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#like at least she’s remembered in past years and does answer on holidays but
bilestat · 1 month
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motownfiction · 1 year
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daniel, sadie, 11-16
for ✨daniel✨
11. most embarrassing middle school moment?
going to k-mart and stealing the millennium falcon toy with will and sam. don't get him wrong. he wanted to do it. but as he was doing it, he was thinking to himself, "this is the least cool thing we could ever possibly shoplift. what are we doing?"
12. favorite pizza toppings? list the top five in order.
prosciutto, pepperoni, sausage, green peppers, black olives. not necessarily all at once.
13. what was the last (non-story-related) dream they had while sleeping?
doing donuts in the parking lot of southland mall, but it was very clearly 1998.
14. if they suddenly vanished, what would their family assume they were up to? (shopping, pranking people, overthrowing governments, etc.)
he's probably lying in the botanical garden with his phone off. his natural habitat.
15. what’s their least favorite possession that they wish they could get rid of, but can’t / shouldn’t?
frank's copy of the blue hawaii soundtrack. daniel doesn't want to keep anything that once belonged to his father, but like ... it's blue hawaii.
16. write out their last nightmare as a short scene.
they said it was a player piano.
daniel's at the apple orchard. wiard's before they sold out to that stupid water park. he's walking through the country store, and he hears the piano. somebody's in there, playing "grim grinning ghosts," like this is disney world already. they said it was a player piano. automatic. nobody behind it. just a toy.
but the sound gets closer.
and daniel can hear the keys breathing.
they said it was a player piano.
but really, it's a piano with a player.
charlie.
for ✨sadie✨
11. most embarrassing middle school moment?
that time she got hit in the face with a football during gym class. why in the world did they let a seven-foot-tall twelfth grade boy help out with a seventh-grade gym class? he was a nice guy, but damn, if he didn't know how to tone it down!
12. favorite pizza toppings? list the top five in order.
pepperoni, bacon, spinach, mushrooms, and extra cheese. again, not necessarily at the same time.
13. what was the last (non-story-related) dream they had while sleeping?
eating pizza with sam on the roof of his old car. and yeah, it was the current year. and yeah, sam was fifty-six, too.
14. if they suddenly vanished, what would their family assume they were up to? (shopping, pranking people, overthrowing governments, etc.)
sadie's probably driving down telegraph road, drinking an orange pop.
15. what’s their least favorite possession that they wish they could get rid of, but can’t / shouldn’t?
sadie ... has sam's hospital bracelet. from that night.
16. write out their last nightmare as a short scene.
lucy's not picking up the phone.
it's a wednesday afternoon, half past three. lucy's usually home from teaching her class by now. this semester, it's a seminar all about charlotte brontë. sadie remembers how excited lucy was when she put that syllabus together over the holiday break. she glows when she talks about her favorite books. even when sadie can't see her, even when it's just over the phone, she swears she can hear lucy's incandescence.
but lucy's not picking up the phone.
sadie's heart begins to race. it's not like lucy to miss an appointment. she's great at keeping schedules, and when she has to break them, she's great at making sure everyone knows the plans have changed. but when sadie texted earlier to make sure they were still on for their 3:30 phone call, like they have each week, lucy said it was fine.
she quickly calls will, just to make sure nothing's wrong. will answers on the first ring. he says lucy's there, at home, mixing up a cherry coke in the kitchen. it's the first day she's been able to walk outside without a coat, and she wants to celebrate in the way she always has.
does she want to talk to me? sadie asks.
no, will says.
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silversiren1101 · 1 year
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19, 33, and 40 for Regill and Mino!
19. How do they feel about PDA?
It starts off as an absolute 'No' for Regill- they're Commander and Lieutenant, they at least have to maintain the façade of professionalism... despite the fact that everyone knows and neither of them lie about their relationship when asked.
Mino is... well she's cuddly, and very loving. Ganzi tails tend to have a mind of their own and act based on emotion, so unless she's actively minding it and keeping it suppressed, that tail will reach over and rest against him rather quick if they're within distance. Usually it will rest against his boot or heel, but it does brush against him if she walks past and likes to slither into his hand sometimes (and is given a quick squeeze before being dropped).
Kissing is reserved for private situations, BUT caution gets thrown to the wind when life and death is on the line. The troops at Threshold get to see quite the smooch before the final assault!
LATER ON
Few would have the guts to say anything about the Lictor and his wife's brief touches and displays of affection in the halls of Citadel Darvhage, especially when his wife is a demi-goddess and former Knight Commander.
Loving touches on the arms or shoulders, a passing kiss on the cheek, soft glances...
They are very much a mature, married couple in that regard. No one would doubt their relationship status seeing them pass by one another in the hall.
33. Who's the better cook?
Aha, I love this question. Since WOTR correlates cooking with the World skill and Regill has a pretty high one in my canon... Well, fun thoughts there.
As for this actually though, I do headcanon that Hellknights serving out in wilderness stations are taught basic survival and cooking classes. They're not about indulgences or anything, but the basic morale boosters needed to keep you from absolutely losing it (aside from just knowing how to forage and hunt, lol).
So! Both are BASIC cooks. Mino is good at simple, hearty, tasty meals like stews, roasted meats, eggs and potatoes... nothing fancy. The kind of food that doesn't need a recipe but you can throw together based on intuition. On the other hand, Regill CAN cook, but because he doesn't care about the taste of food ("It's sustenance") he is rarely allowed to. If he actually cared and tried, he would put together a very very good meal.
Good luck with that though.
40. Who has an insatiable appetite? And what does the other do to help?
I don't know if this is a horny question or actually about food so I will answer it both ways, lmao.
FOOD: Regill doesn't care about the taste of food, as mentioned above. It's sustenance. He eats what he needs to to keep up muscle mass and physical performance. There is only one exception to this, and it's good quality coffee. As Hellknights, they're used to shitty barracks coffee, but when Regill achieved rank (Maralictor) he definitely acquired a taste for better coffee. Mino asks Wilcer Garms to secure a specific type of roast she remembered him really liking (which was like 80 years ago), and since Regill has been in the Worldwound for decades he hasn't had it in probably 40-50 some years? He recognizes the smell of it immediately and is... struck quiet. This is before they confess their feelings for one another too, so he is quite surprised by this "needless favor"... and appreciative.
Mino is mostly the same regarding food... but she is a fiend for seafood, particularly fried shellfish. She grew up in Westcrown as a poor orphan, but special meals for holidays and such would involved things like whole fried softshell crabs, shrimps, mussels, etc. On the cheaper end of seafood but absolutely delicious, a special meal for peasants and working class. As such she craves it pretty often, which is a challenge being all the way up in Sarkoris... Regill casually slips such information to Drezen's procurers and chefs, and soon regular shipments of crayfish start to come in from Chilly Creek. Mino has no idea why there's some more shellfish options (he certainly says nothing), but she is VERY happy about it.
HORNY: There's no way around this, they're terribly horny for each other at all times. Indulgent? Absolutely, I don't care. She's been pining after him for almost a century, him not as long but he's been completely repressing it to the point where he never consciously noticed. They have a lot of lost time to make up for. It's rare a day goes by where they haven't pounced on the other.
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coldgoldlazarus · 1 year
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who is/are your comfort character(s)?
what’s your take on spicy foods?
favorite holiday film?
Hmmm, that first question is an interesting one, because despite seeing the term often I've never been like, super clear on the meaning?
But after googling it, I get variations of "a character who thinking of brings you comfort during particularly stressful times, almost like a mental security blanket."
And I guess like, there are a few possible answers to that, but nothing that feels like it entirely fits? Because I have noticed that when I feel particularly stressed, I do tend to backslide into hyperfocus on older nostalgic stuff I got into when I was like, a kid, prolly at least partially to cope, but which thing exactly isn't really consistent.
I guess the Bionicle main cast is kind of an easy one since that was My Thing for basically the entire span of my child and preteen years? But that doesn't really narrow it down, since I still fixate on different arcs with different central characters. But then sometimes I instead fall back into MLP from my teen years - never quite enough to actually revisit the show, but more immersing myself back in old fandom music and early fanfics to get the feeling of being in that time period back. So like, I guess rather than any specific character, it's that nostalgia itself that's like a comfort to me?
On the other hand, I've also found with more recent crisises I've been through, my thoughts instead go to either Reimu of Touhou or Samus of Metroid, even though I only got into both of those relatively recently, back in 2017. So like, they don't really fit the nostalgia vibe as well, but they are individual characters who sorta fit the bill; Samus in particular given her quiet unyieldingness and being ever-so-slightly overpowered even in the literally horrific universe she resides.
I'm still not sure they'd entirely qualify, since I haven't really had the opportunity and awareness at the same time to look out for this, and I feel like there's an obvious-in-hindsight third option that's staring me in the face but eluding me and I'll kick myself later for somehow forgetting later, but that's what comes to mind for now at least ^^;
EDIT: Yep, I was right about the obvious third option. The Spring Sprite from Fantasia 2000, who both heavily influenced my aesthetic, and was prolly my first fictional character crush. While again, application in a stressful situation is hard to say, she does definitely give me that sorta comforting mental security blanket vibe much more than even the other stuff I listed.
