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youvebeenlivingfictional · 3 years

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I’m Always Curious Part Thirty Five

Previous Part | Next Part | Masterlist Notes: I hope everyone’s having a good week 💕

Warnings: Cursing, a lil fluff, a lil angst. Y’all know me. (Still 😅) Summary: My first couple of weeks had been spent getting myself reacquainted with the ship, the crew.

I glanced back as Pike, Una, and Spock stepped onto the turbolift. It was odd, remaining on the Bridge for away missions-- I wasn’t sure I liked it, but I was getting used to it. In the two months I’d been back on the Enterprise, I’d been on a single away mission. It had lasted a total of five minutes, and I’d translated one word.

My first couple of weeks had been spent getting myself reacquainted with the ship, the crew. There was a fair amount to adjust to-- Paledore was a lieutenant now, and he was training up an ensign the way I’d once trained him. He did have a couple of my notebooks, but not all of them. That wasn’t to say that there weren’t interesting days on the Enterprise, there were. But it felt like I was being treated with kiddie gloves. I wasn’t sure who by-- the Captain, or Una perhaps. Either way, I was getting a little frustrated.

“May I?”

“Course,” I didn’t look away from my PADD and notebook as Una settled down beside me. She leaned over my work, but I didn’t hesitate in my writing as I might've before.

“Tamarian,” She commented lightly, turning back to her food. I hummed in affirmation.

“Your food is stone cold now, isn’t it,” She tacked on.

“Dunno. Haven’t checked.”

Una reached across, plucking one of the fries off of my plate and popping it into her mouth.

“Freezing,” She confirmed.

“Perfect.”

Una was quiet beside me for a moment before she pulled the pen out of my hand. I reached into my pocket, pulling out my back-up. Una made a little scoffing noise that bordered on a laugh.

“What is it?” She asked knowingly. I sighed, lowering my pen and looking at her.

“You realize I’ve left this ship once since I’ve been stationed here?”

“Well we didn’t bring you aboard for you to go running off again.”

“You know that that is not what I mean, Una,” I leaned back in my seat, glancing around the canteen, “When Thaleh was on the Bridge, she beamed down on away missions constantly. I beamed down on away missions more often than this when I was a lieutenant.”

“Not every away mission requires a Communications officer.”

“Perhaps not,” I conceded, “But you’ve had to comm me three times to translate something. It would be easier for me to beam down with the team, or to beam down afterward. When I offered, I was told not to.”

Una turned back to her food, taking a bite and mulling this over. I picked at my own, having no true appetite.

“If I’ve been brought back just to be benched, then I would’ve been better stationed on the Pinnacle,” I said softly; I hated saying it, but I hated how it felt even more. Una turned her head toward me without meeting my eye.

“... He may be more hesitant to bring you on missions now. You understand where he's coming from, don't you?”

“Of course I do,” I sighed softly, turning back to my food, “But if this is what my time on the Enterprise looks like going forward…”

“Let me talk to him,” Una said decisively. I glanced at her, frowning.

“Shouldn’t I--?”

“I’ll take a first pass at it,” She offered, “If things still don’t change, we’ll bring in the big guns.”

“Who’s the big guns? Spock?”

Una raised a sharp brow, and my head tipped forward in disbelief.

“I’m the big guns?” I asked, stunned.

Una rolled her eyes, straightening and nudging my food toward me.

“Eat. No more Tamarian while I’m sitting here— I will confiscate that pen.”

It started with small missions to minimally inhabited planets. There were moments when I could still see Pike’s hesitation, a small twist of his mouth that he was quick to shield as a cough or a clearing of his throat. I never raised the issue, badly as I would’ve liked to. He was trying. He was trying, and the missions were being operated cleanly. The shifts on the Bridge without an away mission were always a little different; I had always known Pike in a certain way as Captain, but seeing him with that ease in the chair, day in and day out, was new for me.

“Why am I not surprised to see you down here?”

I didn’t still in my movements right away, completing the combo set before raising my hands to brace the swinging bag.

“Dunno,” I answered in a huff, a little out of breath from my drills, “What’s got you up?”

Christopher shrugged a little, setting his communicator and water bottle down on the bench, beside my things.

“One of those nights.”

I nodded a bit, sympathetic. I couldn’t help but wonder what was keeping his mind busy: our mission from that day, perhaps? But then, I hadn’t presumed to know what was on his mind for a long time. “Care to join me?” My brows raised in slight surprise at his offer; I watched as he took a couple of steps back toward the sparring mats. “...I don’t know, Captain,” I said lightly. I saw the slight and disappointed twist to his lips, the pause as he prepared to tell me, ‘some other time perhaps’, and I tacked on, “I’m not sure you could handle it.”

I had to fight to tamp down a wicked smile as Christopher’s eyes narrowed at me, his head turning just a little bit, as if he hadn’t heard me correctly. “Was that a challenge, Commander?” “Just don’t want you straining yourself, sir.” “Straining— that is a very pointed argument from someone that refuses to back it up.” I heaved a hefty sigh, taking a few steps toward him as he took up a fighting stance. “Well, if you insist—” I mirrored his pose. “Oh, insist?” “But you’re free to tap out at any time, Captain.” I felt a thrill run through me as Pike’s lips twisted into a smile; there was a glint in his eye that I hadn’t seen in a long time. “We’ll see who’s tapping out, Commander.”

-- “Where the hell did you learn the…” Pike trailed off, making the poking motion with his fore and middle finger. I laughed as I fought to catch my breath, sliding down the wall beside him. “Durling.” Christopher grunted, taking a swig from his water bottle before offering it to me. I took it with a mumble of thanks, drawing a long pull before passing it back. I was sweaty and sore, but I felt like I hadn’t smiled so much in a long time. Christopher and I had sparred for nearly an hour; it had felt like it used to, for the most part. We had trash-talked a fair amount, teased one another. But we didn’t know one another’s moves as we once had. We’d needed to find a new rhythm, and we’d damn near done it. I sighed softly, closing my eyes. I was tired now. A couple of hours before, I’d been certain that this would be a sleepless, frustrating night, but now? I wasn’t sure I could even lift myself off of the gym floor. “You’ve learned a few tricks,” Christopher muttered. I chuckled. “You’re one to talk. Almost took me out a few times yourself.” I was quiet for a few moments, focusing on my breathing. “...How are you?” I asked, “It’s weird, I feel like I see you all the time, but I never…” “I know what you mean,” Christopher murmured; I felt him turn his head to look at me, “And I’m… I’m alright, you know. It’s been quiet lately— the good kind of quiet.” I nodded a little, smiling. His knee knocked mine gently. “What about you? How’s the Enterprise been treating you?”

“It’s been better since you took the kid gloves off.” Christopher turned and ducked his head a little bit, pushing a sigh out through his nose, his hand coming up to rub at the back of his neck. It was stunning to see him anything akin to bashful; even when he and I had been together, I had always been the one to shy away from things. “Listen,” He started quietly. “Chris,” I shook my head, smiling, “Don’t, s’okay. I...I get it. It was frustrating, but I get it.” Christopher glanced at me, his eyes a little soft and guarded. “It’s not… It’s not that I think you're…Incapable, or don't have expertise or skill—” “I know.” “I wanted you to just settle back in—” “Christopher—” “It’s been different, the situations you have been in are different. The bridge you’ve been working on under Durling, it was—” “Different, I know!” I couldn’t stop my amusement from seeping into my tone, “I’m not mad. It was just confusing for a bit. But… You’re not treating me like a piece of Andorian crystal anymore. So,” I shrugged a shoulder, smiling when Christopher huffed out a short laugh and closed his eyes, “So, you know, we’re fine.” “Are we?” “Are we what?” “Fine.” I was quiet for a moment, searching his face. “Course,” I murmured, “Why wouldn’t we be?” Chris nodded, “It’s just nice to hear.” My stomach fluttered with his admission. “...It’s nice to say,” I admitted in a mumble, turning to look back at the vacated mats. We were quiet for a few moments before Christopher patted my knee with a sigh of, “C’mon.” I could hardly focus on his standing, too set on the warmth from his touch, and the goosebumps that it had sent skittering up my thigh. I glanced up, taking hold of his hand when he offered it to me. I grunted as I reached my feet, huffing softly. “Thank you,” I sighed, turning to reach for my things, and trying not to reflect on the fact that neither Chris nor I let go of each other’s hands right away. The walk to the turbolift was pretty quiet; I tried not to reflect on the fact that we passed that supply closet; I’d thought about that supply closet a lot while I was away. I sighed, leaning back against the wall of the turbolift and shutting my eyes. I heard Christopher chuckle softly. “You look like you’re asleep on your feet.” “Feel it. You wore me out, Pike,” I admitted. “Don’t dish it out if you can’t take it.” “I can take it. I can take it and like...Sleepwalk back to my room.” I opened my eyes as I felt the turbolift slow, the doors opening on my floor. “Night, Chris,” I sighed as I stepped off of the lift. “Night, sweetheart.” It was murmured behind me. I turned to look at him, brows raised in slight surprise, and he was offering me this gentle look from under his lashes as he leaned back against the wall of the lift. I grinned at him, and his smile widened as the lift doors slid shut. Those words would ring sweetly through my ears for the rest of the night; that smile on his face, that glint in his eye from the gym. It didn’t take me long to fall asleep. I woke up aching from the night’s workout, but I’d slept well. Chris was already on the Bridge when I reported for duty. I gave him a nod as I settled into my station, unable to help the small smile on my face. “Captain.” “Commander.” Tag list: @angels-pie ; @fantasticcopeaglepasta ; @mylittlelonelyappreciationtoo ; @how-am-i-serpose-to-know ; @onlyhereforthefandomandgiggles ; @inmyowncorner ; @tardis-23 ; @paintballkid711 ; @katrynec ; @hypnobananaangelfish ; @elen-aranel ; @blueeyesatnight ; @hotchswifey

#I'm Always Curious #captain pike x reader #Captain Pike x You #Captain Pike/Reader #Captain Pike/You #Captain Pike Imagine #christopher pike x reader #christopher pike/reader #christopher pike imagine #Christopher Pike/You #Christopher Pike x You #Christopher Pike fic

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otakusheep15 · 3 years

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SFW Alphabet - Asmodeus

Asmo is the exact opposite of sfw, but I still think this’ll be fun lol.

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

He is super affectionate and in multiple ways. He mostly shows his love through verbal praise. He’ll constantly hype you up, even over mundane things. Also really loves physical affection obviously. Not a moment passes where he isn’t touching you in some way. Other than this, he likes buying you things, especially clothes.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

You two go clubbing every single night. He’ll also be the perfect wingman and can get you a date in three seconds. Self-care days are a must for him, and he’ll drag you with him. Shopping trips are also quite common, and you two model outfits in the changing rooms for hours.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

This boy is a sucker for cuddles. One never knows what to expect with him though. Will he simply just lie down and cuddle you? Will he try and go farther? It’ always a gamble getting into bed with him. He also sleeps naked, so prepare for that.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

Out of all the brothers, he’s the least likely to settle down. Obviously he loves you, but he is the Avatar of Lust. Chances are, one person just wouldn’t be enough to fulfil his desires, so he’s very hesitant to settle down. If you really beg him, he’ll do it, but he just doesn’t feel like it, and you might just have to accept that from him.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

Honestly, it wouldn’t be so much of a breakup as much as him just wanting to see other people as well. Like I said, one person just isn’t enough for him, so he’d still want to keep the relationship open. If you can’t accept that from him, then he’d just break it off with you. He wouldn’t want to be with someone who doesn’t understand him, so he’d just tell you straight up that it isn’t working between you two.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Same with settling down, I just can’t see him wanting to get married. He’s also not very good at commitment honestly. If you plan on getting married, he isn’t the one for you. Again, if you really, REALLY begged for it, he might consider, but it would most likely have to be an open marriage.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

He’s surprisingly gentle with you. He still loves you regardless of his sin, and he treats you like royalty. It’s non-stop pampering and sweet words with him. Of course, you two might get into petty arguments here and there, but he’s quick to make up with you and remind you how much he cares.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

Hugging is one of his favorite forms of physical affection. In public especially, he’ll usually have an arm wrapped around you, or he’ll be hugging you from behind while you two are just standing. He also likes picking you up and spinning you cause he thinks it’s cute.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

He says it pretty fast, but not all that seriously. It’s kinda like how friends say it to each other, so he means it, but not in a couple way. However, the first time he says it and means it is actually takes a lot longer than expected. He’s never been involved in romance too much, so it’s still new to him.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

He’s probably the least jealous of the brothers. In all honesty, he’d feel kinda hypocritical if he got jealous over you despite flirting with literally everyone. It’d be more likely that he’d let you do whatever you want as long as you reassure him that he’s still your favorite, and he’ll do the same. If you get super jealous, I’d suggest not dating him lol.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

His kisses can go one of two ways. The first are super quick, just a way to show you off to others. The other way is super passionate and filled with emotion. There is no in between with him. He likes kissing you pretty much anywhere, but his favorite is your thighs cause he thinks they’re cute. His favorite place to be kissed is his back since it’s so sensitive.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

He thinks kids are cute, but only from a distance. If they even try and come near him, he will punch one. While he does think they’re cute, he also thinks they’re gross, germ-carrying monsters and he will not allow one in his vicinity.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

He usually wakes up pretty early cause of his care routine, but he does try his best not to wake you up. If you stay asleep, he’ll get started on his routine and wake you up when he’s done so that you two can go eat. If he does wake you up, he offers for you to join him, or just sit with him while he finishes up.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Nights are spent mostly the same as the mornings, but in reverse. After dinner, he goes and takes a nice bath and gets ready for bed. Of course, he wants you to join him in the bath, but if you don’t that's fine. He’ll just have you wait for him in his room, and then he’ll get you both ready to sleep. If you don’t want to sleep naked, he understands, but that doesn’t mean he won’t try and convince you to at least once.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

He only reveals the shallower side of himself cause that’s all anyone is usually interested in with him. However, once he sees that you mean more to him than anyone else, and that you do truly love him, he’ll begin to open up with you little by little. He’ll begin spilling all of his darkest secrets and insecurities, and he knows that you’d never tell another soul about any of it.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

To be honest, he probably the most passive out of the brothers. I mean, he’ll stand up for you if a demon is harassing you or he’ll get upset if another brother is stealing you away from him too much, but he never gets all that mad about it. The only time he’d get genuinely mad is if someone won’t leave you alone even after you’ve told them to, or if someone actually hurts you.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

He pretends like he doesn’t remember anything, but that’s only to surprise you later when he actually does. He’s another brother with a great memory, and he uses it well. You look at something a few second longer than normal while window shopping? Boom, it’s in your room the next day. You have an important day coming up? He’s there, ready to support you however you need.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

His favorite moment in your relationship was the first time you two went clothes shopping together. He had so much fun that day, spending the whole time modeling ridiculous outfits that you picked out for each other. You didn’t end up buying much, but it was still fun. After that, you two spend the rest of the day in his room just lounging around and vibing with each other in peace. Maybe something happened later that night, but that’s a secret.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

Like the others, he’s super protective of you. He doesn’t show it as often, but he is still there for you no matter what. He’s especially protective of you when you two are out shopping or at a club. He knows how some demons can get when they see a weak human, so he knows he has to keep a constant eye on you. If someone gets too close for his or your liking, they’re getting erased from existence.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

He puts in SO much effort. This boy is so over-the-top with literally everything, and this is no exception. To him, you’re almost as perfect as he is, and he needs to show you that. He goes all out for every single date, and will do whatever you want. Honestly, he knows all of your likes and dislikes, so he will cater to whatever you find pleasant.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

Obviously, he has a bad habit of flirting with others and getting handsy and honestly that’s not going away. He is the literally embodiment of lust, so there’s no changing how flirty he can be. In fact, the only way a realistic relationship between you would work is if it’s an open relationship, or you have an incredibly high sex drive and a lot of stamina. If neither of those suit you, then it might just not work out in the end.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

His looks are basically his entire life. He prides himself on looking absolutely perfect, so he spends a lot of time dedicated to his beauty routines. After all, he is said to be the most gorgeous demon in all of the Devildom.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

Honestly, not really. Yes, he loves you, but he could live without you. After all, he has plenty others at his beck and call, so he honestly wouldn’t mind that much if you left him. At most, he’d feel sad for a few days, but he’d bounce back pretty quickly compared to the others.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

I headcanon him to be genderfluid. And no, not because he’s the feminine one of the brothers. It honestly has to do with his powers. Y’all know how Loki in the original myths was genderfluid and would often shapeshift in order to seduce people? Well, I imagine he would do something similar. Cause, as we know, not everyone likes men. So he’d shapeshift in order to seduce someone. Plus, I could also just see him not really caring about pronouns.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

He cannot stand someone who tries to change him. Yes, he understands that his lust can cause problems. No, he cannot change that about himself, even if he wanted to. And if someone tries to force him to stop, it’s an instant deal breaker for him.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

It’s no secret that he likes to sleep naked, but it goes a bit deeper than that. He loves skin-to-skin contact because it makes him feel warm. Not warm as in literally (although it does that too) but it just makes him feel nice. It reminds him of the inner warmth he felt as an angel all those years ago, and he just wants to have that same warmth back.

Note: this one kinda makes it sound like I’m trying to hate on Asmo, but I promise I’m not. I love him very much, and this was not meant to shine a bad light on him at all. I just don’t like when people do relationship headcanons like these with him and treat him as though he’d be 100% loyal all the time. Of course, he loves MC above all else besides himself but he would still flirt with and seduce other people, and I feel like people just kinda sweep that under the rug.

#OBEY ME #shall we date obey me #shall we date asmodeus #asmodeous #headcanon #sfw alphabet

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hopelesshawks · 3 years

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Official Accounts Part 30- Your Own Words

Summary: (y/n) was perfectly happy remaining anonymous, even if her best friends were all pro heroes and she worked under THE Hawks. Handling the technical aspects of hero work from the background suited her just fine, thank you very much. That goes out the window when suddenly her twitter blows up thanks Denki and the famed no. 2 hero is asking her to run his own official twitter as a result

If you don’t want to see Official Accounts content blacklist #hopelessoa

Masterlist

He shouldn’t have stormed off. Hawks knows he shouldn’t have stormed off and when you walked past the living room to go to your bedroom he shouldn’t have pretended to be asleep already like a coward. But he didn’t know what else to do. He had based his entire career on Endeavor and the HPSC. He had long ago accepted the HPSC were not the bastion of morality he thought they were as a kid, but Endeavor? That was his hero. If what you said was true then the entire foundation he’d built his career on is rotten to the absolute core. The commission had to have known as well, which would make them complicit in the abuse of at least two children. Three, he supposed, if he counted himself.

He wants so badly to deny it all. It would be so easy to simply write you off as a liar but you were right. He knows you well enough now to know it wasn’t a lie. You’re not dumb or gullible either. If you believe Dabi it’s likely for good reason. He hates to admit it but you were right that it makes a lot of sense. It explains why the commission didn’t initially tell him what Endeavor’s “family issues” were when he first started working overtime to cover for the number one hero. It explains why they were so eager to make sure word didn’t get out that Dabi was Endeavor’s son that they restricted the task force to just him, Mirko, and Endeavor himself. Plus, it’s no secret Endeavor hated always being second best to All Might. It all makes sense. Yet, instead of coming to this conclusion with you outside, where you could’ve been a source of comfort, he had stormed out like a child. “You hurt her again,” his brain unhelpfully supplies. Sometimes he really hates his brain.

He sits up, the springs of the pull out couch creaking with the effort, and rubs his hands over his face. He shakily reaches for his phone and clicks over to his contacts, scrolling until he finds Endeavor’s name on the list.

It’s late...

Endeavor probably won’t answer...

He calls anyway.

As the phone rings he’s not sure if he’d rather it be answered or sent to voicemail. This is a monumentally terrible idea. He’s high and hurt and overall in the wrong mindset to hear the answer but he needs to know. Just as he’s about to give up Endeavor answers. “What is it Hawks?” the man asks gruffly.

For a moment Hawks can’t answer. He didn’t expect to get this far after all. “Hello? Hawks? Are you in danger or-“ “Is it true?” Hawks finally manages to ask, his voice almost lethally quiet.

“Is what true?”

“Is it true what you did to Shoto and Dabi?”

The silence after the question is deafening and Hawks thinks he can hear the sound of his own heart breaking.

“I’m trying to atone,” is all Endeavor says.

Hawks hangs up.

He drops his hand to his lap and stares at his phone as he feels tears start to slide down his face. He wants to sob. Can feel it climbing through his lungs and up his throat. He wants to sob so badly, in fact, that it takes him a minute to realize the sobbing he hears isn’t coming from him.

His eyes snap up to your doorway at the realization. Without thinking he’s up and racing into your bedroom where he finds you still asleep and yet sobbing out apologies to your mother and, most heartbreakingly of all, to him. “(Y/n)? (Y/n)! Come on little dove, wake up,” he encourages as he attempts to shake you awake. Still your nightmare clings to you so he shakes you a little harder. “C’mon little dove come back to me. Wake up, you have to wake up! I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he pleads until finally, finally your eyes flutter open. “Keigo?” “Oh thank god,” Keigo sighs as he sits back to give you space. “You had a nightmare,” he explains. “Oh. I’m sorry I didn’t mean to wake you,” you apologize but he shakes his head. “You didn’t I was never asleep.” “Oh.”

For the first time the silence between the two of you is awkward. Hawks knows it’s all his fault so he gathers himself briefly, takes in a big deep breath, and then he does something he’s never done before. Keigo opens his arms wide for you and quietly says “I know you probably want nothing to do with me right now and if that’s the case I’ll drop it but we’re friends now (y/n). And in my friend group when one of us is upset we cuddle.”

How strange to hear your own words parroted back to you. It takes a moment to truly process what Keigo’s said, but just as he’s starting to doubt himself you launch yourself into his arms and clutch him tightly. He returns the embrace and carefully lays the two of you down. He’s about to use his feathers to cover the both of you once more with your blanket but for some reason he hears the voice of one of his HPSC caretakers growing up, ringing in his ear: “Keep it up Hawks! At this rate you’ll be just like Endeavor!”

Hawks pushes down nausea as he uses one hand to pull the blankets back around the two of you. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asks gently. You nod into his neck although you don’t start talking immediately. He doesn’t rush you though, just holds you close as you gather your thoughts. “I keep watching you and my mother die,” you rasp out, “and there’s never anything I can do to stop it.” “You feel helpless,” Keigo says. It’s not a question. He remembers the feeling well from his few memories before becoming a ward of the state. “You can fix that you know,” he offers quietly. “How?” “Get your provisional license.”

