his large hands he handled the knife deftly and cut perfect slices.  Aline was tempted to ask him how he’d learned to handle a knife, but figured he’d make her drink more water.
“Can I get a real drink now?” she asked.
“No.”
She scowled at him. “Why not?”
“It’s nearly two in the morning.”
“So?”
He looked up and stared at her.  His pine green eyes were unreadable pools.  
Whatever he saw in her was enough for him to grab a glass and a bottle of whiskey.  He set the items before her silently.  
Of course, as soon as she got what she wanted she didn’t want it.
Again.
Aelin stared at the amber liquid in the carefully cut glass jar.
“Do you think we have multiple shots at happiness?” she asked.
The man grunted.
“You’re as interesting as your friend.”
“I’m not having a conversation with a drunk.”
“I’m not drunk,” Aelin said defensively.
“You’re in a bar at three in the morning,” he replied, “besides, I don’t do soul searching conversations.”
“Oh of course,” Aelin said, “because that would mean actually connecting with someone.  I forgot; men don’t do that.”
He scowled at her. “I barely know you.  Besides, I make it a general rule not to cross the bar like that.”
Aelin ran a finger over the rim of the empty glass, eyes still set on him.
“I’m hardly a stranger, I’m here often enough,” she said.
“And yet I don’t know your name,” he said.  He tilted his head just barely to the side and Aelin found that the angle exposed his collar bone.  Black ink swirled along his tanned skin.  She thought she recognized some of the symbols as Celt or some sort, but then he shifted again and her view was lost.  Which was highly disappointing.  He had nice skin.  
“You already act like you do,” she said, finger still gliding over the glass cup. “Princess.”
He snorted, unconvinced and rolled his eyes.  Aelin found herself grinning.  She didn’t know what it was, but she liked being able to make him break that stoic wall of his.
“Aelin,” she said finally. “My name’s Aelin.”
He blinked those glorious pine eyes at her.  When he said nothing, Aelin wondered if he would go back to ignoring her or whatever it was he did. 
“Rowan,” he murmured, eyes still fixed on her.
“Hello, Rowan,” she said, “now tell me.  What is your understanding of finding happiness?”
#
For reasons that she could not explain, Aelin found herself returning time and time again.  She pried information from Rowan like she was trying to pull lies from a faerie.  Impossible.
But how she tried.
She learned his last name was Whitethorn.  His tattoos were in fact Celt.  He co-owned the bar with a friend.  All of his friends worked at the bar at one point or another, one night or another.  He didn’t tell her what the tattoos meant—though Aelin had an idea of who they were about.  Based mostly on what Rowan didn’t say and how easily he avoided certain conversations.
She learned other things too.  He was left-handed.  He had a dimple on one cheek.  There was a freckle on his ear.  He knew the words to most of the 80’s songs that blared on the speakers.  He had secrets.  He wanted to believe in happiness for one.
And she wanted to know more.
“You jumped out of a two-story window?” She asked in disbelief one night
Throughout the summer when she wasn’t at work or handing out with her friends, this was where she was.  Far more often than she wanted to admit.  Especially the fact that being here around him made Aelin feel...safe.  And far better than that first night she had stumbled across this place.
“You would have done the same thing,” Rowan said.  His eyes were far too wide that Aelin couldn’t stop laughing despite the somewhat serious nature of his story. “I’m pretty sure my Aunt has murdered someone before.”
“So you thought it was a good idea to break into her house?” Aelin sputtered.  Tears of mirth were brimming in her eyes as she stared at him.
“I really didn’t want to streak through the college quad,” Rowan said with a grimace. “It was below freezing that night.”
Cackling loudly, Aelin took a slow sip of her plain orange juice.  It was ten in the morning and she wasn’t needed in work until after noon.  Oh the joys of a damned internship.  It was better than the old place, but certainly not as reliable. 
“Your turn,” Rowan said, pulling away from the bar as he grabbed a clean rag to give a general wipe down to everything. “Stupidest thing you’ve ever done?”
Aelin hummed. “I don’t know…”
He pointed a finger at her. “We had a deal.”
“Well when you put it that way,” Aelin drawled, a faint blush rising on her cheeks. “I accidentally started a brush fire out behind my house.”
“Now the question is if this happened years ago or last night,” Rowan mused.
“Buzzard,” she said. 
“Fireheart,” he replied.
She rolled her eyes at him as her phone buzzed with a text and her boss's name popped up on the screen.  Aelin sighed, knowing just what it would say.  “Well, as much as I enjoy telling you all my darkest secrets, they need me to go in early.”
“Told you the plain orange juice was the better idea,” Rowan said.
“A lot less fun,” she muttered and dug a few bills from her purse.  She met his eyes and smiled. “I’ll see you later.”
Her heart fluttered when he smiled, briefly, back.
#
When Rowan realized that Aelin was probably destined to never leave him alone, he resigned himself to that fact.
Really it wouldn’t be bad.
Not with her smile.  Her laugh.  Not with the insistence she had that he and Lorcan add chocolate cake to the bar menu or make the bar pet friendly.  Not bad at all when she would come simply to talk.  Simply to sit.  Simply to be.
Until one night she came in, far too close to closing.  It was too the point that Rowan had been about to lock up that she came up to the doors, reaching for the handle.  They stared at each other for far too long before Rowan let her in.
He said nothing as she made her way behind the bar and grabbed the vodka and went to her usual stool.  He said nothing as she took a swing, cursed, and drank again.
Despite everything that he knew about her--she was ambidextrous, her parents were dead, she loved playing the piano, she couldn’t her tongue--despite all of this he had never seen her like this.
This was different from that first night she came tumbling into his life, nearly six months ago now.
“I should be getting married,” she said after a third drink.
She set the vodka down heavily and leaned her head against the bar and sighed heavily.  Slowly, Rowan came to sit beside her.  The first time really that he had done so.  They usually spent their time separated by the bar with enough distance that he could keep his emotions at bay.  
Now, Rowan was far too close to her.  He could smell the lotion she used, smell the night on her, see tears in her eyes when she finally looked up.
“Or, I would already be married,” she amended.  “Married and on my way to Mexico, though I wanted to go to Ireland.  I’ve never been and I think I have family still out there, but going to Mexico would be cheaper and warmer.  But Ireland has the ocean too, and history, and…well it’s different.  Apparently too different.”
Her words stilled as her chest heaved from everything that came tumbling out in too quick in procession like a piano solo that raged out of control and now that she’s finally caught up to herself, she doesn’t know where to go.
So she looked at him.
“He broke off the engagement without really telling me why, other than it was too soon and too much and everything else he could think of.”
The tears rolled slowly down her cheeks and she looked away from him, out over the empty bar with its scuffed floor and mismatching furniture.  There was a bulb out over head that cast them in semi-shadows, enough that things feel quieter and gentler.
Rowan waited as she collected her words, her thoughts.  He waited and remembered all the questions she’d asked him in the past about broken promises and happiness and everything in between.  He wished he’d answered her sooner.
“Aelin,” he began slowly.
“Was I not worth it?” She whispered.  Her words were aimed at the empty space.  At the nothingness of the bar that reminded Rowan of how long the nights could get.  “Was I not worth the fear and change of it all?”
Between the wondering of how they came to this and the wondering why she trusted him with her fragile words, Rowan was convinced he would do something entirely too stupid for words.
But when her gaze returned to his, Rowan found he didn’t care.
So he reached out, cupping her cheek with one of his hands.  He could feel her tears on his skin and could feel how her chin trembled with restrained sobs.
“I thought, I thought,” she said.  Her voice was ragged, abused and the words fused together.  It was enough to make Rowan lean forward, enough for him to lean his forehead against hers.
They sat that way for a long time.  Long enough for Aelin to get a hold of her staggered breathing and reign in her thundering heart.
Rowan remained silent not wanting to disturb the silence that settled around them.  He ran his thumb across her cheek, catching all the tears that fell from her eyes.  Aelin didn’t reply immediately.  She merely closed her eyes and learned further into his touch.  The soft sigh that left her lips was almost Rowan’s undoing.  How long had it been?  Only a few months and he was already enthralled by her and the way she had held herself together for so long.
“Aelin.”
Her eyes fluttered open and Rowan was convinced she could have petrified him with that gaze.  The tears that lingered there only enhanced the gold rimming her pupils.  
For a moment, Rowan thought he had overstepped his bounds, had done something she wasn’t comfortable with.  Hell, he was just a bartender.  Did she even consider him to be a friend?  She probably didn’t even reciprocate the feelings that he had been developing for her.  He made to pull away when she snatched a hand up to hold his hand in place where it still rested against her cheek.
Rowan’s heart stuttered in his chest at the movement and continued to stutter the longer they remained there.  He wet his lips before speaking, knowing full well that it could potentially be a terrible idea.  She’d never talked about that first night she came in.  Never explained much about her ex-fiance or why they’d split up.  And Rowan never pried.  Mostly because he didn’t feel like it was his place.
“You’re worth all of it.  All of it and more.”
He watched as the words sunk in, as she slowly blinked.
“You barely know me,” she whispered.
“I know enough,” he answered honestly. “You have a heart of fire.  You’re strong.  Confident.  Unforgettable.”
Still clutching his hand, Aelin turned away from him, gnawing on her bottom lip.  When she looked back at him, Rowan could see uncertainty in her eyes.  The same uncertainty he felt in his own chest.
Rowan leaned forward, drawing closer to Aelin.  They were separated by mere centimeters.  All it would take was for Aelin to tilt her chin up and capture his lips with her own.
The uncertainty that had been in her eyes was wiped away with determination and she rose up to meet him with a firm press of her lips.  Rowan could still taste the vodka lingering on her mouth as she opened to him.
Her hands immediately went to his hair, pulling through the strands.  The touch sent a shiver of pleasure through him as his own hand wandered down her waist.  They didn’t break contact as they rose from their seats and in a fluid motion, Rowan lifted Aelin onto the bar top.
Aelin arched into him as Rowan explored the planes of her skin with his mouth.  There was something electrifying about this woman, about being so near her, kissing her.  And he would be perfectly willing to spend the rest of his life doing this.
When they finally broke apart, both out of breath, they touched foreheads and merely stared into each other’s eyes.
Until Aelin hummed, fingers threading through his hair again.
“You know, you should at least buy me a drink first, Buzzard,” she said.
Rowan chuckled lowly. “Whatever you say, Fireheart.”
 #
thanks for reading dears! my ask box is always open.  I’m probably going to try and bust out some holiday drabbles for the next two weeks then move on to my other updates.
tags: @tottenhamboys20 @morganofthewildfire  @aelinchocolatelover @more-espresso-less-depresso-xx  @aelinfeyreeleven945tbln @bamchickawowow@ladywitchling @ireallyshouldsleeprn @courtofjurdan
196 notes · View notes
kanene-yaaay · 3 years
Text
Tickle me, princey
Kanene’s note: This fic is basically: Virgil is a bratty Lee, Roman is a competitive Ler and none of them are going down without a fight xDD.
Warnings, fun facts, random things and stuff:
* Lee!Virgil and Ler!Roman (Kind of. Because there is almost no tickles here, just teasing). Human AU.
* Hmmm… This is a Tickle-Fanfic! If you don’t like this kind of stuff, please look for another blog, there are plenty of amazing art in this site!! ‘u’).
* This have about 2.500 words of Roman and Virgil just being teasy beans.  ‘w’)b.
* PLEASE CHECK THIS AMAZING ART! IT’S INCREDIBLEE! <33
* Sorry for any spelling, pontuation and grammar mistakes! I didn’t proofread that one very well, so I will probably be correcting a few things later. Any advice is always very, very welcome!
* A versão em português brasileiro irá ser escrita, ainda. Eu espero! Thankys for reading, my lollipops! Do something crazy today, take a good rest, be kind (especially with yourself) and drink water! Byeioo!~
                              [~*~]
Roman cleaned his hands on his jeans before stretching his back and sighing in relief when a small ‘pop’ came from it. The pal from the nearby library was a cool person – not that he would ever allow the other to hear this, because, damn, people who called Roman cocky definitely haven’t met them yet – but equally precise in get on his nerves with as few words as possible, even though the florist didn’t care that much as his dramatics discourses tried to convince everyone he did. 
Besides that, they was Patton’s friend and even more important, they made an accord with the Flower Shop’s owner and Roman was the one in charge to deliver their biweekly floral arrangement to the library’s decór. However, today Roman managed to win their discussion and therefore a couple of podcast episodes read by them (What? Their voice was quite nice!!).
Roman ignored the small ring of the door’s bell as he entered the Flower Shop, looking around to be sure there was no clients before taking his position behind the balcony, internally thanking how chill Patton was with his employees using phone during the shift as long there wasn’t no one near, especially as he unlocked his screen and a new notification popped in front of him.
Butterflies went immediately crazy on his stomach.
[Message from Panic! At Everywhere]
[P: Hey. So, are you still ok?]
Virgil kicked his blanket out of his bed, already feeling a tad of giddiness spread across his body, a small smirk finding its way to his face without him even realizing. Today was the day. Since when he and Roman talked on the last week about boundaries to be sure nothing had changed and decided Saturday as a good day for their session the one with purple hair couldn’t help but let his thoughts wander, picturing and re-picturing what would happen, even though Roman always insisted to never tell him his plans, wanting to keep everything as a surprise, which definitely didn’t help at all the excitement running on his veins.
Their session.
Their tickle session. It was only eleven in the morning and Virgil could already feel his skin tingle just by imagine Roman’s fingers grazing, dancing on it, carefully looking for all his weak spots both knew so well before coming with an entire new technique that would make the other (almost, barely, hardly) want to jump out of his skin so he could escape from the maddening tickly sensation.
He was going to love it. 
Also, it didn’t help that he spent the previous night and its following morning consuming all his favorite tickle content, dying on the spot (and on the reblogs) and skyrocketing his lee mood to the mountains.
Nevertheless, he tried to play nonchalant as answered the other’s new message.
[Message from Dumb(o)]
[D: Yes.]
[P: Cool.]
[D: You?]
[P: Yep.]
[D: Glad to know, Blushy Bug. Try to not alarm all of our neighborhood with your squeals and giggles before I get there, okay? ~
D: And yeah, plu-e-ase, continue with your so delightful tags on your reblogs, okay, Tickle me Emo? I’m learning so much new information with that. If only I would have an opportunity to use all of them today…]
Virgil snorted, one hand trying to hide his face as he attempted with all his might to ignore the flames taking over his cheeks as the teases sank and the memories from the day he conquered this nickname emerged from the deeps of his mind. So, Princey was already so over his head with being the ler this time? Thinking Virgil would be hiding his face on the pillow, squeaking and tittering helpless? Well, he would have a big storm coming, then.
Virgil got up, his footsteps leading him to the clean desk in the room, moving some of the objects so carefully chosen in order to get the perfect picture. Every single makeup  brush lined, gleaming under the lens of his camera, away enough so the viewer would be able to realize all their individualities but close enough to create an impact. 
Two can play this game.
[Panic! At Everywhere sent an image]
Roman clicked on it, eyes going immediately wide as he quickly slammed the cellphone’s screen on his red apron, his gaze running from a place to another to be sure no one was near or had seen the conversation or noticed the way his smile went from an ear to another.
[P: Nah. I’m too occupied choosing the perfect tools for today… I mean, there are just so many options, ya know? I especially prefer the smallest ones, their bristles softly running on my ribs, tracing their way across my tummy to get to the other side… yeah. That is the good stuff. Or maybe we could be experimenting the biggest ones today, letting them tease that spot right under my chin, the softness engulfing all the nerves… ]
Roman took a deep breath, realizing the other still typing.
[P: Anyway, don’t make a big deal of this, ‘kay? I know your imagination can be very fertile but try to not alert Patton with all your blush and twitching. You know he is a curious guy and will want to know why you’re so smiley. ;)]
    “Pai amado, (Dear God) he is going to kill me.” Roman crossed his arms, using all his will to no start wiggling them to nothing, a sudden urge to sing some nursery rhymes making him begin to humming quietly as attempted to gather enough concentration to type a proper, cool reply.
[D: Is that so? So, the big, badass Virgil Storm is excited to get all his tickly-tickle-tickles today? Is he excited to become a so helpless, so adorable mess of giggles and squeaks? To be teased and tickled until he can do nothing but give me those lovely snorts and wiggly-wiggles? ~
Awww. So cute. ~]
[P: Yeah, I am. So what? Wanna do something about that, Sir Sing a Lot? 
Ops, I forgot you’re at work rn. Tsc. Such a pity. Well, guess I will have to kill some time by looking at your precious collection of feathers, see if I find something interesting there.]