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With spicy foods, I love them, but have the tragic White Person affliction of not handling them well, so I've been wanting to ease into spicier stuff and build up an immunity. Unfortunately the opportunity to do such, with my food budget and spoons for cooking so low the past while, has been more limited, but I'll get there eventually.
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Favorite holiday film, hmm. That is admittedly a field where I generally avoid treading, since the three main subgenres seem to be Toddler Feature, Christian(tm) Film(tm), or Raunchy Santa, none of which appeal to me, but I'm sure there's something.
Honestly, this may seem like kind of a weird pick, (and again I feel like I may be forgetting a more fitting option that's floating on the edges of my consciousness right now) but at least for now I'd have to say Unaccompanied Minors (2006). I don't remember it super well, but I can say at least that it quite resonated with me as someone who frequented airports as a kid to visit different parts of my family.
Plus, it had that kinda excellent blend of being just subversive enough to appeal to that too-cool-for-this (for however much I could ever consider myself or even really desire to be 'cool') tween phase I was in, and still ultimately just sincere and silly enough to feel meaningful. I have no clue how well it holds up or not now, but it sure was at least something then.
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Garcy + first holidays alone
Hey look y'all my personal vendetta against the Byers Christmas Caroler figures my grandma maintains a collection of finally made it into a fic and of course it had to be for these babes, who I think would share my opinions on the nightmare-fuel potential of those things. Prompt also requested by an anon. Usual post-canon-divergence situation, PG-ish, and also on ao3.
How the hell is she supposed to do this?
Lucy asks herself that question, in the first few months of returning to some kind of normal life. She suspects she will never stop asking herself that more than she ever did before all her plans and routines took a several-year detour, but in time the frequency will become lower, in time she’ll get back to her previous level of petty anxieties and-
December is an emotional minefield. Almost always has been. This year, at least, she gets to deal with it with the support of a partner who’d rather help wrangle her damage than do anything about his own.
“The hell is this?” he asks one afternoon. The attempt at excavating the house has taken a temporary detour into the garage, current graveyard of a greater number of Christmas decorations than Lucy remembers her mother ever putting up but then again who even knows how many altered timelines purchased them and-
“A mistake,” Lucy decides is a tactful enough answer. “A creepy, expensive mistake.”
The current box in the center of the space – they are not bringing anything properly indoors that they can’t identify and have no desire to keep, there have to be some ground rules in dealing with this mausoleum of pretentiousness and questionable taste – is at least identifiable. Lucy can’t offhand remember the official name of the figures in question, but she had enough childhood nightmares about the damn things coming to life, and over the years they did multiply, and-
“Expensive secondhand too?”
“We can only hope. If you’re okay with dealing with that.”
One of the more surprising lessons Lucy has learned about herself in the past few months, courtesy of the eclectic array of possible family heirlooms she doesn’t want but that may be worth decent money, is there are subcultures she doesn’t care to deal with. Doll collectors, for one. Nothing personal, but some hobbies do attract a type, and… point being, these figures are doll-adjacent, and if she recalls right there’s probably at least two more boxes of them yet to be identified, and-
“I can claim enough innocence to handle it,” Flynn mutters, like he’s ever successfully claimed innocence in his life. “I’m helping my girlfriend clean out a deceased relative’s house, I don’t know much about what these things are, we just want them gone… none of that is actually a lie.”
It’s a good distraction, at least. The taking apart of a life, the constant reminders of how neutral so much of her childhood was, so little ruined by what she didn’t know about her family at the time but also so little she wants to keep in any sense. Opportunities to begin again and-
“We could just ignore all of this,” she says after a few minutes. They have now found a second box of the figures and the count is up to twenty-seven humans and an even creepier-looking… sufficient to say, whomever designed that thing had clearly never actually seen a cat, Lucy thinks, and-
“Ignore…”
“Holiday stuff. Memories. Start over. I’m not attached to anything. I’ll do whatever means something to you, but-“
“I can go to church on Christmas Eve alone. I’m not sure you should make your debut around that many candles.”
It’s affectionate in a way Lucy still isn’t quite used to, an awareness of her tendencies that feels protective and makes her warm. “Does anyone even think I’m real at this point?”
“I’ve shown enough pictures. It helps that you look so…”
She connects the dots in her mind just a little faster than she’d like. “The one time with the collapsed shelving, huh?”
“You weren’t in danger, I just thought a picture might help with the explanations if you had broken something minor or-“
“No danger. Yeah. Just a godawful amount of blankets. I have mentioned how much of this stuff I can’t explain, right?”
“Anything hidden,” he repeats, and this will remain a recurrent conversation for the rest of their lives and she almost loves it.
“We’ll do new things. Next year. This year I don’t want to deal.”
“Alright.”
In the end, the grand total is sixty-one human-esque figures and three animals that are a little harder to identify, all of which get donated somewhere because they need to get out of the house as soon as possible.
In the end, Lucy stays home on Christmas Eve and watches the most deliberately bad holiday romcoms she can find, and that’s a part of her past routines she’s okay with keeping.
They’ll figure this all out. There’s no rush.
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dudemanauthor · 1 year
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Mei and Mercy's Weatherproofing Weight Gain
Author's Note: So yeah, someone back in 2020 asked me to do an Overwatch story and I figured "yeah, sure, why not?" So here's an Overwatch story. Personally, I think it's a shame that game's characters are stuck in that game.
It was a gloomy old day at Watchpoint: Gibraltar, made gloomier by how few people were there. Most people were still on holiday from Christmas, as it was only a few days past New Years. Among the few people who were there was Angela Ziegler, or Mercy as she was commonly called, and like most of the people who were there, she was busy working on something, her workaholic tendencies winning out over what little desire Mercy had to rest and relax. The most ‘relaxed’ she was on this day was dressing slightly more casually than usual, with a parchment coloured blouse and dark capris. She had her head down at her computer, going over her research for the umpteenth time, when she heard a knock at her door.
“Come in!” she called out, her eyes not leaving her computer’s holographic screen. Through the door stepped Mei-Ling Zhou, although she preferred to just be called Mei. She was overdressed as usual in her thick blue and white jacket, although at least it was winter, at least she wasn't somewhere hotter.
“Hi, sorry to bother you Angela. I wanted to ask you about something,” Mei asked sheepishly, bowing her head slightly in greeting.
“Oh, Mei, hello,” Mercy said, more cheerily and actually looking up from her computer for a moment. “Sorry, I was just working on something. Although, looking at the time, I think it would be best if I have a break.” She leant back from her computer, stretching her arms up above her head. “So, what did you want to ask?”
“Um... how familiar are you with Dr. O'Deorain’s work? The work she did while she was with Overwatch?” Mei queried, wincing slightly, expecting a bad response. Mercy let out an annoyed sigh.
“I know more about Moira’s work than I would like to. I’m not sure if I want to think about what she is doing over in Oasis,” Mercy complained.
“Oh, this is actually about something she recently announced,” Mei mentioned, as she watched Mercy visibly deflate.
“Something that will end up in Talon’s hands, I presume,” Mercy groaned.
“I don’t think that will be the case,” Mei replied, making Mercy perk up again. “I’m not even sure if Overwatch would be interested in it, but I think it would be very useful for me and my research.” Mercy raised a quizzical eyebrow, before quickly searching something on her computer.
“Hmm, what has she done now?” Mercy rhetorically asked, her curiosity clearly piqued. It took only the briefest of searches for her to get her answer. This particular manufactured genetic miracle involved body fat and the ability to build it up. According to the articles Mercy could find, this bio-mod allowed someone to build fat extremely quickly, and that fat would be an unparalleled insulator. Mercy may not have had even a fraction of Moira’s knowledge on genetics, but she knew a thing or two about research and development. “She must have been working on that while she was at Overwatch,” Mercy thought out loud.
“That’s what I thought. Do you think any of it would be in the storage here?” Mei asked.
“Wouldn’t you be better off going to Oasis to do it?” Mercy asked back. Mei let out a nervous laugh and scratched the back of her neck.
“Eheh, she scares me a little bit, and you don’t,” Mei admitted. Mercy couldn't help but let out a quiet chuckle.
“That does sound like the correct response to her,” Mercy joked as she slowly got up from her seat, stretching as she rose. “Perhaps we should see if it is still here.”
With that, Mercy led Mei off towards the cold storage, where Moira’s confiscated work would most likely be. It didn't take long for Mercy to remember that the name was very literal, as it was almost freezing in there even before entering the actual freezers, and Mercy was severely underdressed, while Mei in her coat was doing just fine.
“Okay, I think it should be in here,” Mercy declared, opening one of the doors near the far end of the massive freezer. It took a bit of effort, as the door had iced over somewhat. Mercy was quietly a little bit embarrassed that something like this had just been forgotten about for so long. Leaving the door open, in the hopes that the pair didn't get stuck inside, Mercy and Mei slowly approached the various racks of vials. “Oh dear, this is a lot to work through,” Mercy worried, trying to see if any of them had anything easily identifiable on them. As she searched, she failed to notice that her and Mei’s body heat and the comparative warmth from outside was radiating into the previously freezing cold room. It didn't take long, but eventually the vials had thawed out, and quicker than anyone could have anticipated, the contents let out a puff of gas that filled the room concerningly quickly. “Mei, we need to leave,” Mercy ordered. Mei was out of the freezer and dashing for the exit of the cold storage in the blink of an eye, with Mercy shortly behind her.