You scoff at the proposition but that doesn’t discourage Keigo. “I’m serious. I’m not saying become a pro hero. You don’t even have to get your full license. But with a provisional one you’d be allowed to use your quirk in emergencies. You wouldn’t be helpless if something happened,” he tells you gently. “I’ll think about it,” you reply, and are surprised to find you actually mean it. “You want to talk about what I said on the balcony?” you ask him. Keigo winces. “I shouldn’t have stormed off on you. I’m sorry,” he sighs. “I don’t care about that, I figured it’d be hard to hear. How’re you holding up?”

There’s a long pause as he considers what to say. “I’m fine,” he finally settles on. “Bullshit. You’ve been crying,” you accuse. “No I haven’t.” “Your eyes are red.” “We were smoking earlier.” “Your face is puffy.” He doesn’t have an argument for that one. “I called Endeavor,” he finally admits with a sigh. “And?” “And he didn’t deny it.” “I’m sorry.” “It’s not your fault.” “Still. I’m sorry.” “Aren’t I supposed to be comforting you here?” You shrug in response. “How about we just comfort each other?” you offer. “I’d like that,” Keigo sighs again, this time in relief.

Tonight had been a bit of a rollercoaster to say the least, but neither you nor Keigo had the heart to regret it. For the first time since you two had started growing closer, there are no walls left between the two of you. No heavy secrets or suspicions left. So the two of you hold each other close, long into the remaining night, until the sounds of each other breathing lulls you both to sleep.

Author’s Note: I started writing this part immediately after I finished Part 29. I just couldn’t leave Hawks and (y/n) that way for long. I’m just as relieved as y’all that finally they’ve cleared the air and the quiet emotional moments they have together are honestly my favorites.

Taglist [open]: @cathy8taffy @katzurras @grumpyfroggies @captaincyberqueen @itskindofafairything @420-uwu @someweirdshitman @oliviasslut @the-adzukibean @a-fucking-sero-kinnie @ladyzayismultifandom

#hopelessoa #hawks #wing hero hawks #hawks x reader #hawks x y/n

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samwrights · 4 years

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Team Karasuno as dads [hc]

For a married woman that doesn’t want kids, I sure do fantasize about my boys being dads a lot.

Asahi;

He definitely cried when he found out you were pregnant.

When your daughter was born, he couldn’t even be in the room because he was so overwhelmed with you being in pain and the fact he was about to bE A DAD

He doesn’t even remember how you started dating because he was so blown away by your beauty or so he claims but the fact that y’all were married?? And having a kid?? When did he get so bold??

Eventually he got over it cause he felt bad that he wasn’t in the room holding your hand while you literally pushed a whole ass human out ya cooch.

He fainted

The first time he held his daughter was the first time he had felt complete, more complete than when he rejoined the volleyball team in his third year. It felt amazingly right. He tries to deny the fact and say your wedding was just as wholesome but you can tell. Fatherhood is something entirely different for him

“She takes after momma’s beauty.” A simp through and through.

Asahi is a parental HOG. Which is kinda nice cause he loves doting on your child but also HI I AM MOM AND WOULD LIKE TO HOLD MY BABY???

He tells YOU how to hold her and feed her and little ticks about her personality like you aren’t on maternity leave and are with the baby ALL DAY (although he is REALLY pushing for you to just be a stay-at-home mom)

Because he is soooo doting, it’s very rare that you wake in the middle of the night to feed or change her—Asahi is ALL over it. But he is human and there are days he’s too tired to wake up from dead sleep. It’s ok, he’s your human. Daddy deserves rest too.

Asahi would totally be a co-sleeper, or at least nap with the baby as much as he possibly could.

Definitely bought her multiple onesies that say “daddy’s little princess”.

She gonna be a spoiled brat when she’s older 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

Daichi Dadchi;

I mean he’s a literal running joke in the fandom

After being elected as the unofficial dad of the VBC in his high school days, it was no wonder that he was such a natural with your three munchkins.

Having three slightly older boys of varying ages, you relied heavily on Daichi to get through to them when you couldn’t.

He’s definitely the strict parent; your sons all try to take advantage of you 💀 demons

Your boys saw you as a pushover most of the time because you were just so tired.

“Just keep trying for a girl, they said. There’s a 50/50 chance, they said.” Was something Daichi would find you chanting to yourself often while you cooked dinner and the boys were playing soccer in the house and breaking something.

Even though Daichi is strict, he really tries to emphasize to the boys to treat you with kindness to make it a bit easier on you.

“Guys, please don’t make your mother rip her hair out.”

“We’re just playin’!” They would sing in flawed harmony

“One day, you guys are going to be all grown up with your own special person with your own kids, and you’re gonna love them so much that you’ll understand why I’m telling you to calm down and listen to your mom.” Asjdfkhlek.

“Ewwww, daddy loves mommy.”

“I sure do.”

Sugawara;

On god, Suga would be the most patient parent. He treats your toddlers like mini adults and not your insane nine year old girl or six year old boy.

He listens thoroughly when they are upset about something, cautiously listening to the deeper truths about why they’re upset and takes great care in making sure his children feel validated.

Super dad 🥰

But it’s not a random event; after being married to you for the last decade, he had so much practice with conflict resolution and genuinely listening to you that it was a natural tendency at this point.

For the most part, your children are incredibly well behaved. Sure, there’s an occasional incident because, well they’re kids. Your daughter, being the older of the two and nearly finished with primary school, was entering her phase of discovering boys and constantly writing in her diary.

Suga may be super dad, but he is not perfect, and for some reason I totally see him reading her diary.

“Koushi, put it back. Now.” He was just going to pretend that you using your mom voice on him didn’t turn him on and prepare him to fill you with another baby.

While he may be an expert on conflict resolution, you enforced respecting their privacy; quite a dynamic between the two of you in terms of validating your children as individuals.

“But honey, our daughter is starting to like boys.”

“At least one of the females in this house does.” 💀💀💀 with angels for children, someone had to be the clown of the Sugawara family and it was certainly you.

Tanaka;

You and Tanaka had your first baby in your guys’ third year of high school, which you would be lying if you said it wasn’t hell.

Tanaka fought tooth and nail to try to do everything from makin dinner, working, making sure you were getting rest, and of course still playing volleyball. Everything except actually trying to graduate.

“I don’t have time to study babe, I have practice and then we gotta put this squirt to bed.”

There was a constant argument about Tanaka continuing with volleyball that nearly forced you two to split. While you knew how important it was to him, there was no way he was going to graduate from Karasuno while he was trying to care for you, a child, work, and play volleyball.

“Ryuu, please. I know you don’t wanna quit but if you can’t pass your classes, you won’t be able to participate anyway.” He did not take well to that.

It took him time to come to his senses and in that time, you had kept you and your son away from him to allow him his space.

Apparently that was also a wrong move on your part.

He was so angry and frustrated being away from his mini me that he had easily conceded to retiring from volleyball if it meant being able to watch his little nugget learn how to sit up and crawl.

Yes, he goes HAM on the nicknames. Squirt, nugget, mini me, beanie baby, tyke, and all of the above. He pretty much calls your son everything but his actual name.

“I’m sorry for being stubborn.” He says one night while you help him study for his finals, your sleeping son swaddled in your arms.

“I’m sorry for making you give up something you love.”

“Nah, I got you and the munchkin. That’s all I need.”

Noya;

I love Noya 🥺 but at first, he is a chaotic parent. Granted y’all had your first child when you were still in college and he hadn’t the faintest clue on how to be a dad.

To be perfectly honest, you weren’t quite sure how to parent either.

Neither of you knew how to change diapers

Noya definitely got peed on more times than he wishes to admit

When your son was still a newborn, just around finals time, neither of you could figure out for the life of you why your baby was crying in the middle of the night. Which inherently made you cry because you had an 8am final and you had finished studying 5 hours prior 🙃

“Try to get some sleep, babe. I’ll take care of him.” Nishinoya’s voice was thick with exhaustion, but he knew how little you’d been sleeping since giving birth.

When you went to leave for your final, Noya was asleep in your living room rocking chair, baby safely in his arms with the both of them just snoozing away.

It was a struggle but the two of you faced the challenge together, one step at a time with your energetic four-year-old son as you graduated university. By the time you had all settled into a larger apartment together as a family, Noya had yet to pop the question. He was too busy having fun with his little man.

Sometimes it scared you how in sync he was with his child probably because he was still a child himself but it was sweet and endearing.

“Hey babe?” He asks softly after the two of you tucked away your boy for the evening. You raised in eyebrow at him, silently goading for him to continue. “Do you want to have another?” Needless to say, he sure as shit impregnated you that night asjckglpwm

Hinata;

With Hinata being an older brother, I actually see him being a wonderful dad. However, homie’s got a one-track mind and with him playing professionally, you’re usually left to do the parenting.

Your kids definitely like you more than Shoyo, not that anyone blamed anyone; they just never see daddy :(

BUT when he is in dad mode and home, you suddenly remember why you were eager as shit to have more kids with him 🥴 which explains ya you’ve got your third on the way

When he does come home, he automatically greets his older, 8 year old son with noogies and a brief wrestling session. For some reason, Hinata felt the need to compete with his own child 💀

Headass.

But when he sees his daughter, his world stops because he has favorites and EVERYONE in the Hinata house knows it

Always asking your 6 year old girl how her day was, asking how she was doing ruling over her imaginary kingdom and if she found her Prince Charming yet.

“Pffft I don’t need Prince Charming, daddy, he’s icky!!! Mommy says I don’t need a man!”

Where is the lie

“Your mom is absolutely right and you should totally listen to her, she’s the best queen in the whole world.”

Because of his one-track mind, he is engaged fully with your kids when he is actually home. Your son had naturally gotten into volleyball which, even after a long day’s practice, Shoyo spends hours training him.

“Do you think this one’s finally gonna like me more than you?” He asks one night while he’s doing the dishes after dinner, while you’re right beside him drying them off.

“Sho, our kids love you. But mom is home with them allllll day and has been since birth.”

“Can we keep trying until one of them finally likes me more?” 💀💀💀 “or until we have enough to make our own volleyball team?”

Kageyama;

How this socially inept clown got ANYONE pregnant was unthinkable. Of course, to anyone but you. After being with him all throughout high school, it was more of a wonder how you didn’t get pregnant sooner

This dude dirty. His one track mind, if not on volleyball, was entirely on you. Nearly every night was date night which ALWAYS ended with bow chicka wow wow 😏 you horny mfers yalll moved in together as soon as you graduated from Karasuno.

Clothing at home was nonexistent.

With the two of you in your second year of college, living in your apartment, and being 8 months pregnant, the air had dramatically shifted.

Kageyama’s once still high sex drive had been channeled into school work, working, and of course, volleyball. You were planning on at least completing your semester before taking time off to care for the baby. It seemed one of you would have to really step up, and from what it seems, it wasn’t going to be Tobio.

When he was home, which was very few and far between with how much he had going on, he had tried to dote on you as much as he could physically muster. Kisses here and there, bathing together, and lots of snuggles.

Kageyama is in charge of the nursery and there’s no room for argument on this. With him not being as present at home, he sets up the nursery as a way to communicate with his child that he’s never going to see because of volleyball

I love Kags, but he is nowhere near ready to even think about parenting 💀 which you tried to be patient with, but with the due date approaching very rapidly, you kinda needed him to step it up.

“I’ve helped.” He tries using the nursery as an argument and he had gone to every doctors appointment but homeboy still doesn’t know how to make a bottle or change a diaper

Was he prepared to have to clean up baby shit and vomit? Absolutely not. Was he going to anyway? Lmao, absolutely not. This boy only wants to be daddy, not dad.

Tsukishima;

It shook everyone and their mother when people found out that Kei not only had a girlfriend that he met in college, but that his girlfriend was a milf according to Kuroo and Bokuto

When you and Kei had first started dating, your daughter was already five. And while you obviously didn’t bring her to classes with you, she was always with the two of you for date nights. Oddly enough, he really didn’t mind.

His patience for kids, now that’s he’s older and kids are actually kids and NOT his peers, rivals that of Sugawara’s.

“Hey Tsukki,” your spawn asks at dinner one day. “When are you and mommy gonna get married? People keep making fun of me cause I call my parents mommy and Tsukki.”

“Making fun of people isn’t cool, it’s so lame. They’re just jealous cause they don’t get to call their parents mommy and Tsukki.”

👁—

That same night, Kei offers to read your daughter to sleep as if to reinforce the notion that mommy and Tsukki was cooler than mommy and daddy. Of course, he was pushing for this to hide that he was upset that children were making fun of her.

After that Tsukishima really gets into his dad role—walking your daughter to school with you or without you everyday, picking her up and giving her grandiose hugs. He made sure to lock eyes with every spectator, his height towering over many at the kindergarten. Silently telling them all “do not fuck with her, or you answer to me.”

He’s sosososo protective, I can’t. He ain’t scared to fight a toddler.

Even well after you and Tsukishima introduce a child of your own, your daughter still insists on calling him Tsukki and adamantly tries to teach her sister to say Tsukki instead of dada.

“You’re okay with the kids not calling you ‘Daddy’, Kei?”

“The only one I want calling me daddy is you.”

Yamaguchi;

This poor bean 💀 not only was he not prepared for fatherhood in the slightest, but twins?!

You both swore up and down they were evil. If one was hungry, the other one would refuse to eat until the other finished their meal. This applied to using their diapers as well.

Imagine the energy of Hinata and Nishinoya as baby twin boys, and lo and behold, yours and Tadashi’s kids.

While you had slightly more patience with them, knowing they were going to grow up eventually and become their own independent humans. Tadashi was not handling this well at all.

Low key, he felt like he was doing a horrible job as a parent and, after the boys had finally gone to sleep for the night, you’d spent a lot of time consoling Tadashi.

“Why can’t I be like—“

“Baby, you’ve got to stop comparing yourself to all of your friends. None of them have twin boys that are less than a year old.”

“Yeah but Hinata has three of them, so does Daichi—“

“Honey, you aren’t them. You’re you, so please, just be you.”

He’s ambitious when it comes to parenting—he wants to be the best dad ever, and he only gets better with practice.

That doesn’t make him wanna tear out his hair any less, but as the boys get older, it does get easier. We pretend their toddler years didn’t exist, it was a nightmare that Tadashi does NOT want to relive

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wiypt-writes · 3 years

Text

Riding High

Ch17: Welcome to Miami

Chapter Summary: Frank, Fliss and the Circle Of Truth take a Road Trip….

Chapter Warnings: Bad Language words. SMUT (NSFW) No under 18s!!!

Chapter Pairings: Frank Adler x OFC Fliss Gallagher

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Fliss Gallagher and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Riding High Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Chapter 16

June 2018

“How’s Fliss?” Gregg asked as Frank leaned back in his chair, hand curled round his bottle of beer.

Frank looked at his friend and took a deep breath “She says she’s ok. I think it’s the waiting that’s the worst. Knowing the board’s been held is one thing, not knowing the outcome….” “I know it’s hard and easy for me to say this but…well, even if he gets out he won’t be allowed anywhere near her. As I explained to her likely hood is he’ll be tagged and on a curfew and movements restricted to the state of Mass.” Gregg took a sip of his drink “And if it isn’t done automatically, through the appeal process I can file for further restrictions as well around him contacting her in any way, shape or form…but I’d be surprised if that isn’t a condition.”

“I know.” Frank said, “And she gets that…I think it’s more anger about the whole thing now you know?” “It sucks.” Gregg nodded “He spent so long abusing her and he’s still managing to do it in a way through all this.” Frank raised his eyebrows and took a drink of his beer, nodding to Jake and Simon as they approached their table.

“I know I don’t need to ask but…” Frank started but Gregg raised a hand.

“You’re right, you don’t.” he understood immediately that Frank was asking him to keep quiet, and he nodded as their two friends arrived at the table. After the greetings they all settled down reaching for a beer from the bucket that sat in the middle of them all, the conversation easy. Frank was happy to see the boys, he hadn’t in a few weeks so he’d grabbed the opportunity for a few beers happily, Fliss and Mary practically shoving him out of the door as they had some girly night in planned with Roberta consisting of popcorn, pizza, facemasks and a Marvel DVD, Fliss and Roberta assuring him whole heartedly they were watching it because it was a good film and not merely to perve on Chris Hemsworth or Evans or whoever the hell the Chris was in this particular one.

Whatever, sweetheart.

“So…” Simon said, looking around the table “Are we still on for a weekend somewhere? 22nd to 24th June?”

They all made noises, and Frank nodded. “Schedules cleared, baby sitter lined up…we just need to decide where we’re going.”

“Well, I got something to suggest to y’all…” Jake grinned “Greg already knows about this, but basically, the Company we’re doing the promotional work for has offered us up to 10 each for the Miami Rocks Concert which runs that weekend....so if you’re interested.”

“Rock music?” Simon looked at him, and Jake shook his head.

“Not just rock.” he said, leaning forward “It’s a combination of tribute acts and the real deal…and there’s different stages each with a different genre, and the main stage which contains the big acts.” “Ok, I’m interested…” Frank leaned forward.

“So the Friday night is a rewind to the 70s, 80s and 90s… headlined by none other than Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Mr Will Smith himself…” Frank let out a snort and looked at Simon who had started bopping in his seat, clicking his fingers.

“That finishes about midnight and then Saturday is the big one. You got 5 Seconds of Summer, George Ezra and Liam Gallagher from Oasis headlining that night.” Jake continued “The other stages rage from all sorts. Mo-Town, Indie, Chart, Reggae…and then there’s a party after which continues until early hours, run by Hot Dub Time Machine.”

“Shut the front door!” Simon snorted “Hot Dub?”

Jake nodded.

“Dude I saw him one New Year’s Eve in New York a few years ago.” Simon said “He was brilliant!”

Frank sat and listened as his friends started to discuss the concert in more detail. He had to admit, it sounded like a pretty good idea, and just the distraction Fliss could do with.

“Hate to be the voice of logic…” Simon said. “But if it’s only like three weeks off, wont’ we have trouble getting hotel rooms?”

“Fuck that, I’ll sleep on the back of the truck.” Frank said, causing the rest of them to laugh. “No need Frankie-boi, I got a client who works for the Hyatt Group man.” Jake shook his head “Three rooms already reserved out in the Regency, about 10 minutes’ walk if that from Bayfront Park where the concert is…just in case you fancied it. $100 a room for 2 nights, including a late checkout on the Sunday coz, well, we’re gonna need it.”

“Three?” Frank frowned.

“You and Fliss, Simon and Bonnie, and Me and Greg…” “What about Zara and Lisa?” he frowned “I thought this was a couple’s thing, not a boys weekend away…”

“Well it was going to be…” Greg shrugged “But Zara’s away with the kids that weekend, decided to go back to California as her sister is being taken in for a C-section, and of course she has to be there…”

“And it’s Lisa’s idea of hell…” Jake supplied.

“So why don’t we re-arrange?” Simon asked.

“Fuck that!” Jake snorted “I’m got a child and fiancée free pass for the weekend.” “Amen brother!” Gregg hi-fived him.

“But you two can bring your girls, no problem…they’re cool” Jake gestured between Frank and Simon with his beer bottle. “Thanks for your permission…” Frank raised an eyebrow.

****

Naturally, Fliss was over the moon with the promise of a music festival, especially when she looked up the acts that were on. So, when the Friday in question rolled around, after dropping Mary at school, with strict instructions she was to behave herself as Frank WOULD be checking, they set off in Fliss’ jeep, Frank driving as she lounged in the passenger seat, eyes hidden by her aviators, hair pulled into a loose side pony tail as they made the four hour down the coast and across state to Florida, stopping half way for some food at a roadside diner.

Simon and Bonnie weren’t due to arrive until just gone 5 ish, Bonnie having to finish the morning’s classes before she could leave, whilst Jake and Greg were here having come down the night before, so when they had checked in they decided to freshen up and go for a walk, Fliss eager to hit Lincoln Road Mall. They spent a few hours just walking and looking in the shops, eventually finding a Pandora one which Fliss headed into wanting a new charm for her bracelet as a memory of the weekend. She paced the shop eventually settling for a silver palm tree with a small diamond in the middle of the trunk and Frank batted her hand down when she went to pay, instead producing his card. The usual argument about who was paying ensued, which eventually Frank won by telling Fliss that he wanted to be the one that filled that bracelet for her, and she relented, smiling softly. Frank didn’t miss the relieved look on the shop assistant’s face as she finally waved the out of the store.

They met Jake and Greg in a bar not far from the hotel, and they were joined by Bonnie and Simon for a drink before the two girls announced they were heading off to get changed and ready for the evening. Frank left it until about 20 minutes before he needed to be ready and headed up to their room, pulling on one of his infamous hideous Hawaiian shirts which he had brought especially. Fliss looked at him, shaking her head with a fond smile on her face as he innocently asked her what the problem was. She laughed and told him nothing at all, before she gave him a kiss and they headed down to meet the others.

The walk down to the Park took them 10 minutes. Fliss was walking slightly ahead with Bonnie, her braid swinging down her back, gently brushing against the yellow off the shoulder top she was wearing. Her bottom half was dressed in denim shorts, a pair of pink converse boots on her feet. She’d certainly embraced the Festival Vibe, opting for bright colours in honour of the fact they were heading back musically a few decades. They arrived and joined the queue to exchange their tickets for wrists bands which took them about 15 minutes, and then they joined the lines to get through the main gates. That didn’t take long at all and once they were through they followed the crowd before Greg stopped, and looked around.

“We get split up…” “We all got phones!” Jake snorted “What are you, 50?”

“Sorry, force of habit with the kids…” Greg let out a groan as everyone laughed.

“So the main stage is that way…” Jake said, pointing to his left “Right at the back. DJ stage is there, and the other stages are dotted about…anyone got any preference on where we go?” “Other than Will Smith I really wanna to go the 80s stage!” Fliss grinned and Bonnie Hi-Fived her.

“Yeah we got some Duran Duran to dance to.” she agreed. “And Erasure.”

“And Wham.” “And Culture Club….” “Yeah, we get the picture…” Simon rolled his eyes.

“Oh and I want to see the Queen and AC/DC tributes.” Fliss finished.

“Anything else?” Frank looked at her.

“Beer.”

“Well we need tokens.” Jake said, “No cash at the bar, tokens only so…the tent is over there…”

They all set off, Fliss and Bonnie hanging behind chatting away, but it wasn’t long before their chatter died down and Frank turned to see that, actually, it hadn’t died down, they’d disappeared. “Where the hell are the girls?” Simon asked, looking round as he realised they were missing.

“Knowing Fliss in some tent getting her face painted…” Frank paused, turning on the spot before he spotted them. Fliss was stood as Bonnie was sat on a stool, having some sort of Festival glitter painted around her temple and eye socket. “Yup, there you go…” Simon followed his gaze and snorted. “Fucking hell…what are they, 8?” “Leave ‘em be.” Frank said fondly “Come on, let’s go get the drinks sorted.”

