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#also yeah Error is lonely
thebad-lydrawn-sanses · 3 months
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Is Error in one of the Teams Or is he a loney guy?
And what does everyone fears/likes the most?
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Killer: i like Nightmare (platonically) and i fucking hate paintbrushes Cross: oh, i fear cows and like tacos and chocolate. the only thing i like more than these two things was beating the shit out of Ink. it was funny and worth the scars Dust: abandonment Dust: … Dust: … Dust: i like…d Dust: …when Cross beat the shit out of Ink
(Horror likes making nests out of blankets/pillows and fears not having a steady food source. Currently taking a well-deserved nap.)
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nope-body · 2 years
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#spent some time with my friend tonight and it was really nice#I have an essay that essentially I have to get done by 9:45 am tomorrow which is entirely my fault but still stressful#and an ODA meeting#and the zine I contributed to is getting a lot of good feedback but there’s always that bit of negative feedback#that just like kills your enthusiasm for it making an impact#and I’m not talking critiques I’m talking just people being mean#like people worked really hard on it but everyone’s also overworked college students just trying to do their best#a lot of people were freshmen who did the best they could#there are going to be errors. this was insanely rushed. but people don’t know the behind the scenes#they just know what they see#I don’t know I got a bit off topic#basically I’m lonely and I want a hug#and my roommate doesn’t share the same ideals as I do—#she falls prey to respectability politics a lot and also has some really weird views like. pets are unethical? inherently?#and it’s really hard to have a conversation with her because we’re completely different people#but as with so many of my interpersonal relationships it feels like I’m putting in a ton of effort to listen to her and respond when she’s#talking to me about her interests#but mine are generally shut down unless it’s something she’s interested in too#which hurts? like I’m supportive of you being happy. please at least try to do the same for me#so yeah. I just need a hug. I need to vent to someone instead of a void because I need to feel like someone cares yknow?#I just need a hug
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classypauli · 2 months
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She’s the Man
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Pairing: Jenna Ortega x fem Reader A/N: I don’t even have words, I definitely wasn’t expecting this feedback, you guys made my day. Thank you for all the likes, rebloggs and comments!! You are the best!! Warning: alcohol, drunk people, grammar mistakes, bad punctuation in complex sentences, spelling errors Word count: 4.8k
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Y/N was walking down the hallway with Mason, they didn´t share many classes except literature. It was one of her favorite classes. Y/N becomes a little nerd if someone asks her about history, paintings, architecture, or literature. When she was a kid, she wasn´t into this kind of things. She used to do a lot of sports and her grades weren´t great but also not worse.
When she started to go to a high school she stopped. Her grades became better and soon she was topping most of her classes. Her classmates saw her as someone intelligent, she wasn´t just book smart, she had good opinions and when she started talking people listened to her, she didn´t know why, maybe because she didn´t talk much so they became interested in her talking.
But she never talked about herself. She was always trying to avoid any questions about her. Y/N didn´t know why she did that. She felt more secure that way, less on target. She likes to keep things like this together.  When she used to tell someone about her problems she didn´t feel relief, it was the opposite, she was scared that it wouldn´t end with that person or that they actually didn´t care and just listened to her cause they didn´t want to be impolite. So she found peace in her silence.
When she struggled she picked up a pen and notebook. She kept writing and writing until she forgot why she started. She never read it. Felt ashamed of her words and her feelings. She wasn’t alone after all, she had her family and brother, so why did she still feel so lonely? Y/N knew she wasn´t good with words but she wanted to be better.
When she became older she found herself in poems. Sometimes she was writing about her feelings, other times she was writing about things she likes, saw during the day, or just about her day. In some way they made her realize that being focused on bad things won´t bring her good feelings. And she felt stupid, of course, it was like this but talking about it and behaving according to it were two different things.
„How was your weekend?“ Mason asked as they walked side by side to their class, passing by some of their football teammates, shooting them nods.
„It was pretty good, got some sleep, how about you?“ she shot him a glance. Y/N still can´t believe that someone like him exists, he is so kind and helpful. Today after school they are having practice, she was kind of on the edge of her toes because on saturday they have the game but Mason supported her and calmed her nerves.
„Me too, there was a party going on, it was quite good but it would be even better if you were there.“
They walked into a class and took a seat, chatting about some festival going on this week when suddenly Percy came into a class. He saw her shot her a quick nod and started to make his way to them.
„Hey, Charlie! I didn´t see you almost all weekend!“ Yeah, they were always avoiding each other but not on purpose, Y/N was always somewhere and when she came to the dorm Percy wasn´t there yet, he was sleeping or it was the other way around.
He turned to Mason but didn´t say anything. It was weird, like some tension between them. They just kept looking at each other till Percy asked her about her Friday night.
„How was your hang out with your teammates?“
Mason shot her a questionable look but Percy didn´t seem to notice that. Y/N got stuck. Now there was no way she could keep lying because clearly, Mason was sitting beside her, she could say that she felt sick so she canceled the plans or-
„It was great.“ Mason said from beside her. „Why are you interested? You wanted to join us?“ he asked and kept looking at him for an answer. Y/N knew he didn´t mean the question that way but silently thanked him for saving her. Percy looked at him, stunned, as he wasn´t expecting his statement.
„No, of course not.“ After that, he walked away somewhere behind them to find a free chair to sit on. Mason looked at “Charlie” again with a slightly raised eyebrow.
„I´m not going to ask, if you want to tell me you can, just so you know, I don´t want to force you.“ He said softly. Mason can see the way his teammate is. How she only talks when someone asks her something. He sees how she acts and holds herself. He also can see that something is off but can´t really say what. But still, he has this urge to hold a protective wing above his new friend.
„Thank you, Mason.“ Y/N shot a small smile his way and he gave it back to her. Class began and she can only hope that Percy will forget about their small but tense interaction.
Soon the mentioned festival came. Y/N was walking around by herself not really sure where to head to. There were all the students from her school running around. She saw Georgie on the bench, he was holding big candy floss in his hand looking excited at it. The girl wanted to laugh at him, he looked really funny. Slowly she came to him with a small teasing smile on her face.
„Aren´t you a little too old for this?“ Y/N asked him looking at his change of face at her question.
„There is not something like an age barrier in eating cotton candy!“ Georgie shouted and turned his face around, acting angry at her. Of course, he was right, she liked it too, she just saw the opportunity and took it.
„Yeah, believe whatever you want“ Y/N smiled „Where is the rest?“ she was hitting on Hunter, the two boys were always together, they truly were like brothers, always bickering but supportive of each other. Percy was also a lot of time by their side but Hunter and Georgie were glued by the hip.
„I don´t know I´m waiting for him.“ He said as Y/N slowly took a seat by him. „And what brings you here? Shouldn´t you train for your upcoming match?“ he looked her way.
„Today we have a free day, coach was talking about him having some show at the festival.“ Y/N was looking forward to her match and wanted to be ready, hoping he would let her play for at least a couple of minutes. She wanted to find out how her body would react. She was a little nervous but this stress was healthy. It kept her going.
„Me and Hunter will come to watch you.“ The girl looked at him shocked. He was eating his candy floss with his fingers all sticky.
„You like something else besides eating and taking photography?“ she teased him and he looked at her with lowered eyebrows.
„I didn´t say I enjoy watching it, I just want to see how you lose your first game.“ Georgie laughed then Y/N punched his shoulder. „Ouch! I was only joking you know!“
She stopped and looked around her, feeling like someone was watching her and she was right. There was a girl not so far, looking at her with folded arms and a smirk on her face. She had long brown hair and was short. She started to make her way to the two of them. Y/N straightened her back and waited for what this girl had to say.
„Hey, I don´t think we know each other but my roommate talks a lot about you.“
Now that made the girl sitting on the bench stop. Roommate? She had never seen this girl and Y/N wasn´t sure where she should know her roommate from. The only girl she talks to is Jenna but she´s almost sure that she has no reason to talk about her.
„She is working in the photo booth, I´m sure she would be on top of the roof if you came to see her.“ She still has that teasing smile on her face.
„Uhm... yeah, sure“ Y/N lets out looking at Georgie who´s trying to hold his laugh. The girl left and he lets it out.
„Shut your mouth and keep eating.“ She hissed at him but he only continued with his laugh.
Soon she found Mason and some of her other teammates, they talked about the game how excited are they and how they would smash their opponent. Her brother called her again, saying how his tour was going and he wished her luck. Their parents luckily aren´t suspicious so everything is going according to plan. She takes her walk around the festival, looking at all kinds of booths and how people are enjoying themselves. She stopped by one and just stared, she saw Jenna, and she sat in one of the booths on her face her significant smile. Suddenly the brown eyed girl looked up and saw Y/N. She smiles wider and she indicates with her eyes at the side of the booth. Y/N slowly walks there are is greeted with Jenna´s hug. This was the first time they hugged and Y/N couldn´t focus on anything. She was shocked by the girl´s body language but also glad cause this meant their friendship became stronger.
„Hey, I was looking forward to seeing you today.“ Jenna backed her way out of their hug and looked up at her, still with their bodies close to one another. Y/N looked where they were and she saw that Jenna was working in a... photo booth.
„Uhm... yeah? Why? Do you need something?“ the other girl asked looking down at her again.
„No, I just wanted to see you.“ There goes her dimples again. They are so cute. Her whole face is too pretty. Y/N wanted to say something but was cut off by another voice.
„Hey football player glad you finally decided to come.“ She turned to Jenna „I found her when I went to the toilet, couldn´t hold myself from inviting her to our booth.“ She shot her teasing smile. Jenna face palmed herself, she could already imagine how she approached you and what she said. Gideon was like that, she is a big matchmaker but also really attentive and sweet when it's convenient.
„Charlie this is Gideon, Gideon Charlie.“ She pointed her hand from one to another.
„Hey Charlie, I heard a lot of things about you.“ She smirked and Jenna pushed her away, awkwardly looking around as she stood in front of Y/N.
„Ehm...so, I heard you have an upcoming game this Saturday, are you excited yet?“ the shorter girl asked as she looked at her feet, arms folded. Y/N found her cute right now, how she couldn´t look at her like she did before her roommate interrupted them.
„I pretty am, even though I don´t even know if I will play, I´ve been training only two weeks, and I’m not sure if the coach will let me play.“ She shook her shoulders.
„Oh I´m sure you will be playing, you are one of the best on your team.“ Jenna winked at Y/N and smiled at her. „I saw you a couple of times.“
Now, Jenna was acting as if she had seen her just a couple of times but the truth is, she saw her every practice. She doesn´t know why, at first she just went there cause she didn´t feel like going straight to her dorm, but when she saw you she knew that she wanted to see you again. You were so good. You acted like a totally different person on the field, you were confident and energetic, and your every move was calculated. You could easily catch someone´s attention. You caught Jenna´s attention.
Y/N felt a lot more confident because of Jenna´s words. She wasn´t the first person who said this to her.
„Will you come to see us?“
„Are you inviting me to watch you on your game?“ Jenna teased her.
„Well, if you already have some plans you don´t have to, I mean you probably have better things to do than to watch some stinky players running around the field chasing the ba-“ Y/N didn´t even finish her sentence and the other girls cut her off.
„I will come“ Jenna wouldn´t miss your first game, she was excited to see you being competitive. There was something about you that was always bringing her thoughts to you. You were such a good listener, a soft speaker, and intelligent. She doesn´t think she has ever met someone like you in her life. You were like a fresh air to her stereotypical life. She wanted to be with you cause every time you are together, you give her something new.
Jenna watched Y/N. She couldn’t tear her eyes off her. You were like someone else like they switched you. In-person, you were sweet, quiet, caring, and soft. On the field, you were almost aggressive but not in a bad way, you knew what you were doing. This was definitely your alter ego and Jenna was here for every second of it, you put on quite a show. Running back and forth in your jersey, defending than attacking, the ball moved exactly where you wanted it to move. You were fast, probably the fastest one on the field.
Jenna enjoyed it so much. She used to play football when she was a kid with her family when they spent time together and also in school. But that was a long time ago, she may not play it anymore but she still likes to watch it.
The girl moved her eyes as you got the ball on your foot and started to run trying to get near the opponent's net. Players trying to stop you, running after you, trying to slide their way to you, nothing works. When you got near the goal area you tried your luck and shot the ball into the net. The opponent's goalkeeper couldn’t see the ball because of his teammates standing in front of him, making the ball straight to the top corner. Whistle. Goal.
Jenna stood up clapping her hands big smile on her face as she watched you running to your teammates to celebrate your success. The whole tribune of the students from your school is clapping, yelling supportive words, happy that they are winning against a different university. Your coach is standing near the field with his arms folded and a proud smile on his face. It was definitely a good idea to put you in the first lineup.
“Charlie! That was so good!” Mason tapped your back, he had the biggest smile, and he was so happy for you. You were a big talent.
The game went on and it was almost the end, Y/N became calmer because they were leading. She shot her gaze a couple of times at the tribune and every time she could see Jenna looking at her, she hoped she was enjoying this. Y/N also saw Georgie and Hunter, both boys beside each other smiling widely at her with their thumbs up, Georgie with a hot dog in another hand.
Soon the game ended, and they won 3:0. Y/N was glad that her first match was successful and hopefully, she impressed others. In the changing room, her teammates were chanting, happy about their first match. After that, she walked out of the changing room, bag on her shoulder, still in her football jersey, she’s planning to take a shower in her dorm. She knew that they were a bit suspicious about her cause every time after practice she just took her bag and left, unchanged. But they thought maybe “Charlie” was just shy which was okay not everyone liked showing off skin, even if it was in front of the same gender. Y/N was near the entrance looking into her phone, texting her brother about her game.
„Hey football player.” She looked up from her phone and saw Jenna leaning on her side into the doors looking at her.
„Oh hi, wasn‘t expecting you, did you enjoy the game?” the girl asked as she got closer to her. Now they were looking at each other holding gaze, Jenna looked up biting her lip. You look good right now. Still being in jersey, sweaty forehead, hooded eyes from the energy you gave on the field. If this was someone else she was sure she wouldn’t find them as attractive as you right now.
Jenna nodded her head „Congratulations on your first successful game, pretty cool goal if I have to say.” She says softly still looking at the other girl.
„Pretty cool? It was awesome! Didn’t you see how I ran through half of their players and still shot it?” Y/N started defending herself „I was unstoppable.”
Jenna threw her head back letting out a laugh. She grabbed Y/N by the arm and started to pull her outside of the building.
„Come, we need to celebrate your first win”
„Wait, but I’m still in these clothes, I can’t go anywhere like this.”
Jenna shot her a look „There isn’t any problem if you ask me, but we can stop by your dorm?”
They walked out, still holding each other's hands, Y/N didn’t want to be rude and tear up their hands, she liked this feeling, Jenna’s hand was so soft and warm. Y/N felt good with Jenna, like she has finally someone just for herself.
But her thoughts went to her words, what if her roommate was there and saw them together? He would beat her up. But it was afternoon and he used to be at this time somewhere in the amphitheater.
Y/N agreed as they started making their way towards the dorm rooms. They chatted about some party going on tonight. Jenna’s friend Gideon invited her. Jenna was about to decline but her roommate said there would be also a football team probably celebrating their win. That made Jenna say yes to her offer which Gideon only laughed at.
To Jenna “Charlie” was special, she didn’t know what caught her attention, something inside of her wanted to be with you, by your side.
Luckily for Y/N, Percy was nowhere to be found. She invited Jenna to their room she took her new clothes and went to get a shower. Jenna was sitting on Y/N’s bed, looking around trying to find something which would only make her closer to her friend. Your bed smelled like you, she loved your scent it was like citrus with cedar or something like green tea, she couldn’t describe it in one word. On your desk were books and a notebook, you had it perfectly organized, and everything had its own place. Yeah, you are definitely a perfectionist. When she looked at the other side of the room she could exactly say who was the owner.
The paintings and papers spread around the desk and floor, different types of art. She found them a couple of times in her locker, at the table where she sat, or in her mailbox. Paintings of her. At first, she found it cute but it kept graduating as she got them almost every day. And it was always herself.
But maybe she would be glad, if it ended just with this.
She was in a room where lived two people. One that makes her most pleasant in their presence and the other one she feels most uncomfortable with.
„So what´s your plan for today?“
They were eating in some corner restaurant, Jenna got herself some vegan food, and Y/N sat in front of her with a plate of big burger and some fries. It felt good seeing them like this, both out of student uniforms in their civilian clothes, enjoying each other´s company.
Jenna wanted to know, inconspicuously, if her friend in going to the local party that night. If she said yes then Jenna would also have some plans, that´s for sure. Even though she doesn´t like parties, not anymore.
„Well, some of my teammates are going to some party, I don´t know where, they asked me if I´ll join them.“ She said as she kept eating her fries. „I haven´t decided yet, I´m not really into parties, too loud for me.“ That really didn´t answer her question.
„What about you? Any plans?“
„Gideon was saying something about today´s night but I´m not sure yet.“
„Oh, cool.“ And just like that they continued eating their meals, both hoping, at some point they´ll see each other today. Jenna looked up from the table to Y/N, the girl looked flawless right now, with her invincible walls down, silently eating a burger. Jenna pushed her hand up and stole some fries from her plate. Her friend looked at her with her head not moving from her meat, unimpressed. Softly shook her head from side to side.
„You are lucky it´s you, if it was someone else they wouldn´t have a hand by now.“ She said. She didn’t mind sharing food, sometimes, and she definitely didn´t mind sharing food with the brown-eyed girl.
Y/N was thinking. About Percy to be exact, about their deal or more like his, because he isn´t doing anything to repay. But she promised him she would at least try. And she also tried. When she and Jenna had classes together, like when they were lab partners, she could feel Percy´s stare. His eyes were boring into her skull so hard that sometimes she could even feel a headache. When she looked up at him he moved his eyes to the other girl and back to her. Signalizing what he wants from her.
So she asked. She asked Jenna if she was dating anyone or if she ever thought about going out with Percy. Jenna only laughed at her and shook her head, trying to avoid any questions about him. Y/N could feel something was off, the brown-eyed girl knew the boy and still didn´t even look at him or say hi to him. But Y/N doesn´t know why is she like that. Something happened between them and she wasn´t sure if she wanted to know. It wasn´t her business after all.
After Y/N´s questions, Jenna felt conflicted. She was used to guys asking her out, trying something with her but not you, you were different. You are the only guy who hasn´t tried to get with her. And she liked that. But when you asked her about Percy and said that she would be perfect for him, she almost wasn´t sure if she heard you right.
Perfect for him. But would he be perfect for her? Jenna knew the answer to that question. She disliked him. For what he made her feel. Jenna didn´t want to be perfect for him, she wanted to be perfect for you. And it took her quite a long time to realize that she liked you more than a friend. She talked to Gideon and Emma about it, they told her the same thing.
But did you feel the same?
Jenna was now standing in someone´s living room. Loud music and drunk students were escorting her thoughts. She was looking for her friends, they agreed that they would meet there. She saw Gideon sitting on the sofa, cup in her hand. She was talking to someone Jenna recognized from school. She sat beside her and her roommate looked her way.
„Hey, glad you could make it.“
„What are you drinking?“ Jenna grabbed Gideon´s cup and smelled it.
„Vodka, I got it from the kitchen, down the hallway to the right, you want me to go with you?“ Gideon was sweet, she knew Jenna didn´t enjoy such a thing as a party.
„No it´s okay, I´ll get it, maybe I´ll see Emma or Joy somewhere.“
So with that, she picked herself up from a sofa and started to go into the kitchen. There were a bunch of teens, she barely could make it through them. Some were really drunk and the scent of strong alcohol could be smelled from them. Some guys who saw her shot her flirtatious smirk. She brushed them off and was trying not to make any eye contact on her way. When she saw football players she immediately started looking around if you weren´t somewhere over there. No, you weren’t. She was looking forward to meeting you today but still with no luck. She hoped you would decide to go there.
She made it to the kitchen took a cup in her hand and started looking for some juice. She didn´t feel like drinking, maybe if she was at home with some close friends or you, she would drink but she was at a party, by herself in a stranger´s kitchen.
„Hey.“
Jenna heard a voice from the back. The girl turned around and saw someone she was trying to avoid at all costs. She hoped he wouldn´t be there today but of course he would, they are in the same school after all.
Percy was standing by the kitchen entrance, eyes low, looking at her. They were alone there and loud music could be heard from the other room. Suddenly she didn´t feel safe. The last time they met they were in a room full of people and it still didn´t stop him. Now they were alone and she felt even more scared cause there was nothing that could stop him from doing whatever he wanted.
„H-Hey.“ She shot him nodding with her head and continued with whatever she was doing, with her shaking hands, acting like he wasn´t even there in the first place. But she could feel his cold presence closer behind her. She turned around and was met with his face. He smelled like he just drunk a whole bottle of alcohol. She took a step back from him.
„Is there something you want?“ Jenna asked him. He never broke the eye contact, slowly smirking.
„Yeah, actually, you could help me with something.“ He went to grab her hand but she pushed him.
„Stop, you know what happened last time-“ he cut her off.
„I don´t care! Why can´t you just give me a chance? We could be so good together. You like that, right? You like it when guys are chasing you, it makes you like you are in charge, well Jenna, now it´s different, now I´m in charge here.“
„Please get away from me you are scaring me.“ She felt like crying like she got stones in her throat. Still walking away from him, praying that someone will show up and save her. She felt so small in front of him, no one had ever made her felf like this, like she was some prey.
„What are you doing?“
She turned her head to the new voice that was heard in the kitchen. And she was so glad, felt like she could breathe again. There was you looking at him, no emotion in your face, then you walked up to them and looked right into Percy´s eyes.
She had never seen you like this, you were so serious and didn´t show any emotion. You continue your stare down without blinking. Even though you were shorter than him, not much, you still had a bigger and stronger aura than him.
„Is there a problem?“ Y/N could smell the alcohol from his mouth and could see that he didn´t know what he was doing. So that´s why she knew she couldn´t show that she was scared. It would make him even more confident.
His eyes changed when he realized you were here to get him away from Jenna.
„Charlie, what are you doing? We had a deal! You promised!“ he shouted at his roommate. He knew he shouldn´t trust you. He is sure that you like her. You want to take her away from him!
He started to breathe harder and his eyes became more dangerous. You weren´t scared of him, you were calm and waiting for his next move.
„Leave.“ Y/N said with a low voice, face unimpressed. But before he could say anything else Mason and a couple of others of your teammates came into the kitchen.
Mason walked up to the three of you and stood even taller than Percy. Percy was now in a corner and had nothing to do. So he smiled dryly and walked away.
When he left Y/N turned her gaze to Mason and silently thanked him for standing beside her, he smiled at her with his soft eyes and left with their teammates. You turned down to Jenna and saw her already looking at you. She was hugging herself and looked so gentle and small.
„Hi, you good?“ Y/N asked, almost whispering, waiting for the other girl's answer.
„Yeah.“ She softly let out. She then threw her arms around the taller girl. Head buried in her chest. Y/N hugged Jenna strongly, letting her know that she was there with her.
Yeah, Jenna was sure that you were perfect for her.
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roseghoul26 · 1 month
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Charles Smith x gn!Reader
"Keeping your hand on his cheek, your lips brushed the shell of his ear. 'Although, I do think you looked rather beautiful.' He practically shuddered, a pleased smile on your mouth as you leaned back again. Keeping only a few inches between your faces, you watched as his eyes flicked down to your lips before returning up. 'Yeah?' You don’t think you’ve ever heard his voice so low." Synopsis: A brush with hypothermia forces you and Charles to camp out in an abandoned cabin. Having to resort to some more intimate means of survival, will you be able to keep your feelings in check for the hunter, or will the proximity force you to confess?
Tags: Fluff, Smut, Friends to Lovers, Hypothermia, Huddling for Warmth, yes this is a cuddle for warmth fic, idc if its cheesy, Oral Sex, Gender-Neutral Reader, Fem Anatomy for Reader, Face-Sitting, Love Confessions, but in a twist its not the reader who gets frozen, surprise!
Author's Note: listened to chappell roan the entire time while writing this (hence the title). i also got so distracted by stardew valley my addiction has returned also, there’s a moment where the reader touches charles’ hair. as a non-indigenous person, i’m not fully educated when it comes to hair and the importance it holds in native american culture. i did research, but i could still be wrong. if i have made any errors, please let me know, and i will change it. 
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If you never had to see snow again, you’d die happy. 
Tightening the fur coat around your body, you tried to preserve what heat you had left in you. The cold air of Colter was like a leech, sucking you dry of any warmth and joy. And it wasn’t just affecting you, you noticed. Glancing around the room, everyone seemed to be in a similar situation, with as many furs and clothes on their bodies as they huddled around the laughably small fire. 
The gang had been in Colter for about a week, hiding away from the law after the disaster that was Blackwater. You don’t remember much from that day, most of it a blur in your memories, but you remember the bloodshed. Pointless, ruthless bloodshed. You hoped you’d never see something like that again. 
Shivering, you almost regretted giving your extra jacket to Abigail, who had wrapped it around Jack. You were only feet from the fire, but it might as well have been hundreds of miles away with the way it was doing nothing to warm you. With a huff, you rubbed your fingers together, simply sitting and passing the time until someone asked you to do something or you had to go back on guard duty. That was all you could do, really, the snow and remote location making it impossible for you to do your normal robbing and thieving. 
There were many times during this week that you’d debated leaving the gang after you all made it out of Colter. You’d only joined about a year and a half ago, Dutch personally inviting you to his group after hearing about your notoriety across the states. Sure, it was nice to have a group like this, but this wasn’t what you signed up for, especially the events at Blackwater. You were promised opportunity and freedom, not brutality and hiding and cold-blooded murder. You wondered, would it be easy to slip away?
Sighing, you slumped forward, and your  legs were numb from sitting on the hard floor. You were on the precipice of coming to a decision, but there were still some things preventing you from taking the leap. You’d become somewhat close with the members of the gang, your lone wolf attitude dissipating as you created bonds with the others. It was easy to get along with Arthur, the two of you becoming fast friends, frequently doing jobs together. You spent most nights chatting with the girls in camp, chatting until late in the night. You respected Hosea, and even Dutch for some time, the recent events shattering that respect for him. To some degree you’d created a connection with each member of the camp, keeping you tethered to one place. 