[D: You just wait for when I get home.]
[P: :)]
Virgil laid his phone at his side, hiding his face on the mattress, kicking just like he was some teenager in love from those generic movies. The squeals bubbled out from his lips, smiles blooming. He knew he probably was just digging his own grave, but, ha, as if he would fall without a fight. Plus, imagining Roman trying at every cost to keep a straight expression while reading his texts and then struggling to continue his work just as if nothing had happened, with that cute, excited smile planted on his face made a proud wave of power – and joy - hit him and that was a bonus which was worth it. 
Then his phone vibrated, indicating a new notification and a new flood of shivers as he unlocked his screen, freezing for a couple of heartbeats with the length of the message.  
[D: A poem for my dear Knightmare. ~
Once upon a time
There was a wiggley-wiggly lee
That just a few pokes
Made him giggle with glee
Some scribbles here
Some scratches there
You can tickle-tickle
He is ticklish everywhere!
What, you don’t believe me?
‘That much cute he can’t be!’
Well, then allow me to demonstrate
All the beautiful sounds he can create!
Give a few prodding on his ribs
And a quick digging on his hips
Some brushes on his toesies and feet
And don’t forget about these helpless pits!
(And hey, psst, if you squeeze his sides
The cutie, squeaky, wiggly lee,
Will be squealing in a happy delight)
This neck is also asking for tickly-kisses 
He always denies, always desire
Add to that some teasy whispers
And watch his cheeks be set on fire!
Once upon a time
There was a bratty, smug lee
That just a few tickle teases
Can make him a blushy mess
Just like now, you see!]
[…]
“Have a nice day. Thank you for coming!”
Roman waved to the client who got out from the Flower Shop, taming the smugness which threatened to take over his features as he realized that even though an hour had passed, no answer to his last text had arrived yet. He was perfectly aware of how weak Virgil was for any sort of rhymed tease and a whole poem – not his best, he had to admit – dedicated to him? He could almost see the other shrieking, hiding his red face on the pillow, lost in a mess of quiet peals of laughter and curses. His smile got even bigger, swelled in pride. And, well, if he couldn’t help it but push his luck a few inches further, his fingers already halfway to typing a small, itsy bitsy, new tease to his favorite emo lee, how could someone really blame him?
[D: Oh, sorry. Did I make the scary Virgil too much flustered to talk? Awww, I will miss your sassy remarks deeply and sing a ballad in your honor at the funeral. ~] 
He snorted at the amount of time the symbol of ‘typing’ appeared and disappeared on the conversation, using the ten minutes he took to be answered to organize a few sales signs on the glass in front of the store, gaining a dance on his step as the one-worded sentence shone on his phone.
[P: Bitch.]
[D: I have no idea of what you’re talking about. Is that something I said? I feel wounded.]
But a new thing popped up.
[Panic! At Everywhere sent a video]
[P: :)]
It seemed like hours passed, even if he knew the downloading probably didn’t really take more than a few pieces of minute for him to hit the play.
The focus of the camera took a few seconds to adjust, the image trembling and shaking before going still, the crystal clear form of a small light brown, slightly spiked feather twirling between Virgil’s index and thumb locking his eyes on the screen. A quick, quiet sigh could be heard before the tickle tool descended to the palm extended on a desk, stopping by Virgil’s pulse.
The bristles grazed the skin there as the feather began to move on slow strokes, going from the left to the right, left and right, left and right… calmly making its way up, changing to small swirls as it contorted the form of the hand, giving to each finger a light tracing before concentrating on the palm, drawing a spiral which approximated inch by inch to the center. If Roman wasn’t so quiet, - even holding his breath, - maybe he wouldn’t be able to listen the incredibly low, contained huffs of laughter on the background, a soft snort escaping and making both hands tremble as the bristles hit the center of his hand, dancing around the spot for a bit. 
When it stopped, the tool was placed on the desk and then the camera started to move, stopping on Roman’s so very well-known golden with silver details box. Its lid laid next to it, letting its entire content to be proudly shown. The explosion of colors from the most diverse large, small, pointy, fluffy feathers took over the frame, however, a tiny piece of paper placed on the exact center of them was what captured his attention. The lens zoomed and focused, making him able to read the quick message written there.
“:)”
And then the screen went black. The video was over. 
Roman could feel his face being almost split in half by his grin, his fingers hitting the table top in complete frenzy since they hadn’t to hold the device anymore, curling and uncurling as the one who couldn’t just stay still started to bounce his right leg, ignoring the redness he felt crippling down his neck.
“Roman?”
He fully shrieked. Both him and Patton startled and jumped a few centimeters in the air with the sudden sound. The florist slapping his own hand on his mouth, trying with all his inner strength to stop the bubbly giggles which flooded non stop from his lips
“Sorry for the scare, kiddo,” the shine on his eyes free of any guilt as Patton bit his own knuckles proved the contrary, especially when the rest of an awed squeal escaped from his lips, only making the other to giggle harder, eyes closed, blush deepening and nose scrunched. “Aww, your giggles are so cute!” 
“Shuhuhush!!” The Flower Shop owner just smiled fondly, withholding his comments and patiently waiting for the other to recompose himself. When Roman looked at least a tad calmer he decided to make his decision to talk to him clear.
“I’m glad you’re in a good mood, Ro! I just wanted to remember today’s shift is already over. I need a bit of time to organize everything before the painter comes so we can discuss the new design of the Flower Shop. Thank you so much for the ideas, by the way! I can’t wait for you all to see the result! It will be so pretty!!” Roman’s wide eyes were enough of an explanation of why he wasn’t ready to go yet, probably having forgotten about their last month conversation. Although, the surprised look was away in an instant, a shine taking over his glare before he softened, locking his eyes with Patton.
“Of course, it will be, Patty-cake! With my magnificent ideas and your good taste, I really don’t think any other result besides wonderful and perfection will be possible!” He squeezed Patton’s cheeks and his friend stuck out his tongue at him, winning a quick poke on his ribs that made him squirms and yelp, quickly tittering and waving the other with his hands.
“Now shoo-shoo, go enjoy your afternoon!”
A devious smirk gleamed on Roman’s expression for a second. “You can count on it, Padre.” But then it was gone as quickly as it appeared. “Thank you, my mighty hero in a shiny armor! May the universe let our destiny align again in the future.”
“See ya, kiddo!” He replied, his tune also full of joy, watching the one with red hair going away, a happy bounce on his steps.
[…]
Virgil picked the phone in the first ring. “Roman, something happened?”
“Nope,” the purple lover sighed in relief, all the tension getting out of his body and being replaced by confusion, “nothing happened except that a handsome, incredible someone got out from his work earlier than expected and might be heading his home by now.”
That made Virgil shot up, biting his lower lip, butterflies freaking out. “No.” It was his whisper.
“Oh, yes. ~” Roman practically purred on the speaker. “any last words, my dear, defenseless Giggly Storm?”
Virgil just giggled and Roman had almost forgotten how that sound only was enough to spread an explosion of a warm, good feeling on his chest. “Aw, and here I was thinking I would have at least some challenge today. ~” He continued to tease.
Silence. 
“Go check your messages, Princeypie.”
And then he hung up. Roman fondly rolled his eyes, running to check the new notification on their conversation.
[Panic! At Everywhere sent a photo]
It was Virgil, sitting on his bed criss crossed, one elbow resting on his thigh as he took the picture on the body mirror on the other side of the room, a strong blush very visible on his face half hidden by the device, wearing a short and Roman’s red crop top. A new message popped right under the photo.
[P: Get your butt here and tickle me, Sir Sing a Lot.’]
This emo was going to be the death of him.
[D: Aww, I don’t even get a smile?]
[P: You gotta work for those, Princey.]
Virgil definitely did not jump nor yelp as he heard the low, dangerous tune of an “evil” laughter echoes in the house coming from the living room, the sound of the front door being closed making his flight instincts kick in.
“Oh, don’t worry.” Virgil was already halfway to the most far away room where he could escape, trying to keep his reputation as he heard another set of footsteps quickly getting ground and following right behind him. Laughter and squeaks mixed in the air.
“Because I will.” Roman answered.
109 notes · View notes
Text
Sam Winchester: it's cold outside
Tumblr media
Pairing: Sam W. x Fem!Reader
Pov: Sam
Warnings: Fluff, cuteness, Christmas themes, snowing outside, comfy spots,
Summary: Opening Christmas gifts. AU! Sam and Y/n realize they both got each other the same gifts. They also watch the snowfall. maybe a proposal
Word Count: 2k
A/N: This is the second to the last writing challenge I have to complete. I'm so happy and sad that this challenge is almost over.
Square: Fluffy Jumpers
Sam Winchester Master List
Main Master list
Taglist: @sweetdetectivequeen @band--psycho @wonderfulworldofwinchester
Tumblr media
The snow outside was starting to cover the porch. it was just barely six am, rolling over I grabbed y/n. she moaned slightly into me as I shifted her into my grasp. Y/n felt so warm around my arms she eventually got comfortable around my grasp.
Seven am the digital clock said, the sun was just baby peeking over the horizon yet. This was the first winter, the first Christmas that Y/n and I would be spending together fully alone. So in technical terms, this is our third Christmas together.
She moaned again as she shifted in my arms the morning sun just not bright enough to fully wake her from her dreams, or even her sleep. slipping from her grasp I snuck from our bed and down stairs.
Having hidden a few presents in the closet away from sneaking eye, such as Y/n. I had noticed the last two years Y/n always no matter what has to sneak a peak.
This year I most definitely did not need y/n snooping around my gifts. Bringing them in from the closet I tried my hardest to place the gifts in empty spots under the Christmas tree.
After doing so, I got to work on breakfast. Seeing as I was the better cook between the two of us. I made hot chocolate and coffee because Y/n was mostly going to sleep till dawn I needed something to wake her up even it was Christmas morning. I turned on Christmas music just something low, but sweet enough to in have in the background.
You know what's funny to me, as a child as kids who believe in a magical person who deliveries present. I remember my older brother Dean beating me at waking up every single Christmas morning. My mother and father would come in hours later and tell us that Santa had come. Dean would beat me down the stairs and always had so much energy, but our parents never seemed against it.
It's funny the little memories you hold on to even twenty-plus years later. The deal between Y/n and I was so. The first year we would visit her family up in Utah and the following year we could visit mine in Kansas.
Eight am and Y/n is still not awake. Alright try for plan two, I walked my way up the stairs with a cup of coffee and a bowl of fruit. nothing too heavy seeing as she is just going to wake up.
Walking in through the open doorway. I was met with a beautiful moment, or whatever you want to call it. Y/n was curled up into my pillow tightly hugging it, the blinds that had been left open the night before for the moon's bright beam to cast in were instead the bright sun casting in. It cascaded over her face, down her arms, beaming down slightly onto the skin on her leg.
I quietly set down her cup of coffee and the bowl of fruit grabbing my phone from the back pocket of my flannel pants. Snapping one or two or maybe five pictures of her. In moments like this, a picture is really worth a thousand words.
Throwing my phone back into my back pocket. I walked over to Y/n quietly and gently tried shaking her awake. "My love wakes up," I spoke gently in her forehead kissing it a few times. "My love it Christmas" She didn't budge her grasp on my fluffy pillow only tightening.
"My love I have coffee for you, and I made breakfast." I tried saying a bit louder and more clear. She moved eventually after I spent ten minutes of my morning caressing her arms, her forehead, and brushing through her hair with my hands.
"My dear, it almost nine in the morning," I said pushing the coffee closer to her on the side table in our bedroom. She moaned and groaned as she shifted and was just barely awake. "Good Morning my love," I said gently as I didn't want to bombard Y/n with too much in the morning.
She stretched and reached towards me. "Mornin' Sammy!" Y/n said. I moved out of her way, she swang her legs over the edge of our bed and set her feet into the slippers.
"Coffee?" I asked her, she hummed in response and took the hot cup out of my hands. Y/n hair was wrapped in these odd color things, but according to Y/n, it was to curl her hair in her sleep especially when her hair was wet.
The odd things that women did for their beauty routines. She sipped at the coffee, her head resting on my shoulder. "It snowed last night baby," I spoke as she got up and walked towards the window.
I could write you a dictionary size book of things that I love about Y/n, and that right there, this moment was another I'd have to add to that book.
Nine am. Y/n in the shower, after finishing her coffee and bringing her hidden gifts out and doing the same as I. I worked on dinner ham, muffins for the hell of it. Things I knew that Y/n had fallen in love with when we visited my parents, and of course there were meals that I wanted to desperately try that we had in Utah with Y/ns family.
Ten am. Y/n was done with her shower and currently finishing up her makeup. I slipped upstairs noticing cozy outfits laid out on our now made bed. One for her and me. I made my way into the bathroom, Y/n wrapped in her towel and applying a bit of everything that was laid out against the shared sink space.
I came in and wrapped my hands around her waist. She leaned her head into my shoulder as I kissed her jawbone and her neck. Whispering into her ear, "Merry Christmas, baby." I said unclasping her from my grip, stripping off my pants and tank top.
The hot water ran down my back as I remembered that today I'm asking Y/n the forever question. Last Christmas I had even asked her father for the mission to marry his daughter. Even if he said no, I'm pretty sure his wife would have smacked him and told me 'yes you may, honey'.
Eleven am. I was finished with my shower, Y/n was done with her light makeup. We were both wearing our matching outfits. We made our way downstairs, y/n slipped her phone from her hand and into mine. "Let's take a few pictures, I want to send a few to our parents, and of course Dean," Y/n said as she began to smile awaiting for me to raise the phone in my hands, and up above us.
She never needed makeup, and I made sure to tell her of that every day, or at least every time I saw her with makeup on. "You look beautiful baby, but you don't need the makeup, because I love you just the way you are. And you, you as your wholesome self in more than enough for me." I said as we looked through the pictures.
Y/n started sending off pictures to people, the cute ones were sent to our parents, the one where we were kissing she posted on one of her social media accounts. The last few ones when we made funny faces she sent to Dean.
If I ever lost her, I think I'd lose my mind. Absolute go crazy, not saying she keeps me from going crazy, she's just the love of my life, and I simply wouldn't know what to do with myself if she was suddenly gone.
Twelve pm. "Come on Sammy! Let's open gifts please!" Y/n says jumping all over the living room. I hummed and sat down on the couch. Y/n pulled a few of my gifts out and grabbed hers. Handing a few small ones and a few bigs ones.
Books, cooking books, a photo album, a few other silly little things, but she still had one box for me. "Here open these honey," I said handing her a few boxes that were wrapped in reindeer wrapping paper. She gushed over the paper and then tore into the gifts.
I too had grabbed her books, a few things from the craft store, and literally anything else she had hinted to during the year. A new necklace because the other was tarnished, a subscription to amazon prime because she has a tendency to buy a lot of things.
She smiled having a few tears in the cusp of her eyes. She rushed up from the floor and jumped into my lap, "Thank you, baby! So much!" I wrapped my hands around her waist to keep her in my lap. She was kissing up a storm on my face, missing either on purpose or accidentally my lips.
We stayed like this for a few moments. Just kissing each other, staying in the moment forever. The kissing wasn't harsh or teeth rode. It was sweet and slow, her lips against mine. Moments like this I memorized her shape and the way her lips tasted against mine.
She rested her head against my chest, and we stayed like this for a few, before she got up and noticed that we both two boxes left. "What do you think we can open them up at the same time?!" So we did, opening them and holding the cute jumpers up in the air at the same time. I could barely see Y/ns eyes over the jumper, then noticed something very cute, and funny.
"Y/n, sweetheart?" I asked she hummed in response. "did.. we got the same gift for each other I think." I said finally I could see Y/n's eyes. She gasped and then giggled. There are other things I'd add to that dictionary, or the book, or whatever.
She giggled and got up running towards the bathroom. "I'm going to go try this on Sammy!"She screamed as she slipped down our hardwood floor and into the bathroom. I went and found the box, the box that had the simple ring it, a set of three diamonds on a gold band.
I heard the clasp of the door open, and then Y/n started talking, on one knee I stayed until Y/n noticed I wasn't answering her back. She looked down at me, then at my hands. Back the jumpers that I was also wearing, "You look cute in your jumper love, so I have a whole speech planned out here. I.. umm... I have spent a large portion of my life loving you from afar, then I got you and I could love you up close you are mine, but I want to be able to wake up next to you forever, I want to continue to make you giggle and laugh, smile at the little things I say to you. I so desperately want to be the father of your kids, have more Christmas like this, so I guess what I'm asking you is simple. Will you Y/n L/n marry me?" I asked her.
