#and if i need longer than the rest of this month i’ll make another post

[ghost-proofbaby]

hey y’all!

so i’ve been considering this a lot in the past few weeks, and figured i’d make an official post so you all know i’m alive and what not since i have been very much inactive as of recently.

i’m taking a break.

not forever! not because of anything in the fandom! this break is solely due to personal life reasons and the fact i just can’t be as active on here right now between my jobs and personal affairs. and it also won’t be long — i’m going to be off here probably through the end of november. if i have the time/mental capacity to come back before then, i absolutely will 🖤 but right now, tumblr isn’t something that fits easily within my days and also, writing for my fics hasn’t been something i can easily do not due to lack of inspiration but lack of time.

again, this is just due to my own personal life currently. nothing happened in the fandom that motivated this decision (i honestly don’t even know what’s happening on here currently solely because i haven’t had the time to scroll lol) and it’s very much not permanent, and will HOPEFULLY be very short. like i said, until the end of november. i’ll still be writing in my free time, and my hope is to be able to update fics once i’m back and worse better than ever! 🖤

see y’all in december <3

#in the great words of miss swift — it’s been a long time coming #idk if i’ll be around to check my inbox either 😭 #if you have my discord i’ll still be active there no worries haha #i can’t wait to come back and see what y’all have been up to it’ll be fun #also my queue is officially empty after today so like genuinely there won’t be any posts sorry everyone #putting me first 🫡 #saying that feels ridiculous #THIS ALL FEELS VERY DRAMATIC i’ve just got a lot of antsy anons recently #is antsy the word? anxious? idk #see y’all on the other side though my friends #and if i need longer than the rest of this month i’ll make another post #life am i right?

[jinkicake]

Duty Calls

Lucifer calls you into his office for some much-needed stress relief.

Lucifer x Reader (afab!reader)

A/N: this is a combo of smuts that i stuck together to make one giant lucifer smut... anything for my demon!!! i also have genshin smut i want to post butttt i’ll do that tmr #lucicomesfirst

