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#she meets Aiden and is like oh he's so cute can we keep him
writinglizards · 3 years
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Something the Cat Dragged In
Summary: It's been almost a year since Lambert's seen Aiden.
He's likely not interested anymore, even if Lambert had done his best to curb his sharpest edges, keep him coming back. It hurts and he tells himself it doesn't. It's better than the alternative. Better than Aiden hurt...or worse.
Then he finds the cat.
Pairing: Aiden/Lambert Rating: Teen Warnings: None
This is for @contemplativepancakes who asked for a comedy of errors. I am awful at that, but I’ve been assured this is funny, so. Please enjoy!
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It's been almost a year since Lambert's seen Aiden when he finds the cat.
Or more accurately, perhaps, the cat finds him.
It's been about two weeks since he set out from Kaer Morhen to the clearing where he usually meets Aiden. He hadn't shown last year and Lambert hadn't been able to find him, even keeping an ear out for word about a tall, dark-haired cat witcher too nice for his own good.
He's not sure what he's hoping for this year, or at least he's not comfortable admitting to himself what he's hoping for. He likes Aiden, but they don't need to travel together. He's sure he's fine, he's just...busy.
It doesn't make the ache in his chest any easier to deal with, but he pretends it does.
Regardless, he heads for their meeting spot and sets up camp. He'll wait a week and if Aiden still hasn't shown after that, well.
He's fine. He's just...not interested in Lambert anymore, probably.
That hurts worse, somehow.
-----
The cat shows up the second morning Lambert's camped out.
It's a skinny thing, sleek black with a patch of white on his chest and haunting green eyes.
Lambert wakes up to the creature nestled between his calves and startles, upsetting the cat who mews his annoyance and bites his foot. Lambert shoots out of his bedroll after that.
"What the fuck?" he asks the cat, who eyes him with distaste but doesn't move, and Lambert figures, well. The cat will leave on its own he'll just...wait.
-----
The cat doesn't leave, and it's starting to freak Lambert out, just a little bit.
When he settles down to eat, the cat creeps from his bedroll to sit by his boots and stare with big, green eyes that remind him of Aiden. He shoves that thought from his head as quickly as it arrives.
"Cats don't like witchers," he says, as if the cat might have forgotten, but he doesn't move, just sits and stares at Lambert's jerky.
"Are you just hungry?" he asks, and, after a brief hesitation, he snaps a small piece off and offers it to the cat. The cat, for his part, briefly sniffs the offering before taking it into his mouth only to drop it on the floor and bat it around like a toy.
"Really?" he asks the cat, but the cat doesn't seem to care about Lambert's none too silent judgment, just continues to amuse himself with the bit of food. Lambert only hopes the little creature will move on, and quickly.
-----
It keeps trying to creep into his bedroll.
"You can't sleep here," he hisses, shoving the little creature away from his feet for the third time in as many minutes. In response, the cat hisses and bites, sinking its sharp little teeth into Lambert's calf.
"Son of a bitch." The cat stares defiantly at Lambert over its mouthful of flesh as if daring him to retaliate. Reluctantly, he can admit the little thing has gumption.
"You're mean you know that?" he asks the cat, who, when it becomes clear Lambert isn't going to continue fighting, lets go of its mouthful and steps daintily over his leg to settle between his knees.
"This is only for tonight," he says, huffing irritably, "and only because you're such a little dick." The cat ignores him, settling down and beginning to purr softly. Lambert pretends that doesn't make his heart swell.
-----
Lambert can't bring himself to disturb the cat when he wakes so he just...lays there and lets the little beast slumber.
He tells himself it's because he doesn't want to be bit again. It has nothing to do with the fact the cat is small and warm, and the weight of it against his shins is comforting.
It's fine until the little creatin begins to chew on his toes.
"I thought you were asleep," he hisses, twitching his ankles to dislodge it. The cat only delights in the movement, pouncing after him. Lambert groans.
"When are you going to get lost?" he asks, hauling himself up and depriving the cat of their game. He's not expecting the small thing to sit back on its haunches and merp softly at him. Slowly, he stills.
"You wanna say that again?" he asks, and the cat meows plaintively. Staring at him like this, he's reminded again of Aiden. The eyes, the color of the fur so close to the deep black of Aiden's own hair, and the jagged, mangled left ear, just like--
Something like ice settles in his veins.
"Aiden?" he asks tentatively, and the cat meows delightedly, striding forward to wind between his legs. Lambert crouches to put himself on level with the cat again.
"Tell me I'm not crazy," he begs. The cat just stares at him before headbutting his knee. Without thinking, he raises a hand, running fingers meant for killing back through silky fur. Beneath his fingertips, the cat kicks up a purr again.
"Fuck, it is you, isn't it?" he asks, scratching gently at the base of the mangled ear just to listen to the way the cat--Aiden, it's Aiden--purrs his pleasure, head tipped into the contact.
"What the fuck am I gonna do with you?" he asks. Aiden, too distracted by Lambert's gentle caress, isn't in the least bit helpful with an answer.
-----
If Aiden is here, there's no point in sticking around camp and waiting any longer, but Lambert still feels off-kilter and he did budget a week's worth of resources for camping, so he’ll just...he'll just give it another day or two. Just until he feels a little less like he's losing his mind.
He feeds the cat the bits of the fresh rabbit he caught the night before for breakfast and the cat does eat that, quietly delighted with its little meal. And now that he knows it's Aiden...
"Do you have any idea how worried I was last year?" he asks, petting down his lanky back and enjoying the way he arches into it, purring again, "I thought...uh," he can't quite say it. The I thought you were dead or the I thought you didn't want me, bit. Both hurt.
"Anyway," he mumbles awkwardly, "how long have you been like this?" Aiden just makes a little chirping sound and headbutts his hand again to get him to pet him. Lambert sighs.
He spends the day charting out a path to the nearest mage who might be willing to help. He's pretty sure that would be Triss where she’s been staying in Ard Carraigh, even though she's more than a two-week ride away. She's helped Lambert in the past, he figures she's probably his best bet now, too.
"What do you think, Aiden?" he asks, but the cat is napping curled up on top of one of his saddlebags and otherwise unhelpful. Lambert is pretty much on his own.
-----
That night is a repeat of the night before, Aiden curled up across his shins and purring sweetly. As he lays staring at the stars and trying to sleep, he can't help but wonder how much of Aiden is...present, for lack of a better term. The cat acts like a cat, except he's eerily like Aiden in appearance and the fact that he's...he's fond of Lambert, apparently. He'd known, immediately, Lambert would care for him. He at least needs to get him turned back, proved that Aiden's instincts there had been right.
He falls asleep worrying about it.
-----
Traveling with Aiden as a cat is...not as simple as it should be.
"If you won't stay in the god damned saddlebag, you at least need to hold still," he hisses wrestling the cat into his lap. Aiden’s been trying to walk the length of his horse as they ride, and the prick of his claws is making Cinnamon nervous. Lambert doesn't want to be thrown from the saddle, so he's got the cat under the arms, holding him to his chest as he wiggles in an attempt to get free. Aiden is clearly not amused by the situation.
"You bastard," Lambert hisses when Aiden takes a chunk out of his arm through the thin cloth of his shirt, unprotected by his bracer or jacket, "Aiden would you, fuck--" the cat yowls and Lambert jerks Cinnamon to a halt. "What?"
Before he can figure out what's wrong, Aiden's lept from his arms, landed gracefully on his feet, and bolted into the trees.
"Aiden, wait! Fuck," he hisses, and the next minute, there's a click of hooves and--
"Having a good morning, Lambs?" Lambert whips around so fast his neck cracks alarmingly.
"Aiden?"
He's astride a horse Lambert doesn't recognize, not Sugar, and he looks...he looks...
"You're not a cat," he says dumbly, and Aiden grins, the bastard.
"No, but it's been very fun watching you the last day or so," and oh, Lambert's going to kill him, actually, "you didn't really think the cat was me, did you?"
"I...it was...fuck," he spits, wheeling Cinnamon to march past Aiden's gelding, now headed in the opposite direction. If the damn man is fine, then he doesn't need to go see Triss and he can head back towards Aedd Gunvael looking for contracts as he'd planned previously.
"Aww Lambs, no need to get embarrassed," Aiden calls, and Lambert can hear the shit-eating grin, "I'm just teasing."
"Fuck off," he growls, but Aiden's horse falls into step beside Cinnamon.
"Oh, don't pout on me, Lambert. I thought it was cute," he says, and Lambert can't bite back the words in his throat any longer.
"I thought you were dead," he spits, "or worse." Disinterested. Abruptly, Aiden leans over and catches Cinnamon's reins, pulling them both to a stop.
"Whoa, wait. You thought...what?"
"I haven't seen you in a year," he bites out, horrified to find his throat thick with tears, "what was I supposed to think?"
"You didn't get my letter?" he asks, and then, before Lambert can process that statement, "fuck, Lambert, I'm so sorry. I thought you knew I was working far south last year, I couldn't...I couldn't ask you to come with me, so I left you a note at that inn we drink at every year. Bastards must have tossed it. Fuck."
"So you didn't..." you didn't abandon me, you aren't tired of me, you haven't moved on to something better. He can't say any of that, just goes quiet.
"I didn't leave you high and dry on purpose, no. Fuck, Lambert, how could I?" he smiles, a small, timid thing, "you're the best part of my year, puppy dog, how could I?"
The sincerity in his gaze and his words makes Lambert's face hot, makes his throat tight. He spurs Cinnamon back into motion, and Aiden's horse follows.
"Whatever, you fucking sap." It's the best he can manage without risking something drastic, like tears or his own dopy smile. Still, he can feel Aiden radiating smug energy behind him again.
"Aww, come on, puppy, I just poured my heart out for you, I deserve better than a whatever."
"You did not," he snaps, "shut up."
"Oh, you need declarations of love then? Fine. I--"
"Aiden," he cuts him off, not willing to find out how far Aiden will take this game of emotional chicken, "stop. I'm...I missed you. You're the best part of my year too." He says it without looking at him, Cinnamon a few crucial paces ahead of Aiden's horse. The back of his neck feels hot and he knows he's blushing.
"O-oh," Aiden stammers out, "uh--"
"There," Lambert cuts in, "now you can shut up."
Gratefully, Aiden does.
-----
Lambert's so relieved about Aiden, he doesn't think about the cat until they stop to camp for the night.
"Do you think the cat's okay?" he asks, and Aiden gives him a long, slow look.
"Why does it matter?"
"Why does it--what the fuck Aiden? It's just a little cat. How's it gonna take care of itself out here? I should have gone after it." He regrets being so wrapped up in Aiden that he'd forgotten the other Aiden, cat Aiden. Not cat Aiden? Fuck, he's tired.
"Cats take care of themselves, Lambs, don't stress about it. He was managing just fine until he found a soft-hearted witcher to feed him, he'll be fine."
"Excuse me, who the fuck do you think is soft-hearted here?" he growls, and Aiden lays his bedroll out beside him and grins.
"Why you, puppy dog. You're the sweetest--" he doesn't let him finish, hooking his foot around Aiden's ankle and bringing him down on top of the bedroll hard.
"Not sweet," he hisses, but it feels like overcompensation even to him, and Aiden just laughs, rolling to stare at him with eyes that are far too fond.
"Sure thing, Lambert."
And if, as they both fall asleep, Lambert shifts closer to throw his arm around Aiden's waist, pull him in closer amidst Aiden's sleepy mumbling, well. It's still cold at night. Nothing more.
-----
There's a slight, warm weight across Lambert's shins when he wakes.
It takes his half-asleep mind a minute to realize what that means, and then he's sitting up so fast Aiden makes a startled noise.
"Lambert, what the fuck," Aiden husks, but Lambert's not listening.
No, he's focused on the cat curled across his shins, jet back with one mangled ear and a white spot on his chest. He peers up at Lambert with those same big green eyes, and something in Lambert's chest shifts.
"Hey there Aiden, thought I lost you," he murmurs, reaching out to pet across the broad side of the little creature. He allows it for a moment before catching Lambert's hand with his paws and biting, just enough for him to feel it. "Yeah, yeah, I deserve that."
"What are you--oh." Aiden comes up short when he sits up and sees the cat again, nestled across Lambert's legs, "well I'll be damned." He reaches out to pet the cat too, who promptly hisses and swats at Aiden, claws extended, "Oi, fuck, rude." Lambert laughs.
"Guess he doesn't like you much, eh?" His chest feels light as he scoops the cat up into his arms. He tolerates it, although he gives a fretful little meow at the treatment.
"You would find the only cat that stands witchers and get it only to like you," Aiden grouses, but he doesn't seem genuinely troubled about it, "I can tell why you thought of me, though. That's sweet." And that--
"Yeah," he says, unable to come up with something suitably snarky and mean. He sets the cat down, who scampers back over to make himself comfortable on Lambert's saddlebag, away from the indignity of surprise cuddles. He's trying not to look at Aiden's own mangled ear, the one cut round in a rough approximation of a human's, a reminder of how he’s been treated in the past. Lambert had been...so fucking worried.
"You can't keep calling him Aiden, though."
"Sure thing," he says, forcing a grin. He has no intentions of calling the cat anything else and he knows Aiden knows, too, can see it in the fond little crinkle around his eyes, the sweet upturn of his lips, "Come on, we've got a camp to pack."
And if Lambert keeps calling the cat Aiden and starts calling witcher Aiden witcher Aiden just to piss him off? Well. How else is he supposed to know he's loved?
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jaskiersvalley · 3 years
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Themme Fatale
Moving from the army to intelligence wasn’t something Cahir ever thought he would do. But the opportunity came up and he’d hoped he’d be able to leave behind the hyper-masculine environment. That had been difficult to fit in with and he had to keep parts of himself under wraps so tightly, he sometimes worried he’d forget who he was. Stepping into the office on his first day, his heart sank a little as he took in the people he would be working with. The men were muscle bound, jostling and laughing much like those in the army had. Meanwhile, the women were all terrifyingly beautiful, feminine and almost otherworldly. Despite the warm welcome, the firm claps to the back and handshakes, Cahir wondered whether he would ever truly fit in.
“We’ve got the morning briefing then we’ll do introductions properly,” the man who introduced himself as Geralt said.
From across the room, someone hollered, “Hey Wolf, your Magpie back yet?”
Rolling his eyes, Geralt turned to yell back. “Ask Yennefer, she’s the one who sent him out.”
“Well, Witch?”
“He’s getting coffee if he knows what’s good for him,” one of the women growled back, glaring. “And if he wants to come tonight, he’s not getting you any Lambert.”
The morning meeting involved having Cahir stand at the front of the room and smile awkwardly while he was introduced to the room at large. It was a blessing to be able to sit back down again and try to become one with the chair so nobody stared at him curiously anymore. It was almost like they could sense his otherness, at least, that was what it felt like to Cahir.
All of a sudden the door to the meeting room flung open and a whirlwind of colour and chaos bundled in.
“Sorry I’m late! I brought coffee to make up for it.” Cups were distributed with winks and grins. “Who am I kidding, I wanted coffee, knew I was going to be late so got everyone else coffees so I wouldn’t get into trouble. Oh hello, who is this cutie?”
Cahir stared up at big blue eyes from where he had slid down in his chair. Obviously he’d found the token employee who had let his fingers linger on Yennefer’s as he passed her a cup before sitting down next to Geralt, pressing obnoxiously into his space to stare at Cahir.
“If you’d been here on time,” Vesemir sighed, “you would have met Cahir, the newest member of our team.”
It was only when he pinched the bridge of his nose that Cahir thought he saw a hint of nail varnish, subtle but there. It gave him a tiny bit of hope, along with Jaskier’s bitchy fawning over Yennefer and Geralt. It was Eskel who spotted his staring and beckoned him over.
“If you know what’s good for you, you won’t say anything about them. It’s a sure fire way to not make friends around here.”
In a way it was sweet how Eskel and everyone else seemed to support the trio but Cahir felt awful that it was assumed he would judge or say something unsavoury. That’s what he got for having an army background he supposed.
He had been warned that his hours could be erratic and sometimes he might be called in on a day off. What he didn’t expect was for that very thing to happen not a week later when he was dressed comfortably, not expecting to go out. His phone rang, Vesemir was summoning him in. There was barely any time to swap out the billowy shirt for something more traditional before a car turned up for him. Going in, Cahir didn’t expect Jaskier to squeal and jump in his way, heading him off.
“Oh I just love your eyes!” The eyeliner that Cahir had put on earlier, that he’d completely forgotten about, not like he’d have had time to wipe it off. Before he could make up any excuse, Jaskier had him by the arm and was dragging him towards Lambert. “Look! Lamby! His wings are even sharper than yours. Aren’t they amazing?”
A gentle hand reached for Cahir but waited for his nod before it gripped his chin, turning his face this way and that. Lambert let out a low whistle.
“You’ll have to teach me. It would drive the others wild.”
“If you could please not steal my operative,” Tissaia interrupted and beckoned Cahir away. “There’s a charity fundraiser tonight. I was going to send Renfri but they’ve come down with a cold. So you’ll have to take their place. It’s nothing risky, we just need to make sure it goes off without a hitch. There have been threats from the more narrowminded groups. Triss and Yennefer will set you up with your outfit and tech.”
Which was how Cahir found himself in a room full of clothes of every size and colour. While Yennefer rifled through the suits, eyeing him up, Triss was talking through the ear piece, how to change channels and the like. It seemed like pretty standard fare, what he’d used in the army before. Of course, as it seemed to be the norm for Jaskier, he bundled in just as Cahir was eyeing up some of the dresses.
“Yen, my darling, have you no taste?” He bounced over to her and looked at the black on black suit she was pulling out. “That’s so severe. I think we can go a little more native for the fundraiser.”
That made no sense and Cahir raised an eyebrow in question. It had Jaskier grinning. “It’s for an LGBTQ+ charity, didn’t Tissaia tell you? Pretty big deal, most of us will be there in some capacity. Lambert will make for a fantastic waiter, don’t you think? I had Aiden pestering me to make sure he’s in a classic bunny outfit, cute little tail and all. But sadly that’s far too crass for the evening. But there is a Lambert sized outfit now winging its way to their house now. Eskel’s good like that and helped me pick the right size.”
With so many words spouting out of Jaskier, Cahir barely could keep up until he realised that something silky was being pressed into his arms.
“Tell me if this isn’t your kind of thing.”
Cahir stared at the dress, a soft grey dress that promised to be figure hugging. It was gorgeous but Cahir was almost scared to put it on. He didn’t know how everyone else would react, because it wasn’t like he wanted to be seen as a woman. But he didn’t really like being seen as a man either.
“You can pick the suit, I just had a hunch. My apologies if I got it wrong.” Jaskier’s voice was quiet.
“Have you broken him?” Yennefer snapped, stalking closer.
“He is making a choice.”
Which was true, but it wasn’t the choice Jaskier thought he was making. Still staring at the dress, Cahir steeled himself.
“They. They’re still making a choice. And I think it’s the dress please.”
There was no dramatic gasp, no growl, no glare, not even a gleeful cry of “knew it” with demands for bets to be paid up. Instead, Cahir was allowed ushered towards a curtained off bit to get changed. As Yennefer walked them over, she turned and asked in a low voice, “want me to tell the others?”. Maybe it was a cowardly thing to do but Cahir nodded, not sure how the office would take it.
It shouldn’t have been a worry, it turned out. As Cahir shimmied into the dress, turned in the mirror to admire the lowcut back, everything felt right. Stepping out, there were a few more people in the room. Lambert was the one to let out a sharp, appreciative whistle.
Bounding forwards, Jaskier fussed a little with how the dress fell before stepping back with a wide grin.
“Everyone, please tell Sabrina to step aside from her usual role. The office now has a new Themme Fatale.”
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queenrileyrose · 3 years
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We Belong Together Chapter 2: I Know Exactly Who You Could Be
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Series Premise: King Aiden of Cordonia becomes obsessed with a waitress in NYC. Determined to make her his queen, he concocts a plan to meet and bring her to Cordonia for the social season.
Some canon. Leo abdicated, but is an advisor who lives at the palace. Constantine is already dead.
This is a dark series. Lots of very creepy behavior. Stalking, violence, character death.
Chapter Summary: Riley unexpectedly meets a handsome stranger.
TW: Adult language, general creepiness. Kissing and reference to smut.
The biggest, most ginormous thank you to @burnsoslow for letting me to borrow the tiniest glimpse of your girl Alyssa and pre-reading! You are so unbelievably supportive and gracious; and thank you thank you thank you for allowing me to put her into this fic so very briefly and I am so so so grateful. 💕
Word Count: 5614
Music Inspo: Hold On, We’re Going Home—The Maine cover
Riley threaded her fingers through her new hair. She had chopped a few inches off and asked for a rust red ombré. It suited her. She’d begun to make changes and her hair was the first. 
Next, she pulled her head out of the sand. Beau had ruined her dream, but she just needed a new dream. She blocked his email and phone number, and his name on Google. She threw out all her photos of him, and tried to delete them off her computer. The old machine had a bug or something, they were nowhere to be found. No more wallowing. She updated her resume and had begun applying for jobs in the business sector. She couldn’t be a waitress forever.
She was barely scraping by. Her savings were nearly gone. The cut and color had been a gift from her mother. Her apartment was in a terrible neighborhood and the flimsy lock did not inspire sleep. The rent had increased $200 last month.
She buttoned her shirt and tucked it into her ill fitting slacks. Her clothes were big because she’d lost weight after Beau unceremoniously left. She hadn’t gotten her appetite fully back, a year later. She smoothed the white camisole she wore under her shirt. She’d gotten it on clearance and hadn’t noticed it was see-through until Daniel pointed it out last week. Her first thought was that it hadn’t helped her tips, and she’d been ashamed.
She grabbed her keys and phone, locked the door behind her. Hopefully she would hear about one of her applications soon.
She traipsed down the sidewalk. She left on time and didn’t have to run for once. She had to stop being so complacent. She waited at the crosswalk. She always hit the don’t walk signal.
She breezed into the bar, her manager looking at his watch in shock. “Is the world ending? You’re on time, Riley!” He did a double take at her hair. “You look nice.”
She smiled. “I’m trying harder, Mr. Scott.”
“Call me Brad, for the thousandth time. Glad to hear it. Oh, I brought the green dress Beth borrowed from you. It’s in the back. Shoes too.”
Riley knew Beth from college. Beth had gone on to Columbia, getting a law degree. Beth and Brad were together before he started at the bar. Riley didn’t feel right using his first name so informally. She’d try.
“Thanks. Did you guys have fun at the party?”
“Alumni of a stuffy school I didn’t attend? Fucking blast.” Brad rolled his eyes.
Riley laughed. “I better clock in.” She walked to the back and hung up her purse, slipping her phone inside her pants pocket. She tied the white apron around her waist and smoothed her hair. 
Riley walked back out and stood next to Daniel behind the bar. She hoped the night wasn’t as slow as she thought it’d be. She needed the tips, and she generally liked talking to the patrons. 
“Can you still cover for me?” Daniel blurted out. 
“Yes. Why the nerves?”
“I hate James’ work parties.” Daniel sighed.
“You’ll be fine. They all love you.” Riley drew him into a side hug. “Have fun.”
Daniel grinned. “I’ll still be here til 10.”
“Guys! Trash!” Brad called.
Riley saluted. “On it.”
Daniel helped her lug the heavy bags.
“I like your hair. Makes your eyes pop.”
Riley grinned. “Thanks. My mom gave me a gift card for my birthday last month. I finally used it.”
“How’s the job search?”
“Stagnant. I’m hopeful.”
“Good to see you getting back out there, Riley.” Daniel threw the bag into the dumpster, Riley threw the bag she held in after it.
“The new  manager is awesome. No more rats.” Daniel opened the door for Riley.
“Yeah, I don’t miss those furry little bastards.” Riley patted Daniel on the shoulder as she walked in.
———
Aiden stood outside the bar with Drake, Maxwell, and Tariq. The hotel wasn’t far, and Drake’s predictability was useful for once. He took one look at the bar and declared they must go in. Aiden relented after a small, completely false objection. 
Drake walked toward the door. “Coming?”
Aiden pretended his phone vibrated. “Duty calls. I’ll only be a minute.”
Maxwell slapped him on the back and walked in behind Drake, Tariq dragged his feet behind them.
Aiden watched them go inside, phone to his ear. He watched Riley greet them. She changed her hair. He tilted his head, taking it in. The red made her look like some mythical creature. A mermaid. He loved it. Daniel gave her a wave and left, rushing out the side door. 
Aiden grinned. Initially, they would have come here yesterday, and he would have had a full day with Riley before Cordonia. But Daniel’s text, asking her to cover his shift, was too good to pass up. He couldn’t have planned that better.
It was just another sign from the universe. They belonged together.
——
Riley wasn’t sure why the men with the cute accents were in a crappy bar, but she wasn’t going to question it. 
After being summoned by the one in the suit and tie, she grabbed menus.
“Hello gentlemen. I’ll be your waitress tonight, my name’s Riley. Feel free to flag me down if you need anything. Now, what can I get you?”
“Whiskey. Lots of it.” The man in a denim shirt said with a gleeful grin. Riley couldn’t help but smile back. He was attractive, dark eyes and dark hair. He had a 5’o clock shadow and perfect tanned skin. If that was her type, she’d be in trouble. She could still appreciate the rugged handsomeness.
“I can do that. Anything else?”
“Steaks for the table!” A man in an expensive button down, but who was trying to downplay it by rolling his sleeves and unbuttoning the first few buttons shrieked. Riley winced. She was going to take aspirin when she was free. To prepare.
“Surely you have filet mignon, rare, with a bernaise sauce?” The man in the tie asked hopefully.
Riley fought not to laugh. “We have a deluxe burger.”
The man deflated. “Do I dare ask for a wine list?”
“There’s an excellent house red.”
The man blanched. “House red?”
Riley nodded solemnly. “It also comes in white.”
“We’ll be fine with a bottle of whiskey and four deluxe burgers.” 
Riley furrowed her brow. “Four?”
The denim clad man nodded behind her. Riley turned and saw a man several feet from her. He was tall and blonde, with the deepest blue eyes she’d ever seen. His broad shoulders filled out his blazer nicely, the crisp white shirt underneath set of his blue eyes and sun kissed skin. Her mouth went dry.
Aiden’s heart leapt. She liked him already. He smiled at her warmly, keeping his distance so she didn’t feel crowded. He can be a gentleman. Give the little lady plenty of space. “I’m sorry I’m late. Thank you for your patience, Miss…?”
Riley felt her heart skip a beat. Manners. He had manners. She let the silence hang a beat too long. “Oh, Riley. I’m Riley.” She almost curtsied, a thing she did when she was nervous. Thank god she stopped herself. 