“Are you okay Dr. Ziegler?” Mei asked, as Mercy caught her breath.
“I hope so. I don’t know if I was exposed or not,” Mercy answered. A few seconds later, her stomach rumbled, loud enough for Mei to hear, though not loud enough to drown out Mei’s stomach as it began to rumble too.
“We should get something to eat, I’m starving,” Mei said as she turned to head back down the hallway towards the rest of the base.
“Hmm, strange,” Mercy commented as she put her hand over her rumbling stomach. She shouldn't have been that hungry, or at least she didn't think it had been that long since she last ate. And with Mei becoming hungry at the same time, it was clear that this had something to do with that gas. Still, knowing that didn't stop her from feeling just so hungry. So hungry, in fact, that she didn't even notice as she entered the mess hall and unconsciously steered herself toward Mei’s table, which was almost literally covered in food. “Uh, Mei, that’s a lot of food,” Mercy commented, a good part of her just wanting to dig right into that stack of food. Mei blinked, and then looked down at the food, her eyes bugging wide open in surprise.
“Oh, sorry, sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t realise I had so much food,” Mei quickly apologised, before her gaze softened and her eyes went a touch glassy. “I am very hungry though...” With a moment of staring at the food, the pair snatched at the mountain of food, beginning to plow their way through it like women possessed. They ate with just their hands, even when some of this food was very clearly not meant to be eaten with their hands, the women were just too hungry to care. They were running entirely on autopilot, barely even stopping to breath. The first real break either of them had was when Mei opened her jacket. If either of them were paying attention, or if Mercy even paused for a moment, they would have noticed how snug the blue long-sleeved top Mei was wearing was getting. It was being pushed up by a belly that was starting to develop a roll of fat, and strained even further by breasts that were starting to try and force their way out of the sports bra they were still barely packed into. Mei’s tights were only faring better because of their elasticity, but there was still a lot for them to contain. Meanwhile, Mercy was packing on her own weight, most of it ending up on a round, fat gut that strained the buttons of her blouse, with patches of pale fat peeking through the gaps. She instinctively undid the belt on her capris with one hand while the other kept shovelling food into her mouth. Then, all of a sudden, there was a snap and a ping that snapped the pair out of their eating trance. Mercy and Mei froze, before very slowly looking down at Mercy’s shirt. One of the buttons on her chest had popped, revealing a lacy pale gold bra that Mercy’s breasts were spilling out of.
“Oh dear,” was all that the mortified Mercy could get out, before, one by one, the rest of her buttons gave out, flying across the fortunately deserted mess hall. Her fat gut, spilling over her belt on all sides, was on full display, and Mercy was lucky that it was only Mei that could see her, and that Mei was in a similar situation. It took a second for Mercy to fully comprehend what just happened, but when she did, her face went bright red. She tugged as hard as she could on her shirt to try and cover herself up.
“Angela, do you… want my jacket?” Mei offered, her voice somewhat muffled by the food in her mouth, as she awkwardly tried to slip out of her jacket.
“Th-thank you, Mei,” Mercy said quietly as she slipped into the jacket. Mei might have been a bit bigger than Mercy, but not even that made this jacket a comfortable fit. Still, it covered Mercy up, as that was all she needed. “I, um, I think I’m going to go back to my office,” Mercy added, carefully standing up from her seat, a little unsteady as she adjusted to her new size.
“Oh, okay. I’ll be here if you need me. I’m still very hungry,” Mei said as she kept eating. Mercy also felt very hungry, but for her own sake, she knew that she had to try to push through that and get back to her office.
---
Not too long after the pair were exposed to the bio-mod, Mei disappeared in order to ‘prepare for her return to the Antarctic’, which meant eating unfathomable amounts of food in order for the weatherproofing weight gain to fully take place. That left Mercy at Gibraltar, dealing with the effects on her own. She made the decision to get ahead of any possible rumours and made an announcement to the rest of Overwatch, alerting them to what had happened to her and what was going to happen to her. Namely, that she was going to get fat, incredibly fat.
And get fat she did, despite her best efforts to attempt to exercise and moderate her food intake. Unfortunately, her job didn’t leave her much time to exercise, so that was a bust, and any attempts at eating a reasonable amount of food were immediately and inadvertently undone by Mercy feeling so hungry that she needed more and more, until she was stuffing mountains of food into her mouth at almost every meal. By the end of the month, Mercy was truly massive. Her belly was the size of a yoga ball, although it was only ever the shape of a yoga ball when Mercy ate particularly large meals, which was actually fairly often, Mercy realised when she took the time to think about it. Of course, that wasn't all about her that got big. Her chest rocketed through cup sizes, reaching the size of basketballs and being a real pain to get bras for, meaning that Mercy had to rely on custom-made bras that usually only lasted a few days before needing to be replaced, and only a few days more before they would completely give out on her. Her hips widened out dramatically, leading to her needing a specially made hovering chair in order for her to not get stuck. Sure, she still spilled over the edges, but that was far, far better than being uncomfortably wedged between chair arms and trapped by her own size. Along with the wider hips came a much larger rear, each cheek like a beach ball in size and shape, which helped in making her chair much more comfortable by bringing her own extra padding, while making things more difficult for her by needing some outrageously large pants.
It wasn't just her clothes that needed changing due to her size. Her whole working style had to be changed to accommodate her new size. Her size was more of a hazard in the lab than she deemed acceptable, and so her work started being much less of a practical nature, with her being parked behind a desk with theoretical research, along with the massive amounts of administration and paperwork involved in running such an operation. Her office, where she spent most of her time nowadays, also needed significant changes to accommodate her. Starting with the door to enter her office, that needed to be widened to a double door. Although, to be more accurate, such a change wasn't strictly needed at that point, as she could fit through the single door with a bit of careful manoeuvring, but Mercy knew that eventually not even the most careful of manoeuvres would get her through the door, so the pre-emptive measures seemed like a wise decision. Moving to her desk, a few changes were made. Firstly, it was replaced with one that was a sort of horseshoe shape, with the middle of the desk, which faced the door being the part with the computer built into it, while the sides had large amounts of storage built in. This was important, as after being exposed to the bio-mod, Mercy was just always so hungry, and so having lots of places to store food was important. A hungry Mercy was an unproductive Mercy, she very quickly realised. The computer was also special in that it had a holographic keyboard, one that could be rearranged where ever Mercy wanted it to be set up. This meant that, no matter how large Mercy got, she would always be able to work. She had briefly considered having a voice control set up for her new computer, but those voice controls always seemed to have issues with her accent, and they were not particularly useful when her mouth was full, which it quite often was. In addition to those changes, she had a special two-way intercom system that she could use to contact the lab, and that the people in the lab could use to contact her. Even if she couldn't be in the lab any more, she was still going to be able to stay up to date and informed on what was going on down there, which included research into counteracting the bio-mod that was affecting her and Mei.
---
At the end of the month, Lena ‘Tracer’ Oxton returned to the base after a month off that she had spent at home with her girlfriend, Emily. She went around the base, greeting everyone and catching up, before her path through the base took her past Mercy’s new office.
“Oh no, I forgot, she sent me an announcement about something. What was that about?” Tracer asked herself as she fished her datapad out of her jacket pocket. She went searching for the message, but no matter where she looked, she wasn't able to find it. “Ah well, she’s here, I can ask her myself.” Tracer then went to knock on the door to Mercy’s office. “Blimey, this is a big door,” she commented to herself, before speaking up to talk to Mercy on the other side. Angela, I’m baaaa…” Tracer’s voice faded off, not at all prepared for what she saw, her face going a little bit red. Mercy froze, half a donut mostly stuffed into her mouth. Slowly, Mercy chewed and swallowed, before awkwardly speaking up.
“Oh dear, Lena, I’m sorry. I forgot that no one had mentioned this to you yet. This,” Mercy said, gesturing to herself, “was what the announcement was about.” There was an incredibly awkward pause as neither person was entirely sure how to bring up the elephant in the room.
“So, uh, how is Emily?” Mercy asked, trying to break the ice.
“Oh, uh, yeah, she’s good, she’s… uh… wow. Sorry, this is just… kind of a lot to take in at once,” Tracer eventually got out, despite how flustered she was. “What the bloody hell happened to you?”
“Ah, it was a mishap with one of Dr. O'Deorain’s experiments that had been locked up here. Dr Zhou thought it would help her with her research, we got distracted, one thing led to another and now I weigh more than everyone else here, except for Winston,” Mercy explained.
“Right, right, yeah, I gotcha.” Then, a thought came to Tracer. “Hang on a tick. Moira’s thing was genetics, yeah? What’s Mei doing that she needs Moira’s stuff for?”
“She found out about a bio-modification that O'Deorain had developed here, one that would help her adapt to the cold temperatures she deals with.” Mercy then tugged on the collar of her tank top. “Speaking of the temperature, Lena, could you please open that window for me? Goodness, it is warm today.” Tracer raised an eyebrow at Mercy’s comment.