There was one person in particular, however, that kept pushing those thoughts of leaving out of your mind. Charles Smith, the taciturn hunter that you’d become weirdly fond of these past few months. You’re not sure what you’d call your relationship with the man. The two of you were friendly, maybe even friends. When Dutch sent you out on jobs together, it always ended well, working together quite decently, if you’d say so yourself. 
Still, you wished you were closer with him, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. You found it hard to try and initiate conversation with him, never quite knowing what to say that wouldn’t make you seem like a fool. And when you would talk to him, it felt like you were just talking at him, but if he was annoyed by you, he never showed. He’d just politely nod along, adding a few words here and there. 
But you knew he didn’t dislike you, finding him frequently looking at you around camp, just silently observing. Whenever you’d catch him, he’d just give you a polite smile, before turning away to do something else. Every time he did it, you found yourself grow bashful, your heart skipping in your chest. His starting was certainly not helping the infatuation you had with him.
Yes, your stupid heart had fallen for him, making it hurt to even entertain the idea of leaving. It was ridiculous and irresponsible to have feelings for him, and you knew that. They’d been there since he joined, and you figured that they would’ve gone away by now, but that was months ago. You’d never met a man like him before, someone so strong and fearsome, yet honorable and kind at the exact same time, and you figured that’s why you were so drawn to him.
Arthur knew about your feelings for the man, drunkley telling him during a night out at the bar in Blackwater a few months ago. He almost said something to Charles, who was somewhere in the same bar that night, claiming that ‘this life is unpredictable’ and ‘you gotta do somethin’ before it’s too late’, but you quickly shut that down with a swift kick to the shins. But that didn’t mean he stopped asking you if you’d done anything yet, and each time you’d respond with ‘no’. 
You knew that Charles didn’t think of you that way. You’re unpredictable, reckless, fiery, everything opposite of what Charles is. Where you were chaos, he was calm. Fire, water. And you didn’t want to ruin what relationship you had with him, so you kept your mouth shut (and never got too drunk around him).
A gust of sharp cold wind and the creak of a door broke you from your thoughts, a shiver wracking your body as you turned to see who just entered the cabin. In some cruel timing from the universe, the man who had just been haunting your mind walked in, a fresh dusting of snow hitting the ground as he shook out his jacket. A chorus of greetings came from the group collected around the fire, a gentle smile coming from you before you turned back to face the fire. Charles calling out your name had you slowly turning to him again. 
“Will you go hunting with me? The deer me and Arthur caught didn’t last as long as we’d hoped.” You now noticed the bow in his hand, along with a small quiver of arrows.
“I mean, sure,” you stood up, your cold muscles aching as you stretched, “but I ain’t much of a hunter, ya know. I usually end up scarin’ away animals instead of catchin’ ‘em. The others might be more well-suited for this.”
“But I’m asking you. And I can’t exactly do it myself.” Charles held the bow and arrows out for you to grab. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes.” Not like I could ever say no to you, you thought as you took the weapon and slung it over your shoulder, and secured the quiver on your hip. “Let’s go.”
With a nod, Charles opened the door, holding it open to let you step outside into the harsh Colter weather. Wincing at the bright light bouncing off the white snow, you were temporarily blinded as you made your way to where your horses were, Charles not far behind you. A light snowfall came down around you as you walked, not terrible visibility wise, but enough to be obvious. You just hoped that it wouldn’t pick up later. 
There was probably a good foot-and-a-half of snow on the ground, making your movement sluggish and awkward. From what little you knew about tracking, though, it meant that it would be easy to pick up an animal's track, so for that you were somewhat grateful. 
It didn’t take long for you to reach your horses, and you went to mount up, only to notice that your horse just wasn’t there. Spinning around, you looked to see if maybe she got unhitched and wandered somewhere nearby, but there was nothing. Whistling, you waited a few moments, seeing if you’d hear the sound of hoofbeats and winnings, but there was nothing. She was just gone.
As Charles mounted, looking equally as confused as you were, you turned and  looked to see who was currently on guard duty, thinking maybe they had seen something. “Javier!” You called out, the poor man nearly jumping out of his skin at the sudden loud noise. “Where’s Hera?”
“Arthur took her!” He shouted back, and you couldn’t help groaning in annoyance. I’m gonna kill you, Arthur Morgan. 
“And you let him?” Javier had made his way over to you now, and you saw him open his mouth to respond, but you stopped him with a wave. “Nevermind, it’s not your fault or your responsibility. I’m just… frustrated.” You took a deep breath, and a cloud left your lips as you exhaled.  “Where’d Arthur go?” You heard the ground crunch behind you as Charles approached on Taima. 
“I dunno,” Javier shrugged. “Him, Dutch, Micah, and Bill went out a few minutes ago, he’s been borrowing everyone else’s horse since his died. Guess it was Hera’s turn.”
“Well, shit,” you sighed, crossing your arms. “You don’t reckon they’ll be back soon, right? Maybe they forgot somethin’?” You missed the way Charles let out an amused huff, your back facing him as you conversed with Javier. 
Javier lightly chuckled. “Look, if you need to go, I’ll let you use Boaz for a bit. It’s not like I’ll be needing him for a bit,” he gestured to the repeater currently in his hands. “If anything happens to him though…” he threatened, gesturing again to the weapon in his hands.
You were about to respond, but Charles beat you to it. “Or you could ride with me. If you’d like.”
You tried to keep your face neutral as you turned to respond, but you had to stop and glare at Javier who was sniggering. Apparently your facial expressions weren’t as subtle as you believed. Thank God you had your back turned, then. 
You turned again, and when you weren't so rudely interrupted by Javier’s childish antics, you responded to Charles. “Are you sure?”
He extended his non-injured hand to you as he nodded. “We gotta get moving though. Only a few hours of sunlight left.”
“Alright.” You linked your hand with his, letting him help you on to the back of his horse with ease. Javier had long since left, already halfway back to his guard post, not before giving you a knowing smile. As you wrapped your hands around his waist, you tried and failed to keep your breathing even, your heartrate picking up substantially. 
Sighing, you refrained from resting your head against his back. This was pure torture, but you knew you were going to enjoy it.
Thank you, Arthur Morgan… I’m still gonna kill you, though. 
─•~❉᯽❉~•─
He wasn’t quite sure why he offered to let you ride with him on Taima; he was just making it harder for himself to stay away from you. He scolded himself, because someone else had your heart, and he would just end up hurting his own if he kept doing things like this. 
The two of you had sped out of Colter, Charles setting a brisk pace that made the air bite at his skin. The pain was good, as it distracted him from thinking of you. You, who subconsciously shifted closer to him to shield yourself from the air. He felt you adjust behind him until his larger frame was shielding you entirely. 
He expected you to have started talking by now, making some comment about the weather or cursing Arthur out. When you didn’t he felt himself start to grow a bit panicked. Did I make you uncomfortable? Is this too much?
He kept his voice steady, and he gently called out your name. “You’re awfully quiet.”
“I figure that must come as a relief.” 
I could listen to you for hours, he thought. I don’t ever want to stop hearing your voice. “Are you alright?”
He felt you shift behind him, your hands tightening where they sat on his waist. Your touch wasn’t even improper, yet he still found his breath hitching in his throat. Charles just prayed that the howling winds around the two of you drowned it out. “I think so. It just… this place is really terrible.” When he nodded in agreement, you continued. “And I’ve got a lot on my mind. Blackwater, the gang, my future… It's a little bit overwhelming.”
“Do you…  want to talk about it?” He offered, and you sighed. 
“I… I can’t stop thinkin’ ‘bout Blackwater, ‘bout everything we did wrong, what we should’ve done differently, the choices we made. But I especially can’t stop thinkin’ ‘bout that girl that Dutch murdered. The way he killed her, no mercy or falter, I ain’t even seen nothin’ like that from him before. Or maybe I chose to look away before…” you trailed off.
“You’re not the one who pulled the trigger. Dutch is the only person guilty of that.”
“Maybe I didn’t pull the trigger, but I’m sure as hell ain’t innocent. I could’ve- should’ve done somethin’. There was plenty of time for me to.”
“Don’t go beating yourself up about the past. The only thing we can hope to do is learn from it and continue on towards the future.”
“But the future is just as terrifying as the past! I’m scared for the gang, for its future. We’ve become so bloodthirsty, and now all Dutch talks about is revenge.” Your voice was becoming more and more distressed. “Is that what we’ve turned into? A bunch of no-good killers who think with their guns? I ain’t- I don’t wanna be that. That ain’t what I joined up for.”
Charles didn’t know how to respond to that. He’d noticed that shift in the gang over the last few weeks, the members become quicker to jump to violence and bloodshed. He wasn’t a saint, the blood on his hands equal to yours, but he was even becoming disturbed by the amount of unnecessary killings happening. 
“I’m thinkin’ ‘bout leaving.” Your voice was barely a whisper, like you were ashamed to say it. Charles stilled, shock running through his system. “Once we get out of here. This… this isn’t what I wanna do. I don’t wanna be associated with the Van Der Linde gang if it’s gonna continue heaidn’ in the direction it’s goin’. And I don’t wanna find myself at the end of a lawman’s barrel, noose ‘round my neck.”
“Oh.” Charles found himself at an impasse; did he just keep his mouth shut, or say something that might reveal too much? If you truly wanted to leave, then he didn’t want to guilt you into staying by revealing his true feelings. He understood why you wanted to leave, those same thoughts frequenting his mind as well, but he’d found a reason to stay: you. He hadn't told Arthur that when he asked why Charles was still hanging around a few days ago. His conversation with the other man when they hunted had solidified his stay with the gang, for better or for worse.
Did you feel the same way? You fool, Charles chastised himself. They don’t want you that way.
“Does anyone else know?” 
“No,” you sighed. “You’re the only one.”
A selfish part of him was glad that he was the only one that knew, but he quickly pushed those thoughts away. “Well,” he began, “the only thing I can say is to not do something that you’ll regret… and just know that there’s a lot of people here that will really miss you if you decide to leave.” I will miss you so much that it hurts.
He felt your head connect with his back as you slumped forward, and he jolted at the contact. “Why can’t you just make the decision for me, Charles? I trust your judgment.”
Stay. Please, stay, he screamed in his head. “I can’t tell you what to do, how to live your life. Unfortunately, the decision comes to you,” was his reply. 
“You’re right. You’re always right, Charles,” you laughed half-heartedly. “I haven’t made up my mind yet. Still got a ways until I have to.”
“Whatever decision you come to, I’ll support you.” Liar. “Just… don’t leave without saying goodbye, you hear?”
“I promise. Now,” your usual chipperness returned to your voice, “where are we headin’?”
He explained that he was taking the two of you to Lake Isabella, following the Spider Gorge down. The lake had started to melt, meaning animals were more likely to start coming out as the weather warmed. As the two of you rode, you kept close to him, significantly closer than you were when you left. 
Charles pretended not to notice.
─•~❉᯽❉~•─
There wasn’t much to look at on the ride down. Everything was white, splashes of black rock breaking up the monotonous landscape, and the occasional tree made itself known. There weren’t any animals, not even a rabbit. It was like you and Charles were the only living souls in the area.
You only spotted a couple of buildings, two of them a small cabin that could house one or two people. One was absolutely destroyed, time and weather causing the ceiling to collapse in, only a skeleton remaining. The other still stood, smoke coming out of the chimney, but you had no idea if the occupants were home or not. 
Taking a mental note of the building, before returning your attention back forward. Charles seemed to be content with just riding in silence, so you settled against him, your head nearly resting on his shoulder. You hadn’t meant to spill so much to Charles, and you certainly hadn’t meant to tell him that you thought about leaving. It’s just that you felt so comfortable with him that you couldn’t help the words from coming out, and you felt ten pounds lighter because of it. 
You didn’t want to drag another person into your troubles, especially over something so trivial in comparison to what the rest of the gang was going through. A part of you wanted this to be the moment in all those cheesy romances you read where the love interest confesses their feelings in order to make the main character stay. But this was real life, and this was Charles you were talking about, the man who would put everyone’s needs before his, even if it hurt. And besides, Charles had never done or said anything that gave you the impression that he had feelings for you. From what you could tell, he saw you as a friend, and nothing else.
Right?
God, you were so desperate for the man you held on to. 
He made no comment when you did actually rest your head on his shoulder. If he did ask why, you’d just say you were cold. You knew you just wanted to pretend that he was yours. 
Closing your eyes, you took a deep breath. It did little to calm your erratic heart. 
Eventually, the partially frozen Lake Isabella came into view. This area wasn’t too unfamiliar to either you or Charles, having been there a few days prior to dispatch a group of O’Driscolls. Having opened your eyes a few moments prior, you were able to make out a few deer drinking from the newly exposed lake water. You gestured to them, but Charles had already seen them, bringing Taima to a halt behind a large bush.
By this time, the snow had begun to pick up, the sheets coming down obscuring your view ever so slightly. But it wasn’t enough to force you indoors. 
Dismounting as quietly as you could, you readied the bow in your hands, letting Charles lead the way as he snuck closer to them. It was almost supernatural, the way he was able to move so silently. For someone of his stature, you’d never expect him to be able to move so quietly and with such ease, yet here he was. You tried your best to move like him, taking a bit longer as you followed in his footsteps. Charles led you around the edge of the lake, the shore edge mere inches from your feet, occasionally splashing against your shoes. 
Luckily, the deer hadn’t noticed either you or Charles, still drinking without a care in the world. He had stopped by now, moving to the side to let you move ahead. The deer were in range by now, and you only needed to move a few feet closer, making you halt underneath a large tree. The branches drooped under the weight of the snow, a few globs falling off and hitting the ground around you. 
Weirdly enough, you felt at peace. Not because of the hunting, but because of the man who stood a few yards behind you. You felt safe under his gaze, like nothing could hurt you. As you drew the arrow back, you let out a confused noise as the deer suddenly scattered, spooked by something you couldn’t see. 
You turned to look back at Charles, but you realized then that you probably shouldn't've had your guard down so much. A large weight dropped on you from the tree, too heavy and too warm to be just snow. You let out a startled cry, blocking out Charles shouting out your name, panic seeping into his voice. 
Whatever fell on you landed on your back, your face pressed in the snow as you lay on your stomach. It clicked now that there was someone on you, a hand yanking your head back by your hair, warm breath assaulting your face as your attacker spoke. You couldn’t quite make out what exactly he was saying, snow and shock causing your hearing to be spotty. All you were able to make out were a few curses, the word “kill” multiple times, and some racist phrases aimed toward Charles.
Even before the initial shock had worn off, you were fighting back, squirming and moving desperately against the man’s grip. He just laughed, then you heard the unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked. He rested the barrel against the back of your neck, the cold metal pressing against the exposed skin. Dread washed over you, numbing your senses far beyond what the cold could do. With the way the man gripped your head, you couldn’t move it, and you strained your eyes as you looked around, desperate to find Charles. Is he alright? Please, let him be alright. 
You saw a flash of movement out of the corner of your eye, and as soon as the weight was on you, it was gone. An alarmed yell left your attacker as he was tackled off of you, being pushed a fair distance before falling onto the frozen Lake Isabella. Rolling over, your hand fell into the cold water, and you quickly pulled it back.
Standing as quickly as you could, the world spun for a moment, your body confused with the many different orientations you were just in. Pressing your back against the tree for stability, you watched as Charles and your attacker rolled far across the ice. You saw the distinct green handkerchief around his neck, and you couldn’t help the exasperated groan that left you. No matter where you went or what you did, you couldn’t escape the O’Driscolls. 
Shouts from behind you had you spinning around, quickly drawing your revolver, the bow long since discarded on the ground. Three more O’Driscolls came running from the woods, only a few yards away from you now, their cries of alarm coming from the two bodies of their members lying in the snow, which you had just noticed. Keeping your aim steady, you took three shots, the gunshots cracking through the still air. The first one hit right in the heart, the second one finding a home between his eyes, and the third one hit the final O’Driscoll right above the shoulder, merely grazing the skin, and the only non-fatal shot. Still, it caused all three of them to hit the snow.
With the final man falling relatively close to you, you ran over to him. Pulling him up by the scruff of his shirt, you held your revolver right below his chin, the hot metal burning his skin. He could not have been more than eighteen years old, a sliver of childhood innocence still left in his eyes as he stared up at you, fear and pain rendering him mute. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” You snarled, pressing the barrel harder into his skin. “Gimme one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you right here, boy?”
Your words seemed to go in one ear and out the other, a few tears leaving him as he stared at you blankly. He was shaking, and you wondered how long he’d run with the O’Driscolls for. He was obviously young, and if this was his reaction to being held at gunpoint, you gathered that he didn’t have a whole lot of outlaw experience under his belt. Against every instinct in your body telling you otherwise, you felt yourself loosen your grip on the boy, a pang of sympathy running through you. 
Sighing in exasperation, you holster your gun, a relieved noise leaving him as you did. Glancing forward, you saw two horses hitched to the trees, seemingly the rides that they came in on. “Go,” you waved. “You ain’t even grown.”
“Th-thank you!” He nearly wept, getting to his feet shakily. 
“But if I ever see ya again, especially as a damn O’Driscoll,” your hand hovered above your weapon. “I’ll not hesitate to put a bullet in your head. You hear me?”
“Y-yes.” He clutched at his shoulder. 
“Now go!” you shouted. “Get outta here! Before I change my mind.” As soon as he sped off toward the horses, you turned back toward the lake. Charles stood above your attacker, beating the life out of the man, his face pure crimson. He was using his injured hand, but he paid it no mind. Blow after blow, Charles’s strikes hit true, the thuds echoing across the water.
You really should not have found it as attractive as you did. 
You let yourself watch for a few moments longer, before you were snapping out of it. “Charles!” You called out. Immediately, he was looking up at you, the man below him no longer even on his mind. Wiping away a smear of blood on his cheek, he slowly made his way toward you, his steps slow across the ice. 
Concern etched across his features as his eyes raked over your body, looking for any injury or hurt on you. “Are you alright?” You asked, trying your best to push down the flush of your cheeks as he stalked towards you. He had an almost murderous glint in his eye, his movement predatory; you especially should not have found that attractive. 
“Did he hurt you?” He completely brushed off your question, his eyes wide with panic. You don’t think you’ve ever seen him this disheveled and worried before. 
“Only my pride.” You sighed. “I’m sorry.”
Charles opened his mouth to respond, but was promptly cut off when the ground beneath him gave way, the weakened ice no longer strong enough to hold him. Immediately, he was submerged under the water, but luckily he was close enough to the shore that it wasn’t too deep. He reemerged seconds later, sputtering and coughing. 
As soon as you heard the crack of the ice, you were running toward the edge, stepping precariously on the ice. In retrospect, it wasn’t the smartest idea, especially when you started walking towards where Charles fell through, but at the time you didn’t care. All that mattered was getting him out. 
Scanning around, you quickly assessed the best way to save him. The hole that was created was way big enough so he could get his arm up, but as soon as he pressed at the ice it shattered, unable to hold anything. As you stepped closer, you felt it begin to break as well, and you quickly moved back to the shore. 
“Fuck…” your hands went to you head, your gloved fingers pulling at your hair. A large stick from the tree you assaulted jumped down from sparked an idea. Grabbing it, you started chipping away at the ice, smashing and breaking it until a path big enough for Charles to go through was created. Standing at the shore, however, you realized  that neither your arms or the stick was long enough to reach the man, who was starting to get dragged down from the weight of the water in his clothes. 
Quickly unhooking your lasso from your belt, you created a loop for him to grab on to, throwing it at him with an accuracy from years and years of practice. It landed right in front of him, and he grabbed on to it as quickly as he could, his movement sluggish. Wrapping it around your hands, you began to pull him to shore. “Hold on!” you shouted at him, and he let out a noise in response. You’d take that over nothing.
It wasn’t incredibly hard to pull him closer, the water helping carry him over. But once he got to the shore, and you discarded the rope, pulling him up onto the land proved to be almost impossible. Grabbing underneath his arms, you pulled with all the strength you had, the muscles in your back and shoulders crying out in pain, but you paid them no mind. It took an incredible amount of effort, but eventually he was fully out of the water, laying splayed out in the cold snow. 
You didn’t let yourself get a moment to recover, instantly running over to his side. Turning his head toward you, you let out a sigh of relief when you say his eyes flutter open. He was absolutely drenched, his heavy winter gear made even heavier with water, and you watched him begin to shake and his teeth begin to shatter. And, if your luck wasn’t already terrible enough, a full on snowstorm had started, causing cold blasts of snow and wind to pelt your bodies. Chalres shivered even harder, and you let out helped sit him upright. “We gotta get you indoors, and soon. You ain’t gonna-” a lump formed in your throat at the thought. “It ain’t gonna be good for you if you stay out here. I’ll need your help, though. I can’t lift you on my own. Just… just find what energy you can to get up. Please.” You couldn’t help the panic in your voice. To say you were scared would be an understatement. 
You’re not quite sure he fully comprehended what you said, but he started to get up, and you forced him to lean a bit of his body weight against you as he did so. When he was up, you slung his arm over your shoulder, nearly sagging under his weight as he nearly collapsed. You called for Taima, whistlin the same pattern you’d heard Charles use for her. 
Within seconds, the sound of neighing and hoofbeats filled your ears, his loyal steed coming to a halt right in front of the two of you. She let out a worried snort, and you reassured her with some soothing noises. “Alright, Charles. Here comes the worst part.” It took quite a bit of maneuvering and effort, but after a minute Charles sat where you did on the ride there. 
His eyes, which were onced unfocused and confused, had regained some clarity to them, and you heard him mutter out your name. You smiled as reassuringly as you could, before you were mounting up on Taima, sitting in the saddle and the reins in your hands. “Hold on, darlin’.” You were too panicked to notice the name slip out, and you took the gasp from Charles as being from the cold. 
With little urging, Taima moved forward, almost immediately breaking into a gallop. You led her back up the trail, heading toward the cabin you saw on the way down. It would take too long to return back to Colter, and with the way the storm raged around you, you doubted either of you would be able to make it. 
As you rode, you felt Charles slump against you, exhaustion taking over his body. You reached behind with one hand, grabbing his knee and shaking him awake. “I know you hate me right now, but I need you to stay awake for me… please.”
He grumbled something in reply, his speech slurred and indecipherable. 
“I’m gonna talk at you, like I always do,” you tried to joke. “And you’re gonna do what you do, which is nod along and pretend you care. Just… just stay awake. You hear me?”
“I care…” you heard him protest, and you just shook your head.
“Uh-huh.” The wind was biting into your cheeks, and your eyes were watering, but you didn’t dare slow. You filled the couple minute ride with your voice, telling stories of your childhood, or random anecdotes you’d picked up from your travels, to recounting the bar fight you’d gotten into a few weeks prior. Charles, despite being exhausted, kept alert, giving one-word responses from time to time. 
He shivered the entire time, and you couldn’t tell if that was worrying or comforting. Panic was steadily bubbling in your chest, finding it hard to keep focus on your stories. Halfway through the ride, much like you did, he rested his head on your shoulder, burrowing his face into the crook of your neck. You suppressed a surprised noise as you felt the freezing skin against your own, his nose and lips unnervingly cold. 
“Stay with me, Charles.”
─•~❉᯽❉~•─
It was cold. 
Everything was cold.
Could hair get cold? It sure felt like it. Charles had never felt such coldness in his life before, and he never wanted to experience it again.
He should’ve never gone on to the ice, his brain was screaming at him.
But he had led with his heart, shoving the man off you and following him on to the ice. As soon as he had seen you go down, the other man on top of you, it was like time had slowed down. He had seen red, the two men attempting to hold him down quickly meeting their ends at the hands of his fury. 
He prided himself on being able to keep calm in situations, his anger rarely ever taking a hold of him, and it had never happened since he joined the gang. Guess that streak was broken now. Not that he had any regrets.
Well, he had a few.
He should’ve registered the footprints in the snow leading up to the base of the tree. He should’ve noticed something was wrong, should’ve not been so distracted by you. He should’ve said something.
Maybe none of this would’ve happened then.
But he’s just a man, and man is selfish. He was glad this happened.
Without this happening, he wouldn’t have his arms wrapped around your body, his face buried into your neck breathing you in. Without this, you wouldn’t have called him darling, causing his heart to thump erratically in his chest. Without this, he wouldn’t have been able to pretend right now that you and him were more than friends, a fantasy that he had played out a million times in his dreams.
You were talking to him, but he couldn’t make the words out. A shiver wracked his body, and he burrowed deeper. God, he was so cold. And so tired.It would be so easy to just close his eyes, to let unconsciousness wash over him… 
He was jolted awake by a hearty shake of his knee, and he heard your voice break through the fog of his brain. 
You had such a lovely voice. He hated how worried it sounded, and all because of him. Or maybe he was happy you were worried about him. He couldn’t tell. Everything was unclear. The only thing he was certain about was the fuzzy feeling in his chest that grew with each glance and each soft word from you.
He was in love with you.
Stupidly in love, in fact. 
He couldn’t stop himself, the words tumbling from his lips like a freefall. But it came out as gibberish, and he felt you shake your head, unable to comprehend him.
That’s alright. He’d repeat it as many times as you needed. 
And as another shiver tore through him, he felt you rub his thigh reassuringly. Despite the thick material of your gloves, he could feel the warmth of your skin, practically burning against his frosty skin. The butterflies in his chest bubbled to life, and he couldn’t stop the small laugh he let out. 
He was infatuated.
─•~❉᯽❉~•─
The short ride felt like forever, the monotonous landscape that had once been soothing now tormenting you as you searched for the cabin you saw prior. The smoke trail was impossible to spot out in the snowstorm, so you used what limited navigation skills you had to get you there. 
Eventually, the frame of the cabin broke through the sheet of snow, and you nearly cried in relief. You were starting to freeze, and you couldn’t even begin to imagine how Charles was feeling. Taima huffed as you brought her alongside the entrance, the steam from her snout dissipating instantly. Quickly dismounting, Charles nearly fell off when you moved, slowly slipping into unconsciousness. 
“Oh, no you don’t,” you snarled, roughly shaking him awake. Yes, you were threatening the hypothermic man. No, you did not care. You were almost inside, and you were not going to lose him. “Do not pass out on me, Charles Smith. Now, let’s get you off Taima.”