Aiden felt warm all over. She was enchanting. This was better than he imagined. “Charmed to make your acquaintance, Riley.” Her name in his mouth, over his lips made him even happier. He kept his smile warm, inviting. 
“The charms all fine!” She blurted. Smooth. She shook her head, cheeks flaming.
Aiden felt his spirits sink a little. She wasn’t good on her feet. They’d work on that. Or she was nervous. Yes, that was it. It’s not everyday you meet your soulmate. She must be so overwhelmed. He was at first too.
He fixed his expression into one of confusion. “Excuse me?” He added a hint of humor. He wanted her to feel safe.
Riley blushed a deeper red. “I mean, I’m also charmed, and awkward...and I’m just going to put your order in now.” She slunk away. She glared at Brad, who was trying not to laugh and failing.
Aiden sat next to Drake, the smile returning. Despite her inability to conduct a basic conversation, Aiden still knew she was his. 
Drake chuckled. “Waitress is cute. She got all tongue tied once you came in, Aiden.”
Aiden smiled. “She’s certainly beautiful.”
Maxwell’s eyes widened. “Dude, you are about to get married.”
Aiden glowered. “Do not call me dude, Maxwell. Or I’ll make you call me King Aiden at home.”
Maxwell slumped. “Again? That was the worst two months.”
Aiden softened. “I don’t have a fiancée yet. I’m not being unfaithful to anyone.”
Tariq cleared his throat. “I found her captivating.”
Aiden glanced at Tariq. He wouldn’t find her captivating if she scratched one of his special shoes.
Aiden ran over his plan. Focus on tonight. Get her to come to Cordonia. Based on her earlier performance, it would be easy. She was making small changes, like her hair. What she wanted and needed was a big change. 
Riley returned, balancing a bottle of whiskey and four glasses on one arm, a tray of burgers and fries on the other. Aiden jumped up, helping her set down the trays.
He smiled at her. “Thank you Riley.” He couldn’t wait until she never had to carry food for a living again. 
“Enjoy.” She returned the smile. She figured the less she said, the better the chance she wouldn’t embarrass herself again. “I’ll leave you to it.” She walked back to the bar, taking a seat on a stool. She pulled out her phone and sent Daniel a quick text.
Aiden’s cloned phone beeped. He pulled it out of his pocket and glanced at it under the table. She texted Daniel.
Drake saw Aiden pull the phone out. His brow creased. That wasn’t his normal phone. That was strange. He looked away, deciding to tell Leo when they returned. 
“You missed me making an ass of myself. Hot guy thinks I was dropped on my head as a baby.”
Daniel texted back. “The guys that came in? They weren’t that great.”
Riley remembered he left before Aiden. “No, another guy joined them.”
“Pics or it didn’t happen.”
Aiden watched Riley out of the corner of his eye as he pretended to listen to Drake. She stretched, holding her phone in one hand. He wouldn’t have known she was taking a photo unless he’d seen the text. She was sneaky. She wanted to show him off already. Go ahead, Riley. Take all the photos you want.
He looked down at the phone. She sent the photo, he was smiling in it. Of course, he’d made sure to. He smiled wide enough to show his dimple. Women loved that. 
Daniel texted back. “YUM.”
Riley texted. “I know! GTG.”
She put the phone away, sneaking a glance at the table. Aiden met her eyes and winked. She flushed and turned away. Hi, Riley. 
——
Riley was wiping down the bar as Brad closed out the register. That table had been a handful. The tie man kept asking for complicated dishes. Did he really think Canelés de Bordeau was a thing bars had? The man in denim grinned and kept the mood light, drawing her into conversation a few times. The other man in the black button down cracked jokes. At least, she thought they were jokes. No one owns a peacock.  She’d exchanged glances with Aiden more than a few times. He seemed nice, but they obviously weren’t from here. What did she expect, his number?
She felt a tap on her shoulder and whirled around.
Aiden stepped back. “I’m so sorry Riley, I didn't mean to startle you.”
“Oh, it’s fine. I scare easy. Can I get you something?”
Everything, my love. Aiden smiled at her again. “No, no. You’ve done enough. We’re heading out, and I wanted to thank you and apologize for my friends.”
Riley raised her eyebrows.
“We kept you late, and they can be quite demanding.” He smiled sheepishly, hunching his shoulders and putting his hands in his pockets to give her the full effect.
“That’s one way to put it.” Riley blurted. 
Aiden kept the smile on his face. She just said whatever popped into her head. He hadn’t made a mistake, had he? He met her eyes. No. She was perfect. Rough around the edges, but what did he expect? Her honesty was refreshing. Yes, a breath of fresh air. She would feel more comfortable and stop doing it soon.
“Can I make it up to you? Buy you a drink? The guys want to go to a club, but we can go wherever you want.”
Riley glanced around. “I’m sure they’ll love that. Random girl butting in on guy’s night.”
Aiden laughed. That was the appropriate response, right? Riley seemed more relaxed. Yes, right response. 
Riley considered this. “A club is fine. Which one were you all thinking?”
Aiden shrugged. “We aren’t from here. Do you know a good place?”
Riley giggled. “Yeah the accents clued me in. But Kismet is the hottest place in town.” She untied her apron and set it in the bar. “I know the bouncer, we won’t have to wait in line.”
Aiden’s heart leapt again. He ignored her bratty comment. Love isn’t perfect. It was about overlooking flaws and loving them anyway. Kismet. As if he needed another sign, here was one. “That sounds wonderful.”
“Let me change, I’ll meet you out front?”
Aiden nodded. “See you in a few minutes.” He left the bar.
Brad locked the register. “Go have fun. Good thing I brought the dress, huh?”
“Yes, perfect timing.” Riley ran to the back. She normally wouldn’t accept the invitation. But she had to put herself out there more. She wasn’t one to believe in fate, but this really seemed like it.
——
Aiden waited on the street with Drake, Maxwell, and Tariq.
“She’s just going to hang out?” Drake asked doubtfully.
“Yes. I spoke to her and she agreed to be our guide.” Aiden smiled at Drake. “It will be fine.”
Drake shrugged. “She seemed okay.” He looked up and Aiden watched his eyes take in Riley as she left the bar. Aiden followed his gaze. She wore a simple green dress that showed off her pale shoulders, flaring out at her hips. 
Aiden tried not to gape. He hadn’t seen her in clothes other than the unflattering uniform, up close. Photos hadn’t done her justice. She was breathtaking. His Queen.
“Wow.” Drake breathed. 
“Wow?” Riley blushed slightly. Aiden felt his anger rise. She was not for Drake.
Drakes neck flushed. “I almost didn’t recognize you.”
Tariq jumped in. “That uniform hid your best assets.”
That was it. Aiden was going to push Tariq out of the plane.
“Yeah, the waitress is hot!” Maxwell squealed.
Now Tariq would have company on the way down.
“Her name is Riley, and I doubt she appreciates you lot drooling over her.” Aiden glared at the two men.
“Sorry!” Maxwell said quickly. “I just meant you look lovely.”
Tariq was quiet, too busy looking at Riley’s curves.
“Play nice.” Aiden warned. Riley shot him a grateful look. He smiled disarmingly at her. She mouthed “thank you.”
“Names please!” Riley clapped. “I’m texting them to my friend in case I get murdered.”
Drake chuckled. “I’m Drake Walker, spelled the traditional way.”  Riley laughed.
“That’s Maxwell Beaumont,” he pointed to the joke man, “and that’s Tariq. I don’t know his last name. You already know Aiden.”
Aiden watched Riley send a text. His pocket vibrated. He pulled the phone out. Daniel again. Just their names and a message to call the cops if he didn’t hear from her, followed by laughing face emojis.
Drake saw the phone again. He was getting a bad feeling he couldn’t explain.
“Okay guys, follow me!” Riley fell into step beside Aiden, who opened the door of the limo for her. “Wow. Nice.” She grinned and ducked in.
——
Kismet wasn’t the romantic setting Aiden had hoped for. The neon lights hurt his eyes. If this was how their love story had to begin, it would be worth it. Maxwell, Drake, and Tariq hit the dance floor.
 Riley looked to Aiden. “Is it okay if we sit? I’ve been on my feet the last 10 hours.”
Aiden was hoping she would say that. “Of course, Riley. Where are my manners?” He led her to a table and pulled her chair out. She smiled shyly and sat in it, he took the seat across from her. 
“It looks like your friends are having fun.” Riley glanced at the dance floor. Maxwell was breakdancing? Tariq was awkwardly shuffling and Drake was dancing with a petite brunette with striking blue eyes.
“Yes, this is far more their scene than mine.” Aiden found them on the floor. He turned back to Riley. “Now that drink. What’ll you have?”
Riley paused. “Vodka soda.”
Aiden smiled genuinely, not needing to fake it.  He signaled a waiter and ordered a scotch and Riley’s drink. She knew he thought that drink was a good fit for her. Not that tacky mojito. 
“Is that your usual?” Aiden said as they clinked glasses.
“No. My drink was a mojito.” She took a sip. “Oh that’s good.”
“Why switch?” Aiden arched an eyebrow, then put it down. He didn’t want to look like an evil villain.
“I’m trying new things.” Riley set her glass down. “What about you? What brings you here?”
You did. “Bachelor party.”
“Oh really? Who’s getting married?” Riley turned to look at the dance floor. “If I had to guess, it would be filet mignon guy.”
Aiden laughed. “He wishes.”
Riley drained her glass. “Thanks for the drink. I guess we’re even.”
“I guess I’ll have to find another way to make you stay.” Aiden winked. Stay forever, alluring lotus. 
“You don’t. I’m having fun, for the first time in a long time.” She grinned at him. Aiden smiled back, thinking of all the grinning photos she’d stored in her phone. It was better in person.
“I am too. This is the most fun I’ve had this vacation.” It wasn’t a lie. He’d been anxious to see her.
“Oh, that’s so sweet.” Riley touched his hand gently. Aiden looked down at her hand. Her touch was just as he imagined. Delicate. Her skin was so soft. Just as he thought it would be. “Must be a crappy vacation.”
“I’m just not in the mood to celebrate. You see, it’s my bachelor party.” He fixed a look of contrition on his features. Should he let a tear slip out? No, he didn’t want to look too emotional.
Riley’s eyes grew in size. “You’re the bachelor? You’re pretty flirty for an engaged guy.”
“It’s more complicated than it seems.” Aiden ducked his head, hoping he looked embarrassed.
“It always is. I’m out.” She stood and rushed out the door.
Aiden threw bills on the table and followed her out. She was walking fast down the street. He ran up, easily catching her. His heart skipped a beat. She’d run and he’d caught her. “Can I explai!n?”
Riley looked at him with disappointed eyes. “You have 2 minutes.” She kept walking.
“Can we sit? It’s hard to carry on a conversation when you are moving so fast.” Aiden motioned to the bench. She stopped and walked back to a bench outside the club. She sat, Aiden left plenty of space between them when he perched on the end. Don’t crowd her, she is upset. She won’t be once she realizes she is the only one for him. 
“I’m the King of Cordonia. I have to marry. It’s tradition. I don’t have a fiancée yet. I’m about to embark on a social season where I must choose a bride.”
Riley blinked. “No you aren’t.”
“Google it.” Aiden sat back on the bench. His Google search was legendary. There were many news stories about orphanages and global outreach. He’d made his first 9 months as king newsworthy. No one knew what he did in his off time, or how he had even gotten to his position at all.
Riley pulled out her phone and did just that. Her eyes widened again when she saw the photo and headline. “Whoa.”
Aiden sighed sadly. Not too much, right? “I would have had more time. My brother abdicated, my father died, and now I’m thrust into a role I’m not completely ready for.”  Aiden would be the best king of all. He wanted her to like him. To find him charming.
Riley patted his arm. “That’s so much pressure. I can’t imagine. So, you don’t actually have a fiancée.” 
“That’s the line between unacceptable and acceptable for you?” She was ethical, moral. Important for a queen. The display, running off, was not queen behavior though; romantic as it was. 
“Yes.” She thought for a moment. “The king stuff doesn’t change anything. You’re still the same guy I met earlier. You were kind and thoughtful. I was flustered and you didn’t laugh at me.”
“I would never laugh at you.” Aiden tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and let his fingers linger. Her breath hitched. 
Riley groaned. “I almost curtsied, it’s this weird thing I do when I’m nervous.”
Aiden smiled widely. She knew deep down. She knew. But, appearances.
He chuckled softly. “I would have been very confused. I don’t expect anyone outside my kingdom to know who I am. I am not that important.”  Aiden was so important. Riley could ask Leo.
Riley smiled softly. “You’re very down to earth for a king.”
“I certainly try.” Aiden would try for her. “Now that that is cleared up, do you want to go back inside?” He paused, searching her eyes. “I was enjoying your company.”
Riley nodded. “I’d like that.”
———
Maxwell was at the table when Aiden and Riley walked in. Drake joined them, surreptitiously tucking a scrap of paper into his pocket. 
Curiously feeling his mood lift, he ordered a whiskey neat. Maxwell was drinking water, flushed from dancing.
“Where’d you go off to?” Drake raised an eyebrow. 
“Oh, I needed some air.” Riley said, settling into a chair. “Aiden was nice enough to keep me company.”
Aiden smiled. She did have poise. His beautiful queen.
“How long have you lived in NYC?” Drake asked.
“Most of my life.” Riley smiled. “Can’t imagine living anywhere else.”
“Craziest NYC story?” Drake smirked.
“Buy a girl a drink first!” Riley laughed. 
Drake signaled for a waitress. He looked at Riley. “One mojito.”
Riley gasped. “How did you know? That used to be my go to!” 
Aiden had never wanted to dump a drink over Drake’s head more.
Drake shrugged. “I’m good at reading people. You’re sweet, little sour. Hidden depths.” He sipped his whiskey. “Why used to?”
Aiden almost laughed. Drake was not good at reading people. He thought Aiden was a gentleman.
“I’ll ignore the sour comment.” Riley beamed as Drake rubbed his neck awkwardly.
“I’m just trying new things. But a mojito sounds awesome. Thank you.” RIley touched his arm. Aiden felt like he was going to explode. She was not Drake’s. His. She removed her hand as quickly as she placed it and Aidan exhaled. She was being friendly. She wanted his friends to like her. She should be more concerned about Aiden liking her.
Her drink arrived and she took a long sip. “What was the question again?”
“Craziest NYC story.” Drake grinned. He didn’t usually smile this much, but he was in a damn good mood.
“Halloween last year. I had to wear a costume for work, so I had a mouse headband and a shirt that said “I’m a Mouse, Duh!”
Maxwell cackled. “Love it! Mean Girls.”
Aiden remembered seeing the costume. Riley looked quite fetching in it. Aiden knew of Mean Girls. He didn’t care for it. The queen had allowed herself to be dethroned. Pathetic. 
“Yes!” Riley smiled at Maxwell. She glanced at Aiden, giving him a small smile. A genuine smile. She liked him. He knew it. She wanted to ditch his friends and take him home. But she was waiting. It wasn’t right yet and she knew it. 
“Anyway, I was sitting on a bench after work, trying to find my keys and I felt something on my head, messing with the headband.” Riley mimed looking around and batting at her head.
She took another sip. “It kept pulling on it. I’m looking around like, what the hell? I don’t see anyone. Then I look up.”
Aiden put his chin in his hand. “What was it?” Aiden could be attentive. He would always listen to her. 
“An owl. Sluiced through the the air silent as shit.”
 Drake howled with laughter. “Did it get the headband?”
Riley shook her head. “No. I got irrationally angry at it.” She took a long sip of the mojito. “Like who is this owl to try to take my headband?”
Maxwell bounced with anticipation. “What’d you do?”
“I yelled at it.” Riley looked pleased. Aiden was entranced. She was perfect. She was not a pushover.
Drake guffawed. “What did you say?”
“To get off my fucking headband or I was eating owl for breakfast. I must have spooked it because it left.”
They all laughed. 
“That was a good story.” Aiden leaned in close so she could hear. His breath tickled her neck and he saw goosebumps raise on her perfect skin. He smiled. Oh yes, she wanted him. Not tonight, Riley. But soon. So soon.
“What’s your dream, Riley?” Aiden gave her a half smile, speaking so only she could hear. 
“What I really want is to fall in love. Real love. Love is what gives our lives meaning. The hearts we touch, the connections we make.” She spoke just as quietly. Her cheeks pinked slightly. She only wanted him to hear. She wanted to love him. Touch him. Connect with him.
“That’s beautiful, Riley.” Aiden said in his gentlest tone.
Riley smiled, her eyes traveled from his eyes to his lips and back. “I can’t believe I just told you that. You must think I’m a sap.”’
“Not at all. People don’t want to fall in love anymore. It is refreshing.”  Aiden pretended to notice something on her face. “Oh, you have an eyelash on your cheek. May I?”
Riley nodded, blinking rapidly. Aiden pretended to brush it away, his fingers lingering on her soft cheek. 
“There.” He made his voice a little lower in pitch, husky.
“Thank you.” Riley smiled invitingly. “Do you want to walk me home? As fun as this is, I need to get home. I have to open the bar tomorrow.”
Aiden gave her a coy smile. “I would love nothing more. I’ll leave the car so the other gentleman can get back.”
Riley stood. “I’m going to call it a night. I had a blast, guys.”
Drake stood. “Thanks for the food and drinks. And taking us here.” He hesitated, then drew her into a quick hug.
“I had fun. Well, the club part. Have Tariq slum it more. No gross bar has tiramisu, and if they do; you do not want to eat it.”
Drake laughed as Maxwell hugged her goodbye. “I’ll never forget you. You’re so nice.”
Riley smiled as she freed herself from the hug. “I’ll never forget you, Maxwell.”
Aiden had been watching the display, going between rage and pride. His friends liked her. This was good. This was important. He pushed his anger aside. She would fit nicely in his world. 
She turned to him. “Ready to go?”
He nodded and winked at Maxwell and Drake. “The car is outside for you.” Aiden placed a hand on the small of  Riley’s back as they made their way to the door. Aiden held the door open and laughed at something Riley said.
——-
Maxwell and Drake exchanged a look. 
“He’s never this happy.” Maxwell mused as he sank into his chair.  “Never.”
Drake nodded. “She’s sweet. Seems to bring it out in him.”
“I saw that hug. Do you like her?” Maxwell wiggled his eyebrows. 
Drake snorted. “You hugged her too. No. Not like that. She’s just got a way about her, you know? She’s genuinely kind. Who takes a bunch of strangers to a club so they can have a good night?”
“Especially us.” Maxwell agreed. “I am a handful.”
Drake laughed and patted him on the back. “Enough, Beaumont. Too bad she can’t stick around. She’d be good for Aiden.”
“Hey, I can sponsor her! For the season!” Maxwell bounced. “Bertrand hasn’t been able to find any candidates back home.”
“You sure she’d do okay, all the nobles and fuckery?” Drake frowned. He wasn’t sure if Aiden could handle that without exploding. He would be on double duty. 
“We would help! What do you think?”
“Yes. But run it by Aiden first. He might not be that interested.”
“He so is. I saw him smile, and touch her back. And his meanness level is way down.”
Drake shook his head. Aiden was his best friend. But Drake knew there was darkness in him. He’d only seen glances of it. Aiden was able to keep it at bay. They would all be there too, to help her. Riley would be fine. 
——
Aiden had made a monumental mistake. They’d left Kismet and he automatically turned in the direction of Riley’s apartment. 
She’d been surprised, he had covered by saying it was the way to the bar. She seemed to accept that, but now he was nervous. He had to shake it off. This was it. His moment.
“What do you get to do as a king? Is it like England, no power?” Riley was nervous. He was so handsome and way out of her league.
“Thankfully, no.” He met her eye and smiled. “I have power, but I also have governing bodies to assist. I can’t go mad with it.” Aiden would do what he wanted. Those bodies would ash under his feet.
Riley nodded thoughtfully. “That’s still a lot of weight on one person.”
“I suppose so.” Aiden made sure his voice was thoughtful. “Leo leaving it all in my lap was difficult. I am still finding my footing.” He didn’t know how long he could be self-deprecating.
“I’m so sorry he did that to you. It must have been really hard on you. Your life just changed.” She looped her arm through his. Aiden wanted to jump for joy. If only she knew. But Leo needed to be seen as the bad guy. 
“That’s very kind of you to say.”
They walked in a companionable silence. 
“Riley Brooks. Are you a cat or dog person?” Aiden had googled first date icebreakers. He was a no animal person. 
“Cat person.” She grinned nervously.
“Why cat?” Aiden expected her to say dog.
“They don’t need people.” Riley said. “They’re content to lounge, eat, do whatever.”
“They need humans to eat.” Aiden interjected. Her answer intrigued him.
“Not really. There are bugs and mice. They’re free.”
Aiden nodded. She was more like him than he thought.
“I am also a cat person.” Aiden hoped she wouldn’t actually want one. She beamed at him.
Time for the speech. Time to make her want him and love him. “Riley, I’ve never met anyone like you. You noticed I wasn’t having the best time and you made it better. You were so kind to my friends, and to me.”
Riley looked down bashfully. “I had a good feeling about you. I’m glad I could help. You deserve to be happy.”
“I appreciate it. I’m not used to someone doing this for me.”  Aiden will give her everything you could possibly want.
“No one does anything for the king?” Riley gave him a surprised look.
“Not personally, no.” Aiden made his expression sad. They did whatever he asked. He’d gotten the staff to remove the pits from five pounds of  kalamata olives once for no reason.
“Well, I am glad I could deliver.” Riley glanced up. “This is me.” Her voice was wistful as she removed her arm from his.
As much as Aiden wanted to take her up those stairs and make love to her, it wasn’t perfect yet. In a few weeks it would be. He could be patient.
“I guess we should say goodbye.” Aiden turned to her. He gazed into her eyes, her perfect features. “I will always remember this night. Thank you.” We will tell our children one day. 
“I will too.” Riley stepped closer to Aiden. Aiden put his hands on her shoulders gently, moving them up to rest on her jaw. 
“May I kiss you?” Aiden whispered. This was the only time he would ask. It was weak. He wasn’t weak. He’d kiss her so many more times. Forever.  He needed her to get on the plane.
Riley nodded quickly and their mouths met. Aiden was gentle, kissing her chastely first, then softly opening her lips with his tongue. He kept the kiss sweet and romantic. They separated, breathless.
He took her hand and brushed his lips across her knuckles. “I’m glad to have met you. Good night, Riley.”
Riley blinked back tears. Aiden’s heart soared. “Good night, Aiden.”
She walked inside, looking behind her just once. He waved and sauntered back down the street with a smile. He remembered walking away whistling last time. The night he saw her outside the UN.
Everything was going according to plan. Now to speak to Maxwell.
Get ready for Cordonia, Lady Riley. 
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tomtenadia · 3 years
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Island Dreams - Epilogue
So, this is it. We officially reached the end. I must admit I am very sad. Writing this story has been such a great journey but Aelin and Rowan have their happy ending. This chapter is set 5 years after the events of the previous chapter. it's divided in two parts. The first one we have Aelin telling in first person what happened in five years. Part two has a snippet of our beloved Whitethorn-Galathynius family. we get to meet Freyja and Morrigan and a surprise too. I hope you love the girls.
I want to say a massive thank to every single person who read the story, reblogged it or left a comment. Thank you. I am so grateful for all the support you gave me.
I am coming back..  A Little Braver is going well and I hope to be brave enough to post chapter one soon.
And now i'll leave you to the story. Enjoy <3
--------------------
5 years later
My name is Aelin and my story began five years ago. I was once heartbroken and one day I left my old life behind and took a flight to Scotland, and then a ferry and I ended up on this island called Lewis. I am a bookworm and one of the first thing I did once on the island was to go and hunt for a bookstore. And well, you know the story after that. It’s been five years since the day Rowan and I officially tied our lives together at Callanish. As promised we went back there after a year and a day and renewed our vows.