“It’s not that warm, is it?” Tracer asked. “I mean, yeah, it’s warmer here than it was back in London, but we get, like, one nice week a year, and that week’s definitely not in the middle of January. But yeah, I know what warm is, and this isn’t it.”
“I suppose it is evidence that the bio-modification works. Perhaps too well,” Mercy commented, the last addition turning into a quiet, annoyed grumble.
“Heh, yeah, too right,” Tracer said, filling the quiet air as she opened the window. “So, uh, what happened to the bio-mod thingy?”
“Do not worry, it is locked back up in the cold storage where Dr. Zhou and I found it. We also labelled it, so you should be able to avoid it,” Mercy reassured.
“Right, gotcha, good to know where it is, so that I can definitely avoid it,” Tracer said. If Mercy wasn't so distracted by all the heat, or at least how warm she was, she would have noticed the blatantly obvious shifty tone in Tracer’s voice, but that flew right over Mercy’s head.
“Hey, uh, I just remembered, I gotta go give Emily a bell, let her know I got here safe. I’ll see you around!” With that, Tracer zipped out the door, fortunately closing the door behind her, so that Mercy didn't have to heave herself out of her chair to close it. It also made her room that much more private, so that she was comfortable enough to make herself more comfortable. She shoved her tank top’s hem up to let her big, blubbery belly be free and bare, to help her cool off better. With how snug her pants were getting, she also felt comfortable enough to unbutton them. In times like this, times that were getting very common ever since she had been affected by the bio-mod, she was very glad that she had her very own private office, and some very capable people to do the practical work that she wasn't as capable of at her new size. She finished off the donut that Tracer had interrupted, before making a start on the remaining six. That should be enough to tide her over until dinner in about an hour.
A few minutes later, Mercy had finished that box of donuts, and was strongly considering having another box. After all, she was almost always hungry, would another dozen donuts really ruin her appetite for dinner? Just as she was about to move her chair over to her donut stash, her console began to ring. Quickly, Mercy covered her belly back up. She ignored her undone pants, as the chances of her managing to do them back up quickly were slim, mainly because she was far from slim. Looking at her console, she realised that the call was from Mei. Tidying up might have been a touch overkill, considering what state she assumed Mei would have been in. Mercy tapped the button on the console to answer the call, bringing up a holographic display showing Mei in her office. It had been a while since she last saw Mei, and considering how much of a big eater she had become before she went back to Antarctica she expected Mei to be massive. In what was quite a shock to Mercy, Mei actually turned out to be a bit smaller than her. Make no mistake, Mei was a very large woman, but apparently Mercy’s more sedentary lifestyle and work methods had turned Mercy into an enormous flabby woman, while Mei had more of a barrel-like body, with not all that much flab or jiggle to her compared to Mercy. Mei’s body shape had a more even width to it than Mercy’s, with nothing jutting out quite as much as Mercy’s chest, or her belly, or her rear, or her hips. Still, Mei was big enough that her chair, much like Mercy’s, didn't have arms, nor was it wide enough to fit her. Her round face lit up as Mei saw Mercy, a smile quickly spreading across her soft features.
“Hello, hi Doctor Ziegler! I have excellent news!” Mei cheered. “The modifications have worked better than I hoped. I can handle the cold temperatures here so much better now!”
“Ah, yes, I can see that,” Mercy noted, seeing that Mei had swapped her usual long sleeved shirt for a sleeveless tank top. Considering how large Mei’s arms were, that was probably a very smart move on her part. However, the rest of the tank top was just about skin-tight on her, showing that Mei was probably in need of a larger size in her next resupply. “I’ve been feeling a lot warmer too as of late.”
“Well, I won’t need the antidote to the modification. I’m going to keep this,” Mei announced.
“Have you been able to make the antidote for yourself yet?” Mercy let out a sigh as she sunk unto her chair.
“Nein, nein, not yet,” Mercy answered, the disappointment clear in her voice. “I cannot work in the lab at this size,” she explained, gesturing at her massive everything, “and the other people working for me have so much work to do. I cannot possibly ask them to stop that and deal with me.”
“Oh dear,” Mei said sympathetically. “If you ever want to work somewhere colder, you are always welcome to join me here,” she offered. “Hopefully they are able to bring enough food for the two of us. I have to eat so much to keep this body,” she added, patting her stomach, which then rumbled in response, loud enough for Mercy to hear it on her end of the line. “Oh dear, sorry, sorry, I think I need to go and eat. It has been very good to speak with you again. Good bye!” With that, Mercy said her farewells too and the call ended, leaving Mercy again alone in her office. She had to admit, Mei’s offer was tempting. A chance to get away from this verdammt heat would be wonderful, and she wouldn't constantly have the feeling that she was being judged or pitied for her weight. After all, Mei had nothing but nice things to say about her own weight, surely that would also be the case for Mercy’s weight. Still, there was a part of Mercy that did want to go back to her old size and be able to go out on missions to help people. And even if that part was ignored and Mercy did stay her new, increased and steadily increasing size, she did like the food she was able to get here in Gibraltar, although she was still unsure whether it was the quality or the quantity that she liked. Also, moving to Antarctica would mean that she would be so very far away from everyone else at Overwatch. There would be constant calls keeping her up to date with what was happening at the labs, and on the rare occasion that she felt the desire to, she wouldn't be able to waddle down to the lab if she was all the way down in Antarctica. Clearly, she would have to think on Mei’s offer for a while, make sure she really was sure about what she wanted. In the meantime, there was another box of donuts that needed to be dealt with.
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felixantares · 2 years
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3 and 4 for the (aro) ask game, please! (but I'll also take them for the ace game if you haven't answered them yet 👀)
Oh hi! 💚💚💚 Thanks for the ask
3. Did you have a moment of “Wait, romantic attraction is real?”
Actually, for me it was a bit of the opposite! I had a moment of "this isn't romantic love?". I was having a conversation with my mother over the phone around Valentine's maybe 3 years ago and I was complaining about the holiday. I don't remember exactly what I said that prompted her to say this but we were talking about my exes and she said, "well you've never really liked most of the people you've dated, so maybe it would be different with someone you love." I was absolutely blindsided by that one because of course I loved (or at least liked!) the people I dated, that's why I went out with them in the first place! I thought about it for a long time after that and I came to the conclusion that she was sort of right? Not that I didn't love them while we together, but I've never been able to tell the difference between platonic and romantic love - it's all kind of the same to me - and I didn't feel any differently towards my partners than I would towards a friend. I'd quite happily date any of my friends if they asked, so it was either that I was romantically attracted to all my friends or I wasn't romantically attracted to anyone and the latter seemed far more likely.
4. What moments make you think, “Well, I’m definitely aro”
Hm, this one's less of a 'definitely' and more of a 'highly likely' because I'm still working through Stuff. But it's mostly just little things that confuse me when I think about them too long 😂 I get so confused by love at first sight stories because what does that even mean?? I also never understood how people pick who to ask out, like do you just pick your best friend? someone interesting? (This is one I've puzzled over for a long time, since all my past relationships were started with someone asking me out and I liked the person and saw no reason to say no, but I've never asked someone out myself. Perhaps it was a sign, but I'm notoriously slow to pick up hints when it comes to my own identity.) I remember also reading something about poly queer platonic relationships the other day and just about went feral thinking about how badly I want that and was like "oh, this is probably another one of those signs."
send me aro asks! or ace asks!
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macsenthebard · 2 years
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Chloe's Story - Chapter I
Here's an excerpt from Chapter I of my first story. I actually started writing this when I was unwell with covid and suddenly had lots of time on my hands (and after getting bored of boxsets). Of course, I really enjoyed writing it so I'm keeping up with it, though I don't have anywhere near as much time on my hands as I did when I started. Anyway - I blame the unimaginative title and the odd typo on the headache I had while writing it.
I've published four chapters so far on my DeviantArt page, and I'm currently working on Chapter V - I'll post excerpts from the other chapters in the meantime.
Chloe stared out of the train window, not really looking at anything as the countryside rushed past the misty window in a blur. She had butterflies in her stomach. Her mind felt like it was moving as fast as the train she was riding as she imagined how all the inevitable reunions with family and friends would pan out over the next few days – and even hours – in a few, very important cases. It's not that Chloe wasn't excited to be going home – this was her first time coming home after going away to Uni, and it was Christmas after all.
However, anxiety mixed with her excitement, hence the butterflies. Chloe felt silly for feeling this way. She knew she would would be coming home heavier than she'd left. Before she'd even finished her final year of school, the plan had been made to be coming home from Uni fatter, this Christmas and every other holiday in the next two and a half years or so until graduation. What wasn't part of the plan though, was just how much extra weight she'd be going home with on this very first visit home as a student. As long as Chloe could remember, she had been obsessed with the idea of being fat. As a child she stuffed pillows up her pyjama tops and wondered why it made her feel the way that it did, and her imagination used to run riot with stories about getting fat. As she got older and hit puberty she tried to repress it, to be a normal girl like all the other girls in her class, but at the same time, whenever she was alone on her computer, late at night, she would be googling the phrases that would inevitably lead to her stumbling across feedist sites online. Through her teens she carried on pretending to be just like all the other girls, staying slim, dating boys and exploring young love, but almost every spare thought was taken up by thought about gaining weight and getting a body she was terrified to have for real. As she got older and started looking at Universities, the prospective fresh new start and freedom to live the way she wanted awoke something within Chloe that most soon-to-be students didn't experience. Her obsession with fat became even more all-consuming than it already had been. It became so bad that Chloe almost felt an ache in her slender belly sometimes when thinking about how much she wanted to be fat. She knew choosing to be fat was choosing a life harder than the one laid out for her as a conventionally attractive middle-class girl, but that didn't matter. With nothing to base it on, she knew that if she went through life without at least trying to find out the answer to that question she had asked herself as long as she could remember, she would regret it. She would always look back and wonder, her entire life... 'what does it feel like to be fat?'