No moments of silence she was down on the floor with me, kissing my face repeating 'yes' over and over again. "A hundred times yes, thousand times yes. God, I love you, Winchester. "She said as I slipped the three stones onto her finger.
We kissed again but this just felt different, maybe it was because she wasn't just a girlfriend anymore she is the rest of my life, she's my forever. She is my Mrs. Winchester.
We broke from our kiss, she grabbed her phone and took a picture of course of her hand and then one of us again for the second time. Sending it off yet again. She was happy, and that's all I have ever wanted for her.
Tumblr media
Completed on: 05/28/2021
Posted on: 05/28/2021
43 notes · View notes
gravelyhumerus · 4 years
Text
Criminal Minds College AU - Chapter 7
Title: “I may just take your breath away”
Relationship: Jemily
Summary:
Hallowe’en chaos.
Slow-burn Jemily college AU where they live across the hall and despite all odds, the universe pushes them together. AKA they’re silly gay babies who pine after each other for months.
Read it on AO3
Tumblr:  One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, (bonus scene), Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Epilogue
After trivia night, Emily Prentiss found her world had shifted slightly. 
For the first time in her life, she had a friend group: a consistent presence of not only just Derek and the occasional Hotch, but also Spencer Reid, Penelope Garcia and most importantly, Jennifer Jareau. 
Emily noticed it most in the dining hall. Most mornings this semester, she would grab coffee and maybe an apple on her way to class. Now, she was invited to breakfast in the caf. And everyone was also invited, so the six of them began eating not only breakfasts together when their schedules lined up, but soon that melded to include dinners and the odd lunch between classes. While Penelope initiated at the beginning, soon this became a routine. 
While they were all busy, and driven people, all with full course loads, extracurriculars and miscellaneous commitments, they managed to get the whole team together multiple times that week. 
A few times, extra faces joined them. Penelope’s friend from class, Kevin… something, joined for a lunch on Wednesday. He sat shyly as Derek stared him down the entire time. On Thursday, somehow Hotch convinced their Criminology TA, David Rossi, who was part time Masters Student and part time weed dealer, to have lunch with the bribe of them using their guest pass so he could get a free meal. He reluctantly acquiesced, but seemed to enjoy himself. On Friday, the day before Halloween, Emily brought Tara Lewis, the MC from the Trivia night that was two years ahead of her in criminology, they ran into each other in the quad, recognizing each other. This open door policy made these dinners fun, with new faces alongside their team.
This was all new for Emily. Not having friends, that is, because Emily could always muddle along with some friends, and when she was younger she shaped herself easily into whatever the popular kids wanted her to be. No, it was new because it was so easy. The team, as they now called themselves as a shorthand, had fallen together so effortlessly. 
Today was Halloween and they had plans at Dave’s student house, the shabby place that she had ran into JJ, Penelope and Spencer all that time ago. Had it only been a month? She felt like she had known them all for lifetimes by now. 
It happened that way with Derek last year, the whole living together thing sped up that connection. Intimacy comes fast when you brush your teeth next to someone. 
Emily was sitting at her desk, finishing up her makeup. She was aiming for a vampire, which wasn’t hard given her previous fashion aesthetic. 
Yes, Emily did have a goth phase. She will admit it. Not to her new friends just yet, and Derek had been sworn to secrecy. She was now a much more toned down goth, more alt than goth, wearing mostly black but significantly less chains and make up. 
Tonight, she wore her fishnets, a short black dress and a cape that was already tied around her shoulders. She had put a slightly too pale foundation on her face, down her neck, and was currently working on her eye liner. She carefully created elegant swoops over her lashes, coming to sharp points. 
Next, she added a deep red lipstick. Blood red. It was all very spooky. 
Finally, she struggled to test out the fake teeth insert that she had ordered online, slipping it over her top teeth. It fit surprisingly well. 
“Happy Halloween,” she said to herself, testing out whether or not she had a lisp. She did. She didn’t care. It was perfect. 
Emily did a couple of spins in the mirror on the back of the door. Turning off the overhead light, she looked at herself in the glowing light of her string lights. 
She was satisfied. She looked like a hot vampire. 
She grabbed her tote bag, which was filled with six miscellaneous beers and coolers that she had leftover from the last few weeks, knowing that she hated the cheap hoppy beer that Rossi would have at his party. 
Emily was picky about her alcohol.
She glanced out the window, considering taking an extra layer. It was dreary outside, with the sky an eerie green and powerful gusts of wind rattling the window. Emily grabbed her leather jacket. 
Hoisting her bag onto her shoulder and draping her coat over her arm, Emily peeked out of her door, looking out into the hall. In both directions were students in costume; she spotted a Frankenstein, a couple of cats and even someone dressed up in an inflatable t-Rex suit. 
She made sure her door was locked and then walked down the hall to Derek’s room, who was at the very end of the hall, as he had lucked out and got a massive room with lots of windows, across from the showers. 
She opened the door, finding just about all of their friends already there, sneakily drinking out of mugs, cups and water bottles. 
Reid was a zombie, wearing tattered, bloody clothes and a full face of makeup that Emily assumed that Penelope did for him. Sitting next to his computer, queueing music for their pre, was Derek, dressed in a baseball jersey and hat, apparently as a baseball player. This was expected, he wasn’t big on Halloween. Hotch was… a devil? He wore all black and simply had devil horns on his head. Low commitment but the spirit was there. 
Emily hoisted herself onto Derek’s bed and greeted her friends. 
Spencer was sneaking up behind Derek, peeking his head over his shoulder. Derek, at that moment, seemed to be texting, squinting down at his phone. 
“I’m going to eat you!” Spencer yelled into Derek’s ear, causing the larger man to jump to his feet, swatting at the boy in his fright. 
Emily laughed at her friend’s distress. He really didn’t like Halloween that much. 
“Are you ready for a spooktacular evening?” Spence asked, making his voice wobbly as he put on a dramatic effect. He shone an orange, pumpkin patterned flashlight under his chin.
“Of course,” Emily lisped, “In fact, I vant to drink your blood!”
She lunged forward, and Spencer hid from her behind Derek. It was silly but she could tell how much he liked Halloween, he had talked about it all week, and she couldn’t help but adopt a lispy vampire voice to go with her costume. Though the boy was only two year younger than them, his thin frame and wide eyed expression made him seem much younger. 
“Your teeth are excellent,” Spencer pointed out, “Very realistic.”
“I don’t get the hype about Halloween,” Derek said, “Disguises? Pass. Horror movies? No thank you.”
“Booooooo,” Emily protested, “Don’t be a buzzkill, Morgan. Let us have a little fun.”
The door opened again, and Penelope, followed by JJ, joined them. 
“Is my statuesque god of sculpted chocolate thunder being lame again?”
“He barely dressed up,” Emily complained.
“Neither did Hotch!” Derek said, gesturing to Hotch’s devil horns. 
“Hey, at least I bought these at the party store,” Hotch said, “I’m sure both of those are items from your own closet.”
Derek did not confirm or deny this. Emily knew he wore the same get up last year.
“So when should we be there?” JJ asked.
She was dressed as a witch, with an oversized pointy hat perched on top of her head, her blonde hair falling around her shoulders in perfect curls. She wore a purple dress and tall boots to go with her witch look. She and Penelope joined Spencer on the floor, sitting with their backs to Derek’s closet and cracking open a beer for JJ and a fruity cooler for Penelope. 
With large wings, glittery make up and an adorable skirt, Penelope was clearly dressed up as a fairy, which was entirely apropos to who she was as a person. In fact, it was not entirely dissimilar from her normal outfits. 
“Rossi said to come by eight,” Hotch said, “So in party talk he means nine-thirty earliest.”
“It’s, what?” Derek checked the time on his laptop, “Eight fifteen now, so we can pre here for an hour or so then start walking over.”
“Yeah,” Hotch said, “His house is just off campus.”
“The weather is crazy out,” Penelope said, looking out the window. The trees were swaying and the leaves were blowing everywhere.
“We could take a cab?” Emily offered, “I’d rather avoid getting leaves in my hair tonight.”
There were some nods, then they got back to preing, playing a few rounds of King’s Cup to ensure that all of them were sufficiently drunk before they left.
Morgan put on his new playlist, not “For The Boys (and emily)” this time, but one titled “Team Vibez” that Emily had seen him make during their lecture on Thursday. It had a lot of his normal songs, some top hits, but a few fun pop songs that Emily knew he added for Penelope, and even some classic rock for Hotch. 
At this point, Emily was feeling buzzed. She had two cans discarded in the bin, both hosting lipstick prints from her dark red vampire lips. 
JJ was currently chatting with Hotch about some student government scandal that was happening at the time. While politics gave Emily the heebie jeebies, she had reluctantly joined the Criminology Academic Society. It would give her a leg up on grad school applications, for one, and so far, even as a low-level member, she found she was actually making a difference for her classmates. This meant that Emily, despite her deepest urges to not touch political scandals with a ten foot pole, knew exactly what they were talking about.
As the two discussed the student politicians—there were some minor accusations of nepotism, embezzlement and coverups by the undergraduate executive—Emily looked at JJ. Her brows were furrowed in concentration and she was gesturing wildly with her hands as she talked about how badly they were handling their crisis communications. 
Suddenly, interrupting this discussion, their phones blasted out a siren, followed by a chorus of the same robot voice announcing an emergency alert.
“National Weather Service: TORNADO WARNING in this area until 10:15PM EST,” the robot announced, “Take shelter now in a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building.”
They looked at Derek’s three, large windows, and watched as large gusts of wind sent leaves barrelling down the street.
“If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris,” it continued. “Check media.”
Then, their phones went silent and Derek’s music continued unheeded. 
“A tornado?!” Penelope said, “Here?”
The window rattled. Derek stood up and hesitantly moved away from it. 
Penelope grabbed Derek’s computer, her hands moving in a flurry.
“Ok so,” she began, “from what I can gather from the good old Internet, we’re in a region of extreme winds and the meteorologists are thinking that funnel clouds and tornados are possible this evening.”
“So much for Halloween,” Spencer whined. 
“Party is definitely off,” Hotch said. “We should probably take shelter. Is there a basement here?”
“There’s the laundry room?” Emily said. 
Adrenaline started pulsing through her veins. She’d been through some severe weather before in her life but never a tornado, nor did she expect one. They were in the north east, nowhere near tornado Alley. 
They all stood, making a move for the basement, when the lights flickered once, twice, then shut off entirely. Rain begin to fall down, hard onto the windows, and the boom of thunder filled their ears. 
“Shit,” Emily said. “Anyone have a candle?”
 ---
Ten minutes later, the six of them were seated in a circle, on the strange carpeted floor of the laundry room, with the severe weather making the wind howl outside. Between JJ’s two candles, which were very against the rules, and Derek’s laptop screen, they had enough ambient light to see, but it was all very spooky. 
The room smelled damp and earthy, with a strange combination of laundry soaps and dryer sheets. They had to move a spare sock to form a circle around the candle. It looked very much like a séance, so that did fit the Halloween spirit. 
“Well,” Hotch said, “At least this is festive.”
Derek was still queuing his music, filling the silence with his DJ skills. 
“Aren’t you worried about your battery life?” JJ asked, “What if the power doesn’t come on in the morning.”
“Then I have a great excuse not to finish my essay,” Derek said with a shrug.
“Fair point.”
“Anyways,” Derek continued, “No sense giving up on our party. We have drinks, we have music and thanks to JJ we have illegal candles.”
“They’re not illegal!” She protested, “Simply very against res rules! I like lighting a candle while I study.”
“It’s lucky that there was no one left in res because of Halloween,” Emily said. “Or we would've had a bunch of party crashers.”
“This is better,” Penelope, “Team bonding!”
“What should we play?” Hotch said, “we don’t really have much to work with.”
“This is all very high school,” Penelope said, “A couple of kids, in a basement, sitting in a circle on the floor…”
“With a tornado tearing through our city…” Emily quipped. 
“Statistically speaking for this region we are more likely to experience dangerous winds rather than an actual tornado. Worst case is that fallen tree branches hit power lines, or fall onto houses or cars.”
“So you’re saying that we’re in the worst case scenario right now?” Hotch said. 
“Yup.”
Hotch frowned. 
“How about we play truth or dare?” Penelope changed the subject.
“I’m down,” Emily said, surprising herself. “If everyone else is.”
“I’ve never played!” Spencer said.
“Never?” JJ asked. “Not at any sleepovers.”
“I didn’t get invited to many sleepovers.”
“Neither did I,” Emily admitted, “Some parties I went to played it too.”
JJ looked at her, there was a brief look of sympathy, and then understanding on her face. Emily made note of that. 
“I guess we’re playing,” Hotch murmured. 
“Derek,” Penelope purred, “Mon cher, truth or dare?”
“Truth,” he said defiantly, bracing himself with a swig of whatever was in his water bottle.
“Who is the prettiest fairy in the basement?”
“You, of course,” he replied with a wink. 
“Gross!” Emily exclaimed, “Truth or dare is not for flirting. Hotch: truth or dare?”
“Dare,” he said with a quirk of his eyebrow. 
“Show us the… most embarrassing photo of you on your phone.” 
He frowned. 
“I don’t take many photos.”
“Try,” Emily urged with a laugh. 
He fumbled in his pockets, grabbing his phone and scrolling through his photo album for a few minutes. 
“It’s from high school,” Hotch said with a sigh. “I was in a play.”
He held up a photo of him in a pirates outfit, he looked smaller, younger than he did now. His hair was shaggy and his face rounder. He was pointing the sword at the camera. 
“Who’s the girl?” JJ asked. 
“My girlfriend Hayley,” Hotch said, “we’re long distance now. I joined the play to get close to her and it seems to have worked.”
“That’s not embarrassing,” Penelope said, “that’s adorable. Try again.”
“Oh I have one!” Emily said, pulling up her Snapchat memories. She had a photo of him conked out in a lecture last year. His mouth was open and his head conked back, fast asleep in a dimly lit lecture hall. Emily had taken a series of these photos before waking him up. 
“Now that’s what i'm talking about,” Derek said. 
“How can you fall asleep during lecture?” Spencer asked in horror. 
Hotch shrugged. 
“I was tired, we had a game the night before,” Hotch said. “Morgan: Truth or dare?”
“Dare.”
“I don’t know any dares,” Hotch looked around for help. 
“He could play the tinder game?” Emily said. 
“What tinder game?” 
“Oh that’s a good one,” JJ said, “Derek opens tinder and we randomly tell him which way to swipe and see who he matches with.”
Derek groaned. Opening the app and placing it down onto the carpet. 
“Right!” JJ said to start. 
A match.  
“Left?” Hotch said, it came out more like a question. 
“Right,” Emily said. Another match. 
Left, right, left, right. New message from a recent match, left, right, right, right, right. Derek looked on in horror. 
“Ok I think he’s had enough,” Emily said with a laugh. 
“Derek it’s your turn,” Penelope said. 
Derek sighs in relief. 
“Uhhh, Pretty Boy,” he turned to Reid. Thinking for a moment. “Have you ever smoked before?”
“Smoked what? Cannabis, tobacco? Something else. Be specific.”
Emily’s jaw dropped. 
“I dunno man,” Derek said, “I was talking about weed but go off.” 
“I have.”
“How?” JJ said, “You’re like sixteen! I haven’t even smoked weed.”
“Me neither,” Penelope said, sounding outright disappointed. 
“I believe it,” Hotch said. “He has a Juul.”
“Seventeen now,” Spencer said. “Kids in my first degree found it funny when I performed actions that they deemed mature for my young age. 
“What?” Penelope said. “But you were sixteen last week.”
“It was my birthday on Wednesday,” he said. 
“And we missed it?” JJ asked.
Emily decided not to inform them that her birthday had been a few weeks back as well. 
“It’s no big deal,” Spencer said, “I don’t really do birthdays.”
“Well I do birthdays!” Penelope said, “and you’re getting one.”
Emily could see the gears turning in Penelope’s head.
“Wait you haven’t smoked weed?” Emily said. She didn’t mean to sound so surprised, but hell, it was college. 
“I’ve never been offered,” Penelope said with a shrug.
“You have a Juul, Spence?” JJ said. 
He shrugged. 
“Anyways,” Derek said with a laugh. “Reid it’s your turn to ask.”
And the game continued roughly the same for a few more rounds, with some truths, some dares, a lot of drinking and a fair amount of laughter. 
Emily learned that JJ likes some angry rock music when she’s upset, that Penelope has committed several federal crimes, that Reid used to coach basketball in high school, that Derek has been posing nude for art classes on campus for extra cash, and that Hotch has never successfully completed a word search in his life. 