Charles muttered out an apology, his eyes reopening as he struggled to get off. His clothes were starting to solidify, clumps of ice forming across his jacket. You helped as best you could, catching him when his feet made contact with the ground, nearly sending you both to the snow. Again, you slung his arm over your shoulder, your other arm holding your gun as you entered the cabin, ready to clear out any homeowners. 
A blast of heat hit both of you as you creaked the door open slowly, and you heard Charles sigh with relief. A quick scan around proved that it was empty, and you gently set Chalres in front of the still burning fire. You realized now that the occupants were probably some of the O’Driscolls that just jumped you, and the cabin now stood empty for you and Charles. Relaxing slightly, you put away your gun, then added a few more logs to the fire pit, the flames lapping at the wood eagerly. 
To call the cabin small would be an understatement. It was large enough to fit both you and Charles comfortably, but you can’t imagine that the few O’Driscolls camping here temporarily had a lot of legroom . A single twin sized bed was lined up against the wall, cloth and other materials covering the windows beside it. There was a fireplace, a small stewpot, a nightstand, and a chair. Extra sleeping bags and rugs adorned the floor, a few cans of fruits and vegetables scattered across the floor. You saw the occasional empty bottle of alcohol, and you even found a pack of cigarettes. 
Charles seemed to wake some, the warmth of the fire breathing some life back into him. You saw him look around, body still shaking. He looked even worse than you thought, his normally warm-toned skin devoid of any color, and his hair was plastered to his face. As you crouched down in front of him, you went to push back a few strands, your gloves long since discarded, but you refrained. 
“A-Are you alright?” You heard him ask again through chattering teeth, and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes. Even though he saw freezing, likely suffering from hypothermia, he was more worried about your well being.
“I’m not the one who fell into the freezing lake. What were you thinking?” You weren’t angry, your words surprisingly gentle despite the fear in your heart. 
“I-I wasn’t… I-” his body cut him off, shivers wracking his body. 
“We gotta get these clothes off of you,” you picked at the offending garment, the material barely budging. You started to work the heavy coat off his shoulders, the roaring wind outside the only noise.
Suddenly, Charles was grabbing at your wrist, stalling your movement. You were halfway done with taking it off, the water melting off of it coating your hands. “Taima…” you heard him say.
“I’ll go make sure she’s secure,” you quickly rose to your feet. “Just get undressed. We need to get you warmed up.”
Stepping outside, the gusts hitting your body caused you to let out a curse. Taima was  still where you left her, stomping impatiently in the ground, shaking out her coat as she tried to keep warm. When you clicked your tongue, she came prancing over, ready to get out of the wind. 
You led her to the attached stall, which was in pretty decent condition. It blocked out a lot of the wind, and it shared a wall with the fireplace, letting some of the warmth to the horses as well. There was some hay left scattered on the ground, and you took off her saddle, setting it on the stand. You left the horse blanket on, giving her some extra protection. 
When you were done, you moved to leave, and you felt Taima brush affectionately against your head, nuzzling her snout into your shoulder. Laughing, you pet her neck affectionately before she removed herself to continue eating at the hay. Making sure the gate was secure, you headed back into the cabin. 
Charles was still undressing when you entered, his back to you. Even his undershirt was soaked through, the material clinging to his body like a second skin. It was at that point it clicked that the man you were infatuated with was going to be bare before you soon. You found yourself turning away, uncharacteristically embarrassed, shrugging off your own jacket and laying across the back of the chair. If it was any other person, you’d’ve not reacted this way, your lifestyle not allowing for much privacy. But of course it had to be Charles getting undressed in front of you, and you found yourself growing quite warm. 
Taking the lasso from your belt, you strung it across the room, making a makeshift clothesline to hopefully dry his clothes faster. His jacket, which was a wet pile of fur, was the first to be hung up, the rope creaking precariously under the weight. Luckily, it held, and you added each new item as he took it off. 
You made sure not to look directly at Charles, and you saw in your peripheral vision as he worked off his shirt. Your throat was suddenly dry, hands shaky as you continued to hang items up. Why, out of all people, did it have to be Charles? It was like God was tormenting you, giving you what, but keeping it just out of reach. 
You must’ve made a noise, because Charles was turning toward you, concerned. You finally let yourself look at him. He was partially done unbuttoning his shirt, the collar open, but you saw that he was struggling with the small buttons, his fingers barely working. “May I?” you asked, gesturing toward his shirt. The sooner he was out of the wet garment, the better.
He paused for a second, contemplating. “Yes,” he consented, lowering his hand at his side. Stepping forward, your hands resumed his work, quickly undoing the rest of it. Do not make a big deal of this, you repeated in your mind. You were simply helping a friend not die from hypothermia, not unbuttoning the shirt of the person you were hopelessly in love with. He shrugged it off, practically peeling it from his body. You were especially careful to only look him in the eye now, not daring to look at his newly exposed chest. 
Turning your back to him to hang up the shirt, the unmistakable clang of his belt hitting the floor had you stilling. Exhaling shakily, you heard him take off the remainder of his clothes, all making themselves comfortable on the floor. You didn’t dare turn around to grab them. Instead, you headed towards the bed, pulling off the heavy duvet. Walking backwards, you held it out to him behind you. You heard him murmur out a small thanks, taking the blanket from your outstretched arms. 
You gave him a few moments. “Are you… decent?” you asked, keeping your gaze up even with your back turned. When he gave a noise of confirmation, you finally turned back around. After situating his discarded clothing, you gathered some of the canned goods strewn about before setting your boots next to Charles’ beside the fire. You sat down next to him on the various furs and bedrolls. Charles had the blanket wrapped around his body, and you tried really hard to not concentrate on the fact that he was completely bare under the duvet. 
You opened one of the cans with your knife, tossing the lid of it behind you and handing it to the man beside you. “Eat. You need to get your strength up.” You saw him open his mouth to protest, but you cut him off before he could. “There’s plenty of food for the both of us. Now, eat.” You pushed the can of what looked to be sweetcorn in his hand, and he finally took it, tipping it back into his mouth and eating slowly. 
He was still shivering, but he was slowly becoming more and more alert, and his teeth had ceased their chattering. Quickly finishing the can of food, he placed the empty can beside him, rubbing his hands together beneath the blanket. You were looking into the fire, and you could feel his eyes on you. He didn’t say anything, just observing you like he normally did. 
This time, however, it felt like his eyes were picking you apart, like he could see every secret beneath your skin. Clearing your throat, you stood up, gathering up the remainder of his clothing and hanging them up. You were scared that the longer you sat by him, the likelihood of you having to confront your secrets would increase tenfold. “You need anythin’? More food? Water? Coffee?” You asked, drying your hands on your pants. 
“I’m g-good,” he responded. 
“Have you warmed up at all?” He shrugged in response, the action barely noticeable with the heavy blanket around his shoulders. You didn’t bother to hide the concerned frown on your lips as you crouched beside him. Running the back of your hand, you winced when you were met with deathly cold skin. “Shit…” you cursed, pulling your hand away, and you failed to notice Charles chasing after your warmth.
Standing up, you began to pace the room, trying to keep the dread you felt at bay. Your mind was running wild with thoughts, all ending in worse case scenarios. Taking a deep breath, you tried your best to keep calm, just for Charles’ sake. You wouldn’t do him any good if you were freaking out. You tried to think back on the basic first aid you’d learned through the years. Most of the things you’d already done, like getting him out of wet clothing, getting him food, getting him in front of a fire. Was there anything else you could do? Or did you just have to sit and wait and pray that what you did was enough.
You knew Charles was watching you pace, doing nothing to calm your racing heart. You ran your fingers through your hair, a gasp leaving your lips when you finally remembered. Body heat, which means… oh. 
Goddamn it all. 
You hoped you didn’t look too alarmed. It’s not that you were opposed to the idea, but it would make it significantly harder to bottle up your feelings. In fact, doing this might just smash the bottle all together, causing you to spill your heart to him. “So…” you began nervously. How the hell were you supposed to ask this?
“So…?” Charles repeated, raising a brow. 
“I-I… well…” you ran your hand over your face. The wall was looking quite interesting right now. “I was wondering if you’d like… I don’t wanna make you uncomfortable or anythin’... if you’d like for me to share my warmth?” That sounds so weird. “It’s just, you’re not gettin’ any better… and I don’t want anythin’ to happen to you. I couldn’t bear it.” The last part you whispered, and you doubted he even heard it. 
Something flickered across Charles’ face, too quick for you to recognize. He looked conflicted, and you chewed nervously on your lips. Did I cross a line? Oh God, did I make this weird? He’s gonna hate me-
“I’d like that,” his voice cut off your minds’ rambling. 
Letting out a breath of relief, you gave him a small smile, which he returned. Okay, this is happening. Again, do not make a big deal of this. This means nothing. Your hands, which weren’t steady, began to work at your button up. Charles slowly looked away, his eyes darkening slightly. “I’m not gonna take everythin’ off,” you reassured, taking the look in his eye as concern. Taking your gun belt off and setting it on the bed, your pants and socks were off next, joining the belt, leaving you in only your undergarments. 
Slowly, you approached him, your steps uncertain across the bedrolls and furs. You tried to keep calm, but the reality of what was going to happen quite soon was causing your heart to pound against your ribs. He watched you approach, head turned back around. You couldn't imagine it was comfortable for his neck, but he didn’t seem to mind. 
Finally, you stood in front of him, partially blocking the fire, which caused your shadow to cast over Charles. Without breaking eye contact with you, he pulled the blanket back, inviting you in. Your shadow, thankfully, blocked out any newly revealed skin, but you still found a blush creeping up your neck. 
Without giving yourself a chance to back out, you sat yourself on his lap. With your legs wrapping around his hips, your ankles were barely able to interlock. His following sigh sounded pleased, and you found yourself smiling as he wrapped the blanket around the two of you, creating something akin to a cocoon. He kept his hands braced on the ground beside him, refraining from touching you.
Charles was indeed freezing, and you let out a discontent noise at the contact. “Sorry,” you more felt than heard him say, your faces mere inches apart. 
“I should be the one who’s sayin’ that…” you sighed, and you rested your hands on his shoulders, beginning the process of warming his body back to a normal temperature. “I should’ve been payin’ better attention, then we would’ve never ended up in this mess.” Not that I’m complaining too much. 
The two of you sat together for a few minutes, letting Charles simply enjoy your body heat. “I don’t think either of us were expecting an O’Driscoll to come falling out of a tree.” You heard him say.
“It certainly wasn’t on my list of things to happen today,” you laughed, your hands moving down his shoulders to his biceps. Having him under your touch like this really put into perspective his sheer size. “And neither is this. Any of this. I’m sure you weren’t plannin’ on takin’ a bath in Lake Isabella today.”
“Can’t say I was. But, you-” Charles cut himself off, his eyes widening the tiniest bit. If you weren’t so close, you probably wouldn’t have noticed. You gave him a confused look, and he just shook his head. “It’s nothing. I almost said something foolish,” he tried to dismiss, embarrassment evident on his face.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say somethin’ foolish the entire time I’ve known you.” You tugged at one of his arms, bringing it between your bodies after he shifted his weight on to the other arm. You clasp his uninjured hand between yours, blowing hot air and trying your best to return some life back to the ice cubes that were his fingers. “You know I ain’t gonna tease you for what you say, right?”
“I know,” Charles sighed, but he didn’t elaborate further. You didn’t push, not wanting to wreck this moment between the two of you. You felt him flex his fingers between yours, a relieved noise leaving him as more feeling returned to them. Eventually, you let go of his hand, but it seemed like he didn’t quite know where to put it, hovering a few inches above your waist before returning back to the ground. “You can touch me, Charles.”
You held back a content noise when you finally felt him grasp your waist, his fingers resting on the waistband of your undergarments. Occasionally, his fingers would brush your bare skin, your undershirt having rid up when you had sat down, and you felt goosebumps erupt across your skin. 
Moving to his injured hand, you eyed the now wrecked bandage, blood and water causing the material to practically dissolve. You tsked disapprovingly, and began to peel off the old wrapping, discarding them across the cabin. You were expecting to see the wound completely reopened, especially because of the punches he threw at the O’Driscoll, but were pleasantly surprised to find a pretty much healed injury. It was slightly irritated, sure, but it must’ve been healed for at least a day or two.
“And here I was scared that we’d have to chop off your hand,” you joked, flipping his arm over as you examined the now scar. “This has been healed for a day or two now. You’re probably only gonna have a light scar from this.” Realization dawned on you, and you chuckled. “Charles, you could’ve gone huntin’ on your own today.”
“I could’ve.” He didn’t even bother trying to deny it. “Still, I did want to do it with you, but I could’t just ask. I needed an excuse.”
“You never need an excuse, Charles. I’ll gladly go huntin’ with you, injured hand or not.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
You felt him squeeze your hip gently, a playful grin on his face. It had your stomach doing somersaults, and you tore your eyes away to begin warming up his other hand. It was strange, seeing him so carefree like this. It was a look you’d never really seen on him, but you rather enjoyed it. “Only hunting?” he asked.
“Maybe,” you teased, drawing out the syllables. “Whatcha have in mind?”
“Not quite sure yet. But it’ll just be us.”
“Like a date?” You joked, trying not to sound too hopeful. 
“Sure. Like a date.”
A giddy smile cracked across your lips, and you gingerly kissed the back of Charles’ hand before letting it go, where it immediately joined his other by settling on your waist. Your ears were burning, a flustered blush growing across your body. Here you were, sitting on a naked Charles’ lap, only the thin material of your undergarments separating the two of you, but the thing that made you bashful was him asking you on a date. 
Wrapping your arms around his neck, you rested your head on his shoulder. You felt him chuckle, the hands on your waist moving up your back, keeping your body pressed close to him. The digits were still a bit chilled, but you didn’t mind. The blanket around the two of you was barely hanging on at this point, and you tried your best to keep it around him. Like he did on the horse, you felt him bury his face in the crook where your neck and shoulders connected. 
Although it was significantly less cold than the last time, you still shivered at the contact. You felt his lips brush against the skin, and you could barely feel the light kiss he pressed there, gone in an instant. So many thoughts and emotions were running through your mind at that moment. You mostly felt relieved, your feelings for the man no longer feeling so one-sided. Your mind was so loud, in fact, that you barely heard him mumble something against your skin. You realized that he was thanking you, and you responded with a confused noise.
“You saved my life today. Twice. I haven’t thanked you yet.”
“I wouldn’t’ve just left you, Charles. I couldn’t. I…” you trailed off, a confession ready to leave your lips. The bottle had cracked, its contents spilling out as you tried to damndest to keep it all contained. “If I remember correctly, you also saved me today. Nothin’ good would’ve happened if you weren’t there today.”
You felt him tense, an almost pained sound leaving him. “When I saw you like that… I don’t ever want to see that again.”
You moved back so that you could see him again, and you cupped the side of his face with your hand, relieved to find the skin significantly warmer than it was moments ago. “I’m alright. Thanks to you, I’m safe.” 
He relaxed slightly, but his eyes were filled with so much sadness that it had you frowning. “I don’t think I’ve ever been that scared before,” he whispered, resting his own hand atop yours. “The best thing in my life, and I almost lost it today.” Both of you seemed surprised by his words, but you didn’t let him backtrack.
“But you didn’t. You are the one who got that man off me, and showed him the error of his ways.”
He chuckled at that, but then another frown adorned his lips. “I didn’t… unsettle you, right? I… I saw your eyes widen after you called me off him. You’re not-”
“Never. I know you’d never hurt me.”
Relieved, you felt him go fully lax under your touch. His whole body had returned to a normal temperature, you noted, the heat under the blanket beginning to become sweltering. With your thumb, you stroked his cheek, feeling the raised skin of the scar across his cheek. He let go of your hand, moving it back to the ground to keep the two of you propped up as you leaned forward. The duvet fell slightly, exposing his shoulder to the air, but he didn’t seem to mind.
Keeping your hand on his cheek, your lips brushed the shell of his ear. “Although, I do think you looked rather beautiful.”
He practically shuddered, a pleased smile on your mouth as you leaned back again. Keeping only a few inches between your faces, you watched as his eyes flicked down to your lips before returning up. “Yeah?” You don’t think you’ve ever heard his voice so low.
You nodded, the fingers on his cheek moving to brush a few strands away from his face. His eyes were dark, pupils blown out but not because of the low light. “I always think you look beautiful,” you murmured. 
He hummed in response, and you felt the hand on your back creek up, resting at the nape of your neck. He didn’t pull you forward, he just held you. “Next to you, however, I imagine I look quite plain.”
“Oh, hush,” you chided while smiling. 
“I’m serious.” You felt him play with the hair at your neck, fingers running lightly through the strands. “It’s distracting, how beautiful you are. Whenever I walk into a room and you’re in there, you’re the first thing I look at, and I can never bring myself to look away. At night at camp, you look so at ease, the fire illuminates your face in a way that makes you look ethereal. I can do nothing but watch you, too stunned to speak. You plague every waking thought, and you haunt my dreams. You’ve unknowingly burrowed yourself into my heart, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
You were at a loss for words, your mouth moving but no words actually came out. Choosing to ignore the way your heart celebrated, you let out an airy chuckle. “I think that’s the longest I’ve ever heard you talk.” 
He laughed. “I can keep it short, if you’d like?”
“I didn’t mean that,” you scoffed. “What could possibly condense all that?”
Charles gave you a look, like he couldn’t believe you hadn’t caught on by now. A part of you knew what he was going to say, but you wouldn't believe it. You needed to hear it from his lips. The hand playing with your hair stilled, the only sound being the crackling fire behind you. 
“I’m in love with you.” 
He said it like it was the simplest thing ever, like it hadn’t just completely flipped your world upside down. He had taken your bottled up feelings and opened it himself. Taking your responding silence as a negative thing, you felt his hand fall slightly, a worried look crossing his face. You didn’t give him much time to worry, pulling him closer with the hand still cupping his face. Your foreheads connected, and your lips were almost brushing. “You mean it?” 
“Of course.”
“Well… for how long?”
“How long have I been with the gang?”
Surprised, you laughed lightly, and he visibly looked confused. “So this entire time, you felt the same way?”
It took a second for him to process your words, a wide grin appearing when he did. “I guess so.” He paused for a moment, and you felt him take a deep breath. “You love me?” He asked, his voice small and uncertain. 
You moved your face back an inch, giving you room to nod. “I do. For the same amount of time, too. I was too scared to say anythin’, I didn’t wanna ruin what we had. And I kinda thought I annoyed you to death,” you chuckled. “But if today reminded me of anythin’, it’s that this life is too unpredictable to have regrets.”
“Arthur gave you that lecture too?”
You rolled your eyes. Of course he didn't heed your warning about not playing matchmaker with you and Charles. But still, you might have to thank him later. “Despite what he claims, he’s a nosy bastard.”
He hummed in agreement, and a silence hung over the room, anticipation heavy in the air. With the lightest touch, you felt him bring you forward with the hand on the back of your head. “I wanna hear you say it,” you heard him ask. 
“I love you, darlin’.” Both hands now cupped his cheeks, and you hovered your lips above his. “Kiss me?”
“Gladly.” You felt his hand move to cradle your head, pulling you in the final distance until your lips were colliding. There was only a hint of chill left on his skin, easily melting away against your warm mouth.  His lips were soft, softer than you imagined, and you let out a pleased sigh. It was a surprisingly quick kiss, and you sucked in a breath when you felt him pull away, his eyes blown out. 
He was also panting, and his fingers wove into your hair, like he was grounding himself. Moving forward, you tried to reconnect your lips, but he moved his head so that your lips collided with his cheek instead. A jolt of panic shot through your body, thinking you horribly misread the situation. “I want… I want this,” he reassured. “But I want to make sure you want this. That you want… me.”
You’d never met a man like Charles Smith, and you’re sure you’d never meet another like him. Never, ever had you heard of or met a man explicitly asking for consent like this, and it got you more excited than you thought it would. “I’ve wanted this for a while now,” you admitted, resting your touch on the junction where his shoulders and neck met. “I’ve dreamed of a moment like this more times than I can count. I want you, Charles. I need-”
In a complete switch up, he crashed his lips against yours, muffling your words. If the first kiss had been gentle and hesitant, this one was hungry and confident, lips eagerly moving against yours. He was practically devouring you, like he couldn’t get enough of you. With every small noise that left you, he seemed to grow more bold, and you felt the fingers in your hair tug slightly. It didn’t hurt, but it caused your lips to part. Within seconds his tongue swept into your mouth, eager to explore you. 
The blanket had long since fallen off, bunched up on the ground surrounding the two of you. Pushing him lightly on his shoulders, you eased him on his back. Your hands planted on his chest when he made contact with the furs, your lips not separating for a moment. He was a pleasant temperature under your fingers, his skin surprisingly soft, just like his lips. You were straddling his waist now, your hands barely keeping you from laying your entire weight on the man. 
He had let go of your head, his hands moving to your waist to keep you secure. His grip was strong, but not enough to leave a mark. A part of you wanted him to, but you didn’t say anything. If he wanted you like you wanted him, then there would be a next time.
Rocking your hips, you felt a growing hardness barely separated by your thin undergarments. You felt him groan when you did so, and he tugged at your bottom lip with his teeth. When he moved his head away to suck in some air, your hands snaked back up his neck, nearly covering his ears. You’d thought your attempts at warming him up were fruitful, but when you felt how cold his ears were, you made a concerned noise, your lust temporarily forgotten. “Your ears are freezing…”
He looked like he couldn’t care less, but then a mischievous smile crossed his face. “You gonna warm them up, then?”
“What do you think I’m tryin’ to do?” You giggled, and you made sure that your hands fully covered them. You had easy access to his lips, and you gave him a quick kiss. 
“Not with your hands, my love.”
You smiled at the endearment, but his statement confused you. Cocking your head to the side, you moved your hands off his face, settling them back on his chest. “What-?”
You didn’t get to finish your question, the hands on your hips effortlessly pulling your up toward his face. Your knees now straddled the sides of his head, your thighs practically where your hands were, covering his ears. You looked down at him with wide eyes, a flush creeping up your neck at the implications. Surely he doesn't want that, right?
Charles let out a satisfied noise, and with his hands now on your thighs he eased you on to him. You let him, but you kept a few inches between his mouth and your body. He genuinely seemed upset by that, and you felt him press a quick kiss to the inside of your thigh, causing a shiver to run through your body.
“Please, let me taste you,” he pressed another kiss to the inside of your legs, this one closer to your aching center. If he moved any closer, he was bound to feel your wetness through the fabric. “I want you to fall apart on my face.”
You exhaled shakily. “You want to?” You asked, almost in disbelief. This man was unreal.
He nodded, the action causing his chin to brush against your center. “Let me make you feel good, my love.” When he pulled you down again, you didn’t keep any distance between the two of you. You felt him press a kiss to your clothed center, a smug grin on his face when he felt your arousal. He didn’t say anything, just pulling you down closer to his face until your legs were fully wrapped around his head, no space between the two of you. 
You felt his tongue flick out, simply tasting you through the damp fabric. He did it again, and again, and his hands tightened on your thighs. He was indirect with his tongue, but each swipe had you letting out small moans. A mix of his saliva and your arousal was causing the fabric to become even more wet; they were most certainly going to be wrecked. 
The small kitten-licks were nice, but you needed more. Charles knew this too, and you felt him work his fingers under the material of your undergarments, pulling them down your ass and thighs. It took some awkward maneuvering, but eventually the garment was off, being tossed somewhere to the side by you, leaving you in only your undershirt.
He wasted no time, pulling you back down onto his face with a growl. Parting you with a pass of his tongue, he let out a pleased noise, the vibrations shooting straight to your core. Charles was insatiable now, lapping and drinking you like you were the best goddamn meal he’s ever had. His eyes were hooded, drunk on you. When his broad strokes turned into concentrated flicks on your clit, you moaned loudly, your thighs turning vice-like around his head. 
It spurred him on, working your clit with markman’s accuracy, bringing you closer and closer to your climax in record time. You heard him groan something under you, and you let out a breathy sigh when you realized he was groaning your name over and over again.  
This entire time, you had kept your hands to yourself, but you were growing more and more desperate to touch him. Reaching down, your hands tangled in his hair, and then almost immediately releasing it like it burned you. For a second, you panicked, thinking yet again you crossed a line, which seemed to be a repeating event this evening. You knew his hair was an important part of his culture, and you would never forgive yourself if you did something to upset him.
Without even slowing down a beat, you felt him grab your hand, leading your back towards his head. He closed his eyes when he felt you weave your fingers through the locks, his hips bucking when you tugged slightly. 
You were getting close now, and you felt yourself moving against his face in time with his tongue. “Charles,” you whined, and he hummed in response. “I’m- I’m gettin’ close, darlin’,”
As you neared your release, you heard the sound of skin-on-skin from behind you. Turning around, you saw Charles stroking himself, getting off to eating you out. “Oh my God… Charles…” you breathed out, barely able to tear your eyes away from the beautiful sight behind you.
His eyes were hazy with lust as he peered up at you from between your legs, and you could feel yourself begin to tip over the edge. Sighing out his name, you felt him grin. Before you could even process it, he sucked on your clit, pushing you over that edge as you came hard on his face. You were crying out his name, but your voice sounded distant to your ears, temporarily out of your body as you orgasmed. Charles kept his tongue moving as you came, drawing out every bit of pleasure from your body.
It took you a few moments to recover, and the first thing you were able to hear was the obscene noise leaving Charles’ mouth as he drank in your release. Secondly, you realized you had a death-grip on Charles’ hair, and you quickly let go, and you tried to apologize, but your words were jumbled. He continued to lap at you, but it quickly became too much, your body beginning to feel overstimulated. You rolled off of him, being mindful of the fireplace even in your post-orgasmic haze.
Glancing over at Charles, you found him already watching you, just like he would do in camp. With a soft smile, you scooted closer until you were pressed into his side. He gave you his arm to la on, and you felt him kiss the top of your head. It was silent between the two of you, simply taking the moment to catch your breaths and recover. 
You couldn’t help looking down, though, having to stifle a gasp when you saw how big he actually was, having only gotten a glimpse of him early. He was going to feel good, but you knew you would be sore for a few days after. Not that you cared. 