SMUT // NSFWW

WC - 1.5k

~~~

‘I need to see you. Come to my room now.’

Lucifer’s simple text message comes at an odd time and leaves no room for any refusal. Upon receiving the request, you nearly drop your phone in shock. 

“Fuck me,” You whine and throw your covers to the side in a rush as you get out of bed. Why is Lucifer requesting an audience with you now? Since the last time you were scolded, a mere three months ago, you haven’t failed any tests or broken any of his house rules. What could he possibly have to talk to you about that required such a serious message? 

The short trek toward the demon’s bedroom takes longer than usual as you brace yourself with each step that you take. In your mind, you try to run every possibility of Lucifer’s scoldings and how you can avoid his severe punishments. You truly don’t think that you have it in you to sit through another one of his hour-long lectures. 

There isn’t even an opportunity for you to wait outside his bedroom door, to take an extra breather, because the door is wide open. Lucifer doesn’t even have to turn around from where he is seated at his desk to know that you are there. 

“Come in and shut the door.” His deep voice calms your racing heart down a little as you step inside and quietly shut the thick wooden door. “Lock it.” With shaky fingers, you do as he asks. “Sit,” Wordlessly, you move to sit on the edge of his bed. The soft duvet could make you cry as you fist the material with your fingers. 

You wish you could lay down and relax on his bed. If Lucifer wants to scold you about something, you might have to remind him of how you were just sleeping soundly in his bed this morning. 

While Lucifer finishes up with the paper he is working on and jots his last thoughts down, you let your eyes drag along the walls of his room. The dark walls soon bore you as your eyes retire to his broad back. You watch with a certain eagerness in your eyes, nearly squirming in your spot while staring at the strong plain of his shoulders. He’s gorgeous, you can’t deny that. 

“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting,” Lucifer finally places his pen down and roughly pulls you away from your thoughts as he stands up from his desk. When his eyes land on your nervous figure, he frowns. “don’t look so frightened, dear.” He sighs quietly and crosses his arms over his large chest, standing completely still as he looks over you. “You have very fond memories in this room, don’t you?” 

Oh, he’s right. If Lucifer were to be punishing you for something, he would have chosen to scold you in his office. He rarely carries over work into his bedroom except for the occasional light reading of paperwork. 

“Were you busy?” Lucifer sits down beside you, letting his thigh press into your own. The warmth of his body nearly causes you to shiver. “I understand that this is unexpected,” His hand gently cups your bicep before moving up your shoulder, lightly trailing your skin with light touches. He pushes your hair out of his way before lowering his face to your neck. 

You shake your head to answer his question out of fear that your voice will fail you. Lucifer smirks before placing a soft kiss on your throat and tightening his grip on your shoulder when your breath hitches. 

“You won’t mind helping me out with something, correct?” His lips press continuous kisses onto your skin, leading a trail up your jaw to behind your ear. With each audible sound, your body grows weaker and weaker until you’re just about leaning entirely into his touch. 

“I’ll help with anything,” You whisper, afraid to break the spell he has on you. Lucifer’s hand glides down to your back and rests firmly between your shoulder blades. 

“Good girl,” He murmurs into your ear and makes a point to lick underneath your jaw, he’s entirely consumed by your presence. “I need your help.” The plea, as subtle as it is, makes your eyes widen in shock. 

“With what?”

“You know exactly what,” Lucifer nudges you back against his mattress and makes sure that you are splayed out for him against his duvet. “I need you, human.”

It doesn’t take long for you to realize just exactly what Lucifer needs. When he sets his mind on something, he makes a promise to deliver, and he always leaves you satisfied. 

“Luci-” You suck in a sharp breath, a pathetic moan falling from your lips as your head falls back against the lush pillows lining his bed. “Lucifer!” The older demon deeply moans at your cries and the sight of your exposed in front of him, nothing in all the realms could take him away from you right now. 

Lucifer continues to happily lap his tongue between your thighs, sweetly licking hard strips against your clit over and over again. Only when you’re starting to gush against his chin does he dip his tongue inside of you. His long, monster of a tongue reaches far deeper than any toy could. He plunges the appendage in and out between your tight walls, intently rubbing his nose against your clit to make you see stars. Lucifer searches for that spongey spot just past your entrance and he finds it with ease before his tongue starts to grind against that sweet spot. 

It’s wet, and messy, and shows just how desperate Lucifer can get for you. He needs this just as badly as you do. He aches when he’s not inside you, the only time he feels utter peace is when he’s eating you out until your thighs shake in overstimulation. 

The mere thought of getting you to cum sends him into quickening his movements. Lucifer sits up on the mattress, pressing your thighs to your chest and angling your hips up so he can shove his tongue even deeper inside of you. 

The combination of his angular nose rubbing against your swollen clit and his tongue stretching you open already has you squirming against the sheets. 

“Oh my-” You bite down on your tongue to hold back a whine, but ultimately let it out when Lucifer pinches your hip. “fuck, Lucifer!”

His animalistic groans against your cunt and the ferocity that has taken over him, driving him to pleasure you more and more until you cum, have you seeing stars. It’s not just his pleasurable motions, but the intensity that leaks off of him that makes you cum.

You finish hard on Lucifer’s tongue, bucking your hips against your face to drag out the orgasm for as long as possible. His nose rubs deliciously against your clit, stretching the feeling out from the pit of your stomach down to the tips of your toes. 

Lucifer slowly angles you back down against the mattress, placing your hips back onto the lush blankets instead of his firm shoulders. It’s only when you’re twitching flatly against the bed that he slowly retracts his tongue back into his mouth. 

The demon glances up at you and a small upward twitch appears in the corner of his lips as he takes in your ruined appearance. He drags his eyes back down between your thighs and a sharp inhale sends him right back down to your cunt. 

He parts you with his thick thumbs and licks from your entrance up to your clit. You’re still so sensitive that you shudder against him but, Lucifer pays no mind to it. He’s already gotten a taste of you, more of you now and he can’t simply pull himself away. 

It sends him back into another cycle of lapping his tongue against your pretty pussy, mouthing your wetness to devour it all. He’s loud and messy as sopping noises reach your ears and cause a blush to reach your cheeks. Lucifer has no intention of doing anything in a gentlemanly fashion, not tonight. 

He sucks and sucks until you’re lathered in his spit and when he’s finished, he sharply slaps his palm against your ass. 

“Mhm, my human,” Lucifer admires you from head to toe as he sits up between your thighs to place his forearms on either side of your head. His face has become so close to yours that you obediently part your lips for Lucifer to meet you in a kiss. 

He always makes you taste so good on his tongue, you moan and shift your hips at the warm feeling. Like everything he does with you, Lucifer puts his pride into kissing you. One of his hands tightly grips your hair to angle your head back while the other rests gently on your throat. He takes a sense of dominance when sucking on your tongue, letting the two muscles wrap around the other. 

It’s messy and dirty, much like all the things Lucifer does to you and what he has planned for the rest of the night. 

#lucifer x reader #lucifer x y/n #lucifer x you #Lucifer smut #obey me smut #obey me x reader #obey me x you #obey me x y/n #obey me lucifer #lucifer x female reader #obey me x female reader #xiaos spicy almond tofu

[whatsk-poppinhomies]

Pairing : idol!Choi Jongho x F!Reader TW : angst ; reader doubts about the relationship ; fluffy at the end ; Word Count : 2.4k

“I know that you’ve all seen the images online of me with the girl, and I don’t want anyone to speculate or make rumors…” You listened to the words that your boyfriend of 2 years was saying, your heart beating faster as you waited for him to finally drop the news. Hiding the relationship had taken a toll on not only you, but the relationship in general. It was hard to do anything when your boyfriend was under the watchful eye of the entire world, and it seemed like reporters were always waiting around the corner for new pictures to post of him. Maybe if he finally told everyone everything it would make things more simple for the both of you in the long run. “The girl that I was seen with…” Here it comes. Now’s the time. It was finally going to go public, you’d be able to take casual walks down the street without having to see your face trending on twitter as the mystery girl. “She’s an old friend from school. There’s nothing there. I promise. The reports and the pictures and everything can stop. Please.” 

You stared blankly at your laptop screen, unable to even fully process what had happened just yet. He had the perfect opportunity, it was the opening that he’d need, but he blew it. It wasn’t the first time it had happened, and now you realized, it surely wouldn’t be the last time. He was at the office, it’s not even like you could talk to him about it either. You’d have to wait for him to come home, and by then he was so tired that he usually just wanted to go to bed. He always got to ignore it or avoid it or deflect. It was what he did with every problem when it came to you and the relationship. He didn’t care enough about it, and maybe you shouldn’t either.

“I’ll be home in like… 20 minutes or so.” Jongho said, his voice coming in through your phone speaker as you sat at the table eating your dinner. “Do you want me to grab something on my way home when I’m done at the office?” He asked, and you could hear the voices of the other guys in the background. The guys that didn’t really know much of you or about you, only the same thing that the rest of the world knew. You were simply Jonghos friend that he occasionally hung out with. You definitely weren’t the girl that he claimed to be deeply in love with, definitely not the girl that he had moved in with after only 6 months of dating. Nope, that surely wasn’t you. 

“Nah, I’m good.” You mumbled in between chewing, quickly dabbing your lips with the napkin beside you before grabbing your phone. “Take your time at work, I’ve got things to do.” You added, and the silence on his end almost made it seem like the call had ended, but you knew better. He was thinking, and he was thinking hard. You had never told him to take his time, you’d never want him to get home later than what he planned. You loved when he came home, and you’d usually run over to hug him or kiss him or both when he came through the door. 

When the silence lasted longer than you were used to, you were about to hang up the phone, but then you heard him clear his throat, the sound of fabric rustling picking up through the speaker. “I talked to Hongjoong and the guys, I’m coming home now.” He sounded like he was on edge, and you were sure it was because of your strange responses, but then again, he was the reason you were acting like this in the first place. 

The call ended quickly after your hum of disinterest, your thumb pressing the red button before you moved from the kitchen into the living room, dropping down onto the couch and flicking on the tv. It was just another thing that you normally wouldn’t do. Most of the time you’d stay on the phone with him until he walked through the door, only ending the call once you could hear your voice through his phone and your own. 

It’s not that you hated him, and it’s not that you even wanted to break up. You loved him, but you were tired of being in the shadows. It’s not like the company wasn’t okay with the guys being in relationships, most of the others had already come out about their own. You didn’t know the reason behind him hiding the relationship, but if he wanted to keep saying that you were just a friend, then that’s exactly what you’d be. 

He walked through the front door, pausing at the landing to look around for a second, and the sigh he let out sounded more like relief than anything else. You were sure that he probably thought you were cheating, and you would have probably thought the same thing if he had randomly changed the way he was acting. “Hey, babe…” He murmured, shimmying out of his coat and draping it over the back of the couch as he walked over to you. 

“Sup.” You responded dryly, allowing yourself to sink further into the couch which was, once again, unlike you. Where was the hug? Where was the kiss? It was like he was in the twilight zone, and he moved in front of you, standing between your eyes and the tv screen. “Do you need something?” 

The way his eyes blankly stared at you for a moment was almost comical, but then he started laughing, running his hand through his hair as he shook his head. “You’re funny. Come’ere.” He opened his arms for you, and you wanted so badly to jump off the couch and be embraced by him, but you knew that if you did, nothing would ever change. You quickly high fived both of his hands before leaning to the side to watch the tv around him, leaving him dumbstruck. “Hey… Come on, you can watch the tv after you give me my hug and my kiss.” 

He grabbed the remote off the arm of the sofa and quickly turned it off, his arms crossed as he stared at you expectantly. Jongho wasn’t one to really pout at you like this, and he’d never pry for physical attention from you either. As long as you told him you loved him, that was what truly mattered… But you hadn’t even said that yet. “Awh, come on dude. The show was just getting good.” You groaned, rolling your eyes as you pushed yourself up off the couch. 

Before you could even walk away though, his arms were wrapped around your waist, his face mere inches from your own. “It’s not funny anymore, Y/N.” His voice was stern and you hated the effect that it had on you right now, but you held your ground, your nose scrunching up as you leaned away from him when he tried to kiss you. “What are you… Is there someone here right now? Are you cheating on me?” He was furious, but through that anger was also sadness. You hated hurting him like this, but if this is what it took to get your point across, then this is what you had to do. 

“No.” You said flatly, your expression one of fake disgust as you lightly pushed against his shoulders to make him back up. “You can’t actually cheat on a friend, that’s ridiculous.” His hands dropped to his sides as his head cocked, confusion written across his features as he looked you over. “And you can’t really go around trying to smooch up on all of your friends, kinda weird buddy. Your other friends might not handle it as well as I did.” 

You sat back down on the couch, and he was still standing, frozen there in the middle of the floor. If you could see his brain, it was probably smoking, working hard to figure out what the hell was going on right now. “What!!?” He screeched, finally speaking the one single word as his body whipped in your direction. “You can’t just put me in the friendzone! We’re dating! You’re my girlfriend! Stop being silly.” 

“Actually…” You started, folding your hands in your lap, finally being serious for the first time since he walked through the door. “According to you, and the rest of the world… I’m just an old friend from school. So… You put me in the friendzone. I’m just acting accordingly.” 

His mouth opened momentarily, but it was like he didn’t know what to say. He knew exactly what you were talking about, he just didn’t know how to back out of it. He had dug the hole and put himself in it, and now he doesn’t know how to get out. “You watched the live stream?” He questioned, and you could only give him a look of disbelief. 

“I watch all of your live streams. I guess you could say I’m a pretty good old friend.” You emphasized the words, pushing yourself up off the couch to stand in front of him. “Anyway, I’m gonna go to bed now. Goodnight buddy.” You patted his shoulder before walking off toward the guest bedroom, and he had been frozen in the middle of the room still until you reached the door of the guest room. 

“What… What are you doing? Why are you going in there?” He hurried over to you, his hands wrapping around your wrists to pull you away from the room. “You know I love you, right? I might not be the best at showing it, but I do…” 

You scoffed lightly, trying not to let your emotions get the best of you while standing in front of him. “Oh no, you’re wonderful at showing it inside the house. Outside though, you suck. Now I know why you don’t hold my hand in public and you don’t look at me the same. Are you embarrassed of me? Or do you just love the attention that you get from your fans so much that you don’t want to risk losing it by saying that you actually have someone?” 

“What?!” He gasped, his hands moving up to cup your cheeks, forcing you to look at him. “Where did that… Babe, you know it’s not like that.” His thumbs brushed along your cheek bones, maybe he thought he’d catch some tears, but there was nothing. Obviously you were hurt, you wanted him to be proud to be with you, you wanted him to show you off, but it’s not like crying would make that happen. He needed to want to do it himself. 

“Jongho, seriously…” You breathed out the words, your hands slowly moving up to grab his just to pull them away. “I’m not going to be exactly what you want me to be behind closed doors just so that you can treat me like nothing more than a friend outside. Maybe you’re not embarrassed or ashamed of me… But you’re not proud enough to put me before your fame. Clearly acceptance from the fans takes priority over loving me.” 

Incoherent words flew through his lips in a rush, he was stumbling over them, unable to speak fast enough. “You are my friend though… You’re my best friend…” He shook his head, his fingers combing through his hair. “You’re also the love of my life, I want to spend my life with you. You mean so much to me, and I’m not prioritizing anything over you. The guys… when they came out about their relationships… they got so much backlash, their partners said they’d leave… some of them did leave for a bit. The fans get crazy and I didn’t want you to deal with that. I was just trying to protect you, to protect us. I don’t want you to be miserable or unhappy, I don’t want you to be stalked whenever you go to the store or even just leave the house… I love you and that’s why I hide you. I don’t want you to leave, I don’t want it to become too much for you.” 

Damn if his reasoning didn’t make sense, but it did, he knew first hand through experience just how hard it was for the guys and their girlfriends to deal with the publicity. Most of them couldn’t even go out anymore, and if they did they were constantly surrounded by bodyguards. They had no privacy, they could never enjoy a normal relationship. “It wouldn’t become too much for me…” You whispered, your head lowering as you slumped against the doorframe. “I would never leave you for anything. I just… I want to be with you… I want to be able to be with you outside. I want to hold your hand, I want to be more than an old friend…” 

His bottom lip jutted out slightly as he grabbed your hands, his thumb brushed along your knuckles sadly. “You are more than that… I just don’t want you to get hurt…” One small tug of your hands had you stumbling forward, falling against his chest, and it was only then that you allowed yourself to cry. “You’re my top priority, over everything else, you are the most important thing in my life. That’s why I need to protect you.” His hands slid up your arms and over your shoulders, his finger slipping under your chin to tilt your head up. “I promise that one day, the world will know how lucky I am, they’ll know that I’m in love with my best friend, and you love me…” 

You swallowed thickly, your nose twitching as you sniffled softly. “Promise promise? Pinky promise?” You whispered, and a small smile tugged at his lips as his eyes glanced down at your hands, his free hand moving to latch his pinky around yours, bringing it up to his lips and pressing a kiss to your finger. 

“I pinky promise.” He murmured, letting your hands drop and leaning in to kiss you, his lips lingering against your own, having awaited that feeling since he stepped foot through the front door. “Do you wanna join me for dinner? And then we can cuddle in bed for the rest of the night. Would you like that?” Your head nodded quickly as you pushed yourself up to kiss him once more, your hands moving up to tangle in his hair, need and desire filling you completely as your lips moved against his. He hummed softly, his own hands gripping your hips to hold you steady. “Babe…” He breathlessly said the pet name, his cheeks slightly flushed as he looked at you. “We can continue that after I’ve eaten too. Don’t forget where we left off.” 

#ateez #ateez x reader #ateez x you #ateez headcanons #ateez scenarios #ateez imagines #ateez drabbles #ateez fic #ateez angst #ateez sad hours #choi jongho #jongho #jongho x reader #jongho x you #jongho headcanons #jongho scenario #jongho imagines #jongho drabble #jongho fic #jongho angst #jongho sad hours #txstrayventeezpen

[sunlightmurdock]

Safe Zone | Prologue | Bradley Bradshaw / Jake Seresin x Reader AU

Masterlist | Next Chapter

Synopsis: A team of elite naval aviators holding down the fort at the North Island Air Base while they wait for reinforcements after a virus sweeps the continental U.S. - only, it’s been three months and no one has shown up.

Warnings: throughout the fic - gore, death, violence and pretty graphic mentions of all things zombie related, love triangle, smut (18+, minors dni), angst etc. No specific warnings for this chapter other than someone briefly being threatened with a knife

…

Javy’s supposed to have a gun on him at all times now. All of them are. Any time they leave their rooms, they should have a loaded weapon with them at all times. But he’s just going to take a piss.

It’s three in the morning, according to his watch, and he’s almost done with the night watch. He sighs softly to himself, rolling his shoulders back and craning his neck side to side. The days are long but Coyote swears that these night shifts are getting longer and longer.

He and Jake are posted by the warehouse. Used to be for everything for the planes, now all of that stuff is in the empty buildings and all of the supplies are kept here. Well - most of them are.

It works kind of like a commissary. You show up during the day, tell the people staffing it for the day what you need, they’ll let you know if you can have it or not.

Food’s kept elsewhere. There’s another shift to watch that. More at each point of the island. He’s pretty sure it’s Bob and Phoenix’s night to man the control tower. That’s an easy job, but it always makes Coyote feel a little sick. Seeing the skies so empty now.

Reminds him of what the world is now.

It’s easy to forget on a day to day basis. Sure, he does the perimeter every day just like everyone else, he clears the fences and moves the bodies - but it’s still a heavy feeling to look at the radar and just see nothing. To know that there is nothing coming again that day.

Being posted at the warehouse is Coyote’s least favorite role. He’d truly rather be posted by the fence than here. It’s out in the open, and always cold in the middle of the nights, and there is never anything interesting.

So far, of the maybe two thousand people on the base, none of them have been stupid enough to try to steal. They’re grateful for the protection they receive.

He walks around the side of the building and unzips his pants, leaning his head to look back at the sky. It’s only been a couple of months, but he didn’t ever seen this many stars in the sky over North Island before the world fell apart.

It takes a second, but then he’s peeing. He glances around him at the now empty runway.

What happens next is a blur. His face hits the metal first, before he even has time to register the palms pressing into his back, throwing him forwards. Now, he’s in a difficult situation, because he’s still pissing.

He tries to turn his head, grunting as his temple is pressed into cold metal sheeting. He can’t see his attacker, or hear them. He has no idea if it’s infected or not.

Jake’s right around the corner. Javy should yell, but he freezes up.

Then, a foot presses into the back of his kneecap, kicking hard and bringing him to his knees. He cries out in pain, trying to tuck himself back into his pants with one hand, throwing his elbow back with his free arm.

It connects with something, Coyote hears a crunch and knows it was a nose. That’s good, because if there’s cartilage still to break then that means whatever’s behind him isn’t decayed. The smell alone tells him he’s dealing with the living - he can smell the dead from a mile away in this summer’s heat.

He tries to stand up, having startled his attacker. There’s a swift, firm kick to his ribs and Coyote’s on his front and there’s a boot between his shoulder blades. He feels cold metal touch the side of his neck.

“Scream and I swear to god, I’ll kill you.”

His brows furrow. It’s not a man’s voice. He pushes against the pressure on his back but relents as the boot moves to rest firmly against his shoulder. In about the right spot to break it. He stills.

His attacker leans down and reaches into his left pocket. They unclasp his keys from the fob and take them expertly. Coyote swallows, he’s going to be in so much shit for this.

“Now close your eyes and beg me not to hurt you.”

“What? - Fuck you.” Coyote answers, face pressed into the cold tarmac.

“Do it.” His attacker applies pressure to the back of his shoulder and Javy damn near whimpers. They take their foot away. “Now.”

Javy closes his eyes and swallows. He’s always been good at following orders, there isn’t much point in switching up now. He goes on for a while.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

His head shoots up and he’s looking at Jake. He leaps up and looks around him. “I was just — there was just- fuck!”

Coyote takes off running, unsure how much of a head start he has just given his attacker. Jake’s brows furrow, he takes off after his colleague. They round to the front of the warehouse. Javy’s keys are placed neatly in front of the door, on top of a piece of paper.

Jake checks around. Whoever it was is long gone. He crouches down and grabs Coyote’s keys and the paper. They both frown as Jake turns the paper over.

Thanks, got what I needed - sorry for making you piss on yourself. Signed with a small heart under the message.

Jake, still crouched, turns slightly and finds himself eye-line with the unmistakable wet droplets on Coyote’s pants. He groans and stands up, shaking his head.

“What the fuck happened?” Jake frowns.

“I have no idea, one minute I’m taking a piss and the next thing I know someone’s got their foot on my back and a knife to my neck.”

“They had a knife?” Jake raises his eyebrows. Civilians aren’t allowed weapons, but this could have easily been a kitchen knife. He looks down at the spots of blood on the scrap of paper in his hand. “Is that what this is?”

“Not from the knife, no — I think I broke their nose.” Coyote explains.

Jake hums, slipping the walkie-talkie from his belt, “Well, that’ll make them easier to find, so at least you did something right.” Coyote frowns at the insult. Jake presses the button in on the walkie.

“This is Hangman over by the warehouse, we just had an attack - no injuries, likely to have been a civilian. We’re gonna figure out what they took and we’ll get back to y’all. Over.”

He sets it back on his belt and unlocks the door, shooting an unamused look at his best friend, “Can’t believe you were on the ground crying like that, man.”

“I wasn’t crying.” Coyote bites back, his ego fatally wounded as he follows Jake inside.

It takes a while to pass through all of the stock and figure out what’s missing. Two weeks worth of antibiotics. That narrows it down even more, which is good. In the morning, they’re looking for someone with a broken nose and a fever - or someone that they love that has a fever.

At shift change, Coyote’s ordered to Admiral Cain’s office to learn a thing or two about keeping an eye out for himself. Jake should be headed to bed, or to eat, but he catches up with the morning crew to make sure they know what they’re looking for.

They know - of course, but Jake knows that if you want a job done right, you should probably just let him do it. This type of thing is becoming more frequent.

There are six buildings in action at the moment, each one can hold around six hundred, with families sharing rooms. It’s not built for that many people, but they make do - better off here than out there.

Each time there is an incident, the civilians are told to line up outside of the buildings and present their ID cards. It works the same when they visit the warehouse, the same when they visit the food hall. They’re checked in on arrival, spend three days in quarantine and then get assigned a room. The system works so far.

“I already talked to everyone in that line.” Rooster taps Jake’s shoulder as Jake looks over the left side line. It’s early and most people are still in their pajamas, yawning and talking amongst themselves.

“No harm in double checking.” Jake shrugs.

Rooster leaves him to it and moves on to the next line.

Jake walks along the line, making polite conversation with anyone that looks a little too warm. Nothing. He continues along, talking to the people lined up at the next line.

He comes across a small, older looking woman. She’s one of the only ones dressed for the day already, and it’s clear that she has put some effort into her looks. Jake knows what someone who slept with rollers in looks like. She’s wearing a little bit of make up, which surprises him.

It almost makes him smile - he wonders how insane someone has to be to grab their makeup bag when they’re being told to evacuate the city and move to their nearest safe zone.

But it’s clear to Jake why she’s wearing make-up. She’s sick. A definite fever. He can tell just from looking at her, it’s too early in the morning for the heat to be hitting her like it is. Just from looking at her, Jake also knows what the fever is from.

There’s a big bandage on her forearm. It’s an infirmary bandage so Jake knows it’s not a bite under there - she probably caught it on one of the pieces of jagged metal around base and is fighting off a nasty infection. Some antibiotics would clear it right up.

Something in the way she smiles sweetly and makes polite small talk with Jake tells him that she isn’t the one who apologized for making Coyote piss on himself with a cute little love heart.

Jake turns his attention to the person beside her. You look at the ground quickly. Jake looks between you and her, then follows your gaze down to the ground. His eyes land on the spec of blood on the toe of your converse.

Coyote definitely said it was a boot. But he also said he was attacked by a man. Jake stares at the blood on your shoe, then at the way your head hangs. He does the math in his head. Yeah, it’s about the right angle - that’s about where the blood would drop if you had gotten a nose bleed.

“I’m Jake.”

You look up and find Jake staring right at you, smiling politely. His hand is extended, he’s waiting patiently for you to shake it. Jake notices you’re wearing makeup too. Just a little, concealer around your eyes. Probably to cover up the dark circles that usually accompany a broken nose.

You reach out and slip your palm into his, introducing yourself calmly. A little too calmly, considering Jake knows what you did already.

“Nice day, isn’t it?” Jake looks up.

You look up too, squinting at the sun. Jake catches sight of the dried blood at the edge of your nostril, something you had missed. He looks back down at the blood on your shoe. You look down with him and realize what he knows. His green eyes are back on you in an instant.

“It was nice to meet you. Y’all stay safe.” He smiles calmly. Your brows scrunch just slightly, frozen in place as he turns and continues down the line. He continues to make the same conversation, ask the same questions. Like he didn’t already stand face to face with the culprit.

You stare after him, letting out a soft breath of relief.

“So, did anyone stand out to you?” Bradley checks with Jake, scratching the back of his neck as he finishes up with his questions. Jake shakes his head.

“Nope, did you?” Jake asks.

“Did Coyote say it was definitely a guy that attacked him?” Rooster frowns just a little, adjusting his sunglasses. Jake watches him glance in the direction of your line.

“Yeah, it was definitely a guy.” Jake answers.

“Then no. Guy over there has a broken nose but it doesn’t look recent, looks a week or so old.” Rooster answers him. Jake shrugs his shoulders.

“I’m sure he’ll turn up,” He says calmly. “Anyway, I’m gonna head to bed. See you.”

“See you.” Bradley agrees, waving Jake off and turning around to pull together his staff. Each time you work a day shift, you’re in a team. Rooster’s in charge of group Alpha, it’s his job to make sure they’re on task and doing a good job.

“Alright, the perimeter crew said things are good there today, so we aren’t needed out there. Does everyone know what they’re supposed to be doing?” He’s met with unenthusiastic agreement, but he doesn’t care much. “Fantastic. I’ll be in the hall, make sure your radios are on channel six.”

They nod and dissipate.

Rooster takes his sunglasses off as he walks into the hall, stretching his arms up and resting his hands on the top of the door frame. He sighs, then walks in. He shouldn’t say that things are getting boring, he should be grateful that things have been quiet the past few days.

He’s mad that he slept through Coyote getting attacked by a girl and pissing on himself. A man - Bradley had almost scoffed. They had all seen that note. She might as well have sprayed it with her perfume.

Rooster walks around behind the breakfast counter and grabs the checklist, flicking through what needs to be restocked in the kitchen after this morning’s service. He sits back against the shelving unit and watches quietly as plates are filled before him.

He turns his head and finds you in the line. His lips quirk slightly as he tucks the arm of his sunglasses into the collar of his black t-shirt, tilting his head slightly to get a better look at you.

He isn’t angry. The Admirals are. Admiral Cain was bright red and swearing into a radio when Rooster had passed him this morning. Admiral Simpson is outside right now, pinching the bridge of his nose and smoking a cigarette. The system is in place for a reason and petty theft makes a mockery of the whole thing. They want to make an example of whoever took the meds.

Rooster understands their reasoning. At a base level, he almost agrees with it. But he knows that if his Mom was sick, he would have taken the meds too. Plus, Rooster thinks that the note was a pretty funny touch.

You’re talking to a boy at your side. He’s much taller than you and skinny, wearing a t-shirt that looks two sizes too big. He’s lanky, but still handsome. The two of you look alike. Rooster can tell just by looking that you’re the boy’s older sister. The woman on the other side of your brother must be your mom.

“Hey, I’ve got this - could you go check everyone’s doing okay at their tables?” Rooster steps forwards, taking the spatula and nudging one of his ensigns out of the way. They frown at him but do as they’re told.

You move along the line until you’re standing before him.

His intention is to introduce himself to you. To apologize for asking you so many questions earlier, but he doesn’t. He stares into your eyes and smiles softly as you end up passing by before he has spoken.

Rooster looks down and takes a look at your ID. He’ll be able to remember that name, and the room number. He makes a mental note.

He watches your brother chuckling at your side as your family walk away to find somewhere to sit.