The dares were limited, because frankly they were basically hiding out in a basement during what might actually be a tornado. Emily was dared to do an impression of Hotch, which wasn’t good and involved a lot of eyebrows and frowning. After, JJ was forced to leave her snapchat at Garcia’s mercy for the entire night. Other dares involved dancing, attempting gymnastics, and seeing whether or not Reid fit into the dryer. He did. 
The game finally had played out when it was Hotch’s turn again to ask. 
“JJ, what’s your greatest fear?” Hotch asked.
“Mr. Serious over here,” Derek said with a whistle. 
“Probably the woods,” JJ replied. 
“Why?” Spencer asked, tilting his head. 
JJ grabbed a candle, holding it under her chin much like Reid did earlier. 
“I used to be a camp counselor, when I was a teenager. In the woods up in Vermont.”
She leaned forward. Emily didn’t know she worked at a camp. It made sense. She pictured her in a camp t-shirt making a bracelet. It suited her. 
“I had the night shift. I tucked the girls in, turned off the lights. The typical drill. Everything seemed fine; all the kids were asleep. You know, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.”
Another dramatic pause, both Spencer and Derek had leaned in, invested in the story. 
“Until I noticed there was some blood, on the hallway floor. So, I followed the blood trail out to the camp director’s cabin, walked up to his bed and he was just lying there, underneath his covers. Dead!”
Penelope gasped. The room was silent.
“Someone stabbed him. I ran out of there so fast, out the door, down the hall. I just remember it… being really dark. Once I got to the door, there was another counselor there. I guess she heard me scream.”
JJ set the candle down, looking at the flame flicker. This couldn’t be real, Emily thought, this had to be a joke. 
“They caught the caretaker on his way to town, I guess he still had the knife on him.” 
“Anyway, I guess that’s probably when I decided I didn’t like the woods.”
“You’re serious?!” Derek demanded. 
“No!” JJ said with a laugh. “You bought that! I’m kidding!”
“So are you afraid of the woods?” Emily asked.
“Yeah,” JJ said, “They’re spooky I don’t know.”
They all laughed at that. 
Emily glanced at her phone; they had been down here for almost two hours. According to Penelope’s intermittent checks on the status of the extreme weather, most of the city was experiencing black outs, but there was no sign of an actual tornado. They were still supposed to take shelter for the next hour or so, just in case. 
In this time, Emily was close to five drinks in, with only one left in the basement. A growing pile of empties had built up around them, and Hotch had pulled out a small bottle of whiskey in addition to his beer, passing it around the circle. Having recently turned 17, the group had officially decided to give Spencer a beer, which he nursed slowly, wincing at the bitter taste. 
“Emily,” JJ turned to her and looked mischievous. “Truth or dare?”
She felt her heart flutter.
“Truth.”
“Hmmm…” JJ said, “Where was the weirdest place you’ve ever had sex?”
Emily found herself blushing at the memory.
“Oh god,” Emily buried her face in her hands. “IHOP parking lot.”
“What?”  
Emily nodded, downing the last of her beer. 
“No further questions,” she proclaimed as she opened her next drink.
“I think that should conclude Truth or Dare,” Penelope said, “It’s time for another sleepover classic, since some of you are sleepover virgins.”
She grabbed Derek’s water bottle, plopping it down onto the carpet and spun it. 
“Spin the bottle!”
Emily went pale. What was Penelope doing? She stared into her drunk, not daring to look at anyone else. 
“That doesn’t seem very sanitary,” Spencer said.
“Boo,” Penelope, “You’re no fun. It’s a classic! And we’re all friends, it’ll be fun. Hotch you spin first.”
He looked horrified, but took the bottle. There was no getting in the way of Penelope Garcia’s will.
“The rules are simply: kiss or you have to finish your drink?,” Penelope said, “Got it?
Hotch nodded, he spun the bottle. It went around the circle, once, twice, three times, then landed clearly on himself.
“How do I kiss myself?” he said, deadpan. 
“Drink!” Emily told him. He downed his last beer.
Derek spun next, rubbing his hands together nervously as it went around and around. It landed on Penelope.
“Come here, chocolate thunder!” 
Derek took his baseball cap off, turning it backwards. Penelope pulled his shirt towards her, tugging on him as their lips met. They both closed their eyes, she could hear JJ giggle at the sight.
“Was that the only reason we’re playing this?” Spencer asked, “So that you could kiss Morgan?”
“Maybe?” Penelope, “What’s it to you, boy-genius!” 
He put his hands up in surrender, it was his turn. 
He spun the bottle awkwardly, so that it rocked back and forth in addition to spinning. It went around once before landing on JJ.
Emily wasn’t sure what to think about that. On one hand, he was just a kid and the kiss wouldn't be anything, but on the other hand, Emily was jealous that she didn’t get a kiss. 
“Come here, Spence!” JJ said, making a grabbing motion at the boy and laughing. 
He leaned in with his eyes closed, Emily wouldn’t be surprised if he told them he hadn’t done even this before. JJ put a hand on his face, turned it gently, and gave him a peck on the cheek.
Derek clapped him on the back and made a comment about it being ‘pretty boy’s first kiss,’ and Reid simply sat and blushed as he busied himself with drinking some of his beer. 
Emily’s turn. She tried not to cross her fingers and pray for JJ, but it happened anyways. It landed on Derek. Emily sighed dramatically.
“Ewwww,” Emily mock protested.
“Come on, princess,” Derek jeered, “You know you want some of this!”
He lifted his t-shirt up and rubbed his hands down his abs.
“Put that away sir!” she covered her eyes. 
“Oh come here,” she said, leaning in. They kissed on the lips with a loud ‘mwah!’ noise. 
“That was cute,” Hotch commented.
Emily fake gagged, while Morgan tried to wipe her red lipstick off him. 
Last was JJ in the circle. She spun it casually. Emily tried to read her facial expression, wondering if JJ, too, wanted it to land on Emily.
See, Emily was starting to believe that JJ liked her back. She was single, and for all Emily knew, she was straight, but the more Emily got to know her, she got queer vibes. She played soccer! Her nails were short and- 
Emily couldn’t think of any other things that moment, as she was currently freaking out about the spin the bottle situation that was presently unfolding. 
The moment in the bathroom, Emily thought, that was something! The way she looked at Emily… she was sure that she felt JJ’s eyes on her linger. 
The bottle landed on Emily. They had to kiss. It was part of the game.
Holy shit. 
Penelope squealed and Emily could feel the entire room's eyes on her, except JJ whose eyes were on the ground. 
Emily could hear her heartbeat. She desperately wanted to kiss JJ but did she want to under these circumstances? For a dare? 
JJ looked at her. Blue eyes staring into brown. She could hear her blood rushing in her ears. She found herself leaning forward, only slightly. JJ did the same. Her lips parted, her eyes hungry.
Emily shifted forward, she sat with her legs tucked under her, bracing herself with her arms. JJ was cross legged, her arms free to grab at her face. JJ’s hands tugged her forward.
Their lips met. 
It was uncertain, chaste, soft. Then, JJ’s hands pulled her closer. They were pressed together, heads tilting so that their noses didn’t bump.
Jennifer Jareau was kissing her. They were kissing!
Emily’s brain short circuited. JJ filled her senses; the blonde’s vanilla perfume and soft lips and the taste of alcohol on her tongue. 
Oh god, her tongue. 
Emily did not want it to end. Their mouths opened and their tongues slid against each other, feeling so perfect and sending Emily’s blood racing away from her face and noticeably south. 
JJ was incredibly hot and Emily desperately wanted to do more than kiss her. Or kiss her like this forever. Her ams were caressing her cheek and tangled in Emily’s hair, pulling her closer.
The lights flickered on; they had power, again. JJ pulled away from her, sharply. 
Emily sat back, sitting up straight. The room was luckily too distracted by the lights to notice how out of breath Emily was. Or that they probably shouldn’t have passionately made out on a dare. 
JJ wouldn’t meet her eye, but Emily could see her own lipstick on the other girl’s lips. Emily blinked at the bright light, started by the sudden return of the electricity after she had become accustomed to the dim light of the candle.
“What impressive timing,” Spencer murmured.
Taking the lights as a good sign, Penelope checked on the emergency alert. It was over and they were safe to go back upstairs. She found out that a few downed trees were the cause of the outage and there was never an actual tornado. No one was hurt but there was a bit of property damage throughout the city. 
Without the atmosphere of the candle light, and the likelihood of a RA doing a check of the building, they decided that that was the end of their party. They gathered up their empties, and blew out the candles.
As they finished up cleaning, all making sure not to leave any trace of their illicit affairs, Emily tried to quell her racing heart and blushing face, completely unable to look anyone in the eye. 
The door opened, their RA was there. Erin Strauss. She was a hardass.
“What are you all doing down here?” she demanded. 
They all stood, stock still, jaws dropped, smelling of alcohol and clutching clinking tote bags. 
“Erin,” Emily said, trying to sound as sober as possible despite the five plus drinks in her system, “We were simply following the directions on the emergency alert.”
“Yes! It said to seek shelter from the storm and the basement seemed the best for that,” Penelope said. 
“Uhuh,” Erin said, “What’s in the bag?”
The bag clinked. 
“Oh just some garbage,” Emily said, lying through her teeth. “We had some snacks.”
“Sure,” Erin said, not believing them. 
Emily tried not to sway, but did not feel steady on her feet. She wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or her recent kiss with JJ.
For a second, Emily was sure that their RA would bust their asses, but the girl simply sighed and told them to go to bed, muttering about how dealing with non-existent tornadoes wasn't part of her job.  
The six of them scurried upstairs, all freaked out about their near-miss with a write-up.
Reid disappeared up to his room, then JJ and Penelope walked down the hall to their’s. Emily slipped into Derek’s avoiding Erin Strauss’ watchful eye, helping Derek steady a very drunk Hotch.
Hotch, who had probably had a little too much of that whiskey, stumbled into Derek’s room and decided to sleep on the floor. Emily placed a water bottle next to him, and placed him in recovery position, glad for the distraction from the blush that refused to leave her face or the lingering taste of JJ on her lips. 
She walked slowly down the hall back to her own room, the events of that evening playing back in her mind. She threw herself onto her bed, dazed by her situation. 
Emily fell asleep with vampire make up still on her face that night. 
61 notes · View notes
aggresivelyfriendly · 3 years
Text
Tumblr media
‘Tis the Damn Season- Chapter 2
Winter Wonderland
Hello loveys! Here is chapter two, a new year, a new world, a new Harry video! Thank you to @dirtystyles for fixing my tenses, which I promptly messed up by revising and adding. All remaining mistakes are mine.
Happy reading- reblogs are love!
Emma was annoyed before she even caught her flight, but she loved airports, so she got lost in watching the peculiar things people did in the there to sublimate what was probably just anxiety. She'd once watched a boys' trip, maybe a bachelor party, get on a plane and begin toasting at 5:30 am. The groom had almost bought the whole plane a round, but one of his mates had stopped him. She assumed this wasn't his first beer of the day, but maybe it was the last of the night before?
People acted different in airports.
That had been her first flight to Holland. When she went to her interview at Wageningen University and Research Center. She really needed to impress, she'd pressed her outfit more than she had ironed anything since she'd been taught to do it. This was her dream school and the climate research they did was groundbreaking and she wanted to be part of it so much that she was willing to do whatever it took. Beyond the heavy course load she could expect during the regular school years, the top students got amazing summer work or internships. She'd promised herself she would not be going home for breaks for some time. Honestly she was just fine with that. There wasn't much left for her in Holmes Chapel.
There wasn't much in Holmes Chapel at all.
She'd wanted to move from the little village the minute they'd moved there when she was eleven. Sure it was cute, picturesque and maybe something out of a Jane Austen novel, but Emma did not read much Pride and Prejudice. Though she definitely had seen Mr. Darcy come out of the pond. Honestly, she was more of a nonfiction girl, and she like investigative reporting. She'd missed London pretty much immediately and begged to go back for months. It was a time in her life she would have called the absolute worst, until it became the foundation for the best years. Emma made really good, motivated friends. Big dreams were common in little Holmes Chapel, so Emma fit right in. It may have never felt like home exactly, but she made a home of those friends.
Gemma was one of them. She had done her share of Austen reading. Reading in general, and she had the sweetest family. Her little brother Harry was so nice to their mum, though he loved nothing more than bugging Gemma. Like all little brothers. She'd heard at least, Emma was an only child.
All her parents' hopes and dreams rested right on her shoulders.
But theirs weren't nearly so weighty as her own. Even then she knew she was going to save the planet, or at the very least reduce the number of climate refugees.
Now, after two summers in Reykjavik, she was more into sustainable energy and zero waste production, but she was still trying to change the climate game.
She would really rather be going back to Iceland now. A friend had invited her to see the Northern Lights. They were most active in the winter and she'd only caught glimpses of them during her summer internships. It may have been the experience of a lifetime.
But her mother had laid on a major guilt trip. Emma hadn't been back to little Holmes Chapel in two years. She'd come home that first Christmas because she was tired, overwhelmed, still adjusting to her school schedule, and a little homesick. Her mother told her so. She'd even skipped the Twist's Christmas party, which was the shindig of the season. She'd slept right through it, and only seen Gemma at the pub later. She hadn't been up for company, but Gemma was family.
This year? After a year's absence, she'd be going. And she'd receive the hometown-hero-returns treatment. Though she was sure her reception at the airport would consist of her mum with a single sign. When she did make it to the pub, she might see a few friendly faces besides Gemma. Last time? Since she'd missed the party, she didn't have anything to contribute to the discussion. She'd just listened to everybody else rehash it. Normally, that would be fine, but she already felt removed, and had always felt a bit like a screw among nails in Holmes Chapel, so she was determined to go to the party this year. She had all kinds of plans, how many hours she'd socialize, rest, and read.
The flight was easy at least, and the train up to Manc doubly so. She liked to sleep on trains, something about the rocking, and she resumed her old habit of sleeping wrapped around her backpack.
"Welcome home, love!" Her mother shouted and Emma actually got a little misty, just like her Mum. Maybe she should try to get home more than once a year, but there's just so much she wants to accomplish. She even had a list. All the things she wanted to do before she turned thirty. It's been revised of course, she'd not unrealistic. Once the list is complete, she can have a life outside her ambitions, like a real boyfriend.
There's not much time for anything but hook-ups for the next ten years., and Emma was ok with that.
Up til now. She might need another pass at her bullet points, or to at least read her goals again when she got to the Twist's new brick beauty of a house. Harry had bought his mum a new home, one not watched as closely by his obsessive fans. They hadn't found this one yet.
Emma could see why they followed him around so, and why some people risked it all for a certain face. His face, his very famous, gorgeous face.
It was so weird that Harry wasn't just Gemma's little brother who grew up cute anymore. His music wasn't really her style, though some of the songs were catchy and Emma did like his latest album. She caught herself humming about life stories long after she heard it, and she seemed to hear his latest single playing in lots of shops and restaurants, even in Holland.
At the party, she also found herself in the same room as Harry more often than she can find an excuse for. Her eyes also seemed to find him a lot, she knew because of how many times she had to whip her head away quickly. As a tactic, that didn't work because he was always either already looking at her,or he immediately turned like he knews where she was. Maybe her gaze had weight, or she was as subtle as an axe.
When he smirked at her the tenth time their eyes lit upon each other, she choked on her wine.
What the fuck?
She'd finally got herself calmed from that little encounter. Mostly because she left the room to find a loo. The water she splashed on her face was cold and woke her up. "What are you doing, girl?" Emma asked her reflection but found that she couldn't help but smile at herself, and bite her lip. The flush on her cheeks was lovely; she could blame the wine, everyones favorite excuse.
An hour later she was pleasantly tipsy, the kind of buzz you could maintain and still wake up the next day not regretting, and she'd gone to the kitchen to grab another glass to nurse her merry state. "Be right back. We need another round!" She was calling back to Gemma when she bumped into a tall lanky body. She caught his hips with one hand and found them with just enough give to grip. "Oof!" She exclaimed before looking up to see how much damage her wine had done. Good thing she drank white, there was a growing spot ok his sweater. Wait a second! Then she coasted her head up the lovely lilac sweater toward his face. "That's my sweater." She said first off, bopping his chin.
"Um, no, mine now." Oh, his voice was adorably thick with drink too. "You give it to Gem or something?"
What was he talking about? Her eyes stayed with his and she was kinda trapped in his greens when she realized he meant the sweater. She had, right. "I'm yeah, years ago. Was my favorite and we shared it a lot. I decided she should have it before I moved. And I guess she decided you should have it when you moved. Though I expect your life change was a little different than mine. Yours was like overnight and mine a life long plan, and oh my god, Emma stop talking." She would have kept rambling except, well, he kissed her, right on the mouth and held his overfilled lips to her own. No, overfilled wasn't true. They were full, but not crazy big, they just were so plump at the edges. God, when had she thought about Harry's lips so much.