Looking back up at him, you let your fingers trail up his chest, resting right above his heart. It was beating erratically, just like yours, and you heard him let out a noise when your fingers “accidently” brushed over his nipple. You heard him whine out your name, and you slowly sat up. You were able to see him clearer now, and he looked like a mess. His face was covered in your slick, glistening in the firelight, and his hair was all tousled from your fingers. But the best part was the pure bliss on his features.
It was almost comical, the way his eyes snapped open when you pulled off your shirt, exposing your chest to him. “You’ve got somethin’ on your face,” you tried to joke, but your voice was quite hoarse. You tossed your shirt at him, giving him something to wipe his mouth with. He merely set it to the side, unbothered with the mess. Propping himself up with an arm, he offered you his free hand, pulling you forward when you took it in yours.
You nearly fell right on top of him, your muscles pure jelly. Laughing, you were just able to get upright before he was kissing you. It was weird, tasting yourself on him, but you found you didn’t mind. You didn’t keep your lips on his for too long, moving down his jaw, then down his neck. You weren’t straddling his hips, so the positioning was a tad bit uncomfortable, but you didn’t care. 
Moving down further, you trailed kissed across his collarbones, then down his sternum, his breathing growing uneven as you went lower and lower. A hand now rested on the back of your head as you continued downward, reaching a patch of hair that started at his belly button. It surprised you, the rest of his body being relatively hairless, but you weren't complaining. In fact, you were imagining seeing it peek out from under his shirt as he stretched, his clothing riding up with his arms. Even though it was relatively innocent in the light of everything else the two of you were doing, it had you pressing your thighs together, trying to relieve the returning ache between them.
Following the happy trail, you ran your fingers through the hair as you adjusted closer to his member. His was achingly hard at this point, and his breathing stilled when you ghost your lips over the tip. Leaning over him, you flicked your tongue out, licking up the bead of precum. The hand and your head tightened into a ball, and you could tell he was fighting every urge to buck himself down your throat. Next time, you thought. 
Moving down further so that you sat between his legs, you spit into your hand before you grasped him. He was velvety soft as you slowly began to stroke him, a mix of your name and a moan leaving his lips as you did so. With heavy eyes and part lips, he watched you pleasure him. “You feel so good in my hand,” you murmured, “butI think you’ll feel even better in me, no?”
His response was slightly incoherent, but you could tell he was agreeing with you. “In a second, darlin’. I wanna taste you, too.”
“You don’t need to do that.” Charles found his voice again, although it sounded very strained.
“But I want to. Don’t make me beg for it.” You weren’t really intended to suggest anything, but the look on Charles’ face at your comment had you grinning. “Unless you want me to?”
“I-” he was stunned, but you could tell he was imagining it, and liking it. 
“Please, darlin’, let me suck your cock,” you fluttered your lashes at him. “I bet you taste so good… just let me taste you, please. I need it so bad, darlin’. I need your cock-”
“Fuck, you’re gonna be the death of me.” Charles cursed, which was more arousing than you thought it would be. “Yeah, go ahead, my love.”
Pressing one last kiss to the tip, you flattened your tongue and ran it up his length, and you heard him moan. You did it a few times, receiving a similar reaction each time. Eventually, you slowly took the tip of him into your mouth, swirling your tongue around while doing so. Taking more and more of him into your mouth, you were only able to take him halfway before he was pressing against the back of your throat, and you relaxed as best you could, not wanting to trigger your gag reflex.
Taking the rest of him in your hand, you began to bob your head up and down. Hollowing your cheeks until you reached the tip of him, you then ran your tongue across the slit, before moving back down his length, keeping your tongue flat. You repeated this action for a while, falling into an easy rhythm. You felt him buck up a few times, but other than that he kept his hips relatively still, letting you have your way with him. His hand didn’t push you further down him, he just simply held you, moving back the hairs that tried to fall in your face. 
You heard him moan out your name, and you groaned. “You feel so good, my love,” he praised. His words turned into a surprised moan, whe, with your free hand, started moving slowly up his thigh, moving inward until you brushed against his balls. He nearly jumped with the contact, causing his cock to go further down your throat than you'd like, causing you to rear back coughing. 
Immediately, he was apologizing. His hand was now on your cheek, wiping away the spit around your mouth as you recovered. “Are you alright?” He asked, and you nodded, not trusting your voice at that second. You could tell that he still felt bad, and you pressed a kiss to the inside of his wrist. 
“I’m alright,” you managed to get out, and you cleared your throat some more. “Just caught me off guard, that’s all.”
“So did you, touching me like that” he teased, his earlier concerns dissipating when he saw that you truly were okay. “I wasn’t gonna last long even before you did that.” Pulling you up to him, he kissed you, and you finally straddled his waist, his cock resting between your bodies. 
You weren’t given much time to savor his lips before your world was quite literally turning as he flipped you on to your back. The furs nestled nicely against your skin, and you locked your legs around Charles’ waist, grinding yourself against his member. His head fell against your chest, and you felt him brush feather-light kisses across your skin, much like you did. But a new eagerness had overtaken you, and you grinded again against him, and you felt him chuckle. “Patience, my love.”
“I’ve waited long enough, Charles. I need you in me.”
“You think you’re ready for me?” If those words came out of any other man, you would’ve laughed at the arrogance those words held. But you knew it came out of a place of genuine concern for your wellbeing, scared of hurting you. He was large, and you knew that it was probably going to hurt when he entered you, but your lust fueled brain did not care. You need him in you now, consequences be damned.
“Please,” you whispered, and he adjusted so that his face was level with yours. 
“Alright, but if at any point-”
Kissing him quickly, you smiled at him, brushing back a long strand of hair that fell in his face. “I will. I trust you. Now,” you kissed him again, “fuck me.”
He didn’t respond, pressing a kiss against the tip of your nose before you felt him press into you. He kept his eyes on your face, gauging your reaction as he slowly entered you. The initial breach was always the worst part, and you couldn’t help the slight grimace that crossed your features as he breached your entrance. He halted, but you urged him further by pressing your heels into his back. 
The stretch was unlike anything else you’d ever felt, satiating a need you didn’t know you had. Tangling your hands in his hair, you pulled your face against yours, resting your foreheads together. “God, you feel so good,” you panted as he pressed himself deeper into you. You were certain that he was going to ruin you for any other man. 
Hearing him chuckle made you realize you said that last part aloud. “After this, you’re stuck with me, my love.”
Because you couldn’t keep your mouth shut, and you were curious to see how deep his possessive side went, you pushed further. “Am I now?” Yes. 
For a second, it seemed like Charles couldn’t tell that you were teasing, but when he saw the playful glint in your eye he played along. “Do you think anyone else could make you feel like this?”
He was nearly fully sheathed in you, and you fought the urge to just pull him the rest of the way into you “I dunno. If I remember right, I asked you to fuck me. It sure don’t feel like you’re doin’ that.”
Finally, he was fully in you, your hips flushed together. You both let out content moans, and Charles gave you a moment to adjust. “You want me to fuck you?” He confirmed, and the words sounded even filthier coming from his mouth. 
“If you don’t, I’ll find someone who will.” 
Letting out something akin to a growl, he pulled out of you quickly, leaving only the tip in before he was slamming back into you, hands gripping your hips tightly. He set a brutal pace, and your head rolled back, your moans and cries filling the air. With the way your head was, it caused your back to arch, meaning your breasts were right in his face. With zero hesitation, he took one into his mouth, sucking and toying with the nipple in his mouth. Releasing it, he switched to the other one, making sure to give both apt attention. 
Tugging at his hair, you brought his attention upwards. Smashing your lips against his, your kiss was open-mouth and messy, more tongue and teeth than anything. His hips were snapping against yours, incessant as he pounded into you. 
“Yes! Charles,” you wailed, tearing your lips away from his to do so. He kept his lips busy, nipping and kissing the skin at your jaw and neck. A particularly hard bite had you gasping, and you felt him smirk against your skin. Your senses were completely overwhelmed in the best way; all that you could register was him, the way he felt, the way he tasted, the way he looked. 
He leaned over you now, broad arms caging your head in. His dark hair fell in waves around him, blocking out any other visual in the room. All you could do was look at him, and he was a sight for sore eyes. Color had long since returned to his cheeks, the skin there darkening with exertion. His eyes were locked on to you, dancing around your face and chest like he couldn’t quite figure out what he wanted to look at. His plush lips were parted, soft gasps of air leaving him with each thrust.
Another snap of his hips had you grasping at his back and shoulders, pleasuring washing over you as another orgasm began to build up. Your nails dug into his skin, no doubt leaving marks, but it didn’t seem to deter him. In fact, he let out a low moan, and it had your cunt clenching around his cock. 
Babbling his name, your nails ran down his back, leaving in its wake angry red lines. “You feel so good… like you were made for me.”
“My love…” he sighed, and one of the hands at the side of your head cupped your face,  bringing you right to his lips. His length was reaching places in you that you didn’t know existed, filling you deep and hard, just like you wanted. You were going to become addicted to him. 
“I’m so close, Charles…” Releasing one of his shoulders, you snaked your hand between your bodies, moving to start touching yourself. You weren’t expecting him to quickly grasp your wrist, bringing it out of the way and replacing your hand with his much larger one. He began to rub at your clit, slow circular movements that juxtaposed the fast in-and-out of his cock. His ministrations had you seeing stars, and you felt yourself reaching completion again that night. 
“Charles, I-”
“I know. Let me feel you fall apart.” He pressed a quick kiss to your lips.
His slow movements turned rapid, groaning when he felt you clench around him. With a cry of his name, you came, pleasure rolling over you in waves. This one was stronger than the first, feeling like every nerve in your body had been set aflame. Your eyes rolled back, the world temporarily turning dark as your eyelids shut. He kept his eyes on you the entire time, a reverent look in his gaze. With the way your walls were fluttering around him, and the quickened pace of his hips, you knew that he wasn’t going to last much longer either.
His arms went back around your head, continuing to move as he chased his own release. You heard him gasp out, quickly pulling out of you, and you let out a discontent noise as he no longer filled you. He stroked himself a few times, hand moving fervently up and down his length. If you weren’t so fucked out of your mind, you would’ve had taken him in your hand yourself, wanting to feel him as well. Moaning your name, you watched as he came, his release spilling over your stomach. His hips canted forward a few times as he worked through the aftershocks of his orgasm.
You loosened your legs that were wrapped around his waist, and silence hung over the two of you as you both processed what just happened. A small laugh left you, breaking the trance, and you saw him smile back at you, mirroring his laughter with his own. You watched him grab the blanket that was still bundled up on the floor, and he tore off a section of it, the sound of fabric ripping startling you slightly. 
Wiping his release from your skin, he tossed the soiled cloth to some corner of the room. It’s not like this was your place, anyways. Opening your arms, you invited him to lay with you, and he gladly accepted. He was careful to keep his full weight off of you, but he still lay partially on top of you, his head resting on your chest. It was comforting, and you felt yourself begin to grow a bit sleepy. “Are you warm yet?” You teased, running your fingers soothingly through his hair, and you felt his chest rumble with laughter.
“I think so,” he responded, bringing the blanket around your bodies. The fire was starting to die down, but neither of you moved to add fuel to it. He murmured something, and you gave an inquisitive sound. “I love you,” he repeated, his brown eyes filled with emotion as he stared up at you.
“I love you, too.”
He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but he quickly shut it. “What is it?” You asked, and he sighed, his warm breath tickling you.
“Does that mean you’ll stay?”
In all honesty, you had completely forgotten about your earlier conversation. The vulnerability in his voice had your eyes watering, and it didn’t take much thinking to reach your answer. Sure, you were scared for the future of the gang, and you were scared that with each passing day you’d find yourself closer and closer to finding your end at a rope or a barrel, but none of those fears mattered, not anymore. Not when you finally had all that you wanted in your arms. And who knows, maybe you’d end up leaving in time, but you knew you wouldn’t be leaving alone.
“Yeah, I’ll stay. Besides, you still owe me a date.”
His responding smile solidified that you had made the right decision. Whatever the future held, you knew it would be easier with Charles by your side.
103 notes · View notes
halsteadlover · 6 months
Text
𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞
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*Gif and pic not mine credits to the owner*
• Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader.
• Requested: no.
• Summary: your life is amazing. You have everything you wished for, a caring and beautiful husband, a satisfying job, an amazing house. What if in a matter of seconds, your incredible fairy tale is about to take a tragic twist?
• Warnings: angst, mention of car crash, blood, wounds, curse words, death.
• Word count: 7580.
• A/N: Please don’t kill me. Y’ALL BETTER EAT THIS FIC UP BECAUSE I PUT MY BLOOD AND SWEAT AND TEARS (always pretty please). I hope you’ll like this piece I know I was heartbroken writing it. Drop a like, a comment and reblog if you want, it’d be amazing and so helpful. I apologize for any mistake or grammar error. Thank you so much as always for your support, looking forward for your opinion. ❤️
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“Baby!”.
“Y/n!”.
“You hear me? Please answer me”.
“Please hold on, everything will be okay I promise. Please… Don't leave me.”
What was going on?
Why did you feel so weak?
Where was Spencer?
Your breathing was heavy, cold shivers ran through your body but despite this you couldn't move a single muscle even if you could feel your body waving to an unknown motion, like you were floating.
Am I moving?
You felt your eyelids fighting not to stay closed even if you tried with every fiber of your body to fight against that tiredness that wanted so badly to suck you into the darkness.
You were so afraid.
You managed to slightly open your eyes, only for a fraction of a second, and all you saw was a blinding white light that forced you to close your eyes right after. It was so strong you couldn't open them again.
What it was?
Was it heaven?
Were you dead?
“Please baby hold on, if you hear me please fight, I know you’re so strong. I’m begging you… Stay with me…”
Spencer?
Yes, there was no doubt that it was him even if his voice carried in the distance, each word fading further and further. You wanted so badly to answer him, to shout you were okay, that you could hear him, that you were there with him.
But were you really okay?
No, I’m not.
And the more you fought against the darkness, the more it sucked you into its heavy vortex.
You fought, you really tried, but you didn't have the strength. You were too weak, too tired.
You just wanted to rest for a bit.
God please let me okay.
You eventually gave up, stopped fighting and let yourself be lulled by that darkness.
It was so peaceful.
There wasn’t any more pain. Any suffering.
Maybe it wasn’t so bad.
Five hours earlier
“I really don't feel like going to work this morning,” your husband kept complaining. You were both still in your bedroom, you were sitting while Spencer was lying next to you, his arm around your hips and his head on your lap.
“Hotch will kill you if you take a day off without warning,” you giggled, running your fingers through his fluffy hair. “I also wish you could stay here love, I feel so lonely here without you. But unfortunately you can’t.”
Spencer huffed, holding you even tighter. “I know I'm so sorry baby, I hate leaving you alone. I'm always so worried.”
“Oh yeah I know, the three thousand texts you send me always asking me if I'm okay prove it.” You teased him and even though you couldn't see him you knew full well he rolled his eyes.
“Ah, ah, keep making fun of me,” he retorted. “Is it really weird I want to keep you safe?”.
“No baby, I was joking. You know very well I love you're so protective of me and besides, I’m okay, you don’t have to worry about me.”
He kept caressing your side, leaving a kiss on it at the level of your scar, a gesture that made your heart melt. He looked up at you and smiled before propping himself up on his elbows, resting his free hand on your face and pressing his lips on yours. A flock of butterflies exploded in your stomach.
It didn't matter how long you two were together, you felt the same butterflies, the same feeling as in the early days, he still managed to make your heart skip a beat with just a kiss.
God I love this man so much.
“What will I do without you?” Spencer pouted, already missing you before he even got out of bed and got dressed. “I just hope we won’t have any case.”
Spencer had left for work, but not before recommending you to call and text him if you needed anything. You reassured him, telling him not to worry, that everything would be fine and of course you wouldn't hesitate to call him.
You settled on the couch and spent the morning watching episodes of your favorite TV show which, although you loved it, was getting tiresome.
Three weeks earlier you had been injured on duty while chasing a serial killer who had shot you as he tried to escape.
You were fine but Spencer, being his overprotective self, refused to let you do anything that involved physical effort and prevented you in any way from returning back to work before the five weeks of rest recommended by the doctor. And it didn't help that Hotch agreed with him.
Spencer did nothing but text you all morning when he could, asking how you were as if you were in a hospital bed. You reassured him, sending him selfies of you lying on the couch, asking him how things were going at the unit.
You loved Spencer so much, you loved the way he always protected you, the way he was so thoughtful of you, the way he always put you first in any moment and situation.
The morning was rather boring so you decided to keep yourself busy with cooking something for lunch, that you wanted to bring to Spencer too since you missed him and didn't want to wait until the evening to see him again. But you also wanted to see the rest of the team again. You hated to say it, but you missed those assholes.
As you packed your and Spencer's lunch, your phone vibrated on the table.
From: Spence 💍, 12.47 AM Is it weird I miss you so terribly? I'll never get used to not seeing you here.
You smiled like an idiot, knowing how much Spencer wasn't a fan of technology but despite this being committed to use it since you couldn't live without it.
To: Spence 💍, 12:50 AM Have I ever told you I’m so madly in love with you Doctor Reid? I miss you so much more xx
You placed your phone on the table and continued putting away your lunch. When you finished, you grabbed some clean cutlery and paper napkins and then looked at your phone, noticing he didn’t answer your text yet.
You left the house after making sure you locked the door, you went to your car, pulling your phone out of your purse to send an audio message to Spencer.
“Baby don’t eat anything because I'm coming with your favorite food. It's a little burnt I have to admit, but in my defense I was distracted watching TV,” you let out a small laugh. “If you know what's best for you, you'll better say it's delicious or you'll sleep on the couch tonight. I love you so much, see you soon!”.
You got into your car and placed the two lunch boxes on the passenger seat. While driving, you were careful not to brake suddenly to avoid all the food spilling into your car.
You stopped at a red light and you took you phone to see if Spencer had texted you back but he didn’t.
The light turned green after almost thirty seconds and you placed your phone in your purse again before starting to drive again. You were at an intersection and you just drove few meters before your saw out of the corner of your eye a car speeding towards you.
You turned your head towards it and tried to brake but you weren't very fast.
Everything happened quickly.
A sudden, deafening thud made your ears ring and time seemed to stop for an instant.
You didn't have time to react, to even let out a scream or do anything else before that car hit you full force on the side.
If someone had asked you to describe what had happened in that moment, you wouldn’t have been able to do it because you didn’t even know what had happened in the first place, having lost consciousness before you could realize you had just been involved in a car crash.
Spencer was unaware in the meantime his whole life was about to undergo something he’d never, ever want to face, something he continually lived in fear of happening.
He and the rest of the team were in the meeting room, investigating on a case of a serial killer that the police in a nearby town had asked for help with. It was a simple case, so it wasn't even necessary for the whole team to go there.
“Reid focus.” Hotch had warned him several times when during the morning he caught him on his cell phone, the small smile shadowed his lips making it obvious who he was talking to. So he had put his cell phone in his pocket although his mind always went towards you.
He wondered what you were doing although knowing you, you were probably watching some TV show and the thought of you lying on the sofa, curled up under the blanket made him smile, earning you a small pat on the back of the head from Morgan.
“Focus pretty boy, I know you miss your beautiful wife but we have a case to solve.”
This had started a series of jokes and teasing towards Reid who in response would gave everyone the middle finger.
The truth was that he missed you deeply, he missed looking up and seeing you sitting at your desk filling out some case report with your pen between your lips and the wedding ring shining on your finger, he missed flirting with you in a not-so-subtle way and being made fun of by the whole team, even Hotch. He missed traveling from city to city and working with you to catch ruthless killers, he missed seeing you sitting in your chair around the meeting room table.
He couldn't wait for those two more weeks to pass, although the worry you still hadn't fully recovered didn't leave his mind.
His phone suddenly started ringing and he muttered an 'excuse me' before taking it out of his pocket and reading your name on the screen.
He moved away from the others so he could answer the call.
“Hi baby! What...-” He started but stopped immediately after when a voice that didn't belong to you interrupted him, making the smile he had on his lips instantly disappear.
“Do you happen to know Y/n Y/Ln? We found this number among the emergency contacts.”
Spencer frowned, his heart already eating wildly and anxiety twisting his guts. “Y-yes. She’s my wife… What's going on? Who am I talking to? Where’s she? Is she okay?”.
“I'm sorry to inform you that your wife was involved in a car accident, she’s in serious conditions…”
Spencer froze in place, the man's words echoing in his head while he couldn't process them.
What the fuck?
“C-can you repeat that?” He stammered, hoping it was just a misunderstanding, that the man had gotten the wrong person. “There must be a mistake m-my wife… She’s… She’s at home…”
“I’m very sorry sir…”
Spencer Reid, who had always been a quiet, calm and collected person, completely lost his mind.
After getting the address of the car crash site he ran at lightning speed out of the unit, ignoring the voices of Derek and the rest of the team who called him worriedly.
His mind wasn't focused on anyone else but you and as he sped through the streets he couldn't help but think about what the hell had happened.
You were supposed to be home, on the couch watching TV. Why did you went out? Why didn't you text him?
His stomach clenched with anxiety, an emotion he wasn't familiar with but since he'd met you he often seemed to feel because of the constant and devastating fear something bad might happen to you.
He wasn't good with feelings, everyone knew it, but thanks to you he had learned to give voice to what he felt, he had learned to embrace those sensations and emotions he struggled to show from an early age and that for so long he wanted to suppress.
A lump kept pressing on his throat, almost suffocating him. He continued to murmur and hope you were okay but when he arrived at the scene his heart almost stopped again.
The car crash scene was a disaster.
Various passers-by had gathered in shock from a distance to watch curiously as the fire fighters and paramedics worked on those piles of scrap metal that were the cars.
They were completely destroyed and no one believed the two drivers had made it given the catastrophic impact.
Various emotions had passed through Reid, emotions that he could group into one word: dying. That’s how he felt, dying.
He pushed through the crowd of people, pushing them aside and ignoring those who complained in response. After identifying himself with the cops he ran towards the wreckage where the rescuers and firefighters had just pulled you out of the destroyed car.
“Let me go! That's my wife right there!” He continued to exclaim loudly while two cops struggled to restrain him. His gaze was fixed on you, on your unconscious body while the rescuers carried you on the stretcher.
“Sir you need to let the paramedics do their job! I know it's a horrible situation but this will only hinder them!”.
Spencer was a guy who didn't like conflicts but at that precise moment he was willing to kill those cops with his bare hands.
He snorted loudly, pulling out his badge. “I'm an FBI agent and if you don't let me go to my wife right now I will make your life a living hell and have your badges on my desk before tomorrow.”
It only happened very few times he’d threatened someone, and most of them were to extort information or to make a killer to confess, but the way his wild and desperate eyes were glaring at the two cops, made them understand he wasn't bluffing at all.
They eventually let him pass and he ran towards you.
You lay unconscious on the stretcher, your body covered in your own blood. You had an oxygen mask on your face, a collar around your neck to stabilize it and Spencer had to rely on all the strength he had in his body not to collapse there in front of everyone.
He couldn't believe it, he couldn't believe it was true.
He grabbed your hand with his, the diamond of your ring pressing against his palm. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat, not wanting to let his emotions overwhelm him. He couldn't be weak, not now, not when you needed him.
“Baby!”.
He called your name, desperation clear in his voice. His eyes scanned your face, always beautiful as the sun even if dotted with scratches and bruises.
“Y/n!”.
He called your name again, with even more urgency and desperation, hoping that hearing his voice would wake you up.
“You hear me? Please answer me.”
“Sir we have to go to the hospital immediately. We have no time to waste.” The paramedic's voice brought him back to reality and Spencer nodded, never taking his eyes off you.
“Please hold on, everything will be okay I promise. Please… Don’t leave me,” he whispered to you before turning to the paramedics. “I’m coming with you.”
The journey to the hospital was the longest and most painful ride Reid had ever made in his entire life.
He never let go of your hand, occasionally kissing your knuckles as he carefully watched every little movement the paramedics made.
At a certain point his heart rekindled with hope when he saw your eyelids move and open slightly.
“Y/n baby! Can you hear me? Y/n!” He exclaimed but his hope faded when he saw your eyelids close a second later and you lose consciousness again.
“Please baby hold on, if you hear me please fight,” His eyes filled with tears but he tried to fight them back, this wasn’t the time to cry. “I know you’re so strong, I’m begging you… Stay with me… I'm here, I'm here, and I’m not leaving you. Everything will be fine, you’ll be okay.”
You had a cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital but they managed to revive you and needless to say, this freaked out Spencer even more than he already was.
You died in front of him.
For a few moments your heart had stopped beating and the terror Spencer felt was a sensation he had never felt before. Maybe only when something happened to you during the job. He had always told you that you’d give him a heart attack sooner or later.
When the ambulance arrived at the hospital, Spencer barely had time to say anything before the doctors rushed you to the OR, leaving him helpless.
He passed his hands on his face, then fingers in his hair as he tried to figure out what the fuck was going on.
He had heard the police say the driver that hit you had lost control of his car after feeling dizzy, failing to stop at the red light and hitting you while you had just started driving again after the green light.
You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
It had all been a stupid twist of fate and now you had to fight to live.
Spencer didn't believe in fate, he didn't believe there was some superior being or entity, he believed in science, in empirical data, in theories proven by hypotheses and theses, but then why did this happen? Why was the love of his life fighting between life and death?
Why did it seem like someone or something wanted to snatch his happiness away when he was finally happy?
He walked back and forth across the floor of the waiting room for what seemed an infinite amount of time, almost digging a ditch in the wake of his footsteps.
He had called Hotch, told him about the car crash and that you were in surgery and he reassured him the whole team would be there in no time.
It wasn't until after you ended the call with Hotch that Spencer saw your last messages, including the audio text you'd sent him.
His fingers were shaking and he sat down, fearing his knees would give out sooner or later.
His eyes filled with tears again as they read the message and the chasm inside his heart opened even more. But it was when he listened to your audio message the air was completely sucked out of his lungs and it became difficult to continue breathing.
“Baby don’t eat anything because I'm coming with your favorite food. It's a little burnt I have to admit, but in my defense I was distracted watching TV,” He heard you giggle while in the background he heard the car door open and close shortly after, a sign that you had just gotten into the car. “If you know what's best for you, you'll better say it's delicious or you'll sleep on the couch tonight. I love you so much, see you soon!”.