He waved at Fliss, before pointing to where they were going and she gave him a thumbs up to show she understood, before Bonnie stood up and she sat down. Frank smiled at her face as it lit up and he headed off after Simon.

By the time they had gotten the tokens and ordered beers for them all, the girls still hadn’t joined them, and it didn’t take long to realise why. They were both in a tent which contained 2 electronic dance mats, right in the middle of a very energetic dance off.

“It’s like having a pair of kids…” Simon mumbled the boys stood by the entrance to the tent whilst Frank simply grinned. As they watched Bonnie made a mistake, the mat flashed red, and then another one, before Fliss made one too. The two girls’ foot work was ridiculously fast as the song gathered pace and finally the routine ended. Fliss grinned and hi-fived Bonnie as their scores flashed up, Fliss winning by 60 points.

“Yesss!” she punched the air as Bonnie shook her head and the man handed them both some really tacky bright pink beaded necklaces for taking part.

“Re-match…” Bonnie said, looking at Fliss as they both dropped the necklaces over their heads.

“Maybe later, I’m fucked now…” Fliss said, bending over, hands on her knees as she drew her breath “I need a drink!”

She turned and saw the boys in the doorway, Frank raised an eyebrow and held up the beer and she grinned.

“I knew I bought you for something.” He rolled his eyes and then Greg suggested they head off to the first stage for the start of the 80s Tribute acts. They only intended to stay for a short while but Fliss begged Frank to stay longer, and was backed up by Bonnie as the Duran-Duran band came on. Fliss told Frank if he wanted to go and meet up later he could, but truth be told he didn’t want to. This was as much a weekend for him and her as it was for him and his friends, so with that in mind Simon and Frank both decided to stay with the girls and that they would find the others later.

And Frank was glad of his decision, as about 20 minutes later, when Hungry Like the Wolf started to play, Fliss was bouncing around like a lunatic. He knew it was one of her favourite songs, and seeing her cutting loose was making him a little horny if truth be told. He moved up behind her and grabbed her hips, swaying with her in time to the music as he dropped a kiss to her shoulder, gently singing along as she danced in front of him, occasionally brushing up against the front of his shorts, which was doing nothing to help his current situation.

“Someone’s definitely on the hunt down…” she teased, pushing her ass back into his crotch whilst she turned her head to face him as the song morphed into Rio. He grinned and gave her a kiss.

“Not hunting, I already got you.” “Hmm, yeah you did…” she murmured against his lips.

The continued dancing with one another, Simon and Bonnie doing the same before the 4 of them all decided they were ready for another drink. As fate would have it, they found Greg and Jake already at the bar. They muscled their way in, grabbed another beer and then all turned to head towards one of the tall, standing tables which were dotted around not far from the bar. Frank waited for Fliss as she had ordered a bottle of water too, and the guy serving had forgotten it. When he came back, apologising, Fliss waved him off and thanked him as Frank picked the bottle up and stuck it in his pocket. He reached for Fliss’ hand, and they were making their way over to their friends when suddenly he felt Fliss yell out and she stopped dead. He turned to face her, seeing someone had bumped into her and her beer had spilt all down her top.

“Hey, come on man…” Frank looked at the guy as Fliss pulled her hand out of his to wipe at her top “Be careful huh…” But the man wasn’t looking at him, his eyes were fixed completely on Fliss. “Yes, wouldn’t want an accident now would we, Felicity?” At the sound of her full name Frank instantly knew this had to be someone to do with her ex-husband and he reached out for Fliss as he saw her stiffen and slowly she raised her head to look at the man, her eyes widening and she swallowed.

“Richard.” she spoke softly.

“Fancy seeing you here. Must be nice to be free to do what you want.” “Yeah, well, making up for lost time. I didn’t exactly get a lot of chance to have fun when your brother was beating the shit out of me.” Her chin raised a little defiantly and Frank felt a surge of pride as she stood up for herself, the anger evident on her face.

“You’re a fucking liar…” Richard said and Frank immediately stepped in.

“Ok that’s enough…” he spoke sternly, glaring at the man “We’re not here for any trouble, we’re just out for a good time with friends, and I’d like to keep it that way. So, if you don’t mind, we’re done here.” he turned to Fliss and slid his arm round her waist, making to steer her away.

“You need to be careful.” Richard spoke to Frank’s retreating back. “Now she’s got her claws into you, you’re done…first sign of trouble she’ll be accusing you of all sorts.”

Frank sighed, he’d tried to be reasonable, but the anger felt like it was bubbling from his feet and he whirled round, placing himself in between the man and Fliss. “Listen, asshole, why don’t you just fuck off?” his tone was laced with venom. “Your brother is a nasty, wife beating piece of shit.”

At that Richard stepped forward, drawing himself to full height, still a good 3 inches shorter than Frank. His fists balled as he clenched his hands at his side, his mouth curled up into a snarl.

“She’s a liar.” Richard pointed at Fliss, before his attention turned back to Frank. “She lied and because of her, John’s life and career is ruined…” “His life? Ruined?” Frank barked out a laugh “Your brother got nothing more than he deserved, and so will you if you don’t get the fuck outta my face.”

“Frank…” Fliss pleaded with him, pulling on his arm and desperately looking around for help before this descended into a fight. Thankfully, she caught Jake’s eye who hit Greg on the shoulder, who in turn tapped Simon, and the three of them plus Bonnie hastily started to jog over.

“If he was that bad why has he been considered for parole?” Richard shrugged “An appeal his lawyer is convinced he’ll win…” Richard said, taking a step back as the other men approached. “And that’s all because they finally saw through her lies…” Frank made an angry noise but Greg pushed himself in between the two men, patting Frank on the chest.

“Come on buddy…” he said. “Whatever it is, leave it…” Jake went to grab Frank’s arm, but he jerked it out of his grip.

“I’ll tell you this…” Frank pointed at Richard “If he gets out, you can tell him from me, he stays the fuck away from my girl, and the rest of my family, you got that? Or I’ll put him in a hospital, see how he likes it.”

“Big man making all the threats huh?” “It ain’t a threat, it’s a god-damned promise.” Frank snarled. Richard gave a snort of a laugh before he allowed his wife to steer him away, shooting one last contemptuous glance at both him and Fliss.

“What the fuck?” Simon turned to Frank, who completely ignored him and moved to where Fliss was stood, her arms wrapped cross her front, hugging herself, Bonnie gently talking to her.

“You ok?” he asked her gently and she gave a nod as he took her in his arms, hugging her tightly, hand falling to the back of her head.

Greg gave Frank a questioning look, which Frank answered with two words “His brother.” “Who’s brother?” Jake pressed, “What just happened? I’m so confused.” “To be fair that doesn’t take much…” Frank heard Greg say which earned him a “Fuck you” in response, and the two men began to bicker as Fliss stepped back from his arms. Frank looked down at her, taking her face in his hands. “You good?”

“Yeah…” she nodded “You shouldn’t have risen to him.” “Probably not.” he shrugged “But I’m not having that piece of shit or anyone associated with him trash mouthing you.”

“My hero…” she rolled her eyes, but the smile on her face told him he wasn’t in too much trouble. He gave a snort of a laugh and dropped a kiss to her head. “Can we go back to the dancing now please? And I need another beer, that ass hole spilt mine.” “Is it time for tequila yet?” Bonnie asked, offering Fliss a drink of her beer. Fliss took a sip, shaking her head

“I swore after last time I would never drink that shit again.”

“But that was a lie, right?” Bonnie looked at her as she passed her pint back over.

“Yup, a very big lie…” Fliss agreed, causing the rest of the group to laugh.

So they did their tequila. Several shots of to be intact and spent the rest of the night wandering stage to stage, lapping up the atmosphere. Frank kept a close eye on his girl who seemed none the worse for her encounter as she danced the night away with him and Bonnie, the 2 of them disappearing at one point for a walk around the various stalls that were around the outside, coming back with a packet of interlocking glow sticks which they proceeded to activate and make head wear out of.

Will Smith took to the stage at about 10 pm and Frank was beside himself with laughter as Fliss reverted to some kind of school kid. She seemed to know every single word to every goddamned song he had, and when it came to Men In Black she launched expertly into the dance routine that half the crowd were doing, in time to the video showing behind the stage. Simon and Jake tried to copy her before they both gave up and when she finished she turned around and Frank raised his beer to her and she bowed, as they all laughed. Deciding that they didn’t want to stay for the after party, considering they knew it was going to be a really late one the next evening, instead they agreed to head down to the beach. They managed to find a guy who was walking round with a cool box selling beer and they bought 2 bottles each, for twice the price they should be but, whatever…

When in Miami…

As they walked across the sand, Frank looped his arm round Fliss’ shoulder whilst they weaved themselves through the various mini-parties which seemed to be going on as people were set up all over with small fires, beer, drinks and music playing. Frank had a sneaking suspicion half of them were probably intending on sleeping there too. Eventually they found a clear spot and flopped down onto the sand, under the illumination of one of the boardwalk lights and then Simon stood up, heading over to a group of teenagers sat a bit to their right.

“What’s he doing?” Greg asked.

“I think he’s reverse bootlegging.” Jake said and Frank gave a snort of laughter.

“What?” Fliss frowned, “What’s that?” “Instead of selling alcohol to underage kids he’s buying it off them, look.” Frank said, nodding to him. Fliss watched as Simon slipped one of the kids a twenty and took the bottle of vodka he was offering to them, raising it up as he walked back.

“What the fuck man?” Greg snorted “That’s…”

“Shameful.” Jake nodded before he chuckled, shaking his head. “I love it.” With a grin Simon dropped down next to Bonnie, standing the bottle of vodka up in the middle of the circle they seemed to have made as Fliss sat between Frank’s legs, leaning back against his chest. His spare hand ran up and down the outside of her thigh softly as they all sat chatting about the evening, comparing their best bits and what they were looking forward to tomorrow evening. Eventually, someone, Frank wasn’t sure who, decided that they should play Never Have I Ever, and Fliss eagerly agreed, jumping in with the first question.

“Ok, never have I ever driven a boat…” Fliss smirked.

“What, that’s a crap one!” Frank snorted “Everyone here’s probably driven one…including you.”

“Nope…”

“Bullshit!” he snorted “On our first date, and several times since…”

“I sailed it Frankie, I didn’t drive it…”

He paused for a moment and then looked up as everyone in the circle grinned.

“She’s right man…” Simon conceded “I sailed mine too…” “And me…”

“And me…”

“Oh fuck you!” Frank spluttered as they all laughed at him. Fliss handed him the bottle, which he took from her with a glare taking a mouthful. Fucking hell, he could tell it was cheap as it burnt like paint stripper as he swallowed, wincing.

That was basically the way the game went. Each trying to deliberately catch everyone else out. Simon caught Jake spectacularly, forcing him to reveal a tale about how he got locked out of a hotel room, naked on the balcony and climbed down 2 storeys to go and get a spare key from reception, Simon repeatedly got Bonnie on a number of occasions before Frank caught Fliss out with the tale of how she had once called her University Lecturer “Daddy.” by mistake.

“Ok, Never have I ever…” Fliss paused, before a wicked grin spread on her face and she looked at Frank “Called anyone else’s name during sex.”

“Oh God…” Frank heard Bonnie mumble from where she was sat, but before he could even open his mouth to call Fliss an ass hole, he saw Greg reaching for the bottle.

“No WAY!” Fliss spluttered, looking at Greg “What? When!”

“I was about 21…” Greg said, scrunching up his face. “I was in bed with a girl and, well, I called her mom’s name.” The entire group fell silent before Jake, Frank and Simon all let out a roar of laughter, and Fliss snorted, grinning from ear to ear.

“That’s…impressive.” Frank nodded as Greg put the bottle down and Fliss picked it up and handed it to Frank. Everyone turned their attention to him as he narrowed his eyes and grabbed it from her.

“Spill.” Simon pointed at him.

“I err, well…look, it…” Frank stuttered over his words “I was…look we don’t need to discuss this…” he said, knocking back the vodka and avoiding Bonnie’s eyes, shaking his head “I plead the 5th.” There were various groans around the group but when they realised Frank wasn’t going to budge Greg shrugged, calling him a pussy, and picked the next category.

“Never have I ever kissed someone of the same sex.” he said, with a raised eyebrow. Both Fliss and Bonnie moved for the bottle at the same time, and the boys all cheered.

“Was it each other?” Simon grinned “Please tell me it was…” “Ok,no…that…” Frank began to protest, hiccupping slightly. “That would be weird…”

“No it wasn’t each other.” Bonnie grinned at Simon “I was 17, playing spin the bottle and had to kiss this girl called Eva…” “And that’s it?” Simon asked.

“Yeah…” she nodded, taking a drink from the bottle before she passed it to Fliss.

“Spill…” Frank instructed her, his hand on her hip where she was still nestled in between his legs.

“I was 19…and, yeah, well, I experimented” she shrugged. “A few times…”

“Wait, there was…” Frank looked at her as she turned her head to grin at him “You did more than kiss?”

“For me to know and you to find out Sailor…” she winked. Well fuck me!

Another 15 minutes or go they’d exhausted the bottle of vodka and decided to call it a night. Bonnie was faring the worst out of them all, her and Simon walking a little behind everyone as he kept his arm round her to keep her steady. Frank noticed Fliss was remarkably with it considering what they’d drunk, but then for such a small person she did have quite a high tolerance, and she’d drunk a hell of a lot of water as well.

At the hotel they bid everyone goodnight and headed up to their room where Fliss decided she needed to shower to get rid of all the glitter and sand and sweat from dancing. Frank was inclined to agree so let her go first, swapping over after 10 minutes or so with an exchange of a soft kiss in the bathroom doorway. By the time Frank got out of the shower Fliss was sat cross legged on the large bed dressed in a camisole and boy-shorts set which was white with multi-coloured polka dots on it. It was the set he had bought her for Valentine’s Day, along with a set of baby-pink lace underwear. He loved seeing her in lace, but there was something about the lounge sets like the one she was wearing now that gave her an innocence, made her look so comfy and so settled that he adored seeing her wearing them around the house and to bed…even if they didn’t stay on long.

She grinned up at him as he smiled, crossing to drop a kiss on her head.

“You raid the minibar?” he asked, nodding to the packet of chips she had ripped open.

“Yeah.” she shrugged “Figured fuck it, why not?” “Well…”he crossed the room and opened the fridge which was under the TV unit “In for a penny…” he pulled two beers out, popped the tops and passed her one.

“Don’t you think we’ve had enough?”

“Can you see straight?”

“Yeah…”

“Then no.” he said and she laughed, taking it from him.

“You’re a bad man Frank Adler.” “I try.” he quipped. She shook her head, smiling before she reached for her phone which had just gone off. Frank whipped the towel from around his waist and stepped into a clean pair of boxers before he roughly dried his hair.

“Bonnie says her and Simon are hitting the beach during the day tomorrow…do you fancy it?” “Sure.” he nodded, dropping to the bed, laying down on his side, propping himself up on his elbow as he reached for a Dorito.

“At least I think that’s what this message says. ‘Going to the Bitch…’ I mean that’s gotta be beach huh?”

Frank snorted as Fliss scrunched up the empty chip bag and tossed it across the room where it settled just besides the bin. They both looked at it for a second before Fliss shrugged. ”She was trashed.”

“I’m not surprised.” Fliss said, moving to toss her phone onto the night table before she too settled on her side, facing Frank, elbow on the pillow “Simon was deliberately asking questions in that game where he knew she’d have to drink…” “Oh and you weren’t…” he looked at Fliss who shrugged, grinning cheekily “Never have I ever called anyone else’s name during sex, I mean seriously! She was right there!”

“I know, which is what made it so funny.” “Funny is not the word I would use…” “Oh whatever, and as if Greg has done that too!” she said, chuckling as she also settled on her side “He’s a dark horse…” “So are you…” he looked at her taking a long drink of his beer. “In fact….I think you need to tell me more about these lesbian encounters you experienced whilst experimenting aged 19."

"They weren't proper lesbian encounters, I was teasing you...."

"I don't care, make em up." He said and she let out a laugh.

"If I do will it get me something nice?" she grinned.

"Something very, very nice." He raised an eyebrow suggestively.

Fliss grinned and then launched into a clearly made up bullshit story about some girl called Candy and Frank completely zoned out. He was simply too caught up concentrating on the childish, teasing expression on her face as she spoke. Her eyes were shining in the dim light of the room as she talked and grinned in the same manner she had been doing all night. Not even the encounter with that asshole’s brother has dampened her spirit. She was just enjoying herself, freely. And so was he. She said she couldn't remember the last festival or concert she had been to, and Frank had admitted the same. It had to have been easily 10 years ago. It felt good to be recapturing that part of their lives they had both given up (albeit for very different reasons) and making new memories together that he knew would last a lifetime.

A lifetime...huh, how about that?

He zoned back in just in time to hear Fliss' very risqué story telling, and dropped his head with a sight that was half laugh, half groan at her filthy tale.

"...and her thighs were so strong, it was ridiculous, my ears were squashed so hard, I felt like my head was in a vice. Still, I managed to-"

"Ok..." he said, taking her beer off her and setting it down on his nightstand along with his, before he leaned over Fliss, caging her with his arms "I'm getting kinda jealous...and a bit turned on...it’s very confusing.

“You asked…” she muttered as his face dropped her hers.

“Yeah, I did…” his lips brushed against hers “And I promised you something nice…” “Very,very nice…” Fliss said, her hands sliding up his arms to his shoulder.

“Well, I’m a man of my word…” he grinned, lips pressing to hers harder this time in a soft, deep kiss which he pulled away from and ran his nose against hers. “Turn over…”

“What?” she looked at him, her eyes widening slightly.

“You trust me?”

“Of course I do…” “Then turn over…”

She took a deep breath, and looked at him and he looked straight back, fully understanding what she was thinking. He’d never asked her to do that before. “Lissy, I promise I’m not gonna hurt you.” “I know you’re not…” she shook her head, before she bit her lip and he moved back so she could turn over onto her stomach. With gently finger tips he brushed her hair off her shoulders, sweeping it to one side gently dropping soft kisses down her neck as his hands traced down to her hips. He gently grasped her top and she moved to allow him to slide it up and over.

The sheets on the bed rustled slightly as he moved downwards, pressing his lips to the small of her back, watching her reaction carefully as he saw her fingers clutching softly at the pillow. He continued his affections, lips and hands exploring every part of the soft skin on her back until he was fully led over her, thighs bracketing hers, his mouth gently sucking at that spot behind her ear that drove her wild. And right on cue she let out a low groan and he felt his groin twitch at the noise. Fliss could feel his hardness against her back and as his teeth gently grazed her ear she felt her spine arch slightly.

He moved away, and his hand gently slid to grasp at the hem of her shorts, and she tilted her hips up slightly so he could pull them down, hurriedly departing with his own boxers before he resumed his previous position.

“You good?” he asked her softly and she nodded in response.

With gentle hands he reached down between her legs to finding her hot and wet for him already. At his touch she arched her back again. Frank let out a grin and moved slightly so he could part her thighs with his knee. Repositioning himself, he led flat, his arms sliding up hers so he could lace his fingers with hers, palms resting on the backs of her hands and he gently pushed into her, the pair of them giving a groan at the feeling and tightness of this angle. He gently thrust, his chest sliding up over her back, and she moved ever so slightly with him, her head tilted back slightly and she turned her face towards his where he caught her mouth in a slow, sloppy kiss. Frank continued his languid, deep movements, listening to the quickening of her breath and eventually he felt her hips beginning to rise in slow circles, her whimpers increasing.

He gently knelt up, and pulled her hips so she was perched on her knees, pushing into her slowly, deeply, letting her get used to the position that they’d never tried before because Frank knew it wasn’t one she had good memories of but right now, her body was relaxed and she was giving him everything. His hand reached up and he traced down her spine before he leaned over and placed another soft kiss on her neck before he moved and grasped at her hips again, his pace gently quickening, a low moan escaping his mouth as Fliss pushed back onto him, wordlessly telling him she wanted more. He thrust forwards again and again, pulling her back onto him at the same time, his eyes focussed on where they were joined, the sight of him sliding in and out of her made him moan with desire.

“Don’t stop…” he heard her half pant, half whisper and he picked up the pace ever so slightly, leaning over to gently nip at the back of her neck, causing her to shudder, a deep growl rumbled in his chest as her walls briefly squeezed around him.

“Fuck, baby…” he groaned as her hands clutched at the bed sheets whilst he buried himself deep inside of her stilling for a moment.

“Frankie…” she whined and squirmed as she turned to look at him over her shoulder. Once glance at his clenched jaw and she knew he was trying to fight back his high as he picked up his previous movements, just a little bit faster. She was close, quietly moaning his name as she dropped her head back down, forehead against the pillows, her spine arching as he continued to thrust.

Frank groaned again “Come on sweetheart...” his voice deeper like it always was when he was in the throes of desire, “let go for me.” He rolled his hips forwards, five or six more times before she was done.

“Fuck, Frank, I…” she let out a broken cry as her core spasmed again and again and her entire body trembled as a loud lament spilled from her lips. He was done himself, and with a groan of her name his relief washed over him with an intensity he couldn’t even begin to describe.

Fliss collapsed forward and Frank tumbled with her, his chest onto her back, his weight crushing her in the best way possible for a second ot two before he rolled onto his side. Reaching out, his hand gently across her bare back as Fliss face, which was pressed into the pillow turned to face him.

He leaned over and gave her a soft kiss, brushing her hair off her face.

“Okay…” she mumbled, nodding at him “I’ll concede. That was very, very nice…”

******* “You behaving?” Frank asked Mary as he and Fliss lay in bed the next morning, the phone held at arms-length so they could both see her.

“Yeah, of course…” Mary rolled her eyes “Bill took me to the yard last night and Joanne helped me tack Monty up and then Bill walked round the field with us so the dogs could have a run and it was awesome!”

“When I get back we’ll do the full trail ride.” Fliss smiled at her “Takes a good hour, we can go one evening before it gets dark.”

“Cool!” Mary grinned, bending down and then suddenly Fred’s bemused face filled the screen. Frank snorted as he was instructed to say hi to Fred, which he did, before the cat settled down on Mary’s lap and she continued to chat to him about what she had done the night before…which was basically staying up until gone midnight with Bill watching Harry Potter in the movie room.

Eventually they got her to pass the phone over to Verity, who assured Frank she was no trouble, and then they cut the call and decided to get up and head down for breakfast to meet everyone.

The day was spent lazily on the beach. Fliss hardly moved at all, simply soaking up the sun as Frank and Simon continuously brought her and Bonnie a supply of drinks as the man remained by the bar at the top of the sand.