Right now, as much as she could think of anything, it was Harry's lips. She'd relaxed into his rhythm and was following his lead when her free hand took on a mind of its own and coasted from his hips up his back and into his hair. He groaned a little before he disengaged and then chuckled.
"Well," he said as the offending hand went to her mouth. Maybe she did need to stop drinking. That was bold, unlike her, and strange. But wait! What just happened? Why did he kiss her?.
"Huh?"
"I think that beat my last mistletoe kiss and I'd convinced myself that was impossible!" He was giving her a knowing look, like a wink in his smile. Did he kiss somebody else tonight? She looked up at him and tried not to be annoyed, or feel jealous, or focus on the shape of his mouth, still a little wet from her kiss. Was he just hanging out by the mistletoe like a weirdo? Seemed odd for a bloke people were lining up to meet, let alone kiss.
"Why'd you do that?" She found her voice to ask. It was rusty, like she hadn't just been laughing and talking for hours with people she'd forgotten how much she enjoyed.
"You bumped into me under the mistletoe. I assumed you wanted me to." Well, she did while he was kissing her, but now he was being a bit of an ass.
"Um, you were just in the way..."
"Well, I'll have to find myself in your path as often as possible then." Ok, that was cute, a bit cocky, like the smirk on his face. Then his face flushed and his dimples were so deep and she decided that shift, from smirky pop star to hometown mumma's boy was the best quick change she had ever seen. "Ah, see, that got you to smile!" He bopped her nose and she knew her own dimple pressed in even further.
"Nah, you're a little shit, but I like your smile. Especially when you blush." The color he turned then made her laugh out loud. She felt drunk when she realized how long they'd been staring at each other grinning. She was counting her drinks a second later when he caught her off guard again.
"Where'd you just go?"
"Wha'?" Oh boy, she'd dropped her t, she was really home now.
"We were having a moment." He motioned between their faces. "Then you went in your head. Lost your attention, didn't like it at all."
Then he caught her hand, their fingers entwined together like their lips moments before. It was hot in there. Emma shook her head and glanced around, but she didn't untangle them. She looked at her boots and felt shy. But Emma wasn't shy, Harry used to be shy, though now he was bolder than her, apparently.
"Listen," he started and she looked up to his eyes again. When had they gotten so attractive? What had gone on with him in the last couple years? Other than the international superstardom she supposed, but he'd grown into himself, like expanded his skin and presence. He was cute, but all she could think was that the end of puberty was rarely so damn kind. His fingers even seemed attractive, long and slim and she was imagining him playing piano, but then the instrument was her body, and damn, she was in her head again. She could feel that her eyes widened comically. She knew her pupils were blown. When was the last time she'd gotten laid? Apparently too long if holding hands had her imagining unspeakable things and holding in moans.
He smirked then, she guessed he knew where she went then. "Listen," he leaned in close and she nodded, their noses brushed. He exhaled and her lips tingled. "Where are you staying?"
"Huh?" She wasn't sure what she'd expected him to say, but that wasn't it.
He giggled, and it was cute enough that Emma felt a splash of awareness hit her face. She looked around to see if anybody saw them flirting if she could disengage her gaze. "Are you at your parents?"
"Oh, um yeah?"
"Are you sure?" He laughed then and the brush of his thumb across the back of her hand was warmer than the mulled wine in her belly.
"No, I'm sure, just not sure why you are asking." She nudged him and realized a bit too late that her nipples touched him first, she was only half sorry this top meant no bra when she felt the friction.
It was his eyes' turn to widen. "Um," he exhaled and she missed his eyes when he quickly glanced down her dress like there might be a cookie there and then up quickly like he remembered he wasn't supposed to have any sweets. "Ok, um," he said after he visibly took hold of himself, "I was just hoping you had a room above the pub or something."
She knew her face called him idiot better than her mouth could.
He rolled his eyes, "I know, it was a shot in the dark!"
"Did you expect me to slide you my room key if I did?" Emma flashed her eyebrows like she wasn't imagining him finger fucking her with his piano hands a moment ago. "Isn't that your move?" She teased, kind of. She imagined he knew his way around hotel rooms, and women in them.
"Heeeey," he was being cute but the corners of his eyes dropped a moment and the green dulled. "It's not like that."
Emma scoffed.
"Well, I mean," his other hand found hers and now if anyone was watching them they were getting a show. "If it was like that, I wouldn't say no, but just want to hear about Holland, seems so amazing, and where you are in the summers..."
She could see him racking his brain.
"Iceland." They said together. And then giggled together too.
"You been keeping tabs on me?" She leaned forward and enjoyed the brush of him on her again. He shivered.
"Yeah, always admired you." He looked at her through his lashes. "I'd like to hear more reasons you're the most impressive person I've ever met."
"But I don't have a place." She reminded him.
"If I got one?"
"What?" She thought she knew what he was asking, but she wanted a minute to think about her answer, to quiet the resounding YES that echoed in her body and her mind. Because he might have said it wasn't like that, but they were chest to chest and had been holding hands since they kissed moments ago.
He looks down chagrined at his pigeon toes, before his gaze lit on their hands, then her face. "If I got a room at the Vicarage? Would you come with me? Really! We can really just talk." He assured and then the cocky boy who found his stride in hotel room assignations showed out, "if you want." Those dimples were deadly.
"Can it be the Boar's Head?" She knew she'd showed her cards, by asking for a room the town over.
He nodded and grinned like he'd just hit the hotpicks. "It can be the Boar's Head." He nodded like a dashboard bobble head. "I have to make nice here a bit longer, but I'll call now, and put your name on, so you can go when you're ready."
They'd been standing close for just a few more seconds when Gemma said- "Harry! Get off. God you are such a flirt!" But she was in her cups too, so they laughed it off.
The next hour, Emma stayed near Gem, but her eyes tracked Harry. Once, he came by and stole a sip of Gem's cocktail off her and Emma was glad her friend's ire distracted her, because Emma was watching him giggle like a fiend and the contraction of his throat. When their eyes met, she knew hers made a promise. One she wanted to keep.
So now she was alone in a couple of quaint rooms a town over, waiting to have sex with Gemma's little brother, Harry Styles.
She was torn, half of her wanted to open the bottle she'd swiped from the alcohol table at the party. The other half wanted to call an Uber and go back to her parents' house, where she should have stopped and grabbed some clothes so she wouldn't have to do the walk of shame.
But getting clothes would have meant forethought; she will deny that, especially to herself.
Emma had just opened the uber app and cursed their rural area when she heard a key in the lock.
Like a gun at the races.
They were never going to just talk. She'd just dropped her phone on the couch before Harry laid the first kiss on her.
The first kiss she planned to really remember, that is. Their mistletoe kiss had caught her off guard enough that she could only remember the feelings, not the details.
Yet, she was here, kissing him in a rented room after sneaking out of his mum's Christmas Eve party, on the strength of those feelings.
The kiss started strong and sweet, just like she takes her tea. He didn't taste like tea, he tasted like wine, Merlot maybe, but it could have been any red. And his tongue had this delicious slither to couple with its intoxicating flavor. She was in for a penny when she rode over here, but now there was no way she was going anywhere but to bed with him, no matter how pound foolish. He was nipping at her bottom lip and mouthing at her jaw before he sucked an almost mark into her collarbone and love bites onto the sides of her neck. He was just about to hit a particular sweet spot while working off her clothes, his hands were at her zipper. The cheeky boy, and she felt like they should at least hit pause even if stop was off the table.
"Harry," she moaned, or breathed, it was a sound she'd never made before.
"Hmmm?" He asked without stopping any of his forward momentum.
"I thought we were gonna talk." That one was like a laugh, there was a trill in her voice certainly.
"We'll talk afterwards." He said it like a statement, but looked to her for confirmation. At her nod, her skirt dropped and his hands were all over her bare ass above the stockings she'd worn to feel sexy but hadn't expected anyone to see. She normally would have worn tights. Thick ones, certainly, in Amsterdam. It would have been smarter here too. It was at least as cold. She'd been feeling that mix of confidence and self consciousness one gets when seeing people from your past when you think you've leveled up. She wanted to feel her best, look her best. Sexy, even if no one was interested. She's thankful, both for his interest and her unintended preparation. When he caught the sides of her knickers while her shirt and bra were as untouched as his clothes, she figured she needed to get with it. She'd been clutching his shoulders and his gorgeous hair instead of doing anything of use to their current pursuit.
Emma pulled at his shirt until it came over his messed up disheveled hair and laughed at the hodge podge of black ink haphazardly spread over his torso and one arm. "What's this then?" She said between licks of his tongue.
"After, we talk after!" He'd gotten her shirt unwrapped. She liked that detail of the shirt too, a sexy secret, like her matching bra. He pulled back to stare and was distracted long enough for her to give him another look over. He does look sexy in his decorated skin.
"What do they mean?" She liked things to make sense, her world was ordered, scientific.
Harry shrugged. "Lots of different things. Or nothing. Now can we please go to bed and we can discuss my stupid tattoos after I've had you."
"Oh fuck,'' was all she could say to that. He smirked and hoisted her up his hips to carry her through the open frame to the bedroom. He pulled her knickers free as soon as she was done bouncing.
She'd just about caught her breath when she saw him go for the button of his jeans. She lost it again when his thick bulge became visible and he pushed his tight jeans forcibly down his thighs. "Damn!" She looked at him with a glint.
He mounted the bed and spread her open, kissed her right knee over her stocking, which he seemed intent in keeping on, and looked pointedly at her center. She was swollen, his eye contact with the evidence didn't help. "Damn!" He echoed and she would have laughed but Harry, Gemma's sexy little brother, was kissing up her right thigh, with just a few licks and nips to her hip creases and so damn close to where she wanted him before he was testing the fuck out of her by kissing and licking and loving her left thigh. Ignoring her desperate need.
"Fuck, Harry. Please." She'd got the bedspread balled in her hands and she would normally have removed that before considering getting into the bed but she was also usually in pajamas and alone.
The filthy things he was saying were way worse than whatever could have been on the bedspread. Though she enjoyed them a great deal more, and it made her happy to have taken off everything already.
Harry had finally gotten to the main course. Only After her begging got loud enough to be heard by the room next door and the innkeeper, she won't make eye contact with anyone tomorrow. Maybe not even Harry, if he stayed. Emma had his full attention now, she could learn about all the things his mouth could do. The wet flat of his tongue caressed her like she was a bit of deliciousness and sunk down to find her creamy center.
"Fuck!" She yelped when he sealed his mouth over her for a tight suck and rub until she was rolling and writhing and fighting against the arms banded around her thighs. He laid one across her belly to hold her down.
"Do you like that?" He kept going because her answer was obviously yes. When the arm not restraining her passion made its piano fingered way between her thighs to do the thing she'd imagined earlier, sliding in tightly where she was wet and wanting, she clenched down on his three fingers and said his name.
He slid up her body and reached for the condom, but Emma had gotten her head back around to stop him before he got it on. She hated the taste of rubbers, and she'd like to know his flavor first. "Wait." She leaned forward between his legs and stroked him base to tip. He really was well favored, and not just from the neck up. She pressed his length to his stomach and licked the seam from his balls around and up to his head before she got a mouthful of him. Now he was her dessert. She didn't even think to try the pies and things at the party, she had been so preoccupied with the taste she'd had of him. It was but an appetizer for this. He leaked on her tongue and she moaned and hummed.
"Jesus! Emma! Stop, I'm gonna!" He pushed her back. And she was a little mad he'd taken away her sweetie. "Enough. I'd like to get inside you."
That was a suggestion she could take. So, she lay back and thought of anything but England while he stroked his skinned cock and spat over the tip. God. The way his stomach flexed caused an aftershock to recapture her. "Harry?" His name a plea. His knees hit the bed and her heels pressed him toward her, toward them.
"God, I've never seen you like this!" She'd have to ask him what he meant by that, later. Then he nodded, using his thumb to press his cock head inside the tight ring of muscle at the top of her entrance. Except he was a little low.
"Uhh!" She glanced down and grabbed him to redirect. "Wrong one." She tried not to laugh.
"Sorry, might be a touch too eager." He confessed: She's now laughing, openly. "Hey! It may have went right in, as wet as you are?"
Now she'd be indignant if he wasn't so ridiculous. "Are you really complaining about how wet my pussy is?"
"No, no, that would make me an idiot right?" He asked and found the right spot to start pushing in.
This was always her favorite part, and since this was her favorite fuck already, she knew the pop when he got the lip of his head in would be enough to begin her tip over the edge.
She moaned even before he caught the exact right angle to square her desire and she clutched his back and lifted her bottom to chase his withdrawal. "It would, god, you're perfect, an idiot."
"Oh God, Em!" She liked that. And the kisses to her mouth and chin and neck. Messy and wet and out of control. He'd gone from deliberate and self possessed to a man overcome as he rolled his hips up and into her and against that delicious place inside.
"Harry, don't stop. I'm close." Her head fell back when he slowed down just enough to draw out her orgasm, bring it to the surface and ride it home. He stroked her through and then brought his hands under her ass to lift her pelvis up to his driving thrusts, more deliberate and direct than the ones he used to get her off. She watched his face scrunch, and then open, his jaw down and his eyes closed until he smiled and licked his lips.
It's that face she decided she wanted to see as much as she could.
And she did, it was made better when he bit his lip and laughed. "Am I a perfect idiot then?"
She was blissed out and couldn't stop herself saying, "no you're an idiot with a perfect cock!" He was just pulling out of her then, and she was so embarrassed when he stood up to tie off the condom and preened.
"Am I now?"
She was the idiot. "I'll Pay you to forget I said that!" Emma wants to scurry to the bathroom and get out of here. She's already feeling shame, may as well get the walk over with.
"I don't need any money." He's laughing now. Shes scooting to the restroom when he catches her hands and holds her close. "Where are you going. You owe me, you're gonna pay me in conversation."
Wait, he still wants to talk, even after they've done what they came to do. "Ok." Shes still a little embarrassed and pulling away.
"No, no, stay and talk, come back to bed and tell me about my perfect co—" she's clamping her hand over his mouth.
"Only if you shut up, and I have to have a wee first."
"After!" He begged. "I wanna hear about school and everything. What exactly you're doing to save the world."
"I'll tell you, I have to go after, prevents uti's and such." She hated being clinical, well right now.
"It does?" He asked and she nodded. "That's good to know."
She wants to be embarrassed, but his ease when she comes back from washing up, the way he is still naked and opens his arms to her, helping her find the right spot on top of him where they are both comfortable, it makes her less self conscious, about her little factoid, her nudity, or that she's essentially slept with him right off.
She sighs and is about to ask about the giant butterfly, moth, when he speaks. "Tell me about Holland, about school." His voice is like molasses, and her words come out as slow.
"It lovely, and school is so hard, some times I might as well move onto campus, live in the library-"
"You don't live on campus?" She shakes her head. "Do you ride your bike into town?"
"Yes, I do."
"Oh, you must send me a picture of you on your bike. In a dress." He wants to text.
"Then I want updates on any stupid tattoos you get!" She counters.
"You think my tattoos are stupid?" He pouts, and she's captivated by that face.
"Very." She kissed both sparrows beaks. "But their also sexy."
He likes that, his dimples say so. Then he asks about Iceland and they talk for an hour or more before she's over him, swallowing his moans. They have another go in the morning before leaving, he's hard to convince that she'll be fine with an Uber. If he drives her, it'll blow their cover.
She wound up in his suv anyway.
For the next week they snuck out to warm up the backseat of his Range Rover, her mother's kitchen counter, his childhood bedroom, and then the inn again the night before she left. Just for a few hours, she'd told her mum she was going to the pub to say goodbye to mates.
Their goodbye meant his face remained her go-to for the next year whenever she was alone in her room, at night, missing him.
"Can I have you again, next year? For Christmas?" He'd asked.
Who could say no to that?
She faced those plans unafraid, the ones they made, for the whole next year.
32 notes · View notes
jmnjmnjmn · 4 years
Text
Eternal beings | Chapter 8
Tumblr media
Pairing: Vampire!Jungkook x Human!Reader
Key words: supernatural, vampire.
Word count: around 3,500
Warnings: swearing,  sadness, jealousy, mentions of murder
Inspo board
Masterlist
I’m also working ona a Taehyung thing right now so please bear with my posting schedule...