You got away with it. You’re still thinking it over when you get back to your room, a shared one bedroom suite with your mom and Luke. You and your mother have the bedroom, Luke sleeps on the pullout bed in the living room. It’s not as comfy as home - but it’s better than out there.

The Lieutenant with the green eyes was on watch last night too. You had seen him when you were scoping out the area. It could have just as easily been him that you assaulted, if he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

You know that he knew what you had done, and yet, he didn’t say anything.

You know that the Admirals are practically out for blood, they’re so angry - and yet, Jake let you go.

“What’s this?” Your mother crouches in front of the door to the room.

You take the item from her and look it over. It’s a piece of paper wrapped around a small container with seven pills inside. You unfold the piece of paper to examine it.

Anti-nausea meds. Once every other day, it’ll help with the antibiotics. Next time, asking also works. Rooster. Signed with a small heart beside his name.

You know who he is, you’ve seen him around base a lot, he’s constantly working during the day. The old woman in the room next door adores him.

Luke takes the paper from you and reads it, laughing before he continues into the room after your mother. “Hey mom, one of the navy guys has a crush on-“

You groan, “Shut up, Luke.”

…

Tagging:

@momc95 @shawnsblue @thedroneranger

#bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw #jake seresin #jake seresin au #jake hangman seresin #jake seresin x you #jake seresin x reader #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw au #top gun #top gun: maverick

[somber-sapphic]

AheM 🌸 Im a secret lover for hugs so I’ll gladly accept and reciprocate :) and yep sorry I just fuLLy fully read the whole post :’) that definitely goes out to them and you and whoever gets unnecessary stupid hate. Heheh well if you don’t mind I’ll ask for something under this and it’s more than okay if you took like months just take ur time🤭 naw I’m sorry you didn’t have a great day, that’s really shit, but I’m super happy you feel better and hopefully today and tomorrow is a better day! And remember I’ve got two shoulders in case and anytime🫡💪 how’d you know? I’m like always dehydrated, dehydration is scared of me ahaha. But hey most if the time it’s always the people giving advice aren’t following it… so you better be drinking plenty of water too!! And as for the request, would it be possible to ask for a WandaNat with like pregnant reader or reader already recovering from a bad injury with prompts like ‘Ill timed’ and ‘ it’s nothing’🫣 if not that’s okay but ily thank you thank you your amazing eat drink SLEEP, take care of yourself please :)) <3

Are You Staying

⧽ Notes: Hi! So, I don't write anything for pregnant anyone, but here's a sick and hurt reader for you!

⧽Summary: Reader is injured badly after a mission, leaving them with an infection.

⧽Word Count: 1665

〔 Masterlists 〕

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

You were so, so tired of laying in bed, but your girlfriends wouldn’t let you get up. Apparently, when you ignore an injury for so long that the infection turns into sepsis you are no longer allowed to make decisions for yourself. Who knew? 

Well, there you were, laying in bed, struggling to focus on the book that you were holding in slightly trembling hands. The large gash along your side was beginning to throb again, indicating that you needed another dose of pain medicine, but it made you groggy and you didn't like it. 

You were already feeling sort of fuzzy, your mind blurring in and out. Your head ached and you were starting to wonder if this was more than just the damn lingering infection. Bruce had finally taken you off the IV antibiotics but you were warned that it was vital for you to take the oral ones on a strict schedule to ensure that you didn’t get worse again. 

You rubbed your throat gently and cleared it, trying to get rid of the tickle that had taken up residence there in the past hour or so. It was when the first sneeze came that you finally connected the dots. 

The pain in your sinuses, the slightly runny nose that had required you to wipe it every few minutes, the inability to get warm, the overwhelming feeling of fatigue. It wasn't the infection. You had a cold. You had a damn cold. Of all things, you had gotten yourself sick. Your girlfriends were going to kill you. 

Deciding that it was probably best to keep them out of the loop, you put the book aside and curled up under the blankets in a last-ditch effort to sleep the bug off. Maybe if you’d noticed earlier you would’ve had time to get ahead of it, but for now, you would at least sleep. Putting off rest had probably not helped the situation. Fuck. This was going to be a very long few days. 

When you woke you were incredibly disoriented. The pain in your side was so bad you felt like you wanted to throw up and for some reason, you couldn’t move. This was wrong, this was not okay. 

You managed to sit up with a lot of effort but your head was spinning, the room tilting around you in a way that made you wonder if you should call your girlfriends. They probably wouldn’t mind, they weren’t doing anything important, they just had a lot of busy work to do. You were also supposed to be doing busy work if you felt up to it, but there was absolutely no way you could read, much less hold a pen.

A harsh fit of coughing wracked your body, your lungs burning in agony as your side screamed at you that you needed to stop, that you needed to sit still and never move again, but you couldn’t stop coughing. 

You doubled over despite the protest of your body and hacked until you finally managed to cough up a glob of something green and absolutely disgusting. You leaned over the side of the bed and spit into the trashcan with an agonized groan. 

No matter how hard you tried you couldn’t get a full breath of air into your lungs. Everything hurt, everything was miserable, and the world was definitely ending. Tears rolled down your cheeks which you were sure were flushed with fever and you were regretting not taking the pain medication earlier. Now you were in too much pain to get up and find the pills. 

You managed to roll over and grabbed your phone, gasping aloud as you pleaded with the world that your stitches stayed intact. You really didn’t want to stain your bed with any unnecessary blood, the girls would probably be upset, they loved this comforter. 

With pain blurring in your vision you managed to click on the icon for Wanda’s name and hit speaker, absolutely no way that you would be able to hold the phone up to your ear. 

“Hi sweet girl, what’s up? Are you alright?” The woman’s voice lilted over the phone, immediately calming you down. She had a way about her, her mere presence, whether in person or over the phone, always served to make you feel safer. 

“I-I need…Wanda…Wanda it hurts…” You said through quiet sobs, your words punctuated by a particularly harsh sneeze that made you cry out. 

“Okay, okay love, give us five minutes. I’m going to stay on the phone with you. Are you bleeding? Can you check for me?” She asked, you could hear that she was running, another set of footsteps behind her. 

“No.” You whimpered, desperate for them to be back. You wanted them to fix it, you wanted them to make everything stop hurting, you wanted them to magically cure your sickness, which Wanda may actually be able to do. 

“Alright baby, just stay still. Wanda and I will be there soon. Keep breathing.” That was Natasha, her voice rushed as footsteps pounded in the background. You coughed and let out a sob, curling into a ball as your eyes and nose streaming. Part of you wished that the pain would just take over so that you could pass out and stop feeling it. 

You had almost slipped into that unconsciousness when the door slammed open and you felt gentle hands on your cheeks, one of the girls pleading with you to open your eyes. You obeyed, but mostly because of the harsher tone that you were sure came from Natasha. 

You stared at their blurry figures, wondering how much of this was the fever and how much was the injury. 

“Hey baby girl, there you are. Here, just want you to take this, okay? Swallow for me.” Wanda slipped a pill into your mouth and Natasha followed it with a cool bottle pressed to your lips. You took a little sip, but the cold water grated against your throat in an incredibly uncomfortable way. Every molecule in your body was ordering you to just stop. Your body was done. 

“Oh Y/n, you’re burning up. Why didn’t you tell us? Why didn’t you say something sooner?” The witch cooed, wiping away tears as quickly as they could. 

“I-it’s nothin’, s’nothin. J’st hurts.” You breathed, already feeling the effects of the strong cocktail that was whatever Bruce had prescribed for you. 

“Do you think the infection’s back? We’ve been making sure that they take the antibiotic, should we call Banner?” Natasha asked, speaking to you as if you weren’t in the room, literally sitting right there. Of course, you were so out of it that you may as well have been in space, floating away from reality. 

“Y/n, love, Nat’s going to check your side,” Wanda said, well aware that you weren’t listening even in the slightest as the drug kicked into your system. She could feel the heat radiating off of your skin and was absolutely panicking, but doing a good job of keeping it under control. 

Natasha very carefully lifted up your shirt and peeled back the bandage to reveal a thankfully clean, not bleeding cut with all of the stitches still intact. She let out a sigh of relief and kissed your stomach right next to the injury. 

You sneezed pitifully into the pillow and whined, looking up at Wanda with big, sad eyes. She grabbed a tissue and wiped your nose tenderly, her whole body relaxing as she took in the situation. 

“You’re sick, aren’t you?” Natasha shifted and frowned at the two of you, sitting right by your head. You shifted into her lap and nodded, muffling a fit of chesty coughs into her leg. The assassin rubbed your back while the brunette by your feet hummed her disapproval. 

“Okay, Y/n/n, let’s check your temperature and we’ll get you some medicine.” The thermometer was still there since they had been monitoring your temperature for infection reasons, but now you had a fever for a whole new reason! Your body was trying to kill you for something new!

“Open.” You glanced over at Wanda and pouted slightly, nuzzling closer to your other girlfriend, the one who wasn’t going to make you do something that you didn’t want to. You didn’t hurt anymore and you weren’t about to stay awake until the pain came back. 

“Just listen to her,” Natasha ordered, poking you in the face to get you to open your mouth. Your first instinct was to bite her, but she was too quick for that. The witch placed the thermometer under your tongue and you let it stay there, not in the mood to fight either one of the women. 

The redhead you were sitting on stroked your hair as you waited for the stick to beep, unknowingly lulling you closer to sleep. 

“102.4, that’s not great. Y/n, why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Wanda murmured, scooching up on the bed so that she was laying beside you, still wearing relatively comfortable clothes. You rolled over and pressed your head into her chest, mumbling some excuse that no one could make out under your breath. 

“Okay babe, take some more Tylenol and you can sleep.” You lifted your head and opened your mouth, not caring enough to take it yourself. If they wanted you to be medicated, they would be medicating you. Natasha rolled her eyes while Wanda chuckled and she helped you swallow the pills before laying you back down. 

“You stayin’?” You slurred tiredly, cuddling up against the Sokovian. 

“Of course, we’re staying, dummy. Apparently, you can’t be trusted by yourself.” The redhead grumbled, laying down on your other side. She pulled the blankets up over the three of you and kissed your shoulder blade. Wanda kissed your forehead and you sniffled, snuggling deep into the blankets. You could deal with the cold later, for now, you just wanted to be held. 

#sickfic #fever #fanfiction #sick fanfiction #marvel sickfic #marvel #sick reader #marvel mcu #wanda maximoff #fever whump #natasha x y/n #natasha romanoff #natasha x reader #wanda x natasha #natasha romonova #natasha x sick reader #natasha x you #natasha x wanda #wanda x you #wandanat x reader #wanda x y/n #wandanat #wanda multiverse of madness #wanda marvel #avengers #avengers sickfic #hurt/angst #hurt/comfort #hospital stuff #infection

[fleshbarbie]

trust me - billy hargrove x reader.

“billy you cannot be serious right now? you’re going to believe them over me? really?”

you were mad, mad and upset. your boyfriend of almost a year now had approached you after school with a scowl resting on his handsome features and an extra stomp in his step. he had laid into you the second he saw you, instantly accusing you of being some kind of two-timer who was cheating on him with his mortal enemy (his words).

when you asked him where he got all this from, he told you carol and tommy had told him during lunch.

“they’ve seen you (y/n), riding around with steve all hours of the day! like on saturday, when you were supposed to be helping out your grandma with cleaning out the attic. we had to cancel our date for that!”

those bastards, only happy when there was some kind of drama going on. you knew that was the only reason they’d told him, not because they’re good samaritans who thought billy deserved to know. no, fuck that. they wanted some free entertainment and billy was stupid enough to give them that.

yes, you had been out with steve a lot lately but there was absolutely no funny business going on. you knew lying to billy was an awful thing to do, but what were you supposed to do? tell him that you were secretly trying to figure out how to save hawkins before a big monster came out from another dimension and began possessing everybody one by one? hard pass.

“come on billy, you know i wouldn’t do that to you. i love you for christ sakes, do you not trust me?” you questioned the teen, who stood in front of you still looking as pissed off as ever. but you couldn’t really blame him, if you’d found out he’d been sneaking around with another girl and feeding you lies about where he was you’d probably be pissed off too.

“i do! well i did, until now. what were you doing with harrington, huh? why did you cancel our date to be with him?”

you let out a frustrated sigh, pushing your hair from your face with force. “look, i know how weird this all looks and i don’t blame you for feeling the way you do. not at all. but i need you to trust me billy, please. i can’t tell you what we’re doing, not yet. but i promise you, cross my heart and hope to die that there is absolutely nothing going on with steve and i. or any other boy in hawkins for that matter. i love you, i want to be with you. nobody else.”

maybe six months ago billy would’ve scoffed, before he continued to argue with you and accuse you of going behind his back. perhaps even call you a few names before he disappeared somewhere and gave you silent treatment for a few days. but he had changed since then, with your help he had learned to listen instead of reacting instantly.

so, after a few beats of silence he nodded. he still looked agitated and on edge, but he had visibly calmed down a whole lot which in return, calmed you down just the same. you sent him a grateful smile, taking a step closer to your boyfriend and wrapping your arms around his midsection.

with your chin resting on his chest, just under where his chain sat you looked up at him. “thank you. i love you so much, you know that right?”

“of course i do, i just wish you’d tell me what the hell is going on.” he instantly responded, one of his hands reaching down to trace your jawline.

“i will, eventually i promise. it’s just a lot to take in and i don’t think right now is the perfect time for all of it. but you will know, soon enough, what’s going on.”

it obviously wasn’t the perfect scenario, billy was now more eager than ever to find out what you were hiding. but with confirmation from yourself that you were not cheating on him with the ex king of hawkins high, he could relax having complete faith that you wouldn’t lie to him about something like this.

“okay.” he nodded once again, “okay. i’ll wait.”

-

omg hi !! this is my first time posting in over a year, i know it’s short but i wanted it to be like a little ‘hi i’m back’ type of post. i have three other (longer) works in the making, and i am considering re-writing my same, but different series because i left it at an awkward place and i’d rather start it again than continue it. but yeah that’s all i have to say, i’m back! 

#billy hargrove x reader #billy hargrove imagine #billy hargrove fluff #billy hargrove fic #billy hargrove one shot #stranger things fic #stranger things x reader #dacre montgomery imagine #dacre montgomery x reader

[alovesreading]

Constant Repeat | Part 9

Summary: Having worked at Focus Creeps for a year, Ella knows that as a production assistant and part of the crew, there’s one important rule: don’t interact with the talent unless it’s needed. But once she meets Arctic Monkeys, and the recording of the music videos for their upcoming fourth studio album starts, the band seem to become her exception. Not only because they treat her more like a friend than just someone else they’re working with but when Alex continuously makes her blush with his flirting, so enthralled by her that he forgets he’s got a girlfriend, Ella finds herself growing closer to him. As videos are filmed, wrapped and edited, the friendship lines become blurry. Situations unfold, secrets are told and others are kept under lock and key, but how long can Alex and Ella endure being stuck in each other’s minds on constant repeat.  

Word Count: 20.4k

Story Warnings: Throughout this series there will be suggestive talk, jealousy, cheating, alcohol and drug use, angst, smut.  

A/N: This is gonna be a rather lengthy author's note but it's needed. Y'all must definitely know the wonderful @imagine-that-100​ and her masterpiece of a fic Nothing Revealed In A Common Crisis. I'm not exaggerating when I say that fic changed my life in many amazing ways: it introduced me to the 1975, I made friends with N and she's now my best mate and such a special person to me, and through becoming friends with her i gained the courage to start writing again and finally post my fics. I hold @nriacc so close to my heart, so it's a massive honor that N allowed me to borrow Wheels and Curly to use in this story, giving them an alternate universe story line that melts my heart. I'm so beyond excited for you to read this chapter and the rest of this UK trip because it's so fucking fun and eventful. I'm looking forward eagerly to see all of your reactions! I'll shut up now, but I hope you enjoy this chapter!!!!!

Masterlist

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 |

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

It was cruel how slow time had been going. A month had never felt longer, and days were specially slow as she was back at the Focus Creeps office everyday.

Organizing all the clips she had gotten from the recording had only kept her busy for the first week back, and after that it had just been torture to get back into routine.

The one good thing was that, since Aaron had a new PA, Ella was properly getting more into the videography aspect of it all and being mentored directly by Ben.

She had studied for that type of job, all she had ever wanted was to be behind the camera in any type of production and finally being able to do it, no matter how small the production was, was a dream come true.

However, it was a lot of work and, whilst she loved it, managing the crew and instructing a whole team for a production could get really stressful. She still had her PA brain in her so regardless of not needing to, she would take on more responsibilities just to ensure everything would end up perfect on shoot day.

Needless to say, just the thought of the holiday approaching made her incredibly giddy.

The day she had gotten to drop Breana off at LAX had been the day she had started getting nervous. The model had been able to get off work and fly over a week earlier than Ella, and even though she had offered to wait another week so they could fly together, Ella had encouraged her to go ahead.

Bre was already dying to see her boyfriend, so why would Ella want to keep her another week away from him?

The silver lining of the situation was that she'd get to be with everyone in only a week. Just seven more days to wait were nothing in comparison to the three endless weeks she had already waited so it'd be fine.

When she got home that afternoon, she went straight to get her suitcase which was hidden away in a corner of her closet. Ella laughed to herself as she packed away, the whole scene being soundtracked by Bowie. That was probably the first time since she moved out to college that she had packed her things with that much time in advance.

She had just rolled up a pair of black pants when 'Modern Love' was interrupted by a call. A call from the one and only, Alex Turner.

Beaming at the contact name, she swiped on her screen to answer and it wasn't even a fraction of a second later that she heard "Hello my darling!" being shouted by a very obviously drunk Alex.

Ella could hear chatter and music in the background, but his loud slurred greeting had been heard without difficulty. "Hi Al! Having fun?"

"Erm," The singer hesitated dramatically, "A bit, yeah."

"Sure sounds like a bit of fun." She replied sarcastically, making him giggle.

"Far less than it would be if you were here."

Ella tried hard not to laugh again, "Oh wow, I'm worried now I might not remember this trip."

"Oh it'll be memorable alright." Ella couldn't hold her laughter in any longer, giggling loudly at the slurred statement and he smiled to himself hearing that sound, "Remind me why aren't you already on your way with Bre now?"

She sighed, "Because I have a big shoot this week and I couldn't miss it because I'll be filling Aaron's place and working directly with Ben."

"You're so fucking amazing, darling." Alex started, completely amazed at her stories now that she was hands on working on the directing aspect of their productions, "I want you directing our music videos from now on." He demanded as seriously as a drunk man can.

"I think drunk you might not be making the best decisions." She quipped with an immense smile on her face.

"Yeah, no." He was quick to disagree, shaking his head profusely like Ella was there to see him. "That'd be the best decision actually. I'll give Ben a quick call."

"Alex, stop it you idiot." Her cheeks were already heating up so she took her phone away from her ear and put it on speaker to place it on her bed as she continued packing. "It's only one more week. Six days if you count this day as over."

He groaned loudly, "Six more days is too long. I can't wait to see you."

Ella was fully melting. It had been so excruciating to be away from the lads, especially from Alex that she kept thinking about what it would be to hug him again. To lean on him for support as she doubled over in laughter, to cuddle him again. She missed him loads, and she'd realized just how important he had become to her when he had left.

She tried to play it cool though, "Okay but you should be more excited about Glastonbury rather than me coming, Al."

"Well you are coming to see us at Glastonbury so it's basically the same thing." Alex defended himself, when in reality he really wasn't able to point out which of those two he was most excited for.

Ella could only shake her head and smile to herself, "You're funny."

"'Course I am." Alex chatted back with an almost offended tone.

She wanted to taunt him a bit more, he was always hilarious when drunk. "That wasn't necessarily literal."

"Yeah, yeah sure–" Alex started but was interrupted by Matt yelling, "Ellie!" out loud as he had come out looking for Alex and heard her through the speakers of the singer's phone.

"Jesus Christ, my eardrums just burst." Ella exaggerated as she folded a black top and rolled it to fit into her case.

Matt scoffed, "Why are you such a bitch, I was about to tell you how much I missed you."

Feeling accomplished by getting that reaction, she giggled but admitted, "I miss you too Helders."

"Did you drop Bre off today?" The drummer asked first and foremost. He was eager to see his girl, a month had been way too long already.

Ella was proud to announce, "Yes. Got back a few hours ago. She texted me she was boarding about twenty minutes ago so your girl is on her way."

"Thank fuck. That plane better speed here." The hours the flight took were always the worst wait for him, they had been every time.

"I'm sure Bre is making the pilot go as fast as they can to get to you as soon as possible." Ella joked, being able to picture the scenario so clearly. But as she picked up her favorite pair of high heeled boots, the leather slipped between her fingers and landed with a loud thud on the floor. "Oh shit!"

The silence from the lads' side was loud, but Ella's was louder so Alex inquired very quickly, "What are you breaking Eleanor?"

Whenever he used her full name, her insides twisted in a knot. Ella rolled her eyes at the feeling and sassily replied, "Nothing Alexander, just dropped a pair of shoes I was about to pack." She hoped he felt the same way when she called him by his full name.

If Ella had gotten an answer to that, it would've been yes but it was overcome by the giddiness Alex then felt over the fact that she was already packing for the trip. "You're packing already?"

"Yes. Apparently I can't stay still now thinking about this trip." And it was true, she probably took a look at her tickets at least twice a day just to check if they were still real.

"Well it is quite eventful, innit? Glasto, Nick's wedding, the music video..." Alex listed with a loopy smile on his face. It would be the perfect first stay in the UK for her, and he couldn't wait to make it even better.

But Ella was suffering through the wait so it just made her whine for him to stop. "Stop because I will cry from having to wait another week."

Alex flustered at the noise but he was reminded he wasn't alone when Matt laughed beside him. The singer sighed, really putting his drunk mind to work out a solution to the problem, "Why isn't teleporting a thing yet?"

Ella snorted in laughter, "It would make it all so much easier, wouldn't it?"

He really started going deep in thought, thinking about how if they were just grasping the logical ways of the concept then the government or whoever would already have something developed. Or they should, at least. "I'm sure there has to be something that–"

Alex's heavy rant was prematurely interrupted by the usual troublemaker in the friend group. "Ellie?"

"Yes, Matthew?"

"Don't forget to pack your skimpy underwear, you'll be going out on the pull here. We need to get you a rebound!" Matt was so drunk, he missed the amount of people walking past them and turning to see him after being so loud about his plans for the American girl.

Ella cackled, deciding between a few skirts she had laid out on the bed. "It will be noted."

But at the same time Alex cussed out his best mate, "Oh fuck off Helders."

Matt frowned at him, "What? I'm just looking out for her! She needs to get every faint memory of that dickhead fucked out of her brain."

Alex hated thinking about that being the situation, he wouldn't have it. "Jesus– Just, fucking shut up."

"I do actually," Ella agreed on Matt's logic, "But let's not talk about it." She sighed in slight melancholy.

"See?!" Matt fought Alex loudly, making Ella laugh loud at him.

Alex turned to the drummer about to threaten him, "Helders I will fucking–"

Ella stopped them before they could do anything, "Okay don't fight now. I'm not there to record."

"Don't worry, I'll ask Jamie to record as I kick his arse." Matt said confidently, almost ready to run back in and ask for Jamie's help.

But she was quick to kick the drummer's ego down a few notches, "I doubt that'll happen."

"Bitch!" Matt gasped out loud, completely offended.

"Thanks for the support, darling." Alex replied with a smirk, raising his eyebrows at his friend.

"Yeah, you just say that 'cause you want his–" Matt tried to say but it was all muffled what she heard next. Ella held her breath to try and listen but nothing could be heard other than shuffling.

About a minute later the line went clear again and someone cleared their throats, "Sorry 'bout that darling, he gets on my nerves."

Ella shook her head, only imagining what it was that they had just done. "He has that effect."

"Well I can't wait for you to get here, darling. It's gonna be fucking amazing I promise you." Alex would make sure of it like his life depended on it.

Her excitement bubbled up inside her once more, "I know it will, I'm so excited. Finally started watching Game of Thrones to practice my accent."

He remembered getting a picture of the three seasons on DVD she had gotten not long after they had gone back to London and how she said she'd watch it soon to prepare for her trip. "Oh darling, I cannot wait to see you miserably fail at that."

"Hey!" Ella warned him before switching to her very fake and forced british accent, "It's quite good actually." Alex couldn't not let out the loudest laugh at it though, which made her laugh back as she tried to say, "Don't laugh!"

He tried to stop but he couldn't so it was about half a minute later that he could properly say, "Sorry, that was just bad."

"You're mean." She pouted to herself, rolling a pair of jeans.

He hummed and sarcastically said, "Sure I am." Ella was about to call him out for it when they heard, "Alex!" being yelled out by Nick. "Okay, I gotta go now but, erm, I'll call you tomorrow alright?" He stumbled in his words, his tongue tangling because of being drunk and excited.

Ella smiled at that, "That's perfect. Enjoy the rest of your night, Al. Love you." She just couldn't help but add.

Alex swore he would never get over her saying that, even if she didn't mean it like he wanted her to. "Love you too, darling. Bye."

"Bye." She said almost breathless as his words hit her like she hadn't heard him say that before.

The line went dead and they both sighed before going back to their activities. The week needed to pass faster.

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Ella had been walking around LAX with a skip on her step. Her flight was due to leave California at seven in the afternoon and she'd be landing in Montreal at around three in the morning. She had a connecting flight, of course, but she had made sure to make her calculations well and she knew she'd get there in time.

She had made sure to leave her house and order herself a taxi with enough time to spare, taking LA's traffic very into consideration. The counter of the airline she was traveling with had been packed but she got her boarding pass about forty minutes later, with two hours left to go through TSA and then rush to her gate.

Being mindful of how long it would take, she had already taken everything that could beep off her body and placed it inside the big bag she was carrying with her. Though she shouldn't have needed to worry because being the time it was and the fact that it was LAX, the line for TSA moved specially slow, taking her about thirty minutes to get through.

And, of course, her gate was the one furthest away so she was power walking through the airport, not without making a quick stop at McDonald's first. When she finally found her gate, she'd sat in the waiting area with her laptop open in her lap to edit some pictures.

She'd had to do some shoots on digital for a brand that was working with Focus Creeps and despite it not being her favorite medium, they had turned out amazing. She had studied quite intently everything about photo editing in university, so really she was just putting old skills to use when editing them.

When she was almost done with the first batch of pictures, and eating the last of her chips now that her burger was gone, she noticed that the time in the top right corner of her laptop said 7:16PM and they hadn't been called yet, so she started to fidget in her seat.

There was just one person at the counter but they didn't have the airline's uniform. She could see a plane parked right at the gate though, and people driving the boarding bridge in place. Her legs bounced up and down as she watched her surroundings for any signs of them boarding soon.

Just when Ella was about to panic because the person who was at the counter left, her phone buzzed in her pocket, startling her. She pulled it out, grateful for a small distraction from her building anxiety and her face relaxed at the notification of Alex's text.

(27/06/2013 19:17) Hope the airport isn't too crazy at the minute, darling. How's everything going? Have you boarded yet? x

She bit on her thumb, looking around for anyone from the airline getting the counter ready for boarding but no one was there yet so she fully focused on texting the singer.

(27/06/2013 19:18) We were supposed to board twenty minutes ago, so I'm slowly getting nervous. Every minute counts, you know? I can't miss y'all at Glastonbury Al :(

(27/06/2013 19:19) Don't you worry darling, you'll make it just in time. And I'm sure you'll be boarding in no time, just listen to some music, yeah? Maybe some Beatles to set the mood x

(27/06/2013 19:20) I think it'd be better if I blast some Arctic Monkeys, wouldn't it?

(27/06/2013 19:20) I suppose that works too, they're overrated though x

(27/06/2013 19:21) Okay now, don't talk shit about them when I'm only traveling this long to see them.

(27/06/2013 19:21) Hahaha sorry darling x I cannot wait to see you, the lads can't wait either and Bre has been screeching about your first time over here since she got here.

(27/06/2013 19:22) You always know what to say, Al. I feel like I'm gonna puke from excitement now and not anxiety. Can't wait to see y'all.

(27/06/2013 19:23) Everyone's already planning so much shit for when you get here. Just a little heads up for you x

(27/06/2013 19:23) Jesus Christ... I'm scared of the hangovers to come already.

(27/06/2013 19:24) It'll be fun, that's all that matters. What Bre and Matt are planning though, I have no idea about.

(27/06/2013 19:25) Oh no, they're in charge of the parties before the wedding right?

(27/06/2013 19:26) Exactly, so we must be in for a wild night. Gutted we can't be together for those x

(27/06/2013 19:27) Who's gonna save me from Bre then?! She's gonna have me black out, I can't handle alcohol as well as she does.

(27/06/2013 19:27) You can't handle alcohol at all, darling xx

(27/06/2013 19:27) Thanks for the faith, Al. So sweet of you x

(27/06/2013 19:28) Won't apologize for the truth x But Katie and my best friend will be there, they'll take care of you x

(27/06/2013 19:29) Rude! :(( I'm so excited to meet everyone properly!!! x

(27/06/2013 19:29) Just stay away from tequila and you'll be fine darling x And everyone is excited to finally meet you too xx

(27/06/2013 19:30) Such good advice xx P.S. someone's just set things up for boarding! I'll text you when I get to Montreal xxx

(27/06/2013 19:30) Have a great flight, darling. Love you lots xxxx

(27/06/2013 19:30) Thank you Alex, love you too xxxx

Ella stood up from her place with a bright grin on her face. She'd never not react like that to his sweet words.

Once she got her thoughts together, she hung her bag on her shoulder, after stuffing her laptop back inside it, and walked to throw away her McDonald's bag.

As soon as she was able to, Ella boarded her flight. Feeling so elated as she walked to the plane's door and through the hallway up to her seat. She loved being in planes, even though going out of the country had never happened for her before.

She found herself unable to stay still when she got to her seat. There were so many things making her insides feel like jelly, she had a little silent cry in the plane as it took off. Ella was grateful nobody beside her could really see her as she had a window seat, her eyes glued to how everything was looking more minuscule by the minute outside until it was just clouds.

Eventually, she pulled out her laptop again and continued editing, she had a little bit over five hours to kill and since she had no other way to distract herself, she was going through the pictures faster than anticipated.

How she was going to brace the seven hour flight from Montreal to London, she had no idea. She probably would have to come up with concepts for future shoots, work with words rather than with reference pictures since she had no wifi.