Your audio cut out and Spencer only realized he was crying when tears fell from his eyes onto his phone screen.
He was completely devastated.
It was his fault.
You went out because you were going to bring him food.
He couldn't process what was happening, he couldn't conceive it.
How did you go from hugging in bed that morning to you in the OR? For what kind of fucked up reason did this happen to you? Among the many people who could’ve been at that damned intersection, why did it have to be you?
Spencer knew it wasn't right to hope it happened to someone else but he didn’t care, fuck, he wished it’d happened to himself.
For the first time in his whole life Spencer prayed.
He prayed with every fiber of his being to whoever was up there to make you survive, he prayed to be able to see you again, hug you, kiss you again. He prayed to hear your laugh again, your awful jokes, to see your smile and your eyes shining when you saw him, he prayed to be able to sleep with you again, to wake up in the morning and smell the scent of your skin and hair, of feeling your fingers run through his messy hair while you were watching a movie and he had his head resting on your lap.
He prayed to still have time with you. He prayed to start a family with you even though the thought of it terrified him because he had no idea how to be a parent, but at the same time knowing there was no other person he’d want to do it if not you. He begged to tease you when the first wrinkles would appear on your beautiful face but to console you at the same time saying you were still the most beautiful and breathtaking woman he had ever met in his life.
He prayed to see your hair turn white, to see your children have kids of their own, he prayed to hold your hand until the end of your days.
He couldn't imagine a place on the planet where you didn't exist, where you weren't with him.
You two just got married, you had just started your life together, it couldn't all just vanish like that, in the blink of an eye, it just couldn't end.
You were strong. This was one of the many qualities Spencer admired about you, you were much stronger than you wanted to show and if there was anyone who could overcome that obstacle it was you.
The rest of the BAU had arrived after about fifteen minutes, both with worried and heartbroken expressions on their faces except Penelope, who was crying almost as many tears as she had.
“Reid!”.
JJ's voice made Spencer snap his head up from his phone, not realizing he had been mesmerized by looking at the picture he had as his background. It was a photo of you he took during a picnic during one of your first dates after you got together, Spencer had told a horrible joke and you had burst out laughing.
Spencer was so hypnotized by you, by the sound of your laugh, by your smile, by the small wrinkles at the corners of your eyes that he couldn't resist taking a photo and since then it had become his wallpaper and one of his favorite photos of you ever.
Everyone could notice the swelling of Spencer's eyes, evidence of the crying.
“Come here pretty boy.”
Morgan was the first to approach Spencer, pulling him in a brotherly hug, squeezing him with all the strength he had in his body, as if wanting to convey to him some of that strength he knew he tremendously needed.
“She's gonna make it okay? We know Y/n, that woman is a force of nature. She’ll make it.” He whispered in his ear, trying to hold back his emotions.
Everyone tried to appear as strong as possible but the truth was they too felt a boulder pressing on their stomach. Before being Spencer's wife, his partner, you were a colleague, a friend to all of them.
Nobody said anything else.
There were no need for words, everyone knew it’d be of no use.
They all tried to comfort each other, Emily was holding Garcia's hand the entire time, JJ and Morgan were sitting next to Spencer while Hotch and Rossi were standing not far from the others, all silently praying for you wellbeing.
Reid's body was sitting in the waiting room, surrounded by his friends and colleagues, yet his mind was completely elsewhere. His thoughts ran and ran, without stopping, so fast he didn't know which ones to listen to first.
Spencer and the team spent hours sitting in the waiting room, waiting for some doctor to come and update them on your health. He hoped the longer they took it meant there was a better chance of you getting through the surgery.
When he saw a doctor approaching where they were sitting, it was as if a vision manifested in front of him. His heart was beating wildly, so loudly he thought everyone around him could hear it while anxiety twisted his stomach so much he feared he’d throw up on the doctor's feet.
“Are you Y/n Y/Ln's family?” the doctor asked.
“I'm her husband. How is she? Please tell me she's okay. When can I see her?” Spencer blathered once he jumped up and approached doctor - he read the card - Miller.
He looked skeptically at the rest of the team, and then Spencer spoke. “It’s okay, we’re all colleagues, a family. How is Y/n? She made it right?”.
Spencer observed the micro-expressions on Dr. Miller's face. He noticed how his eyebrows furrowed slightly, how his chest rose slightly and fell, how his lips pressed together, how his neck stiffened and his posture tensed.
He knew that expression, unfortunately he knew it too well because of the job he did. It was the same expression with which he looked at the victims’ families when he was about to give them the worst and most devastating news of their lives.
Spencer saw that but decided to ignore it, he decided not to listen to his guts.
“The patient suffered much more serious damage than we imagined…”
“And what are you doing here? Go help her!” Spencer exclaimed, abruptly interrupting the doctor.
“Due to the violent trauma and along with broken bones, the ruptured spleen, the liver damage as well as the amount of blood she lost, she had also suffered a dissection of the ascending aorta.”
Spencer's heart stopped.
“W-what? What does that mean doctor?” It was Penelope who asked.
“It’s the tearing of the aorta’s wall, the largest vessel in our body. It has weakened due to the trauma and it’s no longer able to pump blood towards the other blood vessels and consequently the entire body can’t receive enough blood. Trying to repair it’s practically impossible, as her heart has already stopped once, she’s too weak to face a surgery, and the dissection further aggravates the situation. She would die on the OR table before we can even get to the aorta,” Dr. Miller explained, trying to be as clear as possible.
“Dissection of the ascending aorta is unfortunately one of the most serious vascular conditions and… There is no easy way to say it, we have done everything we can but she does't have much time left. It's a matter of hours…”
A deafening silence fell in the waiting room.
Almost everyone put their hands to their mouths to try to cover the gasps and sobs, Hotch stared at his shoes while shaking his head in disbelief. No one could believe what they had just heard.
Spencer couldn't hear a word Dr. Miller said. His brain refused to process them, because it couldn't be true, there must have been some misunderstanding.
Maybe he had confused patient, maybe he had talked to the wrong family.
“No, no, no!” Spencer exclaimed loudly. Morgan put a hand on his shoulder but he shook it violently. “Don’t touch me!” Then he went on to point a finger at Dr. Miller.
“Say it again.”
“Sir…”
“Reid…” Rossi whispered.
“Say it again!” He shouted, his voice shaking. “Say it! Because there is no way on earth I just heard my wife is fucking dying! Say it again!”.
Spencer's voice cracked at the end and he burst into tears, bending to the ground as he felt his legs gave out.
Dr. Miller looked at Spencer with sadness while he was in the throes of disbelief and despair. Nobody dared to say anything, they too had to process that mourning, but they all knew that Spencer needed time more than anyone.
How do you react calmly when someone tells you that your partner, the love of your life, is about to die?
And it wasn't just any person, someone he just met, but you. You were dying.
Doctor Miller knelt in front of Spencer, placing a hand on his shoulder as he continued to cry all the tears he had in his body. “I'm so sorry, if there had been anything, anything we could’ve done to save her we would’ve done please trust me. I can't even imagine what you're going through right now but she's in the ICU now and she's awake, we gave her morphine so she doesn't feel any pain. Go and say goodbye to her, okay?”.
The world was collapsing on him, everything was disintegrating around him and he couldn't do anything to stop it.
How the fuck did this happen? How the fuck was that possible?
He couldn't believe it, he couldn't process what was happening.
It shouldn't have happened, not to you, you didn't deserve it.
He was terrified, more than he had ever been in his entire life, not even when he had been kidnapped and tortured by a ruthless killer.
Images after images of moments with you continued to flood his mind while a sense of anguish gripped his stomach, so strong he couldn't stop crying.
He cried.
Everyone cried with him in that waiting room, hugging each other.
All his dreams had been shattered, they had all vanished in the blink of an eye, flown away like a grain of sand in the sea.
Where did his ‘forever’ go?
His forever was in the ICU and was about to die. The only person he had ever loved, the only person who had ever understood him without trying to fix him, the only person who had ever made him happy, who had made him understand the meaning of the word love, who had made him believe that even if he came from a dysfunctional family that didn't mean the same fate would happen to him, the only person for whom he lived, breathed, for whom he committed himself every single day to fight his demons and ghosts was about to walk away forever.
How do you survive something like that?
What would he have done without you?
Spencer couldn't live without you.
He couldn't even imagine waking up in the morning and not finding you. He couldn't imagine coming home at night and knowing you’d be dead. He couldn’t imagine going in the kitchen and not smelling your food. He couldn’t imagine watch a romantic movie and not seeing you cry your eyes out.
No, no, no, fuck, that couldn't be true.
One by one they all came to you to say goodbye but no one spoke to each other. Spencer didn’t have the strength to walk into that room, he hoped till the last minute it was just a nightmare and he’d soon wake up.
There was only desperation and so many, many tears. Even Hotchner, always so serious and impeccable, couldn't stop the tears when he left your room, moving away from the others so as not to be seen.
The last one was him.
When it was Spencer's turn he was terrified.
His fingers trembled as they were about to open the door. He didn't have the courage to enter that room, look you in the eyes, say goodbye to his love.
With what strength would he have hugged you knowing it would be the last time? How would he be able to say goodbye? How would he be able to tell you he loved you knowing it was the last time? How could he let you go?
Every step he took was heavy, leaving a piece of his tormented soul behind each one.
Seeing you was like a punch in the stomach, like every time his eyes rested on you but that time what he felt wasn't happiness but only sadness, desperation, anguish and helplessness.
Oh my everlasting love. You didn't deserve all of this.
You lay in bed, a nasal cannula supplying you with oxygen, electrodes connecting your body to monitors that marked a low blood pressure and a below-normal heart rate.
He swallowed the lump in his throat, trying to rely on what little strength he had to not collapse to the floor and burst into desperate tears again. But the shine of his eyes, their swelling and redness showed how intensely he had cried in the last few hours.
You looked at him and he felt breathless.
How will I live without those eyes?
“Hi baby.”
His voice trembled, smiling slightly as he moved closer to you. He couldn't conceive the idea that the last time he had seen you was that same morning and you were fine, while at that moment you were on a hospital bed dying.
He pulled up a chair and sat next to you. He took one of your hands in his, intertwining your fingers and leaving a kiss on the back of it. All it took was for your skin to come in contact with his for him to burst into inconsolable and suffocating tears again.
He wrapped his arms around your hips, his head resting on your abdomen as you stroked his hair. It was a projection from that same morning but the difference was that this time would be the last.
He would no longer hug you, he would no longer be lulled by the warmth of your arms, feel your fingers run through his messy and tangled hair.
Silence reigned in the room, interrupted only by Spencer's sobs as he continued to cry desperately. He held you like he had never done before, as if in that way he hoped you would stay.
“It's okay…” you barely whispered, weakened and groggy from the morphine.
You felt… Apathetic.
You couldn't describe the emotions you felt at that moment, ever since the doctor told you didn’t have much time you felt anesthetized.
It was as if you were seeing everything from an external perspective, as if it wasn't really you lying on the bed, as if it wasn't you who was going to die in a few hours.
Not a tear had rolled down yours, not even when the rest of your team had come to say their final goodbyes.
You didn't want to feel like this, you didn't want to be apathetic, so numb. You wanted to feel anger, pain, helplessness, anguish, anxiety, anything, you wanted to cry, scream, but the more you tried, the more you couldn't.
“Don’t leave me please…” Spencer's sobs interrupted him. He continued to cling to you, to hold onto you as if his life depended on it.
“Baby, look at me.” Your voice was hoarse, thick with sleep and tiredness.
“No, no, no, I know what you want to tell me… No…” He held you even tighter than before. “You can't leave me…”
He turned his head towards you, his vision completely blurred with tears, his face wet. He brought his hands to your face, caressed your cheeks, your hair and tried as much as possible to imprint every detail of your skin in his memory.
“You're so beautiful baby,” he whispered, “It's not fair…”
“I know,” you whispered back weakly, “I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. But it's so unpredictable, isn't it?”.
“No, life sucks.”
You placed a hand on his still on your face, closing your eyes for a moment and enjoying the feeling of warmth that only he could give you.
“I know everything seems bad right now, I know you'll think this long after I'm gone but it's not like that love, life doesn't suck. It’s the most beautiful gift we could ever have...” you murmured with no small effort, your breathing heavy and difficult.
He shook his head. “Bullshit. You are my life, baby...” He cried. “I can't live without you. I can't... I can't go home and not find you there, I can't sleep without you next to me, I can't go to work and look up and not find you sitting there at your desk… I can’t…”
“Of course you can you’re the strongest person I know baby, even if you don't recognize it. You’ll be happy again...” You placed a hand on his cheek, drying with your fingers his tears that never stopped coming out. “Promise me one thing.”
“No, no, no, I can't, don't do this to me please… Don't make me promise something I can't keep baby…”
“Spencer, please. I can't leave knowing you won't be happy, please, I need to know you’ll at least try... Promise me...”
A solitary tear rolled down your face, even though you didn't even realize it at the time.
He shook his head, looking down as he continued to cry. He sat down on the bed next to you, pulling you into a hug you tried to return with the little strength you had left.
He left a long kiss on your head, inhaling deeply that beautiful scent he’d never be able to smell again in his life. He rested his cheek on you, letting your hair tickle his skin.
“I can't… I can't…” he repeated, feeling the air disappear more and more from his lungs. “You’re the first person who made me understand what it means to be happy baby… I don’t how to do it without you… D-don't… You can't ask me… I’m begging you…”
You slightly pulled away from him, cupping your hands on his face and smiling slightly through the tears you hadn't even realized you were shedding.
You were crying.
“I wouldn't ask you if I knew you couldn't Spence. I know it’ll be hard but life is beautiful baby, so damn beautiful and deserves to be lived to the full. Plus, I'm not really leaving okay? My body may no longer be here but my soul will always be with you, I’ll always be here when you need me, I will never leave you.” You spoke softly, your breathing heavy with each word. You placed a hand at his heart level which was beating wildly at that moment.
He shook his head again, still crying as desperation enveloped him more and more. “But I-I want you here…”
“Shh, listen to me love, please…” You stopped due to a cough. Spencer rushed to get you a glass of water from the bedside table, helping you drink and stroking your back in the meantime. “Thanks baby.”
Despite the morphine you still felt a weight on your chest, your lungs couldn't expand and everything hurt.
But it wasn't physical pain.
It was your soul that was hurting.
“Listen to me…” You started speaking feebly again, looking Spencer in his eyes, losing yourself in those two beautiful wells. “I need to know you’ll move on baby, that you’ll find someone you’ll love again and who will love you so deeply like I did, with whom you’ll build a beautiful family, with whom you’ll have children, a beautiful house and a dog if you want. This doesn’t mean you’ll forget about me, I’ll always be by your side at every step you take, I promise you, I’ll watch over you and if you need anything you just have to talk to me... Maybe not in front of other people or they’ll think you’re crazy.”
He chuckled through his tears and your heart skipped a beat. “That’s it. That’s the beautiful smile I always want to see, God you make me so happy.”
“There will be no one after you baby.”
“Spence please…-”
“No, no, you can't ask me that,” he murmured, his tone of voice so melancholy and sorrowful it made your gut wrench. “When I married you I never thought for a second there could be an ‘after you’, never, even though I knew the risks we both ran because of our jobs. There will never be anyone after you Y/n, there will never be anyone who can ever make me happy like you do, there will never be anyone I will ever love as much as I love you. It… It wouldn't be right...” He let out a deep sigh “It wouldn't be right for her, for... For the children because I wouldn't love them as much as I love you, because I would look at them and only think I could’ve had all that with you and I don't want that…”
He stroked your hair, looking at you with so much love it made your heart melt.
You didn’t want your time to end. You wanted to be with him, forever.
“Spencer… I-I'm terrified…” You managed to murmur before bursting into desperate, heartbreaking tears. Spencer hugged you while you sobbed into his sweater.
“I know… I know…”
Terrified didn't even come close to describing how you felt at that moment.
I'm dying.
Soon I won't be here anymore.
You couldn't conceive it, realize it, you couldn't accept it. But then again, how could you? Who would ever accept a death sentence?
You weren't ready.
You didn't want to leave Spencer, God, you had so many dreams to achieve together and it wasn't fucking right, it wasn't.
You just wanted to bring lunch and eat with your beloved husband, spend some time with him, why did this have to happen to you? What did you do wrong? You hadn't died from a bullet three weeks earlier but you were about to die for wanting to see your husband.
Why didn't you just stay home? If you had done it you would’ve been fine, you would’ve just had to wait for Spencer to come home that evening so you could hug him again. If you had done it you would’ve slept in the same bed, together that night, perhaps after making love, the next morning you would’ve woken up with his scent and his warmth, you would’ve had breakfast together.
You both cried until you couldn't breathe, holding on to each other as if you were both each other's lifelines.
You felt weak, every moment that passed breathing was like a punch in the stomach even though the oxygen flow had been turned up to maximum.
Hours passed and every minute that passed the fear paralyzed you more and more.
Spencer stayed next to you the entire time, hugging you and tightly holding your hand. You’d think he had shed all the tears he had in his body but instead he had never stopped, he continued to cling to you, to hold you in the hope that a miracle would happen.
He didn't believe in miracles, he thought there was a reason for everything, but in that moment he prayed for one to happen with every fiber of his being.
Your eyelids felt heavy and you struggled to keep your eyes open.
You were tired, so fucking tired, just wanting to rest for a bit but knowing if you definitely close your eyes you wouldn’t be able to open them again.
“Do you think heaven exists?” You whispered in a small, thin voice. Spencer kissed your forehead, continuing to stroke your hair as his salty tears kept running down his cheeks.
“Of course it exists, all the angels are just waiting for you. I'm pretty sure you’ll be the most beautiful angel of all, dressed in white and with the light surrounding you.”
You giggled, only to be interrupted by yet another cough. You were so grateful to have Spencer, that even though he didn't believe in an afterlife, in heaven, in angels, still tried to make you feel better.
“I'm so tired baby…” you murmured, closing your eyes for a few seconds before opening them again.
He held you tighter, feeling more tears streak down his face. “I know my love, but you can rest, I’ll always be here I promise, I’ll never leave you.”
“Spencer, you are the greatest and most beautiful love I have ever had in life, you made me the happiest I've ever been and I want to thank you for everything, for everything you have done for me, for teaching me the truth meaning of love…” You took a deep breath. “I will love you forever, I hope you know that, in this world and wherever else I’ll go. I know we’ll meet again, even if not in this life, we’ll meet in next one.”
He shook his head in despair as he continued to sob and cry. He wasn't ready to say goodbye, he wasn't ready to let you go, but who he was kidding, he never would be.
“I love you so much my darling, I will always love you until my last breath.”
He kissed your forehead softly again, pressing his lips to your skin longer than expected as he tried to make the most of those last moments with you.
“You’re the best and most beautiful thing that has ever happened to me. I love you, always and forever,” he kept whispered, hugging you. But you couldn't hug him back.
You had closed your eyes and fallen asleep, in the arms of the person you loved most in the world where you always wished your last moments would be.
The room was filled with sounds from the monitor connected to your heart, which had started to slow down.
Your heartbeat had slowed.
More and more.
Until it stopped and all that was left was a flat line.
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captainpulisic · 1 year
Text
the rust that grew between telephones - c. pulisic
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authors note: saw a video on twitter where christians parents called him a 'shy, soft spoken kind of guy' and I got really soft over him gif credit to owner word count: 2.6 k
you’re dead asleep when the phone screen begins to light up the room. you blindly reach for the it on your nightstand, refusing to fully exit your slumbered state. surely you had set your alarm clock to the wrong time last night, because there was no fucking way it was already time to start the day. you’d bet your life that you had just fallen asleep, at max, an hour ago. 
it’s okay, you try to convince yourself. it’s probably only midnight and I have many, many hours of sleep left. 
yet, as you peek one eye open, it is not your blaring alarm illuminating your screen and room. you’re met with christians contact photo. suddenly, you feel wide awake. the sleepiness and appeal to go back to bed is long forgotten, now only eager to hear his voice. 
answering the call, his raspiness indicated he’d also just woken up. you hear his low voice, “hey baby.”
oh.
oh how you missed his voice, especially as the first thing to hear in the morning. if you closed your eyes, you could perfectly envision waking up by his side. tired eyes and soft giggles, as he pulls you close to him. you feel slightly pathetic over how your heart begins to hurt. it had only been a few weeks since you’d last seen him, yet the yearning was unbearable. you missed him. you always do when you’re apart, but recently it has been worse. your skin itched for his, lonely nights spent counting down the minutes until the season would be over and he’d be coming back home. 
“hey you,” trying to sound as awake as you can, stifiling a yawn that wants to escape you. he must not realize how late it is on your end. sitting up, you pinch yourself a few times to become more alert. you manage out a somewhat energetic, “everything okay?”
“yeah, everythings okay over here.” his voice is softer than usual, sadder if anything. he pauses for a moment, you can feel his hesitation before speaking. soon enough he whispers his confession, uncertain and slightly embarrassed. you might have missed it if you weren’t hanging on to every word he was saying. “I just really miss you.” 
your heart aches even more, if possible. “i miss you, too.”
“like, really bad y/n,” he’s always struggled with properly articulating his feelings. he prefers to affirm his love for you with simple, small acts and sweet, shy touches. telling you his true feelings always resulted in him turning a blushing and stuttering mess. therefore, you know how much this must really be affecting him, for him to outwardly say this. your heart breaks as he goes on, “do you know how much it sucks to wake up and not have you right next to me? it’s horrible.”
you do know, you always feel like that in his absence. 
“i know, my love.” you sit up, trying to wipe away the weariness from your eyes. “but we’ll be together soon, yeah?”
“soon.” he confirms, it’s the only promise that's managed to keep him sane. 
hoping to keep him on the line and distracted from the ungodly hour he woke you up, you ask him about what he has planned for the day. its meaningless talk, really. he goes on about the scheduled training and new tricks they’ve been working on, occasionally complaining about the team's current slump. once in a while you hum, letting him know you're attentive to every word he’s saying. yet you’re more focused on how soothing his voice was, it was all warmth and safeness to you.
still clueless of the time, he asks what your plans are. you begin to mumble about the exams and work you have planned for tomorrow- well, for today. you too, in return, complain of how exhausted uni life has been treating you and the endless pile of assignments you can never seem to finish. 
your error is droning on about how tiring it all is, because it just makes you revert back to your drowsy state. you don’t even realize when your words begin to die off and a rather large yawn breaks loose.
“y/n? are you falling asleep?” christian frowns. he had been too wrapped up in the horrible mood he had woken up in, he hadn’t thought of the wretched time difference. “wait, what time is it?” 
“uhm,” your hesitation lasts too long for his liking. instantly, it all clicks for him.
“fuck”, he groans. “it’s the middle of the night, isn’t it?”
“no.”
deny deny deny. 
if he realized it was so fucking late, he’d send you back to sleep. that was the worst fate he could condemn you to, you were sure of it. with him training all day and the drastic time difference, moments to properly talk were rare. you weren't going to give up this precious, stolen time with him. your scarce phone calls consisted of quick recounts of what you'd both done that day and gentle whispers of how much you’d missed each other. too soon, one of you would have to hang up to either get started on your day while the other had to unwind from their day already spent. 
you didn’t care how childish you sounded, you weren’t going to let him make you go to sleep. he couldn't make you! 
“y/n.” he was much more serious, more stern. when he got like this, you liked to tease him, calling it his ‘captain voice’. that’d usually leave him with reddened cheeks and arguments long forgotten.
it comes out more of a question, then an assurance. “I was already awake?”  
“y/n.” he repeats. yeah, it was a long shot that he’d believe that. 
you mock him, “christian.” 
you hear him begin to huff out his disapproval of your childish antics. much to your dismay, another damned yawn escapes you. no point in trying to win now, you rest your head back on the pillow and accept your defeat. you sigh, “okay, I was asleep.”
he makes a noise that sounds like a mixture of a disappointed groan and a victorious ‘hmph’. 
oh my sweet boy, how I miss you. 
“i’m so sorry,” he’s sputtering out apologies faster than you can try to assure him it’s all okay. “I was dreaming of you and then I woke up and you weren’t here. I felt horrible. I needed to hear your voice before I went insane. I called without thinking, i’m so sorry I woke you. go back to sleep, please.”
your reply is automatic, “no.”
“yes.” he tries (and fails) to reason with you, “you just told me how busy you’re going to be in the morning!”
“you can’t make me!” you argue.
“y/n.”
“so i’ve been called.”
“go back to sleep,” he tries again. you’re tempted to do it just because it’s him asking you. you would do anything he’d ask of you, it's quite humiliating how you’re putty in his hands. no, you have to stand your ground. you had missed him too much and you weren’t ready to say your goodbyes. back to his shy state, “i’m now very embarrassed that I called.”
that irks something in you. you’re stupidly obsessed with him, you’d go days without sleeping if it meant you could always talk to him. the fact that he doesn’t get that offends you quite a bit. if he’s embarrassed over how much he misses you, then you should be utterly humiliated. 
“christian,” your voice comes out harder than you’d planned. “listen to me.”
instantaneously, his protest had stopped and the line had gone silent. you pull the phone away from your face, unsure if he’d hung up to make you go back to your unwanted slumber. no, the call was still connected. putting the phone back to your ear, you barely caught his faint, “yeah?”
“i’m glad you called.” suddenly, you feel as shy as you imagined he did. you also struggle to express your feelings but you’re desperate to keep him on the call, not wanting to part ways yet. “i’ve missed you terribly.”
another pause, “really?”
“I can’t believe you’d even question it,” you utter in disbelief. “of course idiot, ‘m always missing you.”
“i’m not questioning it!” all the clatter on his end of the line has stopped. you’d assumed he was getting ready to leave for training and now you were both left in silence. it takes him a few seconds to gather his thoughts and words. eventually, “i’m sorry, i’m just in my head right now. have i told you how much this distance sucks?”
“i know, my love” the urge to hold him and kiss him is borderline pathetic. trying harder to distract him from the sad thoughts and prior argument, you have to think fast. you drop your voice a tad lower. you try your best to sound as alluring as possible, “that’s why we should really take advantage of the time we have right now. c'mon, think of the fun things we could do at this late, late hour.”
you begin to mumble half-hearted details of what you had in mind, yet christian hums his disapproval.