Married life had its ups and downs but Rowan and I fought through every single challenge that came our way. We made it work, we fought for each other as we promised and we love each other just as we did when we began. And some. Every year Rowan has been celebrating the anniversary of the day I arrived on the island and officially entered his life. Sometimes I think he prefers that day to our wedding anniversary. Anyway, as you remember we finished the story with the four of us, Rowan, me and our two girls Morrigan and Freyja. Those two cute bundles of flesh are now two very active five years old driving mum and dad crazy but also being the most precious thing in our life. They will start primary school next month and I am trying not to cry if I think how much they have grown. Physically they are their father’s clone. They both have deep pine green eyes and his same silver hair. Freyja likes it long and loves when either I or Rowan braid it. He has become quite a wizard at braiding our daughter’s hair. Morrigan, on the other hand, prefers it short. But the similarities end with that. Personality wise they cannot be any more different. Freyja is like me. Rowan calls her his wee Fireheart. She is fierce and stubborn. She has a very strong personality and for a five year old she has her ideas clear on what she wants. She is like quicksilver and always active. She is the first one to wake up and the last one to go to bed. She is curious and fearless and loves nature just as much as her father. She is out little hurricane. Morrigan, on the other hand, is the calm one and reserved and she reminds me so much of Rowan. She observes a lot and when you think she is not paying attention, she comes up with question that makes you realise she was listening after all. She has an inquisitive mind and her non stop questions can be exhausting after a long day. She is shy. Where her sister had been since tender age happy to be with anyone, Morrigan has always been very selective. Growing up she has her favourite selection of adults. She is very close to her father, probably because they are very similar, but Uncle Malcolm and Aedion come second. Aedion got her hooked on planes. Once we were at his and Lys’ house and Morrigan grabbed one of his models planes and started playing with it. Aedion had started talking about the plane and now when they are together she always ask him about planes. We think she’ll be a pilot. Both girls are obsessed with books just like her parents and Rowan has taken upon him the job of teaching them to read. Morrigan can read very simple words and write her own name. Freyja would too if she could sit down for more than five minutes. Good luck with the teachers. She is very bright, she just can’t stay still for very long. She was probably the one doing all the kicking while in the womb. The amazing thing is that they get along. It took us a while to teach them to sleep in their individual rooms. For a while in the morning we would find one in the other’s bed. Always curled up together as they used to do when they were little. Freyja at the park always play the protective one and looks after her sister and chases away the kids who try to take advantage of her sister’s calmer nature. If we were in a fantasy I would imagine Freyja being the woman learning to wield a sword and who would train with the guys and dreamed of becoming a knight. Morrigan, I imagine her as the one with her nose in books and who dreams of becoming a healer. I think Rowan is writing a story about them. Oh yes, I will tell you about his book in a moment. There is a further family member that I need to introduce: our son Dalamar. Yes, Rowan and I have scandalised parents at kindergarten with our weird names. Freyja did not cause much problems but a couple of mothers had a go at me for calling my daughter with such as negative name as Morrigan. I usually explain that I do not expect my daughter to become the goddess of war but that simply Rowan and I liked the name. And do not get me started with Dalamar. No-one apparently has read the Dragonlace chronicles so when we say Dalamar is a dark elf in the books, well, the glares we get are incredible. But again, Rowan and I wanted an original name. We started searching in books to find something we liked and then Rowan found his old copy of the Dragonlance chronicles and he suggested Dalamar. I joked that if we truly wanted to scandalise Stornoway, we should have called him Raistlin. So in the end we went for something less alien and settled on Dalamar. Anyway, Dalamar is two. He was planned though. Rowan and I had decided we wanted a big family so once the girls were around three we started to try and add another member. When we had the conversation we had talked about having four kids, but alas, Dalamar’s birth has been so full of complication that my chances of another pregnancy are now non existent. But Rowan and I are happy. We have our big family. So, Dalamar has blond hair, much fairer than mine and very light blue eyes. He is a gorgeous wee boy. In terms of personality he is halfway between his sisters. He can be adorable one moment and stubborn like a mule the next. But at least they get along and again, Freyja has taken him under her wing. She really is our knight in shining armour. Both girls are fluent Gaelic speakers. After they were born I asked Rowan if he wanted to teach Gaelic to the girls and he had been very happy about it. So we decided that he would speak only Gaelic to the girls and I was the boring parents with English, although sometimes I am brave and I practice with them, then I embarrass myself and revert to English. We have started the same process with Dalamar and he is like a sponge. Morrigan sometimes helps me with my exercises and Gaelic homework. I am taking classes as well when I can. It’s quite embarrassing when you are almost forty and your five years old daughter tells you “Don’t worry mum, you are doing great.” And then adds something in Gaelic and you need to wait for your husband for a translation. Kids, aside… our lives haven’t changed very much. Rowan still works at the bookstore and Malcolm’s sister is still his assistant. She had been wonderful and he could easily count on her when he needed to stay at home with me and the kids. The shop is becoming very popular, my Facebook page has now reached many followers and a year after our daughters were born he finally managed to set up a website for online ordering. My dearest husband also managed to write a book, find an editor and have it printed and distributed in some smaller bookstores. Of course I told him to have in his shop. We did a book signing hoopla and I don’t think I ever seen Rowan so embarrassed. Anyway, he wrote a fantasy and as promised I was in it and I was Queen as requested. He was my warrior. Loads of angst and epic battles but we end up together. I am very proud of him. Now he is working on one were our children are the main characters. I have only read the fist few chapters and I love it already. But I am his wife so I am biased. I still work at the hospital and still love my job. I started helping as well as paramedic and specifically in the air squad. The team that gets to be airlifted at the site of accidents and the whole thing required a special type of training and it had been amazing. On occasions, I get to work with Aedion. He flies, I save lives. I wish I could tell the London guys that they were wrong. Working in a small hospital is not throwing away my career. I feel more satisfied than I ever felt when I was down south. Malcolm is still my second and I still adore him. Three years ago he finally got married. After my wedding Aiden went for his last deployment and made it back alive and then retired from the navy. He and Malcolm started dating seriously. A year later they moved in together and a year after that Malcolm finally proposed. Aiden has found a civilian job and well, they got their happily ever after. Another couple who got their happily ever after is Lysandra and Aedion. He proposed about five months after mine and Rowan’s wedding and three months later they were married. They had gone for a very small and private ceremony. One year later they had their fist child a boy named Marcus and now Lysandra is pregnant with their second, a girl. She climbed up again the ladder at the hospital and now she is just one level below the head of the department. Then we have Elias. How can I forget him? He is still in Shetland and we keep in touch and we meet when he is back on the islands. His job is going wonderfully and recently got promoted. Two years ago he got married to Ciara and he is happy and a few months ago she gave birth to an adorable little girl named Martha. She is cute. I have seen her when they came down last month. We remained good friends and both had the happy ending we wanted. We still joke and we love to compliment each other on making marriage number two stick. His book addiction got worse and I think I created a monster. He also bought Rowan’s book and raved about it for months. Then we have Elide and Lorcan. We see each other quite regularly. Every year in July they come to Heb Celt and now they can stay at our place. We have been down to Glasgow a few times and Lorcan yearly provides Rowan with tickets for the Six Nations and we religiously go and see the matches. I am officially a Scotland’s fan and I even learnt Flower of Scotland. The boys are proud of me. Elide is still a teacher and Lorcan still the coach of the Warriors. Their family has gotten bigger as well and they have a boy and a girl and Elide is expecting a third one. Apparently they want a big family too. Oh and Lorcan can smile for more than a second. I must admit I have changed my mind about the man and once he gets comfortable with someone he is actually quite a decent human being. He as a dark sense of humour and us two are usually the ones scandalising the group with dark jokes. Aunt Maeve is still running her cafe and she had been a great help as well while the kids were growing up. She would come up with crazy excuses to offer to babysit them and gave us plenty of chances for me and Rowan to have some time alone. Especially after the two births. She also spoils the girls and love to bake for them. Freyja loves to bake with Maeve and, like me is obsessed with cakes. Also, baking is the only activity when our energetic daughter can stay still for more than ten minutes. Morrigan, on the other hand is fussy as her father and not a fan of sweet stuff. We really got one clone each. Dalamar is still too small but he eats anything. My mum has joined the group as well. She has bought a flat up here and sold the house in London. She decided that she wanted to be a part of her grandchildren lives so she moved up here and she is in good terms with Maeve and sometimes she helps her at the cafe. The two of them cooking are becoming very popular in town.
***
“Come on, let’s go and see dad in the shop.” Aelin took Dalamar’s hand and made sure the twins were walking in front of her. Morrigan started blabbing something in Gaelic but Aelin didn’t understand. “Beurla, mo chridhe,” said Aelin to her daughter. “Tha mi duilich, mum.” Morrigan gave her a toothy smile, showing off her missing tooth. They walked to the shop and once they got in the two girls ran to their father who crouched down and they crashed into him. “I bring chaos.” Joked Aelin while Dalamar was still holding her hand. Rowan had started hosting afternoon for kids in his shop when he would reads books or just have storytelling sessions. He had started during the school holidays to have a way to keep the younger children busy but then it became very popular and he kept going, so once a week the shop is invaded by parents and their kids. The twins loved to listen to their dad tell stories. Dalamar loved it as well but he was far too young to understand what was happening so most of the times he would end up playing with Lys and Aedion’s son Marcus. Aelin reached Rowan and gave him a kiss and the twins made disgusted noises and Aelin laughed “one day you will find a boy or a girl and you’ll want to kiss him or her as well and it won’t be as disgusting,” she said tickling Freyja who was the one who was the most disgusted. “I am going to be a knight. I don’t need a boy.” Added Freyja proudly. “I am going to be a doctor like mum.” Was Morrigan’s turn. “So, a knight and a doctor, I guess we got very lucky.” Rowan pulled Aelin in his arms “looks like the goddess of love wants to fight and is not interested in love and the goddess of war wants to heal people.” “Well, you can’t say that we don’t have an interesting family.” Joked Aelin. Then Rowan bend over and lifted Dalamar in his arms “and you?” He kissed his cheek “what do you want to do?” “Tuathanach.” Replied the boy hugging his father. Aelin laughed and brushed his blond hair “that is lovely, my love.” With time and once they were properly settled down they had decided to dedicate a part of the land they owned to have a small farm. They had a couple of cows, a few chickens and loads of sheep. Dalamar loved to run after the sheep and help his dad look after the animals. That’s why Aelin and Rowan were not surprised when he said he wanted to be a farmer. The twins went behind the counter and grabbed the colouring books that Rowan kept stashed for when he had them in the shop and the pencils and ran to the kids’ table at the bottom of the shop. Rowan placed Dalamar on the floor “Go and colour with your sisters.” “Tha.” And the boy joined the two girls. Aelin leaned exhausted against Rowan. “You look tired.” “They have far too much energy. We went to the park. Freyja ran and jumped the whole time. Morrigan wanted to pat the ducks and almost ended up in the pond and Dalamar chased every single dog or cat.” She explained, looking at their kids with affection “then we had ice cream, we went to say hi to Aunt Maeve and grandma Evalin and Freyja and Dalamar stuffed themselves with carrot cake. Morrigan just had a carrot. She is annoyingly healthy like you.” “My girl.” Said Rowan proudly. “Don’t get me wrong, I love them madly, but I just wished they had just a smidge less energy.” Rowan kissed her forehead “I’ll entertain them tonight and make sure they go to bed early. Hopefully they will run out of energy soon.” “Morrigan and Dalamar perhaps. Not Freyja, that girl has limitless power.” “Just like her mother.” Rowan’s arms squeezed her tight “The girls are going to school next month so hopefully they will calm down a bit.” “I am terrified at the idea of Freyja sitting on a chair all day. I feel sorry for the poor teacher.” Rowan laughed “she might find it interesting and actually sit.” “Ro, she can’t even stay still when you read stories.” He scratched his head “I was thinking we can sign her up for some sport.” “You can take her swimming.” Suggested Aelin. Rowan had kept his job as swimming instructor with Dorian and they had made it work. When the kids were at home she would take them to the swimming complex and once Rowan was done they would all swim together. He had begun teaching the twins to float and some very basics techniques. Freyja had loved it, but she preferred jumping from the smallest platform. Morrigan on the other hand had been a good student and had followed her dad’s instructions and could do a nice basic breaststroke. Dalamar would soak with Aelin with his water wings. He loved being in the water. “She could become one of those athletes who jump from platforms into water. A professional diver. She is surely fearless for a five years old.” “I can see her as a rugby player.” And Aelin laughed. “We’ll let her decide.” “Of course,”Aelin kissed him “Look, some mum and kids are arriving.” Rowan was due to start his storytelling session very soon and mothers, fathers and kids had started to arrive in the shop. Five minutes later Rowan took his position at the bottom of the shop on his chair. All the kids sat on the floor on the colourful mats Rowan had bought. Morrigan and Dalamar would sit at his feet, but Rowan would alway keep Freyja in his arms so he could hold her still for a while. “Thank you everyone for coming this afternoon. Kids, are you all comfortable?” Aelin stood in a corner and stared at him as per her usual. Rowan was such a natural around kids. It had been so easy for him to settle into his role as a dad. He had been amazing with their kids and he’d do literally anything to make them happy. But at the same time he had managed to keep the wonderful balance to prevent them to become spoiled brats whose parents would give them anything. “Today’s story is about a princess. Her name is Aelin.” “Like mum.” shouted Freyja in her father’s arms. “Tha, mo chridhe.” And Rowan kissed her head and a smug smile appeared on the girl’s face. “She is fierce and brave and very, very beautiful. So beautiful that all the princes in the realm wanted to marry her.” Aelin laughed and blushed a bit. “Is there a dragon?” Asked Freyja who seemed had already passed her attention span limit. “Shhh, my love.” But he knew it was a desperate hope. “The princess had been put under a spell by her horrible stepmother who was very jealous of her. She could not enjoy true love with the man she loved until the dragon that held the necklace with the spell was killed. Aelin was in love with the captain of the guard, a man called Rowan. The wicked stepmother had found out and so punished her. She had planned to marry her off to a wealthy old man.” When Aelin noticed Freyja was getting fidgety, she took a chair and sat beside her husband and grabbed their daughter so that he could continue his tale. “Rowan offered to go on a quest and kill the dragon but Aelin refused to be left behind. She was not a damsel in distress. So during the night she gathered some of her stuff, donned her armour and together they set off on an adventure. During their trip he would train her with the sword so she could defend herself. It took them a few months but they did manage to reach the dragon’s lair.” “Dragon.” Freyja was ecstatic and Aelin held her tight. “But while they took the path through the magic forest to reach the dragon lair, Rowan and Aelin got separated. The forest was very dangerous but they were both very brave and fought all the perils and when Aelin finally reached the lair she saw that Rowan was already there but he was injured. She drew her sword and decided to face the dragon alone. In the forest she had discovered that she had fire magic and she wanted to punish the dragon. So she started fighting him, but the dragon was huge and she was getting tired. In that instant Rowan woke up again and walked to her. Together they fought the dragon and eventually killed it and destroyed the necklace, setting Aelin free. She finally kissed him and slowly they returned back home. Once back at the castle, they discovered the wicked mother was gone and Aelin and Rowan decided to get married. They invited all the villagers and they lived happily ever after.” Rowan had to simplify the story to make it acceptable to young kids but they seemed to have liked it. He told a few more stories and two hours later the shop was empty and he was alone again with his family. Dalamar had fallen asleep in Aelin’s arms. Morrigan had gone back to her colouring book and Freyja was pretending to be a knight, swinging around the toy sword Rowan had given her. “I am princess Aelin and I kill dragons.” She shouted while Rowan chased her around the shop. Rowan finally grabbed her and lifted her like a sack of potatoes “dad, the dragon,” she protested while trying to wriggle out of her father’s grip. “Freyja!” Aelin noticed Rowan’s command voice. The one that could actually slow down the little terror. The girl stopped moving and Rowan sat her down beside her sister and she grabbed a colouring book and joined Morrigan in silence. “You really have super powers.” Rowan leaned over to kiss his wife’s head “Give me ten minutes and we’ll go home.”
Half an hour later they were finally at home. Rowan carried a sleepy Morrigan and Aelin carried Dalamar who had been sleeping for an hour now. Freyja had followed in silence, with her sword tucked in the belt loop of her trousers. “I’ll make dinner, you change the kids.” Aelin nodded “Let’s go Freyja it’s jammies time.” The little girl gave her a huge smile and followed her mother with Morrigan at her side. Aelin placed Dalamar on the bed, and helped the two girls change into their night clothes. “Did you have fun at dad’s tonight?” “Yes.” They both squealed. Once they were ready, Aelin tied Freyja’s hair “now go back downstairs to dad but let him cook, okay?” The two girls nodded and left the room. Aelin grabbed her little boy and took him to his room, changed him into his pyjama and tucked him in bed “I love you,” she told him while kissing him on the cheek. Then grabbed the baby monitor and joined the rest of her family downstairs. The twins were on the carpet playing quietly with Morrigan’s planes. Aelin joined Rowan and hugged him from behind “Dalamar is in bed and the girls are playing.” She kissed his back “and your food smells amazing.” “Freyja finally calmed down.” “My mum says that she reminds her of me when I was little.” Aelin squeezed him. He switched off the hob and turned engulfing her in his arms “It does not surprise me.” And he kissed her deeply and Aelin replied in the same manner. He pushed her to the table and she grabbed his butt pulling him to her and she moaned against his mouth. He kissed her neck and Aelin’s hands found their way under his t-shirt. Then she pulled away “Ro, the kids are in the other room and awake.” Rowan leaned his forehead against hers cupping her face in his hands. The kiss he gave her was full of need and love “I know.” He sighed pulling away. Their intimate life had taken a bit of a hit and most nights they were too tired to even try and do something. The last time they had managed to get some action was when Aelin’s mother had kidnapped their kids for an entire weekend four months before. And the mornings were not good either because the twins had the habit of waking up and joining their parents in bed for some family cuddling. Aelin crashed her forehead on his chest “I miss our wall…” she laughed “but I know that I would fall asleep as soon as my back hits it.” Rowan kissed her again “I miss you too.” Then pulled away “Come one, let’s go and feed our hurricanes.” In that instant she heard Dalamar calling her through the baby monitor and five minutes later Aelin was downstairs with a weepy boy in her arms “Someone else is joining us for dinner.” The five of them had dinner and once they were done the kids moved to the sofa and Aelin gave them her old laptop so they could watch their hour of tv. She and Rowan had never bought a tv and the kids never asked for it but allowed them to watch an hour of cartoons on Netflix in the evening after dinner while they cleaned up. Most of times they got bored after half an hour and went back playing until bed time but when they were tired they did manage their hour. “They are watching Totoro again.” Said Aelin, joining Rowan in the kitchen with a pile of dishes then she grabbed a towel and started drying all the ones he had already washed. “They do love Totoro.” He added smiling. “Morrigan the other day said she wants to study Japanese so she could talk to Totoro and Freyja wants to go in the woods to look for him.” Rowan roared with laughter “I love the idea of studying Japanese, though.” “Our two wonderful weirdos.”Aelin stored away all the dishes. Once they were done they got back in the living room and silence reigned. The laptop was on the carpet and the three kids were are all hugged together on the sofa. Dalamar sleeping on Freyja’s chest like in the scene where Mei sleeps on Totoro’s belly, her arms protectively around her brother’s back. Morrigan was snuggled against her sister, her hand holding one of Freyja’s. Aelin gasped at the scene and Rowan pulled her to him and kissed her head “they are finally fell asleep.” He turned Aelin and held her from behind, his chin on her head and his arms tight around her. “This is it, Buzzard. This is my island dream.” Rowan kissed her temple. “This is my dream too.”
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writerfae · 3 years
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I have no excuse for this. I didn't even have a plan with this. I just wanted to write Sera and writing Sera always comes with her teasing Talon. And somehow it ended up to be this. Don't ask me where I was planning (I didn't) to go with this, I do not know it myself.
It's modern AU. And I typed it entirely on my phone, with no intend to upload it at first. But now I did anyway because I'm still impressed I got some writing done, even if it's just random. Hope you enjoy.
Talon yawned, hands clutching his coffee mug. He was at his and Aiden's favorite Café, having breakfast with his sister.
Aiden wasn't with them this time. He was at home, most likely still in bed, and honestly, Talon kinda wished he could be there too, cuddled up against his boyfriend.
"You look tired. Are you okay?" Sera asked, stealing a piece of watermelon from her brother's fruit salad. Another yawn was her answer.
"Yeah." Talon nodded. "Aiden came back from Canada yesterday. It was kind of a long night, that's all."
Sera wiggled her eyebrows. "Long night, huh?" She sounded amused. "I see."
Talon reached over the table to shove her shoulder. "Shut up. Not what you think," he scolded. Sometimes he really wondered who exactly was the mature one here.
"I picked him up from the airport in the middle of the night. It took us nearly two hours to get home. Aiden was completely gone once his head hit the pillow."
"Is it just me or do you sound disappointed?"
He gave his sister another shove. "Shut up, I'm not," he muttered, but his cheeks and ears colored a light red. A clear sign that he felt embarrassed.
"I'm happy he's back. I missed him."
Talon's older sister chuckled. "Yes, I know. You've been moping about it the entire time while he was gone."
"No, I didn't."
"You totally did."
"No."
"Yes"
"No."
Sera laughed at the way Talon's face got even more red from her teasing.
"Aw, no need to be embarrassed about it. I think it's cute." She smiled.
"Never thought I would ever see my baby brother being so attached to someone. You grew so much. I'm proud of you."
Sera wiped away an imaginary tear in mock emotion. But deep down, she really meant what she said. She was glad Talon had learned to open up and let someone in. She was glad it was Aiden, too. He was good for her brother.
Talon hid his face in his hands. "God Sera, can you stop being embarrassing? It's too early for that."
She grinned. "Never. Embarrassing you is basically my job. I'm your big sister."
"You're annoying is what you are," Talon muttered.
"Hey," Sera pointed at him with her fork. "Respect your elder."
Talon snorted. "What are you, sixty?"
"It sure as hell feels like it sometimes." Sera grimaced. "My back is killing me lately."
They laughed. Suddenly Talon's phone display lit up, showing a new message.
It was from Aiden.
Sera leaned forward to try and sneak a look at the message, as usual lacking any sense of privacy (much to her brother's dismay) and smiled to herself as she saw that Talon had a picture of his boyfriend set as his lockscreen.
Talon snatched the phone away from the table and his sister's curious gaze to read the text. Sera watched as he smiled to himself, typing out an answer.
Ah, young love, she couldn't help but think. Cute.
Talon would probably kill her with his fork if she would've said it out loud, or scold her for sounding like a grandma again.
So Sera kept quiet, taking a bite of her scrambled eggs instead.
"He just woke up," Talon said, still looking down on his phone and Sera wasn't sure if he talked to her or to himself. "Asked me where I am. Idiot, didn't he read the note I left him?"
He shook his head, pretending to be annoyed, but Sera noticed the fondness in her brother's voice. (She didn't know one could call someone an idiot so affectionately.)
She smiled. "Seems like someone misses you, huh?"
Talon answered to her teasing by flipping her off, not even bothering to look up from his phone. But he smiled, too. Sera leaned back in her seat, chuckling.
"Why are you here anyway? I half expected you to not show up at all, given the fact Aiden just came home. You haven't seen each other in what, a month? I thought you'd be all over him now that he's back, given how much you were pining after him while he was gone."
"I was not pining," Talon stated, throwing a grape at his sister. Sera successfully dodged it.
"And I came because I didn't want to stand you up. We meet every second Saturday. Aiden was still sleeping, he's tired from the flight and needs some rest, otherwise I would've asked him to join."
He took a sip from his coffee. "I was trying to be polite here."
"Since when have you ever been polite?" Sera laughed.
Her brother only scoffed as an answer.
He could have breakfast with Aiden in his warm bed right now, thank you very much. Instead, he sat here and let his older sister make fun of him.
"The way you keep teasing me, I start to regret it. I should've dumped you after all."
Sera pouted. "Aw, don't be like that."
Another message from Aiden popped up on Talon's screen, catching the attention of both siblings.
Oh, I see, till later then. Have fun. And greet Sera from me. I love you.
A soft smile spread on Talon's face as he stared at the message. A rare one, Sera noted. (Rare to everyone that wasn't Aiden, that is.)
It surprised Sera every time how Aiden managed to get her brother to react like this. He's really gone for this boy, isn't he?
"Oh my God." She rolled her eyes. It was a playful gesture. "Hurry up and go home to him already. I start to feel guilty about keeping you from him."
"What?" Talon asked, confused, only now looking up from his phone.
His sister crossed her arms.
"I said go to your boyfriend and spend some long overdue time with him, goddammit."
She grinned and made a gesture as if to shoo Talon away.
"We can meet up next time. Do us all a favor and go to your Aiden now. I think you two need it."
Talon warned to protest at first, but Sera fixed him with a glare that said not to argue with her and he really wanted to go see his boyfriend, so he nodded, grabbed his jacket and stood up.
"Okay. I'll go. Thanks, Sera." Hurriedly he put on his coat and kissed his sister's cheek. "I'll text you later. Bye."
"Goodbye, Tal. Tell my favorite in-law I said hi," she joked.
Talon stuck out his tongue to her and Sera replied by doing the same, laughing.
Then he went to the counter to pay for his and Sera's breakfast, getting apple pie for Aiden along the way because he knew how much his boyfriend loved the cake here, and made his way outside, waving goodbye to his sister.
Sera chuckled, waving back. As she watched him leave, she took a sip from her orange juice, thinking about how glad she was to see her brother finally be so happy again.
*
just some background information: I imagine this takes place when Talon and Aiden are in their last year of college, a good while after their relationship break, mind you, where they finally got their shit together again (it's also like, a year before their engagement I think). as you might (or not) know, Aiden went abroad for a year during the relationship break, working for a wolf center in Canada. He grew pretty fond of the place, the animals and people there so from time to him he visits the center for a month or so if given the opportunity. that's where he returned from in this short, too.
modern au masterpost
general tag list: @deadlycupid @writing-is-a-martial-art @writingamongther0ses @blueinkblot @wildswrites @abiandwriting @theroyalcoven @7devills @myhusbandsasemni @authortango @sleepy-night-child @charleeyy @formulatingfiction @shiishki @gr3y-heron
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consider: a fic where petra and aiden talk about how cute jesse is. jesse maybe overhears too, if you want
Anon, do I happen to know you? Have we spoken in the past? Not many know how much I love Aiden, Jesse, and Petra. Or are you just someone else who appreciates the power that is Aiden, Jesse, and Petra? Either way, this request is welcomed. ^-^
Aiden knows his place with The New Order is not stable. He knows he could be sent away at any given moment. And, truthfully, there's very little reason to keep him around. He's done nothing but torment The New Order for years. But kept around he is. It's mostly Jesse's doing. But recently it came from another source.
Petra.
Their friendship is an odd one. One that blossoms because neither really seems to fit in with where the others are. They don't even have much in common.
[Well, except that they're both terrified of being alone. So maybe they chose each other because this way they can ensure they'll have someone to come back to.]
She's recently tried to get him to come to the Nether with her. Aiden's not against it per se. He's just not looking to getting hounded by piglins for gold. And, maybe, he doesn't want set on fire. It's a valid want. He's had burn injuries before and he'd like not to have them again.
She's also invited him to come with her and Jesse on their 'weekly adventures'. Really, it's just doing more dangerous work around Beacon Town. Aiden has yet to agree. He wants to, but something about it doesn't set right with him. It almost feels like he'd be intruding.
He can't get out of it forever though. And today seems to be the day where getting out of going anywhere with the duo has run out. Petra's at his door waiting for him to open it.
She knocks again, louder. Aiden sighs and unlocks the deadbolt opening the door.
"Took you long enough!"
He rolls his eyes.
"What's up?"
"Come on! You're getting out of the house today!"
He groans.
"Petra, I told you I'm not looking to go adventuring~"
She scoffs.
"Do I look like I'm ready to go adventuring?"
No, she doesn't. She's wearing casual clothes. He's seen her go places without armor before though.
"You and Jesse have fun. I'm just not feeling it today."
Petra crosses her arms and looks at him with her usual glower.
"If you won't do it for me, at least do it for Jesse. She thinks you're mad at her."
Aiden deflates. Of course she does. He's been avoiding this so frequently it almost feels like he's avoiding her by extension.
"Let me... lock-up the apartment."
Petra beams triumphantly. Aiden grabs his keys off the side table and locks his door. He turns to a grinning Petra.
"Well, let's go before I change my mind."
They continue through the hall and down the five flights of stairs outside. It's a pleasant day at least. And head for The Order Hall. Once inside, they're greeted by Radar and told to go right in. They head for the library.
[Aiden knows the place well. When he lived in The Order Hall, the library was where he spent most of his time. He still comes here as often as he can. So many books to be read. He borrows as many as he thinks he can read.]
They find Jesse sat at one of the many sofas; flipping through a book. A cup of tea sitting on the side table next to her. She raises her head as soon as they begin to approach and smiles.
"Hey!"
She closes the book and pushes herself to her feet and meets them in the middle and pulls him into a brief embrace.
"You actually came!"
He frowns.
"Of course."
Petra squeezes his shoulder.
"Didn't take any convincing either!"
Aiden cuts his eyes over to her and then back to Jesse who's beaming so wide. It's hard to be mad he was dragged out of his home.
"I'm glad you came! I wanted to show you a book I found I thought you'd like."
She ushers them over to the couch and makes them sit.
"I'll be right back!"
Aiden watches her as she disappears amongst the shelves. He's not sure why she's extended her kindness to him; will likely never understand it. He doesn't deserve a shred of it. But he wants every bit she provides.