“I gotta ask…”Bonnie said, turning to look at Fliss “And tell me to shut up if I’m outta line but yesterday, that guy Frank looked like he wanted to kill…who was he? Simon says he’s never seen Frank that angry…” “Oh, err…” Fliss rubbed her head “It was my ex-husbands brother, he was being an ass hole.” “Oh.” Bonnie frowned “I take it you don’t get along…nasty break up?” “You could say that…” Fliss said, taking a sip of her drink, tapping the straw lightly on her lips. “John…my ex…he er…he used to beat me. Badly. He’s actually in prison, well, for how long we don’t know as he had his parole hearing about 4 weeks ago so..” “Oh shit…” Bonnie dropped her gaze “Sorry, I didn’t…” “It’s ok.” Fliss said, waving off the usual apologies that came when she told someone about her past.

There was a moment of silence before Bonnie sat up and looked at Fliss.

“Wanna go for a dip?”

Fliss glanced at her, then down to the ocean and grinned, nodding.

Yelling to the boys to watch their stuff they headed down to the waves, Fliss happily diving straight in, simply allowing herself to float. She was calm, relaxed, and couldn’t remember a time she’d ever felt so happy before.

Eventually, it hit 5pm and Fliss was hungry. So they decided to pack up, grab a bite from the bar and then go change ready for the evening. Fliss had to smile as she saw Frank and the rest of the boys stood at a table by the beach bar all clutching pints and laughing. He was dressed in a pink shirt, black shorts with a baseball cap on the wrong way, glasses shielding his eyes.

“I never realised what an overgrown Frat Boy I’m dating.” Fliss mumbled to Bonnie who snorted as they made their way up the wooden boardwalk, beach bags in their hand.

“Hey pretty girl.” Frank smiled as Fliss slid under his arm, reaching for his pint. With a roll of his eyes he watched as she took a huge drink. “You know if you want one I’ll get you one…” “Tastes better when it’s someone else’s.” Fliss shrugged.

“Yeah, why is that?” Bonnie asked.

“Because it’s stolen.” Simon looked at her “Well known fact, forbidden fruit just tastes better.”

Fliss went again for Frank’s drink and he jerked it out of her reach “Piss off, look, here…” he said, reaching into his pocket and handing her his wallet “Go to the bar.” She grinned and dropped a kiss to his lips, turning away, Bonnie following.

“Dude you’re so whipped.” Jake snorted at him.

“Yeah, I don’t much care.” Frank shrugged, burping slightly as he looked at Fliss, taking in her appearance. Her hair was falling around her face and down her back in a mass of long, messy salt and sand tangled waves and she was wearing a pink crochet slip over her black bikini. He would happily admit he was well under her spell and that she could whip him all she fucking wanted to.

They grabbed a bite to eat, headed back, changed and made their way to the park for their second night of music. It went much the same as the night before, Bonnie and Fliss taking off on their own adventures, and Frank keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of John’s fucker of a brother, but he didn’t see him.

By the time Liam Gallagher came onto the stage, Fliss was drunk. And so was he. But it didn’t stop her from going wild. Once again she knew every single word to every single song and when he launched into Rock and Roll Star she started pogoing like a person possessed. Mind you, so was everyone else on the dance floor in front of the stage, so Frank joined in. He quite liked this song and, well, if you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em…

He ended the set with Live Forever, Frank’s favourite song that he had done and Fliss sighed happily.

“He’s sooo good!” she said, “Why does he have to go?”

“Because his set has finished.” “But why?” “Because it has!” Frank laughed “He’s been on for almost an hour and it’s 1 am!”

“Hey, Liss, don’t worry…” Bonnie hiccupped “Hot Dub starts in 20…just enough time for a drink…” “Yes…” Fliss agreed, pointing at her. “But I think I need some water too.”

“Pussy…” Frank looked at her and she narrowed his eyes at him.

“I’ll carry on drinking beer if you want, but you’ll be clearing up my puke later.” He snorted and held his hands up, palms out “Water it is.” Hot Dub Time Machine was surreal. He was on for about an hour and took them through a load of the best party songs from the 60s right through to the present day. One minute Frank was doing the Twist and Shout with Fliss, and the next they were all in a circle air-guitaring to Immigrant Song by Led Zep.

By the time they left the park it was almost half 2 in the morning and Fliss decided that she didn’t want to walk and insisted Frank give her a piggy back. He rolled his eyes but crouched down and she took a jump onto his back as he carried her the 10 minutes or so back to the hotel, Simon groaning at him as Bonnie kept complaining he wouldn’t carry her.

“You’re showing me up, dude!” he glared at Frank who simply shrugged as Fliss smirked.

“I like riding him.” She hiccupped, as everyone burst into laughter and Frank shook his head as she pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“You’re a fucking nightmare” he sniggered and she shrugged.

*****

The next morning everyone was feeling the effects of a heavy weekend, and Frank was pleased that they had the late check out option. Eventually, after dragging themselves out of bed they managed to shower, pack up and head down to check out. There was another argument about who was paying for the room, this time Fliss winning as she put her foot down telling him he was paying for New York and that she really wanted to pay for this. She’d told Frank before about John never letting her have any financial control over anything and Frank knew that it meant a lot to her so he relented, and instead bought them brunch before they set off home.

They got back in time for a roast dinner, and then they headed back to the annex to watch a film, Fliss crashing out halfway through. She left them to it and headed to bed and was flat out by the time Frank made his way upstairs.

“I can’t believe you got the day off!” She moaned at him over breakfast on the Monday morning.

“I can’t believe you didn’t” he shot back

“I can’t…clients and stuff.” She pouted, biting into her toast before she groaned again. “I’m too old for partying all weekend…I can’t hack it anymore.” Frank snorted and took a sip of his coffee before Fliss grinned at him. “Can we go again next year?”

Frank laughed “The Circle Of Truth have already decided it’s going to be an annual thing from now on.” he said, standing up and with a kiss to her head he moved to the stairs yelling for Mary to get a wiggle on. She came down the stairs, Fred and Thor following before she ate her cereal and then Frank bustled her out of the door to drop her off for the last Monday of the school term.

Wednesday lunchtime, however, their happy little bubble burst.

Frank was actually in the sales part of the shop, discussing the benefits of different types of engines with a customer, having been asked to give some advice. He spotted Fliss’ jeep pulling up and as soon as she climbed out and turned towards him, he could tell from her face what was going on.

“Excuse me for just one second.” He politely told the customer, and glancing at his boss he jerked his head towards Fliss. His boss, a nice enough guy called Andy, knew vaguely what was going on and nodded in understanding as Frank stepped outside.

“Baby?” he asked tentatively as Fliss stopped in front of him.

“He did it.” she whispered softly, stepping into his arm, pressing her face into his chest. “He made parole. They let the fucker out.”

**** Chapter 18

#riding high #frank adler #frank adler x ofc #frank adler x original female character #gifted #gifted fan fic

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knowltonsrangers · 4 years

Text

Alphabet: Lafayette

[a/n: Here’s Laf!! For the lovely @thefanficnerd ❤️Hope u enjoy! ❤️]

Marquis de Lafayette x reader

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Anytime, any place, anywhere. Between tucking loose hairs back behind your ears, to looping your fingers together in a tight hold, the answer to affection is always yes. Laf shows affection in his own ways, and it’s these little things that send you into a flurry.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

Oh, literally the sweetest guy! He’s a good friend, because he’s an excellent listener and is brimming with amazing advice. He’d always give you a choice, and never turn his back. If something were to occur with your friendship, he wouldn’t get mad and blow you off. He’d like to talk it out and make amends, if plausible. Text him at 3 am? He’ll answer moments later. He’d be there every step of the way, no matter what!

The friendship could start literally anywhere. Laf is a little less shy then Baker, so he’d spark a conversation just based on the shirt you’re wearing. Sitting next to him in a long lecture hall is always entertaining, because passing notes or working on assignments together is almost a given.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

OH BOY YES. Switches between big & little spoon, but I’d say he’s 75% of the time big spoon in cuddling. Just cause he’s always wanting to show how much he loves you, and when he’s got you in front of him, it takes so much willpower to not kiss you silly. He cuddles in bed, and snuggles on the couch.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

Oh yes! Yes to settling down, for sure! It’ll only take a couple months of dating to see how much of his heart he gives to you, so moving in together is a given if you are down for that!

About cooking & cleaning, man he is absolutely the best roommate on those types of things. While you both have designated chores and such when it comes to cleaning, cooking is where it becomes fun. Time in the kitchen is best spent, because of the shared meals and laughs. Getting to make dinner together is almost as fun as eating it together!

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

I hate to say it, but Laf is pretty loyal to a fault. He’s extremely trusting and maybe that goes over his head sometimes. If he had to break up with you for a reason, I’d take him some time alone to really think it over. It would most likely be an argument that would ignite the fire, but maybe a build up of things start the sparks.

Breaking up would be absolutely in person, and it would be calmly stated. No fighting, because his hearts already shattered.

(this made me so sad to type ffffs)

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Commitment is 100%! When you got him, he’s yours. He wouldn’t jump down your throat about marriage, but it would come up naturally. Because it only takes him a short time to know that your his soulmate, and whenever you’re ready, he’ll wait until then!

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

GENTLE is like the word I use the most to describe Laf! (especially TURN! Laf) regarding physically, his touches are feather light and full of emotions. Emotionally, I’d say he has a better guard up than most. Similar to Baker, it’d take a low blow to see him get upset or angry. He’s careful with his feelings, but he’s very open with you about them.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

If y’all ain’t holding hands, y’all are hugging. Laf loves to slide his arms around your shoulders and squeeze you silly. He loves to mumble how much he loves you in your ear, and press kisses all along your temple. 🥺

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

I’d say after six months, give or take. If one of you were to go away for a while, he’d probably say it then, because half his heart is missing when you’re not around. He’d either say it in a moment of confidence, or a moment of vulnerability. If you say it first, all his doubts vanish and he’ll reply energetically the same!

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

35%? That’s a bit much, and I don’t see him as a jealous boyfriend type! it’s not so much that he’s insecure, but it’s that he enjoys and cherishes his memories with you. If someone else were to wedge in and divide your relationship in half, he’d be jealous of the less and less time spent together.

And on what he’d do? He’d talk to you about it. Pull you aside about it one night. He’s eager and willing to find a solution!

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

ANGELIC. No cap! Soft and fluttery and warm. He loves to kiss you on the corners of your mouth, but kisses are never scarce just at the tops of your cheekbones. Kissing away any sad day tears :,)

He loves to be kissed on the underside of his jaw, but he melts when you peck him on the lips.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

BEST. Dad mode? Activated. He’ll sit himself right on the ground, no matter where, and carry on a conversation with a child for as long as they’d like. If you have family that is younger or an infant, he’s all over them at gatherings and such. His voice is so caring and soft, and his accent floats along with his words in such a calming tone.

Babies fall asleep in his arms INSTANTLY

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

smooching over coffee or tea. Just kidding! Well, kinda. Good Morning kisses are a must, and while it’s very difficult to get out of bed, y’all drag each other out. Monday’s it’s Laf, Friday’s it’s usually you. By the end of the week, you’re wiped out, and Laf is just a bundle of energy.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

MOVIE DATES AND DINNER DATES AND WALKS IN THE PARK AND HAND HOLDING AND FEEDING DUCKS. Could all be in one night or just several different dates. It doesn’t matter, Laf just enjoys doing the simplest things with you!

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

Rather slowly, I’d say? It’s just by his nature to want to hear the most he can about you, because he’s throughly interested. He just wants to know your favorite color, food, season.. literally everything! And don’t be discouraged that he’s not sharing his favorites with you, just ask :) He actually doesn’t even realize that he’s withholding information. There is no keeping secrets with him!

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

It takes a lot, and I mean a LOT to get Laf angry. He is so usually calm and collected, that seeing him in an angered frenzy is kinda shocking. If you catch him on a bad day, be careful to note that it’s most likely not his intention to direct any anger at you. If he catches himself being cross with you, expect a dozen apologies and kisses later.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

He doesn’t have a photographic memory, but it’s pretty damn close! Birthdays, anniversaries, and important dates are always on his calendar!

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

when you said you loved him back 🥺 he’d be, for lack of a better term,,, apprehensive of your response? If you say you do in fact, love him? His heart leaps in his chest and he all but jumps for joy. He’s opening his heart to you, and he’d remember that moment forever.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

BIG MAYBE. He’s not overprotective-but if some guy or gal was getting up in your business, unwanted attention of course, he’d throw an arm around your shoulder and assert his relationship to you very clearly.

Him, on the other hand, will wave you off and say that he’s fine to handle himself in these situations, because he never wants to see you get hurt. But, by all means, glue yourself to his side and shoo the other person away. A sad Laf is a sad y/n.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

10,000%. See’s a daisy outside Washington’s HQ and brings it back home to you. Because it “reminded him of you”

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

Leaves coffee mugs out until they stain the bottom with brown rings.

Hm. Also known to vacuum at odd hours.

OH and the only other thing he’s guilty of is sometimes forgetting to kiss you exactly every possible moment of the day.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

He’s effortlessly extremely attractive. He’s about as concerned as a mouse.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

THE PHATEST YES IN ALL THE UNIVERSE

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

Laf has a U.S. quarter collection. Don’t @ me.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

He’s not a fan of a messy house. While he is so guilty of leaving small things about, he’d never scold you for leaving your keys on the floor because they just missed the hook. But he can’t live in a mess. His desk is always tidy and beaming with professionalism.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

Sleeps 8 hours a day! Snoozes with you are always a 10 on his scale. He’s always ready to fall into a nap with you, suffocating you into a hug to cuddle. Laf snores, just a bit. Not loud enough to wake you!

[tag list!: @shieldblacksailsonfrontier @thefanficnerd @simvez @viper-official @the-anxious-youth @boredthreatrekid ]

#sul writes #marquis de Lafayette #lafayette #turn lafayette #turn amc #turn washington's spies #lafayette x reader #alphabet prompt

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onechicagorpf · 4 years

Text

Equal Justice Under Law

Pairing: Jay Halstead x Reader (Prosecutor)

Requested? Yes - Are you still accepting requests? If you are can you do one where the reader is a prosecutor and working a case alongside intelligence. She gets in trouble and jay is the one to save her?

Warnings: Mentions of sexual abuse and murder. Swearing, the usual cuss words.

A/N: Okay so this is HELLA long. I really meant for all my requests to be blurbs (i.e. short fics) so please note that future requests will probably be much shorter than this! I just got carried away on this one! 😅

Also I realise the anon asked for the reader to be working alongside Intelligence, but in mine she’s kinda taking over after the police case is done, which is what happens in the episodes of Chicago Justice most of the time so that’s what I had it my head - hope y’all still like it! I also tried to switch it up this time and write in past tense, which I realise is sooo not my thing because I kept instinctively writing stuff in present tense and then having to go back and change it lol Let me know if you have a preference one way or another because I’m very curious as to how people feel about this!

Up next? 3 more Jay x Reader requests to fill!

PS: Send me asks/messages/leave a note if you liked this and want to see more!

You sighed, dropping your face in your hands. Some days, you wished you hadn’t taken up the job as the Cook County Assistant State's Attorney. The late nights and high stress situations sucked, but more than that your job had a way of bringing to light the worst things about humanity.

Looking down at your desk, you ran your fingers across the scattered pictures. Amelia Langstrom, age 16. Pamela Park, age 18. Lacey McDonald, age 19. Julia Sanderson, age 15. Maggie Thane, age 16. Every photo of the girls, smiling at the camera, came with another one. This other photo wasn’t as well-lit, as happy, as pretty. It was an emotionless, clinical photo taken of their naked bodies, covered with injuries and bruises and cuts, surrounded by leaves or trash depending on where they were dumped.

It was an awful, awful thing. 5 young girls, all missing for over a week before their bodies were found. All with signs of sexual assault, yet no DNA left behind to trace back to the killer. All of this, by itself, would be enough to turn your stomach over. Which it did, but above that, watching your boyfriend come home every night with his head down, shoulders sagging, looking completely distressed as he and his team were no closer to finding the perpetrator of these crimes…it was terrible.

“You guys will get him. I know you will, Jay.” You said, brushing his dark brown hair out of his eyes as the two of you laid in bed together. Your boyfriend’s green eyes, usually bright and full of life, were dark and distant in a way you hadn’t seen in a long time.

“How many more girls does he have to kill before we find him?” Jay whispered, not even looking at you, as his frown - one that seemed to have made itself at home in his forehead over the last two weeks - deepened.

It was a week later when Anna Valdez, your second chair, knocked on your door. Her face was dark, and her lips were tight.

“Another girl?” You asked, your voice cracking.

Anna shook her head. “Intelligence got the guy.” She replied, still looking troubled.

You frowned, tilting your head at her. She paused, crossing her arms across her chest, trying to shrink herself. Like as if she didn’t want to say the next words. You stood up, now beginning to fear what was coming.

“What is it?”

Anna swallowed. “They’re saying he confessed.”

***

“Jay - ”

“You don’t believe me?! Seriously?!” Jay’s eyes were wide with outrage on the other side of your desk.

“It’s not about whether I believe you! It’s about - ” You lowered your voice, remembering that there were many, many people who were working right outside your office. “ - it’s about the fact that Voight is saying this guy confessed. Hank Voight. He’s not exactly a shrinking violet. And all this on top of the fact that - ”

Jay opened his mouth to cut in, but you silenced him with a raised hand and bulldozed onward.

“ - On top of the fact that there just so happened to be no one else in the room with Voight when Dylan Rhodes confessed? Hmm? And it happened in a - in a cage that’s in basement of your district? No cameras, no audio, no video?” You glared at Jay, barely hiding the seething rage that was boiling under your skin. You leaned across the desk, shoulders tight, voice now raised without a care about what anyone outside was going to hear. “Not to mention he’s got cuts and bruises all over his face from ‘resisting arrest’ even though he’s a 20 year old who’s maybe 120 pounds soaking wet and there were seven of you cops, all armed with guns when you went to arrest him!” You yelled, flinging several of Dylan Rhodes’ mugshots across the table, some of them flying all the way over to hit Jay’s body and land at his feet.

There was nothing in the air but the soft whirring of the ceiling fan, and the squeaking of wheels as you dropped back into your chair, exhausted.

Jay called your name, his voice different now - softer and sweeter. You tried not to look at him, tried to let him know just how angry you were…but you weren’t angry at him. Not really. You were angry at the man he worked for. When your eyes connected back with Jay’s, you could see that he knew that. He placed his palms on your desk and leaned towards you.

“You know that I have issues with Hank sometimes, with the way he does things. You know that. But Y/N, you gotta believe me on this one. I looked in that kid’s eyes. I know he did this.” Jay whispered, and you ducked your head, letting your vision graze over the one remaining photo of Dylan Rhodes on your desk.

You just sighed. Looking back up at him, you shook your head.

“It’s not about him, Jay. I know he did it too, I can feel it. But if I’m putting him away, it needs to happen the right way.” You offered, your voice almost didactic.

Jay’s jaw clenched. “Needs to happen the right way, or not at all?” He straightened, pulling away from you. The look he was giving you was one that you could only describe as fervent disapproval. Like he hated what he was seeing in you.

You decided you were done with the argument. Leveling Jay with a cold, emotionless stare, you spoke.

“Yeah. Because there’s some of us who still believe in the law. Who choose to serve and protect in the right way.”

The words spilled out of your mouth so matter-of-factly that they became so harsh. Jay was speechless, and in the beat of silence that followed, you regretted your words.

Your door opened and you jumped, too absorbed in your tête-à-tête with Jay to even give notice to the outside world. Anna looked over you and Jay - who was staring at his feet, jaw tight - with concern in her eyes.

“What is it?” You asked Anna for the second time in a day, just as terrified as the first time.

“Defense counsel just filed a motion to suppress the confession.”

***

“Mr Howard, if you’re ready we can begin - ”

“Sorry to interrupt, your honour, but it won’t be necessary.” You announced, standing up in the courtroom. Everyone’s eyes were on you, even the court stenographer’s.

The judge raised his eyebrows.

“The People will not object to Mr Howard’s motion to suppress the defendant’s confession.” You said, and a flurry of excitement broke out in the gallery - reporters shouting questions, members of the public yelling, camera flashes going off.

“So,” Anna began, facing you as you stopped to grab a cup of water from a dispenser in the hallway. It’d taken about five whole minutes of gavel banging by the judge to settle everyone down, before she dismissed the session. “Your boyfriend and some of his coworkers are at the end of the hallway, and they keep shooting us looks but no one’s coming.”

You tipped the paper cup into your water, swallowing the ice cold water, flinching a little at the tingly sensation it left in your mouth.

“Do you want to go the other way, or do you want to go talk to them? To him?” Anna asked, softly. If anyone else had been saying it, you would’ve snapped at them to mind their own business. But it’s Anna - Anna, who from day one has been by your side, who’s practically made it her mission to be the person you count on.

You shot Anna a gentle smile, squeezing her shoulder. “I’m good. I’ll take the south exit. Meet you back at the office after lunch?” Anna nodded, trying but failing to hide the concern in her eyes.

Side-stepping her, you walked down the hallway, away from where Jay and the rest of Intelligence must be gathered. A part of you hoped, strangely, that he’d come after you, even though you knew that there was no way he wouldn’t be pissed at you. You’d been with him long enough to know how he operated. How he felt everything so intensely, how he was wired through the heart. Jay lived and died by his instincts and his emotions, and there was something to be said about the simplicity of it. The man was a soldier, and maybe in war you didn’t have the time to think about procedure and precedent, about the sharp edges of red tape and the rules and regulations in a bureaucracy. The cosmetic battles didn’t matter to him – he didn’t care what something seemed like, he cared what it was.

But you weren’t Jay. You loved him, but you were not him. You weren’t a soldier - you were a lawyer, and your battle was in the courtroom, not Afghanistan. And in the courtroom, almost just as much as what something was mattered, what it looked like mattered too.

Dylan Rhodes had to be brought to justice, yes. But it had to be done the right way, not by way of coerced or falsified confessions. Equal justice under law was what you swore to uphold, and damn Voight if he thought you couldn’t put Dylan away while doing your job the right way. And damn Jay too, then.

***

“So, how’s the case coming along?” Will Halstead asked, pouring maple syrup over his waffles.

You leaned against the red leather seats in the diner, in an example of truly terrible posture. Shrugging, you answered him: “You know I can’t really talk about that.”

Will scoffed, picking up a fork and knife. “I think you’re allowed to tell me how you’re doing.”