“y/n, stop trying to seduce me.” the ‘captain voice’ reappears. “it’s only late for you and you’re about to go back to sleep, or else.” 
it’s a teasing threat. you both can’t deny the smiles you’re fighting as the conversation unravels. scolding words but you know him, this was your usual banter. 
“oh, yeah?” you counter back. “what are you going to do when you’re thousands of miles away, huh? and like i’ve said countless times, i’m not even tired!” 
“you yawned three times as you told me ‘all the filthy things’ you wanted to do to me, i’m positive you’re tired.”
“oh baby, I think you need to get your hearing checked because I was not yawning.” you scoff, scolding yourself for getting caught. your brain fumbles trying to think of a good comeback. you blurt the first thing that comes to mind, “that's just how I breathe.”
“then you’re the one who needs to go get checked because thats some weird fucking breathing.”
you snort, “has anyone ever told you how good of a flirt you are?”
“no,” he deadpans, the captain voice more present than ever.
“hmm, I wonder why. should we, maybe, try to figure out why that is?” 
“y/n,” he’s not letting you sidetrack him again. “please, go to sleep.”
you whine once more, “but I wanna keep talking to you.” 
“i know, pretty girl but you have to sleep.”
you feel yourself losing this fight. trying to find some common ground, “will you stay on the call if I go to sleep?”
christian weighs his options, “promise to actually go to sleep?”
“promise to keep talking?” you counter back.
“if i promise, will you stop answering my questions with a question?”
you force yourself to hold back your laughter, “will you?”
he laughs and you’re unashamedly proud that you’re the cause of it. you’re sure you hear him call you a ‘smart ass’ but he swiftly denies it. 
much to your delight, christian begins to tell you an in depth play by play of their last game and how he thought they could improve. half of you wants to fight the sleepiness and continue listening to his rambles, but the sane part of you begs for some needed rest. you don’t even notice when you drift off, slipping back into dreams of the next time you’ll see christian. 
meanwhile, christian chatters on, even after you’ve fallen asleep. as he gathers his things to leave, he talks about everything and nothing. he tells you about how mason gave up on learning chess within the first ten minutes of christian trying to teach him. he tells you about how he found a new restaurant for the both of you to try next time you visit. the whole drive to the bridge, he recounts funny things that had happened with the guys and the latest gossips he knew you liked hearing about. he even managed into sneaking in a few, shy ‘i love yous’. as he went on and on, he knew you’d want to hear this again, once conscious, but he didn’t mind. he’d happily repeat himself a million times for you. 
-
he’s gotten even more handsome, you’re sure of it. you hadn’t thought it was possible but here he was, in all his glory. big brown eyes and now close enough to chart the freckles across his cheeks. those stupid phone calls and banter don’t measure up to the way he’s looking at you right now.
he had told you there was no need to pick him up from the airport, that you shouldn’t subject yourself to the hassle. clearly you went against his wishes, tackling him as soon as you had sights on him. that's how you were now, pressed flush against him, arms entangled around each other with promises of never letting go. 
“hey baby,” he whispers, lips pressed to your ear. “lets go home, yeah?”
instead of replying, your wrapped arms give him a gentle squeeze. unaware of the few curious glances directed towards the pair of you, you wonder if it’s physically possible to get any closer to him. 
“i’m never leaving your side again.” you mumble, face pressed to his chest. you try to peek up a glance at him, looking away immediately when you see his heavy gaze already on you. why does he have to look at me like that? it makes me feel like i’m on fire. slightly shaking your head, “i’m serious, one day they’re going to have to pry my corpse from yours.”
his dimple is more prominent than ever, “y/n, you really need to stop trying to seduce me.”
you both laugh, basking in each other's presence. christian presses a kiss to your hair, reaffirming how much he had missed you. his left arm never unwrapping from your waist, even when you begin to walk to the car.  
it’s a quick drive from the airport to your shared home. after unpacking and dinner and intimate touches were shared, you’d found yourselves laid in bed. your head resting on his chest, your fingers were mindlessly tracing the outlines on his tattooed arm. 
christian lets out a content sigh, “you have no idea how much i’ve missed this, missed you.” 
“i missed you more.”
after the busy evening you had just spent, it’s no surprise when you see him begin to snooze off. you don’t mind, you finally had him in arms reach and reassurance that you had many days to have the conversations that had been too scant. 
 
you murmur, soft and quietly, “go to sleep, baby.”
“hey,” he barely peeks one eye open, the corner of his lip threatening to quirk up. “that's my line.”
you roll your eyes, giving him one final kiss to his bare shoulder “night, i love you.”
instead of responding, he wraps his arms around your waist and flips you to your side. you let out a surprised yelp but nonetheless, your body automatically finds the perfect way to fit with his. instantly, he pulls you close to him, leaving a delicate kiss on your earlobe. you barely hear his low, “i love you too.”
after that, his faint snores are all that is heard. you follow in his steps, eyes growing heavier by the seconds. yes, sleeping is much better when christians voice rings right next to you and not through a phone.
feedback is greatly appreciated please!
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slowlypalefire · 2 months
Text
Event Story
Ebert Vs Ellis
Part 1
*The translation are not guaranteed to be entirely accurate, so expected some errors.
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On Valentine's Day, the kitchen at Crown Castle was filled with the scent of sweet chocolate.
Kate: "It's baked!"
I looked at the steaming chocolate cake and looked at the maids.
I decided to make sweets to convey my daily gratitude and love to each person I care about.
It was just yesterday.
Everyone seemed to be having fun talking in sign language while wrapping, and I couldn't help but relax.
(Hehe, everyone looks like they're having fun. It's like this after all.Every event is fun)
Maid Chloe: "The men might start fighting over my sweets!''
Maid Marie: "That's just too much of a dream! I understand, though."
"Kate-san, don't you want to see your chocolate be compete for once? "
Imagine that you have a chocolate and multiple people ask for it.
(I feel lonely when no one wants me)
(In that case, it would be better if they competed for it...maybe you might be happy)
Kate: "Sure, I might be happy."
I communicate this in sign language, which I have just begun to learn.and,
the chocolates made by the maids themselves ,they took it with them and quickly left.
Leaving behind only a “meaningful” smile.
Kate: "Oh, what? Let's make tea while eating the leftover cake..."
Elbert and Ellis: "Kate"
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When I turned around, there was Elbert-sama with a wistful expression on his face and Ellis-kun smiling.
Ellis: "I heard a happy voice, so I was curious and came to take a look."
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Elbert: "… Me too. Because I heard your voice."
"…The smell of chocolate.Were you making sweets?"
Kate: "Yes. We all worked together. We did a good job, look."
Ellis: "It's true. It's so cute in the shape of a heart. As expected of you, Kate-san."
Kate: "Ellis-kun is always good at complimenting. Thank you."
Elbert: "...I want it."
Kate: "eh?"
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Elbert: "... I want your handiwork."
Ellis: "I want some handmade work from you too."
Mr. Elbert is standing on the left and Ellis is standing on the right. When they told me they e wanted it, I couldn't help but feel happy.
(Hehe, both of you are so kind as always)
Kate: "Of course, I have prepared it. I have prepared it for all the Crown members as a token of my daily gratitude."
Elbert: "Kate,this is?"
Ellis: "It's about two sizes bigger than the others. It seems a little special."
Kate: "Ah, that’s a present is for my favorite."
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Elbert & Ellis: "...favourite?"
Kate: "The maids told me and I ended up making it..."
The maids told me that, unsexy Valentine's Day is not Valentine's Day.
(Besides, I'm also thinking the same)
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Elbert: "...I see. ....Who does this belong to?"
Ellis: "I’m also curious about who Kate will give something special to."
Kate: "Um..."
When I was struggling to answer as I received stares from both of them, my left arm was grabbed tightly.
If you look to the left, you will see long hair with a fringe.His beautiful blue eyes were fixed on me.
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Elbert: "...I want this"
Then, I was tapped on the right shoulder.
When I turned my gaze to my right, I saw twilight eyes that seemed to capture the changing time.
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Ellis: "I want this too."
Kate: "But there's only one, is this okay?"
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Elbert & Ellis: "Yeah"
(L-let me see…)
Kate: "Ah, that’s right! I’m going to make the same thing now. Shall I make another one?"
"There are still some ingredients left, and it looks like it would be fun for the three of us to make together."
Elbert: "...That sounds like fun too."
"I want 'this one', if it's not this, it has no meaning"
Ellis: "Then I'd like 'this one' too. Give it to me, Kate-san."
I can't help but notice that Elbert-sama and Ellis-kun might have had a rift, but...
That doesn't seem to be the case.
Rather than trying to keep each other in check, it seems like the two just want their favorite chocolate cake.
Elbert: "Kate?"
Ellis: "Kate-san"
(What to do...)
Liam: "Wow, I was drawn in by the delicious smell of chocolate..."
"Well, this seems like an interesting thing?"
Kate: "...Liam"
Liam: "Lord El and Ellis both want Kate’s favourite chocolate cake, right?"
"That's sounds fun. I was getting so excited. Can I join in the fight?"
Kate: "Mo,Please don't tease me anymore."
Liam: "Hehe, I'm sorry. I don't want to cause Kate-chan any more trouble, so I'll step down."
"Hey, El-sama, Ellis. Isn't it okay to just share eating this special chocolate cake?"/
"Hey, El-sama, Ellis. How about we just cut this special chocolate cake into half? Is it okay?"
Elbert: "Ah. ...I won't even gave away one of the pieces.I want them all."
Ellis: "I'm the same as El. I think I want them all."
Liam: "Bothering the princess, what a troublesome prince you guys are"
Kate: "Prince?"
Liam: "That's what the play we're rehearsing for is about. Ah,that's right!"
"The two princes fell in love with the princess at a ball party, and they prove their love by devoting themselves to the princess."
Liam takes my fragile hand in a light gesture. And, kiss on the spot.
Liam: "My sin was that I loved you at the same time. In that case, let me prove my love to you by devoting myself to you."
"-like that"
"Isn’t it okay for El-sama and Ellis to prove their love and compete for it? Just like a prince."
Ellis: "Kate's favourite,if i do my best and prove my love to you will i get the special chocolate?"
Liam: "That's right. The one who serves Kate-chan for a day and steals her heart the most wins."
Elbert: "Who decides the winner?"
Liam: "Of course, it will be Kate-chan."
Kate: "Eh, why does it have to be me?"
Liam: "So, don't hold a grudge and fight fair and square."
Elbert: "...I understand. ...I’ll do my best."
Ellis: "Hehe, it’s getting a little fun."
Liam pressed his lips to my ear.
Liam: "While you're at it, enjoy it, Happy Valentine."
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elizakai · 1 month
Note
UH OKAY DUST X REAPER AND/OR SWAPFELL X NIGHTMARE? AHEUUEHA
omfg i love you i’m jumping at the chance to look at dust x reaper i better see some art somewhere in this fandom OUGH ok
well, dust’s died like how many times now, lets just assume they’ve ENCOUNTERED one another yeah?
⬇️⬇️⬇️
reaper feels bad for him. he isn’t even allowed to actually die, just experience death over and over, only to be thrust back into this torturous cycle.
imagine dust dying in the hall, he’s stumbling away and he just. sees the grim reaper. and he’s like oh shit. well then. *gets thrown back whenever they decide to reset*
reaper visiting a lot because, well, he’s dying a lot, he’s probably gotta. imagine a scenario where they actually get to talk. but its so so brief, dust is never dead very long, and reaper probably shouldn’t interfere otherwise…
(he’d also, be witnessing the deaths of the aus other residence, which. interesting. wonder what they have to say about things. and what reapers response may be.)
(of course this is assuming they interact after death, which i think makes sense with common depictions of the reaper at least)
dust probably chalks him up to a vision he’s having, or hallucination, when he dies, but maybe when he’s given more time, they can have broken up conversations.
like hey, mid sentence he gets thrown back into the land of the living, but HEY! next time he dies, just pick up the convo like nothing happened. “Anyways as i was sayin-“
Another thing to think about is just how SIMILAR dust is to geno. and most of us are afterdeath junkies i think💀
like, dust and geno have VERY similar motivations and go to similar lengths (think of error even)
i think of reaper could come to respect genos desires and motives, he’d feel the same towards dust. reaper always strikes me as a really lonely person, and dust is too for obvious reasons.
i’m imagining a scenario where reaper is just. real bored of just watching. so he starts like following dust around so he can see him. and dusts like ah. cool. fucking phantom ass to add to the list. i’m imagining reaper telling him like no, i’m very real dude, and dust is like haha ok, lemme touch you then
…for obvious reasons he can’t let him touch him💀💥 but that would probably make dust assume he is in fact a hallucination. but that’s ok. he’s an ODDLY nice hallucination.
maybe he even reminds him of the river person🤷🏽‍♀️
anyways, reaper just having convo, dust finding he likes it, it’s pleasant chatter to listen to, and then he’s like damn i really am sick, why am i so attached to this weird ass hallucination
(i’m just idea dumping so hard i apologize.)
reaper would find his conviction kinda cute, if not slightly frustrating. like bro, out here denying my existence, wtf💔
i wonder, if reaper can touch him when”” when he’s in the space of death, temporarily.
that would be cool :,))
if reaper doesn’t show up for a while and comes back dust just, getting happier, he’s got someone to talk to again that isn’t a dead friend or relative he’s killed multiple times.
i imagine dust has seen “death” enough times that, in life, he can “see death” (reaper)
they gain this weird little affection for eachother ok💔 a selfish part of reaper hopes dust will always get reset…so he can come talk to him
but part of him is also disgusted by the hope that he’s able to just. be laid to rest. what can be done yk?
YOU COULD MAKE THIS SO ANGSTY WHERE LIKE the anomaly suddenly
stops!
and dust is actually on his way to wherever you’d go when you die
imagine, reaper just. guiding him away to whatever afterlife or lack thereof, carrying his soul away and having to let him go. no more coming back.
cries
or yk, we can imagine a scenario where dust gets out of the loop, and they continue to see eachother and have their weird little friendship (?)
dust is like “i’ve seen death, he’s over my shoulder as i walk, whispers in my ear as i lie awake at night. death awaits my presence, and i deaths. i’ve felt the touch of death, and it was unbearably sweet , a feeling i will forever long for”
*horror from whoever he’s speaking to*
meanwhile reaper is just like, telling stupid jokes in his ear and giggling over someone’s stupid outfit, gossiping about the other gods and making dust look crazy laughing at stupid shit
i wonder if reaper could potentially see dusts phantoms, it’s a fun idea. they aren’t REALLY there, but dusts magic is kind of projecting them i imagine, and reaper has seen them when they die. i just imagine him shooing them away for dust, and he’s like naw man pay attention to me instead *slutty little strut*
you could interpret the way death even works a million different ways and have a bunch of different potential even. what if dust were to die and reaper…DOESNT guide his soul away. what if he keeps him. maybe dust wants that. they could “be together”.
maybe there’s an afterlife, and reaper is able to cross the gap. who knows. lots of potential.
they both have hoodies >:3 idc if that doesn’t mean anything
i feel like reapers dark humor would almost comfort dust lmao, it kinda lightens the load for him. reaper can assure dust that their souls are…ok. they’re at peace.
reaper is just happy to feel so validated and seen all the sudden
he can help dust understand how life really works
ironic huh. the essence of death being the thing that gives you a will to live.
just imagine in a time he’s died, reaper not being able to help himself. he just comes in for a hug. and both of them need it so badly. when dust is alive, he CANT touch him.
they both think about that hug a lot <//3
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Text
I think A LOT about Soap trying to give back the childhood Ghost lost. (Part 7)
"Better late than never" part 7
Prompt from @cthulhusstepmom <3
Soap and Gaz were sent on a supply run, with lists of things people wanted or were running low on. For Soap, it was nice to get off the base for a little bit and breathe some civilian air even if technically still on the job. Gaz on the other hand was grumpy the whole way to the store, bitching about skipping his training for this.
When they got to the store they decided to split the lists between themselves, so searching for the unnecessary specific things could go faster. Soap got Konig’s list but Garrick also made him take Ghost’s.
“Last time I got him the wrong kind of tea and I swear he is  been drilling a hole in my head with his eyes ever since.” He explained, pushing the list into Soap’s hands. “You probably have it memorized with the frequency you make him his tea.”
Soap chuckled. “Yeah… Yorkshire Gold Black Tea, one and a half teaspoons of sugar, and you are not supposed to take out the tea bag. That dafty’s tea looks like it’s coffee, probably tastes like it too.” He recited not even looking at the list. Gaz looked at him with a knowing smirk. “And God was it a challenge to figure out how he likes it, whenever I asked him he would just ignore me. I had to figure it out myself through trial and error.”
“You are obsessed.”
“I just care about my friends.”
Gaz crossed his arms. “Yeah? What’s my favorite snack?”
“Resees.” Soap mimicked Gaz’s stance.
Gaz softened- Soap did remember.
“And Price likes green onion Lay’s because he is basic, Konig likes chocolate with raisins- which is just ‘ew’, Ghost likes skittles but specifically the tropical ones and if you want to test me I also know Rudy’s and Alejandro’s.” Soap smiled. “I pay attention.”
And that made Gaz feel bad for daunting the Scot, how could he when he was the most fucking caring person on the planet.
“Yeah, ok. Now I know. Won’t doubt you anymore.”
Soap punched him lightly in the chest and walked away to start their shopping.
********
He took care of his things first, then Kónigs. When it came to Ghost he looked at the list and grimaced. There were only two things on the list: tea and cigs. And Soap knew that the lieutenant was missing a whole lot more.
So yeah- Soap grabbed him the tea and the cigarettes but also whole grain bread because he saw him making sandwiches with a toast bread in the morning, which he knew he hated. He got him some good ham because the one always available at the base didn’t even stand next to real meat. He got him some baby carrots since Ghost enjoyed them and then Skittles. If Ghost makes him pay for all of that from his pocket- that’s ok. If Ghost doesn’t know how to ask for things, Soap will figure it out on his own and pay for it in the process.
Soap was heading for the checkout when he saw it- the last one on the shelf, a pure black plushie of a moth man. He went to touch it and- oh, it was so soft that he hugged it immediately. He had to get it. He snatched it and went to pay for everything, Taking the opportunity that Gaz was still searching for things he hid the plushie on the bottom of Ghost’s bag.
*****
When they got back on base Soap and Gaz went their separate ways to deliver the groceries. When he went to open Ghost’s door they were locked- weird. He usually left them open. He knocked and was met with silence.
“Ghost it’s me! Soap!” 
“Our lone wolf went on a mission.”
Price showed up in the corridor and explained, patting Soap on the shoulder when passing.
“Alone?” Soap was already annoyed, he will have a talk with his officer about his way to frequent solo missions.
“You know him, son. Just leave the bag under his doors, no one here hates life enough to take it from here.”
Soap sighed and left the bag.
******
Ghost was exhausted when he came back, it was the middle of the night and all he wanted was to smoke a cig and go lie down. So when he reached his room his already pulsing migraine got even worse. He asked for two things, but under his door was a bag filled to the brim with things. They had to confuse the bags. He took it anyway with an exasperated huff.
He entered his room and tossed the bag on his desk. He stripped down from his gear and got into some comfy, worn-down sweats. 
Everything was fucking killing him, he was sore all over and all he could think of were things he could do better on the mission, everything that he fucked up. He wished he had the balls to go to Soap’s room right now, the sheer presence of the energetic man would calm his screaming mind. But he was a coward, so all he could so is smoke.
Now even that wasn’t available.
He looked at the paper bag on his desk- maybe there were some cigs there. Whoever’s this is, won't mind if one goes missing. Ghost looked inside the bag and was surprised to find his favorite tea and cigs right on top. His brows scrunched in confusion, but then he remembered who got sent on the supply run- Johnny. 
“He really can not just do what I ask for, huh?” He muttered to himself and sat at his desk wanting to check out the contents of the bag, cigarettes forgotten. He couldn't help but smile to himself when he saw skittles- he would never ask for them but of course, Soap knew him better than that.
Ghost went to fish out the baby carrots he noticed, but his hand brushed something soft. He got goosebumps at the unexpected texture. He grabbed it. A very nice, fluffy plushie stared right back at him. ‘A bomb?’ passed his mind but he quickly squashed that thought. It wouldn’t be unusual for Soap to put explosives in weird places, but Ghost believed that he would never threaten him with one of his creations.
He hesitantly caressed the weirdly shaped plushie, he would even say it could look quite disturbing to some people. But for him, the plush’s red eyes were quite amusing. The fur was soft and pleasant to touch, which was new because usually, that kind of fabric made his skin crawl. 
Ghost looked around the room like somehow there were supposed to be people looking at him, judging him. But the only person judging him looked at him from the mirror, Ghost judged Simon for what he was about to do, for his stupid childish desires. Ghost would ignore the plushie, toss it away or give it back to Soap but the plush was for Simon and he knew it. Simon hugged the plush creature.
And ‘oh’ it smelled faintly like Johnny- gunpowder, his grandma's ‘healing’ herbal tincture, and the stupid fucking AXE deodorant. Johnny.
Ghost got into his bed, plushie hugged flush to his chest, nose buried in its fur. He slept peacefully that night.
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REALLY enjoyed writing this, hope you all like it all the same <3 I love reading your thoughts on those! I am afraid that in some time the updates will slow down as my winter break will come to end and I will have to focus on my A-levels, but I will try to stay consistent <3 Sorry.
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r0semultiverse · 15 days
Text
Was Celia drunk as fuck or is this something supernatural?? 👀
Who the fuck is Jack?? 👀
Alice is such a delight, I love her!
Oof so one or both of them have trauma involving grandparents then.
I love Samama & Alice so much. 💜 They have a great dynamic!
Oh shit, right, Gwen is probably still getting over Mr. Bonzo too. 👀
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"I just… I dunno. When I left the coffee shop, it felt like someone was following me."
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Please don't take away Alice, she's one of my faves! I hope this post doesn't age poorly. Watch me have to quote this post very soon.
OH NO, is it that [ERROR] following her??? 😰
"Don’t joke about that, mate. I was dreaming about it all day." Okay, yeah, that's a creature.
Sam & Alice are both about to run into a creature... 👀
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"Classifying unspeakable horrors all night for no discernible reason?" @/entities-of-posts & @/which-entity-this-post-serves is that you? :]
Hmm, now why is this episode called "marked?" I assumed Mr. Bonzo was gonna find his mark, but maybe Alice is marked by an entity/creature that was locked in the Magnus Institute?
"giving up the ghost" okay so someone saw an apparition? Honestly not sure what entity this episode is about so far.
It's giving The Corruption ✨🧟‍♀️⚰️ (maybe The Buried)
"It’s just that one of the graves had a body in that was too well-preserved for the age it should have been." 👀👀👀
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This thing is about to jump out of the grave & run off, isn't it? 🏃‍♂️
"The back was completely covered in this complicated tattoo of a ship sailing across an open sea towards an open horizon." Peter Lukas?!?!?
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Oh 100% The Buried, without a shadow of a doubt.
Lots of tattoo & carvings in walls imagery in this sequel prequel sidequel, isn't there? 👀
Hey wait, that's Ink5oul from episode 2, isn't it? 👀 Ink5oul definitely feels like a conduit or vessel for The Flesh or some other kind of entity.
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Okay, there's something weird going on with this place, the salt water & waves near this cemetery are kind of seemingly enticing them to come drown in it's waters. In the very least it's messing with these guys' mental states! Pretty freakkyyyy! 👀🌊
Also the repeated emphasis on dreams is interesting this episode, wonder if that'll play a part in something later on. 👀👀
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"If it’s any consolation, he’s with the sea now. The deep will care for his bones." I literally called it!!
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I think Gordon Alan Johnson also wants to be with David. 👀🌊🌊
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I think Gordon Alan Johnson also wants to be with David. 👀🌊🌊
I don't know, Gordie, I think you did it! Unless Ink5oul is collecting tattoos like an alternate universe version of the Leitner books. Wait yeah, what if the tattoos are like conduits for the entities of this world or even the original one? 🖌
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Another way to look at this is asking... Is The Deep a new entity/fear or is it a servant of a fear like The Vast? I stg there was a colossal water monster at some point in The Magnus Archives!
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Okay so yeah, there's already a precedent for this. Also feels like The Lonely, The Buried, The Corruption, The Vast, & maybe even The Flesh are all involved in this one though I don't know if Flesh (Ink5oul) is working with or against the other fears at this time.
Gwen, you can tell your coworkers what's wrong, oh my fucking god. Please. Celia, you have me so invested in whatever is going on with you.
Weird unexplained noise at 17:44 too as Celia enters the office. Wonder what that's all about, maybe it'll come up later on.
"He is one of our Externals." Okay; so, there's more of them & they have their own secret hitman title too!
Mr. Bonzo when he was on TV
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"And they usually like it." I bet fear creatures do like it when you scream. That makes a lot of sense actually.
Also what's that weird "boowomp" noise as they're talking or is it just the OST? 👀
Is Gwen going to be turned into something not quite human at some point? Just throwing darts at a board with that speculation, but wouldn't that be wild?
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Okay; so, these little digitized noises are absolutely important!