A laugh from the woman next to him drags him from his thoughts. The redhead has a suspiciously mischievous grin tilting her lips upward.
"You're hopeless."
His face starts to burn immediately.
"What?"
Petra nudges him.
"Please, don't play dumb."
He turns away from her and shakes his head.
"It's not like that."
"Sure it isn't, buddy."
He turns to her with a glower and then sighs. She's grinning way too wide. And, of course, she of all people would know.
"Okay, maybe it is."
Petra grins and nudges him again.
"I can't say I blame you. She's awfully cute."
Aiden crosses his arms and shakes his head before sighing.
"She really is."
There's a snicker and Aiden feels his stomach drop as he looks up to find Jesse standing right there; hands on her hips, grinning. Petra goes rigid beside him.
They've been caught.
"No, please, continue. It feeds my ego."
Aiden bows his head. Oh, how he wants to melt into the floorboards.
"Come on! How cute am I on a scale of 1 to 10?"
Aiden buries his head in his hands. Jesse laughs. Petra's scrambling to save the situation, but Aiden already knows...
Jesse's never gonna let this go.
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lalosalamcnca · 3 years
Text
The Originals 2x17-2x22 Review
So I watched TVD during quarantine last year, and even though I swore to never watch another Julie Plec show again, I’m watching TO! I thought I’d share my thoughts, let people know how much I love Elijah Mikaelson in a suit or how I enjoy diabolical planning. You can find my reviews of S1 and S2 on my blog.
2x17
Oh god, this looks like a psychological battle between Eva and Rebekah
YES SNEAK PEEK OF GILIJAH
I love that baby Hope just looked around like “what’s going on”
OH MY GOD GIA, HAYLEY AND ELIJAH MEETING…SO AWKWARD AND FUNNY
That is sad, those poor kids…can’t even be reunited with family
Honestly, I get why the witches want Eva, I LOVE Rebekah but Eva is clearly a danger 
The two kids most wronged by Esther having a meeting with her…things are about to get messy
I’m loving this Vincent and Marcel meetup
Well, this foreshadowing about Hayley’s future is…kind of accurate 
OK, WELL KEEPING KIDS IN A COMATOSE STATE STILL DOESN’T ABSOLVE YOU OF YOUR CRIMES, EVA
WELL, VINCENT’S PARTNERING WITH EVA, THAT’S JUST GREAT 
OH…EVA’S GOING AFTER Josephine Larue
REALLY, ESTHER?! YOU ASKED DAHLIA FOR KIDS, YOU DIDN’T THINK YOU’D MISS ONE?! Get outta here
YAYY VINCENT WAS A DOUBLE AGENT
Yikes…who is Klaus going to believe…Freya or Esther 
ELIJAH’S HERE, VOLUNTEERING TO BE THE ANCHOR
Well, good. Klaus can have his neck snapped and be put in time out 
Can Elijah just get over Hayley and be with Gia
I HOPE MY BABY BEKS GETS SAVED
DO YOU take the blame for your mistakes, Esther?! It doesn’t feel that way 
Oh god, this mind battle thing is really scary  
THANK FUCK THAT KLAUS IS HELPING FREYA, ELIJAH AND REBEKAH 
LITTLE BEKS KILLED EVA, HELL YEAH
I’m glad all the witch kids are ok!!
It’s kind of funny watching Klaus doubt Freya, knowing the relationship they have in the future
Well, apparently Freya is against Klaus…we’ll see how that goes 
AND ESTHER’S GONE…oh well
2x18
This is kind of a cute Jayley + Hope family moment
DAHLIA’S LULLABY’S PLAYING OMGG
OH NO NO NO, SHE’S IN TOWN, THINGS ARE ABOUT TO GET MESSY
Klaus has a point…Dahlia’s testing them, if she’s really so smart
Klaus jumping straight to murder, who’s surprised
Aiden has such a cute smile
I ALWAYS FIND IT SO FUNNY THAT KLAUS JUST TAKES SHOTS AT JACKSON 
He’s kinda right tho…what has Jackson done that’s been so helpful, he’s a shitty alpha
JACKSON STFU, THIS “WAR” ISN’T EVEN KLAUS’S FIGHT, IT’S ALL THE PARENTS. YOU ARE NOT THE VICTIM 
Dahlia is POWERFUL. She will chase them down, she’ll kill them anyway
Why would Mikael join forces with Klaus?? Is it just revenge for Freya??
What is with all the TVDU characters loving bourbon…is it really that good 
LMFAO THIS LUNCH BETWEEN KLAUS AND MIKAEL IS SO FUNNY
OH SHIT, SOMETHING’S UP WITH FREYA
Oh no…Freya’s about to reunite with Dahlia, I’ve seen this scene before 
THAT’S SO CRAZY THO, THE FACT THAT SHE CAN MANIPULATE ALL THOSE PEOPLE
THIS DAVINA, KLAUS AND MIKAEL TEAMUP IS PRICELESS, I’M KINDA LIVING FOR IT
Yup, this was an idiotic plan to go fight Dahlia 
Look, Aiden, you’re literally choosing between loyalty and death. If it were me…I’m going with Klaus, bc Jackson doesn’t seem strong or vicious enough to kill Aiden 
JACKSON, THIS IS A TERRIBLE PLAN. YOUR WOLVES WILL BE NOTHING IF THE ORIGINALS DIE 
OH HELL, THEY LOST THE KNIFE
Poor Aiden…this really is a hard choice 
THANK GOD MARCEL FOUND HAYLEY AND JACKSON
OH YES, MIKAEL’S DYING
OHHH KLAUS’S FACE WHEN HE ASKED WHY MIKAEL ABUSED HIM, BABYYY 
Ok…I do feel bad for Freya but Mikael wasn’t a good man
That’s kinda sad…Josephine playing the violin one last time before her death…
2x19
Eh…Freya has a right to be upset, but Klaus also had a right to kill Mikael
HOW IS JOSEPHINE BACK, SHE’S PROBABLY ALREADY DEAD BUT IT’S LIKE SOME VOODOO CORPSE THING
Ooh, looks like we have an ultimatum about hanging over Hope
EXACTLY JACKSON THE IDIOT, YOU CANNOT OUTRUN DAHLIA
I highly doubt those shackles will stop Dahlia 
KLAUS IS DEFINITELY ONTO AIDEN
CAMI’S BACK YAY, I’VE MISSED HER
God, Esther is such a loser…she’s almost worse than Mikael 
THANK YOU, CAMI’S POINTING OUT THAT KLAUS NEEDS TO SHOW MORE COMPASSION
JAIDEN’S SAYING I LOVE YOU…yup, it’s for a bad reason, goddamnit
BABIES, THEY’RE KISSING NOW AND I’M SO HAPPY…but my heart will be crushed soon 
OH DAVINA, MARCEL HAS VALID REASONS TO HATE KOL, JUST SHUT UP
Yeah, I actually agree with Davina, she doesn’t have to hand over the dagger 
OH HELL…AIDEN’S ADMITTING THE TRUTH TO JACKSON 
AIDEN WOULD MAKE A BETTER ALPHA THAN JACKSON, WE ALL KNOW IT 
Jackson is a good person but he needs the leadership classes more than Klaus 
FUCKKK, DAHLIA HEARD THEIR CONVERSATION
Dahlia killing Aiden is a pretty smart move but I HATE THAT HE’S SUFFERING  
HE’S DEAD…MY BABYY
JOSH FOUND AIDEN, THIS IS SO FUCKING SAD 
WHY THE HELL IS KLAUS SAYING HE KILLED AIDEN
I feel like everyone is just losing sight of the goal here: protect Hope! The only victim here is Hope (and now Aiden) 
I don’t see how the wolves will be magically cloaked if Hope can’t do magic��tracking spells still exist 
This Klamille angst is delicious
ELIJAH DAGGERED KLAUS?! 
Looks like Elijah and Rebekah are standing with Freya
2x20
What is Dahlia doing…
How can Dahlia and Klaus be allies?? 
Having Hope as bait?? That’s a risky move 
Elijah knows about Aiden, but he’s not changing his mind…kinda saw it coming 
WHAT AN INSULT, SAYING THAT CAMI’S JUDGEMENT IS CLOUDED BY HER FEELINGS 
Hayley pointing out that Aiden deserves to be buried properly…another reason that Jackson’s a shit alpha
Esther falling in love with Mikael, basically one of her captors?? That’s some Stockholm syndrome shit
I like that Davina’s helping out but what is her motive?? Is it just trying to help a baby??
DID YOU KEEP THE WOLVES SAFE, JACKSON?! Because I’m not really believing you
IF ANYTHING, IT LOOKS LIKE DAHLIA MADE FREYA’S MAGIC PAINFUL BECAUSE OF HOW SHE TREATED HER
Marcel is kinda giving out solid advice to Hayley…I’ll say it again, I like their friendship 
Dahlia is not the only witch that exists, someone else can tutor Hope
OH…Dahlia’s kind of giving Klaus a good deal (and she’s saying all the right words)
 ELIJAH, BEAT JACKSON’S ASS 
Fuck NO, no fight?! I don’t want Jackson to die but can he just get punched in the face
HAYLEY WILL HAVE TO BE ELIMINATED?! Mothers really get the short end of the stick on this show 
KLAUS IS AWAKE, AND I KNOW HE’S ABOUT TO JOIN FORCES WITH DAHLIA
Hope is a Mikaelson?! Hayley of all people should know what a biological family means to a person 
OH MY FUCKING GOD, FREYA’S THE BAIT?! 
Klaus really looks like he’s going through it  
Klaus is going back to a villain again…honestly, I’m kinda here for it 
DAHLIA’S ALREADY FOUND HOPE, NOT EVEN SURPRISED
2x21
WOW…NOLA is celebrating while all this supernatural shit is happening
Oh, good!! The kids are no longer linked to Rebekah!! 
KLAUS, IT TOOK YOU BEING DAGGERED TO UNDERSTAND WHY YOUR SIBLINGS HATED IT?! Jfc
FINALLY someone realizes the spell is linked to the storm…I always knew Marcel was smart 
Freya, stop being so salty about being bait. You’re still technically immortal, Hope is a BABY
YUP, THE WOLVES ARE FUCKEDDD
Hayley would make a MUCH better alpha than Jackson
WAIT A MINUTE, DID CAMI NOT REALIZE KLAUS LIKED HER UNTIL REBEKAH POINTED IT OUT
FINALLY WE SEE GIA
THEY’RE KISSING YAY GIVE ME THAT GILIJAH CONTENT
Klaus looks kinda hot in this episode…he also looked really good in TVD S2…maybe I’m just attracted to Klaus as a villain
Poor Marcel getting caught in the middle of a Mikaelson battle, why they gotta make him suffer
Vincent’s right, Davina. There’s no point in bitching about the witches but doing nothing to change their ways
There’s no way that Dahlia will be fooled by the Mikaelsons’ trap
THIS MIKAELSON SHOWDOWN WITH DAHLIA IS VERY TENSE 
NO NO NO GIA JUST DIED, FUCK THIS, I HATE IT HERE, I LIKED GIA, FUCKKK 
HAYLEY, RUN TO RUSSIA, GO HIDE IN SIBERIA 
They chose a horrible time to do the Jayley “I love you” scene…like it’s nice, but who’s rooting for them at this point in the series
I CANNOT TAKE JACKSON SERIOUSLY BECAUSE KLAUS IS RIGHT, JACKSON IS A DUMBASS 
The Marbekah angst is superb
Supernatural child custody battles can be so intense 
I like that Davina’s becoming regent, but I hate that she’s doing it just for Kol…why u doing it for a man, like you’re about to be SUPER powerful
KLAUS SAID “DADDY’S HERE” TO HOPE, TOO SWEET
I KNEW KLAUS HAD A BACKUP PLAN 
2x22
Freya’s just hanging out, unconscious in the back of the truck?!
WE WERE ROBBED OF GILIJAH CONTENT 
KLAUS JUST DAGGERED HIMSELF IN ORDER TO DAGGER DAHLIA, HOLY SHIT 
FREYA WOKE UP!!
I like this little Davina and Vincent friendship 
Oh god, Davina’s wasting her one chance on Esther 
DAVINA, KOL IS EXACTLY LIKE HIS BROTHERS, ONLY WORSE, GIRL PLS
The dagger melting is like their hourglass… 
I’m glad that Rebekah’s back in her body, but I wish that she could’ve properly saved Kol
Davina’s gonna refuse Rebekah’s offer, and I’m actually with her on this one…even if I dislike Kolvina 
FREYA, I KNOW IT WON’T WORK BUT WHY ARE U ABOUT TO COMMIT LITERAL GENOCIDE
DAHLIA’S ABOUT TO RAIN FIRE DOWN ON THE MIKAELSONS 
I also think we’ve just hit a turning point with Freya and Klaus’s relationship
I LOVE CAMI’S LITTLE RANT AS A GREETING FOR KLAUS
CAN WE JUST GET TO THE VICTORY AND STOP WITH THE BITCHING 
Elijah and Klaus alliance is officially broken, understandable but disappointing
I know I’ve said this before, but the Vincent and Cami friendship is too cute
“I have complicated feelings for a monster” FUCK YEA U DO BABY
DAHLIA AND ESTHER REUNITING… 
WOW THAT’S REALLY SMART THINKING, MAKING THE STAKE EXPLODE
ESTHER ACTUALLY SHOWING SOME CONCERN FOR HER KIDS
Esther and Dahlia are in the afterlife together…this is kind of heartwarming 
Marcel and Elijah burying their dead, honestly sad
Why do I feel like Klaus is on best terms with Freya right now out of all his siblings
OHHH BEKAH WENT BACK TO EVA’S BODY, HONESTLY I LIKE IT 
Marbekah kissed!! 
YAYY ANOTHER KLAMILLE MOMENT…THEY’RE SO CLOSE TOGETHER, JUST KISS!!
A satisfying ending to the season
3x01-3x08 review coming soon! Please, DO NOT POST SPOILERS OR HATE COMMENTS. I don’t expect people to agree with my opinions, but being rude is not going to get me to change mine. I haven’t seen the show before, my opinions are probably going to change over time as I keep watching. If you want longer notes on any of the episodes, opinions on a TO ship, my overall thoughts on S1 or the past S2 episodes; please ask or message me, I’d be happy to share them. 
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Text
DREAM OF ME
CHAPTER 04: Surprises at parties
SUMMARY: m!reader (Y/n) is an incubus, who enrolls into an state university, just outside Beacon Hills, a town that has a quite lively supernatural little community, even if the supernaturals themselves aren’t all aware. There, he meets a shy blonde guy who acts like he is half of himself, and a dark haired one who is loud and can’t keep his mouth shut to save his perfect little ass.
Tags: Teen Wolf AU. m!reader x stiles x isaac. Smut. Fetishes. College. Nsfw. Past mentions of abuse. Physical abuse. Drinking. Drugs. Angst. Fluff.
 Hey, I’m still alive. Just had a LOT of things from uni and work to do these last few weeks. But the new chapter is finally here !
Thanks for all of those who are reading and supporting ^^
The twins are back.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You woke up on party day feeling pretty refreshed. How you had missed feeding. It hadn’t been a full thing, since you hadn’t had sex and maxed the twins’ sexual and vital energy before feeding, but still. Maybe Eve wasn’t so wrong after all. But gods forbid she knew that, she probably would make a parade just to boast about it.
Getting up from the bed, you put on a fluffy robe and poured some expensive wine in a nice glass. You couldn’t get drunk, but you could still be dramatic about it and appreciate the taste.
And so began your morning of choosing what clothes you were going to wear to your “all you can suck out of” buffet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stiles was woken up by the sun making his bedroom way too hot, what meant it was already pretty late into the morning. And also by the buzzing of his phone with a text from Scott.
‘Don’t forget you are giving me a ride to the party
Think your crush will be there?
- S’
Before he could panic thinking about what he was going to do when he saw you, he panicked about the situation he had gone to sleep in.
He was butt naked, blankets on the floor, he had visible cum stains all over his abdomen and chest, his computer was beside him on his bed still paused on a very kinky porn video, and his dildo and lube were right beside it.
Thank god he had locked the door; because that was one talk he definitely could not have with the sheriff.
Red as beet, Stiles stashed everything away and scooted to the bathroom to get ready for the day. And if he had to get off in the shower remembering last night’s videos, well, no one was there to judge him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The party began pretty early for your standards, right in the start of the afternoon, but you supposed the people wanted to make use of the heat and the nearby lake as much as possible. So you arrived fashionably late.
Stiles, on the other hand, had a task to complete, so he had arrived exactly on time with Scott, making his best friend look for you, even if he didn’t really know who you were. He had already pestered Scott about helping him choose his best boxers, in case he had to go swimming or ‘more than that’, and a shirt that showed off his “muscles” (there weren’t any really), and pants that made his ass look big and perfect.
Isaac arrived just after Scott and Stiles, but decided to get a drink and be a wallflower. That way people could see he was there, but wouldn’t go out of their way to talk to or bother him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not soon after you arrived, you could already feel the atmosphere, the particular one this kind of events always gave. It was like a small buzz on your skin of having all these people with so much sexual energy pent up, but being too prude and socially reprimanded to do something about it, so they resorted to alcohol and games. But it only made everything more interesting and tasteful.
Gods, how you missed the times when people would just gather around for a banquet and an orgy. It made things so much easier. Nowadays you had to use apps instead of getting an invitation on your door with a time and place.
But no matter, you cracked your knuckles, and let your aura begin to attract unknowing people into your presence.
Stiles soon saw you. He had lost Scott a few minutes ago, so no one to give him emotional support or tips for this. He decided that straightforward was the best strategy. So he got two drinks and marched towards you.
The only problem was, when he got to you and you two were face to face, he had no idea what to say, and you already had a drink in hand. So he stood there, looking at you, frozen in place, trying to come up with something.
When you saw the boy that had bumped marching away not really into your direction with two drinks in hand, you guessed he was just going to walk past over, but then he made a sharp turn and planted himself in front of you, saying nothing. You feel see his anxiety and lust, see how his cute innocent face was slightly red from embarrassment, so you waved your hand and the people near you quickly dispersed.
“Yes?”
“Hi! I was just over there, and thought that maybe you wanted a drink, because it’s a party and everybody wants to drink right? So maybe want to drink with me? But you already have one, and getting drinks from strangers at parties really isn’t so smart. So that’s it, I’m gonna go. Bye!” He rambled. This boy was a mess, a hot anxious mess, but a mess.
“Wait.” You held his arm, making him pause and look at you. “Stiles, right?” Getting a nod from him in response. “You know what? I need a drink…” You said pouring yours to the ground. “…and a cute guy just happens to have offered me one.” You finished, taking one of the cups from his hand.
“Yeah? Cool… Wait, how do you know my name?”
“Yesterday, when you ran into me, the twins said it.”
“Oh, yeah…” Stiles had been so entranced and embarrassed he hadn’t even noticed. “So, Ethan and Aiden are your friends?”
“Them? Not at all, they just offered to show me around, but we didn’t get along so well, so I dished then and went home right after.”
“That’s great!” he said before he could think. “I mean… that you didn’t spend too long with then, with Ethan…” He just blushed and looked at his drink.
“So, are you going to ask for my name too or are you just going to parade that hot look of yours away and make me guess?”
That comment almost made Stiles crush his cup and blush beet red. “Oh my God, sorry! Yes, what’s your name?! I mean, I heard the twins calling you, so I know, but not in creep way?”
“It’s (Y/n), nice to finally meet you.” You took a step closer, smiling.
Both of you spent some more time talking, well most of the time Stiles was rambling, but you thought it was cute. As time went on, and he started to notice you were giving way too clear signs you were into him, he got more comfortable. But the boy had practically invited himself to show you all over town in sort of dates.
-------------------
Nearby, Isaac was getting another beer and trying to avoid the crowd. Not that having 3 or even 10 would have much effect on wolf, but still. He was, however, ever so worried about the time. He couldn’t even enjoy being out, too deep into thought, because he was worried what his father would do if he knew Isaac was spending his day drinking on a college party instead of studying, cleaning the house or something considered useful.
And that’s probably how he got himself into a bad situation. Just as he was getting away from the crowd, the twins noticed him and started following. As soon as they far enough, they really approached Isaac.
Ever since they came into town way back with the alpha pack and were beaten by the Scott – Hale pack groups (Isaac included), they were the only ones left, so they held a pretty big grudge on them. Still, they couldn’t do anything publicly or face the head on. So they resorted to some bullying and pranks over time. Now, the wanted their own pack to rule, enough with all those alphas in one single town.
Ethan was the first to speak up, startling Isaac.
“Hey bro, look who do we have here? I think I smell loneliness and fear. Don’t you?” That only made Aiden smile and Isaac grip his bottle harder.
“What do the two of you want?”
“Oh my, so snarky, I guess Hale really didn’t want a brat as charity work on his pack hmn? Word around is that scarf boy here was kicked to the curb.” By now Isaac’s teeth were gritting and his eyes ready to flash yellow. He was holding himself, because he knew he couldn’t take an alpha, even less two.
“Is that so? Word around town is that not even his own father can stand him presence. That blondie is only good to be a punching bag and cleaning the house.”
That made Isaac’s blood run cold. He lost control of his grip on the bottle, squeezing it too hard. By now he was bawling the glass shards into a fist and could barely feel it. All he could think was ‘how could they know?’, ‘did Derek tell on him?’, ‘did his father brag about doing those things to him?’. Isaac wanted to run away, wanted to punch those two, wanted to do something, but he couldn’t move. What if they told on him? If world got out, what would people think? How would they look at him? It was too much to even imagine, he could feel the fear taking control of his mind.
“Is that so Ethan? If bitch boy is so useless no one wants him around, maybe we should just make everyone a favor and get rid of him? Bet not even dear old dad would miss him. We can just send a maid on his place and the coach won’t know the difference.” Aiden said with a creepy smile, cracking his knuckles and taking a few steps into Isaac’s direction.
“Wait Aiden, I have a better idea.” Stopping his brother with a hand on his shoulder. “Can’t you smell? His fear is so strong he is probably about to pee his pants. There is no need to kill him.” He took came even closer, by now he was at arm’s length from Isaac. “After all, if he is so useful, we could add him to our pack and keep him around. It’ll be good to let off some steam.”
Ethan was pretty sure he and his twin had different definitions of “letting off steam” when talking about this. But he did miss having someone to train (beat up) from time to time. And if this put them one step closer to having a big pack, all the more reason. “Okay.”
Isaac could already see their eyes flashing red, his flashing yellow in response. He was afraid and angry, but if alphas made him submit, there was nothing he could do.
-------------------
After realizing he had, yet again, accidentally and clumsy invited you to date out of the blue, Stiles wanted to crawl into a whole right there and hide until he died. He swore he was blushing so hard he wouldn’t even need a jacket for the chilly night ahead. But you were still there, and even laughing at his stupid jokes, so he also just wanted to lean in and snog your face off like a proper gentleman.
While trying to make not so obvious that he was looking very hard at your eyes, your crotch and you lips, he caught sight of Isaac. Which in itself was weird, the blond had been avoiding him and the pack for a while now, much more at these events. He really liked and cared for Isaac, even if they spent only a few moments together. And he knew Isaac cared for the people of his pack, even if he didn’t voice it to Scott. But one day, he just stopped going to Derek’s and started avoiding everyone. What he saw next sent flags on his head, the twins following Isaac to a desert part of the woods. Something was definitely up
He stopped talking and paying attention to you midsentence, turning to look for Scott. Fishing his phone he even tried to call his friend and send a quick text telling where he was but nothing.
“Hey Stiles, is everything okay? You look a little off.” You could feel it, but couldn’t really tell him.
“Sorry, yeah, I just saw someone I know; I guess they might need a hand. Be right back? I’m really, really sorry. Please be here later? Or I’ll call you? And if you see a brooding dark haired guy with kind eyes called Scott tell him I ran in that direction?” Was all he said, marching into Isaac’s direction. Of course, without giving you his number.
Looking at his big butt in those tight jeans running away, your only response was “For the gods, why do I have to be curious?” And went after that ass.
-------------------
By the time Stiles arrived, things were ready to turn sour. The twins had their eyes flashing against Isaac’s. He was already visibly struggling to keep standing up. So, he did the smartest thing he could think of, he threw his drink on Aiden and ran to Isaac’s side. That gave the blond a breather while the twins took a few steps back at the sudden turn of events.
“What the fuck?! Stiles? What are you doing here?” Aiden spat, looking at his soaked clothes.
“Why do you have to be everywhere? Doesn’t Scott keep you on a leash or something?” The other twin completed.
“And what about the two of you? Don’t you two have someone else to pick on?” Stiles responded half standing in front of Isaac.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but we were just getting to know our new pack mate.”
“Cut the crap. Isaac’s part of Derek’s pack. And if you don’t back down, he will go after you.”
Now it was Aiden who responded with an evil grin. “Didn’t you get the notice? Isaac boy was kicked out. Nobody wants him around anymore. So we are doing him a solid and letting him join us.”
“Is that true Isaac?” Stiles asked the boy crouching besides him. But Isaac couldn’t respond, what was he going to say? Tell the truth why he ran away from Derek’s pack? If he fought back, were the twins going to tell on him, on what his father did to him? Silence was all he could respond with.
Stiles wasn’t buying the twins words, but Isaac wasn’t even looking at him. And if they fought, well, he wouldn’t even be able to run very far to be honest. And run while carrying Isaac was even less of an option.
Aiden started to make his way to the duo, already fed up with Stiles presence. “Now get out of here, unless you want a bite as a farewell gift.”
Just as he was about to grab Stiles arm to yank him out of there, he suddenly felt a chill creep up on his spine. An arm was over his, another on his neck, both keeping him rocked into place, and you talking right beside his ear.
“Now, now, doing that wouldn’t be very nice would it?”
It all happened in an instant for them, one moment you weren’t there and then you were. As soon as Ethan noticed you, his claws came out and was about to dash at your throat. But as soon as his red eyes crossed with you incandescent ones, all he could feel was pain. He could barely move because of it.
Aiden, seeing his twin, tried to free himself, but couldn’t move an inch, your fingers on his neck starting to dig deeper and draw blood. You came close to his ear again and whispered “down boy”, which only made him angrier, before tossing him into a tree.
When you broke eye contact with Ethan and threw Aiden, the first could feel the pain going away, but didn’t move, not understanding what happened. As he got up, the second could feel some of his ribs had cracked on impact. While you made your way to a dumbfounded Stiles Isaac pair. The dark haired boy considered running again, but you had just protected both of them, so you weren’t just going to kill them. Right?
“You two okay?”
“Y-yeah… But how did you? When did you? Why…?” Stiles just darted his eyes from you to the twins, not really understanding everything.