You raised at eyebrow at the doctor, a smile starting to creep onto your face. “But those aren’t the exact words you used, and you actually asked me something completely different - ”

Will threw his hands in the air:‌ “Okay, we get it, you’re a lawyer and I shouldn’t argue with you.” He rolled his eyes exaggeratedly, and you laughed, leaning forward to swat at his arm.

“Really, though.” Will said eventually, and you just nodded. “I’m feeling good. I think I’ve got motive, and I think I can get him to snap if I put him on the stand.”

Will smiled wide. “Attagirl.”

As you sipped your coffee, you kept going over your question in your head, trying to find the best way to phrase it. But just like his brother, Will could practically read your mind.

“Jay’s…you know how he is.” Will said, in a gentle tone.

“Stubborn, adamant, refuses to think he’s wrong about anything, ever?” You shot back in a grouchy tone, and Will raised his eyebrows. “Wow, you just said the same thing three ways - you must be pretty pissed!” He commented dryly, and you glared at him. Chuckling, Will waved you off before leaning across the diner table. “Y/N, he knows he shouldn’t have pushed you the way he did. He knows that. And he’s sorry.”

“He can’t come say that to me? Send me a message, come by my office, come home? He’s still gotta crash on your couch?” You shook your head, struggling to contain the hurt in your voice.

Will shot you a sympathetic look. “You know us Halstead boys; it takes a little while before the mea culpa can come out of our mouths.”

You stirred the spoon in your coffee, watching the little bits of foam go round and round and round, before dragging your spoon across in the opposite direction. The foam still swirled around a few times before stopping. Too slow.

“My bed’s been empty for a week, Will. I miss him.”

Will didn’t say anything; the good doctor just slid over a piece of tissue, and that was when you realised you’d started crying.

***

“You’ve got this.” Anna whispered, as the defense attorney took his seat. The judge turned to you and called for you to make your closing argument.

This was usually your favourite part - getting to talk directly to the jury, showing them the facts of your case, walking them through every step of the process with all the detail in the world so that they could get to the conclusion that you knew to be true.

But today was different. You shoved your hands in your pockets to hide that they were shaking. And when you looked over your shoulder at the gallery, you couldn’t see Jay.

He’d never missed any of your closing arguments. Ever.

Until today.

“Ms Y/L/N? Can we begin?” The judge tossed a concerned look your way.

Your eyes landed on Dylan Rhodes, who was smirking at you like he’d won.

Smiling back, you calmly turned to the judge. “Let’s begin.”

Starting from Dylan’s teenage years, where he racked up countless misconduct records in high school for all sorts of problems, you traced the development of this man, this awful human being. You painted a portrait of him as needy, sad, and lonely, and connected that to his need to hurt and attack girls who were otherwise unattainable for him. As you spoke, you could see the jury process your words and go where you were taking them.

Dylan had, by this point, dropped the cocky smirk. Instead, his face was red, his jaw was clenched, and veins were popping in his neck. You knew you had him - you knew it was over.

“Members of the jury - I have just one final request to ask of you. Today, you have the opportunity to see that justice is served to a man who more than deserves it. A man - a boy, who decided that raping and killing girls was the only way he could live with himself, because that was the only way he could have these girls.” You paused, turning to look at Dylan, who was shaking with rage.

“A boy who decided to hurt girls to cover up the fact that he is so weak, and so pathetic.” You punctuated the tense air in the courtroom with words so sharp they felt like the final nail in Dylan Rhodes’ coffin.

There was a moment of bliss, you knew you’d done your job, you knew you’d brought the jury over, you knew you’d succeeded - but just as quickly as things came together, it all came crashing down.

It happened so quickly - Dylan roared, lunging over the table towards you. Everyone started screaming, and you froze in shock and in fear.

The bailiff intercepted Dylan on his way over to you and tackled him to the ground. It all seemed settled for a second, but they kept struggling on the ground, and all you saw was Dylan’s hands reaching around the bailiff’s and - and his fingers wrapping around - oh god -

“Gun!” Anna yelled, and the release of that one syllable was followed immediately by a gunshot. And then another.

***

“You gonna talk to Y/N? She’s closing the Rhodes case today, you know?” Hailey Upton asked, lifting her feet up to place them on the dashboard of the GMC Sierra.

Jay shrugged, fiddling with the radio in his hand.

“This is the part where you use your words.” Hailey remarked in a slightly sarcastic tone, smiling and Jay just shot her a look. Reaching over, he shoved her feet off the dash petulantly, and Hailey laughed.

Moments later, she turned back, cheek pressing against the headrest of her seat. “Jay.” She said, her tone gentle but still a little pushy. It was what he needed then, and she knew it. The last few days had been tough on him - he hadn’t talked to her about it, other than updating her that he was staying over at Will’s, but his entire demeanour was off - he’d been down and depressed.

Jay shrugged again, frowning. “I don’t know what to say. I screwed up, and I know it and she knows it and - I don’t know. I’m starting to think…” Jay ducked his head, eyes scanning his fingers as they traced the outlines of his radio. “…starting to think maybe she can do better than me, you know?” When he finished, his voice was much lower, much softer than it was when he began.

“Oh, she can definitely do better than you.” Hailey grinned, her dimples showing and Jay just reached across, punching her shoulder. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” Hailey chuckles, before turning to face her partner again.

“Seriously though, I’ve seen the way she looks at you - that girl is one hundred percent in love with you.”

Jay’s heart felt full hearing that, and he knew it to be true, too.

“So get your shit together, stop sleeping on your brother’s couch, go back to her and apologise for being an idiot.” Hailey advised. Before Jay could say anything, his radio went off.

“10-1, 10-1, shots fired at the Third Municipal District, hall 5! Dispatch, get Intelligence on the scene now!”

“Isn’t that where - ” Hailey started to ask, frowning. She didn’t have to finish her question, because she got her answer when Jay, who suddenly went as pale as a ghost, turned on the lights and sirens and floored it.

***

“Dylan…just - think about this, okay?”

Your hands were out in front of you, shaking.

Dylan Rhodes was about 10 feet from you, with a gun in his hand. The gallery had cleared out and the people on the jury had managed to escape to their deliberation room, separated from the courtroom with a thick wooden door. The only people who were left with you and Dylan were the judge, Anna and Mr Howard.

Your eyes flickered down to where the bailiff laid in a pool of his own blood. Dylan had fired two shots straight through the bailiff’s chest. You didn’t need to be trained in medicine like your boyfriend’s brother to know that the bailiff was dead.

You’d said hi to him once, in an elevator. He’d smiled back, and asked you how your day was.

You can’t remember what you told him.

“You’re scared now, aren’t you?” Dylan asked, and you snapped back to him. He had a deranged smile on his face.

“Dylan, please, it doesn’t have to be like this - ” You started speaking, but the judge - Judge Kinnaman - cut you off.

“Son, I swear if you don’t drop that gun now, you will never see the light of day. I will personally ensure that.” Judge Kinnaman’s voice resounded in the empty courtroom with authority. Dylan turned to him, gun following his line of sight.

“Fuck you.” Dylan punctuated his words with a squeeze of the trigger. Anna screamed, and you heard a loud thump. When you turned over your shoulder, you couldn’t see Judge Kinnaman at his seat behind the counter anymore - all you saw was blood splatter on his chair and the wood behind him.

The numbness you’d felt until this point suddenly gave way to waves upon waves of fear. It felt like a chill going down your spine - your body was cold, your mind was racing, and you were absolutely terrified.

“Dylan - Dylan, listen to me.” Jon Howard, the defense attorney, spoke softly from the defense table. “Just - just put the gun down, okay?”

Dylan’s eyes practically went red with rage. “You - you fucking…you’re useless, you’re pathetic, you know that?” Dylan swings back around, yelling at you and Anna. “He asked me to make a deal! A deal! What kind of a shitty lawyer gives up before he even tries to win, huh?!” He yelled at Jon, spit flying out of his mouth. Jon flinched, leaning back as Dylan moved closer to him.

Suddenly, a voice on loudspeaker boomed from outside the closed doors of the courtroom.

“Dylan Rhodes! This is Jay Halstead of the Chicago Police Department. We have the courtroom surrounded!”

Your knees almost buckled as you heard Jay’s voice. Relief flooded your veins, but you were still scared as you watched Dylan suddenly turn around, eyes wide.

“We do not want you or anyone in there to get hurt, okay? Just let the people in there come out, and I swear I will help you.” Jay finished, and Dylan just grabbed his head in his hands.

“No, no, no, no!” Dylan whispered to himself, tears springing out of his eyes. You turned to Anna, both of you equally terrified. Suddenly, Dylan raised his head, almost like a lion that had suddenly spotted a gazelle over the lines of grass.

Dylan surged towards you. Screaming, you flattened yourself against the witness stand, but it was to no avail - Dylan’s left hand grabbed your throat, and he pulled you to him, turning you so that you were in front of him, his left forearm like a bar going across your neck. You felt the cool metal of the gun against your temple, and you gasped.

“I have a hostage! I’m coming out, and I want everyone to stand back!” Dylan barked, before walking you to the door. You were shaking against him, tears streaming down your face at this point. The pressure of the gun against your head seemed to be drilling into you. As you reached the door, and Dylan instructed you to open it, all you could think about was that at least you’d get to see Jay before you died today.

The door opened with a loud creak, and you were stunned to see so many fully uniformed police officers with assault rifles standing right outside. Per Dylan’s instructions, they were all standing back, but still it was absolutely terrifying seeing all those guns pointed at you.

Your eyes immediately found Jay, who had his head tilted, looking down the sight on his rifle but the moment Dylan had brought you out, he picked his head up. His mouth was open slightly, his eyes were wide and wet, and he looked to be completely distraught.

Seeing him finally after days apart…it made every argument you’d ever had feel so inconsequential. You were so full of love for him and the only thing you wanted to do was run, run to him and wrap your arms around him. Unable to do any of that, you just mouthed “I love you” as you tried to hold back sobs.

“I want a car, and - and I want a - a jet fueled at O’Hare!” Dylan shouted.

Jay just shook his head. “You need to let her go first, alright?”

Dylan tightened his hold on you. “I’m not a fucking idiot!”

“We know that, okay?” Hailey spoke up, from a few feet to the right of Jay. “We don’t think you’re an idiot. We just want to make sure you don’t do anything you don’t want to do.” She said, putting her rifle down. Raising her hands, she took a couple of steps towards Dylan, who at this point had completely turned to face her.

“No - no, I don’t want you to move! Just - just stay where you are!” Dylan snapped, his voice raging. Your heart was beating so loudly that you could almost hear it in your ears. Closing your eyes, you just prayed silently.

“I know you don’t want to hurt her. So let’s just make sure - ” Hailey spoke gently, but Dylan cut her off, laughing sharply.

“You stupid bitch! You’re all stupid bitches! Damn right I want to hurt her! This bitch - ” Dylan shouted, pulling in his forearm, the immense pressure against your neck strangling you, “ - called me pathetic! I’m gonna show her how fucking pathetic she is when I get her somewhere alone and I - ”

A loud bang goes off, and you jumped. Your eyes flew open just in time to feel Dylan sag against you, and you instinctively leaned out of the way so that he fell to the ground.

Arms wrapped around you, and your first reaction was to flinch, to scream, to turn with eyes wide, trying to claw away from whoever it is. But then you heard his voice.

“Baby! Baby - it’s me, it’s Jay!” Your boyfriend’s eyes were wide and teary. His eyebrows were furrowed deeply, and he looked like he was in pain.

Everything clicked in your head.

“Jay,” You moaned, shaking fingers clutching his vest as you engulfed yourself in him. Jay’s arms wrapped around you tightly and you soaked in his scent, his warmth, his safety. Sobbing into his neck, you refused to let go, still not really believing this to be real. Jay didn’t say anything for a while and you weren’t sure why. But then you heard him crying into your hair, and you pulled back to see him. His eyes were wet, pooling with tears, and you immediately brought your hands up to hold his face. Jay leaned down as you got on your tip toes and you kissed, wet and soft and scared. Jay’s hands cradled your face, and when the two of you eventually split to breathe, you just looked up at him, speechless, shaking your head.

“I’m so sorry,” Jay whimpered.

“It’s okay. We’re okay. Just - just come home, please,” You begged, running your thumb over his jaw.

“Of course. Of course. I’m never leaving you like that again, okay? No matter what. Y/N, I love you so much. When he came out with you - I - I almost died right where I stood.” Jay told you as his face contorted into something painful. You pressed your lips to his again, quick and chaste. Pulling back, you smiled up at him.

“I love you too, Jay.”

The rest of the day was a mess - the cops moved Dylan’s body, as well as the bailiff’s and Judge Kinnaman’s, while paramedics cleared you medically. You flung yourself at Anna when they brought her out, swearing to her that you were okay and asking repeatedly if she was fine. The two of you held on to each other, crying, as Jay kept rubbing your back. In fact, he never left your side, not even for a second. After you were done giving your statement, Jay took you home, and the two of you got undressed and sat in a warm bath together for a while. You kept thinking at times that you were fine, but then you’d remember the feeling of the gun against your head, or the way the bailiff slumped over, and you started crying again. Jay brought his arms around you, pulling you to his chest and peppering your face with kisses as he soothed you.

At night, you curled into each other. The two of you drifted asleep, in the safety and warmth of your embrace.

*** Please leave a comment/like/reblog!

#jay halstead #jay halstead imagine #jay halstead x reader #will halstead #will halstead imagine #cpd imagine #chicago pd imagine #onechicago imagine #onechicago

535 notes · View notes

softhourtxt · 4 years

Text

family of six | txt

× au: roommates with txt × pairing: txt x reader × genre: fluff × warnings: none × word count: 1,2k

➳

you often decide to buy everyone snacks on the way home

sometimes you like to pretend like you only bought stuff for yourself so that the boys will start whining and calling you a meanie

and then you will eventually pull out their snacks from your bag

;

you plop down on the couch between soobin and yeonjun

you pull out a whole bread from your bag and start munching on it, quickly catching soobins attention

he starts whining and asking for a piece

you pretend to feed him but do the classic and pull away, eating it yourself

> soobin gets desperate

he is actually begging you to give him a crumb

"i'll give you a little crumb if you call me noona/hyung"

":(( noona" / ":(( hyung"

satisfied, you pull out another entirely untouched bread from your bag and hand it over to him

"!! you had more"

"of course i did"

cue yeonjun looking over with a little pout

"what about me? 🥺"

"well i have one more bread so i guess you can have it"

also one notable thing is that you always have someone there to comfort you when you have nightmares

no matter the time, everyone is 100% ready to loose sleep until you've calmed down

and depending on who's offering you that comfort, they all have their own ways

the first few times you went to soobin for comfort he was a little ?? confused

you had woken him up by gently shaking his arm and he had been a little annoyed but when he heard your sniffles he just-

confusion + worry ↗️

you asked if he could keep you awake for a little while so you could forget about your nightmare

soobin was like "uhh yeah sure" bc he was sleepy ok??? it was awkward

you two sat on his bed just talking quietly about the good times until you started yawning and believed it was okay for you to go back to sleep

he followed you back to bed to make sure you made it safe and once he was satisfied, he threw you a thumbs up and ran back to bed

if you woke up yeonjun, he'd hug you, cuddle you or play with your hair

whatever type of physical comfort you were comfortable with, he'd give you it

he'd listen to you if you needed to talk or tell you about his day if you wanted to stay quiet

when you're ready to go back to sleep he will come tug you in and kiss your forehead ok??

maybe even stay for a while to lull you to sleep uwu

if the dream was rly bad you'd go to beomgyu

the boy knew how to listen to you and would give you witty advice on how to fight the monster in your dreams next time

he'd tell you about his own nightmares until he had convinced you that your nightmare was nothing but a little thing you could laugh about

you'd propably end up making new inside jokes each time just to annoy the rest of the boys with

if huening kai ended up being the one you go to, the two of you would always end up in the kitchen

he'd make you hot chocolate or tea to warm you up in hopes it would calm you down

just whatever easy he could prepare for you in the middle of the night without being too loud

kai would sit down with you and bring up something the both of you love to talk about

he'd wait until there's even a hint of a smile on your face before he'd let himself get back to sleep

honestly,,,,, sometimes you wanted to avoid waking taehyun up

you loved the boy to pieces but there was something scary about going to wake him up just to hear "what?"

but just like soobin, the second he hears your sniffles or weak voice, he gets worried

tsundere much?

he sits up in his bed without saying anything and makes room for you to sit down next to him

you can tell he's a little annoyed you woke him up but if you ask about it, he denies it for your sake 🥺

he's actually soft so he will hold your hand even if he's tired

and when you think you've calmed down enough he will hug you and tell you to sleep well in the sweetest most caring voice,,,,,,

,,,,,,,you and beomgyu have the most inside jokes for sure

don't lie to me you probably consider him your bestest friend

like,,, if you want a fun time? choi beomgyu is your man

the rest of the boys often find you annoying when you're being loud around the dorm

and if someone tries to parent you when you're with beom

"oKaY mOm"

you're literal kids

if you're older than hyuka, he's ur babie

periodt.

and if you take a parenting role, he will c o m m i t to being your one and only babie

"(y/n) soobin won't let me eat the last cookie :(("

“(y/n) taehyun is angry at me, protect me! :((”

if you're younger

then oh boy

he will constantly be reminding you of that fact

"(y/n)-ah~~"

"i'm your oppa/hyung right~~?"

you’re about ready to slap him each time

he finds it absolutely hilarious that he's not the youngest in the dorm and he can tease you about it

your favorite activity together as a big family of six?

movie nights

it’s become more of a weekly tradition

you throw a bunch of pillows and blankets on the floor to make it cozy, order in food and decide on a film to watch

tbh most of the time you argue over which movie to watch

y’all end up picking sides and sometimes having playful pillow fights over it

“i wanna watch finding nemo!” -you, smacking beomgyu’s head with a pillow-

“hey why did you smack me? i want to watch that too!” -beomgyu, smacking back-

“don’t fight!” -soobin, smacking beomgyu-

so you came up with a rule to have turns on who gets to decide

there are still arguments over who’s turn it was to decide but it’s less dramatic

and once everyone has settled down and a movie is already playing, it’s finally peaceful

hint; if you’re scared of horror films you might end up in someone’s arms

and get teased for it

“lmao (y/n) was clinging onto soobin’s arm the whole time”

“i thought it was a pillow”

“sure”

“whatever you’re just jealous!”

and listen, the amount of blackmail that goes on in the dorms

is r i d i c u l o u s

you’re seen cuddling with taehyun?

huening kai takes a photo and laughs at it for forever

soobin steals your food?

yeonjun uses the info to get you on his side

someone (beomgyu) doesn’t use honorifics?

be prepared to die

but all in all, it’s always playful

you all know you love each other and that’s why by some miracle, the six of you living as roommates works :)

166 notes · View notes

strawberriestyles · 4 years

Text

Chapter 21

(Banner made by sweet sunshine @harry-nofookingway-styles)

Harry X OFC (AU)

Sequel to Brutality: In which Melody and Harry must relearn how to navigate one another among a flurry of changes.

Read previous parts here.

Author’s note: LAAADEEDAAAA I wrote most of this today RIP. I’m so sorry if updates start to slow down y’all. I am trying. But I hope y’all are still enjoying the story. I’m sending you lots of love and good vibes. MWAH. DON’T FORGET TO SEND ME A MESSAGE!!!! XO

By the time that Harry and Melody made it back to her parents’ house, it was approaching ten-thirty. The lights were on above the front door and her father’s truck was in his spot beside the garage. Harry, breathless from their rushed walk, felt like his heart might beat right out of his chest as he stepped onto the porch. But he didn’t get a chance to collect himself before Melody was throwing open the front door.

She waited for him to follow her inside, then closed the door behind them with a soft click, stamping the snow off her boots on the rug. Harry shed his coat, letting the air begin to lift the sweat from his skin.

“Melody?” came a man’s voice from where Harry remembered the kitchen to be.

Melody cussed beneath her breath. She stepped out of her boots and reached for Harry’s hand when he’d done the same. “Hi, dad!” she called.

Rounding the corner, his hand clutched tight in Melody’s, Harry found her father standing at the counter, a plate of leftovers from dinner before him. And Harry’s first thought wasn’t how awkward this was, or how much he wanted to be anywhere else—those were his second and third thoughts. His first thought was that he’d imagined her father to be taller.

“Hi, honey.”

Melody squeezed Harry’s hand before she let go, stepping around the end of the counter to hug her dad. Harry watched them, dragging his tongue along his lips.

“Sorry,” Melody said as she pulled back. “We were on a walk and we lost track of time. This is Harry.” She glanced at him over her shoulder, flashing a quick smile.

“As long as he was with you,” her dad said, giving Harry a quick, scathing once-over. “Boxer, right?”

Harry nodded, struggling to keep his arms from crossing, to keep from hiding his restless hands in his pockets. “Yes, sir.” He didn’t feel quite so out of place as he looked over the grungy work clothes Melody’s father—David, Harry remembered distantly—was wearing.

David nodded slowly. “He can sleep in the spare bedroom,” he said without taking his eyes off of Harry.

Melody frowned, glancing back and forth between the two of them. “Or he could sleep in my room,” she suggested, “and we’ll leave the door open.”

“It’s fine, Melody,” Harry murmured.

“Not for me.” She was thinking about how hard it had been trying to fall asleep on her birthday. She was already tired from her fight and the lack of sleep the night before, and she didn’t need another restless night. “Please, Dad.”

David twirled pasta around his fork before bringing the bite to his mouth. “The door stays open,” he said when he was done chewing. “All the way.”

Harry took a relieved breath, glad that this hadn’t turned into more of an argument.

“Got it,” Melody said. “Thank you.”

David’s eyes lifted to her face again, this time lingering, and Harry’s skin grew hot. “Your mom told me about that bruise. She wasn’t kidding.”

Melody smiled, backing toward Harry. “You know me and spiders.”

“I sure do.” He collected another forkful of food, looking at them each once more as they retreated. “Goodnight, Melody.”

“Goodnight,” she answered. Then she took Harry by the wrist and led him up to her bedroom. He hadn’t noticed how tight his shoulders were until he allowed them to relax.

“See?” Melody asked, digging through her suitcase for pajamas. “It wasn’t that bad, was it?”

Harry hummed, sitting on the edge of her bed, running his fingers through his hair. “He said two words to me.” It wasn’t that he was disappointed. He was actually relieved, but how was he supposed to gauge her father’s feelings when he barely even looked Harry’s way?

Melody chewed on her lips as she stood, clothes tucked beneath her arm. “Did you expect him to say more?”

“Yeah. Thought he’d grill me.”

“I told you he’s not the most involved father.” She set her pajamas on the end of the bed and stepped in front of Harry, sighing. “He’s probably more interested in the fact that you’re a boxer than the fact that we’re together.”