You opened your eyes at the abrasive sound of your alarm. Feeling as if you haven’t slept a minute last night you sat up on the bed and looked out the window. The morning was foggy, the light drizzle visible in the rising sun. You looked down onto the street looking for Jungkook, but no one was there. It was half past five, still too early for him to be waiting for you outside. Nonetheless the prospect of him being out there - somewhere, anywhere, coming your way - made you feel uneasy. You picked yourself up from the bed lazily and headed for the bathroom to brush your teeth and wash your face before applying some makeup. As you approached your bedroom’s door you stumbled over something on the floor. Looking down you noticed the pile of clothes you angrily threw and kicked to the ground last night. The memory of it made you feel even more shitty. Because of your frustration with Jungkook you blew up on Taehyung who wasn’t at fault here at all. You made a mental note to yourself to make it up to him today and went on with your morning routine more quietly than ever not to wake him or his dog.
As you applied your makeup, did your hair and packed your bag you looked out the window onto the street every now and then to make sure Jungkook’s not standing there, waiting for you. His absence made you anxious. It was nearing six when you finally walked downstairs to eat a quick breakfast before heading out. You decided on one of the “1 minute oatmeal” mixes Taehyung had in his kitchen cabinet. You poured hot water over the dusty mixture and scrunched your nose at the strange smell, hoping it looked and smelled worse than it tasted. With the steaming bowl in one hand and a spoon in the other you once again walked to one of the windows on the front of the house. There wasn’t even a stray cat on the street. You stood by that window eating the oatmeal and slowly realising that this is not your kind of breakfast.
“Maybe the reason Taehyung has so many of these is that he doesn’t want to eat them, because they suck so bad…” You said to yourself as you were quickly washing up the dishes after yourself. You dried your hands and rushed to the door, not wanting to be late for work.
As you were tying your sneakers you felt your stomach tighten. You were nervous about what, or rather who, you would see waiting for you outside. You took one more deep breath before opening the door. To your surprise no one was there. The emptiness of Taehyung’s driveway didn’t make you feel any less nervous. You turned your back to the street to lock the door behind yourself and as you pulled the key out of the lock you heard the heavy iron handle on Taehyung’s home’s gate squeak.
“Here we go…” You muttered under your breath and turned around. Jungkook was walking through the gate with his eyes focused on the handle he was gripping. He looked up at you and gave you a half smile.
“Hey.” He mouthed quietly, as though he could wake up the neighbourhood if he spoke with his full voice. You caught yourself starting to become warm inside and quietly told yourself in your mind not to fall for his tricks and do that.
The two of you walked silently all the way to the station. You kept your hands in your pockets clenched in fists not only to protect them from the strange cold of today's morning, but also because of your once again raising frustration. You didn’t know how you should or shouldn’t feel about this whole ordeal with Jungkook. Both him and Yoongi told you yesterday that they were vampires and you couldn’t wrap your head around it. The only way to make it make sense was to believe they’re both insane or ask them for a more detailed explanation. The first option appealed to you the most.
As you stood on the station awaiting your train Jungkook paced around next to you humming something quietly. You glanced at him and almost smiled, but stopped yourself quickly before anyone could see. You avrted your eyes back to the tracks, furrowing your brows.
Usually there were a couple of empty seats on the train at this time, but today it was more crowded so you stopped a couple of steps from the door and grabbed onto a bar for stability. As you pulled out your phone to check the time you felt a weight come onto your shoulder. You looked towards it and saw Jungkook holding onto the sleeve of your jacket. This time you didn’t hold back the smile remembering how you and your friends always grabbed onto each other’s bags, shoulders and jackets to keep balance on a moving bus or train.
You felt silly. He seemed so innocent yet… You couldn’t just forget about what he said he did to (Victim’s name). He was a murderer. He admitted it. The fact that you didn’t call the police immediately after meeting him for the first time after that faithfull night on Third made you no better than him. There was no excuse you could come up with for withholding such important information in an official FBI investigation. You were a criminal. Just like Jungkook. You might have not murdered anyone, but you lied and covered for him. You looked down at your phone with tremendous guilt in your heart. There were so many times you could have called the police, so many opportunities, that you didn’t take, to come clean and make this mess go away.
“Central station.” A robotic female voice announced from the train speakers. You picked up your gaze realising it’s your stop and made your way to the opening door with Jungkook following closely behind.
You walked together, side by side, still in total silence. As you were not more than ten meters from the shop’s doog Jungkook slowed down his pace and stopped. You automatically did the same which made you feel really dumb. He was the one following you to work. You should’ve kept walking and left him behind to get rid of him at least for a moment, but you didn’t and answering the question of “why?” seemed like too hard of a task for the moment.
“What time do you finish your shift?” He asked, stepping in front of you.
“E- Wait, no.” You barely managed to refrain yourself from telling him what he wanted to know. “ Why do you want to know?” You answered his question with your own already knowing what he’ll say.
“I want to pick you up and walk you home.” You exhaled loudly, looking away and giving your head a small shake.
“Don’t.” You replied after a moment, your gaze still resting somewhere far off in the street.
“Come on, (Y/N).” Jungkook said in a teasing manner, putting his hands in his jeans pockets.
“I don’t need a shadow.” You finally managed to look at him again. Your eyes travelled from his chin to his lips and up to his eyes which were a dark shade of brown right now. “Especially from a guy like you.” You added and his smile widened.
“Like me?” He chuckled referring to your altercation from last night.
“Don’t start.” You muttered, feeling your stomach turning at the thought of hearing about vampires again.
“Alright, alright. But just so you know I was asking to be polite.” He said, taking a step back. “I already know your schedule. I’ll be here ten to eleven.” Your eyebrows travelled up involuntarily at his statement. “Have a good day at work, (Y/N).” He added taking another step back still facing you. With his next step he turned around, shooting you a smirk.
Confused about how he knew your work hours you walked into the shop and headed straight for the door marked with a “staff only” sign. Your wonderment was cut short as you set your eyes on the only other person in the break room.
“Jimin.” You said your coworker's name, greeting him as you closed the door behind yourself. He smiled up at you from his phone and went back to typing something up on the screen rapidly. “Did you by any chance talk to Jungkook recently?” You asked him, setting your bag down on the old couch. He glanced up at you from his phone again with his eyebrows raised. Your question must have caught his attention, because he quickly locked his phone and put it in his jeans backpocket.
“Yeah. We talked.” He answered with a cheeky smile you didn’t appreciate. “If he only knew!” You called out in your head.
“And did you talk about me?” You proceeded with the questions.
“We did.” Jimin put his arms across his chest and his grin grew wider.
“Perhaps about my work schedule?” Jimin only smiled at you without a word, but it was enough of an answer. “Jimin, why?” You sighed, not knowing how to knock it out of his head that you were interested in Jungkook.
“I did you a favour. Without me you would never end up seeing him.” You put your palm on your forehead feeling a headache forming under there and rubbed it slowly. “Oh, don’t pretend you don’t like it.” He snickered.
“Did it ever cross your mind that I might not want to see him?” You tried to explain it to him slowly so that you didn’t slip and say something you didn’t mean to say to him. Like for example: Your crazy boyfriend claims he and his friend are vampires.
“(Y/N), you quit being so pessimistic.” He said walking up to you and hugged you from the side. “Jungkook is nothing like your previous crushes and boyfriends you told me about.” Jimin rubbed your shoulder trying to comfort you, but all you could feel right now was helpless and misunderstood. “He’s a good guy.” You exhaled a soft chuckle at his statement. “There’s nothing weird about him, no obsessions or questionable past. Yoongi can vouch for him.” You couldn’t stop a grin forming on your face and looked up at Jimin.
“Somehow that doesn’t make me feel any better.” He frowned and thought for a moment before speaking again.
“Well, I know you had a fight last night-” You didn’t let him finish and pulled out  from under his arm. How is it that everyone knows everything about you and yet you are clueless about everything that is going on?
“Wha- Who told you- Taehyung? That-” You struggled to for a proper sentence and before you could succeed Jimin cut you off.
“Don’t be angry with him.” He defended Taehyung. “He just wants the best for you. Like me.” He added with a smile. You couldn’t get angry with him. Yes he meddled and gossiped, but he didn’t know half of what you knew and he didn’t mean to do any wrong.
“I know Jimin, but I think I know best what’s best for me.” You said, rubbing your forehead again to make the impending headache go away. “Trust me and let me make my own decisions, okay?” Jimin put his arms across his chest again, looking at you with sympathy in his eyes. “I’ll handle this whole Jungkook deal myself without you, Taehyung or Yoongi getting involved.” You said, hoping that you just put an end to this discussion.
“About Yoongi.” Jimin perked up and you felt your shoulders drop a little. “He tells me you went to him asking all sorts of questions about your admirer-” 
“Come on!” You cut him off, hearing more than enough. “I just told you not to meddle in this!” Now you had your arms in a knot across your chest as well. “Please, Jimin. Just- Just let me do this at my own pace, okay?” You asked him sincerely.
“Okay, okay.” He sighed. “But remember everything you tell Jungkook he will tell Yoongi and Yoongi will tell me.” As he listed this chain of communication a cheeky smile formed on his face once again.
“God damnit, Jimin.” You laughed and pushed his shoulder.
“I’m kidding.” He chuckled and the two of you, still bickering, went out of the break room to go on with today's workload.
-
Towards the end of your shift you were on checkout duty, googling out all the information about the murder case from last weekend when a ridiculous thought came to your mind. You opened a new tab in the internet app on your phone and  let your thumb hover over the letter “v”, still hesitant whether you should go down this rabbit whole. You were deep in thought when Jimin called your name simultaneously bringing you back to reality. “One that doesn’t include vampires.” You thought hopefully.
“(Y/N).” Before he could say anything more you realised you were covered in goosebumps. You looked at the thermometer on the window to check the room's temperature, but as you turned your gaze towards it you noticed the real reason behind your body’s odd behaviour. “Your boyfriend’s here.” Jimin said, looking through the glass door with a box of blue Fanta in his arms.
“He’s not my boyfriend.” You muttered. Jungkook was in fact out there like he promised, walking towards the shop in long strides. He noticed you eying him through the window and waved in your direction with a smile.
“Ten to eleven, (Y/N).” He greeted you as he walked through the shop’s door, ringing the small bell hanging over it. “Hey, Jimin.” He greeted your coworker who still stood by the door with the box of beverages he was supposed to set up on a shelf in the front. “Are you ready?” He asked you.
“It’s ten to eleven. I still have ten more minutes of work to do.” You said emphasizing the word “ten” each time, reluctant to go anywhere with him. Jungkook opened his mouth, but before he could say a word Jimin cut in.
“You can go. I’ll finish up here, (Y/N).” He smiled sweetly at you and Jungkook, but you knew what was really hiding under that expression. “Go on, get your things.” He urged you, but you didn’t move an inch from behind the register. The two of you stood in your places, Jimin with the box of Fanta in his arms and you with your palms resting on the counter, looking each other in the eyes trying to communicate with them and without speaking up.
“I’ll wait. It’s just ten minutes.” Jungkook finally said, glancing between the two of you and breaking the silence. He leaned on the counter and pulled his phone out to occupy himself with.
You sighed and hoped for a customer to come in or something so that those ten minutes really seemed like work and not just you trying to stick it to Jimin and Jungkook. Unfortunately for you no one came in. As the ten minutes were quickly coming to an end you decided to collect your things and get going. You reached under the counter to unplug your phone’s charger when the volume on the worn-out TV above your head increased. When you got up from under the counter you saw Jimin with the remote in his hand, the Fanta box empty under his arm.
“Look, (Y/N). It’s your case.” He said pointing to the screen and turning the volume up even higher. You looked at the screen terrified. 
“Your case?” Jungkook asked from behind you without even a bit of curiosity in his voice. You didn’t have to face him to see the expression he had on his face, you knew he had that smug cocky smile all over it.
“She’s a witness.” Jimin explained to him, clueless of the fact he just outed you as a rat to the killer you were testifying against to the police.You felt your cheeks turn red, but decided to try to play it cool.
“Old news.” You shot Jimin down, trying to talk over the news anchor who was now describing in detail how (Victim’s name) was found that faithfull night you saw Jungkook for the first time. “Nothing really came out of my statement.” You said turning to face the two guys. “I didn’t see or hear much to be honest.” You babbled with your voice being a little higher pitched than usual from the nerves as rolled up your charger.
“Well, you did see the guy.” Jimin said, putting the remote down on the counter. Jungkook raised his brow at you and slowly put his arms across his chest, getting ready to enjoy the show of Jimin and you spitting arguments back and forth.
“It was dark.” You said.
“You gave a description to a sketch artist.” He answered.
“I didn’t have my glasses on.” You kept explaining.
“You told me you would definitely recognize him if you saw him on the street.” 
“After giving it more thought I don't really think I could.”
“You said he was kinda hot.”
“Didn’t!” You yelled and felt yourself burning up.
“Alright, that I made up.” Jimin laughed.
“I’m going home.” You said grabbing the remote and turning the TV off which earned you a resigned moan from Jimin. “I’ve got online classes to attend.” You added slipping out from behind the counter and walking towards the back room.
“You two go. I’ll wait for our switch. Who is late. Again.” You heard Jimin complain in a playful tone behind your back.
You rested your back on the closed door of the back room and sighed deeply. As you relaxed your shoulders you began feeling how tense they were for the past ten minutes or so since Jungkook walked into the shop. You took off your name tag slowly and put it on the pin board on the wall feeling the soreness in each muscle in your arms. You stuffed your jacket into your bag and threw it over your shoulder. As you rested your sweaty palm on the cold door handle you stopped for a second to make the impossible wish of not seeing Jungkook when you step out onto the shop. You exhaled slowly to prepare yourself to be let down and pushed the door open.
“Ready?” He asked sweetly as you approached the front door and also him. You noticed Jimin trying to hide a cheeky smile as he stood behind the checkout.
“Bye, Jimin.” You said, knowing already he must have told Jungkook something you asked him not to. Deciding not to answer him and just kept walking all the way to the door. Jungkook bid his farewell to your coworker as well and swiftly turned as you passed him by.
Together you walked down the street. Shoulder to shoulder. You were about to take the turn right to the train station when Jungkook spoke up.
“Here.” You heard a beeping sound and you averted your eyes to where it came from. Jungkook walked towards a black car parked on the sidewalk leaving you a couple of steps behind as you stood in place unsure of what to do. He reached for the door handle on the passenger's side and opened it for you.
42 notes · View notes
Text
Title: Visions
Author: @nadisabug
For: @cellophanerose
Pairing: Hinata x Komaeda
Warnings: mild language, other than that none
Prompt: I used two of the three prompts: Hinata being ‘haunted’ by Komaeda, who is still in a coma post sdr2 (whether the hauntings are real or not is up to you) AND Komaeda tracing Hinata’s “Kamukura project” scars when Hinata is overwhelmed with self-identity issues
Author’s notes: I really enjoyed writing this, I hope you like it! I will also be posting this to my AO3 so look out for that link later!
“Hinata-kun.” Gorgeous green eyes smiled at Hajime, arms open wide in an invatation that made Hajime’s heart ache.
Hajime was tired. That had to be it. He had just been relieved from duty by Fuyuhiko from watching over the program because he “was no use to anyone sleep deprived.”
It was a twenty hour shift he had just taken, marked only by the fact that Fuyuhiko worked four hours each day at the same time like clockwork. Everyone gave into the structure Fuyuhiko demanded, knowing that it was more for his wellbeing than anything. Nevermind, Kazuichi, Owari, and Fuyuhiko each watched over the simulation for four hours in rotating shifts, the last eight hours of the day designated as Hajime’s watch. Hajime usually did not abide by the rules, staying past his shift, and only Fuyuhiko had enough strength and little sympathy to tear Hajime from the monitors.
They knew once their peers began to wake up from the simulation - if they would wake up, Kazuchi was always wont to mention - their shifts would become shorter and shorter. However, they all knew Hajime’s would get longer and longer until he woke up. Hajime was obsessed with waking them up, using all of his talents and skills to manipulate the system into releasing them. He worked with the AI he met inside the simulation, Alter Ego, unlocking firewalls that barricaded them from previously accessing certain areas. He knew that they were so close. So close to waking them up. To waking him up.
So Hajime wasn’t sure if it was because he hadn’t slept in the past twenty-eight hours, or if it was because he was actually going crazy, but Komaeda was standing in front of him.
Crazy as it may seem, this was not a rare occurrence by any means. He had been seeing Komaeda everywhere, his eyes chasing his silhouette in peripherals, a flash of cream coloured hair when he opened his eyes in the morning, honeyed greens smirking at him in reflections.