Isaac put a protective arm in front of Stiles who was obviously lost in his own questions. “Who are you?”
“Yeah, who the hell are you?! And what are you?” Aiden followed, feeling his bones heal. You only smiled and turned around.
“Oh, don’t tell me the two of you already forgot? After you so kindly invited me to your room just yesterday?”
The twins stared at each other, but couldn’t remember you at all. So you looked to them and spoke a single word “… remember…” in a voice that sounded like an echo, eyes glowing again. And all of a sudden, some of the memories you had taken from them rushed back in, the kisses, them taking off their clothes, kneeling in front of you in their underwear, laying naked on the bed, posing for pictures. That made the twins loose some balance and get embarrassed at the recollection.
“Now, I and these two are going to leave. I trust you two aren’t going to follow. After all, I took some nice picks yesterday, wouldn’t  want those getting around.” You winked at the twins and extended a hand to Stiles.
Isaac didn’t know what to think of all of this, but Stiles seemed to trust you enough to take your hand. So when you did the same to him, he accepted the help to get up. Both of them following you to your car.
-------------------
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fandomrewrites · 3 years
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Season 3a; Episode 4: Unleashed
Sorry I’m a day late, I had some family things come up and didn’t have the chance to update. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and as always constructive criticism is appreciated. Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist!
Season 3a; Episode 4: Unleashed
Pairings: Scott McCall x Twin Sister, Lydia Martin x Best Friend, Isaac Lahey x Reader
Warnings: None
Word Count: 2,277
Season 3a masterlist
The next morning Lydia and I both took our time getting ready, "You are not wearing jeans."
I stop pulling up my pants looking at Lydia with wide eyes, "What? Why not?"
"You said Isaac is coming back to school today. That means you need to look extra cute."
"I'm pretty sure 'looking extra cute' to him would mean going to school nude and that's illegal."
She rolls her eyes but can't hide the smile that falls onto her lips. She moves to her closet and pulls out a plaid skirt. "Put this on. Keep the shirt and jacket that you brought." She paused looking through her drawers, "Knee high socks and your shoes."
I playfully roll my eyes but do as she says. 
"Better?" I ask.
She smiles and nods, "Much."
 *_*_*_*_*_*_*
 I sat next to Isaac in Mr. Harris' physics class. I pull out my notebook to take notes but before class even begins I involuntarily let out a pained gasp. Isaac and Scott immediately looked at me in concern. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" Isaac whispers.
I nod, "Mr. Harris?" I call out raising a hand. Once he turns and looks at me I continue, "Could I go to the nurse?"
He nods, "Quickly, Miss McCall." I nod and jump out of the seat. Instead of going to the nurses office though I head to the closest bathroom and lean against the wall clutching my stomach.
I pull out my phone and call Derek. He doesn't answer which is what confirmed to me that something was wrong. I hastily put my phone away and push off the wall. I leave the bathroom and quickly start to make my way out of the building.
"Miss McCall, where do you think you're going?" A voice stops me.
I cringe, "Oh... uh. This isn't the way to the nurses office?" I try to smile at the secretary who stopped me from leaving. 
She raises an eyebrow, "Lunch detention Miss McCall. Get back to class."
I stiffly nod and head back to class. As I sit back down I notice Isaac looks rather angry. "What happened?" I whisper, eyebrows knitting together in concern.
"I got lunchtime detention for something I didn't even do."
I sigh, "At least we'll be together then."
Scott leans forward at my words, "What did you do?"
"The secretary caught me trying to leave the school."
 *_*_*_*_*_*
 Once class got out Isaac, Scott and I headed towards Isaac's locker. "Okay, so why were you trying to leave the school?" Scott asks.
"I think Derek is in danger. Or at least was. I don't have any more pain." Isaac looks at me with worry evident in his eyes. I lay my hand on his arm and gently give it a squeeze, "Don't worry. I'm sure he's fine. It's Derek afterall. I don't know if you met the guy but he's too stubborn to die."
This coaxes a smile out of both Isaac and Scott. Scott then turns to Isaac, "Don't let the twins bother you. If all they want right now is to piss you off, then don't give in. They're just trying to get to you."
"Not just me." Isaac replies, looking at something over mine and Scott's shoulders.
We both turn to see what he's looking at. I sigh seeing Aiden with Lydia. "I'll warn Lydia. No promises that she'll listen to me though." 
Once Aiden steps away from Lydia, Scott turns his attention back to Isaac and I. "What?" He asks looking at Isaac.
"Now they're getting to you." He simply replies.
Isaac and I turn to head to lunch detention. Once in the room I spot Allison and make my way towards her. Isaac hesitantly followed me. "Hey." I greet quietly.
She gives me a small smile, "Hey."
Harris turns away from the board and points to the first two students, "The two of you will wash all of the boards on this wing." He moves to the next three students, Allison being in this group, "You three will re-shelve the library."
Harris then turns to Isaac and me, "Restocking the janitor's closet."
Once dismissed Isaac and I make our way to the janitor's closet. We quietly start restocking the shelves, our elbows accidently knocking into each other, "Sorry." He says.
"Are you alright?" I ask, hearing his heart beat rapidly. 
"Just not big on small spaces." My eyes widen at the realization. 
"Shit Isaac. I totally forgot. Let's go tell Harris, maybe he can put you somewhere else."
He shakes his head, "I'll be fine I just have to focus on something else."
"Okay, well, let's talk about something then." I turn to continue restocking the shelves.
"Like what?"
"Um, I don't know." I pause thinking, "How about where you want to go on our date?"
"We're going on a date?"
"Well only if you want to." I start to blush, happy that it's dark in the closet.
He doesn't get the chance to reply because the sound of the door clicking shut catches our attention. We share a nervous look then Isaac reaches for the knob, turning it. He tries pushing it forward but the door doesn't budge.
"Maybe it locks from the outside?" I suggest.
"Or something's blocking it." He says, trying to push the door open once more. He steps back and starts breathing heavy. 
"Isaac, let me call for help." Instead of listening to me he shoves his shoulder into the shoulder, desperately trying to open the door. 
He lets out a frustrated shout, his breath comes out more and more ragged. "Isaac." I try again to get his attention. When he ignores me once more I finally grab his shoulder and turn him around. 
His eyes start glowing yellow as his chest rises and falls with his breaths. I instantly reach up gently grabbing his face between my hands and pulling him down into a kiss. 
He sucks in a breath at the contact. After a brief moment his hands tightly grip my hips, pulling me closer. His lips start to move against mine, all thoughts of the small space leaving his mind.
I slowly pull away and open my eyes. Isaac keeps his eyes closed as he rests his forehead on mine. "Better?" I quietly ask.
"Yeah. Thank you."
I smile and tilt my head up to kiss him once more. As I pull away I reach my hand into my pocket to pull out my phone. "Let me call Scott." Isaac nods but doesn't release the tight grip on my hips. 
"Hey Scott? Isaac and I need you to get us out of the janitor's closet."
"Be right there." Once the door is open we all eye the soda machine that was pushed in front of the door. "They want to get someone hurt. We just got lucky that it was you two together."
"So are we going to do something?" Isaac asks.
"Yeah. I'm going to get them angry. Really angry."
 *_*_*_*_*_*
 Scott and I quickly hurry into Ms. Blake's English class. Scott grabs the seat next to Ethan and I sit behind him, next to Aiden. Ms. Blake starts talking as Scott and I give them both bright smiles.
Scott and I reach into our bags to pull out our books. I then wait for Scott to take out one of the motorcycle parts. He reaches into his bag and pulls out one of the parts. He sets it down on his desk with a clunk, "That looks kinda important." 
Both Ethan and Aiden sit up in alarm. I then reach down and pull out another motorcycle part, "I have no idea what this is ." I innocently flutter my eyelashes at Aiden as he starts clenching his jaw. 
His head swivels around to face the hall, "Aiden, wait-don't!" Ethan tries to get his twin to stop. Scott turns around to look at me, both of us smirking.
The students and Ms. Blake all move to the hall as the sound of the motorcycle fills the halls. Isaac and Allison move to join Scott and I. We make sure to stand right behind Ms. Blake so we get a good view of the twins.
Ms. Blake instantly starts speaking when her eyes land on Aiden and his motorcycle, "You've got to be kidding me. You know this is going to result in a suspension?"
Scott, Isaac, Allison, and I all start to smile wider at Ms. Blake's statement. 
 *_*_*_*_*_*
 After school lets out I feel a buzz in my pocket. I reach in grabbing my phone. It's a text from Lydia telling me to meet her in the music room. "Hey, what's going on?" I ask as I spot Lydia standing by the piano.
She gestures to the instrument so I walk over to look. On the top are bloody scratch marks dug into the wood. My mouth falls open in shock. "Stiles is on his way too. Also why didn't you tell me about the twins?"
"I was going to. I just didn't realize that they were Alpha's until today. How did you find out?" 
"Stiles told me when he was talking about the human sacrifices."
I nod but don't get the chance to answer as Stiles and Dr. Deaton walk into the room. "Okay, now that you're all here, listen to this."
Lydia hits a button to play a recording that the music teacher made before he was taken. After listening for a few minutes Deaton reaches over to stop the recording, "Can we get a copy of this?"
Lydia takes the tablet to open a browser and download the file to send to Deaton. Stiles and I start looking around the room to try and find anything that could potentially be helpful.
"Doc, any help would be very - you know - helpful." Stiles speaks up.
"Each grouping of three would have its own purpose, its own type of power. Virgins, Healers, Philosophers, Warriors."
"Wait. Warriors? Could that be like a soldier?"
"Absolutely."
I stop searching to turn my attention to Stiles. He pulls out a picture of the music teacher and his wife. The teacher is in an Army uniform. "Kyle was in Junior ROTC with Boyd."
"That's got to be it. That's the pattern. Where's Boyd?" Deaton asks.
"Home by now. I'll call him." Stiles pulls out his phone.
"Lyds? What's wrong?" I ask, breaking her from her thoughts.
"I just thought of someone else with a military connection."
"Who?" Stiles questions, lowering his phone.
"Well, you should know especially."
"Me?"
"It's been there on his desk the whole time."
That's when it clicks, "Harris. He has the West Point honor code sitting on his desk." I say.
We all exchange looks of concern then rush to Harris' classroom. When we make it to the room Harris is nowhere to be seen. "Alright, this is just one of many possibilities. He could've simply left for the day." Deaton says, looking around the room.
Stiles walks towards the desk and picks up Harris' briefcase, "Not without this." He sets it back down, eyes staying on the papers on Harris' desk. He picks one up tilting his head in confusion.
"What?" Deaton and I ask at the same time.
"This test is graded R."
Lydia and I move forward. Lydia picks up another test, "This one is H."
Deaton steps next to us, he moves some of the papers around, spelling a word with the grades. "Stiles, remember I told you Druid is the Gaelic word for Wise Oak?"
Stiles nods so Deaton continues, "When a Druid went down the wrong path, the Wise Oak was sometimes said to have become a Dark Oak. There's a Gaelic word for that as well..." 
He trails off, stopping when he has the word spelled out, "Darach."
 *_*_*_*_*_*
 Making our way out of the school Stiles turns to me, "You want a ride?" 
"Yeah, actually could I come over?" Stiles nods. We make our way over to his jeep and he opens the passenger door for me. "Thanks."
"Welcome." He closes the door then walks over to the driver side, "So, not that I mind but why did you want to come over?" 
I sigh, "I know we kinda have a lot going on right now but I promised Lydia I would try to figure out what she was and was hoping you would help me do some research." I awkwardly smile at Stiles waiting for him to reply.
He quickly glances at me, "Yeah sure. It's probably a good idea to take a step back from this for a little bit anyways."
My smile grows and I quickly lean up placing a kiss on Stiles cheek, "Thanks you’re the best!"
Stiles starts blushing, "Uh yeah, no problem."
Once we made it to his room, we threw our bags on the ground and he made his way to his computer.  "Alright, so I'm not sure exactly how to determine what she is but from my limited knowledge on all things supernatural I was thinking that she's either a phoenix or a banshee. Both are associated with death and that's really the only clue we have so far."
Stiles nods and starts his search. He prints out anything he can find on both creatures then we start our long search, highlighting any information we find that could relate to what has been happening to Lydia. 
At some point in the night both of the teens fall asleep, papers scattered around them on the bed.
~~~~~~~~~~
Taglist:  @crazy-fan-101 @rogershoe
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jisungsmochi · 4 years
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the coffee shop boy - njm
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new coffee shop employee! jaemin / little rivalry b/w reader x jaemin hehe / just lots of teasing eachother and some fluff too 
some references to my jeno imagine for my nct dream job au series! 
link to my masterlist so you can read the others! 
a/n: inspired by katie & aiden’s story in ‘alexa & katie’ on netflix! pls stream it hehe 
word count: 3.9k - hope you all enjoy :) 
//
the first time you met na jaemin was in front of the cafe you worked at. your manager was running a donation drive where customers could donate toys or books for the local children’s hospital. you offered to bake complementary cookies for each person who donated. so there you were, standing outside the cafe, handing out cookies. you swore you turned away for one second, when you heard someone halt infront of the stand. the person swiftly grabbed a handful of cookies, shoving one into their mouth. you turn back around, glaring at the clueless boy infront of you.
“excuse me! those are only for people who have donated” you sternly informed, the boy still not having any sign of regret,
“my bad, i just see free cookies” he smirked, taking another bite of one. you reached to grab the others that were in his hands, but he ended up pulling away before you could reach him. you felt your body tip over the table, the plate of cookies and some donations, falling onto the ground. you loudly groan to yourself, quickly standing up and brushing off any dirt on your apron. your manager, doyoung, immediately rushed outside and to his dismay, he only saw you and a broken table with cookies scattered everywhere. the mysterious boy just took off, what an asshole.
“y/n, clean this up, now” doyoung orders, as you nod. you hoped that boy never came anywhere near the cafe ever again, or you might as well just lose it entirely.  
“and then, he grabbed the cookies and took off! if i ever see him again i want to give him a piece of my mind” you rant as your friend lia listens carefully. you were both eating lunch at a random restaurant she had heard about.
“he sounds like a dick” lia shakes her head in disappointment as you both chew on your fries.
“i know right! and now doyoung thinks i’m incapable of being assistant manager” you grunt, frustrated at the events of the day prior.
“don’t be so negative! you are a loyal employee and you are good at your job. you’ll get promoted soon, i’m sure of it” lia gives your an assuring smile, as you nod along with her. you were glad to have her by your side whenever you would rant like this, it helped you not completely lose it.
“hey! cookie girl!” you heard a sudden voice echo through the restaurant. both you and lia turned to the voice calling you, only to be met with the boy from yesterday.
“you’ve got to be kidding me” you groaned, putting on a small, fake smile to greet to boy.
“fancy seeing you here, stalking me now right?” he chuckled to himself, approaching your table. lia looked over at you with a ‘what the hell?’ expression, you just widened your eyes, unsure of how to respond to either of them.
“whatever helps you sleep at night” you respond, as jaemin just smirks.
“sorry about the cookies by the way. don’t get offended but, they weren’t that good to begin with” he slyly poked at you. you wanted to give him a good lecture about how hard you worked on those damn cookies but you noticed how lia was getting concerned about your next moves. you took a deep breath before giving the boy another blunt answer,
“you’re entitled to your own wrong opinion. now may you please leave me and my friend alone?” you just shot another fake smile, as jaemin couldn’t take his eyes off you. you started feeling repulsed by just his gaze, why did he have to stare for such long periods of time?
“sure thing, see you around” he winks before heading out of the restaurant.
“who the hell was that? is he the cookie thief?!” lia’s mouth was agape as you nodded.
“he was indeed. i just want to wipe that grin off his face!” you cross your arms in frustration. lia just rolls her eyes,
“he’s kinda cute, don’t you think?” she starts to wiggle her eyebrows as you throw a fry at her.
“you have a boyfriend!” you begin to tease as she starts blushing,
“jeno doesn’t need to know” she jokes as you both begin laughing.
(a/n: yes the jeno here is from the bubble tea girl au hehe) 
you were happy that lia had a boyfriend, but it often made you feel distant from her. you felt like you couldn’t ask her to hang out as much, incase she had plans with jeno. you knew that she would have dropped everything to hang out with you, but you still felt guilty if she ditched jeno like that. you wished that you had a boyfriend of your own, so you could hang out all together without the awkward third wheel vibe. but that was a long shot for you, or so you thought.
//
it had been a solid two weeks since that interaction with jaemin, in which you still didn't know his name yet. after constant hassling, doyoung promoted you to assistant manager.
"we have a new employee coming in today, i need you to train him" doyoung orders as you nod in agreement.
"never fear! i'll teach him everything in my barista 101 guide!" you smile, pulling out a pastel green notebook with random coloured tabs sticking out of it.
"i didn't ask, but you do you" doyoung shrugs, patting your shoulder before heading to the back room. doyoung always picked on you, but you were sure, you were his favourite employee.
you were fixing up any last notes in your guide, when you heard the bell above the door ring. you set everything aside, ready to take the next order. you look up, eyes meeting those of the boy you never wanted to see again.
"you" you huff out, eyes immediately glaring, face now stone cold.
"me" jaemin smiled widely, walking up to the counter, leaning his elbows on the top of it.
"fall on any more tables yet?" he chuckled to himself as you mimicked his words, turning away from him to continue writing in your book. he had some nerve teasing you like that.
"y/n, what are you doing? this is jaemin, the new employee" doyoung bursted out of the backroom, standing behind you. you instantly froze, looking over to jaemin who was now standing up straight with his arms crossed over his chest. he had bright blue hair, a blue denim jacket on, and that damn smirk of his plastered on his face. you couldn't stop glaring, slowing moving to face jaemin and doyoung.
"just train him well okay? i don't want to have to deal with any mess in here" doyoung sighed, walking away from the both of you. jaemin had his eyes fixed on you.
"you know just cause you're cute and all, doesn't mean this job is going to be easy" you muttered as you dig behind the counter to find jaemin a spare apron.
"oh so you think i'm cute?" you could hear the flirtatious tone leaving his mouth. you shot up from behind the counter and threw the apron forcefully at his face. to your displeasure, he ended up catching it before it could hit him. jaemin tied the apron on himself, meeting you behind the counter.
"let's get started shall we. i have written pretty much everything you need to learn in this book right here! it's a beginner's guide, with all my best tips and tricks so i-" you were interrupted by jaemin fiddling with the coffee machine, not paying attention to a single word that left your mouth. you groaned in annoyance, watching as he handed you the cup of coffee he had just made.
"try it" he urged you, observing your every move. you cautiously look at him and then at the cup in your hands. you didn't want to admit it, but it looked and smelled pretty good. you slowly took a sip of the warm drink, eyes avoiding those of jaemin. you hated to compliment him, but the boy had some skills. you felt jaemin's eyes on you, ready for your verdict.
"it's alright i guess" you sigh, trying to play off how impressed you were. jaemin just chuckled, knowing he was already doing a good job.
"i don't need that little book of yours, i think i'm just about perfect" you rolled your eyes at the taller boy, giving him a small slap on the shoulder.
"get to work buddy, tables need some wiping and coffees need to be made" you made your way to the cash register, beginning to take orders as customers entered the shop. jaemin couldn't help but shake his head at your bossy persona. he found it entertaining, but also quite enticing. he couldn't wait to work with you more.
//
weeks had passed since jaemin started working at the coffee shop. he never asked for any of your help, making you quite frustrated that he wouldn't even listen to a single piece of advice you had. it's as if your authority as assistant manager and his trainer, was thrown out the window. you were getting ready to start your shift, noticing jaemin drawing something on the front window with some paint pens.
"what the hell are you doing? doyoung hates it when we mess with the window art!" you nag at the blue haired boy. jaemin just rolls his eyes, turning back at you,
"can you like stop nagging me for one minute?" he responds, continuing to draw on the window. you let out a small huff, and as if on cue, doyoung approaches both of you.
"ooo you're in troubleee" you slyly mutter, waiting for the scene to unfold. jaemin turns to face doyoung, who at first didn't say a word.
"jaemin, i didn't give you permission to do this" doyoung started, you felt yourself perk up at the possibility of jaemin getting scolded.
"but i was kind of wanting a new design anyway, your doodles are quite nice actually. keep it up" doyoung smiles, looking over at your pissed off expression. he just pats your shoulder before heading off to do business of his own.
"you can't bust me, sweetie. i'm just that good" jaemin walks closer to you, backing your up against the counter.
"you are so infuriating" you grunt through your teeth, eyes meeting jaemin’s. he had a slight kindness in his eyes. as if he was pleading for you to not to be so mad at him. jaemin chuckled softly,
"you're gonna just have to deal with it then" he leaves you stunned as he walked behind the counter, starting to take orders.
was he always this handsome?
you shook your head from your thoughts, na jaemin was utterly unbearable to be around, so why couldn't you stop thinking about him?
//
"you know what he did the other day?" you begin another rant, this time lia and jeno were your audience.
"what did he do?" lia played along, looking over at jeno who was invested in your story.
"so, you know suzy? the dreaded middle aged woman who always complains about her coffee having too much sugar? yeah well, jaemin served her the other day and she complimented him! right infront of me!" you started to pout. lia started giggling causing jeno to start giggling as well.
"what's so funny?" you furrow your eyebrows at the couple.
"doesn't sound like you hate him all that much to me" jeno smirked, wiggling his eyebrows at you. you just give him a scowl in return.
"no you see jeno, y/n hides her feelings for jaemin through all this teasing, and so does he. it’s adorable" lia commented, causing you to know scowl at her.
"you guys are being ridiculous! he is so infuriating, no one can be that perfect at making coffees? especially a beginner anyway" you continue being stubborn as your friends just roll their eyes, already convinced you were in complete and utter denial.
you went home that day, thinking back to the times you felt yourself stare a bit too long at jaemin. he was so charismatic, he could practically charm any person who entered the shop. he had doyoung, the most stone cold person you had met, wrapped around his finger. he was the perfect barista, and could even do coffee art. you envied how good he was, considering it took you months to perfect your own skills. you knew that hating jaemin wasn't the way to handle this whole situation, but it was much easier than having him know that you sort of liked him.
//
you were writing down stuff in your weekly planner, it helped you stay organised with your daily tasks so you knew you wouldn’t forget anything. well, except your pastel green notebook. you swore you had left it at work, but for the past week you hadn’t been able to find it. you were slowly starting to accept that you lost it, and all your hard work over the past 6 months was for nothing. you let a soft groan, finishing up your final sentence, as you heard the boy next to you clear his throat.
“may i help you?” you move your head to face him, not realising he was already inches close to you. you immediately froze, unsure of what to do next.
“you’re slacking off, i can’t make all these coffees on my own”  jaemin smirked, like he had many times before but this time, you couldn’t help but admire how handsome he was up close.
“i- well uh, yeah sorry” you stuttered, pulling away from the boy. jaemin just sighed, he didn’t understand why it was so hard to talk to you. he wanted to get close to you, possibly even ask you out, but your repeated attempts to ignore him during your shifts together had deflated his confidence. you caught yourself glancing over at him multiple times during work, watching how he interacted so kindly with customers and somehow always kept his composure when being lectured by doyoung.
you were about to close up, making sure to double check that the bathrooms were clean. as you made your way back to the counter, you caught jaemin in the act. he was reading from your notebook. the one you thought you had lost. he didn’t see you approaching, making it an even better bust.
“AHA! i knew it! you read my book” you exclaimed, catching the boy off guard, causing him to fall into his butt. you couldn’t help but laugh at his exaggerated reaction, before helping him from behind the counter.
“it’s not what it looks like” he just sighs, knowing he had already been caught.
“oh really? cause it looks like you were reading my book, and have possibly been following every single piece of advice in it” you continued to tease, a bright smile plastered on your face. jaemin couldn’t help but crack a smile back at you, nodding in defeat.
“yes okay, i read your book. it helped a lot! is that what you wanna hear?” jaemin could feel the redness flush his cheeks and the tops of his ears. you couldn’t help but gush over how hilarious the situation was.
“and here i was, thinking you were a barista prodigy! well na jaemin, you just got schooled!” you started getting up in his face, watching as the taller boy just shook his head at your incredibly quirky antics. he found you adorable, not that he would admit it anytime soon.
from that day onwards, you and jaemin bickered less. of course you’d still poke fun at him now and then for initially taking your book, but it was all fun and games.
“y/n look!” you heard him call, as you were both closing up that night. jaemin had smeared on a foam moustache on his face, attempting to make you laugh. you just threw a dirty towel at him, rolling your eyes at us childish antics.
“god you’re such a loser” you smile softly, removing your apron. jaemin wipes off the foam, placing the towel away, before removing his own apron.
“you know, i think that all this teasing from you, is really a way for you to hide how much you like me” his words made you freeze. you didn’t want to face him. you weren’t sure if he was kidding or not, so you opted to just crack another witty comment, to avoid any more awkwardness.
“in your dreams, i do it because you’re just easy to make fun of. it’s what friends do” you shrug, looking over at the blue haired boy. you were expecting atleast a small smile to come from jaemin, but instead, he had an unreadable expression. he approached you slowly, causing you to shuffle backwards, your back now pressing against one of the cupboards behind the counter. jaemin places his right hand next to your head, leaning closer to you. you felt your breath hitch as he stared into your eyes. jaemin didn’t want to keep beating around the bush, he needed to know how you felt, and soon.
“ so you’re telling me, we are just friends?” he mumbles, quiet enough for only you to hear. you could practically feel him begging for you to deny it, but your heart wasn’t sure if you were completely in it. of course you found jaemin attractive, who wouldn’t? but to be in a relationship or even start something more than a friendship, with anyone was a huge step for you. you had never had a boyfriend before, and watching your friends experience immense heartbreaks in the past, made you unsure of your own experiences.
“y-yeah jaemin, we’re just friends” you whisper, watching as jaemin’s face softens. you didn’t know if he was upset, hurt, or both. but you knew something was off. jaemin just nodded, packing up his things.
“have a nice night, y/n” jaemin gave you a small wave before exiting the coffee shop. you felt your heart tighten, what the hell was he doing to you?
//
“y/n, i’m your best friend and all, but you’re an idiot. jaemin clearly likes you and you have just ruined your chances!” lia sighs, comforting you the next day. you just nod, knowing everything she said was true.
“i know i messed up. i just don’t want to get his hopes up if i’m a shit girlfriend or something” you worry, unsure whether you could really show jaemin the appreciation as love he deserved.
“stop being so afraid! don’t stay sheltered! if you like him, you should tell him. you deserve to be in a happy relationship, never doubt that” lia pulls you in for a long hug and you begin t think about what you wanted to say to jaemin, the next time you saw him. you knew she was right. if you didn’t confess soon, it would eat at you inside about what could have been. it was time to take a chance.