Harry looked up into her face, frowning. She had told him that her father was a bit distant, a little too wrapped up in his work, mildly oblivious to what happened with her. That didn’t mean Harry was any less intimidated, and it certainly didn’t mean he felt comfortable here, but it did ease the pressure, if only slightly.

“Are you okay if I shower?” Melody asked. She tucked her fingers into his hair, carefully avoiding the scars behind his ear.

“Yeah,” answered Harry, nodding. He tried not to shiver as her fingers trailed across his scalp.

Smiling, Melody leaned down and supported herself with a hand on each of his knees. She pressed a couple of quick kisses to his mouth. “Thank you for coming with me,” she whispered. “I’m really glad you’re here.”

Harry hummed again as Melody collected her pajamas and left to shower. She cleaned up quickly, heard the sink running when Harry snuck in to brush his teeth, and found him laying on the bed when she made her way back into her room. His hands were tucked beneath his head, his long legs sprawled out and a strip of his belly visible where his shirt was rucked up.

“Are you sleeping in jeans?” she asked, smiling amusedly at how completely clothed he still was as she squeezed excess water from her hair with a towel.

Harry glanced down at his pants. “No.”

“Then take them off, Harry.” She switched off the light and climbed over his legs to the inside of the mattress.

Harry sat up, yanking his shirt over his head, shedding his jeans and socks and tossing the discarded clothes at his suitcase across the room. Then he peeled back the sheets, slipping beneath them in only his boxers. Melody covered herself up, shifting closer to him, tucking a leg over his thigh and laying her cheek on his chest. She frowned when he remained still. His skin was pulled taut over his muscles.

“Harry.”

“What?”

“You’re being weird.”

“Mel, I—” He sighed, blinking up at the ceiling as headlights danced across it. “I don’ wanna have yeh, like, draped over me if your dad walks by.”

Melody pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. There was something so endearing about this nervous, twitchy Harry, a vulnerability that she didn’t often get to see. She didn’t want him to be uncomfortable, but this side of him made her very skin sing in adoration.

“Okay,” she whispered, unwinding her leg from his and shifting off of his chest. She laid her head on her own pillow and instead wrapped her hands around his arm, hugging it to her, his fingertips brushing the top of her thigh. “What about this?”

“Yeah. Tha’s fine,” he muttered. “Right?”

Melody couldn’t help the grin that found its way onto her face this time. “I think so.”

Harry nodded distractedly. She could almost see the breakneck pace at which his mind was working. “Am I supposed to be wearin’ a shirt? I don’—”

“Stop,” she interrupted. She squeezed his arm, leaning forward to press a short kiss to his cheek. “You’re fine. We’re just going to sleep, okay?”

Melody watched Harry’s throat bob as he swallowed. Her eyes traced along the curve of his jaw, to the faint outline of his frowning lips, up to his furrowed brow. When he turned his head and caught her staring, his frown only deepened.

“Why’re yeh lookin’ at me like that?” he whispered.

“Because you’re cute,” she whispered back. She chewed on her lip as he stared at her, and then pressed a long kiss to his shoulder. “Relax, Harry. I’m serious. I don’t know why you’re psyching yourself out like this. What’s going on?”

His chest rose and fell as he sighed again, turning his attention back toward the ceiling, watching as another set of headlights passed by.

“Talk to me,” Melody pleaded.

The silence remained for another moment before Harry shrugged. “It just feels weird to be here.”

“Do you know why?” Melody drew her fingertips down the inside of his arm, tracing his veins until she reached his hand and could play with his fingers.

“I think ‘s just the dad dynamic,” Harry said. “It feels weird. He’s not even my dad but it feels...”

“Weird.” She nodded in understanding. “Yeah.”

“Feel like ‘m doin’ somethin’ wrong.”

Melody’s fingers paused. She let go of Harry’s arm and turned onto her belly, rising up on her elbows to get a better view of his face in the bit of light that was shining through the bedroom window. He looked tired. And he was avoiding her eyes. “How so?” she asked.

He sighed again. She was sick of the sighing. “Well, I dunno,” he whispered, still staring at the ceiling. His voice dropped even further in volume before he continued. “Fucked yeh against a row of lockers a half hour before I met your dad.”

Melody felt a white-hot heat creep up her neck. “Yeah, that’s not exactly something he would want to know,” she whispered. “But he doesn’t, okay? He doesn’t know. And he’s not going to find out.” When Harry didn’t seem convinced, she shifted closer to him, laying her head on his pillow, reaching up to turn his face toward her. “You’re guilt-tripping yourself for no reason. I wanted it. I liked it. And I don’t regret it. And what happens between us isn’t anyone else’s business. I love you.” She pressed a long kiss to his lips, tracing his jaw with her thumb, before settling back into her own pillow. “You haven’t done anything wrong, okay?”

He licked his lips and reached across the space separating Melody from him, running a finger over the crease between her brows to smooth out the skin. Catching his hand, she pulled it away from her face, cradling it to her chest.

“Harry, do you get that?” she asked. “You’re acting like you’ve messed something up, and there’s nothing like that. Okay?”

Harry yawned, giving her a small nod. “Okay.”

“Please,” she said, squeezing his hand and making herself comfortable again, “try to sleep.”

***

Harry felt like a showpiece. Even when he’d dressed up in the past, at least he’d been able to stick to blacks and whites and navy blues. Now he was in tan pants and a green button-down, and as he looked in the mirror, he felt that foreign sensation again. This was not the self that he knew. This was not the person that he’d built himself into, that his experiences had shaped. This was a stranger.

“Oh, this is weird.”

He glanced up at Melody as she stepped into the room, and clamped his teeth onto the inside of his cheek. She was wearing a wide-strapped yellow dress that cut off just above her knees, and the color made the red tint of her hair stand out. It was one of the more modest dresses he’d seen her in, but with the snow melting outside, she looked so bright and warm, he almost felt the need for sunglasses. When he found her eyes, she was staring hard at the outfit she’d bought him. But she glanced up to meet his gaze, a frown on her lips.

“You hate it, don’t you?”

Harry sighed, turning back to the mirror, pulling at the collar of his shirt. The material was much stiffer than any of the clothes that he owned, that he’d ever owned.

“Let me fix it,” Melody said, stepping in front of him and blocking his reflection. She reached for the collar he’d been playing with and unclasped the first few buttons running down the front of his shirt until she’d reached the middle of his chest. This was almost how he’d worn his shirts when they’d been out together, at her gallery and for her birthday the year before. Her fingers tickled his collarbone as she traced the birds that were tattooed there. “Is that better?”

Harry nodded. Melody smiled, tucking some hair back from his face. “Lucky my parents wanted us out of their hair.” Beth and David had been busy setting up tables and moving furniture and finishing food dishes all morning, and rather than ask for help, they’d simply asked Melody and Harry to stay out of the way. Neither one of them had been offended. They’d spent most of the day looking through some of Melody’s old artwork and pictures of her as a child.

“And,” she continued, “they’ll probably be too worried about all their guests to lay into you. Honestly, this couldn’t have gone better.”

Harry reached up to rub his eyes. He’d fallen asleep soon after Melody had talked him down, but he’d woken up in the middle of the night. Without her awake, getting back to sleep had been much more difficult.

“You’re very quiet,” Melody whispered.

“Yeah. Yeah, ‘m sorry.”

“There’s no reason to be sorry. I just wanna make sure you’re okay.” She glanced down at his outfit once more. “Are you? Okay?”

Harry nodded. “Yeah. ‘M fine.”

The doorbell rang only a moment later, as Melody was smoothing her hands down the front of his shirt. She flashed him a smile before lifting onto her toes, delivering a soft kiss to his lips. “You may not like it, but you do look good.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Look like a fuckin’ trust fund kid, is what I look like.”

She spluttered out a laugh, taking a step away from him, toward the bedroom door. “And somehow you still pull it off. Are you ready?”

The doorbell rang again. Harry hadn’t paid attention the first time, but now he could hear voices lifting up the staircase, and more joined as the front door opened. He really didn’t think he was going to fit into this crowd, not even with his pants freshly-pressed.

“Harry?”

“Yeah.” He tucked the end of his belt into its loop and nodded. “Yeah.”

“C’mon.” She held a hand out for him and when he’d laced their fingers together, she led him down the stairs.

***

Melody was right. There were too many people here for her parents to give Harry much notice. He’d been relieved at first, but then it was complete strangers that were asking him questions about himself, and the entire day had turned into a subtle nightmare.

He’d stepped away from the rest of the party, isolating himself by the table full of snacks. Melody was holding a baby across the room. Not exactly a newborn—she could hold her head up by herself—but definitely too young to say a single word, or to do much of anything without help. The sight made Harry’s stomach flutter uncomfortably as he bit into a cracker. Watching Melody smile, watching her laugh as the baby grabbed at her hair—it might’ve made him smile too if the rest of him didn’t feel so sick.

A baby. He’d never really given much thought to the future. For himself, it had always been about the here and now: making enough money to pay for his mom’s bills, hoping that she’d make it to the next day. For Melody—well, the most he’d thought about her future involved finishing school and getting her degree. And together...he had really never thought about their future, not more than continuing on the way they’d been living.

This—a house, marriage, children—was that something that she wanted? Was that something she wanted from him? Was that something that he could give her? He didn’t know. All of that used to feel so completely out of the cards that he’d been dealt. He’d never even imagined a relationship lasting this long. But if his future looked anything like this strange party, with cocktail dresses and hors d’oeuvres, he didn’t think he could stomach it.

“Hey.” He was shaken out of his thoughts as Melody appeared and leaned against the table beside him, wrapping an arm around his waist and tilting her head into his shoulder. He could still see her watching the couple with the baby. The food in his mouth tasted stale.

“Are you okay?” Melody whispered after a moment, pulling her head back far enough to look up at him.

He shrugged. “Fine. Why?”

“You’re all stiff.” She glanced around the room at all of the people, at the countless faces she��d introduced him to. She wouldn’t have been surprised if he was overwhelmed. “Harry, look at me,” she said, turning back toward him, tugging on his shirt. “Do you need a break? Wanna go outside?”

He shook his head, and for a moment she thought she’d seen him roll his eyes. “I said ‘m fine.”

“Okay,” she murmured.

The doorbell rang again. Harry had thought everyone who was coming would already have been here. The idea of meeting any more people had him ready to fake an illness.

David went to answer the door. Harry had trouble reconciling this man with the sweaty, dirt-caked one he’d met last night, who hadn’t so much as smiled. Now, he was laughing and mingling. And when he returned with the new guests, he had a thin smile on his face.

“Shit,” Harry heard Melody mutter. He glanced down and found her lip caught between her teeth, her eyes focused on the closest window, like she was strategically avoiding someone. When he looked back toward her father, he noticed the middle-aged couple beside him, and a taller, younger blond man standing with them. He looked to be about Harry’s age, and he looked much more natural in the ironed clothes he was wearing.

“Who’s that?” Harry whispered. But Melody merely sighed and answered, “I thought he wasn’t coming.”

When he looked up again, the stranger was already crossing the room toward them, a grin on his face. He stepped in front of Melody, who had still been fruitlessly trying to avoid his gaze. She blinked up at him and offered a thin smile.

“Hi,” she said.

“Haven’t seen you in a long time.” The man slid an arm around Melody’s waist, leaning down to kiss her cheek, and she finally let go of Harry to give him a brief hug.

“Been really busy,” Melody said as she pulled away, glancing toward Harry. “Uh, this is my boyfriend, Harry.”

He’d heard that same sentence on her lips so many times today, and it still felt like she was talking about someone else. The “boyfriend” title had always felt like a foreign concept to him.

The stranger turned Harry’s way, holding out his hand for Harry to grasp. “CJ,” he introduced. Harry nodded, confused. Was he supposed to recognize that name? It wasn’t even a name. It was a couple of random letters.

“Oh, man,” CJ said as he dropped Harry’s hand. His eyes widened comically. “You took a head shot, didn’t you? Can I see the scar?”

Melody scoffed, shaking her head incredulously. “CJ,” she hissed. “Stop it.”

“What?” He grinned, holding his hands out innocently. “How many people do you hear of surviving shit like that? It’s badass.”

Melody rolled her eyes, turning to Harry. “CJ’s going to medical school. You don’t have to show him anything. He’s just nosey.”

“Very,” CJ agreed.

Harry took a breath and turned his head, lifting the hair behind his ear to reveal the healed bullet holes and the thin scar where Dr. Florin had cut into him. It was the easiest way to get past this conversation.

“Sick,” CJ murmured. “That’s a really clean stitch job.”

Melody reached for Harry’s wrist, drawing his hand away from his head and letting his hair fall back into place. “Where did your parents go?”

“Your dad wanted to show them the new pool table.”

Melody’s mouth fell open. “Pool table?”

CJ snorted. “Maybe you should come home more.”

Harry peered across the room, where the baby was still making her rounds, passed back and forth between women who had probably become empty-nesters.

“Oh, Harry.” CJ patted his shoulder like they were old friends. “What do you do? I think David told me at one point, but I can’t remember.”

“I was a boxer,” Harry said. The past tense felt like more of a blow than he thought it would.

CJ snapped his fingers. “Right! Right. So, what do you do after that? I mean, if you can’t box anymore, what do you fall back on?”

Harry shifted uncomfortably. He felt Melody’s hand slide across the table behind him, her fingers tickling at his back.

“Um,” she began before he could speak, “he’s figuring it out. He never really had to think about it before.”

CJ nodded. His eyes lingered on Harry for a moment before he redirected his attention. “And you, Melody?” he asked. His grin returned. Harry was beginning to hate it. No one needed to show off their perfect white teeth that often. “You’re not in classes right now, are you? Second-guessing your major?”

Melody flashed a tight-lipped smile. Harry felt her fingers pause. “Nope.”

“You’re sure?” CJ asked. Somehow, his grin widened.

“I—”

“She’s good at what she does,” Harry interrupted, surprising himself. It was true. Of the writing she’d allowed him to read, he thought Melody was really talented, not that he had an incredible amount of work to compare it to. But he hadn’t realized he would need to defend her today.

CJ chuckled. “It was a joke.”

“Wasn’ that funny,” Harry said with a shrug. He watched in satisfaction as CJ’s smile fell a few degrees.

“Well, the fact of the matter is,” CJ said, “that you can’t always do what you want to, even if you’re good at it. Right?” He looked pointedly at Harry. “Like you with your injury. There comes a point where it’s just not logical.”

“I don’ understand why everything always has to be logical.”

“Harry,” Melody warned. She didn’t like the way that this conversation was headed, and she didn’t like that she was being cut out of it.

“What?” he asked, glancing at her. “We’re talkin’.” CJ nodded in agreement, so Harry continued. “See, even if I can’ box in actual matches anymore, I could still knock a few of your teeth out if it came to that, right?”

CJ’s shit-eating grin returned, as if he was egging Harry on. “It doesn’t make you any money, big boy.”

Melody caught Harry with an arm across his stomach as he stepped away from the table. She looked around the room to be sure that no one was watching them, and was relieved when she didn’t meet any eyes. “Harry,” she whispered to him. “Please. Please, don’t do this right now.”

“Melody, let him go,” CJ said. There was a brightness to his eyes as he smiled this time, a flickering amusement. He was enjoying himself. “We can be civil. Right, Harry?”

Melody turned to glare at him, then stepped in front of Harry, peering up into his face. “I’m begging you to let it go. Please. Walk away.”

Harry drew his gaze away from CJ, meeting Melody’s pleading eyes. She didn’t say anything more. Her hands smoothed down his shirt where she had been clutching the material, and then she reached for his right hand, squeezing his knuckles. He didn’t know what it was that calmed him down. Beneath his skin, he could still feel rage simmering, his body ready to react, but he found himself nodding.

Melody pressed her lips together, letting out a relieved breath. She curled her hand tighter around Harry’s palm and turned to lead him away from CJ. Her plan was to sit in her room until he’d cooled down enough to return to the party, but she barely made it a few steps.

“Aw, c’mon Mel,” CJ called after them. “If you’re gonna date a low-life you can at least let him act like—”

Melody’s hand slipped out of Harry’s like wet soap. She was on CJ before Harry had even turned around. And it wasn’t just a slap. She’d hit him with a clean right hook, sending him tottering backward like an off-balance child, a hand clasped to his jaw and a look of bewilderment on his face. She took another step forward, her arm winding back for another hit.

“Melody Claire!”

Harry turned his head. It was Melody’s mom, her jaw hanging so low it looked unhinged. Melody seemed not to have heard her. CJ dodged her next punch but she caught him with a backhanded slap instead. It looked like a movie scene, with her still dolled up in her yellow dress. He found himself frozen as he watched. Until he heard the distant sound of a door shutting, and turned to find CJ’s parents standing in the hallway, watching in bewilderment. Melody’s father stood just behind them.

Harry sprang forward finally, his body catching up with what he was seeing, and hooked his arms around Melody’s waist, hauling her backwards.

“Let go of me!” she shouted, beating at his arms and kicking her feet to try to make contact with the floor again.

“Melody!” he hissed, clutching her tighter. She had very nearly broken out of his hold. “Calm down.”

“Harry, let go!” she yelled again. CJ was staring at them in shock, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth. Harry’s stomach dropped.

“No,” he said. “Stop it, Mel. Your parents are watchin’. Yeh don’ wanna do this. Not now. Not here.”

She kicked once more and then slumped in his arms, her body heaving as she tried to catch her breath. Harry lowered her feet to the floor, still holding her to his chest.

“Okay?” he whispered in her ear. She gave a very faint nod, avoiding CJ’s eyes the same way she had tried to avoid him when he’d arrived.

“What on Earth?” Beth was beside them a moment later. Harry heard the baby from earlier crying now. “You hit him? CJ, are you all right?”

Melody’s next breath shook in her throat. She let her head loll back on Harry’s shoulder. “I wanna go outside,” she whispered. “Can we—”

“Yes,” he answered with a confident nod. “Okay, let’s go.”

Harry’s arms loosened finally, allowing Melody out of his hold. He followed her across the room to the door that slid open onto the back of the house. The quiet eyes of the guests followed both of them until he closed the door behind them again.

Melted snow was running down in thin torrents from the gutters. But it was still chilly despite the sunlight, and Harry wondered if Melody was cold in her dress, or if the adrenaline of hitting CJ kept her numb.

“Ow,” Melody hissed. When Harry turned toward her, she was shaking out her hand. “Fuck, that hurt.”

“Let me see.” She hissed again as Harry took her hand, pressing his thumbs to her knuckles to make sure that nothing was broken. The skin was already swelling.

“Melody, what in the hell are you thinking?” She jumped as her father stepped out onto the deck with them, his voice loud and piercing. “Why would you hit that boy?”

Harry dropped her hand, watching the way her face fell. “Dad, I—”

“You used to love him.” Harry spun around at that. David looked serious, his hands balled into fists at his sides.

Melody shook her head quickly, peering at Harry as if to reassure him before she returned her attention to her father. “No, I didn’t,” she protested.

David’s expression didn’t soften. Instead, he crossed his arms. “You’ll apologize to him.”

“He should apologize!” Melody said. “You didn’t hear what he—”

“I don’t give two fucks what he said.” Harry sucked in a breath at the cold tone in David’s voice. He leaned against the closest railing, glancing back and forth between Melody and her father. From the look on her face, he didn’t swear at her very often. “It doesn’t give you the right to lay a hand on him. Who taught you that? Him?”

Harry opened his mouth as David glanced at him. The rage he’d felt when CJ had been goading him returned, that boiling heat, but he knew hitting Melody’s father wasn’t an option. He snapped his mouth shut again, tucking his hands into his armpits to keep them still.

Melody shook her head again. “He taught me to defend myself—”

“Who are you defending yourself from?” David snapped. “CJ? He didn’t touch you. I thought I raised you to have some thicker skin.”

Melody shook her hand out once more, glancing down at her knuckles with pursed lips.

The back door slid open again. Melody didn’t look up, but Harry saw Beth pop her head out. “They’re leaving.”

Fuming, David asked, “Who?”

“CJ and his family,” she said. She glanced once at Melody, then at Harry, but didn’t say another word as she slipped back into the house.

Harry stared down at his feet as David flared at him, then at Melody. “You’ve embarrassed your mother,” he said a moment later. “I think you should leave.”

“What?” Melody asked. She finally looked up again, sheer confusion evident in her face. “Dad—”

“Go around the front to pack your things.”

They stared, each waiting for the other to speak, but everyone had fallen silent. Harry inhaled, raking a hand through his hair. David turned to head back inside.

“‘S my fault,” Harry said, before Melody’s dad could make it too far. “It wasn’ Melody’s fault. It was mine. I was—”

“Well, you’re leaving too,” David interrupted. And before anyone could add another word, he was gone.

Melody stared at the door as it slid shut. “Fuck him.” She crossed her arms, rubbing at her elbows as the cold finally began to set in. “Jesus fucking—”

“Mel,” Harry murmured, stepping toward her. He brought a hand up to the back of her neck, brushing the hair away from her skin and pressing gently at the top of her spine. “Let’s just go.”

“God, I’m—” She pressed her hands to her face. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’. Let’s go, love.”

She nodded, shivering as Harry’s hand fell from the back of her neck, and then the two of them stepped off the porch and rounded the house to sneak in the front door.

Chapter 22

#harry styles #harry styles writing #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles imagine #harry styles series #harry styles fluff #harry styles angst #harry styles au #harry styles x ofc #boxer!harry #boxer!au #harry styles ferocity

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gameimagines · 4 years

Note

In that case! I was wondering if I could request hcs for Raihan, Piers & Leon with an s/o they met during the tournament? The s/o being an idol(who's theme gravitates around their shiny Charizard) from another region, participating with special endorsement from Rose(for mutual exposure), earning them some scorn from locals? But then proving they actually deserve said endorsement and even manage to snatch a draw against the Champion's Gigantamax Charizard with their own Mega Charizard X! 💖💖💖

Requested by: Shiny Charizard Anon!

Fandom: Pokémon SWSH

Notes: thank you for your patience! This is been in my inbox for around a month, sorryyy. I went with Kanto for the foreign region (gen 1 needs more love by someone who isn’t gamefreak lol). Also wasn’t sure if you wanted s/o to be participating in the gym challenge or just there for some tournament so I wrote both. Up next is a Leon request by Cooking Anon!

Raihan

Chances are Raihan already followed the Kanto idol on social media long before they came to Galar.

He probably found out about you because of your shiny Charizard. He’s low key kinda jealous - a shiny Charizard would look really cool on his team.

He’s pumped to meet you. Raihan wants at least three selfies with you. He’d probably love an idol s/o. He’s also a bit of a celebrity who likes being in the public eye, so Raihan would enjoy dating someone with similar popularity status (he’s not trying to social climb, he just likes the relatability) (plus y’all would be a power couple).