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Brook
“The kitchen was my favorite place, it was beautifully crafted and warm, i always was a busy body back home but really i just think the kitchen it's the heart of a home, meals, conversations, celebrations, holidays, i love when a floor plan has a door into the kitchen since your husband or your father could walk right in after a long day of work and you get to see each other after such a long time apart……now I live in a…a shitty studio pan, it feels so isolating, everything's out in the open…and no one comes home anymore.”
“What happened to your family's home?”
“The bank had to take it- while I was in protective custody, my brother couldn't make the payments, it’s sad my son can’t see where I grew up but I thought it would be nice to live with his uncle, but he doesn't seem to come home….”
“How about your son? How does he seem to be adjusting?” “As well as im fairing i guess” she chuckles, and The Therapist smiles making a note in a small notebook as she finds something to do with her hands
This is another one of the interesting circumstances The Therapist has to encounter which isn't out of the usual but this being so public is a new hurdle. Her and her face seems to have been plastered on every paper and news station for the past three weeks now , even if they have no new info to work on that doesn't seem to stop the influx of “fake news” that seems to cloud the topic.
Stories of Abduction and sex trafficing, all sorts of torture on this poor christian girl warping her memory has become the new boogyman story to warn kids about stranger danger. But talking to her seems to be quite the contrary.
“What do you miss most about the life you were living?” “....” “No wrong answers here” “I miss them of course…” “And did you ever think you were in any danger?” “Never!” she says with a bit of bite behind her words, like she was tired of answering this for the hundredth time “Then I believe you- but let's get into where we need to be- why you? Not that I don't think that you're special but I think, why not your friend? Why not your brother or a complete stranger?”
“i-....I.. um..” she seems flabbergasted from the change in topic
“Or maybe none of this is even a problem maybe life right now is hard it's hard to integrate into the real world after living in paradise, otherwise they wouldn't call it paradise” “....am I being tested?” “Maybe- why else are you in my care?” the clock on the desk rings singling the end of their session she stands and thanks The Therapist and he walks her out to the room, her son is playing with another child around his age a man sits in the chair- a thought crosses their mind about adding a play wing or at least someone to watch children during visits.
Brook smiles at the man and thanks himgreatfully and he smiles back as they exchange kids. As they make their way back into their office a thought crosses their mind about the children- it's a bit strange how there seems to be two Patients that have children in the middle of things.
Then a note appears slightly singed at the edges and smelling of fire, and honestly it's not surprising.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brook is a lovely woman, a lovely mother and father with a less agreeable brother in a beautiful christian home. Brook was homeschooled as a child along with her brother and later transitioned to a catholic school. From what I can tell it's the perfect home, the perfect life and I'm sure she’s managed to be a perfect wife and mother from the morals she was shown at an early stage of her life. I will say socially she has been guarded which can cause problems in later development and after recent events that's probably the least of her worries.
Brook has been missing for twenty some odd years, abducted while walking home from a sleepover that went sour, * a friend who has also gone missing not to long ago strangely enough* She says she doesn't remember much of what’s happened during that sleepover but who can remember petty arguments as a child? I can barely remember most of the books i've read this month alone let alone some fickle id gotten into during my youth.
The whole story is deeply religious, however, I have no problems with religious patients as I have come to terms with the reality that I've been pressed into so why am I not to believe in an angel swooping in from the heavens to save the day?, an angle willing to defy god no less?
Brook has said to have spent most of her days in solitude, but pleasurable solitude, much like a place of heaven tucked away from prying eyes a house that had everything a good christian girl could think of, and for years she has surrounded herself with books and baking and a small garden to look at during meals and tea, a beautiful grand piano that they learned to play.
A life she could have with one condition
Apparently she has never seen this Angel, funny isn't it? A blindfold with every interaction, every conversation, every meal and love making and whatnot was spent with blindness. Ha this brings that whole Love is Bling saying to a new light
I was prepaid to go into this with a classic forgiving your captor syndrome but there were things that seems to link up that made my gut turn
The first thing, the sleepover- she writes it off but this only just makes her another poor unfortunate fool that got caught up in The Cruel Joke, the friend was none other then Sadie Lakewood, another one of your Patients in fact it was your first one and her father was so pleased with your results he just keeps coming back for your services, but why Brook? If all of this was to really have happened and to take everything at face value then, it isn't really Brook that he wants answers for is it?
Marriage and a child, well those are some big fingerprints to leave behind, but if you go through all this trouble to hide something you love from god why drop her back on the doorstep? Unless you weren't hiding her from god?
I have some theories but theories aren't what make this job work, i need answers and with only a few sessions left there needs to be a name on that paper
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hueningshaped · 2 years
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i'm so sorry for answering late!!!!😭 i went on a trip to my cousin so i didn't haven't been very active💔💔 your recs could never bother me i treasure them like they're actual gold🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻 oh god yes i get very excited at the thought of a comeback but at the same time i'm just like. REST!!! RIGHT NOW!!!!!! i'm glad my words about your writing did have an effect, whenever i see you doubting yourself i'm like 🤨🤨 aggressive reassurance incoming✅ i did in fact not see the midsummer season thing, i've missed out on most of the txt content that came out these past few weeks i've missed seeing them🥹 soobin getting hit in the face by his own shirt while running really resonated with me<3 plus beomgyu being the only one indoors while everyone else is outside TWINSS🤞🏻🤞🏻 i've been quite well!!! i got to go outside a bit more these past weeks which makes me feel less chronically online and i can only hope it stays that way🤨 plus i got to see my cousin for the last time before she has her first baby . yes i am in tears writing this</3 i can't wait to meet him😿😿 i also splurged on a new bag and my heart is so full i love pretty things!!! i almost got a white+pink one but then i remembered that i literally always dress like i work at a tomb so it would definitely not have seen the light of day😐 and ohm y god,,.,., YOUR KITTIES?!-!/?-!! i am in LOVE (!!!!!!!) with them absolutely wonderful adorable lovely and every other nice adjective in the english language is the black and white one a kitten or does it just look tiny in that pic☹️☹️ PLUS THE PARTY HAT‼️‼️ showstopping i adore it<333333 IT'S HYUKA DAY!!! so here is a video that had me sobbing in fetal position plus some hyukas!!! I LOVE YOU EVEN MORE!!!!!!! i hope you've been well and taking care of yourself!! TE AMO x10000000
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HIIII omg what my darling apple ur completely fine! im the messed up one who takes 30 years to answer u irs like im in space like light years away and ur on earth oh god this made me sad anyway! i hope ur trip was great!! how was it!! im happy you appreciate my refs it means so much to me *sobs* i have this eerie feeling at least one of txt will do something crazy with their hair idk…. i can just feel it…. lookin at you, soobin… omg <333 ur aggresive reassurance really does wonders for me ~!! ur a life saver, did u know that ? :0 awww i understand ~~ i’ve been slacking on the recent to do episodes hehe and besides that, they too have also been busy preparing for the rest of the tour i hope they’re taking it not-so-impossibly hard on themselves fnjngdjkgnjdng and good ol beomgyu <3 we can always count on u to stand out buddy thanks for never changing ~! hey yeaaaaaaa i love to hear that you’re doing well it makes me oh so happy !!! omg the outdoors !! get that vitamin d and serotonin (sunlight works like magic for the body besides the too much sun causing skin cancer but THATS BESIDES THE POINT) wish that were me <3 awwww how sweet oh god <//33333 congrats to ur cousin and i hope u see her babie soon <33 retail therapy yaaaaa you deserve to treat yourself especially to pretty things ~~~ god we are one in the same bc i too dress like i work at a tomb hehe hehe beffie vibes <3 u still deserve pretty things and the very best for sure tho ! i rest my case !!! AHHH im glad u think so :’)) and yes the black and white is still a growing kitten >,< his name is sylvester ~~ but i call him sylvie for short ! OMG HAPPY LATE HYUKA DAY!!! hope u spent the international holiday well with lots of cheer <3 VHBHDFB STOP THAT VIDEO had me choking on literal tears ahhhhh I LOVE YOUU VERY MUCH ahhh !!! i actually have been doing the opposite of all of that whoops but im trying to fix it ~!! LOVE U TONSS MILLIONS BILLIONS TRILLIONS~!! ++ random to do rec: ep 35-36 ~!! i love fishies :3 ++ song rec ++ here’s a tiktok that made me giggle so much (its beomgyu hehe) and another hehe bc taehyun is awesome
p.s. THESE HUENINGS </3 smiling so hard it physically hurts i love him, them, U SI NUCH (no emojis this time Since im typing on my ipad and its hardddd)
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mercy-burning · 3 years
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She’s An Angel
Pairing: Spencer Reid x fem!Reader Summary: Spencer discovers that Reader has a rather promiscuous personality behind closed doors, and he can’t help but give into her. Category: SMUT (18+), (there’s a lil fluff at the end, but it’s mostly filth lol) Warnings: Language, heavy flirting and sexual tension, female/male-receiving oral sex, penetrative sex, unprotected sex, exhibitionism, innocence kink (kinda?), breeding kink, dirty talk Word Count: 10.8k
***EDITED: 7/23/2021***
MASTERLIST
NOTE: Hi, guys! This is my entry for @willowrose99 ‘s 1-Year Writing Challenge Celebration! My prompts were: Only Angel by Harry Styles (fun fact, this is my favorite Harry song! And the notes/texts that Reader sends to Spencer are lines from the song), stealing clothes, and the dialogue “You know, I kinda like it when you call me -pet name-” I hope you all enjoy it! I had SO MUCH FUN writing this!!!