Ella had been amazed, watching Montreal under the plane when they were about to land. The lights of the city lighting up everything for her to see, she felt like a child being amazed at such a simple thing, but it looked so beautiful she had to take a picture. She used her phone first but it did little to no justice to it so she pulled out her camera and took a few pictures just to see if it would show on film as beautiful as her eyes could see.

Even walking around the Canadian airport was fascinating to her, because all the signs were in French too, which made her think about just how amazing it would be to visit France.

Thankfully, walking through the airport and finding her gate had been a breeze so she could sit down calmly and just sort through some stuff that she had been procrastinating for long. Before starting to organize her scans though, she sent Alex a quick text.

(28/06/2013 04:20) Landed in Montreal a few minutes ago, and at the gate waiting for the next flight! Only an hour left to wait and then I'll be on my way. I cannot stay still!!! xx Also Canada is beautiful, I love it! xx

Due to the lack of wifi connection, she sent it as a regular SMS, not really caring about being charged. She just hoped it went through as she went back to her laptop screen to work the next hour away.

But her bubble of giddiness had burst when she and all the others who were waiting for their connecting flight, were surprised by someone from the airline crew going up to the gate's waiting area microphone and informing them all that their flight had been delayed six hours because of some issues with the plane that was supposed to take them to London.

Ella scoffed in disbelief. Of course this would happen to me, was all that came to her mind.

When they told them their luggage would have to be picked up from baggage claim and they'd have to check in once again, it hit her just how much time she'd be losing.

She started panicking as she walked out to baggage claim, spotting her flight number in the furthest conveyor belt.

She had debated texting Alex again to tell him about the whole situation, just to let him know, but when she properly made her calculations and realized how much later she'd get there, her whole attention was drawn to fixing the issue.

People saw her rolling her big suitcase around the airport in a haste, her bag continuously falling off her shoulder but it was the least of her concerns as she approached the counters of the airline. She saw the big line of people and was about to cry, but thankfully she spotted some people assisting at the very end of the queue that could help her.

Ella told them about her situation and they apologized profusely. They told her to wait as they saw what they could do and after twenty minutes in which she just watched them type away, call and speak with different people behind the counter, she was told she could get a ticket for another plane they had which was leaving in two hours.

When the time was very scarily going closer to six in the morning, she had been able to check in her suitcase and run to go through security once again. She was grateful everyone had been lovely in every checkpoint, because if she had been faced with another obstacle, she was sure she would've broken down in the middle of the airport.

Never in her life had she walked so fast, and it was only when she got to her gate did she allow herself to fully sit in the panic. On her way, she had been doing the math and she realized she'd be landing in London cutting it very close to their set. It was when she remembered she still needed to get driven to the place the festival was at, that she found she'd get there after the lads had gone on stage, probably in the middle of their set.

Without letting another minute go to waste, she called Alex and tried her hardest to keep herself composed. At least she had a ticket and it would be a minor setback, not six hours.

"Hello, darling!" He exclaimed and she could feel his smile through the phone, her shoulders slowly loosening up at the thought of being beside her best friend soon.

"Hiya, Alex." Ella greeted, trying to copy his enthusiasm but she failed incredibly and Alex knew her so well now that he immediately knew something was wrong.

He walked away from the noise around him, they'd gotten to the festival early and they were all drinking and watching the final touches to the stage setup. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Ella bit her lip, trying not to get too worked up and push herself to tears. "I am, I am. Just— My original flight got delayed six hours..."

Alex's heart dropped, "Oh darling." He muttered, filled with sadness.

"Okay but listen," She continued, trying to switch the situation around—more to try and calm herself than anything else—, "I managed to get a new ticket, but it leaves in about an hour. So, if my calculations aren't wrong, then I might be landing around eight in the evening."

He hummed, "The drive is about two hours and a half, it's okay darling. You're getting picked up by the driver we hired, you'll make it."

She sighed, "I hope I make it on time..." She knew she wouldn't be there from the start but just the knowledge of being a few minutes late to their set wouldn't make her weep at that very moment.

Alex just had to reassure her though, because anything could happen and it was out of everyone's hands so the last thing he wanted was for her to blame herself. "Even if you get here a little late, we just want you here. It's okay Ellie. I promise you, darling."

If Ella hadn't been in public, she would've let herself sob, but she had to inhale deeply to keep herself at bay and focus on the fact that she was on her way to them and that was all that mattered.

"Okay, Al. I'm just gonna distract myself as I wait and, uhm, yeah. I hope this one doesn't get delayed." She tried to joke but her heart sank at just the thought of it.

"Touching wood as we speak, Ellie." He truly was, knocking softly on the wooden table that was set beside him.

She laughed quietly, "I guess I'll see you soon then Al, but just in case I don't get there in time," her voice went a little quiet as she was getting sad at the thought, "Good luck okay? You're all gonna do so amazing, I have no doubt."

"Why don't you just wait until you're here to tell me?" Alex just wanted her to stop thinking like that, she was gonna make it regardless and that's what mattered to him.

"Alright." Ella agreed softly, trying to feed off his positivity.

"Have a great flight darling. Love you. It'll be alright okay?" That sweet conviction of his that he always showed when it came to her laced around his words had her melting and calming down in her seat.

She nodded, smiling tightly at his words. "Yeah, it will. Love you too Alex, see you soon."

They exchanged quiet goodbyes and just like that the call ended.

The panic had gone away and its place had been taken by excitement again. She just wished time would go faster because she had little patience left inside her and it had only been fifteen minutes she had been waiting at the gate.

Working on organizing her scans had been wonderful for her, not only because she had so many that she had forgotten about, but she had been able to see her growth as a photographer and it had made her a little bit proud of herself.

It had been a burden to see the ones with Julian in them, or the ones that she clearly remembered had been taken by him but they were good shots of her where she felt and looked beautiful so she would focus on that rather than give that man any more of her thoughts.

She'd known ever since that day at the beach that she was done with him, over the whole situation and, since she wrapped her mind around that realization, she'd only felt peace. He thankfully hadn't made any more appearances or tried to contact her—of course that also was because she'd made sure to block all contacts that could tie them together any longer.

That all had worked like a charm and surrounding herself with work and keeping in touch with her friends and family had helped her heal.

When she was sorting through the pictures she'd taken in March, that were mostly frames of her birthday party as Bre had been drunkenly taking many pictures of everyone, the crew had started to board.

Ella was glad to see they had started boarding earlier than anticipated and she was on her plane seat in almost no time. And to her luck, she had been seated beside a very lovely woman who had the most beautiful ginger hair Ella had ever seen. That had been the start of the conversation and the girl, who's name was Gabby, had thanked her and started conversation with her right then.

It seemed like the friendship had been sent from above as the two spent most of the flight talking about everything and anything: their jobs, their hobbies, why they were on that plane, the things they were most excited for when they landed.

"Rockstars..." Gabby has started after Ella told her she was on her way to visit her rockstar best friends, "Be careful, you never really know about them." She warned, based on past experiences that made a melancholic smile tug at the corner of her lips.

When the plane landed, they had gone through all of the checkpoints together up until the baggage claim area.

Ella and Gabby exchanged Instagram accounts and they promised each other to keep in touch and maybe plan something while Ella was in London.

It seemed like luck was on Gabby's side because her suitcase was one of the first ones to come out only 20 minutes later, leaving Ella with a long hug and a "Take care sweetheart."

Without the ginger beside her, Ella had been well aware of every minute that was passing and how if everything was going according to schedule then it would be less than two hours that the lads would go on stage.

Maybe if the driver just floored it, she'd be able to make it just in time. She prayed that was the case.

But time kept running and she watched people getting their baggage and leaving, everyone but her. It was a group of twenty people maybe that was waiting with her, and suddenly the conveyor belt stopped carrying cases which made Ella even more fidgety.

When she watched the clock go from nine o'clock to quarter past, she'd had enough. She sighed, fixing her bag on her shoulder to turn around and leave—after all, if her case was found, it had her information attached to it and they'd contact her so she couldn't care less about it—, but then cases started rolling in again and the third one was hers.

Ella practically ran towards it and pulled it up with a strength she didn't know she had in her. As soon as she had a hold on it, she walked fast towards the exit in search of the driver the lads had gotten her.

It took her a few glances around the crowd of people waiting for her to find her name on a small sign. 'Eleanor Hayes' read the sign in the man's hands and she approached him with a relieved smile on her face.

They exchanged pleasantries and he took the suitcase from her as they walked out to the car. It was outside that it hit her where she was. Seeing cars driving on the other side of the road and everyone talking in thick accents around her was enough for her to smile hard.

Even if she was two hours away from the guys, they were standing in the same soil and that was enough for her to breathe calmly for a while.

Ella got in the back seat of the car, and once again she felt like she couldn't sit still. The worst part was that she wasn't even able to call Alex or text him because her phone was basically useless.

So she put her earphones in and connected them to her phone to play some music. Something inside her knew exactly what she needed to hear then and so she scrolled all the way down until she found that song she hadn't been able to stop listening to since that day.

Her eyes watched out of the window, how they were driving on the left side of the road, how different it all was but something felt constant and growing inside her. But then 'Feels Like We Only Go Backwards' started and her thoughts drowned before she could even allow herself to point out what it was.

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Ella had made light conversation with the driver when they were walking up to the car and he had taken her petition to go as fast as he could to heart. He knew she needed to be there by ten in the evening so he had done the best he could.

Yet that hadn't been enough, because they got there at a little bit over eleven.

The driver had lent Ella his phone so she could call an assistant to the band's manager who was waiting for her to arrive.

The girl had been lovely and told Ella she'd be coming to get her and about thirty minutes later, with her heart leaping on her chest, Ella was walking up to the balcony at the side of the stage.

She was almost in tears seeing and hearing the massive crowd go incredibly insane at the sight of the lads coming back for the encore.

Ella had barely registered the manager's assistant telling Breana that Ella had arrived until Bre had jumped on her to hug her, and that was when the tears had started falling. Ella was so overwhelmed that she was just now processing the long day she'd had and it was hitting her like a ton of bricks.

She was so entranced by the guys getting their instruments and about to perform again that she had only been able to smile and wave at the girls around her. She recognized Kelly of course but she didn't know who out of the two other girls that were there was Katie and who was Alex's best friend.

Alex started strumming his guitar and teasing the crowd with the lyrics to 'Soul Love' by David Bowie, everyone at the balcony laughed as they sang it back to him but he was quick to cut them off when he said, "I'm only messing, I'm only kidding."

He walked backwards for a few seconds before going back to the mic and this time teasing them with 'Yellow' by Coldplay, which made the crowd sing it back to him even louder.

"I'm only messing, I'm only messing." He tried saying but the thousands of people ignored it so he laughed looking at Jamie and shaking his head, "I'm only kidding. Pipe down now, pipe down." And since they still didn't listen, he went ahead and started singing the next song which was 'Cornerstone'.

Ella hadn't even known that they had a string section playing with them until she heard them join the guys during the second verse and she swore she had ascended.

Nothing would ever compare to hearing Alex's stunning voice, accompanied by the violins and cellos, and the crowd so wholeheartedly singing along.

Alex was enthralling standing there just talking to the masses of people and getting them to cheer loudly at him when he suggested an old monkeys song that they didn't perform often. Ella was trying to guess which one it would be when the violins started the gorgeous melody of 'Mardy Bum' and it all sounded even better when the crowd sang along.

It was mesmerizing to say the least. Ella had thought seeing them perform Outside Lands in 2011 had been insane enough, but nothing compared to this. She had never witnessed something like it before and it was leaving her breathless.

A few tears fell down her cheeks and since Bre was holding her close, resting her face against hers, she noticed. The model turned to her best friend, cooing and gave her a loud kiss on the cheek.

Ella was sad she had only caught the end of their performance but so glad to at least have caught a bit of it. She wouldn't have forgiven herself if she had missed it completely.

She watched as Alex changed her acoustic guitar for his Fender jazzmaster when the song was done, and in no time he started playing the chords to 'When The Sun Goes Down'. The crowd was so loud almost completely drowning his voice, making everyone at the balcony sing along.

Just before the song fully kicked in after the first verse, Alex stopped and encouraged the crowd to get louder and louder. It was mental to see how much control he had over them, making them scream as loud as they could with a small movement of his hand.

Finally when they continued, Ella just fully let go of any inhibitions and started dancing with Bre, jumping on her spot and singing along loudly. The girls had done the same, all of them faking playing a guitar and headbanging.

One of the girls she didn't know had wolf whistled and yelled "That's my best friend!" which had Ella instantly knowing who she was. She was glad she had just spent most of the song with her arm swung over the girl's shoulder and both had danced together like they'd known each other their whole lives.

It all got even cuter when Alex asked the crowd if they could help him sing happy birthday to his mum. Ella had melted as she and everyone sang along, Alex had a permanent grin on his face loving the energy and how perfect the night was going.

Ella watched intently as Alex welcomed Miles on stage, whooping and clapping for her friend. She had only been able to see Miles playing 505 with them on video and caught glimpses of it in the studio when the guys were playing around and strummed along for a few seconds, but she was sure this one time would be life changing.

When Alex sang "I'd probably still adore you with your hands around my neck", she felt Bre teasingly choke her which made her laugh. That made her almost miss Alex doing it to himself softly in front of the whole crowd. She had to keep herself from letting her eyes roll at that, not only because she was in public, surrounded by people but she had to not think about Alex like that.

She couldn't. They were just friends and no matter how attractive she could find him, she couldn't let herself and her thoughts wander beyond that point.

The song reached its climax and she was taken aback by the crowd's volume once again. It was nothing compared to how loud they got by the end of the song, when the lights grew intensely and lit the whole stage as the band waved them goodbye, blew them kisses and left.

Once the guys were out, that's when Ella properly turned and gave Bre the biggest hug to say hello.

"I missed you so much!" Ella had said hidden away in her neck, "Today was awful."

Bre let go to check if she was crying or not, she only found Ella's eyes pooling with tears, "I knew I should've gone with you." The model cooed and hugged her back again, "Let's go back down to their trailer and I'll introduce you to everyone."

Ella sniffled and followed Breana, who was keeping her fingers intertwined with hers as everyone walked out and back to the band's trailer.

She expected the lads to be out there already, but they told them that they had gone to be quickly interviewed at the BBC Radio area. So she took the brief moment of tranquility to properly take a moment and meet the girls officially.

Kelly was the one walking towards them so Ella was quick to meet her in the middle and give her a quick hug.

"Hi! It's so nice to finally meet you!" Ella said enthusiastically, and the bride-to-be hugged her back tightly.

They swayed a bit in their place before letting go of each other, Kelly was a little bit tipsy by then and the lads and Bre had been talking about how excited they were for Ella to get there that she was ecstatic to meet her.

"You too Ella!" Kelly agreed and then turned to see the other two ladies coming to them. Kelly waved them over for them to hurry and both of them started giggling as they quickened their pace.

When they caught up to where they stood, Ella smiled brightly at them, "Hi! I'm Ella, so nice to meet you."

She hadn't known exactly if she should hug them or shake their hands but the answer was given to her when the brunette one crushed her in a tight hug which surprised her.

"I'm so glad we can finally meet!" Ella had reciprocated the hug because she truly needed it and it's only when the girl let go that she said, "I'm Flo. Welcome to England, love."

"Oh! Alex's best friend, the artist! I've heard so much about you." Ella replied, looking at the pretty girl smiling even harder in front of her.

"I sure hope so. I've heard loads about you too, it was about time you came so I could properly meet you." Flo winked and it made her blush, she was intrigued by the amount of times Alex would mention her if his best friend had been so eager to have her here.

Ella giggled and then turned to give the blonde girl who, by process of elimination, would be Cookie's girlfriend. "You must be Katie then?"

"That's me. Hi Ella, so nice to meet you." Katie said with a sweet smile and a tender brief hug.

Ella reciprocated and held her with the same tenderness. "You too. Congratulations on the engagement, by the way. Lucky guy Cookie is."

Katie laughed and waved her off but before she could disagree on that, Flo jumped in saying, "Isn't he?"

Ella nodded, already feeling that Alex's best friend would be one she'd grow the closest with. Katie felt the need to say something about her then so he pointed at the things that they knew from the lads.

"We've seen your pictures Ella and, bloody hell, we might need to hire you for some shoots because you leave me astounded."

Ella smiled brightly at that, her cheeks tinting red as she watched them all throwing compliments around. Bre threw one of her arms around Ella's shoulders and said, "Think maybe we should just take a day away from the guys and play with the camera."

All the girls agreed on it and Ella was totally willing to do it. "I'm down if you guys are down, that'd be amazing. I came up with a few concepts on my way here, actually."

"It's settled then. Girls day will be a photoshoot day with Ella." Flo settled raising her cup in the air.

"You tell us Kelly if you want it before or after the wedding just so we don't interrupt with any plans." Ella was quick to say, remembering the big day coming up.

"Let's do it after. We have loads of time before we leave for our honeymoon."

Flo smirked at her, "Oooooo the honeymoon. Big anticipation for that Boss, make sure you're well rested beforehand. I speak from experience."

"Wait, you're married?" Ella asked in slight shock. Alex had failed to mention that big little detail.

Flo showed off her ring wiggling her eyebrows, "Very happily so." And then she turned to look around for her husband, "Where is he? Curly?!"

And as if it was magic, the lanky man with the long hair Ella had seen earlier at the balcony had popped out of nowhere with a cigarette in hand by the trailer.

"Sweetheart?" He asked and if it wasn't for the way they had kept quiet, they wouldn't have been able to hear him.

"Come here a second, say hi to Ella."

And like every one of her wishes was a command, he appeared right behind her with a smile on his face. He dropped the cigarette to the ground and stomped on it as he offered a hand out to Ella and introduced himself, "Nice to meet you, I'm Matty."

Ella gave him a kind smile, holding herself from cooing at the way he held Flo close to him. "Hi Matty, I'm Ella."

The man smirked, "Oh we know, famous Ella. You're quite the talk around here."

Breana laughed, knowing how much of Ella they had all heard and seen through the band, especially in the past week and earlier that very day.

Ella blushed at the information, "Jesus... Good talk, I hope."

Flo smirked looking at her, "Oh very good talk, especially from Alex. He's been like a broken record since he got back."

She had no idea what to say so she just blushed quietly for a few seconds until Breana pinched her waist and she jumped, "That's... good, I guess."

"Indeed it is." Katie added with a subtle smirk and a raise of eyebrows which only had Ella blushing even harder.

"Okay, yous stop it." Kelly said, finding it adorable how she reacted to everyone's teasing. "You're getting her all red, bless her."

"You know what you need?" Matty asked playfully and Ella shook her head as she lacked a response, "A drink."

"Oh yes. You're far behind." Informed Breana who had been drinking almost all day with the girls.

"What would you like?" Flo asked nicely, wanting to get her new friend going as the night had only just started.

Ella had a think about it but just shrugged when she couldn't decide on anything she particularly wanted at the moment, "Surprise me."

Flo smiled hard, "I love you already."

So Flo and Matty left to make her a drink and the other four girls stayed outside whilst they talked. It had been mostly about the wedding, Ella had managed to convince Kelly that it wasn't gonna be an issue for her to take pictures all day so Kelly allowed her to be another one of their photographers but only at the reception. Because "I don't want you feeling like you're at work during the ceremony, you're our friend.", was the reasoning she'd given her and Ella smiled at her and promised she'd only pull her camera out during the reception.

Miles had appeared then, interrupting the wedding chat to crush Ella in a tight hug, "Fucking finally! We've been waiting for you!" The scouse had made her giggle with the scoff he'd let out after that.

"Sorry, had to get a new flight and it was shit." Ella replied with a struggle from how tight he was holding her.

Miles left a wet kiss on her cheek and pulled back, "Don't apologize. You're here now."

Ella nodded with a sweet smile, letting herself indulge in Miles' side hug and starting up a conversation with him and the rest of the group.

About five minutes later, when they were trying to get information out of Breana about Kelly's bachelorette party or hen do—as the british girls called it—Matty and Flo finally came out of the band's trailer with multiple drinks in hand.

They were carefully coming down the stairs managing to grip onto two cups on each hand when behind them someone yelled, "Oi! What were those two doing alone in our trailer?" It was when they continued saying, "You nasty bastards!" that Ella recognized it was Matt walking back with the rest of the band following behind.

"Oh my god!" Ella yelled, letting go of Miles and completely missing whatever Matty had yelled back at them because she was too busy running towards them.

She had her guestlist wristband on so security didn't stop her when she jetted off to hug the first person she saw, which was the drummer.

Matt had barely even seen her when she threw herself at him, "Ellie! You're here!"

"I missed you so much, I'm so sorry I was late." She truly was sorry but he wasn't having it.

Matt held her tighter and shook his head, "No need to apologize Ellie, it's all fine. You're here!"

Before she could apologize once more, the rest of the band joined them in the hug. They all crushed Ella in between their bodies and said her name in unison which had her laughing.

By the time they'd all let go and given her space, she had shed a few tears. She turned around with a pout and hugged them one by one, apologizing again and again for being late, for which Alex had gone and hugged her again when she was done hugging everyone.

Alex held her tight and rubbed up and down her back, "I told you that all that mattered is that you'd be here darling, and you are."

"I caught the encore." She mumbled in his ear, sniffling.

He loosened his grip on her and made her look up at him, "Did you like it?"

"It was insane Al. The crowd was so loud! And the strings!" Ella fanned her face to gather herself, "I will cry just picturing how it was from the very start."

"Don't cry darling." Alex cooed, brushing some of her hair behind her ear and wiping a tear that had fallen down her cheek. "We'll catch a rerun of it on TV next week, it's okay."

She didn't have time to keep protesting because Alex started leaving kisses all over her face until she giggled. It was only when she couldn't breathe from laughter that he stopped, getting a hold of her hand and followed the lads walking back to where everyone was gathered.

When they got there though, Ella was met with someone she didn't know. Thankfully, Alex was quick to introduce them to her.

"Ella, this is Penny, my mum. Penny, this is Ella." He let go of her to let her freely hug his mum.

And that Ella did, holding Penny tighter when she'd said "Oh it's so lovely to meet you, sweetie."

"You too. Happy birthday, by the way. That was a lovely serenade you got just then."

Penny cooed, "Oh thank you. And it was, wasn't it?" She turned to her son to steal a hug from him, "Thanks to this one."

Alex relished in his mum's embrace, leaving a kiss on top of her head. "Love you mum." She saw as she was all ready to walk out, her friend waiting for her beside his manager by the entrance of the backstage area. "Are you leaving?"

"Yeah, so sorry to leave you lot but I can't be camping out anymore. I'm not fit for this lifestyle now." Penny joked, looking at everyone who was watching the interaction intently.

Ella scoffed, acting like Penny was saying just pure lies, "What are you on about? I was gonna take you out dancing to celebrate!"

Alex's mum laughed at that, gently grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze. "Oh sweetie, that's a tempting offer, that."

Flo joined in Ella's antics, "We'll bring the party up north next week then Penny, get yourself ready."

"That better be a promise." She pointed at the girl she had seen grow up, and Flo blew her a kiss in response.

Alex left Ella with their friends to walk his mom back to her friend, making sure they were all set to leave. And as he went back, he couldn't believe his eyes.

He had been anxiously waiting all day for her to arrive, his heart beating a bit faster the closer it got to their set. He tried blaming it on headlining Glastonbury for a second time but he knew deep inside that really wasn't it. Yes it was making him nervous, but most of all it was because of Ella.

When he had walked on stage, he had anticipated that his thoughts would be fully taken over by the crowd and the place they were at, but he had been wrong—the thought of where Ella was, held a place in the back of his head throughout the whole set.

And when they had been taken to BBC Radio's lounge to get interviewed and saw the mirrorballs hanging from the ceiling, along with the cow print on the floor, he was taken back to Ella.

Ella, Ella, Ella.

He'd been so fucking glad to see her there as they came back. And now, walking back and seeing her laugh with his childhood best friend, it was a sight that had him grinning brightly to himself.

The group seemed to be talking very eagerly about something, and he was just beyond happy that Ella fit perfectly with them all. His smile only faltered when he was getting closer to them and Ella snapped her head in his direction with a deep frown and a gasp.

"Alex Turner, how could you keep this information from me?!" Ella asked loudly, as she had just been embarrassed for not knowing something that seemed like everyone knew.

Alex giggled, frowning back at her, "What?"

"You've never told me that your best friend's husband is in a band as well?" Matty had just said he was excited for the next day and Ella had asked what was happening, which Flo had laughed hard about when she realized Alex had failed to mention it to her.

"Oh," he cringed, "Sorry darling." He apologized to Ella first and then turned to Matty to make sure he hadn't taken offense by it, which he hadn't but just in case Alex said, "Sorry mate."

"S'alright." Matty waved off with an amused smile at Ella's bright red cheeks.

But Ella didn't agree, "Yeah, it's not for me but whatever."

Alex laughed, noting that she had a drink in hand and he guessed that would have to do a little bit with her current mood. "What are you drinking Eleanor?"

"It's called 'none of your business', isn't it Flo?" Ella asked the brunette seriously.

Flo tried to match her seriousness but her smile couldn't be held back, "That's right."

Alex took the drink from her, only to take a sip and when he did he realized what it was. "Angel, you gave her a jagerbomb? She can't handle alcohol, she's gonna be plastered by half past."

"Well, I'll blame this beautiful angel right here." Ella nodded towards his best friend, playing with the word he had just called her, and Flo did a small curtsy back at her.

Alex hadn't expected this duo to be such trouble. He feared them and Bre together would be even worse and he didn't know what to expect.

"Of course you will." Alex shook his head with a smile, and Flo winked at him. She knew him like the back of her hand, and she could just see it all written on Alex's face. He was whipped.

It had been a lovely night, slowly and with the help of the drinks, the buzz the lads had gotten from the night had gone down and by three in the morning, they were all ready to go to sleep. Especially Ella, who despite having multiple jagerbombs with Flo, had succumbed to her exhaustion from her long day traveling.

The lads had their tour bus parked somewhere in the fields, so after the group said bye to Matty and Flo who were staying with the rest of their group, they took on a long drunk walk back to the bus. It had been filled with giggles at the clumsy steps they'd take, especially Ella and Bre's who were holding onto Miles' arms and subsequently making him trip with them.

The walk back had been exhaustingly long to them all in their drunken states, so when they finally reached the massive vehicle, they jetted off up the stairs by the door and chose the first bunk they saw.

Thankfully no one had chosen their bunks yet so there wasn't any bickering about someone stealing someone else's bed but it was hilarious to Alex, who had been the last to go up, to see everyone lazily slump into the beds and groan in relief when they could finally rest their bodies.

Due to how drunk everyone was, they had passed out almost immediately and slept deep and uninterrupted all throughout the night, even through the choir of snores coming from Nick and Matt.

That was until the noise outside woke them up at around eleven and they all realized that if they didn't properly wake up soon and get ready for the day, they'd miss Matty's band.

So, like they had been shocked back alive, the girls started getting ready quickly. Ella was so thankful for the bathroom in the bus being a decent size and it hadn't been much of a burden getting ready in the enclosed space.

She was also grateful for the girls around her, who were going on and on about all that Ella was going to see and what she couldn't miss, warning her about different things around the field but making her more excited about it all by the second.

They all had a bite of food on their way to the stage The 1975 would perform on, and they got there just in time. Matty's band was due on stage in ten minutes, when the group walked up to where Matty and Flo were standing by the steps that would take them up the stage.

Ella was well aware she stood up like a sore thumb from how she was dressed, not that her black shorts and her The Doors shirt were strange but her black and silver cowboy boots were. She had earned herself quite a lot of glances as they paraded around the place, but she couldn't care less.

Matty pointed them out right away but with a compliment because he truly loved them, "Fucking love your boots Ella."

"Awh thanks Matty." She looked down at them, already muddy and dusty but she loved it, it reminded her of home.

His wife had taken the chance to tease him then, "Be careful, he might try to steal them. He's taken half my wardrobe."

Matty bit back saying, "We're married so what's yours is mine. Technically not stealing."

A very tall guy with a man bun walked behind Flo and clicked his tongue as he threw an arm around her shoulders, "He got you there baby."

"George, you're supposed to be on my side always." Flo complained, but leaned into George's touch.

"For that you've got your cousin." The tall guy argued with a smirk, which made Flo elbow him on the ribs.

Matty cackled watching George doubled over in pain and Flo took that moment to turn around and call over the two other members of the band to meet Ella.

Another very tall guy with a buzzcut came their way, along with a slightly shorter brunette, and when they stood beside her with soft smiles, Flo introduced them to Ella.

"Ella, this is George," She pointed to the tallest one who had just been hurt in the ribs, "This is Ross." She then signaled to the one with the buzzcut and finished by pointing at the brunette, "And this is my cousin, Adam."

Ella smiled at them, "Nice to meet y'all."

They all reciprocated the pleasantry with smiles of their own and they started small talk until they were called on stage.

The big Monkeys group stood on the side of the stage, watching The 1975 get cheered on as they grabbed their instruments.

As they played their first three songs, Ella made a mental note to listen to their music when she had the time because they were amazing live and they had this sound that she wasn't really used to listening but she'd just loved. They all had great stage presence, just by enjoying performing and dancing around, and it was funny to hear all the things Matty would just say in between lines.