But this, this was the first time the apparition had spoken.
Maybe Fuyuhiko is right, I am overworking myself, Hajime thought to himself. He squeezed his eyes shut, shook his head quickly, then opened them back up, expecting his vision to be gone.
But it wasn’t.
Komaeda was still standing there.
Arms open.
Hajime couldn’t help but imagine himself running into them. He had much clarity since he woke up from the simulation. He had regained his memories, and with that, clarity on his feelings, on how he always felt, about Komaeda. The moments they shared in the simulation were some of his most treasured memories now, seeing as they did not interact much before the simulation. He knew that Nevermind still clung to her… what was it called, boat? No, a ship. Her “ship” of Hajime and Chiaki, but everyone else was aware of how Hajime felt. It was hard not to - Hajime was on his last thread of sanity, so keeping his mouth shut was hard. Not like he cared either. They could know or not for all he cared. He just knew that they knew and they knew that he knew they knew and no one really spoke about it. Well, except for Kazuichi’s occasional lighthearted jabs. They never quite landed right though.
But, despite the fact that everything was so peaceful and no one cared about anything here, Hajime felt himself growing angry. He had been working his ass off all day and all night to bring everyone back, to bring him back, and he had the gall to show his stupid sexy face all smiling and offering something that Hajime wanted so fucking bad but knew he could never have. It was just so…. so… infuriatingly Komaeda.
So he did what an overworked, stressed, tired, angry, and quite frankly horny person would do.
He briskly walked past Komaeda, flipping him off on his way.
After the initial acknowledgement, Komaeda became more talkative. He would chatter while Hajime worked, while he ate, while he pretended to sleep. Komaeda would just follow Hajime around, talking to him, and Hajime would ignore him. He figured out that only he could see him - not that it had been confirmed or denied at this point - and as a result wrote it off as a hallucination from being over worked. Playing into it would only make it worse, he reasoned.
“You should take a nap,” Komaeda murmured, reaching out to stroke Hajime’s hair. Hajime didn’t so much as flinch at the action. He knew Komaeda wouldn’t touch him. He hadn’t yet. And Hajime couldn’t let him know that he wanted it. Even if it was fake Komaeda. At least it would be good practice for when real Komaeda woke up, pretending not to crave his touch. If he woke up. “Or just rest even a little. Just because no one has woken up yet means you are a failure.”
Hajime continued to type on the keyboard.
“Such… such hope…” Ah, here he went again. “You could have left them. You could have left us all but you haven’t. There is nothing saying that we will wake up. Honestly, everything is pointing towards us not waking up. And yet still you persist, you push on, you have such hope that we will wake up. Quiet foolishly actually. Idiotic really. Sacrificing everything for just your bizarre hope that something-”
Hajime was glad Komaeda abruptly stopped talking. He wasn’t sure he would be able to keep up his regimen of ignoring him if he hadn’t stopped speaking. However, he was concerned about why Komaeda stopped talking. He looked over at Komaeda and saw his eyes fixated on a single monitor, his mouth slightly ajar. Hajime stared at Komaeda a second longer than necessary before turning to the monitor he was observing. The displays for the still eleven occupied pods held a steady green light-active. Well, all except for one. Pod four was blinking orange. Deactivating.
Hajime ran to the pod room as fast as he could, completely forgetting on his way to notify the others.
He ended up not having to tell the others, as they ended up walking into the cafeteria where he was catching up the Ultimate Imposter to their situation. They were not happy they were left out of the beginning of the celebration, but they seemed to understand because of Hajime’s mental state at the moment.
During the celebration, Komaeda made only a short appearance. He strolled up to Hajime while he was alone at one point, leaning up against a wall next to him. Hajime gave him a smug look, then turned to the Ultimate Imposter. I told you so. I fucking told you so.
Komaeda just laughed. “Your hope was always stronger than any reality.”
Hajime wasn’t sure what it meant, but it made him feel warm for some reason. It wasn’t a normal compliment, not by any means, but it was a compliment by Komaeda’s standards. And for some ungodly reason, that was enough for Hajime. The vague but positive comments on Hajime’s hope still made Hajime feel happy, just as if Komaeda were telling him his hair looked nice, or his face was attractive or something.
…Maybe it was Hajime’s inexperience in dating. That definitely had to play a part, but it still took a certain kind of person to actually listen to Komaeda’s comments and hear them for what they actually are.
You were always strong. Stronger than anyone and anything.
That’s what he really meant. And it made Hajime feel good, even if it was just Hajime’s delirious hallucination of Komaeda.
And with the awakening of the first classmate, everyone else’s hope began to burn brighter. While they had been skipping out early on shifts before the Ultimate Imposter woke up, now they stayed late and even doubled up. They did make comments every once in a while that because they were six now Hajime could take four hour shifts as well, but those comments flew in one ear and out the other. As more peers began to wake up, Hajime began to work more and rest less. The World Destroyer Program he created was working, it was waking up classmates, but it still wasn’t waking up him. It wasn’t working enough. With each passing day he worried that somehow Komaeda was different, that maybe he wouldn’t wake up like the rest. And with each passing day, his theory only seemed stronger. Koizumi woke up, and Hiyoko, and Nidai, Teruteru, Pekoyama- and the rest. Next thing Hajime knew everyone except Komaeda was awake.
It stayed that way for a few days, which was not too abnormal. After the Ultimate Imposter woke up, it took a week for Teruteru to wake up. Yet, every single day that Hajime was awake and Komaeda wasn’t was one too many for Hajime. It was pain. Not to mention that when he did sleep he had terrible nightmares of the simulation. Visions of Chiaki being crushed all over again. Scenarios of Junko surviving despite all that everyone had done to prevent it. Images of Komaeda dead, blood everywhere. In every one, Hajime was just helpless. Useless.
Though those were the best dreams compared to the other nightmares Hajime suffered from. The ones about… the project. The worst part about leaving the simulation was regaining his memories of what happened at Hope’s Peak. And what happened when Kamakura was in control.
It was during one of these dreams when Hajime woke up screaming. He shot up in his bed, clutching at the sheets that were soaked with his sweat.
“What’s wrong?” A worried Komaeda fluttered to Hajime’s side. But he did not soothe Hajime.
Anger boiled in Hajime’s veins. Anger at Hope’s Peak. Anger at the ones who created the simulation. Anger at the people who created the Kamakura project.
Anger at himself.
So much anger towards him and only him. None of this ever would have happened. The biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history would have never happened. Nothing would have happened if Hajime just wasn’t so weak. So unhappy with his pathetic, talentless self. Kamakura wouldn’t have taken those lives. Junko would have never gotten the firepower Kamakura provided. The uprising would have never happened. Nothing would have happened.
It was all his fault.
He let out a strangled scream and stood up, kicking the sheets off of him, and stormed to his bedside table. Then, in one fell swoop, he threw the bedside lamp onto the floor. It shattered into a million satisfying pieces, the lightbulb letting out a little pop. He stared at the broken mess for a second. Then, suddenly and all together, all the rage that he had been seething drained from his body. He felt like an empty shell. A ghost.
He collapsed back onto the bed, elbows on his knees, back in a tired hunch. His scars hurt. He hurt.
He felt the bed shift next to him.
Hajime cleared his voice, hoarse from screaming, and spoke. “I hate how weak I was. How weak I am still-”
“Bullshit.”
Hajime looked to Komaeda. His eyes were hard and his face stern.
“I didn’t know you were that deluded to be honest. To think that Hajime Hinata is weak- hah! You are anything but weak. At the last trial, you were given two choices. What did you pick? Neither. You made your own choice. When you woke up from the simulation, Makoto told you to leave, Byakuya told you to leave, Kirigiri told you to leave. Did you leave? No. You stayed and created a program to wake us up. You are strong Hinata, you just don’t believe you are."
"But the mistakes I made-”
“Everyone makes mistakes! And I know everyone says that but its true. We are imperfect creatures. We speed, we cheat, we lie - everyone does wrong in their life. Just because you think your wrong that you did is the worst possible one out there doesn’t mean that you should hate yourself for it. Someone else has probably made the same mistake before. Its how life works. We make mistakes. We stumble. We fall. And when we do, we don’t hate ourselves for it, we push through and become better. Because we have hope for an even better future. We have hope for a future that is perfect because it is imperfect.”
“I don’t want to have hope for a better future, I want my life to be better. I want to not have made these mistakes. I want to not hate myself.”
“Well, no one can take back what has been done,” Komaeda reached out and stroked the scars on Hajime’s head. “We can only make the best of it.”
Hajime leaned into the touch, forgetting for a moment that this was a hallucination.
“How can I do that when I don’t even know who I am? I am not Hajime Hinata, and I am not Kamakura. I am some sort of freak in-between and I hate it.”
“Does it matter who you are?” Hajime didn’t know how to respond. But he did know what he wanted Komaeda to say. I still love you, either way, whoever you may be.
“And just for the record, I don’t hate you, whoever you may be.”
Hajime smiled. That was enough for him, for now.
“Thank you, Komaeda,” he murmured. And he meant it.
“Even the strongest have their moments,” Komaeda agreed. “And you are strong,” Komaeda asserted.
Hajime smiled and turned to face Komaeda. In the dim lights his eyes shone like beacons of hope, of acceptance, of… love. Before Hajime could even think he was leaning toward Komaeda his eyes closing his heart beating his mind swirling his-
“Hinata-kun!” Fuyuhiko burst into the room snapping Hajime out of his trance. He was still sitting on his bed, leaning towards an empty space.
“What?” Hajime responded to Fuyuhiko’s curious gaze. “I couldn’t sleep. Now what is it?”
Fuyuhiko seemed to shake his confusion off. “Get dressed. You’re gonna wanna see this for yourself.”
Hope burst in Hajime’s chest. He couldn’t wait to know. “Is he…?”
Fuyuhiko nodded.
Hajime never got dressed faster in his life.
When Hajime made it to the pod room, he was breathless. He ran up to Komaeda’s now-open pod and leaned towards it. Komaeda was still asleep, eyes firmly closed, which allowed Hajime a moment to catch his breath. About once he did, he saw Komaeda’s eyes begin to flutter.
“Hey! Can you hear me?” Hajime called out to his peer.
It took a moment, but then Komaeda responded. “Ahh… Izuru Kamakura?” Komaeda held out his hand towards Hajime. “No, you’re, uh, Hajime Hinata, right?”
Fueled by his earlier revelation, Hajime responded confidently. “They’re both me.”
“I suppose I should thank you for waking me up? I knew you’d make it to the lowest stratum- I believed in you." Komaeda lifted his head, seeming to remember something. "How are the others?”
Hajime just smiled as the door behind him opened, revealing the rest of their peers waiting outside the pod room. “You’re the last one out.”
Komaeda smiled. Then, he looked pointedly into Hajime’s eyes, a small smirk present on his face. “You’re hope was always stronger than any reality.”
57 notes · View notes
morgansyorkie · 4 years
Text
Too Afraid of Losing You ~ Nolan Patrick
Tumblr media
Summary: You’re a med student and you had to graduate early due to the Corona Virus pandemic happening in the Philadelphia area. You have been working insane hours and the exhaustion from it all has definitely took a toll not only on you, but on your boyfriend Nolan Patrick well. You both have come to realization on truly how each of you mean to one another and how much you need one another during this difficult time.
Word Count: 3,660 
Disclaimer: this is my first writing that I am posting, I hope that you all in enjoy it and would love to get any kind of feed back. Thank you :) Also thank you to @quinny-boy-hughes​ and @kravistonecny​ for giving my the courage to write and post this!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Who would have thought that two months ago your normal life as a med student was going to change, but change in a way you never thought could happen. Sleeping was starting to become more and more difficult nor it never came at all. You frequently found yourself tossing and turning throughout the night or during the day depending on your crazy schedule. The world as you knew it was changing and not in a good way, your school decided to let all medical students graduate early if they chose to due to the pandemic that was happening here in America.  
Sixteen hours...sixteen hours later you were finally walking into your apartment in downtown Philadelphia feeling completely exhausted and worn out. Your shift was only supposed to be from 7 pm to 7 am a normal twelve hour nurse-based shift, but with the amount of cases that were pilling in overnight, your team had to work overtime to make sure there was enough room for everyone coming in. You quickly kicked your shoes off and headed straight to the bathroom so you can remove your uniform and jump into the hot scolding shower. As you were removing your clothing you noticed a note and a single red rose laying on the countertop of the sink. “You’re so amazing and I’m so proud of you” Love always Nolan
As exhausted as you were, you couldn’t help but smile at the little gesture that your beyond amazing boyfriend Nolan has done for you. Nolan is your absolute everything in this world, he has seen you go through so much while attending med school and knowing that your graduating year had to be cut short due to the Corona Virus outbreak put a toll on the both of you. He was looking forward to watching you walk across the stage and finally getting that diploma that you’ve worked so damn hard for. He was looking forward for after graduation to settle down some and enjoy sometime together and maybe start planning your guys future together before you landed your official nursing job at University of Penn. He was even in talks to the guys about proposing to you when the time was right, but now that’s all thrown out the window due to this insane virus that no one has control over.
Once you got out of the shower, you changed into some sweats and one of Nolan’s hoodies that he totally sprayed his cologne with overnight to make sure that it smelled exactly like him. You walked out of the bathroom and was surprised to see Nolan still spread out in your guys bed peacefully sleeping. Must have been a long night of video games, if he is still sound asleep at this time of the day. As much as you desperately needed sleep you didn’t want to disrupt your boyfriend so you headed towards the spare bedroom and crawled under the blankets. You turned to lay on your side but the scarring on your face made you jolt some, but after a while the cooling of the pillowcases felt good against your beat-up face.  
Nolan rolled over and looked at his phone which had a bunch of notifications that he could care less about, he saw that it was almost noon. He opened his text’s and saw that the last text from you was around eleven in the morning stating you were finally clocking out and heading home. But it’s almost been an hour since that text and he doesn’t understand why you’re not home lying in bed next to him. He got up and walked out of the room “Y/N? Y/N you home”? He asked in a low mumble tone. When there was no response, he got worried, he was about to grab his phone to call you when he noticed the guest bedroom door slightly closed and the bag with your scrubs in it laying out in the hall way. Seeing the bag out in the hall way made his nerves calm down a bit, he softly opened the guest bedroom door and saw you peacefully laying in the bed sleeping. He was glad to have you home safe, but he would be lying if he wasn’t a little hurt for the fact that you were sleeping in the guest bed instead of next to him in your guys bed.
You were finally getting some good sleep for once until you heard the loud ringing coming the night stand next to you. You sat up and rubbed your eyes a few times before answering the phone.  
“Hello?” You answered still half a sleep.  
“Y/N” I am so so sorry to wake you; I know how worn out you must be but I need you to come in for another overnight shift tonight. We just got about another 100 or so cases that rolled in from the time that you left and it’s getting out of hand here. We are going to need all hands-on deck tonight and tomorrow.” Your boss explained to you.  
You had no choice, you had to go in this is what you signed up for. Well not this exactly, but you knew that becoming a nurse meant you were going to have some really tough days and nights.
“Yes, of course I’ll be there for shift change at seven tonight” You said in mid-stretch and getting ready to hop out of bed since it was just pass three thirty in the afternoon.  
“Ugh thank you so much Y/N see you later hun.” Your boss said quickly and hung up
You walked out of the bedroom and headed towards the living room and kitchen area. You might as well start planning on cooking a big meal since you don’t know when the next time you will be able to eat a proper meal next. You saw Nolan sitting on the couch with his gaming headset on, trying his best not to yell into the mic at the person on the other end which was most likely Travis and maybe Carter.
“Dude Trav what the fuck are you doing? You just shot me I am on your team you stupid idiot, such a dumbass, god you are so fucking bad at Call of Duty.” Nolan said into his headset.  
You couldn’t help but laugh to yourself and shake your head at the site of Nolan. You walked over and leaned over the back of the couch to run your hand through Nolan’s hair and give him a quick kiss on the cheek before heading into the kitchen.  
“Hey guys, I gotta go.” Nolan said as quickly as he could before shutting down the game and throwing his headset onto the coffee table.
You’d just finished getting out some pots and pans to start preparing a meal of spaghetti and meatballs when a pair of familiar strong arms wrapped themselves around your torso and a nose nuzzled into your neck.  
“Done your game already.” You said giggling.  
“Why were you in the spare bedroom?” Nolan questioned, as he spun you around so he could properly kiss you.
“I slept in the guest room because you took up the whole bed and you looked so damn cute and peaceful that I didn’t want to disrupt that. It's been so hard for me to even get a good night’s and in this case a good day’s worth of sleep lately so when I was done showering and found you sprawled out, you looked so peaceful. That I didn’t have the heart to ruin your beauty sleep in case I couldn’t fall asleep.”