//
at your next shift at the coffee shop, jaemin came in late. he apologised to doyoung who didn’t mind, as today was fairly slow. he would usually shoot a witty comment at you before he started making drinks, but today he just gave you a small smile without a single word. your heart clenched at how he was acting. but you knew exactly why he was doing it. you wanted to wait until closing time, to properly talk with jaemin. but you couldn’t help but notice how down he looked whilst he was serving customers. it really must have affected him a lot. you tried to talk to him during your shift, standing next to him as he was making a drink.
“h-hey, how are you?” you tried to start, watching as jaemin halts his movements. he turned his head to face you, the expression was unreadable. jaemin knew he was being petty for giving you the cold shoulder. it wasn’t like he could have forced you to like him back, especially since he hadn’t properly right out confessed to you.
“i-i’m alright, and you?” he tried to act as normal and nonchalant as possible.
“i’m okay i guess” you mumble, unsure of how to continue. you were thankful that jaemin had to serve more customers, cutting your conversation short.
you waited for the clock to strike 9:30pm, as it was time to start closing up. doyoung tossed you the keys before he finished his shift earlier that day, leaving both you and jaemin to pack up together. jaemin had finished cleaning the bathrooms and all the tables as you worked on the countertops and back area. you made eye contact with him from across the room. he looked so solemn, as if he would rather be anywhere else but here with you. you sighed to yourself, knowing what was on his mind. you approached the blue haired boy slowly. he watched your every move, his heart beat increasing with every step you took.
“i lied” you blurt out as his eyes furrowed, confused at your words.
“when you asked me if i thought we were just friends. i lied. i don’t think of you as just a friend, jaemin. i-i think of you as something more” you avoid his eyes, watching as he sets down the dirty towels onto the nearest table. he pulls your chin up with his fingers, making sure you were looking at him directly.
“why didn’t you just say so?” he had that cocky smirk on again, which would have drove you nuts before, but now you found really attractive.
“i was in denial, okay? i didn’t know if you really liked me back or not and i guess i was just scared about what to do next” you admitted, as jaemin’s lips formed a small pout.
“you drive me crazy” jaemin smiled, cupping the side of your face with his left hand, softly caressing your cheek with his thumb.
“well so do you” you mumbled while blushing.
“just so you can hear me say it, i like you too. kinda have been trying to drop hints. you’re completely oblivious” he playfully teased, causing you to give him a small shove. you couldn’t help but smile at him as he pulled your face closer to his with both his hands on your cheeks. you move your hands to wrap around his neck, watching as his smile widened.
“bold move there” he muttered, lips brushing briefly over yours.
“can you just kiss me already?” you whine, which made jaemin’s heart burst. he nodded eagerly before connecting your lips with his. he moved one hand to grab your waist and the other was left caressing your cheek. you couldn’t believe you were kissing the same guy who stole your cookies months ago.
jaemin suddenly pulls away, mumbling,
“i knew you’d fall for me, i mean i am a catch”
“you really know how to ruin a moment don’t you?” you pull away from his completely, letting his take his hand in yours.
“yeah but we have a lot of time to have more moments, won’t we?” jaemin pulls you to his side,
“we sure will” you smile up at him, leaning in for another kiss when you were interrupted by a familiar voice,
“i freaking knew it! you two better not do this lovey dovey stuff during your shift otherwise i’m firing one of you” doyoung warmed as you both burst into laughter.
you didn’t know what you were getting yourself into with jaemin. but that was the thrill of it all. he was constantly surprising you with new things about himself. you completely adored him, as he did with you. you realised it was okay to let yourself be vulnerable, you never know what you could get out of it.
a/n: ahhh i loved writing this one! let me know if there were any mistakes! x 
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meldy-writes · 4 years
Text
Luckiest Girl in the World (Daryl Dixon X Wife! Reader)
Context:So I have an alt AO3 because for some reason I didn’t think a walking dead fic fit with the fanfictions I had under my Pen Name’s account, but at this point, I don’t think it really matters. Anyway, there’s this Daryl X Reader fic I’m writing on this alt account and I’m at the point where I’m writing two ways the story could branch, and there’s this little scene from the path I didn’t take that could work as a drabble. If you like this, or if you want to read the fic for context, it’s here. Be warned, it’s pretty long.
Summary: The Reader has been with the group since the CDC, and along the way, she fell in love and married Daryl Dixon. Now they’re in Alexandria and Aiden, one of Deanna’s sons has begun to harbor a crush. He doesn’t seem to realize that she’s taken. (Daryl’s not really mentioned until the last couple of paragraphs, but I thought those paragraphs were cute enough to warrant this being tagged as an x reader fic.)
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Aiden sat at the top of the fence with her, casually leaning back in his seat. The front legs of the plastic chair were off the ground, his feet planted as he rocked back and forth.
“You’re gonna to fall backwards, you know.” (y/n) stated.
“You worried I’m going to get hurt?” he teased, leaning even farther back.
“No. In fact, I think it’d be funny. I just don’t want your mommy to yell at me.”
He let out a snort and put his arms behind his head as he began to rock back and forth. She rolled her eyes, amusement dancing on her features as she eyed the back legs of the chair in anticipation. As she predicted, they eventually snapped, and Aiden promptly fell backwards just as she’d cautioned.
She let out a barking laugh, and a few people passing by stopped to look up at her as the flushing boy tried to shake off the embarrassment.
“All right, all right, it’s not that funny.”
“Oh, I beg to differ, that was the most entertainin’ thing I’ve seen all week,” she argued, wiping a tear from her eye.
“Then your life must be very boring.” He countered bitterly, his pride hurt just a tad from how demeaning her tone was and how promptly she’d always shut him down.
“Oh, no. it’s not borin’, it’s just not fun, either.”
He finally recovered from his little mishap, tossing the broken chair down into the grass below to be fixed later, and choosing instead to sit against the wall. (y/n) kept to her perch, eyeing the expanse of pavement in front of the fence gate.
“You know, if you can’t find fun, you can always make it. There’s a game a lot of us play when we’re on watch to pass the time, want to play?”
She rolled her eyes. “I gotta keep my eyes on the gate”
“It’s a talking game. You can still keep watch. It’s called The Worst. We each share the worst experience we’ve ever had with something, and the one that’s the most terrible wins the round.” He continued, eyeing her with a charming smirk that, despite his best efforts, she hadn’t registered as flirty, yet.
He was an attractive guy, and after she’d saved his life on that run, and yelled at him, they’d bonded. He’d even swallowed his pride and let her train him. They’d gotten close, and they were both attractive, sarcastic, and confident people, so he couldn’t understand how they weren’t together yet. No matter what he did, she always shut down any plans he tried to make to hang out alone outside of the occasional look-out duty, and she always spoke to him like she was talking to a child. A very stupid child.
He didn’t let it deter him, though. No matter how much it hurt his pride. She’d eventually come around.
She turned her nose up at his suggestion, looking at him like he just told her the sky was green, and she was about to gently tell him he was a dumbass.
“That sounds like a game you don’t wanna play with me.”
He asked her why she felt like that.
“Because you’d always lose.” She stated simply, turning back to the scene past the gate.
“Okay, you don’t always have to play the jaded soldier. This world is shit, it’s fucked us all over one time or another, quit acting like you’re the saddest sack in the world.” He scoffed, smacking her shin with the back of his hand playfully.
She sighed, shrugging her shoulders.
“Alright, then. But if this ends up bummin’ you out, you can’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Internally, he celebrated. This was the first time he’d ever gotten her to agree to something she initially said ‘no’ to. Slowly but surely, he was winning her over, he was sure.
“Alright, easy. Worst night of your life. Mine was that time I left that supply run group behind. Usually, we’d go into detail, explaining what happened, but, you already know about that night ‘cuz I told you about it.” He stated sadly. She’d talked a big game, so he was pulling out the big guns. “What about you?”
Let’s see you top that, Debbie Downer.
She smirked, sensing the challenge in his voice.
“A long time before we all came here, we were stayin’ on Maggie’s dad’s farm. One night, it got overrun by a horde, an’ everyone got separated. I was with Carol, an’ a walker fell on top of me, tryin’ to bite into my shoulder. She thought I was bit, so she left me behind, but I was wearin’ a real thick jacket. I was fine, but I had to cut it open and drench myself in its blood so the herd wouldn’t sniff me out and tear me to shreds. I had to slice my way through a sea of those suckers, an’ then stumble through the woods covered in gunk for a whole day and a half ‘fore I found my people again. That was the first walker I ever killed on my own. Damn terrifyin’.”
He was quiet after that, face white as a sheet as he shuttered and coughed awkwardly.
“Y-your turn to come up with a topic.” He finally uttered.
“Worst walker encounter you ever had. Mine was this time at a mechanic shop out in… It had to be North Carolina. A guy tried to--well, it’s not important what his intentions were, the point was that he had me handcuffed to one of those automatic levers they use in autobody shops to lift cars, an’ I was hoisted off the ground. He had the keys in his front pocket, an’ I’d managed to get his head ‘tween my thighs to snap his neck. I was tryin’ to reach for the keys with my feet when he re-animated. I was strugglin’, I couldn’t go anywhere, I couldn’t use my arms, the only reason I got out of it was ‘cuz he accidentally bumped up against the control for the lift, and his head ended up crushed under the mechanism. I’ve had a lot of close calls, but I think that was the only time I ever truly felt like I was gonna die.”
Aiden let out a low whistle, letting her words settle. Maybe she’d been right after all. Still, depending on how she saw things, his might still be worse.
“Mine was right at the beginning. My girlfriend was with us while we were traveling for Mom’s campaign. I left for twenty minutes to grab some lunch, and when I got back to our hotel room, she was a walker. I don’t know if she was bitten, or if she had an accident, or if someone… I don’t know. All I know is that I had to kill her with my bare hands just to stay alive. I... dropped the hotel room tv on her head.”
He shuttered at the memory, and to his surprise, he felt (y/n) place her hand on his shoulder and squeeze comfortingly. He grabbed for it, but she pulled away before he could.
“Let’s uh, choose a more up-beat topic,” he continued weakly, “Worst date you ever went on. Mine was this girl Cierra Mauldry in sixth grade. I kissed her goodnight on her porch, and our braces stuck together.”
She laughed at first, but a long-suppressed memory resurfaced at the mention of dates, and instantly she was somber again.
“A guy I worked with at the CDC,” she started softly.
“He’d had a crush on me for a while, an’ I’d just learned that my dad died, so I was in kind of a vulnerable spot. I said yes to grabbin’ dinner together, an’ takin a walk ‘round the facility. When we got back to his room, he wanted to sleep with me, but I didn’t. I didn’t really like him that way, an’ I didn’t think it was fair to him to string him along, so I told him ‘no’, an’ that we should just remain professional from now on. Next day, he didn’t show up in the lab, an’ my boss sent me to go get ‘im. I found him as a walker hangin’ from his closet.” She took a hiccupping breath, reliving the memory in her mind, and scrunching her eyes shut. “Worst part is I cannot, for the life of me, remember his name.”
They were both quiet after that, and soon, they heard Spencer calling up to relieve (y/n) from her shift. She grinned sympathetically down and Aiden, and gave him the goodbye of:
“Told you it was a bad game to play with me.”
Still, when she got up, he scrambled to his feet as well grabbing her arm to stop her before she made her way down the ladder.
“Well, hey, I still had fun. I got to know you a bit better. I’d like to continue doing that, maybe you could come over for dinner and eat with my family tonight.”
She smiled the smile she usually did; like she was talking to a slow, and simple child.
“I’m sorry, Aiden, but tonight’s not great. Daryl’s gotten kind of close with his recruitn’ buddy, and his husband wants us to come to dinner tonight so he can finally properly meet me.”
Aiden scrunched up his eyes in confusion.
“What? What does Daryl getting close with them have to do with you? If they wanted to get to know you, couldn’t they just approach you without having to go through him?”
She smiled wider like he’d said something adorably stupid, as she clarified:
“I didn’t explain it very well, It’s more like a couple’s dinner party sort-of thing.”
Aiden blinked. What? What the fuck? Was she insinuating that she and Daryl were… she couldn’t be, right?
“You and Daryl are together?”
She nodded as if his statement was beyond obvious, “we’re married,” she corrected.
He squeezed his eyes closed, trying to picture the violent, mean, constantly dirty guy with the long, long hair together with the clever, beautiful, and secretly caring woman he’d been trying to flirt with for the past week and a half, but he just couldn’t picture it.
“How?” he blurted out.
“How do people get married?” she teased flatly.
“No, how did you two end up together? You’re so different!”
She smiled softly, looking down at her fingers as she began to twiddle them. This smile was different than any of the ones he’d reluctantly wrangled out of her. This one was genuine, and bashful, and affectionate, and dazzling. Aiden knew it wasn’t for him, and it almost felt like he was intruding on something he shouldn’t be just by looking at her.
“He an’ I are a lot more alike than people realize. We’re more alike than even he realizes, I think. That doesn’t matter though. These days, it’s not about whether you’re similar, or if you’ve known each other for a long time, it’s all about who you can trust and depend on. It’s about who you’d die for, and who’d die for you. We might not have ended up together in the old world, but in this one, we’ve got somethin’ strong. Somethin’ special.”
She grinned brightly, practically knocking the breath out of her companion as she looked him in the eyes and said, “I’m the luckiest girl in the world.”
With that, his grip on her arm retracted, and she finally made her way down the ladder. He watched her walk down the street and run into the man they’d just been discussing. He watched as she strode over to him, and gripped his leather vest, trying to pull him down for a kiss.
He noticed how Daryl grinned fondly and put his hands on her waist, placing a quick peck on the tip of her nose. He noticed how she leaned into him with her whole body. He noticed how the sun reflected off the ring on her finger, the ring he had not gathered was supposed to be a wedding ring until that moment. He noticed how soft Daryl was for her when no one else was around.
Or maybe, he was always like this around her, and Aiden had just been too absorbed in himself to realize.
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rosebrightside · 3 years
Text
Ace of Hearts
Pairing: Aiden Zhou x male!MC (Jordan Darcy) 
Word count: 1.1k
Rating: G (T if you squint maybe?) 
Summary: Jordan comes out to Aiden.
A/N: This takes place towards the end of the summer after HSS book 3 (or thereabouts)  Since Asexual Awareness Week is coming up soon, I wanted to write a fic about coming out to a romantic partner as asexual. Even though I’m ace, I’ve never done this myself so I hope I did it justice :)
(Read on AO3)
Aiden knew he was supposed to be paying attention to the movie but he was halfway to sleep already. Cuddling with Jordan was the most comfortable thing in the world and Aiden defied anyone to find anything better. Plus, having his hair stroked always made him sleepy so really, if anyone was to blame for him falling asleep, it was Jordan. Stupid boyfriend making him feel safe and warm with his hair-stroking skills and strong arms. Yeah, it was definitely his fault. 
“Hey babe, can I tell you something?”
And just like that, Aiden was wide awake. He lifted his head from Jordan’s chest. “Of course, Jords. You can tell me anything.” He fumbled for the pause button on his laptop, ignoring the slight tremor in his hands. 
Jordan was avoiding eye contact, a tell tale indication that he was nervous. “Can we sit up?” 
After some quick rearranging, the couple sat side by side. Jordan’s eyes were still downcast and he’d begun picking at a hold in the knee of his sweatpants.
Feeling Aiden’s worried gaze on him, Jordan flashed a half smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes. “Sorry, I’m just really nervous.” 
“It’s ok,” Aiden reassured. He took Jordan’s hand and squeezed it gently. “Take your time.” He wanted to mean it because he really was trying his best to stay calm. But his heart was racing. Your boyfriend asking if he could ‘tell you something’ was only a step or two down from the dreaded ‘we need to talk’ phrase that struck terror into the heart of every person in a relationship. 
“Is everything ok?” he blurted before he could stop himself. “With us?” 
Jordan started. “What? Of course! No, it’s nothing like that. We’re great, I promise.”
Aiden relaxed a little, his cheeks warm. “Oh ok. Sorry.” 
Jordan chuckled awkwardly. “Don’t be sorry. I probably could have phrased that better.” He bit his lip, once more dropping his eyes. “It’s actually about me.” Aiden nodded, deciding to keep quiet this time and let Jordan go at his own pace. 
“You know how I told you I’ve always known I was gay?” Jordan asked after a moment. 
“I remember. You said you came out to your dad when you were twelve, right?” 
“Yeah, that’s right. It’s relating to that.” Jordan sighed. “A couple months before I transferred to Berry, I started to question whether or not I was really gay. I just didn’t seem interested in the very, um, physical side of a relationship like other people – gay, straight, or otherwise. I was actually confused for a really long time.” Jordan’s voice cracked and Aiden saw his eyes shining with tears.
“For the longest time, I felt so… so broken. I thought that there must be something wrong with me because I didn’t want what society and the media said I should want. Especially as a guy.” A tear rolled down his cheek. 
Not knowing what to say but aching to comfort him, Aiden drew his boyfriend’s face close and kissed his cheek while softly rubbing the back of his neck. 
Jordan huffed a laugh mixed with a hiccup. “Ha, sorry. I – I get kind of emotional talking about this.” 
“It’s ok,” Aiden promised. “I understand. You have nothing to apologise for. Do you want to keep going?” 
Jordan nodded shakily, brushing away his tears. “Yeah. So, um, I was feeling really down even after I came here because I felt so outside of it all. It was better here, but I still felt it. All the drama that happened over the year kept my mind off of it a lot but I had to confront it eventually.” He took a deep breath. “So I did some research and I found out that I’m – that I’m asexual.”
The worry clenched tight in Aiden’s chest evaporated but before he could say anything, Jordan was continuing. “Basically, I have no sexual attraction to anyone,” he said quickly. “I still have romantic attraction as well as other kinds, obviously because I love you and I think you’re gorgeous. I just don’t have the sexual element. And I want you to know that I still love and like you and that nothing has changed and I’m not any different just because I’m asexual and –”
“Jords, you’re spiraling.” Aiden shushed him with a finger to his lips. He smiled gently. “Thank you for telling me. I know how scary it can be to come out. And don’t worry. I know that you can still have feelings for me without being sexually attracted to me. Myra taught us a lot about asexuality when she came out.”
A ghost of a sheepish smile flickered across Jordan’s lips as he moved Aiden’s hand away. “I thought she might have but I wanted to make sure. I think I got a little carried away.” 
Aiden laughed. “I don’t mind. I’m really proud of you for figuring it out.” 
“Thanks. And thank you for being amazing as always.” Jordan sighed as he sagged against Aiden, pressing his face into the curve of his neck. “That was hard. You’re the first person I’ve told.” 
“I’m honoured.” Aiden smiled. He wrapped his arms around the taller boy, feeling somehow very tall and very small at the same time. But in a good way. “Can I ask about what you’re ok with us doing? Like, are you alright with kissing and cuddling?”
He felt Jordan smile against his skin. “Definitely. I love kissing and cuddling you.”
“Good, because I love it too.” 
“Can we lie back down again? ‘m tired.” 
“That conversation really took it out of you, huh?” Aiden teased, already drawing Jordan down with him to lie on the pillows. 
Jordan snorted. “You joke, but yeah, it kind of did.”
The couple arranged themselves comfortably in the reverse of their original position; Jordan’s head on Aiden’s chest. 
“Now that I’m thinking about kisses and cuddling,” Jordan murmured. “Can I have a kiss?” 
“You may have as many kisses as your heart desires,” Aiden told him seriously. “Any time and any place.” 
“I’m going to hold you to that.” Jordan leaned up to collect his kiss. “You’ve fallen into my trap,” he laughed, pressing a kiss to Aiden’s jaw before nuzzling back into his neck. 
“Or have you fallen into my trap?” Aiden asked. “Maybe this was my plan all along to get more kisses from you.” 
“Sure, baby,” Jordan scoffed. “I’d believe that if you didn’t turn into a tomato at the slightest PDA.”
Aiden spluttered indignantly. “I – I do not! You – you’re the tomato!” 
“Aww,” Jordan cooed, leaning up on his elbows to grin at him. “You’re all red already! The cutest tomato I’ve ever seen.” 
“I – you –” Aiden ran out of words and settled for trying to pout and glare that the same time while unsuccessfully trying to smother his smile. “Shut up. No more kisses for you.” 
“Wait, no! Let me love you!” 
“You should have thought of that before you called me a tomato.” 
“But a very cute tomato! Make all the boy tomatoes go –”
“I’m going to stop you there before you make it worse.”
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asterekmess · 4 years
Text
S3A - E1
Okay, instead of making like massive reblogs of thoughts as I have them for the episodes, I’m gonna just make a massive bullet point list that I’ll add to throughout the episode, so you get One post per episode instead of “Like all nine million of them.”
I put Read-More’s because I care.
Thoughts (of which I have far too many):
I’m in the first ten seconds of the fuckin episode. Why the fuck is Braeden electrocuting Isaac? Like, look, I wanna like Braeden. I have issues with her entire moral system, but I still wanna like her cus’ she saves Isaac. But...how am I supposed to do that when the literal first thing she does is electrocute my boy??? He’s knocked out, not DEAD (not that that’s how shocking someone’s heart even Works) and it’s not like she needs to trigger the healing process. He’s already got Gaping slash wounds on his chest. He’s hurt enough. ALSO. “Be quiet”?? R U Serious? You’re electrocuting him. YOU try being quiet with fucking jumper cables on your chest.
The CGI...is so bad. Oh my god. What the absolute fuck. it looks like Sharkboy & Lavagirl. And why aren’t Ethan & Aiden’s claws doing anything to the bike?
I AM CONFUSION. If the twins don’t have to take their pants off to do the Transformers shit, why do they have to take off their shirts? Can...can I just skip that? Make the big bad werewolf wear an ugly hybrid of two of their stupid ass sweaters? Or do Ethan and Aiden really just like being shirtless that much? (I wouldn’t put it past them)
What is with Braeden and the electricity?
The writing in this show, what the fuck? “I thought I told you to hold on” EXCUSE ME, ma’am. He literally just passed out. His bad I guess.
Guess who has to add the anti-scott tag to this now? Anyway, I hate that Allison’s bit in the intro is her kissing Scott and then drawing the bow. Like, they’re broken up. They don’t get together in this season. Why are they kissing in the intro? That had to have Totally pissed off Scallison fans.
There’s my boy, holding up lizard tattoo designs. Pls tell me he took a pic and sent it to Jackson with the caption “It’s YOU.” Like, yes, way too soon, but man it’s fuckin funny.
This tattoo artist is a good-ass salesman. However, p-sure he’s not a good-ass artist if he had to wrap Scott’s arm up That badly. Like...they have stuff for that. Fuck, the one I got on my ankle, they used SaranWrap and Tape. Just needs to be kept out of the open air for a bit. You don’t need like eight layers of gauze. I do feel for Scott tho. That tat probably cost him like $50-75 before the tip. Oof.
Eyyy, time to be salty. Ya’ll know I love Allison, but does it get any more clear that she totally bailed on everyone after the warehouse? She went to France! She doesn’t even know what happened to Jackson after he got cured. ALSO. Lydia says “Derek taught him the werewolf 101.” Not Scott. Derek. XP
Lydia, honey, leave Allison alone. If she doesn’t want to go on the double date, go alone and make it an orgy. Fun, right? Wait, no. Don’t. You’re 16. Don’t do that!
When exactly did they “agree to give each other the summer”? She said “I’m breaking up with you.” he said “I’ll wait” and then she cried into her dad’s arms. Like...why didn’t we get to see this apparently incredibly important conversation? (maybe because it didn’t happen??)
I fucking LOVE the “I’m just gonna say hi. HEYYYYY! You know....they probably didn’t see us.”
The most horrific thing about that moment was the bad CGI.
I WANNA POINT OUT how cute it is (in a like, sad way cus’ she’s terrified) that Lydia is close enough to Stiles now that she immediately goes for his side and they like insta connect with the eye contact. Not in like a Stydia way, but like, they’re close. she trusts him and goes to him when she’s scared, even though he’s human and you’d wonder if she shouldn’t go to Scott instead, since he’s the werewolf.
SCOTT WHY ARE YOU TOUCHING THE DEAD DEER. Your ability to smell chemosignals/sense emotions has nothing to do with touching. Stop poking the dead animal.
Wait, WHY is there a full moon in that shot? The full moon isn’t for like a week! I COUNTED.
...what? Why the fuck does Braeden think Scott’s an Alpha? Why tho? Like, seriously? WHY? He’s not an Alpha yet. Nowhere near it. And if she knows bc Deaton told her (i think he was the one who hired her) then shouldn’t she know he isn’t one yet? IF SHE KNOWS that she can tell Melissa abt werewolves, WHY doesn’t she know that Scott’s Melissa’s son? Where is the LOGIC?
Scott’s morning routine is giving me Legally Blonde vibes. ~my perrrfectt dayyy, nothing standing in my wayyy~
I can’t tell. did Allison get highlights, or straight up dye her hair brown?
This sweet moment between her and her dad. Yes. Pls.
I will admit, I like getting to see each of their mornings.
Lydia...who are you fucking? Honey, you’re sixteen. Why isn’t whoever the fuck is in bed with you also getting ready for school? What.....the fuck?
Completely different Beacon Hills High School set. I really can’t blame the writers for that.
Wtf Davis? You list Erica and Boyd as being 17...since when? They’re supposed to be entering their Junior Year of high school. They would be 16 GOING ON 17. ANd what the hell do you mean Erica’s birthday is August 16th? She said in the last season that she’d “Just turned 16 a month ago” that was Spring semester. ???? Come on, guys. Seriously. Writing 101, getting to know your characters. I don’t know anyone writing a novel who doesn’t know the exact birthday of their characters. Plus, they cut 2 in. from Gage Golightly’s actual height, while adding an inch to Sinqua’s (according to google, which isn’t always reliable) Whatever. Boooooo.
Uh...that principal was threatened by the Argents. Victoria herself promised to torture him if he didn’t resign. Why does he look so surprised by the fucking sword in his office? For that matter, why is he at the school at all? He KNOWS the Argents attacked him. This should cause problems!
Honestly, Lydia, I love you. Like, go for it. Nothing wrong with not wanting to date and just wanting to have fun. My issues stem from YOU BEING 16. Yes, teenagers have sex. But this is ridiculous. Why is there so much sexualization? I knew a grand total of like....two teenagers who had sex at 16? and like one who did at 15 (which they say in canon she and Jackson were banging before her birthday). Like, it’s not nearly as common as y’all are making it out to be. Knock it off.
WHEN DID MELISSA MEET ISAAC PROPERLY? WHEN did that HAPPEN?
....so why didn’t Derek answer the phone? They literally never explain? He shows up, so...why didn’t he answer?
I’m SO InCredibly Disturbed by Jennifer having everyone’s phone numbers. HOW? In What Way is that REMOTELY appropriate? WHY did no one question it? Why didn’t STILES or LYDIA question it?