Their little group had all cheered along with the crowd by the end of 'You' when Matty jumped on George's drumset and played the end of the song headbanging as he looked down towards George.

They all looked amazing on stage, and when the next song started and the crowd got even louder, they fed more off of their energy and somehow got even more hyper.

Ella was particularly entranced by George, seeing every single one of his facial expressions as he hit the drums had her just gawking at him.

She had leaned back a bit knowing that was the only way Flo and Bre would hear her say, "He's fucking hot." as she pointed at the drummer.

Alex's best friend laughed loudly at that, making Matt and Alex turn around to see what had happened and when she informed them of what Ella had just said, Matt joined the laughter while Alex only rolled his eyes in amusement.

"You fancy George then?" Matt asked loudly over the speakers.

"I mean look at him!" Ella had said, he truly looked amazing, "Oh, and Ross! Flo, even your cousin looks hot right now!"

"I'm glad we share opinions when it comes to George." Flo winked at her, "I'll make sure to relay the message."

Ella blushed just thinking about it and shook her head, mortified, "Oh god, no, don't."

"But you need a rebound!" Matt fought and Bre nodded intently.

"No, that'd be so messy!" Ella shook her head just thinking about how she wouldn't be able to act normal if she actually made a move on one of Flo's friends.

"That'd be messy alright. The nice kind of messy." Flo said and that just made Ella double over in laughter.

They kept listening to the rest of the song after that, and Ella was sure she'd have the chorus stuck in her head forever. 'Chocolate' was a hit, no wonder it had been their breakthrough.

She pouted when Matty said the next one will be their last, leaving her to wish to see a longer set of theirs in the future.

The strong riff of the guitar had her already hooked but it was the lyrics to it that made her slowly become obsessed with it.

When Matty turned around to point at Flo as he sang "She's got a boyfriend anyway", Ella gasped realizing this was about her. She screeched then when Matty turned back around to face the crowd and the lyrics got more interesting.

She couldn't help but become entranced by how proud Flo looked of Matty, it was so sweet to see the way she wholeheartedly sang along, her smile never leaving her face.

The end of the song was just heavy and perfect, made it erratic and Ella was absolutely loving it. Especially when the last line Matty sang was changed to "You've got a husband anyway" as he pointed at himself while looking straight at his wife.

Flo blew him a kiss and Matty turned around to play the outro of the song with all the energy he had, it was captivating. Ella was taken aback when it hit her that she was now friends with all these incredible musicians, it was truly a dream that had her pinching herself.

When the guys came off stage, it was pure adrenaline they were running on. Matty didn't take a second to kiss his wife earnestly, and Ella could almost cry from how adorable they were.

The rest of the day had been spent with them all running around the festival, sharing drinks as they tried to catch up to artists in different stages, bumping into friends like Zackery who had taken a few pictures of them—and introduced the band to a group of artists who had designed and hand painted a leather jacket for them at their request for a song in the upcoming album.

Ella had been loving how different yet similar the festival was when comparing it to Bonnaroo. The messy muddy fields, the loud chatter and laughter, the smell of good food in the air mixed with the good weed. She was on cloud nine and she didn't want to leave.

That night they watched The Rolling Stones and it had been absolutely insane seeing Mick Jagger on stage. She was sure she'd lose her voice from how loud she screamed when Mick Taylor was invited on stage and when they performed '2000 Light Years From Home'. She was sure she'd never be able to listen to The Rolling Stones the same ever again.

Sunday hadn't been any different. They had enjoyed every bit of the festival like it was the last they'd ever attend.

Ella had been so grateful to have experienced all of it, and she had made sure to tell Alex that multiple times. The group was so glad they had the massive bus to drive them back home and they needn't worry about a thing through the whole drive but be completely comfortable and enjoy the peace after the bustling weekend. It had ended up being almost three hours due to the traffic, but that had allowed them to rest longer so they didn't complain.

She'd asked to be dropped off at the hotel she was staying at and Alex had offered to go with her and then walk home as she wasn't staying too far away from his flat, but she declined because she knew he was exhausted and so was she so she walked in alone at four in the morning to check in.

It was amazing that it hadn't been a struggle to get checked in, she had been expecting something going wrong with that too after all that had happened at the airports when she was on her way there but it hadn't been, so with her keys in hand she made her merry way up to the fifth floor and to her room.

The little energy Ella had left in her was put into taking a shower, brushing her teeth and just plopping onto bed. The weekend had felt longer than just three days, it felt like it had already been a week since she'd had to run around Montreal's airport like a madwoman looking for a new ticket.

She sighed happily as she snuggled into the plush pillows in the dark, her eyes closed but behind her eyelids was the whole weekend playing like a film and she found herself filling up with warmth. She couldn't wait to see what else this trip would have in store for her, she only hoped it was all good.

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

The greatness of the London Eye had Ella trying to gather herself in search of words. She had been struggling to truly believe where she was since she woke up to a view she wasn't used to, gloomy and no sun out, the sky teasing a rainfall later, a little chilly when she went out the balcony for a smoke and the bustling of a city she was yet to get to know.

Alex had called her—thankfully they had figured out the whole cell roaming situation during the weekend so she wasn't uncommunicated and alone—, telling her to get ready as he was coming to get her and they'd be walking around London so she could get her proper touristy stroll around the city.

She had personally asked him for one at Glastonbury, when they were eating as they walked between stages, and he had gladly agreed to it. He wanted to be the one to witness her reactions to one of the cities he held so close to his heart.

Ella's steps slowed as they got closer to the attraction, people already in a long line at eleven in the morning.

"Holy fuck, it's huge." She gasped, staring all around the giant metal structure.

Alex just watched her mesmerized expression with a smile, "D'you wanna get on it?"

"Erm, not really. But I might as well have to, right?" She was looking at the very top of it which was barely in her line of sight but she would have to bear it because why would she come all the way there to not get on it.

"Flying all the way here to not get on it would be regrettable." He said honestly, it looked scary but it was a great experience, one that he didn't want her to miss.

Ella sighed, her brows a little furrowed as she gathered some courage, "Alright let's go."

They quietly walked to the end of the line, which had resumed moving slowly, and Ella felt her heart racing in her chest. Not only because of how she was shitting it thinking about how high she'd be once inside but from the memories coming aggressively to the forefront of her mind.

Valentine's day, Belmont Park. With Alex beside her, just like at that very moment.

She smiled to herself, the thought of that day no longer bitter by any grudges she was holding. So she thought mentioning it might distract her and keep her from shaking. "At least it's a shorter wait than the one we did at Belmont Park, remember?"

Alex gave her a sweet smile, really enjoying the opportunity to think back to that day but he also wanted to take the moment to tease her as she was fidgeting in her place. "Still afraid of heights, darling?"

"Yes but don't remind me, or I'll make you take me to the next place to not get on." Ella smiled slightly embarrassed, her cheeks tinting a faint pink.

"You silly thing." Alex laughed breathlessly, reaching out to grab her wrist and pull her into his side to hug her, "Just think about all the stunning pictures you're gonna be able to take."

She melted into him, looking up and grinned brightly at him, "You just always know how to get me on your side, don't you?" It really did seem like it to her, how fast he could make her twist her arm into stepping out of her comfort zone so she'd enjoy herself.

He just stared down at her adoringly, counting every freckle on her cheeks and admiring how the makeup she had on just accentuated every little thing on her face. So he said sincerely, "I'm glad I do." because he was truly grateful he could.

About ten minutes passed, silence between them was comfortable but sometimes broken by small talk about random things they'd remember or things she was hoping to see and the possibilities of places they could visit.

They had stayed holding each other the whole time: Alex's arm around her shoulders, his fingers clutching her tightly, and Ella's arm around his waist, her thumb rubbing little circles over the fabric of his shirt.

That was until she had remembered about Alex and who he was and she had started overthinking and noticing more and more the glances the people in line were giving them, so she gently pushed herself away from him and he had to slowly let his arm drop from its place around her.

Alex gave her a questioning look and Ella recoiled into herself as she gave him an answer, "I just keep thinking people are looking at us– well, you. And I don't wanna get you in trouble."

"What do you mean?" The singer frowned, not really understanding in which way she'd do that.

"Well, I just feel like they keep glancing over here and I don't want you to get swarmed for being recognized." Her voice was small as she explained, scared of sounding stupid but in her head, it made sense.

He chuckled softly, brushing off his status. "Darling, I'm not that big of a deal."

But Ella wouldn't let him try to downplay it, "Sure you aren't Mr. Rockstar." She rolled her eyes with amusement, "This is your home country, and you're massive here."

Alex just shook his head to have her let go of her worries, "Not gonna get swarmed, darling." And then he further explained, "You know most—if not all—known people that do, is because they get their agents to put out their locations for paparazzi and media's attention right?"

"Oh?" Ella blushed, feeling oh so stupid, "Do they really?"

"Yeah, and it's bullshit. You'll never find me doing that so don't worry. We're safe." He assured, tucking her into his side once more and he smiled when he felt her arm snaking around his middle once again.

"It's just because you love the mysterious act, though, isn't it? Maintains the appeal." She pinched his waist to accentuate the teasing, making him laugh.

"Dickhead."

They laughed together then, falling back into a comfortable silence, just relishing in the warmth they got from each other. It wasn't awfully cold but it was chilly and it was how used she'd gotten to Californian weather that had her performing worse in weather that she used to be able to bear when she lived in Tennessee.

Alex kept her warm and cozy so Ella found herself really snuggling into him and he accepted it with a smirk on his face. Moments like this was all he wanted.

The minutes passed and Ella couldn't help but be hypnotized by the whole scene, especially when they moved further and further up the line until they ended up in a corner where they had the perfect backdrop of the Thames and the city of London.

He felt her get away from his hold again but when she saw her reaching down to grab the camera hanging from around her neck, he breathed calmly.

"Stay there, I wanna take a picture." She instructed, seeing that his position was perfect for a picture.

"Here?" Alex asked, not sure if she really wanted a picture of him right there and then.

But Ella showed him the prettiest smile and said, "Yep, just like that." and Alex couldn't say no, not that he'd really ever tell her no. "Smile for me, sweets." The pet name rolled off her tongue so easily when seeing him standing like that in front of her.

"Sweets?" A massive grin broke out on his face hearing her call him that, his insides melting at the simple word.

Ella pressed the shutter instantly, exhaling in relief at having caught that face in time. "Perfect."

"Sweets?" Alex asked again just to check he hadn't imagined that.

"Yeah..." She timidly confirmed, rolling the film and tucking the lever back in its place to turn off the camera and let it softly drop back over her chest.

He watched her take small steps towards him again and accepted her back in his arms with a "M'kay darling."

Ella poked his ribs making him jump before asking "You don't like it?"

Alex was quick to retort, "Who said that?"

"I don't know–" She tried to start but he was quick to dismiss the whole thing.

"I love it." He backtracked quickly and firmly with an honest smile on his face that had her biting her tongue and fighting back a smile just as big as his.

In no time, the line moved sporadically and it was sooner than expected that they were boarded into a capsule with a family of five.

Ella stepped inside with wobbly steps and Alex followed closely behind. "Oh my god..." Her words were breathless as she was taken aback by the view around her.

"That line was quicker than I expected." The singer thought out loud as he got beside her, both of them standing close to the windows.

But when she heard the glass doors closing and felt the capsule moving to the right, she took a big step back and reached back to hold his hand. "Al, you're gonna have to stay near me because this is freaking me out."

He squeezed her hand in his and giggled, "I'll stay right here."

"Okay..." Ella mumbled unsure but soon her whole attention was taken by how perfectly she could see it all in front of her. "This is so beautiful."

Alex could feel her hands growing sweaty and starting to shake so he took it upon himself to distract her. "You can see it all from here. Look," He pointed to their left, "That's Westminster bridge, the Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and Parliament." He listed as his finger pointed at each of the landmarks, making sure she was correctly watching each as he talked, "We can see it a bit better now that it's going up, oh and there's Buckingham Palace as well."

It looked so small from there but it was still breathtaking, "Oh wow..." Her heart was swelling in her chest now, just from being able to experience this, "We can see the whole city, Al!" She whispered with such excitement that made Alex want to coo at her.

"It's quite the view, isn't it." He took the smallest step towards her until he was pressed softly against her back and he leaned in to watch her face.

She turned to him completely mesmerized, "I think New York has got some big competition in my book now."

"A tough one between them two." He agreed, resting his chin on her shoulder for a second before standing back up straight again and pointing to their right now, "Oh look, over there is St. Paul's Cathedral. We're going there later 'cause I know you'll love it. And way back over there is the Tower of London and Tower Bridge."

Her eyes swam around the panoramic view and it was all well until she made the mistake of looking down to her feet and her heart sank. With her eyes closed, her panicked words came out incredibly fast, "I'm loving this view but I just accidentally looked down and I feel like I'm gonna have a panic attack."

"You're okay darling, I'm here." Alex promised, taking his hand that was still intertwined with hers and wrapping that arm around her waist, "Just take your pictures, I won't move an inch."

She gulped and let her eyes open up again, feeling slightly better in his hold and slowly untangled her fingers from his to lift her camera, "Okay."

It certainly worked like magic. The second she started looking at the city through that viewfinder, it was like she had completely forgotten she was hundreds of feet above the ground in a spinning wheel, completely focused on capturing the panorama as best as she could.

Alex watched intently as she worked, noticing the little things she did like biting her lip as her finger hovered and seemed to hesitate for a few seconds over the shutter until she caught the perfect moment and it was just a triumphant smile as she turned the lever and then the cycle began again.

Ella counted the shots in her head and only stopped when she had only twelve frames left in the roll.

Letting her head fall on Alex's shoulder, she had to ask, "How long does this take again?" Only because she had felt like she'd lost track of time.

"Half an hour but it's already been fifteen minutes so we're halfway there." His fingers rubbed circles on her waist, sometimes the pads of his fingertips managing to get under her shirt and erupting goosebumps on her skin.

She felt like she was burning up so she let her camera drop back down on her chest and turned around to face him. "I'm just gonna stare at you now because if I look out I'm definitely gonna freak out." She giggled a bit, trying to trick herself into thinking that looking at Alex wouldn't have her chest tighten just as much.

"That's fine by me." He replied with a smirk.

But she didn't entertain his teasing, only giving him a sincere, "Thank you." in return.

His face fell into a sweet smile, "Nothing to thank me for, darling. I'm buzzing to have you here right now." He wasn't afraid to admit it at all, because he truly was beyond happy about the whole situation.

"See? Sweetness!" She softly exclaimed, bringing one of her hands up to cup his cheek but before Alex could get his hopes up on anything happening, she squished his cheeks with her hand, "You're just pure sweetness."

Ella felt his face go warm under her touch so with a giggle she let her hand fall back down. "Your hair looks great today." He looked great. In a pair of blue jeans, a white shirt and his brown leather jacket—he had changed the Chelsea boots for white high top converse and a pair of sunglasses had been tucked into one of the pockets of his jacket.

"You like it?" Alex asked innocently like the simple compliment hadn't made his heart rate stutter.

She nodded, "You know I do. It always looks amazing but whenever it's just like this, without gel..." Her fingers combed through the freshly cut greaser looking hairstyle, "It's so soft."

He nudged her hand with his nose softly and joked, "Are you messing it up?"

She chuckled, combing through it again and again to give it its perfect shape, "I'm fixing a few strands here." She used both her hands then to bring a few of the strands to fall on his forehead like she loved. "There you go."

He raised an eyebrow at her, "Look good?"

Ella's answer was quick, "Beautiful." And she didn't waste a beat to ask, "Can I have another picture?"

"Of me?" Alex asked naively and she just hummed, so he shrugged and nodded, "I suppose."

"I wanna have one of this very moment. With you, my favorite tourist guide." She joked in the end to make it seem less like she was baring her heart out to him.

"Right." He chuckled, his eyes crinkling around the edges slightly.

But she wanted more, she wanted to see his grin fully reach his eyes. "C'mon sweets, show me that gorgeous smile."

Her teasing worked because he felt his cheeks warming again and he had to keep himself from averting his gaze from hers, "Stop." He only said, half a warning but mostly a plea for mercy on his heart.

"What?" Ella inquired like she had nothing to do with it, if she only knew all that she did to him. "Amazing, t'was perfect." She complimented once more.

Alex had to change the topic then because he felt like he could combust any second, "Are you taking them in black and white?"

She had mentioned it earlier when he'd called her, as she was debating whether or not it'd look better. "Decided against it last minute. I don't know, there's something about the atmosphere today that I just wanted to capture the closest to reality I could."

He hummed, understanding what she meant, "You can always take the black and white ones later, you're staying three weeks after all."

Ella smiled brightly at the reminder, that many days just sounded so promising and she couldn't ignore how this was one of the very few times she felt ecstatic thinking about the uncertainty of what the future had to hold.

"So glad I am. It's barely been three days and I already know this is one of the best trips of my life."

"It's only just getting started darling." Alex winked, making a giggle bubble up her throat again and what a lovely sound that was.

Just like that, they had done the full ride and they hadn't realized it was done until they heard the doors open back up, way too entranced in their own little bubble. It was lucky that the rest of the people inside their capsule were on holiday and no one from the family had interest in finding out who they were or interrupting what they were doing.

When they walked out, Alex let out a loud laugh when Ella thanked God for firm soil multiple times, said so devotedly like she wasn't a determined atheist.

From there, they walked through Westminster Bridge to get to Big Ben. Ella had gasped as their feet took them across the bridge and asked Alex to pinch her because she felt like she was dreaming.

She couldn't believe her eyes were actually seeing all of that for themselves in real life and not through stock pictures on Google.

Seeing her glowing from her excitement had Alex's heart breaking as he had to give her some bad news. "This actually has me fuming now because this is just one of those things everyone wants to see once in their life but, a few years back they closed all Big Ben and Parliament tours to people who aren't UK citizens or residents so unfortunately I won't be able to take you inside for a tour."

Ella clearly deflated but it was in an instant that she really turned the situation around in her head. She shook her head standing in her place, making Alex stop beside her on the sidewalk, and she pointed at the landmark right in front of them, "But I'm seeing it right now and that's what counts, Al. It's okay."

Alex hummed reluctantly, still disappointed at not being able to give her the best experience. "We can walk around it, I'm half sure there's some places you can manage to take a peek inside."

She giggled and grabbed his hand, fingers intertwining as she went ahead and dragged him behind her to finish their walk through the bridge. Alex didn't say a word, his smile permanently stuck on his face as he watched her walk enthusiastically in front of him.

She had changed her roll of film right when they got to the street across the monumental place. Alex chuckled as she made him help her by covering her device with his jacket so that her first roll didn't mess up as she put it away, and the new one didn't either as she locked it and rolled it inside before placing the lid back in its place.

They resumed their walk, Alex closely walking next to her with a hand hovering on her lower back as she kept her hands engulfed around her camera but he felt the need to keep his touch on her.

Ella had taken so many pictures already, and about fifteen minutes later she had grown worried she hadn't stuffed enough rolls in her bag before leaving her hotel room. Half the frames she had captured had been of him, either smiling at the camera or unaware as he walked beside her with a burning cigarette resting between his lips.

There was a particular one in which she had stopped without saying a word and he had kept walking a few paces before noticing she wasn't beside him anymore, and when he turned around to search for her, the shutter went off.

Her heart kicked in her chest at the memory of that one picture she had taken of him, back at the start of 2012 when the lads had just come back over to Los Angeles and she had taken them around the city, the one where he was looking back at her with the rest of the band walking in front of him.

Her throat ran a little dry as she placed her camera back down to rest on her chest and watched Alex walk back towards her.

"You've been taking so many pictures of me already, let me take yours." His voice sounded almost like a beg and her knees went a little weak.

Only because of the way he'd said that had made her feel, Ella sighed with a smile and pulled her camera back up, "Alright, I'll show you how to."

She showed him the basics around her in a simple manner and he seemed to catch it all quite quickly. After all, he had seen Matt taking pictures and had gotten ahold of the drummer's cameras throughout the years so it all came back to him when Ella had done her brief run down.

Alex listened to her instructions of having him take a few pictures of their surroundings just so he could get comfortable, and it only took two to have him nodding and reassuring he was ready to take her picture. Ella nodded with a shy smile and took two steps back to stand in front of the camera.

Truth be told, Ella had always preferred being behind the camera and not in front of the lens but it was just because she never thought she was interesting enough to be the constant subject of pictures.

Alex couldn't think of her more differently. Seeing her with a bright smile that had her eyes closing, her hands intertwined in front of her as she softly leaned her head to the side and her hair so perfectly falling over her shoulders had him thinking about how if she looked this breathtaking in front of the camera in such a normal setting, then she needed to be in front of it at all times.

That's why right after the shutter sound went off and she relaxed again, he rolled the film and took another picture without warning her.

That made her shriek and hide behind her hands, "Alex no! It's gonna look so bad!" Ella's words were muffled as her hands covered her face.

"I'm looking through the viewfinder and you look stunning, darling." He was quick to reassure her, "Now could you please drop your hands? I want to take another one." His skilled fingers rolled the film once more as he tried his best to convince her with his eyes.

That unfair look in his eyes made it so impossible to resist anything he could ever suggest. "Last one?" She made sure to ask him before giving in.

"Fine, last one." He agreed with a sigh, his stomach doing somersaults at having gotten away with it.

She slowly let her hands fall back by her sides and it wasn't until he said, "That's it. Beautiful, darling." that he took the picture as her face broke in another massive grin that made his heart skip a beat.

Ella ignored the way her tummy was fluttering as she reached out for her camera, "Alright sweets, that's enough." She wasted no time to push the lever back in its place and hook the camera strap around her neck again, the camera falling to rest on top of her chest.

"Only for now." He countered smoothly, making her scoff out a laugh.

After that they continued walking, leaving Big Ben and Parliament behind to make way to Westminster Abbey.

The massive church was breathtaking. Its structure was gothic architecture perfection inside and out, which accompanied by the stunning gardens and sculptures just made Ella be more in awe.

The gray sky tied everything together, the birds flying around and resting in the old walls and peaks, the tinted windows looking straight out of a painting.

Ella spent a full roll there, small gasps leaving her mouth every corner they turned. She had even been so entranced by the devotees kneeling on the seats and offering their prayers, unbothered by the rest of the people walking around them. Religion was a concept that fascinated her because of how much she just didn't get it like those people praying did.

Once out of that place, they walked to Buckingham Palace and it was a funny stroll since Ella couldn't stop bouncing on her feet like a little girl, asking loads of questions she could come up with about the Royal Family.

"You know," She started with a small smirk on her face, "Prince Harry is fit."

Alex cackled at the way she said it, listening to her try and incorporate British slang in her vocabulary had been endearing all weekend and he was glad she wasn't stopping it. "Oh really?"

Ella hummed eagerly, "I wonder if he'd give an American a chance."

"So you're aiming for the Royals now?" The singer inquired rhetorically with a cheeky smile.

She shrugged, smirking back at him, "Why not?"

Alex chuckled, "That's ambitious."

"Well I like to think of myself as an ambitious person."

With a nudge to her hip, he grabbed a hold of her hand so they could walk a little faster, "Alright Miss Ambitious, we're almost at your lover's place."

From afar Ella could see the palace behind the trees and she thought about the different instances a person could be allowed into the place. "I'm sure we could get in if you just said you're from the biggest British band in history."

"The Beatles are way older than me and half of them are dead so I don't think they'll believe me."

Ella snorted at how nonchalantly he'd just said that and turned her head to look at him as they kept on walking, "Oh you're being humble now."

Alex scoffed playfully, like her words had offended him, "When am I not?"

"I can list some instances." She shrugged again with a teasing smirk on her face.

His eyes narrowed at her as if challenging her to start talking, "Enlighten me then."

But all Alex was met with was silence as they finally got to the big black and gold arches and crossing the road from there was the monumental place standing there in all its glory. The Victoria Memorial was even bigger and more spectacular than she'd seen in pictures, the gold against the gloomy sky and the greenery around was leaving her breathless.

So Ella dropped Alex's hand and started snapping away, frame after frame until they walked closer to the gates of Buckingham Palace and she caught a glimpse of the beefeaters standing there like they were frozen in time and just that got her even more excited about it all.

"They look like little dolls! Oh my god, look at them!" She waved them hello so enthusiastically making Alex hold giggles back and when the guards just stood there without moving a single inch, she turned back to pout at Alex.

The shaking of his head and the "You're so painfully American," he gave her contrasted immensely against his growing smile.

"Hey!" Ella gasped and poked him in the ribs, "Don't call me out like that, I was blending in perfectly well." She joked but she was well aware she hadn't been.

"Yeah, sorry. You were, darling." Alex corrected, faking agreeing with her, "Everyone's a tourist here, so yes you were blending in perfectly well." He changed his words to tease her further and the way her jaw dropped a bit and she frowned at him made him laugh.

They were there for about twenty minutes, walking slowly and taking their time so Ella could capture the moment the best she could. She had taken a few of Alex when he wasn't noticing but at the third one she'd gotten caught, meaning she got pictures taken of her by Alex.

As they waited for some people to move around so they could get a better view from a different angle, they were playing a game that had started with Ella making funny guesses about members of the Royal Family and their hobbies, which had earned her multiple laughs from Alex as she really had no clue about anything to do with the Royals.

Eventually, when the place started getting more crowded, they decided to move onto the next place which Alex had said would be Piccadilly Circus so they could get some lunch and then continue on.

Trafalgar Square had been captured in multiple of her frames and she had finished her film roll as they walked up to the restaurant they were going to eat at. Once again Alex had helped her change her roll covering her camera with his jacket, giggling as she struggled to properly roll it as she couldn't see well what she was doing in the darkness they were making for the film to not get fucked.

Once Ella had managed to set everything up, Alex had asked her if he could have the camera for a bit and of course she said yes. The prospect of getting Alex into one of her passions had her smiling as he took pictures of a place he already knew so well and since she knew he was capturing the views for her, she took her own time to take everything in: the streets, the people, the chatter going on around her, the restlessness of the city, the smell of smoke and coffee every time they walked past a coffee shop, the memories in the making around her that she'd never get to know.

She loved it all.

Ella was so entranced by the scene and completely caught up by her thoughts that she'd missed the multiple times Alex had managed to sneak a picture of her. Only really catching him smiling proudly at her as he lowered the camera from his eyes when she had turned to point at a girl who was wearing an Arctic Monkeys shirt as she smoked outside a restaurant.

Alex chuckled, letting the camera hang around his neck and getting a hold of Ella's hand to then keep walking to the place that was not very far away from where they were then.

When they got there, Ella had been surprised by the fact that Alex had gotten a reservation for them and he had almost perfectly timed it all. They only showed up ten minutes early to their table and it wasn't a fuzz for them to wait.

He offered her a cigarette and, between chatter, they waited for their turn to come up. It had been relatively easy as they finally talked about the adventure it had been for Ella to fly over and it had ended with them hugging as Ella got a bit upset again over not being able to see their full set.

With a promise to find out when they'd be replaying their set on BBC, they went back to get seated as it finally had turned into the time they had the reservation for.

They didn't rush through their meal, enjoying every minute they could get in the lovely restaurant and talking about absolutely anything that came to their minds. And after a pouty Ella—since he hadn't let her pay for the meal—had let Alex take a picture of her with the English streets in the background, they had left the place to resume their stroll.

Their pace was slower then, Alex had suggested taking a cab to get to the next place so she didn't have to walk that much but Ella declined it saying it was alright plus she loved how they could just simply walk places around the city unlike in Los Angeles. It was only when they got to Covent Garden and walked past the underground station that she asked why they hadn't used it yet.

"This one has 193 steps to go up and down it. I was being kind not taking you through it to get here but we can take it to get to St. Paul's if you'd like."

Ella had gasped at the information, because who the fuck in their right minds would make a station have that many stairs. "193?!" She asked again and Alex nodded amused at her disbelief, "Why?"

He chuckled and shrugged, "Been asking the same question for far too many years."

"That's insane." She said under her breath as they continued walking, then remembering his suggestion, "And no, let's not do that. Can we take the bus? I've yet to get on one and I really want to be the cliché American being amazed on every type of your public transportation."

Alex's laughter reached her ears, making her grin brightly at him. "Of course we can." He assured her and Ella scrunched her nose at him for being adorable, but then he continued, "And you're being the best cliché American. Really off the charts performance, darling." making her roll her eyes in amusement.

Between teasing comments, giggles and playful nudges, it didn't take them long to get to the Apple Market and there Ella was instantly blown away by the amount of shops and market-type kiosks of trinkets, hand-made jewelry, souvenirs and art.

They took their time walking around, really ignoring the retail shops because Ella was far more interested in taking her time to look around the little stands in the middle of the place, and it was all so beautiful.

The variety of goods that were offered out for everyone was amazing, and she gasped when they made it to a stand that was offering analog cameras, leather and handmade camera straps, camera cases and lenses.