Also! Little fun fact: sex and metaphors/references to religion is like... my favorite thing in the whole world, so I made a tiny playlist for you to give a listen if you’re interested! If you have song recs so I can add them, please let me know! I’m always on the lookout for new stuff :) Enjoy!!
***
He didn't think much of it the first day she started working at the BAU. If anything, Spencer was glad that they had an intern— someone who could share some of their responsibilities without completely changing the dynamic of the work. She even became part of their family, going out with them after cases, attending every workplace gathering, whether it be a wedding for a co-worker they didn't see often, one of Rossi's dinner parties, or Henry's birthday party.
It wasn't until they were setting up for the BAU office Halloween party that he noticed something was... different.
Y/N and Spencer were put on decorating duty while everyone else brought food and music, and whatever else. They stopped by extra early to set up, meaning they would be there together, alone, for at least two hours before anyone showed up.
Normally that wouldn't have been anything to worry about, but Y/N showed up in costume, and it completely threw him for a loop.
Now, he wasn't one to really care whether or not people used Halloween as an outlet to dress like sexy nurses or cheerleaders or whatever else. Sure, he'd rather go with something on the scary side, something with a creepy mask or intricate makeup, but in the end the holiday was everyone's to enjoy how they wanted to. And one way or the other, he never saw anyone in a sexy Halloween costume and found himself tempted by them in the slightest. In fact, it was rare that he ever saw anyone in one at all.
So, when Y/N slowed up to the office wearing a very skin-tight, tiny schoolgirl costume, and his heart leapt out of his chest, mouth going dry and blood running hot at the sight of her?
He was a goner.
Her eyes lit up when she saw him, dropping the large bag she was carrying to run over and give him a hug, which he shakily returned, trying to snap out of his daze. Suddenly he felt a little underdressed, not wearing his costume yet, and truthfully, he wasn't sure if he wanted to wear one at all now, fearful that she'd think it was too immature.
Even more frightening than the holiday itself was the fact that Spencer found himself caring about what Y/N would think of his costume when a minute ago it hadn't even crossed his mind.
He cleared his throat and blinked rapidly before she released him from her hug, hoping to expel his fear and remember that she was his friend and she'd never actually say anything bad about his costume. Not that that'd even mattered in the first place. It shouldn't have mattered, right?
God, pull yourself together! She's just a pretty girl dressed in a suggestive costume, it's nothing you haven't seen before...
Though, he wasn't even sure he could call her a pretty girl right then.
Because when she pulled away from him, talking about some of the decorations she brought, he had ample opportunity to get a good look at her costume up close. And she wasn't pretty. She was downright sexy, all legs protruding underneath a short plaid skirt and adorning shiny black heels, curly hair tumbling down her shoulders in pigtails. Her shirt was so low, most of the buttons undone to reveal a black lacy bra underneath. She wore a pair of glasses that sat cutely on the tip of her nose and minimal makeup, the only noticeable thing being bright red lip color.
That wasn't what was different, though.
Sure, she'd never worn anything that scandalous around work or even on nights out, but it wasn't the fact that she'd done so now that felt strange. No, it was the way she looked up at him, her head hung low and her eyes looking up through eyelashes. When she got excited to tell him something, she pitched her voice higher. And often times, she'd put herself in compromising positions, and it seemed like it was on purpose.
At one point she stood right in front of him trying to hang a streamer on a beam she was most certainly not tall enough to reach. Her arms stretched high, all fabric on her body rising up and exposing more skin. Spencer quickly tried to avoid any problems, offering to help so she wouldn't hurt herself, first of all, but also so that he wouldn't find himself staring too long when he shouldn't have been staring at all.
The whole time they were decorating, she found excuses to drop things and pick them up, to stumble and hold onto his arm for steadiness, to accidentally brush past him... And that's what was so different about her.
He didn't want to assume she'd been drinking before coming to the office, and if he'd known any better he wouldn't have assumed it in the first place. But that was the one and only thing that crossed his mind that could have been the answer to her strange behavior, despite the lack of alcohol on her breath. (The only reason he knew her breath didn't smell of alcohol was because at one point, she hugged him again and pulled back to look in his eyes, brushing stray curls from his face and telling him they did a good job finishing up the room they'd been working on.)
Now they were in the conference room, and Spencer was hanging streamers as Y/N sat in one of the chairs, wheeled back to the middle of the room so she could observe everything. Well... observe Spencer was more correct. At least that's what he figured, anyway. It was like he could feel her eyes burning into the back of him. Or maybe he was just still unable to get over the fact that she and her stupidly hot costume had had that big of an effect on him.
He stood down from the chair and asked Y/N to hand him more tape, refusing to look at her.
"Spence, are you alright?" she asked sweetly, rolling her chair over to the table so she could reach the tape. The innocent concern in her voice had that same suspicious tone to it that wouldn't leave him alone, like it was nagging him and calling to him... begging to confront her.
He flicked his gaze down to meet hers for the briefest of seconds before looking back at the table. "N—Yeah, I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" She picked up the tape and toyed with it between her fingers, which were manicured a light pink color. He couldn't help but stare at them. "You seem a little... on edge."
With a swallow, an attempt to bring moisture back to his throat, Spencer shook his head. "I'm... No, I'm sure. Everything's fine."
Y/N sighed. "Well, I've been working with you profilers for some time now, and... I think I can tell when you're lying. Was it... something I did?"
There she went again, her voice high and soft. Innocent. Like she was in character.
Spencer looked at her face again, and then immediately he regretted it. She was half pouting at him, doe-eyed and head tilted to expose her neck. He swallowed again, trying to figure her out while also figuring out what to say.
"No," is what he settled on, audibly nervous.
She could tell, too, because he thought he saw her smirk for just a split second. But then it was gone, replaced once again by her pout. "Oh... Good. Because I thought for a second that you didn't like my costume."
She obviously had to be up to something, right? Was she... flirting with him? And more importantly, did he want her to flirt with him? He'd never really thought about Y/N in that context before, but she was single, beautiful, and... well, truthfully that's all he really knew about her. They'd been friends for about a year now, and he couldn't put together one single thought about her other than the stuttering, muddled confusion over the fact that she was in a sexy Halloween costume and most likely openly flirting with him.
What was that Emily said once about his IQ dropping in the presence of a pretty woman?
Y/N had rendered him utterly thoughtless.
And speechless, too, apparently, because he stood there, staring at her without saying a single word.
"Spencer," she called out softly, almost like a lullaby. Her chair rolled back, away from the table to give him a better view of her legs as she un-crossed them and very slightly opened her knees. "Do you think I'm pretty?"
As if he wasn't already practically burning inside-out since the moment she arrived at the office, now his blood ran hot, and he was suddenly very uncomfortably warm. "U—Um, y—yes, you're... You're beautiful, y—your costume... It's nice, it looks nice on you."
Her pout slowly turned into a smile as she patted her knees. "Thank you... I wore it just for you, you know."
Is this some sort of bizarre dream? he wondered, his knees almost buckling at her words, their tone, and the meaning of it all.
"Y—You did?" he whispered brokenly.
"Mnmm," she drawled as her fingers toyed with themselves. "You teach, right?"
"Sometimes."
Y/N hummed and nodded, her legs still closed enough that he couldn't see anything... extra promiscuous. "You know, I bet you have quite a few students who find you attractive... Tell me, do any of them dress like this?"
She leaned back in the chair and started to run her hands slowly up the inside of her thigh, just above her knee. "Do they ever... Sit in the front row and... spread their legs just enough for you to see the pretty panties they picked out... just for you..."
By now her hands were resting on the inside of her thighs, her legs spread in exactly the way she'd described. He couldn't help himself. There she was, offering herself to him, and in his line of vision was the faintest glimpse of baby pink fabric that matched the color of her fingernails.
He didn't even know how to verbally respond. By now he was sure his face was beet red, and his palms were sweating so badly and struggling to keep him upright as he leaned forward on the table. Ah, the table— the only thing separating him from her, a fact which he wasn't quite sure if he was thankful for or not.
The spell she had around her broke when her phone rang. And just like that, it was like she was... herself again. At least, the 'herself' Spencer had always known. She sat up and walked over to the other side of the room to grab her phone from her bag, reading the screen as he struggled to catch his breath.