Despite his internal excitement, he tries to play it cool (keyword: tries). Raihan accidentally lets it slip that he’s been a follower for quite a while (like bringing up some small detail only a long time fan would know).

Raihan’s pretty irritated with the mixed reviews on a foreign idol participating in some Galar exhibition matches and tournaments. Raihan feels like the Galar trainer scene should be open to anyone, especially if it’s some strong competition.

Types up a couple of posts expressing his enthusiasm that a Kanto superstar is participating and that any opposition can shut up about it.

Raihan likes intense battles. So if your fighting style is dramatic, Raihan will be captivated by it.

Obviously, Raihan wants to win any battle he’s in. But if you beat him (he finds himself oddly more attracted to you because of it) or he doesn’t get matched up against you - Raihan’s rooting for ya.

But he’s a little torn when you fight Leon. The applin of his eye against his greatest rival? Raihan isn’t sure who he’s rooting for but he’s on the edge of his seat.

When your battle against Leon ends in a draw, Raihan is floored. Raihan will rewatch the fight several times (mostly because he’s smitten by you but also he’s trying to pick up tactics to beat Leon with).

If you have to return back to your home region, Raihan visits you at least once a month. He’s your biggest fan after all.

Piers

Piers might have no idea who you are. Despite being a gym leader, Piers has big hermit vibes. He’s from a somewhat unknown and rundown town, he doesn’t follow the status quo, and occasionally he misses big events. In short - Piers does his own thing

So unless your music is grunge or rock, Piers probably hasn’t heard of you.

That’s not to say he isn’t interested! But the first thing that catches his eye is your use of mega evolutions. Piers doesn’t dynamax, so when he watches a trainer send out a mega evolution to fight a Gigantamax Pokémon, he’s intrigued and a little impressed.

From then on out he tries to get some info on you. Piers asks Marnie and some Team Yell members if they’ve heard of you.

If you sing, Piers downloads a few of your albums. He’d love to talk about music with you. If you offer to do a duet with him, Piers will be become uncharacteristically bashful. But then he’ll tell you he’d like to.

Compliments you on your aesthetic. Piers appreciates trainer fashion that mimics the Pokémon they train.

Piers won’t publically get involved with negative press you receive for being an “outsider” (mostly because the press don’t really talk to him) but he will do his best to comfort you. Piers is used to negative critiques and had built up a thick skin because of it. Piers tells you not to worry about it and shut them up by taking down the other gym leaders.

If you take the gym challenge and make it to Piers’ gym, he’s a little embarrassed of his gym “arena”. He knows as an idol you probably spend your days in glamorous venues and hopes you don’t critique his dingy little town.

Despite budding romantic feelings, Piers won’t take it easy on you. He’s eager to see if your Charizard is just for show or if it’s as strong as it looks.

Piers seems like he isn’t the biggest fan of Leon, so it’s easy for him to root for your victory over Leon.

“Stick it to him, Y/N.”

He’s slightly pessimistic so he isn’t too certain you’ll win but when the battle results in a tie (your mega Charizard X evenly matched with Leon’s famous Gigantamax Charizard no less), Piers is so proud of you.

Leon

Love at first sight

Just kidding! But from the moment he watches you battle, Leon is ready to meet you.

In fact, you probably piqued Leon’s interest before that. A challenger sponsored by Chairman Rose must be good.

He loves the Charizard aesthetic. He’ll ask if you think he’d look good in a similar get up.

Leon looks forward to fighting you. He’s especially excited to test his own Charizard’s strength against your shiny Charizard.

Puts to rest any arguments about a Kanto idol competing in Galar. Leon wants Galar trainers to be the strongest in the world, what better way to test that then with some friendly foreign competition?

Because you and Leon have matching starters, some fans start shipping you two. Leon acts oblivious to this information, but the fan art makes his heart swell. He hoped your fan base would like him. It gives him even more confidence to make a move.

Leon’s a lot more flirtatious with you than he is the other challengers and it does NOT go unnoticed.

Nevertheless, Leon isn’t going to go easy on you. For his title, Galar pride, and perhaps in hopes to impress you - he holds nothing back.

Leon coyly asks you out before you fight him. He tells you winner buys dinner.

So when the dust settles and both Charizards faint? He later chuckles and offers to split the bill.

But in moment? Leon’s stunned. He can see why you have such a large following. Going toe to toe with Leon’s Charizard is no small feat. But to whip out a Mega Charizard X against Leon’s Gigantamax Charizard? Unprecedented.

Leon’s completely engrossed in the battle and dazzled by your style and tactics.

Afterwards, he asks you to stay for a while in Galar. Leon knows you probably have responsibilities to return back to in Kanto, but he wants to keep you to himself for a little bit longer.

537 notes · View notes

fearfilledvirgil · 4 years

Text

Stargazing Lovers

Summary: Virgil was having a disaster of a day. That somewhat changed when he went for a late-night walk, bent on stargazing.

Warnings: Swearing, mentions of death, mentions of insomnia/all-nighters, anxiety, intrusive thoughts

Word count: 4330

Pairings: analogical, platonic moxiety

A/N: this sprung from a word association game with @lovecrazyjennybear! She co-wrote it with me. and yeah hi hello im still alive hope y’all are too

masterlist

Taglist: @rileyfirstname @verymuchanidiot @definentlynotjustanotherlemon @silversmith-91 @kanejandkruge @sander-fander-sides @lovecrazyjennybear @the-incedible-sulk

~•~

Rain. Virgil loved it when it rained because of a multitude of reasons. When it rained, the sky was cloudy, and that meant that the bright, ever-blinding sun was gone. It was cold when water poured down from the sky, which meant that Virgil could wear his hoodie without any questioning. The sound of the rain pouring down on the roof and window were a comfort to him as well, which meant that his anxiety was at ease. Lastly, the rain produced a particular smell after it drenched the pavement, which was another great comfort to him about rain. Rain meant something to Virgil, and he certainly didn’t mind walking in it. He didn’t mind getting wet, getting cold, because that was just another reminder that he was, indeed, alive.

One thing that Virgil loved doing when it rained ever since he was a kid was jumping into puddles. Due to his anxiety that someone would be watching him and make fun of him for it, he didn’t do it often anymore. This didn’t completely stop him, however. Any time he knew there was no one else at home, he would go into the backyard and find the biggest puddle he could and jump in it.

Another reason he didn’t go jumping in puddles anymore was that he rarely wore his rain boots in public. He loved them, but they did nothing to help his anxiety. The black boots his best friend Patton got him had small purple rain clouds with lightning bolts coming out of them. They were a great match for Virgil’s personality, but not for his desire to not draw attention to himself. Virgil would only wear them out in public if he were out with Patton, as his rain boots were a generic bright yellow with a light blue clasp and sole.

Luckily for Virgil at this very moment, he was home alone, and the rain was pouring down harder than ever. He wanted to go and let out his childish side, but he couldn’t find his rain boots anywhere. He looked in every closet, cupboard, nook, and cranny to find the rubber shoes, but he was unable to. That fact alone made a weight of guilt settle in the pit of his stomach. Patton would be devastated if he found out that Virgil had lost the boots he gave him. The two always wore their rain boots out when they were together and it was rainy or wet. Virgil didn’t want to let him down, but here he was, unable to find what he was looking for.

Being the only person in the house that cared about cleanliness, he was usually the person who did all the cleaning. Virgil liked a clean house because an uncluttered space made his anxiety calm down. When he knew where things were, he was happy, but he currently did not know where his rain boots were. Therefore, he was not happy. Virgil didn’t understand where they could have gone. As mentioned, he was the only one who cleaned, so someone else wouldn’t have moved them anyway.

He knew that his anxiety would not help him in finding the boots. Virgil also knew that doing something repetitive like cleaning would help him relax enough to start thinking logically. He looked around for something that needed to be cleaned and noticed a couple of dishes still in the sink. With a sigh, Virgil got to work on making sure they were spotless. Once that task was complete, he felt calmer and level headed, so he began thinking of the last place he had seen the boots.

From what he could remember, the last time he wore them was when he went for a walk in the rain with Patton. Walks with Patton lead to puddle splashing, which usually leads to muddy boots. Where do muddy boots go? The garage. With that unclear memory in mind, he decided to attempt to find them in the garage.

After at least two hours of searching, Virgil found nothing. He looked everywhere in the garage from the high racks to the low crates. He could not, for the life of him, find his rain boots. At this point, Virgil had no motivation left to continue to look in the garage. The sun had probably set a while ago, so it was even colder in the non-insulated garage than before. To top that off, it wasn’t even raining anymore. Tired, stressed, unmotivated, and guilty, Virgil decided to retreat to his bathroom with his towel in hand.

With a sigh, Virgil turned on the water until it was nearly scalding hot. He then stepped into his shower, knowing full well that he would spend more time contemplating than actually showering. It was easy to with the water cascading down his back, and the darkness smothering his eyes. Virgil couldn’t bear to turn on the light, not when (in combination with other things) the night was so beautiful. He loved the night, the dark, so he reveled in it. The dark was where even he couldn’t see his own flaws.

After the water grew cold, Virgil stepped out, wrapping himself into his towel. Once he made it into his room, he noticed the clouds that once had covered the sky were no more. Without the heavy cover, the stars showed themselves to be shining brightly in the night air. Even though the puddle jumping was a failure, it didn’t mean he still couldn’t try and enjoy the day. The anxious boy could almost hear Patton’s voice in his head, saying that one bad experience doesn’t make an entire day irretrievable. Changing into black sweats, a black shirt, and his hoodie, Virgil made his way outside and towards a hill near his house to practice some Astronomy.

When he reached the peak, however, there was already someone there.

The person’s back was facing Virgil, clad in some sort of dark collared shirt. The figure turned around in an instant, probably in response to Virgil’s footsteps on the grass or his breathing that was becoming heavier as the seconds ticked on. The whites of the hoodie-clad boy’s eyes were astoundingly exposed, unblinking irises expanding tenfold at the star-lit face of the intruder of Virgil’s safe place.

The first thing that Virgil saw was the glint of the moonlight reflecting off of glasses. His first thought was of Patton, but when the light faded, Virgil tensed.

It was Logan. Logan Sanders, the biggest nerd who was top of Virgil’s class. The boy who never got below 95% on any assignment; the seemingly friendless tutor who no one ever saw outside of anything academic in nature. Logan, who usually was seen wearing some kind of formal attire, whether it be only a tie or up to a three-piece suit. This was the boy who expressed his few and far between emotions with his catchphrase “falsehood” screamed at the top of his lungs. Normally the accusation used to that caliber happened during a debate when someone would present a lie as factual, knowingly or otherwise.

Honestly, this guy was strangely calming to Virgil when he wasn’t fuming at other’s stupidity during an argument. He was calm, at least from a distance. Virgil never fully interacted with him before, keeping Logan and anyone else at an arm’s length. But Logan didn’t look down on people for not knowing something. He didn’t barrage people for not having the same understanding as him, instead helping the person see the problem clearer. He was a Logician, working on facts but never discarding emotions and experiences.

Virgil swayed on his feet, realizing that he had been staring at Logan for too long to be socially acceptable.

“You were in my Astronomy class last year, weren’t you?” Virgil blinked when Logan broke the silence. Logan took a small step closer to Virgil, tilting his head in curiosity.

“I… uh,” Virgil stuttered out, internally cursing himself. He made his feet take a half-a-step closer to Logan despite the churning in his stomach. He swallowed the lump rising in his throat, trying to ignore the tension in his chest. “Yeah.”

Virgil clenched his jaw, disappointment in himself growing for how lamely he ended that pathetic excuse for a sentence. Logan seemed to notice this with a blink and a relaxing of his shoulders.

“Logan Sanders.” Logan offered his left hand gently, keeping it relaxed and pointed downwards slightly. Virgil was grateful for the fact that his other hand was still in sight.

“Um. Virgil,” His left hand shakily escaped from his hoodie pocket. Virgil almost wanted to scoff at Logan introducing himself, as if they didn’t share a year-long course together the year prior. Then again, Virgil had no idea how people usually introduced each other. With a harsh blink and a cringe in on himself, the uneasy boy registered that he didn’t give his last name as Logan had. “Virgil Casey.” The two hands met in the middle of the space between the two of them, and clasped together gently for a handshake.

“Salutations, Virgil,” Logan released Virgil’s hand, taking a step back. One foot was still facing Virgil, but the other was pointed toward a telescope that Virgil hadn’t noticed before. His body was half facing the other boy, yet still slightly away from him. “I suppose you came up here to look at the stars as well?”

Virgil nodded, putting his hand back in his coat pocket. “If you would like, I’d be willing to show you some constellations.” Logan blinked at how fast Virgil’s head snapped upwards from its downward position at his words.

“I know some,” Virgil’s voice hardened as his words cut defensively.

“I didn’t mean to say you don’t know any,” Logan’s voice was low, the vibrations from his words a soft hum. Virgil didn’t notice that he walked close enough to Logan to appreciate the cadence of his voice. “I was merely asking if you would like to be shown some more?”

“Oh. Um. Sure?” He didn’t mean the last word to be a question, but that’s how it came out. Forever unsure of himself, Virgil frequently made statements sound more like questions. It was one of the many things he disliked about himself, come to think of it. Virgil wrapped his arms around his torso, clawing his fingers tightly around his jacket sleeves.

Logan motioned to his telescope in a way of invitation, nodding his head toward it with the gesture. “I have this positioned to be able to see Apus.”

Virgil’s feet (not clad in his rain boots, something that still made his stomach turn) moved without his consent until they stopped in front of the telescope. He glanced away from the man beside him, settling his eyes on the telescope. “To see what now?”

“Apus. It is the exotic bird, or the bird-of-paradise, in the sky. Its name is Greek for ‘without feet’ because the Greek people once believed the bird-of-paradise did not have feet.” Logan took half a step back from his machine, allowing Virgil to take his place in front of it. It was a beautiful device, the most beautiful that Virgil had ever seen. The base color was black, the metal dark yet shining in the starlight. It had accents of dark blue it seemed, though it was difficult to tell in the dark. There were also silver linings on the telescope, pulling everything together into beauty.

“Oh my fucking god,” Virgil stepped up to line himself with the telescope. He let some of his anxiety go, wishing upon himself smoother emotions. “You are such a nerd.” Virgil leaned in to look into the telescope.

“Roman seems to enjoy calling me that,” Logan commented, more to himself that to Virgil. While Logan and Roman weren’t exactly friends, they did have a friendly rivalry going in their English class.

“He’s a prep who rules the school. It’s almost like it’s ingrained into his DNA or something,” Virgil didn’t look away from the telescope, enjoying the star shape he’d never knew existed. “Any other stars you wanna show me?”

Logan enjoyed Virgil’s enthusiasm at learning about space. It was something he knew plenty of. The two continued to look at different constellations long into the night. Virgil sometimes asking to know more information than Logan first gave on a particular group of stars. Before either of them knew it the two had talked until it was nearly morning.

Logan was the first to notice the time. “I will definitely need to correct my Circadian Rhythm seeing as it is 5 am.”

“Fuck, is it really?”

“I would not lie about that. It appears that I need to return home in order to get ready to go.”

Virgil squinted his eyes in confusion. It was now early Saturday morning, so where did Logan need to go to? “Where are you going if you don’t mind me asking?”

“My family is taking a day trip to the museum.”

Virgil looked at him. “Well I think you’ll have fun. Especially since you like the history and science stuff.”

“I agree it should be enjoyable.”

The two waited in silence for many moments more, both reluctant to leave the hilltop. Unbenounced to Virgil, Logan was apprehensive to leave. He didn’t want to leave Virgil–the boy who yelled and hissed and hit back but shook with fear once it was over–alone in this secluded place when it was still nightfall. Virgil didn’t want to leave because of a similar reason, but also because of the time. In about an hour, the sun would rise, and seeing it’s rays slowly but surely peak over the horizon from way up here was the most beautiful thing that Virgil had ever seen.

That is, not counting that look in Logan’s eyes when he’s rambling about something he particularly enjoys.

“Are you coming?” Logan’s smooth, if not tired, voice pressed in through Virgil’s ears, causing him to remove his eyes from the horizon. The other had already packed up his telescope and was seemingly ready to leave the hilltop. Virgil’s heart plummeted. He was the reason he was still here?

“It’s a little early to leave, isn’t it?” Virgil said under his breath. He still didn’t want to return home. If he could, he would live the rest of his life inside this one moment.

“What do you mean?” Logan asked.

“It’s just… The sunrise is always a wonderful thing to see. The way the sky slowly changes colors from the darkness of night to the bright color of the morning is breathtaking,” He turned to look back at the skyline. “Don’t you want to see that?”

Logan just looked at Virgil for a few moments. He could see that Virgil truly loved the idea of watching the sunrise. It was also clear that Virgil didn’t want to go home, at least not yet. Why? Logan didn’t know, but he couldn’t leave the other boy up on this hill alone. With a quick look at his watch, Logan decided he could stay until the sunrise and not be late for the family trip.

“That does sound pleasant. I suppose we should stay for it.”

“Wait. Really?” Virgil asked

“Yes.” Logan put down his telescope case to further prove his point.

“Thank you,” Virgil started out, taking a deep breath before shifting to get comfortable sitting down on the grass. “When it’s past 5 am, there’s really no reason in going to bed anyway. Getting sleep messes with being able to sleep the next night so…”

“I take it you have sleepless nights often, then?” Logan countered as he sat down next to Virgil. Very close to him, Virgil noticed instantly. “That cannot be good for your health.”

“I try to avoid it, but it’s bound to happen.” Virgil put his arms around his knees, going silent as the faintest peaks of sunlight started to slide over the horizon. The sunrise was early today, he supposed.

The light was fascinating. It crawled slower than a snail’s pace, but it still lit up the sky as it did so. It grew and grew, creeping up and out of the hills with every passing moment. Soon, the grave the sun made for itself was opening wider, allowing a sliver of the sun to be shown. The sky had taken a golden hue near the horizon a long while ago, the gold rays of light infecting the dark navy sky and bringing it to life. It was a painfully slow process, but as Virgil watched it in silence with Logan by his side, he could never have asked for anything more.

The sun was up. It was now shining brightly just over the horizon. It hurt to look at now, but that wasn’t stopping Virgil. He still didn’t move.

“Is there,” Logan paused, swallowed, and shifted so he faced Virgil. “Is there a particular reason you haven’t departed yet?”

“Hmm?” Virgil hummed instead of giving a worded answer. He turned away from the cloud-obscured sun to look at Logan.

Logan’s lips were pursed, eyebrows tighter than before. It was odd for Virgil to see, especially since the boy’s face had been relaxed for the entirety of their night together. “You wished to see the sunrise. That seems to have ended several minutes ago yet you haven’t made any attempt to move.”

Virgil shifted to put his hands under his legs, sitting on the shaking fingers. “It’s just... peaceful up here.”

“It is.” Logan needlessly adjusted his glasses. There was a pause, then, slowly, “However… I believe that there is another reason.”

Air heavily released from Virgil’s lungs, blowing out of his nose as his body deflated. Even after only a night spent together, Logan was able to read him better than most others. Not including Patton (who’s gift of rain boots he had lost and hadn’t been able to find). He wasn’t sure that he could tell Logan the many reasons why he didn’t want to go yet. There wasn’t a specific one, really, but rather a list of anxieties weighing Virgil down to the hilltop. “Mom’s out of town on a business trip. I don’t enjoy being home alone.”

“And your father is out of town as well?” Logan’s voice barely lifted at the end, as if it were more of a statement than a question. That was a reasonable, logical thought. Most people assumed that their peers still had both parents, especially at this age.

Virgil’s eyes broke away from Logan’s form. They wandered back to the sky, then fixed downwards at his thighs. “My dad…” The words were heavy on his tongue. “He died a few years ago.”

His father’s death was a sore subject. It was something that he never talked about, even with Patton. The two had met after his dad’s passing, so Patton never knew Virgil with both parents at his side. Virgil was certain that Patton was still under the impression that his dad died when Virgil was a young child, not a struggling teenager.

Silence rang out into the night as if Logan was at a loss for words. He probably was, considering the odd breathing pattern coming from him. It sounded as if Logan was opening his mouth, then closing it again, several times. “I, well... I apologize, Virgil. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You didn’t know, Logan.”

The silence that had begun after Virgil revealed something personal persisted for longer. It wasn’t an uncomfortable, stifled silence like before. Actually, the silence was nearer to the comfortable calm when they watched the sunrise. However, after a fair few minutes, Logan broke the stillness. “Unfortunately, I do need to return home.”

Virgil’s head reluctantly straightened up, slowly turning to nod in confirmation. He hated that the wonderful time had to end. A squirming, crawling emotion slithered in his chest. What if he’d never have such an amazing, peaceful night again? And with someone was smart and kind as Logan? There would be an uneasy sense of finality in walking home now.

It felt as if the air knew that this was something that would never happen again.

Logan picked himself off from the ground, moving to grab his telescope case. Unbeknownst to Virgil, the blue-clad boy was deeply lost in thought. The previous night was one of the most pleasant and calming that he’d had in a while. The hilltop was perfect for watching the stars, which he knew. What Logan didn’t understand until then was how nice it was to find someone who was as passionate about astronomy as he was.

“Virgil?”

“Hmm?” Virgil hummed in response.

“I was wondering if you would like to join me up here again Sunday night? Or considering it is nearly six in the morning, tomorrow night. We are due for an eclipse and while they are very pleasing to see with the naked eye, they are absolutely astonishing to see with the telescope. And it allows you to see some of the stars that are positioned closer to the moon you cannot normally see due to the brightness.”

Virgil’s eyes widened at the invitation. Logan–intelligent, seemingly friendless Logan–had invited him to spend more time with him? This couldn’t be the same Logan he knew from school. He had to be possessed or overtaken by a ghost or something. There was no way that he’d want to spend time with anyone, let alone someone who was such a mess.

Noticing the panic that gathered in Virgil’s eyes, Logan reached out his free hand to gently touch Virgil’s shoulder. The action made the anxious one jump, tense, then relax in the span of a few seconds. He never would have considered that someone like Logan would want to touch someone like Virgil. Logan’s hand remained on top of Virgil’s shoulder, just under his hood.

“I enjoyed spending time with you, Virgil,” Logan offered a twitch upwards of his lips along with a softening of the lines around his eyes and forehead. “Our shared interest and easy-going interactions make me want to see you again.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.” Logan didn’t seem to mind that he had to constantly reassure Virgil of his anxieties. “I didn't realize that the night had passed because I enjoyed spending time with you. It’s rare to find someone with so much passion for something. You clearly love astronomy and wish to learn as much as possible. It’s refreshing actually.” The small smile never left Logan’s face.