She had thought about getting one of the few medium format cameras that were there but decided against it after a good few minutes of internal debate. Alex had watched her amused the whole time and giggled when she went from staring between a Halina, a Rolleiflex and a Pentax to getting one of the leather camera cases along with a strap and bought it.

It was bad how indecisive she was because she had spent so much time in the first few shops that she felt the need to rush through her indecision which ended in her buying at least one thing from every shop she had purposely stopped by.

There was a little red bus in her bag, along with a few magnets, her new camera case and strap, a locket, a few pins, a set of coasters and the last kiosk they were looking at was full of rings, necklaces and more handmade jewelry.

Ella easily fell into conversation with the lovely old man who was the owner of the little store. She had complimented him after he told her it was him who made every piece by hand, and she took her time to look intently through it all.

A few minutes passed of her taking a closer look at the different accessories but since she couldn't make a proper choice, she turned to Alex for help.

With her lips pressed she grabbed his wrist to pull him closer and in a bit of panic, she looked up to him and asked, "Could you choose for me please?"

Alex bit his bottom lip not to chuckle at the soft frown on her face and nodded, "Anything in particular, darling?"

Ella looked back at the table, giving it a quick sweep and she found her attention mostly on the hand jewelry. "Maybe a ring?" She tried saying but it sounded more like a question, "They're all stunning." She added then in a quiet whine like it hurt her that everything was too pretty and she couldn't choose.

The singer hummed and stepped closer to the table under the gaze of the old man who had a small smile on his face seeing them two together. Alex took less than a minute, his decision being made when he found one which had a pretty green stone in the middle of the gold band of the ring. "This one." He grabbed it and it seemed to be just the right size, so grabbing her right hand in his, he slipped it on her ring finger. The sight of her Pure Desire tattoo sparking too many thoughts in his mind that he had to push aside.

Ella was breathless seeing him putting the ring on her but she fully felt like she had forgotten how to breathe when he added, "Matches your eyes." with the sweetest smile.

Her eyes didn't move from his for a few seconds that felt eternal to them, dropping to the ring and then back up at Alex to ask, "Does it?"

"Yes," He nodded, completely satisfied with his choice, "Stunning." He complimented, but he wasn't speaking about the piece of jewelry because his gaze was firm on Ella's gorgeous eyes.

She scrunched her nose at him, he was just too cute for her to handle so with rosy cheeks she turned back to the man in charge of the kiosk and deemed that being the last purchase of the day. The lovely man was smiling brightly at them and agreed with Alex when he noticed Ella's hazel green eyes.

Alex had puffed his chest out in pride of it, saying a smug "I know" to the old man and making Ella laugh as she paid. He practically had the color of her eyes permanently imprinted in his mind, he didn't ever have to think hard to remember them and how it felt to get lost in her eyes.

She left the old man with a long hug and Alex gave him a hand shake before the two moved onto the next stop which would be St. Paul's Cathedral. And just like Alex had promised her they would do, they took a bus to the church.

It had been hilarious capturing her smile with her camera as one of the red busses approached them and he had been hearing and seeing her little giddy noises and how she just couldn't really stay still in her seat.

The cathedral had been breathtaking and, again, Ella had snapped away multiple pictures as they walked around. She had been fairly wary of the lots of people worshiping their religious figures then so she tried not to take too many so the shutter going off wouldn't interrupt them.

When they left to go to the next place, they ticked off another thing off Ella's list as they rode the underground to go over to the Tower of London. The only thing she had been overly excited about was the way the stations looked because then being in the tube felt just like taking the train in New York, only cleaner.

Alex had managed to get a picture of her standing there waiting for their train to arrive, and he hoped the frame had captured the big grin that tugged at the corner of her lips making her eyes crinkle at the edges before she had hid her face behind her hands.

The Tower of London had been quite informative, at first she had walked in completely amazed by the structure and architecture of the castle so she was taking picture after picture of the inside and the greenery of the courtyards but then they started walking into the exhibitions and she had forgotten about her camera to read the signs around the rooms.

Going to see the crown jewels had been hilarious to Alex since Ella had been trying so hard to keep her cool as there were beefeaters guarding the exhibition. The White Tower had been rather concerning because of the torture chamber that was located there, and the Green Tower had been as well as it was where the execution memorial was held. And the last bit of the place they had visited was the Bloody Tower which had left Ella gasping as they found it was named that because of the murders of two princes which had been suspected to be done by their own uncle.

They talked about everything they had seen as they slowly walked out of the place and under the Tower Bridge, it was getting late and the sun seemed to be getting ready to set already. She yawned and hid it under her right hand, Alex getting a hold of her left hand and intertwining their fingers so she would walk with him at his pace.

"Where are we going?" Ella asked intrigued, they weren't going very fast but it was like he had the intent of getting somewhere on time.

"Just a bit further down here." He pointed forward with a tilt of his chin and continued walking.

Ella had no other option than to walk along him, and it had been the best day strolling around the city with him so there wasn't a bit in her that wanted to complain about a single thing.

They walked past a Starbucks and to her right she saw a little stand that sold boat tickets. They were walking right by the Thames after all so it wasn't rare to see all the people that were walking ahead of her and stopping by the railing along the short brick column.

As they walked closer to the people gathering for the view of the bridge, Ella finally saw the sculpture that stood there in a fountain and she let out a little gasp of awe.

"That's so cute! I'm gonna take a picture." She squeezed Alex's hand before slowly letting go of it and quickly turning on her camera and getting as close as she could between the people gathered there to get a good frame of the sculpture with the view of the bridge and the city behind it.

She snapped a pair and went back to Alex, excusing herself as she made her way through the people in the way.

"Are we not staying here?" She inquired when Alex grabbed her hand again and pulled her along with him, seeing as everyone seemed to stand next to the fountain to watch the sun go down.

Alex shook his head, "There's a few benches over there and way less people, so we can sit and watch the sunset quietly and alone."

Ella intertwined their fingers properly again with a grin and let him guide her to where he was referring to. It wasn't longer than another minute when they saw a lonely bench by a tree which had the perfect view of the bridge without it being spoiled by the people standing at the railing.

They sat down and sighed in relief, their backs and their feet aching after the long day, yet their smiles were stuck on their faces as they moved closer to each other and Ella let her head fall on his shoulder.

Alex left a kiss on her head before resting his head over hers, making Ella snuggle closer to him and inhaling deep in comfort.

"Thank you." Her voice was low and soft, with the echoes of the people chattering around them, he almost missed it.

His head turned slightly to be able to glance down at her, "What for?"

Ella kept her gaze on the city, being slowly bathed in orange and pink hues as the sun fell to bed down the horizon. "For today. It was lovely and you're the best tourist guide ever."

The last bit held such playfulness that earned her a snort from him, "I'm glad you liked it, darling." And Alex truly meant it, closing his eyes and relishing in the feeling of having her close to him.

"Absolutely loved it, sweetness." Her hand went to grab his—they had let go when they got comfortable on the bench—, intertwining their fingers and rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb. "You know if the rockstar gig doesn't work you can just take people around the city and make them pay you for your charm." He felt her move her head a bit and when he looked down at her, she had her eyes set on his face with a smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Alex lifted his head to match her smirk and played along, "Charming am I?"

"You know you are." Ella rolled her eyes as if it annoyed her telling him the truth so she added, "Don't let it get to your head, it's already too big as it is."

The singer scoffed, straightening his back so he put a small distance between them, "Oh wow, thanks."

The American girl let out a small "Nooo," and hooked her arm through his to bring him back into her side. "I'm joking, I'm joking."

He hummed doubtfully but let her pull him closer. "You better be because you've got a bigger head than mine." He quipped back at her, making her gasp.

It was her turn to put some distance between them as she pulled herself off him with an offended frown, "Excuse me?"

But Alex looked at her completely disregarding her expression and teased her by saying, "Mhm, you're excused."

Ella gasped, "You're such a little shit." and poked him in the ribs, cackling when he jumped and let out a little yelp. She was so glad she got him back beside her after a whole month, "I missed you so much."

"Missed you more darling." He reciprocated, snaking his arm around her waist to pull her into his side. "We should go watch a film soon, I know it won't be the same but we haven't gone to the cinema together in far too long and I miss going to Los Feliz with you."

A bright grin broke out on her face, thinking back to the times they had been able to go to Los Feliz together. "Isn't it amazing? I'm so glad I got you obsessed with it too."

And without really thinking it through, Alex admitted something that had been making rounds in his mind for a while, "Making me consider moving to LA, you."

She rolled her eyes playfully, shaking her head looking at the view in front of them, "Yeah sure."

But, staring right at her and pinching her side so she'd look at him, he promised, "Swear down."

Narrowing her eyes at him, she chatted back, "Don't believe you, Turner."

His right hand came to clutch his chest like her lack of trust hurt his heart, "Rude. I thought you loved me and I was your best friend."

Her gaze stayed on his, unwavering and trying to gather her thoughts so she could answer but the only thing she came down to say was, "Touché."

She scooted back close to his side and rested her head on his shoulder, his fingers that were holding her waist had started rubbing circles on it over the fabric of her shirt. Ella was glad she had been able to control the shivers his touch gave her and took a deep breath as they watched the gorgeous sights in front of them.

The sky was turning lilac then and the dying sun was painting the cloud a beautiful pink and orange. It was breathtaking seeing the city coated by the colors, it was truly out of a painting and it somehow got even more beautiful as the minutes went by, the shades growing more intense and the urge of capturing it bubbled in her chest.

"This is stunning." Her words were breathless as she turned on her camera, trying to remember if it was four or five frames she had left in her current roll but only shooting three just to not mess up any of her previous pictures on the roll.

Alex watched her focusing as she watched the landscape through the viewfinder, her eye squinted and her bottom lip caught between her teeth.

"Can I get a picture of you?" He asked as soon as she brought her device back down to rest on her chest.

Ella hesitated for a second but before she could agree, she remembered the lack of proper lighting, "The flash is gonna ruin the sunset and if I don't use it, it will look too dark."

He thought of it only for a second, knowing she knew more about it than him but came to a different solution, "With my phone then."

She hummed like she was considering it, but her decision was taking longer than what he wanted so he bumped his head against hers softly and said, "C'mon darling."

When Ella turned to see him, Alex was grinning at her like he knew she was going to fold and she rolled her eyes when she finally agreed, "Okay just a quick one." She turned off her camera before she could move, purposely taking longer to do that.

Switching seats so he could take the picture properly, and taking her camera from her, Alex pulled up his camera on his phone and turned the flash on. "How does Bre get you to let her take your picture?" He wondered out loud as Ella shied behind her hands and took a few deep breaths.

Letting her hands drop, she shrugged and smiled, "Because it's Bre."

But before he could snap the moment away, Alex rolled his eyes and said, "Right, I forgot you're secretly in love with her still."

"Oh shut up." She hit his knee with hers, truly meaning it when she replied, "She's my best friend."

With that he smugly raised his phone back up, and with a, "And so am I, so smile for me darling." he waited for her to give him a big smile to take the picture.

He lowered his phone as he went to his camera roll to see how it had turned out, "That look alright?" Ella asked shyly, trying to see the product as he was grinning like an idiot at his screen.

Alex nodded intently, "Yes, I love it." And he wasn't lying, her eyes had closed from how big she had smiled, her cheeks rosy almost as much as the pink in the sky and once again he was brought back to that day they spent together in the west coast when he couldn't even begin to appreciate the sunset behind her as he drove because she looked so beautiful.

She demanded softly with a tug of his wrist, "Show it to me." And when she saw herself on his screen, she felt her cheeks heat up, "I look so..."

"Pretty?" He quickly finished the sentence for her.

But she shook her head, putting that to the side for the moment for her own good, "Blushy. My cheeks match the damn sky."

"You always are darling." He confirmed to her, "Don't think there's been many instances since 2011 when I've seen you and you've not been blushing."

She was properly embarrassed then, thinking about how dumb it was for her to always be blushing and for him to have noticed every time for the past two years, "Okay don't call me out now."

"Anyway, you look beautiful." The singer came back to see the picture once more and smiled to himself, "I'll send it to you now."

Her phone pinged with a notification of his text then and unlocking it to see it now on her screen, she sat comfortably again, shoulder to shoulder with him. "Thanks sweets."

His arm came around her shoulder and brought her into him, "You're welcome darling."

The minutes kept passing by and with it the sun lowered even more until it was completely gone and the sky went from orange, pink and lilac to a deep blue pierced by many stars which glistened as much as the lights of the city did.

Exhaustion was catching up to them, her eyes were closing and she was struggling to keep them open. Alex noticed when her hand started falling slowly from the top of her thigh where it was resting to the space between their legs.

So, softly getting a hold of her hand, he played with her fingers and asked in a low voice, "Should we head back to the hotel darling?"

Ella groaned but nodded, really wanting to get in bed and rest now. "Please?"

He pouted at her tired expression and slowly stood up after giving her a little squeeze, "'Course. Let's go."

Alex extended his hand out to her and she accepted it, letting him pull her up. "Thank you." She stumbled a bit, bumping into his chest where she rested her hand so she could stabilize herself.

He took advantage of how close he had her so he left a kiss on her temple and mumbled, "You're welcome." against it.

Turning around to leave, Alex grabbed her hand but she only moved an inch before she called out a "Wait." that he had barely managed to hear with the rumble of the city in the background.

"What's wrong?" He turned back to her with a small frown, he had her camera hanging from his neck and she had her bag hanging off her shoulder so he wasn't sure if there was anything she'd forgotten.

The bench was empty which confirmed she wasn't forgetting a thing but her frown softened up when she continued with a "Nothing just– c'mere," And she dropped his hand to open her arms up for him to walk into.

He of course obliged, taking a big stride her way and clutching her tight, her arms wrapped over his shoulders and his around her waist. She giggled when she felt her camera in the way of their chests pressing together, making for a rather awkward position but it was a hug from him so it was everything but. They swayed a bit in the embrace and he heard her say, "Love you Al, thank you for today." in his ear.

Filling up with warmth, the biggest smile showed on his face and he didn't waste another second to reciprocate, "Love you too Ellie." Kissing her cheek first, he pulled back to look into her eyes and make her understand that, "There's no need to thank me, darling. It was my absolute pleasure."

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

A/N: Personally, my heart burst writing this, and rereading it made me tear up. Wheels and Curly being here along with the rest of t1975, Alex and Ella reuniting, and then being absolutely adorable makes me wanna cry. Once again, a million thank yous to @imagine-that-100​ for being wonderful and allowing me to have them here and expanding the multiverse a bit more, and I hope y'all enjoyed catching a glimpse of them in an alternate timeline because I certainly did fucking adore writing them in. If you haven’t read @nriacc​ yet, what are you waiting for? Anyway, I'm wondering now if you have any predictions about what's gonna happen in this trip, I would love to see what those predictions are and if there's anything you want to happen hehehe. Thank you so much for reading! See you in two weeks with the next!! xx

Taglist: @imagine-that-100​ @red---moon​ @kennedy-brooke​ @faveficz​ @indierockgirrl​ @ladydraculasthings @moonvr​ @unwantedlovergirl​ @eaglestar31 @nikisfwn​ @funniestpersoninnyc​ @andrearroe​ @justacaliforniandreamer @alexturnersgf69 @yourorganiccigarette

#alex turner #alex turner x reader #alex #turner #arctic monkeys #alex turner arctic monkeys #alex turner fanfiction #alex turner fanfic #alex turner fluff #alex turner one shot #alex turner blurb #alex turner drabble #alex turner imagine #alex turner fic #alex turner x you #alex turner x y/n #alex turner x oc #matt helders #jamie cook #nick omalley

[sawyerconfort]

Stargirl | Wanda Maximoff x Fem!Reader

GUESS WHO’S BACK? BACK AGAINNNNN

Anyway, sorry for not posting in (I think) months? There’s so much going on in my life and I was too stressed with Tumblr not letting me writing anything...

But it doesn’t matter! I’m back and going back to write asap!

Sorry for disappearing! I’ll be taking requests soon, I promise!

Now, please take this as an apology ;) 

Enjoy!

This doesn’t take place at any Marvel cronology, but since it mentions the Darkhold and the twins, feel free to imaginate. This is our Wanda, the MCU Wanda... ;)

---------------------------------------------

PROMPT: As a retired superhero, you have time to spend with your wife and twins. But Wanda has been acting different these last few days, demanding much more than maybe you can give.

WARNINGS: smut, top!wanda, bottom!femreader, sex language, mentions of wanda being the darkhold self, extremely horny wanda, kind of sub!femreader, kinks.

*highly recomend to listen to stargirl interlude, by the weeknd & lana del rey, while reading this.*

It was just another normal night in Westview. You were enjoying your family to the fullest now that you had all the time in the world to do so, and of course, your wife was relishing this opportunity. Billy and Tommy couldn't be happier to see their moms together again, all the time available for them. The truth is, you were very specific when you asked to retire as Stargirl: your family had to come first before you risked harming yourself to save an entire city.

Anyway, it was just another normal night where you and your family were watching some random animated movie that you were pretty sure you'd seen a hundred times over. Billy and Tommy wanted it that way, and you and Wanda had no choice but to give in. The moon was already high in the sky, the movie was halfway through and Tommy was sleeping in your lap while Billy was sleeping in Wanda's. Your red-haired wife was resting her head on your left shoulder, her hands running up and down your chest.

You were pretty sure you had never seen Wanda like this since she decided to explore the pages of the Darkhold. You weren't a witch, and you didn't understand anything about magic books or magic, but you recognized that she was making a serious mistake in doing this.

However, oddly enough, Wanda looked fine, even counting the days she spent with her floating copy holding that huge book.

“I think they fell asleep…”, Wanda woke you up and, when you looked back at the television, the credits were already rolling. Tommy growled into your legs and turned around, his face so serene and his eyes closed that you groaned in pure adoration. Billy had the same expression, on the other mother's legs.

“I think so,” you replied, laughing. “And we should go too. It's been a long day for both of us”, you quietly got up from the sofa, taking Tommy from your legs and lifting him with your strong arms, trying not to wake him. Luckily you had super strength, so you did it effortlessly.

Wanda panted and purred like a kitten on your legs, grabbing your thighs and almost making you sit back down on the couch.

“Please stay a little longer...”

“Babe”, you smiled, turning to her. “Boys need sleep.”

She pouted. "Is not fair."

“I'll take Tommy and come back for Billy, okay?” you whispered, kissing her left cheek. “You can organize our bed, and take the popcorn pots to the kitchen. I'll help you with the dishes as soon as I get back, I promise."

She pouted once more. “I don't want to organize our bed. I want to do something else in our bed…”, her smile was evil.

“Wanda...”

“Okay, you win, detka”, she grunted, getting up with Billy in her arms and placing him on one of the couch spots, his head resting against one of the cushions. “I'll be in the kitchen, okay?”

You nodded and headed upstairs with a grunting Tommy towards their room. Afterward, you did the same thing with Billy, and before leaving, you left a kiss on both of their foreheads, with a captivating smile. Looking into their room, you saw several drawings of the four of you - you, Wanda, and the twins - all wearing superhero costumes. They had made it a long time ago, and they were so proud that you and Wanda decided to turn them into a decoration for the room.

You could have a lot of fans all over the world, a lot of fans who would miss Stargirl saving the world, but those two sleeping boys right in front of you would be the ones who would suffer the most from your retirement.

* * *

You sneaked up to the kitchen, saw Wanda finish putting the last glass of soda in the cupboard, and wanted to surprise her. You hugged her from behind, digging your nails more calmly into her hips, startling her instantly. Wanda gave a muffled squeak and turned around, smiling when she realized it was you.

"See? I made you change your mind…”, she whispered, leaning closer and closer to your lips, and then, she started kissing you like nothing else in the world mattered. You could have sworn you saw her eyes glowing red before she could close them, and you could have sworn that much stronger magic had you yoked into her hands as she wrapped her arms around your waist.

Wanda wasted no time. With one hand still resting on your waist, she used her other hand to reach under your shirt and touch your body, because she knew better than anyone how much it turned you on. An evil laugh tumbled from her lips as she heard you gasp and moan, surprised by the unexpected touch.

But her smile faded as soon as you pushed her away.

“Wanda, the boys are going to wake up…”, you said, whispering and trying to catch your breath as you spoke.

She laughed evilly again and shook her head.

“It's been so long since we've had sex, baby…” she whimpered. And you could have sworn you saw her eyes glowing red again - now you were really fearing for your life and sanity -. “Please, I'm dying for you, (Y\NN)…”

You shook your head. “Wanda, no. It's getting late. I'm tired."

“Stop making excuses, detka…”, she laughed. “The boys are sleeping. We can sleep late tomorrow. You haven't done anything all day.”

You arched an eyebrow. "No? I fixed the roof and stopped the last rain's leaks if you haven't noticed..."

"Yes, I know, my princess, you are my superhero, that's why I love you more than anything in this world..."

Wanda tried again. She wasn't going to give up until you did, and you knew it. But you couldn't fall for that joke again. First, because she was completely overpowered by the Darkhold and God only knew what he could do when he took over her mind. Second, because you were trying not to freak out like you used to. You didn't need to prove to anyone else that you and your wife had sex three times a week, you were already married to anyone who wanted to see you and anyone would see from afar that you two didn't need sex to be happy as a family.

She opened her mouth and gasped at your lips as you found yourself overpowered and tempted to surrender. Wanda pushed you hard onto the kitchen counter, and you felt your butt hit the structure, painlessly.

“Would you rather I take your clothes off or you take them?” she whispered, laughing.

“Wanda, no…” you gasped. "Please don’t do this to me."

“Why not?”, she looked at you with concern. “Is there something wrong with me, (Y\NN), something you don't like that I did to you?”

You shook your head. "No. No, Wanda, you are perfect, honey.”

She smiled again, eyes flashing red for the third time. It didn't take you long to learn that they only glowed when she got really excited about something. That's why you were afraid to give in to her desires.

“Say it again, go,” she whispered. "Tell me again that I'm perfect, detka...", you shivered when she lowered her fingers and made a sudden movement of sticking them inside your pants. Wanda laughed. “You like it, don’t you? But do you like my accent or do you like it when I stimulate you, hm?”

“Wanda, please...”

“Because I like it when you beg me. And I like to be stimulated too, but I don't need it right now…”, she looked you straight in the eye, returning to her natural green. “You are mine now, (Y\N). You are under my command. There's no way to resist it anymore. You are all mine. And I am yours.”

Wanda pinned you against the wall suddenly, and you gasped. Your mouth couldn't formulate a sentence, but you whispered with what you could: "Bedroom... now...". And she obeyed. Regardless of the connotation.

* * *

You didn't know how to breathe properly a few seconds ago. Wanda was going back and forth in your body with the greatest of ease, both of your clothes were completely thrown on the floor and you were only in your underwear. You tried unsuccessfully to contain the moans rising in her throat and couldn't contain the smile when she touched some point that excited you.

Wanda didn't make it easy either. She would kiss your lips with desire, leaving them wet, huge, and swollen. And then she had a red face. And then she had your neck, marked by pink, almost purple hickeys. As she nibbled and licked at your breasts, her fingers ran over her belly causing delicious shivers.

Suddenly, before reaching the high point, Wanda stopped and turned to look at you. You sighed and tried to relax, thinking it was over. You were relieved and about to pull her closer when she opened her mouth first.

“I've been thinking... for a long time, I have a huge desire to fuck you...”, Wanda said, slowly. It must be something strange for her to be so cautious. “… with you wearing the Stargirl outfit. You know, the Stargirl uniform.”

You looked at her, confused, and laughed.

“Is this really stupid?”, she asked, the confident tone turning into a worried tone that made you feel embarrassed.

"No, no, honey, it's just...", you laughed. "It's just that I was expecting a crazy fan to say something like that to me, not my wife who is also, coincidentally, a superhero..."

“If you don't want to, I'll understand...”

“Wanda, no.”

You held her face. "I want. Just give me a minute, I need to remember where I keep it... You can wait, can't you?"

Wanda nodded, smiling and biting her lip, leaning against the headboard of the bed and hugging her own legs. “Don't take too long, love. I don't want you to trick me into saying you're going to wear that uniform when you're not."

* * *

"Is this where they called Stargirl?"

Wanda squeaked like a chipmunk when you walked in the bedroom door wearing your superhero costume. She looked at you and her eyes became static, looking you up and down. Her smile went from sly to restrained to a tongue sliding across her lips.

“Let's make a deal here, dear…”, you said, slowly approaching her and sitting between Wanda's legs. “... I wore the uniform. And now you're going to have to let me dominate. It's an exchange of favors."

The Scarlet Witch laughed. “You're really smart, aren't you, baby?”, she ran her hand over your face and brushed away a few strands of your hair. "But of course, I won't fulfill that kind of deal, not even with Stargirl...", she approached. “I command. I command. I dominate. Done deal."

She used the supernatural strength of the Darkhold to push you back onto the bed and climbed on top of you, increasing the intensity of her movements. You didn't have a choice. The uniform made it more difficult, but he went down like a wet slide, melting in Wanda's arms. She finally smiled and spared no effort. Her fingers penetrated your pussy with strength and desire, and with each finger, you let out a moan of relief. She moved her legs away from you, opening them as easily as possible, and placed her cold lips right there, tracing kisses until they were on the lips of your vagina.

“Wanda... please...”, you begged, your voice groggy and off-key.

“That's right… Beg your hero, my love. I love to see you begging me… begging for complete control…” she laughed. "Beg baby, say you're mine, say..."

"I'm... yours...", you whispered, losing your voice halfway through. She thrust in three fingers and made you gasp in a scream that echoed off the bedroom walls. Feeling the climax coming before you could control it, you tried to pull her hands away from your sensitive spot.

“Are you going to cum right away, detka?” she whispered, softening her accent. "But I thought you were Stargirl, New York's invincible hero..."

“Wanda…”, you gasped, at a loss for words. “Oh, fuck.”

“Oh, fuck…” she repeated, softening her accent again.

“WANDA!”

And then, you let it all flow in and out of you. Your body went limp and slipped on the duvet, your super strength powers caused the wood of the mattress to break. Wanda smiled and tasted you, wanting more, and tasting more. Then she slithered down like a kitten and snuggled into your arms, purring and pressing her cool lips to your neck, giving you more shivers.

“You were perfect, my Stargirl…” she whispered, brushing the sweaty strands of hair from your even sweatier face. “How long has it been since I felt this much pleasure like this...”

You smiled, taking a deep breath and still struggling for words.

“Before you ask me, yes, I'm satisfied. Almost like a vampire who sucked all the blood in the world and had her vital energy invigorated...”

She buried her face in the crook of your neck. And sighed.

“You'll have to get dressed,” she said suddenly. “I hear footsteps of smaller people crossing the hall.”

You frowned and, as soon as you got up, you started looking for your clothes, which were lying on the floor. Wanda had “accidentally” stolen your T-shirt, so all you had left was her gray sweatshirt and the baggy shorts you were wearing. As soon as you snuggled into Wanda's arms and pretended to fall asleep, you heard the twins walking down the hall.

"Mom, we heard something breaking," Tommy said, looking scared.

“Mummy, I had a nightmare,” Billy growled. “My head feels weird.”

You looked at Wanda, who with shining eyes, shrugged and spread her lips in a wide smile. The night was going to be a little longer than you had initially planned - especially you.

#wanda maximoff x reader #wanda x reader #avengers x reader #marvel x reader #avengers #marvel #scarlet witch x reader #lgbt #romance #smut #ok i tried my best i'm not to good at smuts #my marvel hyperfixation is coming back these days #i love wanda so much and i miss her so much

[twinsunstars]

Remember Me - a small Bad Batch fic

Y'all I'm causing pain right before the premiere tomorrow, don't come for me 😭 I also haven't written in a long while, and I wrote this super fast. Just something I thought of based on a post I posted last week while listening to the song of the same name. This fic takes place during Season 2, so hope you like it!

also up on AO3

There were so many stars in space, Omega wished she could count all of them. The view from her makeshift room–normally the gunner’s loft of the ship–was stunning as always. 

Omega sat in the gunner’s seat, holding Lula close and observing the view of space. She remembered the first time she had gotten to see space all those months ago, the way the tiny white stars twinkled in the vast darkness. Her eyes sparkled with wonder, her heart leaping with delight. 

The Batch had just finished up another mission Cid had sent them on, and it was a long way back to Ord Mantell. Omega could hear Wrecker’s snores from her room. He knocked out pretty easily after long tiring missions. Tech and Echo were likely keeping a watch on the ship’s controls, and Hunter was making sure everything was in order before the jump to hyperspace. She could even hear Gonky making some small noises as he listened to her brothers. 

Flashes of blue streaked her room’s window, the ship now entering hyperspace. Omega stepped down from the gunner’s seat, sitting herself down on the makeshift bed Wrecker had made for her. Holding Lula, she laid down on her back, staring at the golden string lights that lit up her room. The lights made her blond hair glow, and Omega felt comfortable in here. Away from a dark room. Away from a dark laboratory. 

“Comfortable in here?”

Omega looked up to see Hunter giving her a soft smile, leaning his arm against the sides of the room. Omega sat up, crossing her legs and setting Lula aside next to her. “Yeah. Getting a little tired though.”

Hunter let out a soft chuckle. “Get some rest. The others will be getting some shut eye too. I’ll be on watch duty this time.”

Omega nodded, her eyes starting to shut. Hunter closed the curtain, the curtain rings making a small creaking sound as they glided. She laid back down, pulling her blanket over her and tucking in Lula, letting sleep capture her for the trip back home. 

______________________________________________________________

Omega’s eyes opened to a foggy view, and she was definitely no longer inside her room, or the ship. She listened for any snores or voices, but couldn’t hear any. 

“Hello?” 

Her tiny voice echoed in the fog. Omega couldn’t see anything either as she tried to navigate herself through the thick fog. “Hunter! Echo! Tech! Anyone?”

A ceiling light lit up in front of Omega, followed by a line of lights that yearned for her to come after. Omega arched her eyebrow, following the lights. She still couldn’t see anything, but the fog was starting to thin out. 

Lights to Omega’s left and right appeared, displaying large tubes. Omega could easily recognize them. They were just like the ones she saw growing up in Nala Se’s lab. Even in the secret rooms Nala Se would take her to when the Kaminoan needed her for specific help. 