"It's Penelope. She has a costume emergency I have to help with. Are you good putting the rest of these up?"
"U—Um, yeah. Yeah, go."
Y/N smiled and grabbed her bag, thanking him as she walked past and left him behind.
He heard her call back as her figure was etching itself into his brain, ready to remain there until the end of time. "Can't wait to see your costume!"
***
Luke and Tara were having a conversation that he was supposed to be paying attention to, but Spencer's mind was still occupied by Y/N and her... outward display of sensuality.
Her voice was echoing in his brain, replaying over and over how she'd dressed up for him. And the longer he tried to wrap his brain around everything, the more he wound up confused. Where had her forwardness even come from? Had she been actively interested in him this whole time and he just hadn't seen it until now? A possibility, but why had she chosen to go to that extreme rather than just tell him the truth? Maybe she'd just found being overtly sexual an easier tactic than others?
Or maybe, in the end, she was just messing with him. Even though Derek had moved away, it was entirely possible that he'd somehow concocted one of his ridiculous pranks and roped Y/N into helping him since he wasn't around to do it himself. A smart move, though it was highly unlikely.
Spencer just didn't know what to do. Depending on how the rest of the night went, he was probably just going to have to muster up the courage to ask her what her intentions were. And depending on what she says, he was going to have to figure out what he wanted from their relationship... Did she want just sex? Did he want just sex? Did she want to go out with him? Is that something he would want as well?
He was just about to mull it over when Penelope's boisterous laugh sounded from the other side of the room. Spencer looked up, eager to see if Y/N was with her, since she'd been called away on a costume emergency. Penelope was dressed as a devil, red sparkly horns on her red-streaked, curled hair. She was dressed head-to-toe in a red dress and shoes that felt very much like her, with feathers and sequins, and her makeup was also red and black and absolutely glittery.
And sure enough, behind her stood the woman who'd been occupying Spencer's mind for the past hour and a half. Though, she wasn't dressed as a schoolgirl anymore.
He found himself swearing under his breath as he took her in, shimmering where she stood, dressed in all white.
She was an angel.
An actual angel. Her hair fell loose around her, accessorized with a headband with a golden halo attached to it. Her dress was still pretty form-fitting, though nowhere near as scandalous as her previous outfit. It was long and flowed out at the bottom until it hit the floor, a ring of gold at the hem. The sleeves were also long and bell-bottomed, accented with gold at the end.
And from where Spencer stood, even that far away, he noticed the glitter that surrounded her eyes, gold to compliment the color on her dress. Her lips were still bright red, and her glasses were gone. And the wings... As small as they were—most likely to keep from taking up too much space—they stood out in any crowd, purely white and outlined in gold, just like the rest of her outfit.
Why had she changed? Did... she actually change at all? Had he truly only imagined their encounter hours ago?
"Any... specific angels crossing your mind?" Spencer heard Luke say, punctuated with a pat on the shoulder.
He blinked and looked at him. "What?"
"Y/N... She makes a pretty good angel, eh?"
"Uh, yeah, I—I guess so."
Luke and Tara laughed, obviously amused by all of this. But they hadn't seen her earlier. They hadn't been there to witness her seducing him and acting like she'd done it a million times over. They didn't know what she was doing to him, inhabiting every corner of his brain and driving him mad trying to figure it all out.
But it wasn't uncommon for his friends to tease him about the female attention he got sometimes. And when it was obvious that he was flustered, they kept the friendly teasing going. And every time, he settled on leaving it alone, because he knew it would pass and he wouldn't have to worry about it again, at least until the next woman hit on him in public.
And Y/N? She worked with them. As long as she was in his head, he was afraid he'd never stop being flustered in her presence.
So he had to know. He had to talk to her and see what was going on, no matter how awkward it might get.
For now though, it was Halloween, and he was going to spend the night with his friends while doing the very rare amount of drinking and the more frequent amount of laughter.
The night didn't come without a few looks in Y/N's direction, though. She never came up to him directly, though a few times he'd catch her looking at him. And each time, she'd wave and continue on her merry way, laughing with Emily or doing some silly dance with Penelope in their coupling costumes.
Honestly, if earlier hadn't happened, he would have thought nothing of it. She was being completely normal. Happy, friendly... Simply Y/N, as he'd known her for the past year and a half.
He just finished saying goodbye to JJ, who was leaving early to go trick-or-treating with her kids, when she finally approached him. At the sight of her getting closer, her otherworldliness making his blood go warm again, he tried to compose himself. After all, there was no way she'd do anything sensual in public like this, right?
"I didn't get a chance to compliment you on your costume yet," she said brightly, her voice not carrying that higher tone from before. "You make a very believable zombie."
He looked down at his tattered clothes, a small laugh escaping him. "Thank you... It's no high-level makeup job, but I tried my best."
When he looked back up to her, the shimmer of her makeup basked her in a glow that made it incredibly hard to breathe. She really was pretty. Still sexy, of course, but in an understated way this time.
And he couldn't help but bring up the difference. "You... changed."
Something sparkled in her eyes then, giving them a devious glint that inherently contradicted her costume, and the mere implications of that made him tremble, especially as she said, "Mhm... I figured the schoolgirl costume was a little too inappropriate for the workplace. And besides... I did say I wore it just... for you..."
So he hadn't imagined the whole thing... On the one hand he was relieved to know he wasn't freaking out over something that hadn't actually happened. But... on the other, what did that leave him with?
It left him with a woman who was standing in front of him, dressed like an angel while giving him all sorts of devilish feelings.
Once again she'd rendered him speechless, though now his thoughts were filled with images of those pretty, glimmering eyes above him, watching as he worshipped her between her legs... Of her hands twisted in his hair as he showed her just how much he wanted her, to show her how beautiful she was.
Those thoughts were interrupted when she got closer, toying with a stray curl that stuck out from his head. She twirled it around her finger and looked up at him, doe-eyed again as she purred, "Happy Halloween, Doctor Reid."
She was gone too quickly, whisked away by the throes of an office holiday party that, one way or another, served as the beginning to a long, tempestuous affair.
***
In the weeks that followed, Spencer went about his days as normally as he could, focusing on work, and getting ready for another month of teaching, where he'd be away from his friends and, therefore, also away from Y/N.
It's not that he necessarily wanted to be away from her... Yet, after constant flirting with no direction other than his dreams filling with filthy images of the two of them together and no actual outlet for it, he figured a break would do him some good. Of course, he wasn't sure what would await him when he came back—if she'd forget about all of it and give up or if she'd come at him stronger than before.
It was his final day before leave, and so naturally, Y/N had to make it hard on him. He was sure that's what she was doing.
Since it was getting colder, she strayed away from skirts, though occasionally she would show up to work in a longer dress or a shirt that hugged her in all the right places, especially on the days that he would be working with her more. She had the BAU's schedules on hand always, so she had to be using that as a way to get to him.
On those days, she often used her higher pitch when she spoke to him, and her eyes were always adventurous— they wandered over every part of his body and sometimes quickly blinked away when he caught her, accompanying an embarrassed smile. (Though, Spencer was convinced she really was absolutely not embarrassed.)
Other times she pulled the "Oops, I dropped something," trick, and "You know, it's almost Winter but it's still so warm in here, don't you think?" followed by a stretch of her body as she slowly put her hair up or dragged it over her shoulder. 
His plan was to wait until he got back from leave, assess their situation from there after he'd cleared his head for a while, and then talk to her about what the hell was going on. Though the thought of confronting her scared him a little, he knew he couldn't let this go on any longer without some sort of conversation about what was next... What it all meant. It would drive him crazy otherwise.
With all the sensual, suggestive looks and actions she was throwing at him, though, it was a wonder he hadn't gotten to that point already.
As if she'd figured this out—because of course she would have found a way to get into his brain and know what he was thinking and feeling before he could even do so himself—Y/N stood by a storage closet with a clipboard. She pretended to write things down, when in reality she was looking up at him every so often, biting her lip and crossing her legs where she stood. She looked utterly desperate for something, almost like it was painful for her to be deprived of whatever it was she was looking for.
Spencer had a sneaking suspicion he knew what that was. And the thought sent a wave of electricity through his veins. All day she'd been going extra hard in attempts to catch his attention, and since it was his final day before leaving for a month, he knew that had to be the reason why.
If catching his attention was her goal, she'd definitely succeeded.
Across the room, and across a small sea of co-workers who were head-down, going through paperwork, he caught her eye and waited, his fingers twitching like they wanted to reach out to her. She tilted her head to the side and tucked her bottom lip between her teeth, staring back at him like she was in a daydream.
And sure enough, she was standing underneath a light, one singular beam that sat atop her head like a halo and bathed her in a soft glow.
Even without the costume, she was an angel... For a moment Spencer wondered if maybe she'd planed on it all from the start— making her move by dressing like an angel on Halloween for one night and then finding any way on purpose to replicate that presence without actually dressing up again. Was it a way to mess with his head, to make him believe that she was calling to him? That she would... save him somehow?
He had to know what she was doing.