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I wonder how many times & when people have lied so far throughout this season. 👁️👁️
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ihearttish · 11 months
Text
𝙞 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡 ༊
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pairing: emerald haywood x black fem!reader
word count: 2k
synopsis: you were missing your girlfriend so when she returned home, you showed her how much you missed her when she’d be away from you 25/8.
warnings: (18+ smut) & (cursing)
tags: @abenomeiiii @playhousedistee @vampzxi @heejayy @amplifiedmoan @sapphicvqmpires @oceean @everythingiseverythingl
A/N hey guys!!! this is just a lil sum sum because imma whore for emerald 🌚. anyways, hope ya like it! (also didn’t proofread so.. hehe— ignore any errors!) feel free to leave me any tips, iam very new to this so cut me some slack luvbugs.
emerald had been spending lots of time with her brother lately, not that you were against it, you admired that she wanted to be up hanging around her brother, it just simply felt like she didn’t have time for you. she’d be coming in late when you’d already been in bed, fast asleep. her working late almost every day didn’t make it any better. it had been this way for the past two weeks. two whole weeks you suffered, feeling quite lonely. truthfully, you missed her. you missed her touch, her kisses, her compliments, you missed it all.
it had been awhile since you and her have touched on each other in such intimate ways. as you were laying down in bed, you felt yourself heating up in between your legs as you thought about about her, flash backs from the times she had you on all fours, the times she had you begging to let you cum. the thought of her making you beg made your arousal scurry down your thigh. you squeezed your legs together, not making the sensation any better.
you continued, slightly opening up your legs and squeezing them closed again & again. the feeling becoming more pleasurable each time, causing your breathing to pick up. you stood up and walked over to the other side of the room, opening up a drawer. inside were a few of your favorite toys. you picked out your purple vibrator and hopped right back into your bed.
you pulled down your panties and cut on your vibrator, on the lowest setting. you huffed before spreading your legs a bit and placing the head of your vibrator on your clit. “fuck!” you hissed at the feeling. you let it stay there for awhile, as you began thinking about how emerald had you the last time you two had sex. her bending you over in shower popped up into your head, making you moan out louder. “mm fuck.” you turned it up higher, making you buck your hips upward, grinding against the vibrations.
you begin to move your vibrator in a circular motion, still grinding against it. “emerald! unnh.” you felt yourself getting closer, turning it up a bit higher. “shit, emerald! i’m so close, baby— fuck!”riding out your high, you moved your head slightly to right and—emerald?!
you powered off your vibrator and covered yourself up in your blanket. (yeah, as if em hasn’t seen every inch of your body already.)
“why you stop, mama?” emerald glared at you. “how long have you been standing there?” you say and itself muffled from hiding underneath the blanket. “a while.” she claimed and you swore you could sense her smirking at this very moment. “long enough to hear ‘unnh! emerald! unnh unnnh’” emerald mimicked. you sat up and threw the pillow behind you at her, missing terribly. “you’re not funny.” you frowned, crossing your arms. “aww, did my baby miss me? hm?” she walked over towards you, taking her index finger to your chin and lifting up your face to look up at her. “i did! you’re always gone, em.” you pout.
“i know baby, i know,” she leaned down to kiss your forehead. “oj’s going on a business trip for 3 weeks so you know what that means, pretty girl?” “hopefully that i get you to myself?” you say selfishly with no care in the world. “yes lover.” she brought her lips to yours. she tasted sweet. you would feel her kiss you in your sleep but this little peck, you missed and wanted more. when she pulled away, you pulled her back down to you, deepening the kiss. coming up for air, emerald backs away.
“you not off the hook, y/n.” she smirked, leaning against the wall. “finish what you started.” she crossed her arms. “you’re here now, so why don’t you finish what i started.” you got up, walking over to where emerald stood. “how bout,” emerald grabbed you by the waist and backed you up towards the bed. “you do as i say.” emerald challenged. “okay baby.” you accepted. “sit.” she said sternly.
you did as she said and sat down at the edge of your bed. “now finish what you started, like i said.” you nodded and grabbed your vibrator, turning it on. it had already been at a fast speed from earlier. you then spread your legs wider, making sure emerald had a good view before placing it back on your already sensitive bud, making you hiss at the impact. “shit!” emerald stood over you, smirking. you could already feel your orgasm building up as your vibrator dug into your pussy. “unnh! emerald.” the look on her face couldn’t have been more sexier. she loved that she had such an affect on you but knowing what you do to her makes you leak uncontrollably.
“my shit sound good in your mouth, say that shit again mama.” she praised. “fuck emmy! unnh. i’m so- fuck i’m so close baby.” you moaned out, bucking your hips over and over. emerald came back to reality and took away your vibrator from you, making you whine. she turned it off and put it on the dresser.
“what the fuck, em?” you shouted. “couldn’t have you cumming just yet, my love.” she grinned. emerald slipped off her pants and shirt.
leaving her in just her boxers and matching polo sports bra. emerald then walked over to you, pushed you back down onto the bed, laying on top of you. her thumb glided across your lip before she put her lips onto yours. you wrapped your legs around her waist and your arms around her neck, deepening this kiss. the kisses started trailing down your neck, letting out breathy moans.
her hand started to travel down to your dripping cunt. “p-please, em.” you whined. “please what? what you want me to do for you baby?” she said in between kisses on your chest. “make me cum please.”
her fingers landed on your clit in a split second. she started with slow circles on your sensitive bud. she removed her fingers, spit on them and then put them back onto your pussy. moving a bit faster now. “shit! em.” her fingers moved down to your hole, she circled her two fingers around it before inserting them inside you. “oh fuck-“ you moaned out. she started pumping them in and out of you and you were now a moaning mess.
“look at me pretty.” emerald sat up to hover over you as she fucked into you. you opened your eyes and looked up at her, making an o shape with your mouth as she rammed her fingers into you harder with her fingers slightly curved. “that’s my good girl. you’re so wet for me.” she praised. making you close your eyes again. she slammed harder into you. “look at me i said.” she demanded. your eyes shot back up to her. you held onto her shoulders. “fuck baby. baby i’m going to cum! unnh.”
emerald leaned back down to kiss you. her fingers went back to your clit, moving swiftly in an circular motion. making you moan in her mouth. you felt your orgasm was approaching. you mumbled cuss words into her mouth as you began to release. “that’s it my love, cum on me.” still rubbing your clit as your juices squirted all down your leg and onto the sheets. your back arched at the sensation.
emerald laid down on the bed next to you and pulled you into a hug to comfort you while you come down from your high. “how was that?” em questioned. “it was g-good.” you say, still out of breath. “was it? nah, i don’t think you had enough.” she smirked. emerald got up and lifted you up. you stood up and she turned you around, your back facing her front. she took her right hand and placed it on your boob and her other hand went down to your pussy. she rubbed her fingers through your slick and brought her fingers up to your mouth, you sucked like you knew you were supposed to and you moaned at your taste.
she removed her fingers and put them into her mouth, licking and sucking them. when she removed them she pushed you onto the bed and you landed flat on your stomach. you then felt her cold warm hands lift your ass up into the air, arching your back. “you know i’m not done with you right?” she laid on her kneeled down onto the bed behind you.
she smacked your ass, making you winch in pain. she grabbed your waist from the bottom and began licking your pussy from the back. her smooth tongue gliding around your pussy made you lose your arch. “unt unt, keep that ass up for me.” emerald said, tapping your thigh. you fixed your arch as emerald ate you out. she sucked on your clit, making you moan out. if you had neighbors, they’d surely know her name now. she stuck her tongue into your pussy, fucking in and out of your hole.
her grip on your waist got tighter and she started pulling you up closer into her face. “y- you feel so fucking- fuck! so good!” you managed to say. she dug into you even deeper, savoring your taste and moaning into you. sending vibrations into your pussy, making it wetter and wetter. your breathing started to pick up as you felt your next orgasm coming soon. “just like that baby. fuck! don’t stop!” you whined. her grip on you tightened as she made her way back to your clit, making your eyes roll to the back of your head. “yes! i’m going to- i’m going to cum, fuck!”
after letting go, she continued eating you out. the overstimulation was too much to handle so you laid down on your stomach, legs beginning to shake. emerald sat up, face glistening from your release all
on her face she flipped you over and laid next to you again. you laid on her chest as she massaged you back, trying to calm you down. “you good, baby?” you took a while to respond, your chest was heaving up and down.
finally calm, you look down in emeralds eyes. “i’m okay.” you assure. emerald shut her eyes and smiled. when she didn’t open them again for a while, you thought she’d had been done with you and was going to bed. you weren’t done with her though. you got up and moved your hand up and down her thighs. “one more emmy, please?” emerald sat up and bit her bottom lip. “what do you want to do?” she raised a brow. you smirked and slowly pulled down her boxers while keeping eye contact, basically asking for approval.
the sight of her dripping pussy made you heat up in between your legs. you lifted up one of her legs and one of your and sat down in between her legs. feeling each other’s wetness. you reached for her bra and she helped you pull it over her head. you kissed her lips, tasting yourself on her. you kissed down her neck, on her breasts, sucking and licking on her nipples as you started to slowly grind against her. you rocked your hips, feeling a trail of her slick leak down your thighs. “fuck y/n.” she moaned. she then grinds in sync with you. you picked up the speed, making emerald make an o shape with her mouth. “you feel so fucking good.” she moaned beneath you.
“i missed you so much, em” you grind against her faster, your clits meeting every time, making you ache. “unnh. baby!” she moaned out, grabbing at your hips and bucking up against you. the sinful squelching noises echoing throughout the room only amped you up more, you fucked against her harder, nearly close to cumming. “y/n baby, i’m going to c- cum!” em whined, out of breath.
“cum baby, cum on my shit.” you huffed, gripping on emerald tighter. “i’m cumming!” emerald whimpered. you felt her releasing herself on you, the next time your clits met, you felt yourself cumming right after her. “fuck y/n, you’re so wet.” emerald breathed out. you collapsed on her chest once again, out of breath.
“you really did miss me, huh?” emerald chuckled. “yes, yes i did.” you replied. “my baby.” she massaged your back. “let’s go shower, alright?” “who said i was done?” you sat up and smirked. “who said you couldn’t finish in the shower?” she challenged. “race ya!” you got up and tried to run, forgetting you just came a few times and your legs were numb. you sat your wobbly behind down on the floor before you bust your ass.
“see look at you, fiending.” she laughed. “shut up and come help me.” you pouted.
218 notes · View notes
starrzhao · 1 year
Text
downpour | s.qr
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pairing ricky x gn!reader ( platonic )
genre hurt/comfort
word count 1009
warnings reader struggles with anxiety
a/n wrote this drabble awhile ago because I haven’t been feeling good lately so I try to cope by writing 😍 also this wasn’t proofread so there are bound to be some errors whoops
It felt like the weight of the world fell upon your shoulders. You had been crying and crying for days continuously on end, not being able to catch sleep for a whole week. You had felt so lonely and you felt so cold on your own. And things wouldn’t get any better as it had been raining nonstop for the past few days.
After another long school day, you retreat to sit by the football field to find some peace and alone time. It was raining heavily outside and you figured nobody would bother to be out there in the field at this time.
You sat on the bleachers, swinging your feet, back and forth. Thoughts about just everything flooding your mind. You had been going through a rough time for the past few days and your brain couldn’t do anything else but overthink about everything all at once.
You sighed as you stare into the sky. It was a melancholic view to take in. The rain continued to fall heavily as the clouds filled the sky, painting the sky gray. For once, you wished that you could live without having to be buried in constant worries or fears about the future. Hoping one day, the constant rain and thunder could come to a stop and turn into serene weather.
“Hey, what are you doing here?”
You recognized that voice. You turn to your left it was your best friend, ricky standing right next to you, with an umbrella in his hand as well.
“Oh, I just wanted to be somewhere alone.”
“Can I join you?” You nod and he takes a seat right next to you.
Well, you truly wanted to spend this time alone but you wouldn’t mind your best friend’s presence, it would probably put you at ease more, knowing he’d be here so you wouldn’t have to overthink all alone.
You both sit there for awhile, letting only the sound of the rain accompany you. You didn’t tell ricky about the blues you’ve felt the past few days but he did notice a change in your demeanor. He was your best friend, of course he’d know, he knew you long enough to notice that you’re not okay You didn’t smile or laugh much all week and you had been unusually quiet.
He could tell you weren’t feeling so well but he didn’t want to raise it, knowing that you weren’t the type to easily open up and he thought you wanted to be alone, giving some distance, not knowing how to comfort you.
“Wow the weather really hasn’t been getting any better these past few days.” He mentions. He wondered when he could see the sun again.
“Yeah it seems like it’s not getting better any time soon.” You say.
The rain continued to pour and you both turn quiet for awhile. You sat there overthinking as ricky thought of how he could make you feel better or what to do next. stands up suddenly and you think that he’s probably going home right now, seeing how the rain was not getting any better anyways.
Instead, he turns to you and lets out his hand to you. You tilt your head and furrow one of your eyebrows, confused at his gesture.
“Let’s play in the rain.” He suggests and flashes a cheeky smile at you.
“What?”
“Let’s go run in the field! It’ll be fun.”
“What the hell, no way.”
“Come on!” He lets go of his umbrella and starts running down the bleachers, running through the wet grass like a bird in the wind.
“Ricky! Are you crazy!” You walk down, still gripping onto your umbrella tightly.
“Get in here idiot! You’re going to get sick!”
“Y/N come on join me! It’s so fun I swear, it’s just for one time!” He stands and waves his hands in the air at you.
He runs his fingers through his hair and shakes a little, gesturing you to come while smiling sheepishly. He looked so carefree at the moment. Looking at him, you felt a little bit of envy. You wished you could be like that.
You wanted to stop being chained by your own worries and doubts. Wanting to be in that same exact state of freedom, joy and carefreeness ricky was in.
“Y/N!” He shouts and lets his hand out, inviting you to join him. His eyes wrinkled up and you felt a weight come of your chest as you see his smile. It somehow felt so comforting and welcoming.
So you gave in and threw your umbrella, running to ricky. He takes your hand in his and you both run across the field together.
And you felt like you could finally breathe. Everything felt like it was in slow-motion. All the negative feelings you’ve felt being washed away by the downpour. All you could think of at the moment was about having fun and ricky. It was as if everything you’ve felt awhile ago had just disappeared into thin air. You both were running around the field, laughing like you’ve both gone insane.
At some point, you both stop running and start dancing. With imaginary music playing in the background, you two dance like you’ve never danced before. Just doing about anything, enjoying the company of the rain.
“If I get a flu and my mom gets mad at me I’m telling her it’s all your fault, by the way.”
“Well technically, it’s still yours you made the decision to get here, I just gave you a choice. do not hold me responsible for your bad decisions!” You smack his arm and you break into laughter.
Your eyes finally lit up again. He watched as you giggled and moved so freely and he felt relieved seeing your new state.
The rain slowly stopped and you see the grey clouds begin to clear out. The radiant sun came out once again, beaming over once again as the sky turned to blue once again.
You and ricky, return to the bleachers once again, tired from all that running and dancing, all that shenanigans in the rain.
You sit down side by side, your arms linked. You lean your head onto his shoulder.Finding peace with him simply being by your side.
“Y/N.”
“Yeah?”
“No matter what I’ll always be your best friend. I just want you to know that you’re not alone. Do not be afraid to tell me when you need someone by your side, especially when it rains.”
“I love you, I hope you know that.” He says as he leans onto your head. He takes your hand in his and despite running around the cold rainy weather just an hour ago, his hand felt warm.
“I love you too, ricky.”
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delusional-mishaps · 1 year
Note
I am back!
And I would like to request for Error x Reader headcanons! I needs more fluff with my glitchy boi.
Like him getting a crush on reader! How would he act around them? How would he court them? Especially if Reader is a little shit and he’s like oh god I’m in love with this idiot-
SORRY FOR NOT ANSWERING SOONER 😨
manbaby in denial manbaby in denial manbaby in denial
as soon as he finds himself thinking about you he cuts all contact.
or... he tries to.
he is a very lonely man and he misses you </3
he still tries! but when all his thoughts are devoured by your lovely face and your voice and your idiotic tendencies...
URGGG!!! GET OUT OF HIS HEAD!!!!!!!!!
he'll come trudging back all mopey and moody
"what the hell happened to you? aww did you get your ass beat?"
and when he just stares at you with a death glare and you start to get nervous...
"please im sorry for teasing you whats wrong 😰😰"
meanwhile he's staring at you like "why are you stuck in my head. i hate you. what kind of witchcraft did you use on me. why do i want to kiss you. OH MY GOD I WANT TO KISS YOU???"
thus he realizes he likes you. and he crashes. and youre left just staring at him waiting for him to reboot worried as hell because he hasnt said anything to you and why did he crash????
the next few days are :) odd :)
he'll appear randomly. and he'll leave randomly. and he'll crash randomly. and he refuses to give you ANY explanation why he's acting like this
meanwhile he's fighting himself internally the whole time. he wants to spend time with you because he likes you for some god awful reason, but if he were to distance himself this crush would go away wouldnt it?
does he want it to go away? he... isnt sure. he likes how you make him feel, even if it is sometimes nauseating
then things start to appear in your home. small things, most of which you dont notice. until it's things that realistically you shouldn't have. why are there floating rocks on your mantel? how are they floating?
he'll brush it off if you ask him about it.
"don't worry, it's fine. do you like them?"
if you really dont, he'll get rid of them
though, you asking makes him think his gifts aren't good enough for you. you wouldnt ask about them if you really liked them, would you? he has to up his game.
he also gets really particular about his appearance. if he does want to get with you, he has to make sure he's attractive. right? his old, smelly, ratty clothes wont do. he needs new things.
he makes them all from scratch :) and!! he'll perhaps fashion you a few new outfits while he's at it!
he gets very clingy once he accepts it. yeah, he has a crush on you. that means you're stuck with him.
spends more time around you. his love language may be quality time.
dude honestly has no idea what theyre doing. theyve never really felt this way?? about anyone?? EVER??? how do they romance you? do they just tell you?????
simple answer: yes!
they drop in one day, a ball of nerves and probably almost on the brink of crashing because they realize youre actually probably too good for them and why would you even like them? theyre rude to you, theyre rude to others, theyre so selfish...
but when they see you... oh, you're so stunning, even if you are only in your lounge clothes, hair messy and eyes still sunken-in with the look of sleep. certainly not the best youve ever looked, but what do they care? they... they love you.
and they tell you, awkwardly standing in the middle of your living room. they proclaim their love for you, however jumbled in the explanation of their feelings
and theyre so transparent with you in that moment... so vulnerable and open, letting their soul sing out for you, words spilling from their mouth without filter.
and finally, when they say everything
you say "i love you, too"
247 notes · View notes
atierrorian · 1 year
Note
for requests- could you do maybe ace realising he has feelings for the (gn) MC during book 4 please?
Your request is my command!
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"𝒲𝑒𝓁𝓁 𝒾𝒻 𝒾𝓉'𝓈 𝓎𝑜𝓊.."
Context: Ace has finally realized he has feelings for you
[cw]: Fluff, ish crack, [Name] is the mc. Ooc, A little different plot for the sake of the plot.
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Ace has this odd and weird feeling that he feels. He doesn't know why but, he kinda likes the feeling. But why does he feel like this whenever his with you?
Ace sighs as he wonders why he feels like this whenever his with you?
He sighs as he lays in his bed and while his mind wanders to you.
Are you okay? Do you need any help? Are you hurt? Are you suffering with that cat of yours? Are you dead?
Ace realized what he just thought at the last thought and shook his head, what the fuck was he even thinking? Why did he even think you would be dead?
It leaves dread to Ace whenever he thinks that you might be possibly dead. But you can't be dead right? I mean your strong, you managed to survive and help defeat 3 overblots.
But you must be lonely. I mean he gets that you have Grim and the ghost in Ramschackle but can't he be worried?
As he lays there, he suddenly gets a call.
From you.
He quickly got up and picked up the phone.
"Um Ace so uhh can you and Deuce come here we're currently having a HUGE emeregenc- ah! Watch it! So uh we're currently having an emergency and we need more help and because Crowley sucks can you guys come here? QUICK?!" You said before the phone hung up.
What. The. Fuck?
He stared at his phone in disbelief. What trouble did you got yourself into this time? He quickly called Deuce and told him about the situation.
Deuce was also quite disbelief but told him that he'll get ready.
Ace and Deuce had to take the train all the way back since they weren't able to teleport. Both of them ran all the way to where the incident was and where the Prefect was.
Ace ran faster like he never ran before and went ahead of Deuce.
"PREFECT!" Both Ace and Deuce yelled while you turned around to see who was yelling.
"Wait Ace and Deuce?" Questioned the Prefect as they both panted from exhaustion.
"We are so sorry were late!" Deuce apologized while everyone, except Jamil since he was unconscious from his overblot a moment ago.
"You guys are very very late! What took you guys so long anyways?" You asked both of them.
"Well sorry alright? We weren't able to teleport because of some issue or error so we had to take a train and ran all the way here." Ace said. Ace was just relieved that the fact that you're alright and fine.
Ace noticed that his heart was pounding loudly again and felt his face heating up.
"Um Ace, are you alright? Your face is burning up.." You said before placing your hand on Ace's forehead.
"W- what? Yeah I'm fine Prefect, you don't have anything to worry about! It's just the heat.." He said and you nodded since he did ran all the way here in the desert.
"Anyways let's go and wait for Jamil to wake up alright?" You said before taking both Ace and Deuce's hand to where the others were.
As Ace stared at you while you were dragging him, he finally realized what he felt for you.
Love.
He has feelings for you.
Ace face slightly heats up again before looking at the ground.
Well if it's you, he doesn't mind it..
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I really had no idea what to do but I tried my best! I hope you enjoyed this!
It's pretty obvious it was rush.
153 notes · View notes
escapism-writer · 1 year
Text
The Best Gift - Pedri x reader.
A/n: Thank you so much for all of the love & support on my last upload, “But You’re Mine”. Requests are now open on my account!
Summary: Yours & Pedris’ anniversary dinner gets cancelled due to a change in date of a match.
Warnings: Hurt/Comfort, mild panic attacks, anxiety, slight cringe, might have some slight spelling, grammatical & translation errors.
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Pedri already felt very guilty. First, he dragged you out to Qatar to support him during the world cup. Now he might not even make it to his own anniversary dinner. The two of you had started dating three years ago this Saturday. You remembered the day he asked you to be by his side forever, as if it was yesterday. Therefore you made it very painfully obvious how much anniversaries meant to you.
For the past two years, you've made a big deal of your shared anniversary, either taking Pedri out to dinner or staying home together and making his favourite food as a celebration. However, this year was different, this year he decided to take it upon himself to plan your anniversary evening. Before the both of you flew to Qatar, he had, with the help of Gavi, planned an evening out that ended in a fancy dinner. Yet, that couldn't even go well for him, as he stared at his phone, his eyes flickered with worry, constantly re-reading the same message for over ten minutes.
'Hola equipo, ha habido un cambio de plan. El partido de esta semana se ha cambiado al Sábado.' <‘Hello team, there has been a change of plan. This weeks match has been moved to Saturday.’>
Pedri's heart shattered at the thought of your reaction. Despite knowing you supported him wholeheartedly; he also knew how frustrated you got at his career ruining your times together, whether it's the paparazzi or constant training to the point you would barely see each other. He felt his breath quicken as he heard a knock at the door of the hotel room you shared. Ignoring his loss of breath, he rushed to the door expecting his eyes to meet with yours.
"Tarde!" <"Afternoon!">
Pedri's head jerked at the sound of a familiar yet unexpected voice. Gavi welcomed himself inside, oblivious to his friends uncomfortable figure.
“I was wondering if you had any better signal here in your room, because honestly, it’s…”
Finally lifting his eyes above his phone screen, Gavi’s words faded out once he noticed the state of Predi. In slight panic, he walked over to Pedri’s side and patted him on the back. Attempting to comfort his nervous friend.
“What happened? You look terrified.”
“Our match date has been moved.”
Confused, Gavi led Pedri towards the lone bed that sat perfectly in front of the large TV. That was when a notification appeared on his phone from the Spanish FC Group Chat.
'Hola equipo, ha habido un cambio de plan. El partido de esta semana se ha cambiado al Sábado.' <‘Hello team, there has been a change of plan. This weeks match has been moved to Saturday.’>
“Ah, I see the problem.”
The boy sat in silence, thinking of what to suggest to his friend. Before he could, his thoughts were cut short getting disrupted by the sound of the hotel room door opening and then slamming closed.
“Sorry! I didn’t mean to slam that.”
You called out sliding your shoes off. You lifted the shopping bag over towards the kitchen area before peaking into the bedroom.
“Oh Gavi, Hi, I wasn’t expecting to see you here today.”
“Yeah, Hi.”
Gavi nervously laughed, not sure what to do when stood face to face with his anxious friends’ girlfriend. You quickly caught on to Gavi’s sudden change in body language, causing you to look at your boyfriend. He seemed worried about something, maybe his upcoming match?
“Are you alright?”
You asked walking over to Pedri, forgetting Gavi. Taking this as his sign to leave, Gavi shot a quick goodbye before exiting the hotel room.
“I’m sorry, hermosa.” <“beautiful”>
Pedri sighed showing you the message about the match date change. Once your expression was replaced with a disappointed look, Pedri pulled his phone away from your face repeating his sigh.
“I can’t just not go. I have to play for my country.”
He felt his palms go sweaty as he tried to explain himself. Although you were heartbroken that your anniversary plans will have to be changed, you still hated seeing the anxiety filled look upon your boyfriends face.
“It’s okay, Bebè. Being here with you and supporting you will always be The Best Gift I could have ever received.”
Pedri looked up at you, surprised by your words. His usual smile formed back onto his face joined with a hint of relief. Seeing Pedri’s reaction to your words also spreads a smile onto your face.
“We can spend the night eating popcorn and watching a movie.”
Pedri nodded as he turned on the TV picking a movie for the both of you. You stood up walking to the kitchen, opening one of the popcorn bags before placing it in the microwave. By the time you placed the second bag in the microwave, Pedri’s head rested on your right shoulder, watching as the popcorn popped.
“Thank you, for everything Hermosa.”
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earth616variant · 1 year
Text
the send-off | s.r; 3
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summary | Being his best friend and assistant, Howard Stark asked you to be the first one to be tested on his time machine project. After some unexpected errors, you ended up stuck in the modern times of the 21st century. Where you meet the man you thought died years ago: Steve Rogers.
pairing/s | steve rogers x reader, avengers x reader
word count | 5.5k+
genres | angst, fluff, crack, time travel au, unrequited love au
warnings | nightmare, idiots, little childish superheroes...
note | i'm sorry it took me long to update! but here is it. I'll be posting more drabble about them soon. this is less angsty than the first two. i hope you enjoy reading it! thank you so much for your patience :)) reblogs and comments are always appreciated! <3
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This is like heaven.
As you two were walking, you cannot stop yourself from looking left and right at what the place looked like. Every piece of equipment, furniture, and gadget seemed really modernized. The predictions of the future in your time are nothing based on what you are just seeing now in this compound.  You knew you must restrain yourself from getting your hands on the small, pocket-sized screen Steve kept tapping on when you two agreed to step out of the clinic. Your brain, although stressed, was burning with curiosity. Especially with that invisible voice that he talked to while you two walked out.
“Friday, where’s everyone?” Steve suddenly asked out of nowhere.