Omega’s heart rate began to grow. She always hated the labs, reminding her of how scary her life was since she was born. It was always wires, tubes, and injection needles, never any warm hugs or toys to play with. 

She kept on walking under the lights, beginning to see unknown figures inside the tubes. Omega looked away and held her arms together, refusing to see all of that again. She didn’t want to be here anymore, wherever this place was. 

Up ahead, a light appeared larger than the rest, displaying a control panel in front of her. Omega walked up to the control panel, which looked exactly like one of the panels inside Nala Se’s underwater lab. A small button was glowing in white, flashing every second. Omega couldn’t help but press the button out of curiosity, and she wished she hadn’t. 

The button caused a larger light to switch on, revealing five large tubes in front of her. Each one of them had one of her brothers inside, hooked up with tubes. Even Crosshair was there, asleep inside the tube’s liquid. 

Omega trembled, stepping away from the panel. “No, no…” Her lips trembled, tears coming out of her eyes. 

“I’m sorry, young one.” A strange voice completely unfamiliar to Omega spoke from the darkness. But there was no figure to be seen. 

“But they have to leave you. They can’t be with you anymore.”

“No,” Omega whimpered. She wanted to run towards them, do anything to set them free. Something grabbed ahold of Omega, preventing her from moving. The unknown force pulled her away, and Omega could see wires wrapping around her bare arms. All Omega could do was scream. 

“NO!”

“Kid?”

______________________________________________________________

“Kid!”

Omega woke up with a jolt, her hands shaking. She was back in her warmly lit room. Omega realized it was a nightmare. A really scary one.

Hunter laid his hand gently on Omega’s soft hair, helping her sit up. His enhanced senses had sensed Omega whimpering in her sleep, almost sobbing. “Breathe.”

Omega’s eyes welled up with tears, still in shock from the nightmare. She looked up at Hunter, letting him see her glistening eyes that were full of fear. She pushed herself into Hunter’s arms, sniffling. 

Hunter held her, letting her cry it out. “It’s okay. It was just a bad dream.”

Omega lifted herself off Hunter’s armor, wiping her tears away. “It felt real. All of you were in tubes, and I couldn’t save you.” She broke into more tears. “I was alone.”

Hunter let her continue crying, pulling her into another embrace. He knew what it felt like to have those dreams. Fearing his brothers were ever pulled into those tubes as failed test subjects. Continued experiments until their blood was drained from their bodies. He never wanted them to come true. 

“I don’t want to lose any of you, ever,” Omega mumbled. 

Hunter had made that same promise to her all the time. At her young age, she had a lot of hope. But reality is something she has to learn. 

“Omega,” Hunter began, putting his hands on her shoulders. “It’s alright, we’re here for you now. But you know we can’t always be. We age faster than you, and death is something everyone has to face in this world, not just a soldier. It is hard, but you have to remember all of the memories. When that time comes, will you be brave and remember what we taught you?”

Omega looked down for a few seconds, then back up at Hunter. She was the only one here who aged normally, since they were designed to age faster for the army to grow quickly. She nodded. Omega never wanted them to leave her, but she was slowly understanding the lesson Hunter was trying to teach her. 

“Come here.” Hunter pulled Omega into his lap, handing her Lula. He stroked her hair and began singing the lullaby Cut had taught him. 

Remember me though I have to say goodbye

Remember me, don't let it make you cry

For even if I'm far away, I hold you in my heart

I sing a secret song to you each night we are apart

Omega was lured back into sleep, holding Lula close and embracing the warmth in Hunter’s arms as he sang. Everything was okay within this moment, and she was safe.

______________________________________________________________

Hunter remembered the last night he had sung that lullaby to Omega. She had grown to love that lullaby, wanting Hunter to sing it for her many times before she went to bed. 

The ship was quiet while traveling through hyperspace. The others were in the front of the ship, silent while thinking about the loss they had just faced. Tech was gone, and now Omega was taken. 

Everything that replayed in Hunter’s mind was when he saw that Imperial ship leaving with Omega inside. The tears that welled up in his eyes while seeing his little sister being taken from him. 

He laid back in his chair, remembering the smiles Omega had on her face. 

“Sing me the lullaby again! Please!”

Tears grew in Hunter’s eyes again. He closed them, breathing in as he began to sing again. 

Remember me though I have to travel far

Remember me each time you hear a sad guitar

Know that I'm with you the only way that I can be

Until you're in my arms again

Hunter felt like he could hear a tiny voice singing with his broken vocals. 

Remember me.

#@half-truths-and-hyperbole-louk #bad batch #the bad batch #the bad batch omega #the bad batch hunter #tbb #the bad batch wrecker #the bad batch tech #the bad batch echo #the bad batch crosshair #star wars tbb #bad batch clones #star wars the bad batch #clone force 99 #the bad batch series #star wars #omega the bad batch

[selarina]

Ghosts in Love

-> Kageyama Tobio x Reader (ft. Suna Rintaro x Reader)

Chapter 2: Ill-Fitted Bonds

Summary: Amidst shared streets and familiar alleys, chance encounters with your ex at grocery stores or parks evolve into shopping together and sharing park benches.

Loosely inspired by the poem "Ghosts in Love" by Carl Sandburg

Content Warnings: post-breakup, childhood friends, pining, fluff, hurt/comfort, love triangle, implied sexual content, angst, eventual smut

Word Count: 1.9k words

Taglist: Open

Author's Note: I apologize...BUT who’s side are you on? I need to know

Read on AO3 | Series Masterlist

You don’t see Suna Rintaro for another 4 months, and you think he may have really taken you up on the offer to move. But you think you know him enough to know he would not put in the extra effort to do all that. He may simply be avoiding you, and for once, you find yourself thanking him for it.

You do see him on social media though, just the brief updates on his matches, and the occasional less-than-welcome selfies. Less than welcome because they make room for themselves in your head sometimes, not leaving for days on end. But it’s been 4 months and you realize today that you haven’t opened to check his account in two months. You smile, sipping on your tea. The taste is a bit more bitter than usual, but you kinda like it today. 

Your phone rings, and you put down the tea, a bit of it falling to the tip of your thumb. You hiss, as you reach for your phone, sliding and answering it. 

“Hey,” you answer. “Are you ready yet?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m on my way,” he says, sounding out of breath yet somehow still yawning.

“Are you really, Tobio?” You ask, already aware as you deadpan.

“Okay, I haven’t left yet but I’m leaving soon, okay? I’m sorry — the alarm.” You fight the urge to groan but his voice comes out again, a little sheepish and a little ashamed, “I slept through it.”

“It’s okay,” you’re quick to reassure him because it really is, you haven’t got much to do today. “Call me when you leave, and I’ll leave too, okay?”

“Okay, thank you. Leaving soon,” he says.

You cut the call, and decide to book a cab to the cafe, deciding on waiting there for him to come. You wanted to finish your tea, and finish this crossword anyway, you think.

—

The crowd bustles a bit loudly for your liking, it’s usually that the cafe provides a sort of white noise effect wherein the voices get unanimous at some point, blurring things out for you to focus but it’s not working today. You groan, but dissolve into a smile, when you catch Tobio coming your way.

“Hi,” you say, going up to him and engulfing him in a hug. Per usual, he smells good, a bit like bergamot twined with notes of cedar. 

“You smell good,” you say, allowing yourself to rest your head on his shoulders for a moment.

“You always say that,” his voice reverberates through his body, and you can feel it against your own. 

You pull away, smiling, “Well, you always smell good.” You smooth down your clothes as you sit down. “I ordered your usual, it should be done soon,” you add.

“Thank you,” he says, sitting stiffly, but a bit slouched.

“You’ve been sleeping in a lot lately,” you say, referring to not only today’s delay but yesterday’s and the day before that, and the entire week before that.

“I don’t know I’ve got myself into a cycle, and I can no longer sleep on time,” he sulks, pouting very visibly. You feel the urge to pinch his cheeks, but you fight it. “It’s annoying.”

“Ah, is it because of that one day you stayed up?” 

“Yeah,” he replies, “I should never have done that,” he mutters.

“It’s not that hard to fix,” you say, and he perks up just a bit.

“And?” He asks, a bit impatient as he’s suddenly pulling in closer to you.

“Just tire yourself out, and you’ll sleep soon as you hit your bed,” you say. 

“Guess I’ll gym a bit harder?” He says.

You frown, raise your brows, and clear your throat. “Or we could go out?” 

He looks at you, a bit studded, but not entirely shocked. “Okay,” he responds.

“What?” You ask, startling him a bit with your loudness. You turn to the lady sitting behind you, “I’m so sorry. Yes, I know. I’m sorry. Of course.”

You turn back to face him, raising your brows. “What? I’ve been meaning to ask anyway,” he says. 

—

You find yourself walking hand in hand with Tobio, into the restaurant. You’re not sure how this will tire him out into sleeping in early, but you do suppose it was merely an excuse to ask him out on your part. Why he’s agreeing to this is beyond you, but you walk beside him as though it isn’t.

You’ve known Tobio for almost his entire life — sometimes distantly, sometimes closely. It changes on and on over time, but you remember always thinking of him as someone you would want to be. Chasing his dreams with endless fervor, how he was at playing ball, even when you were all merely 4 years old with no real concept of winning or losing. It was and is rather inspirational, moderation notwithstanding. But it’s rarely easy to be around him without feeling like you’re wearing ill-fitted clothes all the time.

“It’s under Kageyama Tobio,” he says. “Of course, sir.” The uniformed man smiles warmly at him and turns to smile at you. You mirror him stiffly, almost like a well-practiced routine. “Right this way, please.”

Tobio smiles, his hand coming to squeeze yours before he pulls you to walk in tandem with him as the two of you follow the host, and that’s more than enough to break you out of your stupor.

You haven’t noticed it but Tobio Kageyama is unlike you, as you’ve mentioned but he is also very much like you. He walks stiffly like he doesn’t necessarily belong in this restaurant like you’re his only tether to this place as he tightly grasps your hand. You suppose it’s why he’s the only childhood friend you have retained. The thing about wearing ill-fitted clothes though, is very much who he is sometimes. In whispered conversations on his balcony, he tells you this, bears his heart out, and you find that you had misunderstood, or just half-understood him. And since that day, you’ve kept each other at arm's length.

You joke that he’s afraid you’re going tell people about all his vulnerabilities and that is the sole reason why he keeps you close. He jokes about the same. But you think what you’ve come to find is an attachment of some sort. You smile. 

Contrastingly, when the host asks a myriad of questions about preferences and allergies, he answers deftly, like a well-oiled machine, oozing confidence, and a little charm as he chuckles, a chuckle that reverberates deeply within you. You hold your breath, as he gently pulls your chair out, takes your coat, and helps you place it neatly behind your chair, pushing your chair, before he goes on to sit opposite you.

The restaurant is big, but the tables are small. More intimate you suppose, his face is only a feet away. 

“So,” you drawl. “Is this where you charm all your dates Kageyama Tobio?” You smirk, “Pretty neat, I must say.”

“Stop,” he softly blushes. You smirk harder. “Charm? Are you stupid?” 

Your raise your brows, as he continues, “I can’t charm…” He looks away.

“Hm? I think the list of very beautiful and talented women you’ve dated suggests otherwise,” you smile. It’s not hard to figure out a public figure’s dating history, you’re not sure how much of these are true but you would tease him regardless.

“Well, that’s only because I’m good-looking,” he says with a hard pause. It comes off cocky, but you smile you know him, and because he states more like an observation. A fact, one you can’t help but find yourself agreeing with as the night passes. “I mean, t—that’s what I’ve been told.” He blushes harder, and you almost want to make it all stop, but he’s just so cute like this. 

“Okay, okay. I’ll stop,” you chuckle. He stares blankly as you continue to ease into a smile.

“You like the place?” He asks.

“Yeah, it’s really nice. Very…” You look up from the menu to see he’s looking at you intently, the soft yellow from the candle hitting light onto his ocean-blue eyes. “Intimate.”

His brows raise, just barely, you think you should change the topic. “Have you been here before?” 

“Uh, yeah. I come here alone, sometimes the team comes too.” He says, his eyes flitting down to the menu again, flipping the page. “But also, with Miwa whenever she’s in the city. She really likes this place,” he adds.

“Ah?” 

“Yeah, a celebrity once showed up at the same time we were here, and ever since then — she always drags me here hoping someone will show,” he looks up, his face comically blank. 

You smile. She would do that, wouldn’t she? It’s been so long since you’ve met his sister, you remember only being able to stand her before you started to understand how Tobio really worked, you think maybe without her you wouldn’t be here with Tobio.

“Tell her I said hello,” you say as you beckon the waiter, seeing that you’re both ready to say your orders.

—

You both start walking out of the restaurant, with your coat snugly wrapped around you by Tobio, you stroll out just as you had entered the establishment, hand-in-hand.

“The food was so good,” you say. “Very filling. I can definitely see why after practice version of you loves showing up here.”

He doesn’t say anything, simply walking in step with you, a beat later and you’re both waiting for his car. Your hand comes up to loop through his bicep, using him as you place weight onto him. He remains barely fazed. You’re tired, and you’re about to entirely lean on him as you notice him. His hands are pocked in his pants pockets as he talks to a couple of people around him,

Your eyes flit back to him as his hair sweeps across his face with the night. He’s cut his hair, and you have to say he looks better than he did during your very last encounter. You feel better somehow. He appears to chuckle mutedly at something his friends have said and you can almost hear him chuckle, right up from behind you, right into your ears, as his hands begin wandering all over your body. You hold your breath, sweeping that thought away.

He turns just in time, his eyes falling onto your face as his eyebrows twitch in recognition. You let go of your breath, but you’re not sure what you should ideally do. Raise your hand, and wave at him. And then you realize your hands are looped through Kageyama’s. 

Oh.

You stare at him, as he smiles. There isn’t a hint of emotion on his face that suggests anything but you feel guilty for some reason. It doesn’t last long because a lady in a purple dress — attractive, swoops through breaking both of your eye lines. She falls, as he reaches quickly to hold her by her waist. She swoops her hand through and over his neck, and that’s all you see before you force yourself to look away.

“That was him?” Kageyama’s soft voice comes from right beside you in a hushed voice, like he’s almost telling you it’s okay if you don’t want to tell him. You can blame it on the night air eating his question away. “Suna Rintaro, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah,” you admit, feeling guilt all over. It’s okay, you think but it’s only that you’re not sure what exactly it is that you’re feeling guilty over.

Your car swoops through right in front of you, your coat rising, as Kageyama notices, and placates it with his hand. “You okay just leaving?” He asks.

“Yeah, just take me home.”

Taglist: @alienvarmint @sagejin

#kageyama tobio x reader #kageyama tobio x you #suna rintaro x reader #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu x y/n #suna x reader #haikyu x reader #suna rintaro x y/n #suna rintaro x you #kageyama x you #kageyama fluff #kageyama x reader #suna rintaro fic #haikyuu fluff #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu scenarios #haikyuu x you #hq x reader #hq x y/n #hq x you #hq imagines #hq fluff #haikyuu x imagines #haikyuu angst #haikyuu fanfiction #haikyuu fanfic rec #kageyama tobio #kageyama tobio fanfiction #kageyama tobio angst #suna rintarou x reader

[the-kittens-of-vol-tron]

It's Just Pretend

Chapter 1: Hear Me Out!

Summary: Lance and Keith are fresh out of college. They are already "living" the post-graduate dream. Well paying jobs in their respective fields. Solid friendships, just one thing is getting in their way. They need an apartment as soon as possible. Everywhere they look goes with another couple.

An idea given by a friend leads these two boys into a fake engagement just to score an apartment.

They find an apartment quickly, but will the engagement stay fake forever?

AO3!

Word Count: 1,733

Hey everyone, I'm back with another random fic!

I've been wanting to write this for a while and finally started a month ago <3 (Shout out to @shirokeithpidgearemybesties for motivating me to write <3333)

Enjoy~

“Oh that’s fine, thank you for getting back with us,” Lance rubbed his eyes as the person on the other end of the phone apologized once more. “Have a good night.” He ended the call, leaning his head back with a groan.

“What did they say?” Keith asked in a knowing tone.

Lance cleared his throat, raising his voice an octave to match the person on the phone. “So sorry Mister McClain, but we rented the apartment to someone else.”

Keith rolled his eyes, “we make three times the rent combined! We were more than qualified.”

“Tough market I guess.” Lance slipped his phone back into his pocket, “I’m going to get a drink. Need anything while I’m out?”

Keith shook his head, reaching for his laptop. “I’ll be looking at some more places while you’re gone.”

Lance nodded, moving to grab his keys and slip his shoes on. “You’re the best man.” He unlocked the door, “be home later.” And while a mumbled goodbye he clicked the door closed and started down the hall.

---

He slammed his glass down, grimacing around the bitter liquid. “I just don’t get it, Adam. What are we doing wrong?!”

The bartender slid him another shot, grabbing his other glass. “Sounds to me like nothing.”

Lance groaned, resting his head on the cold wood. “We are freshly graduated, both make way more than the ‘required’ renters amount. Is it because we’re young?! Do people think we’re party animals?!”

Adam shrugged as he started to polish some glasses. “Could be several things. It’s hard to say.”

“You’re no help.”

“I’m a bartender, not a real estate agent.” He placed the glass he was holding down. Grabbing a new one right after. “How much longer can you and your roommate stay in your current housing?”

“Another month max. It’s student housing, they’re going to kick us out once the semester starts.”

“Running out of time.”

Lance sighed. “It’s not like we haven’t been trying. Each one we applied to just gets taken right from under us.”

“Maybe it has to do with how you present yourselves,” Adam said with a bored expression.

Lance shook his head. “We always shower before and wear nice clothes. We make sure we look responsible and put together.”

Adam hummed. “Maybe they just want couples.”

“What?”

“Like married couples? Some studies have started to look at that.”

“They legally can’t discriminate like that.” Lance downed his other drink.

Adm shook his head. "They actually can." He stared at the other boy for a moment before sighing. "Look,” he placed the glass he was polishing down. Placing his hands on the countertop, the towel draped on his right shoulder. “I moved in with my fiance after our engagement. Our other friends did the same. So I’m not sure what your experience is but we didn’t have any place to turn us down. And neither did our friends.”

“Way to rub it in my face, I'm single.” He slid the cup to Adam. “If I ever get engaged I’ll keep that in mind.”

Adam grabbed his glass, “fake it.”

“What?”

“You and your roommate, fake it. Just for the sake of finding a place.”

Lance stared at his bartender. Slowly blinking a couple of times. “I’m sorry, did you get drunk instead? What are you saying?”

Adam sent him a small smile, “where did you get confused?”

Lance laughed. “My roommate would never be okay with that.” He stood, fishing for $20 out of his wallet. “We’ll find a place. By next week. We’ll have a place.”

---

One Week Later

“Any updates?” Adam slid two shots toward Lance and Hunk.

Hunk sent him a smile while Lance quickly downed his drink. “Two more rejections.”

Adam whistled, “New weekly record?”

“Ha ha, very funny.” Lance crossed his arms and rested them on the table. Dropping his head on them. “It's hopeless, we’re going to be homeless at this rate!”

“Take a breath man, you two will find something.” Hunk rubbed Lance’s back, trying to soothe his friend.

“Easy for you to say, you and Shay scored a place months ago,” Lance grumbled back.

“I don’t know what we did differently,” Hunk said. Sounding a bit exasperated. A conversation they had numerous times.

Lance looked at Adam who was giving him a knowing look. “Nope nope nope,” he lifted his head. Pointing his finger at the man behind the bar. “Don’t even suggest that again.”

“Suggest what?” Hunk asked.

“What does Shay have that neither you nor your roommate has?” Adam sent a smile toward Lance.

Lance mumbled out an answer.

“I’m sorry what?” Adam leaned forward slightly.

Lance sighed. “A ring.”

“Three for three,” Adam said, leaning back some while crossing his arms.

Lance sighed, “I need another drink.”

---

“No, absolutely not.” Keith crossed his arms, sending Lance a stern look.

“Come on mullet! It’s just pretending.”

Keith stared at his roommate, his face unchanged. “No.”

Lance threw his hands in the air in frustration. “It wouldn’t hurt to try.”

“I’m not pretending to be married to you.”

“Engaged.”

“Right…engaged. Because there is such a difference.” Keith scoffed.

“There is.”

They both fell into a stiff silence. Neither of them dared to break it. Lance chewed on his inner cheek, his hands fidgeting by his upper thighs. Keith stared at the floor, his feet hanging off his bed. Lance sighed, “Keith, buddy, my man. It could work, we can just try it-”

“No,” Keith slid off his bed. He moved to slip on his shoes. “Don’t bring that idiotic idea up again.” He left the room with a slam.

Lance sat on his bed and mumbled under his breath. “We’re never going to find a place.”

---

One Week Later

Keith stormed into the room, curses being sputtered quietly. Lance sat up, lifting his headphone off his right ear. “Yo, what got you pissed off?”

The other boy fished his phone from his pocket. Shoving it in Lance’s face. A rejection email meeting his blue eyes. Lance groaned. “We’re running out of options.”

Keith took his phone away and paced the room. His hands found a home in his hair. “We only have two weeks left, what are we going to do?!”

“Well-”

He stopped and pivoted towards Lance. “No.”

Lance raised his hands in the air, “I didn’t even say anything!”

“You were thinking about it.”

"Keith,” Lance stood from where he was laying. “What do we have to lose?”

“My pride,” he mumbled as he flopped on his bed. Sighing as he stared at the ceiling.

“You lost that long ago.”

Kieth scoffed. “When?”

Lance raised his eyebrows at him as if the answer was obvious. “Ah-hem. One word, six letters.”

“Stop-”

“M U L-”

“STOP!”

“L E T. MULLET-” Lance sat up from his bed, Keith following suit.

“I don’t have a mullet,” Keith ran his fingers through his hair. Yanking at the long locks, a groan of annoyance escaped his lips.

“Sure buddy,” Lance sent him a tense smile.

Keith dropped his hands, “how would it even work? Pretending to be…together.”

Lance giggled. “You don’t have to sound so scared of the idea.”

“I don’t like intimacy.” Keith crossed his arms over his chest. Trying to keep his posture stoic.

“Keith my man. My buddy,” Lance stood and took a couple of steps to his roommate's bed. Sitting down next to him, casually throwing his arm over his shoulder. He pulled him closer so his head was almost forced to rest on Lance’s shoulder. “It’s not real. That’s why it’s ‘fake.’ All we have to do is say we’re engaged, and make up some ‘this is where we met’ story. Which, we can say we met at in college-”

“We did,” Keith mumbled.

“See! One step is already done. You’re so smart.” Lance squeezed him tighter, raising his voice into a mushy tone.

“Lance!”

He laughed and loosened his hold. “We can use our actual friendships as the timeline for our relationship. Maybe get a fake ring for one of us and let me do the talking. No kissing, at least on the lips, and holding hands and hugs are the max we will do around others. It’s not torture, it’s just pretend.”

Keith didn’t reply, his breathing low and evening. He was mulling it over. Weighing the pros and cons as if his life depended on it.

“Take the night and consider it? I’m meeting Hunk for dinner.” Lance made his way to the door, grabbing his signature green jacket as he slipped his shoes on. “Later, Mullet.” He twisted the handle, reaching for his keys as he opened the door.

“We can try it.”

“Hm?” Lance froze, his eyes falling on Keith.

Keith sighed, his eyes burning the ground. “We can try it. But only for a week.”

Lance grinned. “See you later then…. Babe.” He closed the door, not missing Keith’s groan of regret.

---

“All of the appliances are brand new, top of the line. It comes with both a washer and a dryer. All utilities are included in the rent. Any pets are an additional $25 a month each and each apartment comes with two numbered parking spots. Any additional vehicles just need to park in the uncovered lot.” The girl, Nyma, stopped in the kitchen. Placing her binder on the white marble countertop.

“This is really…wow this is gorgeous.” Lance walked through the living room once more, leaving Keith in the kitchen. “Babe, what do you think about it?” He glanced toward Keith who was staring out one of the windows. “Baby?”

Keith’s eyes snapped to Lance, and a small blush formed on his face before he cleared his throat. “It’s perfect.”

Nyma looked between them, her eyes gleaming. “Are you two interested?”

Lance nodded excitedly as he made his way over to his friend. “My fiance and I have been looking for a place for months but none of them have come close to this.” He intertwined their hands together, his thumb unconsciously rubbing along the backside of Keith’s hand. Unaware of the tension Keith held in his body over the touch.

“How long have you two been together?”

Keith froze, but Lance took charge. “Four years together, but one year engaged.” He sent Keith a smile who nodded.

Nyma grinned, moving to open her binder. “Let me talk you through the application.”

They were approved that night.

-----

I'm aiming for a biweekly update, but I do work full time so I write when I have energy <3

I hope you liked it

Thank you for reading <33333

#klance #fake engagement #posted to ao3 #no beta #keith kogane #keith vld #keith voltron legendary defender #lance vld #lance voltron legendary defender #lance mcclain #they're college graduates #voltron legendary defender #kat writes #my writing #long post #chapter 1 hear me out #it's just pretend

[archiveikemen]

'Wicked Love Blooming In The Dark Night' Story Event: Chapter 1

William's Route

I do not own any of the Ikemen Series content being uploaded on this blog, everything belongs to CYBIRD. Please support them by playing their games and buying stories. Not 100% accurate, expect mistakes.

read this before interacting with my posts

Wiliam: You should be more honest. Be greedier.

(William is even more dangerous than I thought him to be.)

(I’ve been scared of him from the start, but this is more than just that.)

My heart was swayed and just like that — I was attracted.

— That night, I found out about a forbidden secret that I shouldn't have known, and was made to work as a fairytale writer for one month.

Victor, the Queen’s aide, made a suggestion.

Victor: Your job as a fairytale writer is to keep a record of Crown’s movements, which means that you need to develop a greater understanding of the members.

Victor: Thus, Miss Kate, this is your first task.

Victor: You should pick a member of Crown to be your boyfriend for a day.

…

(How can I spend time with a member of Crown as my one-day boyfriend when they're assassins…)

I gulped as I faced the members of Crown.

Regardless of who I chose, I was sure to be in for a day filled with danger.

(The most dangerous one out of all of them is— him.)

William Rex. On the night we met, he was that terrifying man playing the piano while killing someone.

(... Why does my heart get noisy whenever I look into those eyes?)

I knew I shouldn't be staring, but there was just something so captivating about them.

William: …

Kate: …?

My heart skipped a beat when I saw those bright red eyes narrow happily.

(O-Oh no… I was staring too much.)

William: If you’re still undecided, I’m willing to be a candidate to do the honour.

Kate: … Huh?

William: I’d like to get to know you better as well.

Alfons: My, my. Since you’ve got William’s attention, the rest of us no longer stand a chance.

Liam: I wanted to volunteer as a candidate too, but I should stay out of Will’s way.

Harrison: … Good luck.

(What the…!)

The moment William spoke up, it was like any other possible options became out of the question.

William gracefully extended his hand to me as I stood there at a loss for words.

William: Pleased to make your acquaintance, Kate.

…

(I’m just walking behind him, and yet this is already so nerve wrecking…)

(One wrong move… and I might lose my life.)

While I was walking a few steps behind him, William turned around.

William: There’s no need to be so on guard around me, Kate. I’m not going to eat you.

William: As I mentioned earlier, I’d like to get to know you better. I can’t possibly have a conversation with you if I kill you, right?

(... Did he just read my mind?)

William: I didn’t read your mind. I read the look on your face, little robin.

(So you did read my mind after all…)

William walked backwards, observing me curiously as I broke out into cold sweat.

William: … How about this? Each time you tell me something about yourself, I’ll tell you something about myself in return.

William: Once we’ve each shared three things about ourselves, we’ll stop acting as lovers.

William: You will be freed before the clock strikes twelve at midnight.

(If we share three things about ourselves… I’ll be free?)

Kate: … Alright.

William: Then it’s been decided.

William: Oh, right. It would be unfair to you if I don't tell you this in advance.

William: I have a mission to attend to tonight. So, if you don't want to walk into another bloodbath—

William: You should tell me those three things about yourself as soon as possible.

(A bloodbath…)

That phrase sent a shiver down my spine.

Kate: Thank you, that was very kind of you…

William: You’re welcome.

(I should do as William said and get this over and done with, fast…!)

William: First of all… I’d like to know what you want.

Kate: What do I want? … Hmm.

William: Explaining it in words feels a little dull. Let's head out.

Kate: Huh!?

…

Within just a few minutes of going out to the streets of London—

William: Hmm, so your hobby is watching plays. In that case, I’m guessing you’d want tickets to The Scala.

Kate: Yes, of course! Ah… and also, I remember wanting the original novel the play is written based on!

William: Haha, you’re very enthusiastic. Harrison should have it, so you can borrow it from him.

William extracted information out of me like he was performing magic tricks—

I was supposed to be wary of him, and yet I found myself telling him lots of things about myself.

(Hang on… doesn't this mean the requirements have already been fulfilled…?)

Kate: Um… have you found out enough about my “wants”?

William: Hm—... still not enough to exchange for my information.

Kate: Not enough…?

William: We’re lovers. Your “wants” should be the kind of things that you usually wouldn't outright say you want.

Kate: W-what… it’s not fair to change the rules just like that…

William: Doesn’t this make it more fun?

(This man is too spontaneous…!)

William: If you allow yourself to enjoy our date a little more, you’ll definitely find out what is that something you want.

(What should I do… I can’t think of something “I usually wouldn’t outright say I want” when told to do so this suddenly—)

I looked into the window while fussing over that in my head.

(Oh… they still have those shoes.)

The shoes had just arrived a few weeks ago, and they always caught my eye whenever I passed by the shop.

They were the kind of shoes I wanted to put on and go to somewhere exciting.

(But I don't exactly “want” them… they’re just something that catches my eye.)

William: … Do you want those?

Kate: Hm? Oh, no! Those shoes don’t suit me. They’re too showy and high-end for me.

William: Really?

Kate: Eh…?

He lifted my chin and his bright red eyes were right in front of my face.

William: The look in your eyes is contradicting what you said, Kate.

(His face… is so close…)

Staring into those eyes as red as blood made me feel as if he was seeing through me.

(His eyes… I want to look away, but I can’t.)

Looking at me in amusement, William tempted me with a sweet whisper.

William: We’ll find out. Come with me.

…

My eyes were wide open as he brought me into the shop.

After briefly speaking to William, the clerk approached me with the shoes and carefully put them on for me.

(... I thought those were my true feelings when I answered his question just now.)

There was no denying the way my heart was throbbing when I saw the shining shoes on my feet.

(William was right… I was only trying to convince myself otherwise.)

(— I want this.)

I’ve always wanted to wear those shoes somewhere nice.

Kate: … Thank you so much. I’ll come back another time to buy them.

(I’ll buy them if I have the spare cash.)

Clerk: ? These have already been paid for.

Kate: Huh?

(Could it be…)

Kate: William…?

When I turned around, I saw William smiling at my reaction.

William: Isn’t it natural for me to buy gifts for my “girlfriend”?

William: It’s especially enjoyable when I give my “girlfriend” something she wants but is holding herself back from getting.

Kate: Well…

While I struggled to complete my sentence, William walked up to me and put his lips next to my ear.

William: There’s a reason why they’ve always caught your eye. Your heart wants them.

William: They look good on you, Kate.

His sweet whispering made my heart go wild.

Kate: … Thank you. … I’ll cherish them.

William: On our next date, I’ll buy you a dress to match these shoes.

Kate: Our next…?

William: That’s right, our next date.

He chuckled in an amused way and I felt like I was being hit on.

(Why is my heart even beating so fast… he’s only treating me like this because we’re “lovers”...)

(I’m finding this man’s words, voice, and gaze sweeter than I should… I have a bad feeling about this.)

Kate: Since I’ve given you one piece of information about myself, it’s your turn.

William: Oh, you’re right. What do you want to know?

Kate: Hmm… then I’d like to know what you like.

William: What I like… I like what I’m doing right now.

Kate: …?

William: Encouraging someone who can’t voice their desires, to ask for what they want.

Kate: Um…

(I knew it… it wasn't just a bad gut feeling… this is all William’s doing.)

Poisoned by his sweet whispering, my heart was restless.

William: Oh, your question gave me an idea. Come with me, Kate.