So tiny, bugs me so much. He didn’t turn his phone off. He turned his screen off...is it that hard to have him do the right one?
uhhh. Werewolves can smell other werewolves. Wanna tell me why Isaac can’t tell a werewolf just walked in the room? An ALPHA no less?
why TF are Kali’s iris’ and pupils so fucking massive?
So...what was the deal with the birds? Don’t they say later that Jennifer like summoned them? So they aren’t from the Alpha pack scaring animals? And also, how would the Alpha pack be scaring animals if they’re like, in the middle of town? They said in S1 that “wild animal sightings are up” like what 75% or something? “As though something is scaring them out” but that made sense, bc we knew Peter was running around in his full-shift (it’s a fucking full shift, it’s just fucked up) in the woods. But these Alphas aren’t, they’re integrating. So is it Jennifer that the animals are afraid of? Like, does she have sPoOkY aura or something?
More bad CGI.
WHy is no one responding to the woman stumbling around in nothing but a hospital gown?
ONCE AGAIN. Werewolves can Sense Werewolves. SCOTT you sensed Isaac in a BOYS LOCKER ROOM. DUKE IS RIGHT THERE. WHT THE FUCK?
angry smoker doctor  “Why don’t you wheel this joker out of here?” “I’m gonna go smoke” Grrr
Sir. clearly your mask wasn’t tied on appropriately. it shouldn’t just Fall Off when you touch it. there are Protocols! STOP THE SPREAD. also, someone wanna tell me why none of these alphas can keep their claws in? A lil flashy flashy red eye would’ve done the trick just fine.
Okay no, seriously what the FUCK is up with these contacts, you guys? THEY”RE MASSIVE???
Ugh, can I just *swoons* “I’m an Alpha!” slice “So am I.” That is just so fucking smooth. Woo. I feel so safe ohmygod. PLUS. Derek KNOWS Ennis. I can’t imagine how satisfying that had to be.
Uh, Derek, honey. You’re Isaac’s legal guardian. You can just Sign Him Out of the hospital. With clothes and everything. What are you doing?
Honey, what do you mean the county took it over? If they were gonna do that they’d have done it six fucking years ago. Unless you gave it to them, it’s still yours? I did the research. Like HOURS of it.
What do you MEAN there’s a magic healing herb that helps with Alpha wounds? Since when do Alpha wounds need extra healing, I thought they just took a lil longer? ALSO why is it growing INSIDE your house???? SCOTT. Isaac is fucking UNCONSCIOUS. Can your tattoo fucking WAIT A MINUTE?
I have so many questions. WHY does Braeden know who Allison is? If Lydia’s immune to magic, WHY is Braeden able to bruise her? WHY can Braeden DO magic? and WHY is Chris allowed to take Lydia out of school?
ALLISON you had Geometry LAST YEAR why are you holding a GEOMETRY BOOK??
ohhhhmygod, Derek. Derek. DEREK. Your eyes are pretty on a normal day. That little Blink and ruby reds thing? Ohmygod. I just. I wanna take a picture and just stare at it BUT. how tf does this whole red eye thing work? You can see in the dark....but now you also have x-ray vision? You know, I could believe it was thermal vision...maybe? If Scott was still healing for some reason maybe the tattoo would be brighter? Otherwise I have no idea what is going on.
BUT SCOTT”S NOT 18??? He’s Still fucking 16, or even 17, but not 18. WTF? He needs parental consent in the first place (i should’ve mentioned this in the other note abt the tattoo)
uhh...seriously? When someone breaks up with you and tells you not to talk to them anymore...why do you need a reward for doing as they asked? Like, yeah, you’re sad, I feel that. But making it a ‘reward’ sounds kinda weird. You know what makes it really easy not to text the ex that doesn’t wanna talk to you? Delete her number.
WHY THE BLOWTORCH? SOMEONE WANNA EXPLAIN? Peter’s not covered in tattoo from when he was literally burned alive, why the FUCK would a blowtorch create a black tattoo on Scott’s skin?
DEREK. HONEY. Why would Stiles be able to hold Scott still??? Scott’s a werewolf.
All this bullshit to explain away Posey’s tattoo that he got. Like, damn dude, we all like tattoos, but you have a job that needs bare arms on the regular. That was kinda rude.
Where did braeden get clothes? I forgot to ask.
uhhhh. Ephemeral might technically work in that sentence, but that’s still really awkward.
WHY THE FUCK DID YOU DESTROY HIS DOOR? YOU FUCKING ASSHAT. And WHY the instant fucking grr face? “why’d you paint the door?” uhh, leave him alone? He can do what he wants? It’s his house? Also, don’t get all fucking rude about the alpha pack. He told you it was a rival pack.
KALI. PUT SOME FUCKING SHOES ON. JESUS.
Why exactly does Scott see the symbol and INSTANTLY put together that it’s got anything to do with the Alphas or the animal attacks? Where is the logic jump there?
What exactly was the POINT of popping your claws if you were gonna kick her in the face???
UH, Melissa? Why didn’t you tell Scott that there was a whole other person with Isaac?
What is with the face touching, Duke? I’ve never known a blind person who actually wanted to rub their hands on my face to ‘find out what i look like?’
Really not a fan of all these weird jumps and camera angles with the awkward reflecting.
WOah WOah. Allison gets to PAINT her APARTMENT? Wtf kinda BULlshit is that? My landlord won’t let me do that. Rude.
I know they’re imprisoned and it sucks, but they’ve been there for four months, they had to have gotten bored. Do you think they broke into any of the security deposit boxes to see if anything was left behind?
Last thoughts: They really went for it with this episode. I have plans to change a lot of it. Hopefully I can mesh the changes with the general plotline.
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jay-and-dean · 5 years
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Rescue You Chapter 1 : October 27.
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Dean x reader
The original Aestetic was flaggued, so this is my new version of it. Thank you for all the amazing feedback I just had time to read before they got lost
Summary : My name is Y/n. I’m the outcast of my witch community. This is the story of how I rescued Dean Winchester, the story of how he saved me.
Serie Warnings : Swearing. Injuries. Smut. Fluff. Angst.
Words : 2.9k
Note : I really have fun to write this story, because it’s a little different from my usual things. I’ll try to make shorter chapters than usual, and to edit it more often. I hope you enjoy. Special Thanks to @holylulusworld and @roonyxx to support me.
***Want to read more ? => MASTERLIST***
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October 27, 6am.
           I open my eyes and grunt, then throw the cover above my head.
           I don’t want to go. I never do, today is just worse. Maybe it is because the sky is so grey again, maybe it’s because it’s full moon tonight… My mom and sister will bring the community home, to prepare the moon rituals as always and I just hate it. Halloween coming is enough already, and it seems that the meetings never stop. I don’t want to face the community looks of pity and annoyance ; being my mom’s disappointment is enough, it don’t need to be the freaking town’s black sheep.
           But this is my life.
           Being the only child born without powers in a large and powerful witch community is not only frustrating, it’s a curse. And my life has slowly become a nightmare.
           It started at five, when the Coven decided my father was the one responsible for my “inability”. Men don’t have powers, and they are just excluded most of the time, treated like they were less important, less intelligent, like many women are currently treated in the rest of the world… Aunt Kali says we are better than humans because we don’t underestimate women, but I’m not sure if doing the same things to men is really being better.
           My father loved me, he wasn’t close to my sister because my mom never really let him. She’s so talented my sister, and her powers started to bloom early ; but as mine took time, my mother neglected me. Until the community started wondering why I had no talent…
           When I was five, they decided I shouldn’t see my father anymore because he had a bad influence on me. Two years later there was a trial, because they now knew I will be without powers.
           It happens once in a while, a child without powers ; and they always blame the males.
          So they banned him. They banned him and erased his memories, perfectly knowing it messes with people brains…
          I heard he’s now an old drunk working in a factory in Main. I just wish they had banned me too, but they can’t erase my memory of this town so they just have to keep me. And I’m a woman.
        All the rest have been the same, they refused that I do Vet school, that I marry Aiden… Now I just came to agree that my fate may be to stay at my mom’s, and be the handywoman of the town.
          I really try to ignore my mother calling me, hiding just a few more seconds under my blanket, but she’s not someone you can ignore for long, so I get up grunting.
          When I enter the kitchen with my hands in the pocket of my large hoodie, my eyes widen : The place is already crowded with people speaking loud and looking worried. The whole Coven is here, the mayor too, and my sister, frowning like she this was serious. Nothing is ever usually serious to her.
“What is happening ?” I ask her and she looks at me with that common annoyed look.
“Hunters” she says. “Two of them, one is dead, but the other is gone.”
I frown. Hunters ? Oh…
“Ophelia, where were you when you saw the hunter ?” the old Mam Griffin asks.
“In the forest” Ophelia whines. “Sally and him fought, she stabbed him but he killed her” she sobs with her face in the silk tissue. “He escaped to his car so I… I crashed the car and run… B-but… Saaallyyy” she whines again.
           Sally was a bitch, she used her powers to hurt animals, and me, so I won’t really miss her. And Ophelia is a stupid blond girl, but she’s very strong, so if she says she crashed the car, the hunter must be in pieces.
           Mam Griffin sits and everybody shuts up, she looks at her knobbled hands and clear her throat.
“Tell the boys to find the corpse, throw it in the river and bring me blood” she gnashes.
The awful sound coming from her makes me frown, and when she notices, I know I’m screwed.
“I changed my mind” she says looking me right in the eye with the usual hate. “Send Y/n.”
“B-but, he will be heavy and if the other hunter…” my mother tries.
“Enough !” the old lady cuts her. “I want hunter blood, Y/n”.
October 27, 9am.
           It’s already so cold, I just hope it won’t rain. The woods are misty and creepy, as they always are in autumn.
           Their hate of me makes them reckless, what if I can’t drag the hunter out of the car ? What if people follow me ? I roll my eyes thinking of Mam Griffin and her old mouth falling on both corners.
           Good think Aiden told me to call if I couldn’t move the corpse.
           Aiden is my best friend, he’s my only friend. He works at the sheriff office but isn’t really respected, as he’s a man. We used to be really close when we were young, but when we started dating, the community went mad. We were tolerated until the Coven reminded my mom I should never have child, to avoid spreading the curse. So they made us break up, made him marry Ophelia’s sister, and now he already has two kids, boys…
           Lost in my thoughts, I don’t look at the ground and stumble.
“What the…” I grunt, catching myself on my hands.
When I look up, goosebumps appear on my arms.
           Just before me, against a tree : a black American car lays pathetically, windows shattered, broken. I have already seen a dead body, but never one smashed against a tree, so I start to shake a little.
“Please don’t be too gross…” I whisper walking toward the car, my knife in my hand. “No brain everywhere or whatever.”
A shoe, a leg. And finally, all of him. He’s not in pieces, he’s nothing like I could have imagined. The knife in my hand falls on the ground.
           Behind the wheel, the hunter lays, peace on his bruised and swollen face, blood everywhere. One of his hand is holding his stomach, and his jeans are soaked in his own blood, pieces of glass are planted on his arms. There is something brave, something noble about that man. An inexplicable something that makes me, just for an instant, regret that I’ll never see him move, or talk. I stay silent for a second, confused by the sadness invading me, looking at the most dangerous man I ever seen with bitterness in the back of my mouth.
           That’s when I notice it, the small steady movement of his chest.
           He’s not dead.
           I look at my feet and see the knife, take it with shaking hands. I enter the car slowly, cautiously, to get closer to his throat. It smells like blood and leather and this man in here ; and it’s cold. With a trembling hand I raise the blade above him, hoping I would managed to be precise and quick, because somehow, I don’t want him to suffer more. And the truth is, he terrifies me.
           He opens his eyes.
           He unexpectedly opens his eyes and his pupils contract when they meet daylight, landing on me. My breath get stuck in my throat and I just stay completely still, looking back at his green eyes, my knife still raised in my two hands. The fear is paralyzing me, but my fascination grows. He closes his eyes again in a weak sigh, obviously ready to die.
           I try to hit him with the knife, I really try. But my hands won’t move, at all. Looking down, I panic : What if I can’t kill him ? They would severely punish me for that. Treat every hunter like he had already slaughtered your family, because that’s what he would do if you let him run. That’s what I’ve been taught.
           Still…
           I lower my arms in a whine, cursing in my head. After several hesitations, I put a cautious finger on his pulse point, he just passed out. I look around and my brain goes crazy. If I don’t kill him, it will be even crueler because he will die here, in extreme pain ; but I just can’t do it.
“Okay…” I pant because of the stress, rubbing my face.
If I put him somewhere his partner will find him… But the community will find him too, kill him, and kill me. Or I hide him until he can walk, so he just runs away. That’s crazy… Ollie’s ancient cabin is not far, maybe I could hide him there, just for the night, he will probably die before morning though, so I’ll just have to throw him in the river tomorrow… I’m dizzy now. Shit !
           I push the opposite door of the car and get out, then I turn around and grab the collar of his vest. With all my strength, I pull him out of the car and he loudly falls on the floor with a groans of pain. I let him go and take a step back, I feel like I am poking a sleeping bear, it’s terrifying. But he doesn’t move, his eyes stay closed, only his breathing fastened a little with pain.
October 27, 1pm.
           I fall on the chair in a groan, sweating, shaking, panting. Wiping my face, I realize I probably put blood on my forehead, but I don’t mind.
           I look at him, still unconscious, laying on the wooden floor. It took me three hours to drag him in the cabin, three hours of moving a massive man on a forest ground without hurting him more ; I have never done something that hard in my life.
           Ollie’s cabin is my second home, I know this place by heart. When he abandoned it, I made it my place, and now, even if it doesn’t have electricity, I spend a lot of time here just hiding from the world. There is water and a little gas cooker, a very rustic shower and oil lamps. Ollie left because, when his wife passed away, he had no magic heater and light anymore, so the cute little wood cabin became completely inhospitable.
           For me it is enough, and to hide a dying hunter, I couldn’t ask for more. I look at the room : only a bed for two, two chairs and an old TV, the humble table and the gas hotplates, a closet with old pan and a few utensils. And a first aid kit.
           I take it and thank the goddesses that there are some magical things in it too, Ollie was a trapper and was often wounded, so there is still a bit of that ointment that stops bleeding magically.
           Kneeling close to the hunter, I check his breathing once again, like I did every five minutes in the woods.
           His face is blue and green, his lips white, swollen wounds soaking him in red above all of this. He must be broken everywhere inside, I just need to be sure there is no internal bleeding. My trembling hands hold the scissors I found, the dry blood allowing the cold metal to stick on my yet sweating skin. I push his vest and flannel on the side and start to cut his t-shirt open, it’s saturated with blood, some of it dry, making it hard to cut the fabric.
           I hiss at the sight of the open wound on his stomach, I can’t be sure if any vital organ is touched, what’s sure is, with the blood he lost, most men would already be dead. It’s soaking my hands so I hurry to put some ointment on it. The rest of his chest is covered in bruises, and smaller cuts I can fix. One of them damaged his tattoo, anti-possession I think. That would make sense for a hunter… I’ll give him another, that’s really not the more urgent.
           I open his belt and take down his pants, making his phone slip out of his pocket, it’s shattered. When my eyes look down, I frown : His leg is badly broken and I’m pretty sure he would need surgery.
“Fuck…” I grunt beneath my teeth.
           As I start to sweat bullets, my heart beats like crazy. I know I have to move his bone back, I have no other choice, except end his suffering. I did it once or twice with Misses Gerald, the vet, when I was her assistant… But only on animals.
“Just don’t faint… don’t faint…” I murmur to myself, taking his leg above his ankle, firmly in my hands.
“1… 2…”
“ARH !” he suddenly cries out, immediately passing out again.
I think I made it.
           Still kneeling, I let my head fall on the wooden floor, trying to catch my breath. My head is dizzy but I can’t wait, I have to clean every wounds before it gets infected, I have to check his back too, and make a solid splint for his leg.
           During all the process, my stress is eating me alive. The stress of having his life in my hands, the stress of the terrible treason I’m committing, the stress of all these wounds I barely know how to heal. So I start talking to him…
“Okay, stranger, just, please don’t kill me… See ? I told you it was going to be better without that piece of glass on your back… Oh no, you’re burning up… Hold on stranger, I’ll find antibiotics somewhere…”
October 27, 5:45pm.
           I throw his clothes in the river, hoping it will be enough to convince who needs to be that the man is dead. Watching them go away with the flow, I wonder if someone will look for him. I heard hunters rarely have wives and kids… But maybe a friend, a partner.
           The blood redden the water ; and watching it, I take a second to think about the risks I’m taking. His phone in my hand, I wish I could go through his photos or anything, to learn more about him. Just a name would be great. I need to know if I just made the worst mistake of History, what if he’s really a monster ? Or just an horrible person ? What if he’s a violent father ? I heard hunters were brutes… They kill my people anyway.
           Even if he is severely wounded, still unconscious, and that I tied him strongly, I have still that fear of him being behind me all the time…
           I have to hurry. Old Mam Griffin has to be convinced he’s dead, then I have to take diner with my mom, still treating me like a teen, and listen to my sister’s today masterstrokes. And after that, during the moon rituals, I’ll enter the vet’s office at night to take pills, syringes, bandages, and other stuffs to try to make the stranger survive. I have to find a lot of pain killers too, I think there are some in my mother’s closet.
           I have never felt so alive, maybe because I know I could die any moment, from his hands or theirs, maybe because, for the first time of my life, I have a secret.
           I can’t wait to go back, I’m so curious, terrified and exited at the same time. I need to take care of all of his wounds, bring him something to eat and drink even if I have no idea how to feed him. Everything will probably take me all night, I can’t mess up, his life is in my hands and mine is… Well I guess I will need a lot of luck.
           I just… I just want to talk to him I guess…
October 27, 7pm
           I try not to look at her in the eye because I’m sure Mam Griffin could read my lie on my face. I hand her the little bottle of blood with my head low, and my hands and clothes still entirely bloody, but I’m used to be dirty ; they only give me dirty work. Ophelia is still sobbing like the annoying little snot she is and I really try not to look irritated.
           The old witch’s dry hand takes the flak in silence with a disapproving look. Everybody is looking at us, I turn my eyes a little to see Aiden, and he gives me side smile. She opens the bottle and smells the blood for a long time, so long it actually becomes awkward, but just for me.
“Are you positive that he’s dead, Y/n ?”
“He was when I found him” I lie. “It took me a long time to drag him to the river, but his blood reddened the sacred water, Grandma.”
I take a step back and bow my back as we have to when the Grandma is about to tell a Truth.
           She opens her eyes again and they are white now. Her skinny grey hand brings the blood to her lips, she tastes it. Flashes pass inside of her eyes, but too quickly for me to see anything in it except shadows of men.
“Winchester” she grunts with a look between disgust and fear.
A rumble invades the room and I try to remember what that name is supposed to evoke me. I see my mom put a hand on her mouth and even Aiden seem a little impressed. Ophelia stays silent, her mouth wide open while her mom takes her hand oh-so-proudly.
“Dean Winchester.”
_______________________________
 ***FEEDBACK IS EVERYTHING
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Rescue You tags : @thatgirl1456
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cassiabaggins · 4 years
Text
Where There’s A Will (There’s A Way) Part 4
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A/N:  I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to finish this in time, but I did some hardcore grinding and got this out! I hope you enjoy it. It’s more Kili focused near the end, because baby deserves love, too. Thorin shows up for the first time, too! And guys! Every like, comment and reblog means to much to me! I love to hear what you have to say about this AU! Feel free to send a dm or comment on this if you’d like to be tagged! Also, No one guessed, but Fili and Kili’s last name, O’Turner, is a mashup between Dean and Aiden’s...... I like to think I’m clever.....
Taglist: @legolaslovely @polliwogboi @d3-iseefire​ @strictlynofrills​ @i-am-still-bb @fridayfirefly @swagbearfishturkey @floralfi
Previous Chapters: one . two . three . 
Warnings: none! just fluff and cuteness!!!
Characters: Fili, Kili, Thorin, Tauriel, Dis (mentioned), Frerin (mentioned)
Pairings: Kiliel
"I've got a list of songs we can cover," Kili says, dropping down on one of the kitchen chairs. "I think you know them, but I'm not sure." He slides his phone across to his brother.
“We’ve played them before, right?” Fili says, scrolling through the songs, “You know we can’t just start on songs we don’t know.”
Kili rolls his eyes. “Yes, Fili, I’m absolutely stupid and have no idea how music works.”
Will, who’s sitting at the table beside him, giggles. His uncle reaches over and ruffles his hair. “Doing homework?” 
Will nods. “Yeah. Next week is my last week of school. But we still have homework. It’s stupid.”
“That is stupid.”
Kili stretches his arm behind his chair and leans over, peering at Will’s homework. “So, what torture are you learning today?”
“Money values,” Will says. 
“Ah,” Kili says, “Capitalism. The bane of our existence.”
“What?” Will asks, laughing. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t make my son a communist, Kili,” Fili says, passing his brother back his phone. 
“What’s a comminist?” “Communist, son.”
“Oh. What’s that?”
“Its…” Fili starts, then pauses, grappling with how to explain communism to a six year old. “Uh…”
“Do you not know, Dad? You can look it up.”
“I know what it means, I just don’t know how to explain it to you. Its… well, it’s a form of government made up by a guy called Karl Marx.”
“Oh, okay,” Will says, going back to his homework. 
“Isn’t it technically a form of economics?” Kili asks. Fili shrugs. 
“I dunno, man, either way, it killed something like a hundred million people.”
“Wait, really?”
“Yeah, something like that. It was a lot. I think that’s why Grandma left Russia.”
“Which Grandma?”
“Dad’s mom.”
“Your Grandma or mine, Dad?” Will asks. “Mine and Kili’s, buddy. You almost done with your homework?”
“Yeah. Can I watch you and Kili practice?”
“Of course you can.”
Kili gets up. “I’m gonna go get my guitar. I left it in the living room.”
“Okay,” Fili says, leaning over the table to look over Will’s homework. Will slides it over to him so it can be read more easily. “You’re good, Will. Go put this in your backpack.”
.
Friday comes and sees Kili, Fili, and Will heading off to Bombur's cafe. The restaurant is a cafe until three PM, and after that it becomes a bar and grill with live music every week. Bombur runs it during the day, and his brother, Bofur, runs it during the night and evening, to give the former time with his wife and three kids.
After they pull in and park, Will clambers out of the car and dashes around to Fili's door. He drags it open and hops up and down. "Can you carry me, Dad?" He asks, flapping his hands excitedly. 
"Yeah," Fili says, stepping out and picking him up and putting him up on his shoulders. "Kili, can you bring my cajon? It's in the trunk."
"Why do I have to?" Kili splutters.
Fili grabs hold of Will's ankles. "My hands are full."
Kili grumbles, but grabs both instruments. 
The bar/cafe is teeming with people already, typical of a Friday evening. Bofur meets them at the door.
"You know," he says, looking up at Will. "Technically kids aren't allowed in here past 8:00 PM."
Will sticks his tongue out at Bofur.
"C'mon," Fili wheedles, "he's my emotional support son."
"Emotional support son?"
"Yes. I need him. He's here to cheer me on."
"Is someone gonna watch him? I like Will fine, but I'm gonna be bartending, I can't keep an eye on him."
"I know, my mom is coming. And Frerin. They'll watch him."
"Well, alright then, I guess. You guys can set up over there." He points toward a slightly raised platform with a microphone in the far corner. "Thanks for doing this."
Kili shoots him a thumbs up. "No problem, man. C'mon, Fee."
They weave through the crowd, setting down their instruments. 
"Dad!" Will cries, pointing. "Is that Uncle Thorin?"
Fili turns, scanning the crowd. He spots a familiar shock of gray-streaked black hair. "I think so, buddy. You wanna go say hi to him?"
"Yeah!"
"All right, let's go. You coming, Kili?"
"I'll be around in a bit," Kili says, focused on tuning his guitar.
"Okay."
Fili moves back through the crowd, stopping beside his uncle. "Hey," he says, "I didn't know you were in town."
Thorin turns and offers them a rare smile. "Just for a few days. I have a meeting in Paris on Monday that I have to fly out for. Your mother told me about your little gig and I had to come."
"Ah, so the whole family is gonna see Kili and I embarrass ourselves. Fantastic."
Thorin snorts. 
"Did you bring me a souvenir?" Will blurts, reaching down for his great uncle. Thorin lifts him down and sits him on his lap. 
"Will," Fili chides gently.
"What?"
Thorin chuckles lowly. "What sort of souvenir were you looking for?"
"I dunno. A cool one? I like it when you bring me museum guidebooks. I like to plan out trips for when I'm big."
"Hm. So that's what you do with them."
"Yup! Right, Dad?"
"Right."
"Well, I didn't bring you any museum guidebooks this time, but I'll make sure to pick you up one from the Louvre when I'm in Paris, how's that?"
Will makes the 'okay' symbol with his hand. "Fantabulous!"
"Where'd you learn that?"
"TV!"
"You're a bit of a strange one, Will," Thorin says fondly.
"You like me though, right?"
"Yep. Strange is good."
Will beams. 
"Now," Thorin says, "about that souvenir. There's something in the left pocket of my jacket with your name on it."
Will gasps delightedly and jumps down, circling around the back of Thorin's chair to dig in the pockets of the light jacket slung over the back of his chair.
"You're gonna spoil him," Fili says, leaning on his hands on the table before him. Thorin sips his drink, smile lines crinkling around his blue eyes.
"What are grandpa's for?"
"You aren't his grandpa, though."
"I'm close enough."
"Whoa!" Will shouts, having discovered his prize. "Dad, look!"
"What did you find, buddy?" Fili asks. His son hurries over to him, something clutched in his hands. 
"This is it, right Uncle?" Will holds up a small leather bound notebook, about the size of an adult man's hand. Thorin nods. 
"That's it."
The boy laughs excitedly, jumping up and down. 
"What do you say, kiddo?" Fili prompts gently. 
"Thank you!" Will blurts, hugging his great uncle, "thank you!"
"You're welcome, Will," Thorin says, ruffling his hair. 
Will scrambles back up into his lap, flipping through the notebook. "You know," he says, "this doesn't have my name on it, though."
"That was a figure of speech," Fili explains. 
"What's a figure of speech?" Kili asks, walking up. "Hi, Thorin."
"Hey, Kili."
"Thorin said the notebook had my name on it," Will says, "but it didn't really."
"I see. Fili, we should start soon."
"Okay,” Fili looks down at Will. “Buddy, do you remember what we talked about?”
Will looks up from admiring his new notebook. “Yeah.”
“Can you tell me? Just so I know?”
He nods. “I have to stay by Gran, and when she says we have to go I can’t whine about it.”
“Good. And what else?”