Without realizing what he was doing, the anxious boy had wrapped his arms around Logan in a hug. When Logan didn’t initially return it, his thoughts started to get the better of him. He tensed, arms stiff but still around the boy who was practically a stranger. Why did he do that? Why did he think that was acceptable? Virgil probably just fucked up a good thing, didn’t he? Logan was merely being kind and he went and did something like that? He was such a dumbass.

Thankfully, a microsecond later, those anxieties were pushed aside slightly when he felt arms wrap around him. “Sorry,” Virgil said softly, wondering how that much of Patton had managed to rub off on him that he’d do something like that.

“It’s quite alright. I was just not expecting it.” Logan’s hands smoothed across Virgil’s back in a star pattern, as if he were drawing the shape. It was comforting, but the familiarity made tears begin to prick at Virgil’s eyes. His dad used to do that when he hugged his son.

Virgil blinked heavily. He tightened his grip on Logan, bunching the fabric of his shirt in his fingers. That level of hug lasted only a few seconds before Virgil loosened his arms. Both began to pull away.

“I guess, goodbye then?” Virgil mumbled, voice slightly wetter than he would have liked. It was slightly choked up, but thankfully Logan didn’t comment on it.

“It seems so.” Logan pulled his hands completely away from Virgil, their fingertips brushing for a moment. They stayed there, staring at each other, for a moment too long. Virgil cleared his throat, and Logan swallowed. His lips were turned upwards ever so slightly. “See you here tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Virgil shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. They were tingling for some reason that most definitely wasn’t anxiety. His mouth upturned into a smile to mirror Logan’s. “Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow.” Logan echoed with a nod, then leaned down to pick up his telescope case. Virgil didn’t know when he had put it down. Both took a few steps away from each other with shuffling feet on the damp grass. Logan’s mouth parted, then quickly closed without further words. The four-eyed boy turned, let his feet begin to carry him away from (Virgil dare say) his newfound friend, before casting his head backward one last time.

The view he witnessed was incomprehensible.

Virgil stood just at the edge of the hill, teetering on the brink of disaster. The dim lighting of newborn sunlight didn’t allow Logan to see Virgil’s face in its entirety, but he perceived the most noticeable details. He looked calm, standing next to doom, face soft and blissful with the smallest of genuine smiles gracing his lips. The wind had picked up at some point, allowing the dark locks of the anxious one’s hair to float just so. His unzipped jacket was fluttering in the breeze as well. Jingles of the tiniest variety sounded from the zipper clinking against metal. The sun, partially blocked by clouds, shown vibrantly from behind. The rays that escaped the warmly colored sky protruded out from Virgil as a hollow of light.

“Goodbye, Virgil.” Logan found himself saying, breathless.

“Bye, Logan.” Virgil tipped his fingers off his forehead in a salute, his smile infinite in the sunlight. Logan turned away once more, his own smile growing exponentially, feelings in both of their chests swirling swiftly at the days to come.

#Analogical #virgil sanders #logan sanders #sanders sides #sanders sides fanfiction #sanders sides fanfic #analogical fanfic

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oliviaischillin1204 · 4 years

Text

countdown

Pairings: Platonic Mai/Ty Lee

Word Count: 2,194 words

me? writing atla tfic? it’s more likely than you think

anyways this is based on an ask i got a bit ago, hope y’all enjoy! i’m trying to branch out the fandoms i write for, so i’m happy i managed to finish this one lol

Even though the war was over, the nations were reunited, and the world was saved, Mai was still bored. Which, go figure. She’d been bored for most of her life.

But it was a little easier, now. Even when they were kids, there was still the pressure put on them by their families and their positions, and Mai found that she was never fully capable of having innocent childhood fun. Since her short stint in prison for the last few weeks of the war, followed by the actual end of the century-long war, that pressure had considerably decreased, leaving her with less scrutiny and more free time.

Which is how she found herself yet again on the island of Kyoshi, visiting one of the only people in the world she cared to check up on herself. It wasn’t a bad place to live, all things considered-- the lack of any royal or noble presence was a plus, and the Kyoshi Warriors, she’d come to learn, were overall pretty cool. She’d even had a couple sparring sessions with them, informal matches that were more about showing off than beating each other, but they’d helped her realize that it was getting surprisingly easier for her to just have fun. It was a weird feeling, but she didn’t mind it.

Still, when it came down to it, there was really only one reason why Mai kept coming back to Kyoshi Island. That reason was currently hanging upside down from a tree.

“Mai!” Ty Lee called, the blood alreading starting to rush to her head. “Do you think I can flip off of this branch?”

“Probably,” Mai replied with her patented flatness. She herself was lying on a stone bench under the tree. Every now and then she would toss a small knife in the air and catch it, until lifting her arm became too tedious for the task.

She heard Ty Lee making a dissatisfied noise from the tree, and so she tried again. “Try flipping off it and landing on your hands.”

She felt rather than saw Ty Lee brighten. “Oh, fun!” The leaves above Mai’s head shook as Ty Lee readjusted herself, and after a moment she grunted, presumably releasing herself from the branch.

“I did it!” she called out from somewhere to Mai’s right, and Mai let a small smile curve her lips.

“Nice.”

The afternoon settled back into a peaceful silence. Mai didn’t hate the boredom, if she was being honest. It felt comfortable, like a worn robe. It also helped that Ty Lee was perfectly capable of entertaining herself, so Mai didn’t have to try to be someone she’s not just to please her friend.

Today, however, Ty Lee did seem a little off. Nothing that was a cause of concern, but there was a little extra jitteryness to her today, a lack of concentration that was apparent in the way she was wholly unable to achieve any sort of stillness.

“Did you drink some bad tea or something?” Mai asked bluntly as Ty Lee began fidgeting yet again.

Ty Lee seemed surprised that Mai called her out, but there wasn’t any hesitation in her voice as she answered. “Nope! I’m just... in a weird mood, I guess.”

Mai hummed. “Vibe check?”

“It’s called an aura, I know you know this--!” Ty Lee retorted with their old argument, before she continued, “And it’s a little foggy today, but also, like, glittery? Glittery fog? Foggy glitter? Does that make sense?”

“No.”

“Well, that’s what it is.” And with that, Ty Lee fell back to the ground, pulling up random handfuls of grass and scattering them in the wind.

Mai didn’t respond, instead picking up her knife to throw it again. Whatever. If Ty Lee said she was fine, then she was fine.

A few minutes later, the silence was broken again by Ty Lee’s voice.

“Hey, do you remember that game we used to play?”

Mai flipped her knife again, caught it. “Which one?”

It took Ty Lee a few seconds to answer, which was a little weird. Mai didn’t turn her head to check, but she figured the other girl might’ve just been focused on holding a pose and forgot her own question. That happened sometimes.

But then Mai heard Ty Lee clear her throat, and when she spoke again, there was an overcasual air to it.

“Countdown?”

Mai froze with her hand halfway raised, her knife held loosely in her fingers as if she was a moment away from throwing it. She rolled her head to the side, and caught sight of Ty Lee sitting crosslegged on the ground.

“Countdown?” Mai repeated, and she watched a light blush blossom on Ty Lee’s face as she nodded.

“Yeah!” she replied, enthusiastic and bright. “Remember, I’d get into a specific position, like, um, standing on my hands or balanced on one foot, and I’d have to hold it for a certain amount of time, and then, um, you’d--”

“I remember it,” Mai cut her off. Ty Lee floundered for a moment before pressing on, a smile back on her face.

“That was such a fun game! And you were always really good at it, too!” she continued. She opened her mouth to say something else, but she seemed to change her mind; instead, she merely finished, “Yep. Good times!”

She immediately folded herself forward, getting up on her hands and walking along the rocky terrain. Mai watched her as she moved. Her legs pedaled subconciously to keep her balance. Her right wrist gave the slightest twinge when she put pressure on it, an old childhood injury that never fully healed. Every ten seconds, she’d huff a breath from her nose to blow a stray strand of hair from her face.

Mai knew Ty Lee very well. So the fact Ty Lee thought Mai wouldn’t pick up on what she was actually asking for-- well, it was almost insulting.

She laid her knife on the bench as she sat up slowly, peering at Ty Lee from across the courtyard. When her back was turned, Mai rose and meandered across the yard.

“Hey,” she called as she got near. Despite her position, Ty Lee didn’t startle; she merely looked up at Mai, a pleasant expression on her face.

“Hey!”

Mai got right to it. “Wanna play Countdown?”

Now Ty Lee startled, gracefully falling out of her handstand as she landed on the cobblestone. She looked up at Mai with a surprised expression.

“Really?” she asked. “You don’t think it’s too... silly?”

Mai shrugged. “It is.”

She looked down at Ty Lee again, raising an eyebrow. The two stared at each other for a minute before Ty Lee began lightly giggling.

“Um, okay! Great!” she said. It was funny how flustered she already was. “Um, so what should I...?”

Mai shrugged. “I mean, you’re stronger than you used to be. Can you hold a more difficult pose?”

Ty Lee brightened at the compliment, her cheeks a fairly rosy hue now. “Probably!”

She rose halfway, contorting herself differently as Mai watched. It didn’t take her long to come into a simple back bend, a bit more contorted than anyone else would be in that position, but that was Ty Lee for you. Always pushing herself just this side of normal.

A back bend, interestingly enough, also led to her bare stomach being exposed to the open air. Mai didn’t say anything.

She reached forward, shifting Ty Lee’s skirt so it wouldn’t get caught on anything, but the other girl tensed under the light touch, her smile growing somehow even wider on her face. Mai quirked her lips.

“How long do you wanna go?”

Ty Lee scrunched her face in contemplation. “Maybe five minutes?”

Mai’s eyebrows shot up. “You seriously think you can last five whole minutes?”

Honestly, she hadn’t even meant anything with that statement, but the way Ty Lee’s body twitched in self defense made Mai remember why she was so good as this game.

“Um--” Ty Lee said, her voice high. “Okay, two minutes?”

Mai rolled her eyes. “One minute. If you can take that, we’ll keep going.”

Spirits, Ty Lee’s face was getting redder and redder, and Mai knew it was only partly due to the blood rushing to her head. She nodded once, her smile anticipatory and warm.

Mai’s lips quirked into a smirk. Without preamble she lifted one hand above Ty Lee’s stomach.

“Go.”

As soon as the word was out of her mouth, she began skittering five fingers right in the center of Ty Lee’s tummy. Ty Lee gasped, her torso jerking away from Mai’s touch before she got herself under control.

“Ahahaha! Mai!”

“One,” Mai said, ignoring Ty Lee. She lazily drew random patterns along Ty Lee’s skin with her nails. “Two. Three. Four--”

Ty Lee squealed, wiggling back and forth as much as she could in her position. “Nahahaha!”

Mai tsked. “Hold still.” She brought up her second hand, tracing the stretch of skin between Ty Lee’s hips and stomach.

Ty Lee gasped again, locking her joints and letting her head fall back limply. “Mahahahahai!”

“What?” Mai asked, a sly smile on her face. “Just stay still, it’s not that hard.”

Ty Lee snorted, scrunching her eyes shut. “Keep cohohohounting!”

Oh, yeah. Mai’s smile grew as she continued, “Four. Five. Six. Seven--”

This went on for a bit, Mai just giving the lightest tickles to Ty Lee’s tummy area and Ty Lee giggling away at the gentle touches. It wasn’t until Mai’s hand drifted just a bit to far to one side that her laughter increased dramamtically.

“Mai!” she cried, rocking away from the touch. “Not there!”

Mai ignored her, instead choosing to focus her attacks on both of Ty Lee’s sides. “Twenty one. Twenty two. Twenty three--”

She almost couldn’t hear herself counting over the sound of Ty Lee’s laughter; the acrobat was almost continuously rocking back and forth now, desperately trying to evade the evil tickles. Yet despite her frantic escape attempts, she still held her pose, her hands and feet still firmly planted on the ground. Mai smiled to herself. Ty Lee never gave up without a fight.

“Thrity five. Thirty six. Thirty seven--”

Still, that didn’t mean Mai was just gonna let her win.

“Thirty eight. Thirty nine. Forty--”

Mai crouched down suddenly, rearranging herself so she was level with the arch of Ty Lee’s stomach. Slowing the tickles for just a moment, she reached one hand over to continue to scratch at Ty Lee’s other side, while the other slowly drifted down to tickle along her exposed back. Ty Lee gave a choking gasp, and her eyes flew open again.

“Nahahaha! Mai! Plehehease!”

“Forty one,” she continued, tazing two fingers into Ty Lee’s side while her other hand aimed for the dip of her lower back. “Forty two. Forty three--”

By this point, Mai’s laughter was nearly entirely screams; her arms and legs shook, dangerously close to giving out on her.

“Gonna give up?” Mai asked, interrupting herself to lean over Ty Lee’s face. The other girl’s face was bright red, and her smile was wider than Mai had seen in years.

Through her peals of laughter, Ty Lee cracked an eye open. “Neveheheher!”

Mai sighed, loud enough to signify that she didn’t mean it. “Whatever.”

And with that, she leaned forward to blow a raspberry against Mai’s exposed side.

Mai shrieked, arms and legs folding in as she dropped to the ground. She tried to roll away, but Mai easily followed her, hands coming back to mercilessly attack all around Ty Lee’s bellybutton.

“You lost,” Mai said, as if Ty Lee wasn’t writhing with giggles below her. “Too bad.”

Ty Lee didn’t respond, too busy weakly batting at Mai’s hands. “Nahahaha!”

Mai hummed. “Still have to finish the minute,” she replied, enjoying how Ty Lee’s head weakly fell back to the ground as she continued laughing. “Stay still. Forty four. Forty five. Forty six--”

Finally, after many more giggles and snorts and squeals, Mai slowed her hands until she was merely tracing over Ty Lee’s skin. The other girl laid on the ground, only slightly wiggling when Mai’s fingers ghosted too closely to her sweet spots.

“That was fun,” Ty Lee giggled, stretching out like a housecat as she relaxed into the gentle touches. She cracked open one eye to peer up at Mai. “Thank you so much for playing Countdown with me, Mai! Did you have fun, too?”

Her cheerfulness was nauseating, but Mai couldn’t honestly say that she hated it. Still, she kept her face and voice neutral as she replied, “Whatever. It’s not like there was anything better to do.”

Ty Lee giggled, giving Mai a knowing look.

“That’s not what your aura says,” she teased. “It’s all smooth and clear now. You had fun, you can admit it--”

She cut herself off with another squeal as Mai abruptly squeezed her side again.

“Shut up,” Mai said, but there was the smallest of smiles on her face. As Ty Lee smiled up at her yet again, even Mai had to admit that there were worse ways to spend the day.

#my posts #my writing #tickling #tickle fic #tickle community #atla tickling #countdown #lee!ty lee #ler!mai

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what-is-your-plan-today · 4 years

Text

Riding High Ch 17: Welcome To Miami

Chapter Summary: Frank, Fliss and the Circle Of Truth take a Road Trip….

Chapter Warnings: Bad Language words. SMUT (NSFW) No under 18s!!!

Chapter Pairings: Frank Adler x OFC Fliss Gallagher

A/N: As always, gotta thank @icanfeelastormbrewing for her help and suggestions with this!

Chapter Song: Live Forever by Oasis

Series Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Maybe you're the same as me, we see things they'll never see, you and I are gonna live forever

June 2018

“How’s Fliss?” Gregg asked as Frank leaned back in his chair, hand curled round his bottle of beer.

“I know I don’t need to ask but…” Frank started but Gregg raised a hand.

“You’re right, you don’t.” he said, understanding immediately that Frank was asking him to keep quiet, and he nodded as their two friends arrived at the table. After the greetings they all settled down reaching for a beer from the bucket that sat in the middle of them all, the conversation easy. Frank was happy to see the boys, he hadn’t in a few weeks so he’d grabbed the opportunity for a few beers happily, Fliss and Mary practically shoving him out of the door as they had some girly night in planned with Roberta consisting of popcorn, pizza, facemasks and a Marvel DVD, Fliss and Roberta assuring him whole heartedly they were watching it because it was a good film and not merely to perve on Chris Hemsworth or Evans or whoever the hell the Chris was in this particular one.

Whatever, sweetheart.

“So…” Simon said, looking around the table “Are we still on for a weekend somewhere? 22nd to 24th June?”

They all made noises, and Frank nodded. “Schedules cleared, baby sitter lined up…we just need to decide where we’re going.”

“Rock music?” Simon looked at him, and Jake shook his head.

“Shut the front door!” Simon snorted “Hot Dub?”

Jake nodded.

“Dude I saw him one New Year’s Eve in New York a few years ago.” Simon said “He was brilliant!”

Frank sat and listened as his friends started to discuss the concert in more detail. He had to admit, it sounded like a pretty good idea, and just the distraction Fliss could do with.

“Hate to be the voice of logic…” Simon said. “But if it’s only like three weeks off, wont’ we have trouble getting hotel rooms?”

“Fuck that, I’ll sleep on the back of the truck.” Frank said, causing the rest of them to laugh. “No need Frankie-boi, I work for the Hyatt Group man.” Jake shook his head “Three rooms already reserved out in the Regency, about 10 minutes’ walk if that from Bayfront Park where the concert is…just in case you fancied it. $100 a room for 2 nights, including a late checkout on the Sunday coz, well, we’re gonna need it.”

“Three?” Frank frowned.

“You and Fliss, Simon and Bonnie, and Me and Greg…” “What about Zara and Lisa?” he frowned “I thought this was a couple’s thing, not a boys weekend away…”

“And it’s Lisa’s idea of hell…” Jake supplied.

“So why don’t we re-arrange?” Simon asked.

“Fuck that!” Jake snorted “I’m got a child and fiancée free pass for the weekend.” “Amen brother!” Gregg hi-fived him.

“But you two can bring your girls, no problem…they’re cool” Jake gestured between Frank and Simon with his beer bottle. “Thanks for your permission…” Frank raised an eyebrow.

****

Given that Simon and Bonnie weren’t due to arrive until just gone 5 ish, Bonnie having to finish the morning’s classes before she could leave and that Jake and Greg were here having come down the night before, when they had checked in they decided to freshen up and go for a walk, Fliss eager to hit Lincoln Road Mall. They spent a few hours just walking and looking in the shops, eventually finding a Pandora one which Fliss headed into wanting a new charm for her bracelet as a memory of the weekend. She paced the shop eventually settling for a silver palm tree with a small diamond in the middle of the trunk and Frank batted her hand down when she went to pay, instead producing his card. The usual argument about who was paying ensued, which eventually Frank won by telling Fliss that he wanted to be the one that filled that bracelet for her, and she relented, smiling softly. Frank didn’t miss the relieved look on the shop assistant’s face as she finally waved the out of the store.

“We get split up…” “We all got phones!” Jake snorted “What are you, 50?”

“Sorry, force of habit with the kids…” Greg let out a groan as everyone laughed.

“Yeah we got some Duran Duran to dance to.” she agreed. “And Erasure.”

“And Wham.” “And Culture Club….” “Yeah, we get the picture…” Simon rolled his eyes.

“Oh and I want to see the Queen and AC/DC tributes.” Fliss finished.

“Anything else?” Frank looked at her.

“Beer.” she nodded “We need beer.”

“Well we need tokens.” Jake said, “No cash at the bar, tokens only so…the tent is over there…”

“Yesss!” she grinned punching the air as Bonnie shook her head and the man handed them both some really tacky bright pink beaded necklaces for taking part.

“Re-match…” Bonnie said, looking at Fliss as they both dropped the necklaces over their heads.

“Maybe later, I’m fucked now…” Fliss said, bending over, hands on her knees as she drew her breath “I need a drink!”

She turned and saw the boys in the doorway, Frank raised an eyebrow and held up the beer and she grinned.

“Someone’s definitely on the hunt down…” she teased, pushing her ass back into his crotch whilst she turned her head to face him as the song morphed into Rio. He grinned and gave her a kiss.

“Not hunting, I already got you.” “Hmm, yeah you did…” she murmured against his lips.

“Richard.” she spoke softly.

“Fancy seeing you here. Must be nice to be free to do what you want.” “Yeah, well, making up for lost time I suppose…” she said, “I didn’t exactly get a lot of chance to have fun when your brother was beating the shit out of me.”

Her chin raised a little defiantly and Frank felt a surge of pride as she stood up for herself, the anger evident on her face.

“You’re a fucking liar…” Richard said and Frank immediately stepped in.

“Ok that’s enough…” he said sternly, looking at the man “We’re not here for any trouble, we’re just out for a good time with friends, and I’d like to keep it that way. So, if you don’t mind, we’re done here.” he turned to Fliss and slid his arm round her waist, making to steer her away.

“You need to be careful.” Richard spoke to Frank’s retreating back. “Now she’s got her claws into you, you’re done…first sign of trouble she’ll be accusing you of all sorts.”

Frank sighed, he’d tried to be reasonable, but the anger felt like it was bubbling from his feet and he whirled round, placing himself in between the man and Fliss. “Listen, asshole, why don’t you just fuck off?” he spoke, tone laced with venom. “Your brother is a nasty, wife beating, rapist piece of shit.”

At that Richard stepped forward, drawing himself to full height, still a good 3 inches shorter than Frank. His fists balled as he clenched his hands at his side, his mouth curled up into a snarl.

“If he was that bad why has he been considered for parole?” Richard shrugged “An appeal his lawyer is convinced he’ll win…�� Richard said, taking a step back as the other men approached. “And that’s all because they finally saw through her lies…” Frank made an angry noise but Greg pushed himself in between the two men, patting Frank on the chest.

“Come on buddy…” he said. “Whatever it is, leave it…” Jake went to grab Frank’s arm, but he jerked it out of his grip.

“I’ll tell you this…” Frank said, pointing at Richard “If he gets out, you can tell him from me, he stays the fuck away from my girl, and the rest of my family, you got that? Or I’ll put him in a hospital, see how he likes it.”

“What the fuck?” Simon turned to Frank, who completely ignored him and moved to where Fliss was stood, her arms wrapped cross her front, hugging herself, Bonnie gently talking to her.

“You ok?” he asked her gently and she gave a nod as he took her in his arms, hugging her tightly, hand falling to the back of her head.

Gregg gave Frank a questioning look, which Frank answered with two words “His brother.” Gregg’s mouth fell open and he gave a nod of understanding.

“Who’s brother?” Jake pressed, “What just happened? I’m so confused.” “To be fair that doesn’t take much…” Frank heard Gregg say which earned him a “Fuck you” in response, and the two men began to bicker as Fliss stepped back from his arms. Frank looked down at her, taking her face in his hands. “You good?”