Kate: Ah, wait up—

I hurried after him with my new shoes on.

I pretended not to notice that my heart was dancing like never before.

#ikemen villains #ikemen series #cybird ikemen #cybird otome #otome #ikevil story event

[dollyji]

▸ jung sungchan x fem reader | 637 words

warnings ▸ size kink, bulge kink, sungchan has a massive cock

note ▸ please refer to this post if you are wondering why i didn’t post day 1/won’t post on a regular schedule this month for kinktober.

You gasp, already breathless from a previous orgasm. Leaning back on your forearms, you find it hard to lift your eyes. Sungchan was stroking his hard cock, and even in his large hands, you were shocked at the size of it.

He heard your gasp and let out a small laugh. He knew. Of course he did; he sees his cock every day. That’s why he wanted to take things slow with you, so he wouldn’t overwhelm or scare you from the start. But the time has come, and he can’t wait any longer. He needs you—needs some sort of contact.

His hand wraps around your wrist, gently guiding you into a sitting position, then toward his cock. Your hand rests on top of his, significantly smaller in comparison. He moves his and lets you wrap your hand around his cock. Whereas he could easily wrap his hand around it, you were stretching for the tips of your fingers to touch, so you settled on using both hands. You awed at the size up close. It was long, thick, and heavy in your hands. Much bigger than you’d imagined, and you’d already imagined he’d be well endowed. This was just another level.

Sungchan tried not to moan at just the sight of your small hands wrapped around him. He always loved how much smaller you were than him. How he could easily wrap his arms around you, scoop you up into a hug, or tower over you and fluster you and have you putty in his hands. The way you had to stand on the tips of your toes and still couldn’t reach his lips, how you asked for help reaching things on high shelves, and how good you look with his large hands on your body. The fact that you have to use two hands to stroke his cock affects him more than he’d like to admit. Now, all he wants to do is see if you can take his cock inside of you.

He impatiently, yet gently, pushed you to lay flat on your back. Your chest was heaving, stomach churning at the realization. This is happening. Sungchan had his hand on his cock again, the other spreading your legs apart. He stepped closer, bodies almost flush, and you could feel excitement and worry both bubbling in your throat. Then, you felt weight on your stomach. You looked down, seeing Sungchan had laid his cock on your stomach, just to get an idea of how big he is compared to you.

Your stomach churned again. The tip was just past your bellybutton, leaking precum and flushed red. The thought of something that large being inside you was both the sexiest thing and seemingly impossible. “That’s not going to fucking fit.” The words spilled past your lips before you could stop them.

“Of course it is, love.” He pressed a kiss to your forehead. “I’ll make it fit.” Sungchan was always a man of his word, so you weren’t entirely sure why you were shocked this time.

The stretch was mostly uncomfortable, bordering on painful only when most of his cock was seated inside you. Nothing you couldn’t handle, but still a little overwhelming.

Tears prick at your eyes, eventually falling down in pretty trails. Sungchan cooed at you, reaching up to wipe them away. “I told you it would fit.” He grabbed your hand, running it down your body to rest on the bulge in your stomach. As he pulled his hips back, the bulge flattened itself out, and you were subconsciously pressing your hand harder against your stomach to chase the feeling. You felt yourself become fascinated with the fact he managed to fit inside of you, repeatedly making your stomach bulge with his gentle thrusts. You could easily become addicted to this feeling.

#nct smut #jung sungchan smut #nct sungchan smut #sungchan smut

[keanureevesisbae]

endeavors #1 - happy new year

Summary: August and Grace decide he is gonna show her sex isn't always disappointing.

August Walker x Grace Stanford (asian ofc)

Wordcount: 1.6k

Warning: Some dry humping, female orgasms and mention of male orgasm, but very vague.

A/N: Welcome to a new August Walker filthy story, because my multi chapter stories with August Walker usually turn hella disgusting. This first chapter is very tame, but enjoy the rest when I post it! (Also, if you're a minor, get lost)

Masterlist // endeavors masterlist

This December month had been more than adventurous. To give a small summary of it: my friend August Walker moved in with me, because he needed a place to stay and I had an extra room. It was all fun and games in theory, but in reality I may or may not have second thoughts. 

I discovered August likes to have sex.

Loud, borderline obnoxious sex in my opinion.

Woman after woman exits my apartment, I have given multiple ladies a cup of coffee early in the morning and I have discovered lots of condom wrappers. 

And he moved in on December 3rd. 

It’s December 31st now. 

It’s been a long 27 days. 

Deep down I thought: you know, I can kick him out, but rent is high and I don’t make enough money to make ends meet. Besides, I now feel justified for buying those noise cancelling headphones.

August and I are sitting on my couch, both not having plans for the New Years. Instead of spending it in the club or somewhere exciting, the two of us are here. 

And I could’ve and should’ve known any conversation lasting longer than ten minutes with August Walker, would eventually turn into something sexual. But I never expected it to go along these lines.

‘Grace, are you telling me that disappointing is the one word to describe your sex life?’

I hide my face. ‘Yes, that’s what I’m telling you.’

‘Unbelievable.’

‘Well, not everyone is like you, August.’

He chuckles. ‘Of course, I think I’d die if I discovered women called sex with me disappointing.’

Instead of answering, I decide to take a sip of my beer. Leave it to him to be overly dramatic about it, though I do think it’s not that far fetched. He would die if he discovered women called sex with him disappointing, that I know.

But I also know no woman would. When I gave those lovely women some coffee, they all had a flushed smile on their lips and asked: ‘Have you ever had sex with August Walker?’

The answer was always no. No, I don’t have sex with August. We’ve been friends since college, we’ve hung out a few times after college and I was his go to address for when he was drunk and unable to get himself home. It’s okay, it’s our normal and minus the noise disturbance he and his sex partners bring, he is actually a pretty decent roommate. He cleans up after himself, puts down the toilet seat and is an okay cook.

The bar is that low.

‘How about you and I have sex?’

I nearly choke in my drink. ‘What?’ I ask him, after coughing a few times. ‘I must’ve hallucinated. What did you just propose?’

‘How about you and I have sex?’ It’s the same sentence. He is sincere. I’m not delirious.

‘And be one of the many girls you fuck?’ I joke. ‘No thank you, August. Believe it or not, I have some form of dignity left.’ I shake my head and bring the bottle to my lips to take another sip. 

‘You honestly think I am gonna sleep with other ladies when I’m sleeping with you?’

‘I once saw two different women leave the house on the same day. Do you blame me for thinking I’ll be one of many?’

Judging from his facial expression, he has to agree with me. ‘Touché. But I’m serious, Grace. How about you and I sleep together, I show you what you’ve missed and you can say your sex life isn’t disappointing anymore.’

It’s almost like he is trying to convince me to buy a different type of soap, because it’s better for your skin. While he is casual about these types of things, I am not. 

I scoff, before I walk towards the kitchen and tell him I’m grabbing some snacks. 

However once I’m there, I think about it. It has been quite some time since I last had sex and I think it’s safe to say it’s been never since I had good sex. I rely on my trusted toys and while they do what they have to do, it’s no where near the real deal.

The longer I think about it, the more it turns me on. While I have my noise cancelling headphones, there are times where I do hear him, for example when I just walk into the house and I’m met with sounds one usually makes during coital intercourse.

And August sure does sound sexy. One time I overheard his soft moans, when he was just by himself and it was only a short snippet, it still became a core memory for me.

‘Are you just messing with my head of were you serious?’ I ask, once I’m back with the bag of chips. 

‘I take everything sex related very seriously.’

I glare at him, causing him to smirk. 

‘Come on, Grace, I’m serious. I can show you what you’re missing out on.’ He sits up straight, resting his elbows on his knees, before he adds: ‘We don’t have to go full on sex. We can take it slow.’

I place the bag of chips on the table. ‘Okay, you’ve got yourself a deal.’

Where the fuck did that come from? I am never this impulsive, one of the many reasons why I’m so good as the head of the financial department of the company I work for. I think stuff out. I do that for my job, my interior design and my outfits.  

But apparently that is not a character trait I take with me in decision making when it comes to my sex life.

A satisfied smirk toys on August’s lips. ‘Okay, how about we have our first introduction lesson?’

Oh my gosh, is he calling this a lesson?

I clear my throat. ‘Okay.’

‘Come on,’ August says, his large hand patting his muscular thigh, cladded in his gray sweatpants. ‘Sit right here.’

To say I’m buzzing with excitement is an understatement. I swallow hard, before I walk over to him. I’m not letting him in on how my nervous system is breaking down. I step on his lap, slowly lowering my core to his groin. The barrier of his sweats and my tights together with my underwear appears to be quite a lot, however I already whimper. 

August lets out a snicker, before he pushes my hair from my face. ‘What was that?’

‘Nothing.’

‘Liar.’ His tone is soft, but there is an edge to it. His hands slide from my thighs underneath my skirt and he holds my bottom firmly in his hands. August leans in, pressing a kiss on my cheek, on my jaw, on my neck, before he plants his lips on mine, while his hands force my core to grind against him. 

Parts of me secretly hopes he is going to take off my clothes, but I know that my limbic system would just shut down, so I’m grateful he isn’t tugging on my clothes, a silent hint to take them off. He is kissing me like this is the last time he can kiss me, but truth be told, I’ve never kissed him before. Oh, I sometimes dreamed about it, because no matter how much I always kept him at arms length, August Walker is handsome, attractive and I would totally break my neck if he walked passed me.

My fingers are tangled in his hair and I’m so desperate for some sort of release. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so on top of the world and according to August, this is just our introduction lesson. If this is how the first time makes me feel, I can only guess how the next few times are gonna be.

August has hardened underneath me, his grip only tightening on me, his finger tips digging in my flesh. 

A tingly feeling in the pit of my stomach and I whimper against August. 

‘Look at that,’ he chuckles. ‘That’s quick.’

‘I’m sorry,’ I manage to choke out, as I place my forehead against his, while I accidentally pull on his hair. ‘I’m close,’ I whimper, but he can’t even answer to it, when this rush of ecstasy rushes through my entire body. Moans get stuck half way my throat, all while August continues on to force my core to grind against his clothed, but hardened cock. 

‘Look at me, Grace.’

I manage meet his gaze, however I can’t stop my jolts every time pressure and friction is put on my clit. 

‘One more for me, okay?’

All I can do is nod.

While it’s clear it’s midnight now, as the fireworks start to sound outside of our apartment, I can barely focus on the whole fact it’s the new year. 

‘August,’ I sniffle and he presses a gentle kiss on my lips, before a strangled groan escapes his mouth. ‘I’m close again.’

He hums. ‘Me too, Grace.’

Pleasure is quick to take over the slight pain I felt, as my clit desperately needed some rest, but I cling onto August, holding him tightly as I ride out my high, his sounds of bliss filling my ear. 

We’re a panting mess, I’m shivering on his lap as he holds me tightly against his frame. 

‘Look at me.’

A simple command, but I look into his light blue orbs, eyelids slightly hooded. ‘Happy new year, Grace,’ he says.

I let out a soft chuckle, before I look at the mess we created. My underwear feels drenched, while I can see the dark spot on his sweater. ‘Happy new year, August.’

August smirks. ‘We’re gonna have so much fun.’

 ﹌﹌

endeavors taglist: @diegos-butt // @thelastsock // @liecastillo // @mis-lil-red // @sofiebstar // @abschaffer2 // @crazybutconfidentaf // @summersong69 // @gearhead66 // @xobriellaxo24 // @kebabgirl67 // @eldarwen333 // @kingliam2019 // @cherry-gemz // @sillyrabbit81 // @enchantedbytomandhenry // @lyrarodriguez // @islacharlotte // @sunshine96love // @oddsnendsfanfics // @xuxszx // @omgkatinka // @pterodactylterrace / @peaches1958 // @pandaxnienke // @teamfan7asy // @raccoon-eyed-rebel

#august walker #august walker fanfiction #august walker x ofc #august walker x asian ofc #august walker x grace stanford #august walker smut #henry cavill fandom #henry cavill #asian ofc #grace stanford #endeavors

[razzle-zazzle]

2900 Words; post-canon

Secret Santa post for @spiirals! A little oneshot featuring the Aquatos (+ Ford and Gisu) on a snowy winter day!

AO3 ver

“Hey, Pooter!”

Raz turned at the sound of Frazie’s voice—only to immediately get a snowball to the face. It wasn’t a very tightly-packed snowball, bursting into cold and wet on impact without really pushing Raz back—he was more shocked than hurt.

“Pleh!” Raz spat out cold water. He rubbed at his face trying to get rid of the rest of the snow, sticking his tongue out at his sister. “What was that for?”

Frazie chuckled, another snowball already in hand. “Your head’s so big I thought it was a target.” She teased.

“You called my name to make me face you, though.” Raz pointed out. He shrugged—it didn’t really matter. Frazie did this every year—or all the time, if Raz counted pinecones and rocks alongside snowballs. “Have you gotten Dion yet?”

Frazie’s grin told Raz all he needed to know. The thrum of satisfaction in her head only further confirmed Raz’ suspicions.

“And I’ll get him again!” Frazie boasted, tossing her snowball up into the air. She flipped over into a handstand, catching and balancing her ammo on her foot.

Raz snorted. His boots crunched in the snow as he turned to continue on towards the camp proper. “Good luck!”

“Like I’ll need it.” Frazie scoffed, kicking the snowball from foot to foot. “You joining us for dinner tonight?”

Raz nodded. “Yeah, I was just heading over to let Mom know.” He started to continue along towards camp—

A snowball nailed him directly in the back. Raz stumbled forwards a bit to the sound of Frazie’s laughter—but, even as he regained his footing and turned back to shoot her a glare, Raz couldn’t help but chuckle. He should have seen that one coming, honestly. “Good shot!” He complimented honestly, then started flipping forwards to get out of his sister’s range quicker.

Frazie’s laughter rang in his ears the whole way to camp. She had still been balancing on a gloved hand when she had launched that snowball—either she kicked it or launched it with telekinesis. Raz had a strong suspicion that it was the latter—it was good to see her getting more comfortable with her powers. Even if they were only further fueling her usual antics.

Raz stepped under the string of fairy lights marking the edge of his family’s camp—

“Razrazrazraz!” Mirtala came up from seemingly out of nowhere, bells jingling as she barreled into Raz. “Look look look!” She angled her braid hoops towards him the moment they separated, shaking her head slightly to show off the glittery blue-and-silver ribbons threaded through them. “Aren’t they pretty?” She bounced on the balls of her feet, the thick winter coat she was bundled up in doing nothing to slow her movements. “Mom helped me put them in!”

Raz grinned. “They suit you well!” He complimented. And really, the glitter did suit Mirtala well—the shimmer combined with the jingle of Mirtala’s bells was almost soothing in how nice it felt to Raz’ senses. It only served to make Raz all the more excited to give Mirtala her gift—though that day wasn’t for another week and a half.

Mirtala beamed. She looked at Raz, now that the excitement of showing off her new ribbons no longer had her full attention. “Did Frazie get you on the way in?” She asked, noticing the snow still clinging to Raz’ scarf.

“Yeah.” Raz admitted, making his way towards the caravan. Mirtala kept pace with him, her bells jingling as she walked. “Has she gotten Mom and Dad yet?” While Frazie mostly stuck to her siblings—Dion and Raz in particular—during the warmer months, nobody was safe from her when there was snow on the ground. Well, nobody but Nona, who had recently rediscovered a trick to turn snow into water—and wasted no time in using it this year, even if it was just to remove snow from her clothes. Even Queepie and Mirtala sometimes got hit by the lighter, less dense snowballs when Frazie was really getting into the spirit of winter.

Mirtala nodded. “Dad shook a branch with his mind to get her back,” She informed him, “But I think Mom’s still waiting for the right moment.”

Raz grinned—oh, he wished he’d thought of dumping a whole branch’s worth of snow on Frazie. Maybe that was something he could try on Dion…

“Pootie!” And there Donatella was, coming out of the caravan with her cloak drawn tight around her shoulders. “Are you staying for dinner tonight?”

Raz nodded. “Will we be eating at the Gulch?” It wasn’t uncommon; though the Gulch was Lucrecia and the Psychic Seven’s space first and foremost, Nona was still an Aquato—and it was easier on her old bones for the family to visit her.

Donatella hummed. “She said she’d be joining us tonight.” Her lips pressed into a frown, “Though that does mean Cruller will also be there…” It did make sense—with Ford’s ability to teleport, Nona wouldn’t have to make the journey to and from the camp. But, despite the months since the summer, the family as a whole still didn’t regard Ford super high. Raz felt better about the old man than he had immediately after that week—but his feelings were definitely still mixed.

“But I suppose it is on theme,” Donatella mused, “Since Dion will be bringing along Gisu.” She turned to Raz, her eyes twinkling. “I don’t suppose you could invite Lili? Your little girlfriend is always a delight.”

Raz flushed. “Well—maybe.” He managed, trying desperately to not remember the first time Lili had joined the Aquatos for dinner. Nothing had gone too spectacularly wrong—but Raz wasn’t sure he would ever live down the embarrassment of his mom practically drilling Lili to decide if she was “good enough” by her standards. As though Lili could ever be anything less than one of Raz’ favorite people in the whole world. “I’d have to ask her, though.”

Not that that was hard—a quick mental nudge was all it took to deliver the question. Lili’s response was just as easily made—a wave of mild apology and prior obligation crawled up their link like vines up a trellis. Raz sent back a pulse of understanding, and a reminding curl of fondness that she was pretty much always invited over.

Lili’s response was a fiery of course—she knew how Donatella and Augustus thought of her.

“She can’t make it tonight,” Raz reported. Donatella frowned, and shrugged her shoulders.

Raz’ mind took that moment to catch up with everything his mother had said. “Wait, Gisu’s coming? She didn’t tell me that.” Then again, she had been more busy lately—they’d only had enough time to exchange good mornings before Gisu had headed off to Otto’s lab. But Gisu was cool, and fun, and if she was coming—

Raz made a face. Oh, Dion was going to be obnoxious.

“Pootie,” Donatella chided, correctly intuiting Raz’ thoughts without any psychic power at all, “Don’t be like that. If Dion wants to invite his girlfriend to dinner, that’s his choice.” She briefly made a face, “Though I suppose I should probably remind him not to be gross at the dinner table…”  She trailed off, and Raz took that as a signal the conversation was over.

He turned towards Mirtala, who had wandered off to do handstands by her tent, gloves crunching in the snow and bells jingling. He watched as she did a flip, then another.

Raz turned. He looked around the camp, but couldn’t see Queepie anywhere—Raz guessed Queepie was still in the K.L.O.B. treehouse with Morris, then. Since it was still a while yet before dinner—Raz had headed out pretty much immediately after lunch at the Noodle Bowl, and the Ottobon tubes were fast—Raz wasn’t particularly worried. Queepie would either turn up for dinner on his own, or Morris would prod him to get home the moment it started getting dark.

With that in mind, Raz turned to go look for Augustus. He really wanted to hear about the tree branch trick.

He didn’t have to look for long—he was halfway to the funicular when his father called out.

“Razputin!” Augustus’ voice was warm, his arm wrapped around a thick bundle of sticks on his shoulder. “Come to help your old man with the firewood?”

“Sure!” Raz darted over, looking for logs to grab with his telekinesis. “Bet I can lift more with my mind than you.” He dared.

Augustus laughed. “I don’t doubt that, my boy.” He nodded towards the trees to his left. “There’s still some more good wood over there, if you want to help.”

“Okay.” Raz nodded, heading over to where his father indicated. He started lifting sticks and small branches—first with his arms, then with his mind—and carried them back over to Augustus.

They headed back to camp together. “Will you be joining us for dinner?” Augustus asked.

“Yep!” Raz responded. “I asked Lili, but she can’t come tonight.” He added.

“That’s a shame.” Augustus remarked. “Gruloky is more fun with more players.” He stroked his beard with his free hand. “Well, I assume you’ve told her that she’s always welcome to join us if she wants.”

Raz nodded. “Yeah.” Twirling some of his telekinesis-held sticks a bit, he switched topics. “Frazie’s already taking advantage of all the snow.” He commented, “She got me in the face and back on my way in.”

Augustus chuckled. “Yes, she’s up to her usual antics—your mother and I found out this morning.” His eyes twinkled, “But this old man’s still got a few tricks up his sleeve.”

“Yeah! Mirtala said you dumped a whole bunch of snow on her! With your telekinesis!” It was good, Raz felt, that his family was getting more comfortable with psychic powers. Excitement thrummed in Raz’ chest, matched by the jovial mischief humming at the edge of his father’s mind.

“Oh, I don’t doubt she’ll get me back.” Augustus responded. “But I suppose it’s just that time of year again.”

They walked under the string of fairy lights, setting what they had gathered with the rest of the firewood. Augustus moved to start setting up the firepit, only to stop. “I forgot the matches,” He said, standing back and aiming a hand at the firepit. A look of concentration crossed his face, and flames burst into life around the wood. The immediate area around the pit was already snow-free, but Raz had to clear the logs and stumps circling around of snow before he could sit on them. Not that that was really all that hard.

Donatella came over, pressing a kiss to Augustus’ cheek. “Mio caro, can you help me find my blue eyeshadow? I couldn’t find it this morning.”

Augustus grinned, pressing a kiss of his own to Donatella’s cheek. “Of course, дорогая.” With that, the two of them went back over to the caravan, leaving Raz at the fire.

“Ewwww.” Mirtala hopped up onto the log, right next to Raz. “Is Deedee going to be like that with Gisu?” She asked.

Raz made a face. “Oh, I hope not.” If Dion and Gisu decided to get all sappy and gross and kissy, Raz would lose his appetite. “I bet Frazie’ll dunk him in a snow drift if he does.”

Mirtala giggled. She hopped off the log, bells jingling. “Gimme a bouncy ball, I wanna do some flips!”

“It’s called a levball.” Raz corrected, forming one anyway. Mirtala cheered and hopped atop it, flipping over onto her hands and rolling it around.

“But it’s so bouncy!” She riposted, launching herself into the air.

The rest of the evening continued like that, Raz and Mirtala entertaining themselves by the fire. It wasn’t long before Augustus and Donatella returned, sitting together by the fire and talking in low tones. No, wait—flirting in low tones, gross.

Ford and Nona showed up just as the sky was beginning to pinken, and Queepie trudged into camp not long after. With all the layers he was bundled up in, Queepie had to sort of waddle through the snow, and any impediment to his movement always made him grumpy. But Raz could remember when he was the one being bundled up like that—it was as much of a yearly tradition to wrap the babies in as many layers as possible as it was for Frazie to nail everyone with snowballs.

Gisu turned up, and Donatella was quick to greet her warmly and recruit her into setting up the table. The caravan wasn’t up for family dinners—but they had a large tent meant for exactly that. Everyone not setting up the table or still out and about was gathered around the fire, though, enjoying the warmth of it.

Dion trudged into camp not long after a snickering Frazie, snow in his hair and on his shoulders. Mirtala giggled, and Dion’s shoulders hunched. “Not a word.” He growled, already making for his tent.

Too late—Gisu and Donatella had returned, and Gisu was already giggling. Dion squeaked, and hurried over to his tent before anyone could say anything else.

“You got him good, huh?” Gisu asked, sitting down right next to Frazie. She held her gloved hands out towards the fire.

Frazie grinned. “Of course.” She boasted good-naturedly. “He makes it too easy! But enough about my brother,” She focused in on Gisu, “You and I haven’t had a Girls Night in forever.”

“Well, I’ve been busy,” Gisu shrugged. “But I’ve got some free time tomorrow, and I was hoping to get some levboarding in.” She offered.

“Oh, I’m there.” Frazie decided. “Dee’ll be helping Mom with groceries tomorrow, but I’m free all day.”

“See you then!” Gisu beamed.

Dion chose that moment to reemerge from his tent, hair fixed and snow-free. Raz lost the thread of the conversation at that point—Lili started nudging him through their link, and dragged Raz into a mental conversation about whether a blindfolded Sasha could beat a team of future-seeing laser sharks.

The evening continued on, and Dion left for the caravan with Donatella to handle the cooking. The fire was dying down, now, and instead of feeding it more wood Augustus moved to put it out. At that, everyone started making their way inside the tent, where a space heater kept the dining room comfortably warm.

It looked like Nona wasn’t up for cooking tonight—she followed Ford inside, finding a cozy spot near the space heater to pull out her knitting needles and current project. Queepie waddled over to her, taking advantage of the space heater to escape his coat prison.

Frazie and Gisu continued to chatter at the table, while Augustus and Mirtala joining in so often. Raz also piped up, though he and Lili were still working through their own conversation. The whole tent was alive with conversation and warmth—it was a familiar sight, to Raz, even after having his whole life turned upside down over the summer. Some things just didn’t change, it seemed.

At some point, Raz lost sight of Ford. He looked around—the old man was nowhere to be seen. Nona’s needles continued clacking away, and Mirtala had joined Queepie in sitting near her.

Raz was just wondering if he should go looking for Ford when Dion’s voice rang out from the caravan.

“Don’t think I don’t see you slinking around!” A dull thunk sounded out, and Ford appeared next to Raz with the shimmer of teleportation, rubbing his hand and muttering.

Nona cackled. Ford shrank a little further, and Raz couldn’t help but chuckle. Dion had never really gotten along with Ford—but could manage a grudging politeness when he had to. Apparently, politeness went out the window when cooking was involved.

Gisu snorted. “No luck, huh?” Frazie snickered.

Ford grumbled, but otherwise didn’t respond. Instead he made his way over to Nona, sitting next to her as the two began talking quietly.

Ford hadn’t picked an awful time to try snagging a bite of food early—it wasn’t much longer before the table was fully set and everyone was seated. Raz had ended up in between Gisu and Queepie, with Dion on Gisu’s other side. Frazie had been seated between Queepie and Mirtala, who was shooting dirty looks to Ford directly next to her. With Donatella next to Dion and Augustus, and Augustus next to Nona, there were no particularly pressing complaints about the arrangement.

The table was alive with conversation during the meal, and there was a stack of cards already waiting for post-dinner Gruloky. The tent itself was aglow with fairy lights and the space heater, warm with lively conversation and a filling meal. It was so familiar to Raz, a sight he had seen and a feeling he had experienced so many times before—but it was different, too. Gisu and Ford were the most obvious example, but—

Raz’ chest felt light. Warm. Lili had receded a bit, to pay more attention to her own dinner, but Raz could still feel her at the other end of their connection if he tried. Augustus was trying to control his fork and knife telekinetically, and Gisu was challenging Frazie to a snowball fight for tomorrow. There was none of the tenseness there used to be when psychics came up, with even Donatella’s protests about Augustus’ behavior being lighthearted—

Raz swallowed, his eyes stinging. His chest tightened, then relaxed. It was warm, and his family was alive and happy around him—alive and happy with him.

Raz couldn’t wish for anything more.

#zaz writes #psychonauts #psychonautssecretsanta2023 #razputin aquato #frazie aquato #mirtala aquato #donatella aquato #augustus aquato #queepie aquato #nona aquato #dion aquato #gisu nerumen #ford cruller #lili zanotto #she's not there physically but she and raz have a mental convo so it counts #this doesn't *exactly* fit the prompt of characters playing in the snow #but it's what i ended up with #i started with frazie nailing raz in the face with a snowball and went from there #and this whole thing grew way out of my control lol #still!!! spiirals if you're reading these tags i hope you enjoyed!!! #it was a lot of fun to write!!

[cryingisnecessaryfanfics]

Xiao x GN Faerie Reader P. 5

sorry it took almost nine months lol working on the next part rn.

TW: brief mentions of blood, vomit, and injuries.

double post today :D

Part 4

The faerie wakes up exhausted and confused. No longer are they sleeping on the cold hard roof but in a bed with warm blankets and a familiar body next to them. The faerie suddenly becomes aware of every tingling spot on their body, all points of connection, places where their skin meets the skin of another. They fight the urge to lean into this odd yet pleasant feeling, knowing on the other side of the bed was a very injured and grumpy Adeptus.

The memories return slowly, a blur of motion becoming clear in their mind. First, it's the fear that suddenly comes to mind, flashes of blood and black, vomit being swallowed down and working through the dizziness. It hits the faerie in a rush, a sudden nauseating feeling growing in their stomach at the memories. But more follow right behind them, a different sort of nausea, one that screams embarrassment and frustration. They recall the image of Xiao’s shirtless body and with the lack of adrenaline to mask the attraction a burning feeling creeps up their neck and spreads on their face. They knew Xiao was strikingly handsome beforehand, just looking at him from a distance could tell you that much. But now- now they had seen what is not usually shown, had seen his skin without censor, only marred by injuries that made the faerie's stomach stir.

They push the arousal out of their mind reminding themself yet again that Xiao was no more than a patient, just someone in need of healing. Another flash of memories plays out in the faerie's mind, snippets of awoken slumber, stirred by the karma surrounding them. The faerie remembers an argument in snapshots, broken lines of dialog blurred by exhaustion. Only one instance was clear, a scene burned so clearly in their mind it almost hurt to recall.

“You need to rest! No slipping by me while I’m sleeping!” The faerie's voice is uncharacteristically angry, their eyebrows furrowed in frustration.

“You have no respect for the Adepti.” Xiao’s words are cold and stubborn.

“I would disagree considering I’m trying to keep ‘the Adepti’ from killing himself!” The faerie has no filter having awoken from their sleep to the sound of a certain Adeptus limping onto the roof. “I did not work myself dry keeping you alive for you to fall off some roof because you’re too stubborn to lie down!”

“I wouldn't-“

“For archons sake Xiao! You better get back in that room or so help me I will get Rex Lapis himself to make you!” The faerie looks downright terrifying like this, their wings which usually rest in a downward-facing manner are now spread to their full height and Xiao has to strain his neck just to look up at them. The faerie’s natural instincts have taken over to appear more threatening though they are unaware of it, and Xiao is quite frankly too tired and weak to fight with them any longer. Not to mention the fact that the faerie is definitely crazy enough to hunt his master down and threaten him into making Xiao rest.

“Fine.” The Adeptus mumbles and the faerie shouts a cry of joy in response.

The two approach the spare room for the second time that night. Xiao sits on the uncovered bed stiffly and the faerie hums happily as they take a seat on the floor in front of the door.

“W-what are you doing?” The Adeptus can't help but ask.

“Making sure you can't leave.” The faerie replies with a smug smile. Xiao bites his lip as he debates asking the faerie to sit with him on the bed. He blames his temptation on his physical impairments and clears his throat awkwardly.

“It’s, uhm, less painful when you are close.” He mumbles and the faerie's eyes widen at the statement.

“Oh.” They shake their head as if to rid themself of embarrassment. “Right, I’ll sit on the bed with you then.”

The faerie remembers only awkward glances and movements after that. They realize they must have fallen asleep while sitting on the bed with Xiao and try to hide the groan they let out in embarrassment.

After the faerie is through having a mini breakdown over the fact that they are in a bed and touching Xiao, they slowly peak over to the side where he lays.

His eyes are open. Shit.

"Good morning, Xiao." The faerie says and their voice barely even shakes.

"Good morning." He responds, blank and unaffected.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Adepti have no need for sleep."

"Xiao." The faerie sighs, "Your whole Adepti speech is really getting old."

Xiao only frowns in response to that. The faerie and Adeptus share a moment of silence before Xiao suddenly clears his throat.

"How did you sleep?" He asks slowly as if he had never inquired about another person before.

"I slept well, thank you for asking." The faerie answers.

There is another awkward silence.

"I must be going now." Xiao stands abruptly and in an instant, he's vanished into a flurry of anemo particles.

The faerie just sighs again.

"Suppose I should've expected that." They say to themself.

On the roof of Wangshu Inn Xiao stood with his head in his hands. He had never felt so... good. Though it sounded odd to say, it was true. He was finally leaving behind centuries of pain and suffering. For the first time in so long, he finally felt something other than pain. That horrible feeling nested into his stomach was starting to lift. Instead of misery, instead of the heavy burden he was carrying, he felt something new. Something he couldn't quite name.

Something... good.

****

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@itzashnow

#genshin #genshin fanfic #genshin impact #gender neutral reader #genshin imagines #genshin fluff #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #xiao x reader #x reader #genshin xiao #adeptus xiao #genshin impact xiao