“If I feel overwhelmed and want to leave, I can tell Gran, but I have to be patient because I can’t expect her to drop everything, but she’ll do her best.”
“Good job. Thorin, can you keep an eye on him until Mom shows up?”
Thorin nods. “Gladly.”
"Okay. See you soon, Will."
"Good luck, Dad!"
"Thanks, buddy."
Fili ruffles Will's hair one last time. "Come on, Kili."
"Hi," Kili says, "we're Fili and Kili O'Turner, and we'll be playing for you tonight."
"What's your band name?!" Bofur calls from the back of the room. Kili leans in close to the mic.
"We don't have one. We didn't think we'd get this far."
"Fili and the Boys!" Fili shouts.
"Who's the other boy?" Someone calls.
Fili points to the boxlike instrument he's sitting on. "The cajon!"
That brings a ripple of laughter through the crowd. "Yeah, we're not naming ourselves Fili and the Boys," Kili says. 
"We're just two brothers and a cajon," Fili says.
"Okay, that's our name, Two Brothers and a Cajon," Kili says. "And we're covering a variety of songs! Thanks for listening and please don't laugh us out of town my brother has a kid to feed. Alright!"
.
It goes well. Really well. Fili keeps his head down so he doesn't have to look at the crowd (it's not like that many people are watching them, most are talking with friends or playing pool or drinking, and Fili is find with that). Once and a while he looks up and sees a few people consistently watching them: their family and a tall, pretty redhead in a gaggle of other friends. (The redhead is watching Kili, mainly). They play for an hour and a half before deciding to call it quits. Bofur comes over and thanks them as they pack up.
“You two really pulled us out of a bind,” He says. 
Kili grins. “If you want to book us again, we’re available.”
“Yeah, but give us more warning next time,” Fili adds.
“Why?” Bofur teases, “It’s not like you’re doing anything on a Friday night, Fili.”
Kili barks out a laugh. 
“Okay, damn,” Fili mumbles, “just scalp me next time. Holy shit.”
“‘Ey! Bofur!” Someone yells, “get back here and top me off!”
“Would you wait a moment, Nori? Geez!” Bofur turns back to Fili and Kili. “I’ve got to go. I’ll let you guys know if I need you again. You can have free drinks the rest of the night.” He waves and returns to the bar.
“Ooh, free drinks,” Kili says excitedly.
"I'm heading out," Fili says. 
"No, no you aren't," his brother replies, slinging his arm around his neck. "Come on, get a drink with me."
"I can't. I'm driving."
"One drink. Just one. C’mon.”
Fili caves. He does need to spend more time with his brother, anyway. "Okay, I need to be home by 10, though."
"Fine by me. We have half an hour." Kili drags him over to the bar and orders two beers on tap. 
It’s good to spend time with Kili over a drink, talking about life, about things they can’t talk about around others.
"When was the last time you got laid?" Kili asks. Fili frowns, scratching his chin. 
"Uhm… awhile. Half a year maybe?"
Kili chokes on his drink. "Seriously?"
"What? Having a kid really compromises my chances!"
"When was the last time you went on a date?"
"About the same time. I went out a few times with this chick who came in for an oil change."
"You asked out a customer?"
"No, she asked me out."
"And you went?"
"She was cute. We hooked up a few times. Then I found out she had a boyfriend."
Kili chokes again on his drink, and Fili thumps his back. "Don't die, man," he says.
"She used you… to cheat on her boyfriend?" He asks.
Fili tosses up a half-hearted peace sign. "Yup."
"Oh man, you have the worst trouble with girls," Kili sighs.
"Eh, if they don't like kids, they aren't worth my time. The only women I'm interested in are ones who are willing to be moms. Or at least are willing to consider the possibility. There aren't a lot of women… or people in general, who are willing to have a serious relationship with a single parent. We bring baggage."
"Yeah, that makes sense. Do you think Will needs a mom?"
"I'd like him to have one. And I'd like to have a wife. But like I said, it's hard to date with a kid."
"Yeah, I can imagine…" Kili trails off, his eyes fixed on something beyond Fili.
"What?" Fili asks.
"What?"
"What are you looking at?" Fili turns around to scan the crowd, following his line of sight. 
"Her." Kili says, gesturing towards the tall, leggy redhead Fili had noticed earlier. She’s standing beside the pool table, her head thrown back in laugh.
Fili raises an eyebrow. "Are you gonna go talk to her?"
Kili shrugs. "Should I?"
"I think you should. She was watching you, you know.
“Really?”
“Really. I have to head out, anyway. Go.”
"Okay," Kili says, slamming back the rest of his beer. "Alright."
"You need a ride?"
"Nah," he hops off his stool. "I'll catch an uber. See you."
Fili laughs at his brother's starstruck expression and turns back to his own drink. 
Kili weaves his way through the crowd and catches the red head's eye. She's tall. Taller than him by at least four inches, and he doesn't mind in the slightest, because up close she is even more beautiful. He grins at her.
"Hi."
"Hi!" She replies, "you guys played really well tonight! I really enjoyed it."
"You did?" He asks, his voice cracking just a little. He clears his throat. "You did? Cool! Cool. I'm glad. Yeah. That's awesome. Uh. I'm Kili."
She smiles. "I know."
"Oh. Heh. We introduced ourselves earlier, didn't we?"
"You did. I'm Tauriel."
"It's nice to meet you. Can I buy you a drink? Unless you're here with someone else, then I can fuck right off."
She laughs. Even her laugh is pretty. "I'm not here with anyone. I'd like that."
Kili can't help a little bounce of joy on the balls of his feet. "Cool!" 
He leads her over to the bar. She orders a cosmopolitan and he orders and old fashioned, and they sit on bar stools regarding each other for awhile, making small talk. Kili feels utterly tongue tied in her presence at first, but fights past it. She turns out to be surprisingly easy to talk to, quick-witted and sharp tongued, and he feels even more silly. But she's smiling at him and laughing at his jokes. So that's a bonus. She's wearing a very interesting necklace, a teardrop shaped pendant resting on her collarbone and Kili is trying to figure out how to ask her about it.
"I swear I'm not staring at your boobs," Kili blurts, realizing what he's doing, "I'm just trying to get a better look at your necklace. It's pretty."
Tauriel laughs softly, and takes it off, holding it out for him to inspect. Kili takes it gingerly, holding the white stone up to the light. It shimmers silver and blue. 
"Whoa," he breathes. "That's so cool. What kind of rock is this?"
"Crystal," she corrects gently. "It's moonstone."
"Crystal, huh?" He says, "do you believe in that stuff?"
She blushes. "Yeah."
"Don't be ashamed!" He says hurriedly. "There's nothing wrong with it! I'm just not a very spiritual person myself. So." He returns the necklace to her by draping it back over her head. "What's moonstone supposed to do for you? Open your third eye?"
Tauriel laughs softly again, playing idly with the pendant. "You aren't far off, exactly."
"Oh, so if I wear that I can like, see time or something? That'd be cool."
"No, nothing like that. It's just the chakra it's associated with. The third eye chakra and the solar plexus chakra."
"Oh! Chakras!" Kili says, "I know about chakras. From Avatar: The Last Airbender. Does this mean you're the avatar?"
"Yes," she giggles, "I'm on my quest to master the elements. I came here today searching for my water bending master."
"Ah, too bad, that. I can't help you with that I can barely swim."
"Really? That's not very safe!"
"I never got the hang of it. I hit the water and sink like a rock. Just glub glub glub. Hey? Where'd Kili go? Oh, he drowned."
"No!" She gasps, "don't say that! Don't drown!"
"I won't, luckily, I even avoid bathtubs, I am a shower only kind of guy."
"Oh, I love baths. They're the best. You can't go wrong with a good bubble bath. Some bathbombs maybe. A few scented candles. Classical music playing. Man. That's the dream. Perfect after a long day of work."
"I'd say the picture you painted sounded great if I wasn't so prone to death by drowning. What do you do for a job?"
"I'm a nurse. I work in the ER over at Central."
"Really. I haven't seen you there!"
"I just transferred out of school, so you wouldn't. Wait, the way you phrased that sounds like you spend a good amount of time in the emergency room. You don't, do you?"
Kili rubs the back of his head self-consciously. "I am not joking, unfortunately. I'm what people call accident prone."
"How accident prone?"
"Well, last month I dropped a toolbox on my foot and broke two toes. So, if you saw me limping, that's why."
"How often does stuff like that happen?"
Kili leans on his elbow. "You'd be surprised."
He doesn't notice the time passing as he tells her of the multiple stupid injuries hes gotten, both in childhood and more recently. She shares her own scrapes and childhood stories, and it turns out that they both have some similar interests. Archery being one of them. They're conversation is interrupted by Bofur leaning over the bar.
"You guys," he says, "it's late. I'm trying to close."
Kili jumps, looking around and realized the bar is pretty much empty. He rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "Oops."
Tauriel laughs. "I guess we lost track of time, huh?"
"Yeah," he grins up at her. "Want to get out of here?"
"I'd like that," she says, "I'd really like that."
Kili's grin grows impossibly wide and he tosses a few crumpled bills on the counter as a tip and hops down, holding his hand out to Tauriel. She takes it. Her hand is slim and lightly calloused in his, warm and he decides he never wants to let go. He's a little tipsy (maybe a little more than a little, he's never been good at holding his alcohol) and so is she, leaning against him, all long limbs and soft melodious laughs.
"I'll call two ubers," he says as they step into the warm early summer night. The stars above them are shining valiantly through the city lights.
"You don't have to do that, Kili," she says, "I can call my own."
"Trust me," he says, "I don't mind." He keeps one arm around her slim waist as he pulls up the app. She rests her head on his, stroking her hand through his too long hair. 
"You're a real gentleman, you know that?" She says.
Kili blushes. "You think so?"
"Mhmm. Not a lot of decent guys around, let alone gentlemen."
"Yeah? Well, my mama raised me right."
She giggles, curling a lock of his hair around her finger. "Hey, are you busy tomorrow night?"
"I'm not. Why?"
"Because I'd like to take you out to dinner and drinks."
"Really?" He says.
"Really."
"I'd be happy to join you," he grins, "but I have to admit, you beat me to the punch on that."
"Were you gonna ask me out?"
"I was."
She laughs again, pulling back to take his face in her hands. "I like you a lot, Kili," she tells him, and his heart leaps.
"I really like you, too," he breathes. God, he hopes she kisses him. Before hes fully realized that thought, she bends and presses a kiss to his lips and his heart leaps. He kisses back enthusiastically,  his hands on her hips, and they stand there wrapped up in each other until the ubers show up.
"I'll see you tomorrow night," she murmurs, pulling back from him.
"Yeah," he says, feeling all dazed and tingly from her kiss (maybe part of it's the alcohol, but he's not thinking about semantics). 
"Oh!" She gasps, "you need my number!"
"That would be important," he laughs, pulling up the contacts on his phone. He takes hers when she hands it to him and puts his number in.
"I'll see you tomorrow then,"  she says.
"Yeah," he replies, "tomorrow."
She smiles at him and slides into the Uber. "Bye."
"Bye."
Kili watches the uber drive off for a moment, and then hops up and down, fistpumping enthusiastically. He lets out a loud whoop, feeling at the absolute top of the world. 
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TGF Thoughts: 4x04-- The Gang is Satirized and Doesn’t Like It
The gang doesn’t like being satirized and I don’t like this episode.
No episode needs to be 57 minutes long. Is it possible that seeing the runtime put me in a bad mood before watching this episode? Absolutely.
Bianca is still trying to get Lucca to take a week off and come play on the beach. This is weird, right?
She’s using a drone to take a selfie which… yikes. Bianca asks what Lucca has in Chicago to match the beach. Lucca takes a look out the window and instead of seeing FakeChicago, she sees a window washer’s ass crack. Lucca protests that she has work in Chicago and can’t leave (are we going to mention her baby?). Before Bianca can ask more questions, David Lee calls Lucca into a meeting.
A former client who says he’s been “bouncing from one [firm] to the other” (which sort of explains why David Lee and Lucca would both have experience with this client who was at RBL a year ago?) is angry because he’s being defamed by a new play. He says his divorce is in the play and wants to sue.
Lucca ChumHums the playwright and recognizes him as a former associate. She brings the case to Adrian’s attention. Before Adrian understands that confidential info made it into the play, he talks about how you shouldn’t give satire oxygen because it will just go away. Easier said than done, huh, Adrian? 
They DID actually fire Alan North for drug use last year. We never saw the actor but his firing was referenced as precedent for firing Maia. Thanks Alan, I guess? 
(Right, I used to spend most of these recaps complaining about Maia! It is very nice not to be doing that anymore.)
Adrian jumps into the case to prevent the client from suing RBL.
We have to see the scene that ended the last episode again. That’s a little clumsy. Maybe trim the stuff we’ve already seen in an episode that’s this long? 
How does Jay POSSIBLY know that one specific dude up at STRL is blocking Diane from searching “What is Memo 618” on Bar-Swarm? I have questions.
Diane immediately heads upstairs to ask this dude about Memo 618. Jay wonders if that’s smart and Diane doesn’t care. As I said to an anon earlier, I feel like now is the time to get a journalist on the case.
Even though Diane storms upstairs uninvited, she’s told “they’re waiting for you.” Creepy.
Diane meets a lot of people, including Bryan Kneef (of internet blocking fame) and a dude who won’t stop hiccuping. 
Oh GOD are we going to have to hear one of these stupid stories from Mr. Firth in every single episode? No fucking wonder this episode is so long. 
Bryan is mad at Diane for poaching his clients. Diane has no idea what he’s talking about. Diane seems to know that her investigator is checking his clients to figure out why he’s blocking her internet. Does Diane actually know Jay is investigating his clients? Or is she just assuming that’s how he found out who was doing the blocking? Because literally as soon as Diane heard Kneef’s name she ran upstairs; there would be no time for her or Jay to begin looking into his clients. 
Mr. Firth asks for Diane not to steal Kneef’s clients and Kneef not to block Diane’s internet access. They agree, but it’s clear neither of them are going to stop doing what they were doing. 
Jay discovers that one of Kneef’s cases disappeared… when he was losing.
Oh, Caleb’s last name is Garlin, not Garland. Noted. Also, I think I mistakenly said STRL was British a few weeks ago. It doesn’t appear to be. 
Marissa bothers Caleb again and asks him to tell her a joke. He does, but she’s unimpressed. 
Caleb has a photographic memory. I like Caleb so far. I feel like he’s kind of what they wanted Finn to be-- a charming good guy. But we’ll see; it’s early yet. 
Caleb gives Diane the number of a legal code the judge needed to review. In a sequence that goes on 30 seconds too long, Diane discovers this code redirects to another code, which redirects right back endlessly. Fun! 
When Diane goes to check a physical book, she discovers all the legal books are fake. Sounds about right. 
Ah, this terrible attorney who hits on young women is back because of reasons related to the other case that disappeared. Marissa is now helping Diane with her 618 quest, maybe because she’s met this creep before?
Diane offers to represent him (he’s being sued for doing a shitty job on disappearing case).
Meanwhile, Adrian and Charlotte go to see “Cocksucker in Chains”, which turns out to be about an African American firm populated by characters who are clearly supposed to be the RBL partners. Julius narrates the play, Adrian likes to be dominated by the Diane character while roleplaying a slave to Diane’s dominatrix (yikes), etc. Adrian is named “Aiden” and Diane is “Dana”. This seems like a good time to remind you all of the original TGW character names from the Pilot outline: Alicia Follick, David Follick (and David Follick Jr.!!!), Dawna Lockhart, and Will Garvin.
The first time through, I was appreciative (and shocked) we got so few scenes from the play. Usually if the Kings have a device like this, we tend to get… more of the device than is necessary. Y’all know how this one turns out. 
This play, from what we see of it, looks kind of terrible. That said, I think it’s SUPER realistic, and interesting, that a low-level black associate would see all the white people coming into the firm as “dominating” a black man who gets off on being submissive. I don’t think that’s an accurate characterization of Adrian’s actions but if you don’t know his reasoning or how things played out, it absolutely could seem like Diane has all the power. And I imagine that young, idealistic lawyers who signed on to work at a firm that was proudly all-black would not have been thrilled by Diane’s sudden appearance and all of the changes that followed. Remember how in season one RBL had things it stood for and then Barbara left and then all it stood for was money?
Relatedly, remember that little throwaway line about how Barbara donated MORE money to HRC than Diane Lockhart did? Heh.
Adrian, as the episode title indicates, DOES NOT LIKE BEING SATIRIZED and tells Lucca they need to shut the play down. That escalated quickly.
Please explain to me how I accidentally memorized the name of the actor playing Kovac but didn’t memorize the character’s name. 
Diane tells Liz and Adrian about her latest Memo 618 adventure and Adrian keeps asking why this matters. “I’m not asking for your permission; I’m just filling you in,” Diane notes. “Maybe you should be asking for our permission,” Adrian counters because he does not want to be dominated by Diane. “Maybe. But I’m not,” she responds.
Liz thinks that Adrian acted weirdly. Adrian explains he doesn’t like how Diane insinuates she can overrule them. Liz has no idea what Adrian is talking about. So he explains the play. Liz still doesn’t think it’s a big deal and asks to take it over.
She then gets Caleb involved-- I guess Lucca is just done working now? Okay? It was nice to have Lucca scenes in this episode while it lasted!!! 
Liz and Caleb go to see the play and now we get to see the scenes where Liz is satirized. Fake Liz sings, because of COURSE they are going to have the FAKE version of her sing. Her song is about how her daddy is a sexual predator. It’s quite upsetting.
Liz and Caleb stay for a Q&A in which the playwright says the client in the play was “based on” (not “inspired by”). (Actually this happens after my second bullet but meh)
Then there’s a white woman who goes on a rant that feels too ridiculous to be true but apparently it’s lifted almost verbatim from an actual incident that happened at a Slave Play Q&A (I am not New York enough to have gotten the reference without the internet’s help). 
Monica is back! Yay Monica! Nikki just needs to show up on Evil next season and she’ll have been on every Kings show. 
Blah blah 618 blah blah. I don’t dislike this arc but I don’t have much to say about it. Like, I get it, corporations are powerful and the law is fake and this is a way of commenting on the insanity of the world while backing away from the politics. But other than saying that and enjoying the twists and turns… I don’t have anything to add.
Man, I miss character based drama. That’s not a criticism of the show, but this recap format is way less interesting (to write, and probably to read) when I don’t have anything to sink my teeth into.
Adrian doesn’t want to settle because now Adrian is mad. The client gets what he wants and Adrian insists they keep going. I mean, if the episode stopped now it would be a reasonable, even short, episode, and we’ve got fifty seven whole minutes to fill..
Liz is also on board to prolong the case. Lucca, who actually has perspective, tells Adrian he’s not acting in the client’s best interest. Adrian denies it. LOL, sure. 
At this exact moment Lucca receives (and looks at) a text from Bianca, who is still pursuing her. Tempting.
Liz asks Marissa if she’s heard of Cocksucker in Chains. She has, and she is getting a “gang” together to go see it, because of course she is.
David Lee enjoys the play. Diane and Kurt, less so. Julius and his wife do not like it at all. Also apparently we HAD seen Julius’s wife before and I somehow FORGOT?????
Play!Julius monologuing about justice makes Real!Julius reevaluate his decisions. 
Then we get into this weird Diane and Kurt sex plot that is kind of about the idea of problematic kinks (like getting off on watching a fake version of your white wife whip a black man) but is mostly just an excuse for fanservice in the form of Christine Baranski in sexy get-ups. She’s got an amazing figure, but does that alone justify this subplot? (I say no.)
(Also I’d be way more invested in a plotline about McHart’s sex life if it didn’t begin and conclude in the back half of a single episode. It’s sparked by the play-- not any ongoing issues-- and concludes in a cute way so to me it is… nothing.)
Marissa goes undercover as a playwright. Everyone in the group dislikes the writer of Cocksucker in Chains… a lot. They hand over the drafts easily.
Liz and Caleb spend a late night reading smut said by fake Liz in an early draft script to each other. Over it already. I was never a fan of boss/employee plots, and in this era, with this character who has SO MUCH potential but never really gets plotlines of her own, I have zero patience for this bullshit. Liz deserves better.
What really confuses me is that somehow Liz/Caleb is supposed to be about… investigating what interracial relationships are like???? If they’re so insistent on showing this can’t they… do something other than this? Random stranger at a bar?
I do not like this thing that is happening to Liz where whenever she gets a plot of her own it’s about fucking someone she shouldn’t be fucking. I haven’t forgotten what the writers did to Geneva Pine in late season seven for LITERALLY NO REASON. 
Liz would not flirt with an employee. Like, just stop. Liz has spent the last year coming to terms with her father being a serial assailant and we are going to deal with that by… having her make eyes at Caleb? That is not interesting or complicated.
And, tbh, it’s especially insulting to Liz when none of this feels motivated in character and ALL of it feels motivated in “we need a sexy forbidden romance so we can explore themes.” Get this plot away from Liz. 
This episode is too long, in case I haven’t already said that enough times.
And now the scene in which Bryan Kneef, the latest Rebel Dude Lawyer, says the word “ass” many times. I repeat: this episode is too long. 
Mr. Firth talks to Diane about pursuing 618. I don’t understand Mr. Firth’s deal. Why does he let Diane continue? Is he just a person who happens to be powerful who is actually trying to do a fair job and be understanding? This show just doesn’t have characters like that so you see why I am skeptical.
Again with the window washers. Of all the symbols of the problems with office life, this one?! (It plays especially poorly right now-- I wish that my biggest problem with my workspace was that there are people cleaning the windows to make my view nicer and not, you know, that my current workspace is my bedroom.) 
Firth goes to see Lucca next. Lucca says she doesn’t like her new standing desk. Wait. They got desks that are standing ONLY without consulting the employees? 
This scene is succeeding in making me miss the standing desk that I’ve only ever used as a standing desk, like, twice. 
No one on this show has a monitor at their desk. I wonder if that’s true to life for law firms. 
Now Bianca has found a way to make it part of Lucca’s JOB to come hang out at the beach and this is making me uncomfortable. Firth tells Lucca to go, even though Lucca shares her concern that Bianca just wants a friend. Firth somehow has a similar story to share and tells Lucca “the rich are not like us.” K. Sure. Maybe we can get away with calling Lucca well-off instead of rich but Firth? Rich. Maybe not ultra wealthy but dude is rich. 
SERIOUSLY what is with the window washers?
Enjoy this scene of Diane the dominatrix, fans. It’s here for you. 
(I don’t mean that snarkily against fans. I mean that snarkily against the show.)
The stock footage clip with the moon over Chicago is one of the more interesting stock footage clips I’ve seen the show use (plus it actually looks like the neighborhood Diane would live in!)
Oh I am just so thrilled that at the 44 minute mark, we are starting to do a series of unnecessary scenes in which the characters converse with their actor counterparts. What a good use of time.
And the sad thing is that I should like this device… but I don’t. None of this is actually building up the characters for me? How invested can I be in Diane and Kurt’s sex life problems when I’ve known about them for less than half of the episode? How interested can I be in deconstructing 
And I don’t need a scene of Julius debating if he should be honest or not, because the scene of him watching the play was enough to make me understand he’s having doubts about complying with 618.
And you know what I REALLY, TRULY, DO NOT NEED? ALL OF THIS ATROCIOUS LIZ/CALEB PLOT. 
Why is Play Liz so horny? What about Real Liz made the playwright write Liz to be like this? And if it’s not accurate, why is it getting under Liz’s skin like this? I get the Diane one because it was a turn-on and it makes Diane wonder about dominating (outside of the bedroom, too). I get the Adrian one because I mean holy shit that’s a big claim to make. And I get the Julius one because Julius loves to be the voice of reason/hear his own voice and feels like a hypocrite. But Liz? What the fuck is this nonsense?
Liz saying “I’m his boss” and talking about HR does not excuse the fact that we are pretending a boss/employee romance is a good plotline in 2020. And I’m so confused about why THIS is the way they are choosing to explore an interracial relationship.
I have watched TV shows before so obviously as soon as I saw Liz get on the elevator, I knew from the fact that we were watching her leave… she wasn’t going to leave. She was going to go and fuck her employee. Great writing guys. 
This also managed to remind me of all my anger at the Red Team Blue Team Willicia kiss (they previewed it as a sneak peak and I was excited that it it didn’t end with them kissing because that’s so cliche… then I watched the episode and I’m still furious about it in season four of the spinoff.) so thanks for that too, writers. 
Why is Fake Liz’s stupid song so goddamn long? 
“Oh God help me,” Liz says as she knowingly goes to make an incredibly stupid decision I have NOT A SINGLE REASON to believe she would make. But this is The Good Fight, and on The Good Fight we care about plot more than characters. 
(Oh. I am in a bad mood.) 
The client wants out of the suit because… I mean, duh? He got what he wanted and this should have stopped at like the 20 minute mark?
If I never had to see another one of these “boss and employee awkwardly talk in the office about how it’s nbd they fucked last night” scenes again I would be OVER THE MOON. I watched all of Willicia and I will rewatch all of Willicia, is that not enough?! 
I do like Caleb so far, but man, that just makes this worse! I like Caleb and I like Liz and maybe I could even like them together but I am so furious they’re doing the boss/employee thing it just makes me sad to see this happen to characters I like. 
Diane is now circling the word “ass” in transcripts of the deposition, but the suit’s been dropped because the suit was settled for 1.8 million. (I am sure that’s a lot to the victim and absolutely nothing to the corporation.) 
Also Kovac brings Diane a bird because WE LOVE WACKINESS ON THE GOOD FIGHT. 
And now for a scene in which a mysterious visitor gives Kurt a warning to stop Diane from pursuing something dangerous. I thought we were done with this. This shit is what I hated about the Book Club arc in season three: the stakes got too high for me to take it seriously. They run the risk of doing the same with Memo 618. Keep it small scale. 
Kurt tells Diane about his visitor, and Kurt and Diane both recognize that this is similar to what happened last year, so at least there’s continuity. 
Diane says this isn’t about politics. I mean. Not overtly. But that’s the point. This whole arc is a thinly veiled way of exploring how the legal system breaks down when there’s no enforcement, and lack of enforcement is tied to politics, so… is this really as apolitical as Diane wants it to seem? Certainly it’s less political than Book Club but I don’t think a radical group should be the benchmark.
Diane promises she’ll drop 618, then gets an idea to spice up her sex life by modifying her dominatrix costume into a sexy cowgirl costume. (Diane is not going to drop 618. This is episode 4.)
Did Diane just grab a gun from the bathroom? Why are there guns in the bathroom? I guess it makes sense if she was planning this.
Oh and that’s the end of the episode!!! I DID IT!!!! I MADE IT THROUGH HIS EPISODE A SECOND TIME!
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