I appreciate that babe…but I missed you.” Nolan breathed. “Was worried that something happened to you or that something had happened at the hospital.”
“Nah…never.” You insisted. “Not when I have you here to come home to after a long exhausting shift at work.”  
With Nolan’s arms bringing you closer to him and him resting his head over your shoulder you sighed softly.
“Baby, what’s wrong and why are you cooking now? I thought that we were just going to snuggle and relax tonight and order some take out.” Nolan said as he played with your hair
“Plans changed...” You said barely above a whisper
“Y/n? What’s going on?” Nolan asked while stepping next to you so he can get a good read at the expression on your face. He knows how exhausted, worn out and beat up you have been lately. Seeing all of scars on your face every time you walk through that door reminds him how serious this virus actually is, it reminds him how scared he is that you are on the front lines during this time and how he doesn’t exactly know what you are battling every day, hour and minute.
“My boss called...hundreds of more cases came flooding in after I left the hospital, we need all hands-on deck. So, I have to head back down to the hospital later for another overnight shift.” You spoke softly as you pour the pasta into the boiling water and went to the freezer to grab the bag of meatballs.
“Y/n...no you were supposed to have the rest of the evening off, you weren’t supposed to go back into work until tomorrow morning. We were finally supposed have a relaxing night together, I feel like I don’t get to see you anymore.” Nolan said grabbing your hand squeezing it tight afraid that he might never get another relaxing night with you again.
“Patty, trust me I more than anyone in this world want that. I just want to crawl onto the couch and in your lap and just wish this horrible nightmare of a virus away, but it’s not like that. It’s getting worse by the hour and minute it seems like now and I just can’t say no. I just can not just not show up when there are higher doctors and nurses out there who never really get chance to go home and see their families and loved ones.” You said squeezing his hand back and kissing his soft lips to reassure him how much you love him.
“Here why don’t I finish dinner and we can sit outside on the balcony and enjoy some fresh air…” Nolan said picking up the ladle. “Then we can have a little cuddle session before you have to leave for the night.”
“‘Deal.” You said in agreement, while quickly rising up onto your tippy toes to plant a kiss onto Nolan’s lips before grabbing the place settings for outside. Being a med student wasn’t easy, but it was certainly easier with Nolan by your side the whole entire time. Now being a freshly new nurse isn’t easy either especially during this pandemic time, but again it was certainly a lot easier with Nolan by your side.
Nolan brought out dinner and you two just shared the moment that you were in. Eating a great dinner together while enjoying each other’s company and looking off into the cities sun. Every now and then you would glance over and give Nolan an adorable look and smile. He would try to give you the same reassuring glance back, but you knew there was something off with him. His eyes didn’t have that sparkle or shine to them like they normally do and it worried you.
After dinner, you joined Nolan in the lounge chair that he was sitting on and crawled in between his legs so your back was snuggled up to his chest and he could tightly wrap his arms around you.
“I can’t wait for this new normal to be over. I can’t wait to actually get my diploma and hopefully have an actual ceremony or at least party to celebrate my hard work with our friends and family. I can’t wait to see what an actual regular day of work is going to look like, a day where I don’t have to wear protective gear 24/7 and have to social distance myself from everything and everyone that I love.”
“Can’t wait for that too...” Nolan said barely above a whisper
Nolan’s voice alarmed you, you spun around so you were facing him. You looked up at Nolan and could see a sea of tears forming in eyes and a few slightly falling down his face.
“Nolan, baby are you okay, baby what’s wrong you’re worrying me.” You said grabbing onto his shoulder and running your hand through his hair.
“No..I’m not okay y/n... I’m scared...I’m scared as hell.” He said mumbling  
“Scared about what Nols? Baby please talk to me; you’re really worrying me here. I have never seen you like this.” You said wiping a tear away from his face
“I’m scared to death of losing you Y/N. Ever since this virus has gotten more and more out of control it has frightened me more each and every single day. Every time you walk out of our door it kills me not knowing if that will ever be the last time that I get to see your face, hold you and kiss you. I’m so damn afraid that one of these days you aren’t going to be walking through those doors again and right into my arms. I can’t imagine my life without you Y/N, I’m so incredibly proud of you don’t get me wrong you’re a fucking super hero in my eyes but you’re also my girlfriend who I’m madly in love with who one day I hope to make my wife and the mother of my children. It’s like I need that reassurance to know that every time you leave to fight this virus that you’ll be able to come home back to me. It's why I have arguments with my mother on daily occasions about why I decided to stay here instead of flying back home because of the season being postponed. It’s because in reality I could never live with myself if I did that and god forbid something happened to you and I wasn’t here and I couldn’t get to you! It’s why I leave you little notes with a rose in the bathroom so when you come home you know that I was thinking about you the whole entire time you were on the front lines at work. As much as you hate not being able to sleep properly lately, I kind of love it because I can be there to protect and comfort you through it all y/n. I feel better when I have you tightly in my arms, I feel better when I’m able to look at you from a far, I feel better when I can play with your hair and kiss your lips. Over all I’m a better person when I am with you, if you don’t believe ask Travis and Carter, they have heard it all.” Nolan said full on breaking down at this point
You have never seen Nolan this vulnerable before, in all the years that you have been dating. It killed you to see this side of him, you never realized how much this was also affecting him until now.
You grabbed his face with both of your hands and kissed him like you have never kissed him before. You pulled away and leaned your forehead against his and wiped away a few more tears. “Nolan Patrick, I promise you I will always come back home to you.” You said looking straight into those gorgeous eyes that you love so much.
You looked at the clock and saw that it was 7:05 in the morning, you were hoping to run into your boss so she can give you the all clear to head home. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen until a few hours and a break down alone in the hall way later. Your one coworker made sure to give Nolan an update every so often to let him know and that you were alright even though you weren’t. But she didn’t want to worry him anymore than he already was, plus she did it since you were too busy running around and forgot to leave your phone on the charging station to charge.
One O’clock...One O’clock in the afternoon that is the time that the clock read when you were able to finally clock out for the day. An eighteen-hour shift was way more than enough that you could ever possibly handle. You looked into the mirror and could barely recognize the woman staring back at you. It wasn’t you, this woman had dark bruised circles and lines around and under her eyes. This woman had broken and cracked lines on her cheek bones, where her mask had laid and dug into her. The only good thing that is coming out from these past horrific days is that your boss was giving you the next few days off to rest and compose yourself.
You drove yourself home and the moment you parked your car in the garage exhaustion took a new total on you. You didn’t member the elevator ride up to your floor, you didn’t remember walking down the hall to your apartment door and noticing all of the lovely and cute little notes that the children on your floor made for you and hung on the front door for you to see every day. You didn’t remember walking in and taking off your shoes and heading straight to the bathroom to take your routine hot shower. The only thing that brought you back to normal thought and time was the strong arms of Nolan wrapping you up tight into his arms while leaning next you on the cool bathroom floor.
“Shh, let it all out baby. It’s okay y/n I’m here..I’m here. Just please talk to me.” Nolan said while kissing your hair and rubbing your shoulder
“In the eighteen hours that I have worked I have seen way too many deaths than I ever wanted to see in my life Nolan. People are dying alone..because their loved ones aren’t allowed to come in contact with them. Its people of all ages young and old. Some I stood by their side because it broke my heart that they were dying alone. I broke down in a hallway at work, because I don’t understand how we are going to continue to fight this. You aren’t the only one who is completely scared to death, I am too. I am scared just as much as you are about not being able to return home and being able to crash into your arms. Nurses are already starting to get tested for the virus in different departments and floors and I’m so worried that soon we will have to be tested. I’m trying not to think of the worse, but what if I get tested and I’m positive I can’t imagine never being able to see or talk to you again. You deserve so much better”  
Nolan brushed a piece of hair behind your ear, brushed the falling tears away from your cheek with his thumb and turned your face so you were looking right at him. “Don’t think like that baby, you are one strong woman. Each and every single day I find more and more reasons to fall in love with you. This pandemic made me realize to appreciate and love the little things in life more, to hold and adore your loved ones a lot closer. I can’t imagine what you and your staff are going through day in and day out but know that I will always be here waiting for you, so I can ease your mind and try my best to take it all away from you. If anyone deserves better it’s you y/n, I’m just a bonehead professional hockey player. But you, you are a talented young woman changing the world every single time you out walk of this apartment. Here come with me, I have something I want to show you and I think that it will make you feel a lot better.” Nolan said picking you up and carrying you into your guys bedroom and placing you onto the bed.  
Nolan took out his iPad and handed it over to you and started playing a video for you. It was a video that the entire Flyers team put together thanking you for everything that you are doing during this crazy and difficult time. Even Gritty made a special appearance for you in the video which told made you light up and giggle. They even went on and talked about how such an amazing person you are and how much you mean to not only Nolan but to them as well. They were so grateful and thankful for you and it warmed your heart so much to hear them say it. The video ended with Nolan obviously getting emotional about much he is so proud of you and how he can’t believe that you were willing to get your degree early and risk your entire life just to save others without any hesitation.
Once the video ended you looked at Nolan and thanked him, this is what you needed to help you get through these times.
“I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for us, if we can get through this together than we sure can get through anything in life together.” You said leaning in and closing the gap between you with a kiss
“As long as I have you in my arms, I don’t care where life take us. I realized that as long as you’re in my life that I have officially won no what matter. You’re my absolute everything y/n and I wouldn’t change it in a heartbeat.” Nolan said cupping your cheek and kissing you passionately  
Nolan was right, as long as you had each other you knew you were always going to be safe and have strong arms to come decompose home too.  
186 notes · View notes
skygirl5 · 3 years
Text
12 Prompts of Christmas - #11 - Hot Chocolate
ELEVEN - Hot Chocolate
Three days later, Rick sat in a small café alone at a two-seater table. He faced the front of the shop, though with it being so crowded it was a little difficult for him to get a clear view of the door. He could see it open and close, but the faces of those passing through were a bit more difficult to discern, so he found himself rising up out of his seat each time the door moved to check to see if the person he was there to meet had finally arrived.
When Kate called him the day after they ran into each other at her precinct, Rick could tell she was a little hesitant to meet up with him. She started out by saying it was a busy time of year, which he completely understood; it was for everyone. He promised her that he would meet on her schedule as he was extremely flexible, so she agreed to an early afternoon coffee meet-up, which would be before her 3 p.m. shift.
Rick arrived atypically early to the shop, wanting to make sure he wasn’t late, and also to give himself a few moments to prepare and collect his thoughts. He’d wanted to meet up with Kate for so long he needed to make sure he grounded his expectations in case the connection he’d felt between them that Christmas Eve night had been more of a fluke—or if, in the many years that past, he’d romanticized it a bit too much in his mind.
The most interesting thing for Rick was the fact that his interest in seeing her again did not really have anything to do with physical attraction. Of course, he found her physically attractive; she was exceptionally beautiful, but the connection he felt with her was more than that. The way they talked with ease and somehow the perfect amount of humor and seriousness was something he had rarely experienced. Even though it had just been a few hours on one night, his gut told him there was more to their connection. He wasn’t sure at that point if it would be romantic or platonic friendship, but he wanted to speak with her again to find out.
After about ten minutes, he finally saw Kate step through the door of the café. Her eyes immediately began scanning the crowd, so he stood and raised his hand above his head so she would see him. After a moment he saw the recognition on her face and smiled as she sidled her way through the tightly packed tables on her way to his spot on the far side of the café, which had been the only available two-seater table when he arrived.
“Hey, thanks for coming,” he greeted her.
“Sure, no problem.”
“What can I get you to drink? My treat.”
“Oh, um…hot chocolate? Please.”
“You got it.”
He walked up to the counter, ordered hot chocolate for her and a flat white for himself, and then waited patiently for their drinks, trying not to make it too obvious that he was observing Kate from where he stood. He watched her ritual of removing her coat, hanging it on the back of her chair, and then sitting down with her handbag in her lap. If anything, the prior five years had made her more beautiful. Where her chestnut toned hair had been in a ponytail during their first interactions, now it hung long and framed her face in a lovely way. Her face had certainly lost the youthful edge he remembered, but maturity looked good on her.
Their drinks in hand, Rick returned to the table and slid into the petite chair clearly made for someone of a much smaller stature, but he made it work. She thanked him for the beverage and pulled it close, cradling the cup with her hands. “Not much of a coffee drinker?” he asked conversationally.
She laughed. “Oh no—I love coffee. I just…well, I was really trying to power through something at work yesterday and had two or three cups too many.”
He chuckled. “So, you’re detoxing.”
“Something like that. Plus, I really only have hot chocolate in the winter.”
“Fair enough. I, ah, really appreciate you meeting with me.”
She took a gentle sip of her drink and nodded. “Sure. I guess it was kind of crazy that we ran into each other again.”
“Crazy? I’d call it fate,” he said with a simple smile.
A skeptical expression crossed her face. “Fate?”
“Sure. Seems like the stars have aligned for us twice now. So…how’ve you been?”
She shrugged and said, “Can’t complain. How about you?”
“I’m doing very well, thank you.”
Kate danced her fingers across the edge of her mug as she gazed at him. “It was, um, nice to meet Alexis. She seems like a really great kid.”
“Thank you. She really enjoyed the experience from figuring out what decorations to make, making them, and then hanging them all up. I think it’s so important for her to learn to give back early on.”
“Definitely.” Kate agreed. “Are you guys doing anything else like that for the holidays?”
Rick hummed as he took a ginger sip of his drink, but it was still quite hot, so he set the cup down and leaned back in his chair. “Yes, we usually take a few bags full of toys to the less fortunate kids in the city. We’ll be doing that next week, so they have them in time for Christmas. What about you? What kind of celebrating are you—oh, hey,” he interrupted his question when a memory surfaced, “how’d your dad doing?”
Kate appeared slightly surprised. “Oh, um, he’s…yeah he’s doing pretty good. He’s been back to teaching now for a few years and, though I know he has some difficult times, I know he finds it very rewarding.”
Smiling at her he said, “That’s great; so glad to hear it.”
“But otherwise, um, I guess I don’t have any special plans. I’m working the days around Christmas, but the weekend after I’m getting together with my boyfriends’ family.”
“That’s nice. How long have you guys been together?”
“Ah a little over a year,” she said.
Rick nodded. Seeing as he and Gina were technically still engaged but not exactly speaking at the moment, he couldn’t say he was disappointed. Nor was he surprised; someone as amazing as Kate seemed to be would be a lucky addition to any man’s life. “Well, good for you.”
After another sip of hot chocolate, she cleared her throat and said, “So you had some questions about the NYPD?”
“Yes…well, actually, I had a thought. Would it be possible—rather, would you be okay with me shadowing you for a little while?”
Her eyes grew wide. “Shadowing?”
“Yeah. I mean, I can ask a bunch of questions and you can answer, but it’s so much better for my research if I can actually see you in action, so to speak. I’ve done it before,” he added quickly when he could see her lips melting into a frown. “Not with the NYPD but…but with other law enforcement agencies.”
“Well…I’d definitely have to run it by my captain.”
He nodded. “Of course, of course; I don’t want to get you in any sort of trouble. Oh! I’m friends with the mayor if you think that would help smooth things over.”
“You’re friends with the mayor?!”
“Sure; we play poker together.”
She tilted her head to the side and concluded, “You must have a very interesting life, Rick.”
He laughed. “I certainly have no room to complain.”
She was quite for a few moments but then said, “Ah…yeah, okay. I guess you could shadow me for a day.”
“I…was thinking more like a week.” He suggested before plastering an innocent smile on his face.
She gave him a look. “Three days.”
“Done.”
“Assuming my captain agrees.”
“Of course.”
She took another sip of her drink and then leaned back in her seat, considering. “You really think it will be helpful?”
He nodded. “Absolutely. I really pride myself on my books being authentic and there’s no better way.”
Again, she considered him for several moments. “So…if Derrick Storm is CIA…does that mean that’s the other law enforcement agency you shadowed?”
Rick opened his mouth, but no sound came out at first. His brain had stuttered to a stop when debating on whether or not to react to how smart she was or how familiar with his works she was. Or both. “I, um, can neither confirm nor deny…” he said a bit cheekily.
Much to his pleasant surprise, she appeared rather impressed. “Well, I don’t see how shadowing me will be nearly as interesting as that but…I hope it helps you.”
Grinning at her he said, “I’m positive it will.” Then, he sipped his coffee again and leaned back in his seat, excited to follow the path of his relationship with Kate wherever it took him.
19 notes · View notes