Your eyebrows scrunched together as you confusedly turned your head to Steve. You don’t have any idea who he was talking with since you two were the only people around when he spoke.  
“Who’s Friday– Jeepers!”
You jumped, clinging immediately to the man beside you when a stiff, feminine voice spoke. 
“Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts are nearby the lakes. Dr. Banner is in his laboratory. The others are currently resting in their respective rooms.”
Steve, who was also surprised at your reaction for a second, chuckled and whispered, “It’s fine.”
Embarrassed, you remove your hands that were clinging to his arm and cleared your throat. You ran your hands down to your clothes to at least look decent again.
“I’m sorry for my reaction.”
You wanted to ask a question about it. But Steve must have been tired from hearing you asking questions like a kid. It’s been hours now and you kept on asking from one question to another. So you sealed your lips shut. Yet, Steve seemed to read your mind since he explained it to you as you continue walking.
“That’s Friday. She’s an A.I. that Tony created. She helps a lot here so if you need–”
“What’s an… A.I.?” you interjected.
The last two letters rolled off your tongue like you were unsure about it. An A.I.You thought of any possible meaning of it that you could have learned before but you cannot think of any. 
“It stands for Artificial Intelligence. I was surprised too when I encountered it for the first time too. It was crazy to see the advancements of technology from this time.” he shared, to assure you about your reaction earlier.
You chuckled lightly with that, “Yeah, it’s strange to see everything here. Just hours ago, I am back in my own lab with… Howard… but now, I’m looking at these new things…”
You paused with the thought of your best friend. Steve quickly noticed your heavy sigh and lonely gaze on the ground while your shoulder slumped. You were just distracted by your chat with Steve a couple of hours ago in the clinic and now, it’s beginning to sink in. He can see that based on your expression.
He calls your name softly, “Y/N?”
You slowly looked up your eyes glistening. You spoke, “Is this really it? Am I staying here forever?”
“I… I don’t know, Y/N. I’m sorry. I really am.” he apologized, disappointed himself too.
Steve could say that Tony and Bruce can probably try and build another time machine. But he doesn’t want to give you false hope. And he won't know if Stark would want to attempt on making a time machine after this– you coming back– happened.
Am I staying here forever? 
He remembered asking the same question himself years ago when he got back. Fury once told him that time machines are impossible when Steve was still unaware of Howard’s attempt. Fury said that no one ever succeeded in operating one. He did not even mention what happened to you. Steve only knew about your disappearance when it slipped Peggy’s tongue when he was visiting her in the retirement home. He tried to ask her again about it, but due to her condition, Peggy had a hard time recalling everything. 
Both shocked and frustrated, Steve immediately confronted SHIELD’s former director about it. He learned that you are basically an open secret to everyone working with the organization. Natasha later presented him with the last photo of yours taken before the time travel attempt. It was said to be photographed by a certain Robert Smith.
“I know, I know. I’m sorry for pressing all my questions to you.” you breathed out. And before he can say anything to console you, you continued, “I should probably rest. Everything has been a lot…”
Steve silently nods. You two continued to walk. You were just following him since you don’t really have any idea about this whole compound’s navigation. So when Steve stopped in a hallway of doors, you stopped too.
“Here is our extra room. This can be your room for the meantime.” he introduced as he opened the patterned grey door.
Your eyes instantly traveled around, curious about what bedrooms might look like in this future era. The room was simple but more spacious than your bedroom in your own apartment. This one has a kingsized bed, a bedside table and lamp, a wooden desk at the nearby window, and two doors. It was pretty plain, confirming that it was really just an extra room. Steve walked you through it.
“You have your own bathroom here.” he opened one of the doors and you took a quick glance inside it. Steve opened the other one, “This is your closet.”
“But I don’t have any more clothes, Steve.” you awkwardly mentioned the obvious. “I don’t even think I’ll be able to sleep with this.”
Howard reminded you days after you said yes to being his test subject that you should dress properly on the day of the event. He said that it will make a great impression if someone sees you in the future. It was probably a joke from him. But you did wear the most pristine and presentable blouse and slacks you have. It even reminded you of Katherine Hepburn’s outfits.
And now, here you are. Although these are your best work clothes, you would have to sleep in them. You find it uncomfortable. Back in your apartment, you have long, cozy, silk nightgowns and pajamas that you wear after a long day in the laboratory. The material was soft and helps you to fall asleep quickly after laying down on your bed.
“Uhm… maybe…” Steve avoided your gaze as he tried not to stutter with sharing his idea. He honestly looked like a kid as his lips twitched timidly, “You… You can borrow some of my clothes for tonight.”
“Oh, uhm…” you stammered, eyes slightly widening. The idea of wearing his clothes unexpectedly bought flutters in your stomach. Doing that seems too intimate. 
Not wanting to make you feel any discomfort, he thought of another suggestion, “Or maybe I can ask the others if they can lend–”
“No, no. That would be more troublesome. I would rather borrow yours.” You fiddled with your fingers as you looked into his eyes, “Is that fine with you?”
“Yeah, it’s fine.” Steve nods. “Let’s go to my room.”
“Huh?” your eyebrows furrowed with your mouth slightly agape. 
Steve immediately realized what his last sentence sounded like, making his eyebrows raise. He explains, “I mean so that you can pick out the clothes yourself.”
“Oh, okay…” your voice trailed off before pursing your lips together.
There was this obvious silence as you two walked side by side. You were fiddling with your fingers while he looked around the compound as if he didn’t live here. The air felt like when you put two awkward teens in one room. His door wasn’t too far from yours, only four doors away.
“Come in.” 
And when he opened the door, a fresh scent of rosemary and mint welcomed you. It brought instant more comfort to you than the last room. Maybe because this one is more personalized to Steve’s own character. Your eyes traveled to the desk in the corner, where you spotted a familiar framed sketch.
“Oh, I know that one.” you pointed out, seemingly proud as you turn your head to Steve. He chuckled. You continued, “You were drawing that monkey when you were doing one of your USO tours.”
“Yes. It was during that time. You and Howard came to watch for the first time.” Steve recalled and you nodded.
As much as he hates it, Steve remembered that time of his long life crystal clearly. He just got the serum, Erskine died, and he wants to immediately serve in the army. But he ended up doing performances all over the nation in a patriotic overall spandex and red boots. 
Sure, he had a few good memories from that chapter of his life. But it mainly felt awkward. Especially that time he performed in front of real soldiers, who were very opposite of his usual young fans, in deafening silence. Or when you and Howard would come and watch a couple of his shows if you have the time. He remembered feeling more self-aware on stage in his fitting costume and weird helmet punching a fake Hitler, knowing that you are somewhere in the crowd.
“Here is my closet by the way.” Steve changed the subject and you followed behind him.
His clothes were well-organized and followed a color palette. Of course, the shade of blue stands out. Steve did let you pick out, telling you that anything would be fine.
“You have a lot of these so I’m just— Oh.”
You stopped when you unfolded one of the white shirts. When folded, it looked plain. But as you spread it out, there was a word written on its front.
“Capsicle?” you read it out with one of your eyebrows raised.
“It was a gift from Tony. He used to call me that.” Steve explained and you only stared at him as if you don’t understand it. He exhaled, “You know… because I, Captain America, was frozen in ice for decades.”
“Oh!” you tried not to giggle but failed. “I’m sorry for laughing. It just sounded like something his father would do or say.”
“Yes, they are very much alike.” Steve just agreed.
Not long after, you two walked out of his closet with his clothes in your hands. You chose that shirt (even though Steve tried to convince you that there are other choices) and plaid blue pajama pants. He walked you back to your room, asking if you still need anything.
“Just knock on my door if you need anything. Okay?”
You smiled, “I will. Thank you so much for everything, Steve. I really appreciate it.”
Not wasting any second, you hugged him. You thought that you’ll just do it quick as you don’t want to cause any discomfort to him. But when you felt his hands on your back, you found yourself relaxing your chin on his shoulder. Whatever heaviness you felt in your chest was slightly lessened with his simple action. When you slowly moved away, Steve’s electric blue eyes looked directly at yours with a certain— you don’t really want to assume but— tenderness. 
“I’ll introduce everyone to you tomorrow. But for now, you should rest,” he spoke.
You nodded and opened the door to your room, stepping inside. “Good night, Steve.”
“Good night, Y/N.”
You gently closed the door while Steve watched you. Leaning your back on the door, you huffed like you held out your breath for a long time. You looked up like question marks were flying around your head. All of this… everything… feels unreal.
You were blanked out as you changed into Steve’s clothes. His shirt was oversized on you but cozy like your nightgowns. The hem of his pajama pants reached the carpeted floor. You don’t mind though. You’re too exhausted.
You almost climbed to your probably new bed. It smelled nothing like yours. But it was nice and soft enough to make your eyes shut close within just a few seconds.
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“Just take a shot. But don’t interact with anyone.”
You see your best friend, standing near the controls. You looked down at your hands and you see that you were holding a camera. Turning your chin up, you see Donny’s little hand waving against the glass. Susan smiled. You looked to another person in the room, Robert. He gave you a thumbs-up as he positioned himself behind his large camera. You looked back to Howard.
“Even to one person?”
“Even to one person,” he repeated.
Then suddenly, all you can hear is the heavy beats of your heart. It was like a countdown. You closed your eyes. The sound of your heartbeat trailed off and now you can just hear your own breathing. You slowly opened your eyes. Nothing.
You look around and it’s nothing. Just a pitch-black void. You didn’t dare to move as you don’t know where to go. Alone, you wrapped your arms to yourself. That’s when you notice the camera’s gone too. It’s not even cold but you feel like trembling. Then, you heard Howard’s voice. It echoes in this empty dark space you’re in.
“This one will be a big success, Y/N.”
But he is nowhere to be seen. Your pulse is back beating at the loudest volume, it was much faster than ever. You tried to scream– call for your dear friend. But was stopped when you heard his voice again.
“This one will be a big success, Y/N.”
And again.
“This one will be a big success, Y/N.”
And again.
“This one will be a big success–”
“STOP!”
Eyes wide open, you found yourself on the same bed you slept on. You were sweating bullets on your forehead as your chest heaved up and down, slowly calming down. There were already rays of sunshine that transcended to the window and you can clearly see that you are still where you were last night. 
“Oh my…”
All you can do is let out a shaky sigh as you bury your face in your palms. You wanted to scream. Maybe cry. Or just run your fingertips through your hair and pull it out of your scalp. This whole situation makes your toes curl. 
You got up from bed and make your way to the bathroom. Standing in front of the mirror, you looked at yourself. Your eyes were slightly puffed from all the tears you let out last night. Your forehead is glistening from sweat while your hair is disheveled. You looked worse than the nights you worked overtime in the laboratory.  You shook your head at the sight before opening the tap, splashing a refreshing amount of water on your face. 
You were dabbing the available white, fluffy towel on your face when you hear knocks on your door. You turned to the mirror again. You wished you could do something with your hair. But you don’t have any hairspray or elastic to at least fix it. Instead, you just ran a comb through your hair. The comb seemed clean as you found it on the small bathroom shelf. It didn’t took look before you open the door.
“Good morning.” Steve greeted you. “Did I woke you up?”
“Oh, no,” you replied, shaking your head.
“Great… Uh, breakfast is ready. I figured I’ll introduce you to everyone out there.” 
“Okay…S-Should I change my clothes?” you wondered as based on Steve’s stories last night, these people are the world’s mightiest heroes. 
You wondered if they are formal-type of people. Maybe pompous or superior? Well, you already met two of them last night: Tony and Banner. And in all honesty, you don’t remember much about the latter. Only Tony since you learned he is your best friend’s son and if you were here by the time he was born, you knew Howard would pick you as that man’s godparent. Plus, you remember Tony because you can already feel how he’s so much of his dad.
“That’s fine. We’re just having breakfast together before our training. But you do you. You can change if you want.” Steve replied.
“Well, how do I look? Do I at least look presentable?” you just asked since you still want to look decent even though they saw you in distress before.
He nods, “You look great, Dr. Y/N.”
You don’t know if he was teasing or reassuring you. But your heart skipped when he said that. You hid a faint smile forming on your lips as you closed the door behind you. You just followed him. It took you seconds to realize that you were in an elevator. It’s obviously much different and updated than the one from your time. But you cannot help but notice something specifically,
“They used to play music…” you muttered as you leaned against the cold wall.
Steve, who was leaning on the other wall, chuckled, “Yeah, I know. I tried telling Tony to bring it back.”
The elevator door slides and you immediately hear various noises from different people. As you got closer to the noise, you move closer to Steve. He offered you a smile, and you reciprocated it. You step inside what seems like a kitchen and it goes quiet.
If eyes can shoot bullets, you’re probably dead by now. Everyone looks at you and you put on a small smile. Your eyes traveled around until you locked with a friendly pair. Sergeant Barnes. You cannot stop your gaze from shifting from his face down to his arm, which looked very much different. Your eyes moved back to his face and his lips formed a tight smile. Steve was the one who broke the silence, clearing his throat.
“Everyone, I would like you to meet someone…”
He looked at you with encouragement and you nodded.
“Hi… Uhm… I’m Dr. Y/N from Stark Industries.” you used your usual introduction before adding something else. “I… I came from the 40s.”
It was dead silent for a few seconds before someone stepped up first.
“Hi! I’m Wanda Maximoff.” the woman with long, red hair introduced herself. She wore a friendly smile as she offers her hand. You shook it, smiling at her. “Nice meeting you, doctor.”
“Just my name will be fine,” you told her.
Another woman followed, “Natasha Romanoff.”
She sounded stern but she offered a kind, small smile. She also has red hair but is shorter than Wanda’s. 
“Good morning, Dr. Y/N. My name is Vision.”
This time, a literal red person approached you. He seemed like a robot but more human. It was confusing. Another guy stood up from his chair near the kitchen counter.
“My name’s Sam Wilson. I fly around too like that Android.”
“Yeah, except he still needs to put on his little wings before he can do anything.” 
You heard Barnes behind him. Sam immediately countered an answer, “I can throw punches too!”
“Sam served in the Air Force.” Steve, who’s beside you, added.
Both your eyebrows raised, “Oh, really? That’s amazing.”
In your time, the US Air Force was just founded. You never really met anyone from the Air Force and to have one in front of you right now, you feel amazed. 
“Enough of that. Let me introduce myself to Dr, Y/N.” Bucky walked to you as Sam stepped back, rolling his eyes.
“Oh Sergeant Barnes, You don’t have to introduce yourself. We’re way past that,”  you told him and he chuckled.
You didn’t stop yourself from hugging him. You were just so happy to see both Steve and Bucky alive as you lost them both in the same year. Back in the 40s, Bucky knows a lot of places to hang out and would invite you to go with them. Howard would tag along sometimes too. But you and Bucky get to talk a lot since Peggy would usually pull Steve with her.
“How are you, doll?” 
You were too focused on the changes in him that you can’t answer his question. Instead, you touched his left arm, feeling its cold metal surface. The texture felt familiar.
“Your arm…”
It was obvious that you have a ton of questions in your head. But Bucky just looked at you that says: I’ll tell you later. Then, your eyes landed on a boy sitting beside Sam on the kitchen counter. He instantly looks away when you locked eyes with him. You figured he is still a student as his dark blue long-sleeved shirt has the logo of Midtown School of Science and Technology. You’ve never heard of that school before so it was probably established after the 40s. Your eyes traveled back to his face. He seemed flushed as you stare at him longer.
“Hi…” you greeted him in front of everyone. 
You tried to be friendly as the kid seemed very scared of you. His eyes widened. Sam had to nudge him to make him move. He put down his bowl of cereal and timidly walked up to you.
“H-Hello, ma’am… My name’s Peter Parker.” he stutters as he gently shakes your hand. “I really like– love your research journals. Especially the one about the possibility of a multiverse.”
Peter almost jumped when your other hand unexpectedly caged his hand. You looked at him with delight, “Really? You knew about that?”
Joy filled your heart when you heard that. It was like your mood was instantly lifted again. Your research journals are your children. You were always proud of them but often overlooked by your other colleagues since a woman wrote them. Only Howard shows enthusiasm for it and would bring it up in conversation. 
“Yeah, I came across your journal in the school library before. Then, Mr. Stark let me read your other journals.” he chattered.
“Mr. Stark?” you repeated.
“Yeah, someone’s calling for me?”
As if on cue, Tony walks in with an auburn-haired woman that looked familiar. The woman smiled at you, “Hi. I’m Pepper Potts. It’s nice to meet you.”
You don’t want to assume things but she seemed close to Tony. Like a partner– not a work kind– but a romantic type. It made you think about who your best friend ended up with. Howard didn’t seem like someone to settle down with. He never talked about wanting to get married or even having a family of his own. He only has flings, rarely a relationship. He’s bad at ending things with these women and would often let Jarvis dismiss them. The first time you learned that about him, you slapped him on the back of his head, saying how awful that is. Later on, Jarvis told you that Howard would give out a special bracelet to his flings as a parting gift. 
“Let’s have breakfast?” she offered and you nodded.
Plates were already on the table, along with pancakes, bacon, and eggs. You sat between Steve and Bucky, who were both considerate. They offered you syrup and orange juice while the others talked about their plans for the day. You listened quietly, chewing on the fluffy pancakes you heard Wanda prepared. You were really not used to having your meal with anyone as you live alone. But hearing conversations and banters made you more comfortable in this modern time you’re thrown into. Peter left early since he said he was stopping by his aunt before going to school.
“Where are they going?” you whispered to Steve as Tony and Pepper say goodbye.
“Tony has a conference somewhere in Europe, I think… Pepper going to work.”
“What’s her job?” you asked before reaching for the orange juice.
“Pepper leads Stark Industries.”
Hearing that, you choke on your drink. Natasha, who was eating in front of you, handed you a napkin while Bucky gently pats your back. Steve took your glass from you.
“I’m sorry.” your voice muffled as you cleaned up your lips. Then, you turned to Steve, “How?”
“Tony appointed her as CEO of the company eight years ago.”
That was his answer. Like it was something Tony usually does.
“By the way, we’re going out later.” Steve changed the subject as he stood up, taking your finished plate with his to the sink.
“We are?”
“Yeah, let’s buy your clothes and other things you need. Wanda’s coming with us,” he replied, opening the tap.
“I… I didn’t take my money with me,”
Bucky stifled a giggle beside you, making you turn around to him with a glare. He always found it marvelous how you are both naive and genius. You were one of the most intelligent people he knows. But you also seemed innocent with anything out of your expertise. He noticed it when you would hang out in diners or jazz clubs where a lot of men would try to make a move with you. But you would unintentionally reject their subtle invitation. 
“Don’t worry about that.” Steve turned around, hands all soapy. “Just go prepare. We’re leaving after.”
You sighed, “Okay.”
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“I thought you were off to Italy today for that mission.”
Natasha was the first one to speak when you walked out of the room. Wanda and Vision left too. Sam is still finishing his mug of warm coffee. Same with Bucky. Steve can feel his friends’ eyes daggering on his back as he rinsed off the soap bubbles from the utensils and plates. He didn’t answer until he was done with it.
“I asked Clint and Bruce to cover for me.” he simply revealed.
He sees Natasha biting her lip, attempting to hide a forming smile. So is Sam, who grinned as he takes a sip in his cup. Meanwhile, Bucky stayed shameless, smirking as soon as Steve looked at him. Steve raised an eyebrow.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Sam replied, but his tone screams something else. “But is she wearing your clothes–”
“So this is about that.” Steve lets out an exasperated sigh.
“No! No! We think it’s cute on her.” Bucky protested. Natasha even added, “Yeah, she’s cute.”
“Just tell me what is this all about. What’s with the eyes and smiles? You look like you heard some gossip somewhere.” 
“Well… if you put it like that…” 
Bucky looked away, crossing his arms over his chest. Both Natasha and Sam snicker. It was a childish scene. Steve rolled his eyes as his shoulder slumped. He never thought he would be in this situation with his superhero friends, who are all acting like giddy high school kids right now. Now wanting to deal with them anymore, Steve was about to leave. Not until Sam confessed,
“Bucky told us you had a crush on her back in the 40s.”
He froze in his tracks, processing what he just heard. The three waited for his reaction, only watching him as he turned around.
“What? I… I never said that.”
Bucky then looked to their other friends, “See? He didn’t deny it.”
Steve shakes his head as they laughed. Without saying anything more, he chose to just walk out.
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“I can’t find anything there, Wanda.”
Steve and Wanda drove you to this indoor shopping place. They said it is called a mall. There were a lot of people when you arrived. You thought a mall was just a big place where you buy clothes. But it turns out to have more of that. Instead of clothes, you asked Steve if you can buy books when you passed by a bookstore. Steve also let you have some stationery. You ended up buying three books: one sci-fi book that was really popular in your time, another sci-fi that just came out, and The Little Prince. 
Now, you, Steve, and Wanda are eating in this cute diner Steve knows. He said he goes here at least once a month in his free time. The place is almost close to the diners from your time. The colors, the patterns, the booths, and even the staff’s uniforms were almost resemblance. But when you look at the customers, you’ll realize that this is not the 1940s.
“I mean, I have nothing for the fashion you have today. They are all divine. And I don’t mean to be a fuddy-duddy but I would want to wear something that I usually wear.” you explained before sipping your milkshake
“I understand, Y/N. I thought we could find something you will like there.” Wanda’s shoulder slumped.
“We did find some things there!” you exclaimed, referencing the shopping bags next to you.
You shopped for books and a couple of nice sleepwear. You also have a pair of shoes, sandals, and a slip-on that you and Wanda chose. You were happy to have someone commenting on your choices. Wanda and you almost agree on the same thing and would laugh about your thoughts about something.
“How about you, Steve? Where did you get your clothes when you got here?” you asked the man in front of you. He has been pretty quiet since you got in the mall. He will just pay for things and compliment the shoes you bought.
Steve chewed his burger first before replying, “SHIELD just provided it to me.”
“Wait! I think I know a place.” Wanda exclaimed.
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“Holy mackerel!”
You squealed as you saw the exterior of the antique store Wanda said. Your eyes sparkled as you see the furniture and clothes. Steve opened the car door for you and you swore you almost ran straight to the door. A bill clings when you opened the door.
“Steve! Look at this!”
Steve turned in your direction and sees you pointing to a record player. You carefully reached for one of the records displayed. It was Frank Sinatra’s record. You looked at it with delight. Steve knew he had to say it,
“We can buy it if you want. I have a record player. We can put it in your room since I don’t use it much.”
The glimmer of happiness in your eyes shined more, “Really?”
“Yeah, consider it as a welcome gift.” he quipped and you instantly wrapped your arms around him.
“Oh, thank you so much, Steve.”
The day went on with you jumping around the same shop. Wanda was happy to pick out clothes with you. There were limited choices but they were all eye-pleasing and suited your style. You got dresses, blouses, and trousers that were all much cheaper than the dizzying prices in the mall. The old woman who owns the shop was amazed at your enthusiasm for what she called “vintage” fashion.
“How old are you, honey?” she asked as you place a large number of clothes for checkout.
“I’m 29, ma’am,” you replied with a smile.
“Oh, you’re almost the same age as my granddaughter. But I don’t think she would wear this same type of clothes.” she shared. “You know, these clothes came from the old, old times. Most of these clothes are my mother’s”
You wanted to say that you came from that old, old times. But you knew how complicated and insane would that sound.
“Your boyfriend must be so–”
“Boyfriend?”
The lady fixed her glasses as she looked at you, “That guy. Isn’t he your boyfriend?”
She nods her chin in Steve’s direction who was also strolling around the place. You hoped he didn’t hear what the lady said as he seemed focused on the furniture displayed. Wanda was looking around too.
“Oh, no. We’re just friends, ma’am.” you giggle timidly.
“You can call me Nancy, honey.” she introduced herself. “And you have great friends. That girl has said nothing but praises when you were trying out these clothes and that man…”
She signaled you to come closer to her, which you did. She whispered, “Take him out on a date. He’s a dreamboat”
“Nancy!”
You felt warmth all over your face. It was like blood rushes up to your cheeks and ears. You thought of doing it before but you never had the courage to do it to anyone. You knew Steve already had his attention on someone else. Nancy just laughed at your flushed reaction.
“Oh, honey. I’m just saying that I think he’s a catch.” she winked. “Anyway, who am I to meddle with your life?” you laughed at that. “What’s your name, honey?”
“Y/N, ma’am.”
You didn’t realize that she had already finished putting the things you bought in a bag when she pulled something under her counter.
“Y/N, honey, this is a gift since you are one of my largest spenders this month in the shop. It was from someone important to me and I can’t really wear or sell it here. But I would love to see it on you.”
“Nancy, you don’t have to– Oh, wow. This is so pretty.” 
She hands you a simple, white pearl necklace. It was kept in a boxy, that’s why it looks shiny and good.
“I know, honey. I’ve been keeping it in a box for a long time now. I don’t really wear that kind of necklace anymore and was just waiting for the right customer to give it to. Since I liked how excited you are when you entered my shop, I’m giving it to you.” she told you.
“Oh, Nancy, I’m going to be a regular in here.” you quipped as you tried it on. “How is it?”
“It’s lovely.” she compliments. “And yes, I would love to see you coming here again anytime soon. I love talking to you. You somehow remind me of my old friends.”
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THE SEND-OFF TAGLIST (edited)
@supraveng @sunflower-golden-vol6 @curi0usc4t @caitlyn-who @bitchy-bi-trash @stilltoomuchafangirl @matisse556 @gitasor @ladybug05 @sunwoahkim @meanttobea @j69confessional2 @thenyxsky @maximoffmaxipad @swthxrry @justab-eautifulmess @7minutes-tomidnight @curlycarley @thefalconandthewinterwidowshield @wisepenguin @shatfairy @coffeeshub @stillthatbetch @cosmicgirls-things @sabrinaselina55 @mediocre-m @learning-howto-be-myselfx3 @mrsjaderogers @themerc-with-a-mouth @slutdreams @mrbutterbunz @royalwritersoftheuniverses @yunloyal @avengersinitiative2012 @mariaelizabeth21-blog1 @noodle81937 @madnessinwrighting @lilizia @saintmagx @evanswife1918 @saranghaey @elmphoenix17 @animegirlgeeky @t-stark35
PERMANENT TAGLIST
@rosedpetal
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