So he gave in and stood up, his eyes keeping contact with hers as he got closer and closer. Before he could get to her, though, she winked and then turned around, entering the storage closet and disappearing before his eyes. Still, he followed her, desperately hoping that's what she wanted.
And with a silent prayer that felt ironic as he thought it, Spencer opened the door and entered the adventure that awaited him. Whether it would be heavenly or otherwise he wasn't sure, but either way he was ready to confront it.
Y/N had turned on a desk lamp, its orange glow the only source of light in an otherwise pitch-black space. She leaned back against a table, still standing with her legs crossed over each other, hands bracing themselves on the tabletop. "How's it going, Doctor Reid?"
"What are you doing?" he asked, almost immediately after she greeted him. Now that he was alone with her, away from unassuming eyes, he exhaled and visibly showed his confusion through pleading eyes. "Please, I need to know what you're doing..."
He barely saw the contours of her face through dim lighting as she smiled. "What do you mean?"
"Y/N... Don't do that." He took a step closer, even though the quick beating of his heart signaled that it might have been a dangerous move. "Tell me..."
"Isn't it obvious?" she cooed, her hands coming out to toy with the hem of her frilly skirt.
As he looked down at it, he had to wonder if there really was a God out there, some higher being that sent this angel down to destroy him. How else did it stand to happen that even though it was nearing the end of November, the one day it was warm enough for Y/N not to freeze while wearing a skirt was the final day he had before leaving for a whole moth?—Before it was inevitably snowy and she wouldn't have the luxury to tease him with her skin?
She must have caught his lingering gaze on her legs, because she laughed softly, spreading them to stand a bit further apart while her fingers very lightly pushed the fabric of her skirt up. "I've been trying to get your attention ever since I got here... But you never seemed to notice. So I figured... Why not be a little more... forthcoming..."
"Y—You could have... said something," he whispered, forcing himself to look at her face. But as he was learning, he couldn't look at any part of her without his whole body going up in flames. 
By now she was walking closer to him, small, languid steps that perfectly showcased how her body could move. "Well... Truth is, I was scared... Every time I tried to talk to you, I got really nervous..." Her voice was demure, apologetic almost... Embarrassed. But it had to have just been part of the allure, right? Part of her show? "You're just so... intimidating."
Spencer swallowed, a small laugh coming from him as he tried not to collapse at her closeness. "I'm... I'm really not..."
But she laughed, finally close enough to reach out and grab his tie, which is what she did. She held the fabric in her hands for a few seconds before letting it drop, bringing her pointer finger to gently trace patterns on his chest. "Not in a mean way, silly... You're... incredibly smart, and you're good at your job... You're always so nice to everyone... And I bet you really know how to make a girl feel good..."
He found himself trembling under her touch again as she brought her hand down to meet his. She leaned up to nudge his chin with her nose as she moved his hand to the inside of her thigh. It was only the slightest of touches, nothing rushed or passionate about it. In fact, Y/N seemed more taken with the idea of using her touch to draw everything out— to make him pine for it, lose all semblance of sanity until he finally gave in and did whatever he wanted to her.
"Don't you wanna know what it feels like to touch me?" she whispered, her breath hot on his neck. Meanwhile her hand guided his own farther up her skirt, until he felt her skin getting warmer and warmer with each millimeter. His throat was dry, breath shaky as he fluttered his eyes closed and embraced the moment, embraced the guidance... "To feel how wet you make me?"
His heart practically leapt out of his chest once his hand was finally met with said wetness. Her panties were damp and oh so warm, and he couldn't stop the whine that left his throat as she pressed his fingers hard into her against the fabric. Her fingers covered his like a glove, guiding them in small circles over her clothed clit as she sighed into his neck.
"You feel that?" she asked, nuzzling into his skin. "That's what you do to me, Doctor.  From the moment I saw you, I knew you'd ruin me..."
He breathed a laugh then, finding it utterly ironic how that's how she felt. She could have just been toying with him, but there was enough longing and desperation in her voice to let him know she really meant it. She'd been waiting for him to come along and whisk her away...
So that's what he was going to do.
Spencer removed his hand from her then, walking them over to the table and pulling her right to him by gripping the waistband of her panties and keeping her still. The gasp she let out fueled him in a way that would have wrecked him if the job hadn't already been done. As he looked down at her, her body was basked in the soft orange luminescence of the desk lamp, a sight that aesthetically added to his desire and farther fueled the heat that had been accumulating in his veins, waiting to be released.
"Is that what you want, angel?" he breathed, the words even taking him by surprise. His sexual experience was far from non-existent, but it was limited enough that he'd never acted this feral before. Never had a partner ever had this strong of a hold on him, so tight that he found it a struggle to breathe. Add on the fact that he wanted to embrace that struggle if it meant being this way with her, and you had a man who was completely unraveling under the allure of one single woman until she ultimately brought forth his demise. "You want me to ruin you?"
Though he was giving in, like he assumed she wanted in the first place, Y/N hummed, tilting her head again and blinking up at him. "You know, I kinda like it when you call me angel..."
Spencer gripped the fabric tighter, and she whined. "Is it what you want?" In other words, Do you want this? 
Y/N nodded, and then he crashed his lips with hers as he tugged at her panties and let them drop to the floor in a pool around her feet. She flung her arms around his shoulders and pressed herself into him more, allowing his tongue to part her lips and explore her with liveliness. She was more than welcome to embracing it, verbally giving him praises in the form of whimpers and physical ones in the form of her hips rolling forward to get more friction.
As one of his hands found purchase under one of her thighs, he thought back to Halloween night, and how he'd imagined his head between her legs. The memory had his entire body tensing with pleasure, and without a second thought, he pulled away and dropped to his knees, looking up at her with what he hoped was the purest form of desire.
He looked up at her, admiring the way her face looked in the dim light, as he lifted one of her legs and placed it on his shoulder. Still keeping eye contact, he tilted his head and kissed the inside of her leg. But eventually he let his focus lean to immersing himself in her pleasure, tearing his eyes away from hers and completely shifting his head to face her leg. His lips trailed upwards, taking his time to remember the taste and the feel of her soft skin. 
The higher he got, the heavier her breathing became, and it wasn't long before he fully had his head under her skirt. She tried to move the fabric so she could see him, but he gripped her wrists and pinned them at her sides, eliciting a laugh from her that quickly turned into a whimper once he brushed his nose over where she ached for him.
Without being able to stop himself, Spencer inhaled, breathing her in and letting out a shaky breath as he inched closer and involuntarily closed his eyes, completely wrapped up in her like he'd never felt before. He was intoxicated by her, even more so when his mouth finally made contact with her dripping cunt.
Feeling her shudder above him was almost as heavenly as the way she tasted, sweet and bitter and oh so delectable. He'd never craved anything more than her in that moment, his tongue lapping her up and making a point to taste all of her. He explored and worshipped and praised her just how he'd imagined he would, though now that it was actually happening and he'd really had a taste of her, he wasn't sure he could ever go back.
Not that he wanted to. Especially as she whined and rolled her hips against his face, seeking more pleasure as she tried to be quiet in the closet.
Spencer, though he knew the importance of keeping it quiet right then, couldn't say he was the same way. Since his head was hiked up her skirt, and his sounds were muffled by her skin, he was as loud as he wanted to be, groaning into her and mumbling praises in between while catching his breath. He reveled in the feeling of her wetness coating the lower half of his face and the sounds that both pairs of her lips were providing. It truly was better than any symphony or choir he'd ever heard, and if he could spend the rest of his life down there, worshipping at her altar and giving her everything she desired, he would have.
But they were at work, and if they were gone too long, it would get suspicious.
So, as much as he wanted to draw out her pleasure—and by association, his own—he focused on getting her to her peak, flicking his tongue out over her clit and letting her hips rock forward to get her exactly where she wanted to be.
He knew she was about to come when she stopped whining and whimpering altogether, the leg she had draped over his shoulder curling and tightening around him to keep herself steady.
His tongue was relentless, keeping at what it was doing while Spencer imagined what her face must have looked like. Were her eyes rolling to the back of her head or were they squeezed tight? And her mouth— was it hanging open? Was her bottom lip tucked between her teeth as she attempted to keep herself from yelling out? And as her hands struggled in his grasp, trying to escape most likely in favor of gripping his hair, he imagined them tied up above her head, attached to his bedframe as he took his time, drawing out every little sound she could have possibly made until she was just as unraveled as he was.
And then her grip loosened all around him, a whiny sigh escaping from her mouth, and Spencer reluctantly drew himself away from her. He dropped her leg from his shoulder and licked at his lips, tasting as much of her as he could before he had to return to work. And then, when he was moving to remove his head from under her skirt, he caught sight of her panties on the ground, picking them up and sliding the garment lightly up along her leg as he stood.
The only thing was, he wasn't putting them back on her.
No, they hung loose between his fingers as they tickled the inside of her legs, and when he finally stood tall enough to tower over her again, he got as close as he could to her, bringing the fabric up between her legs, right where he'd just been, and pressed them firmly to her sensitive pussy.
"Time to clean you up, angel," he whispered, swiping his hand forward and doing exactly that. Y/N whined against his mouth, faintly tasting herself on his lips as he cleaned her.
He kissed her then, gently, removing his hand from under her skirt and depositing the damp fabric right into his pocket.
If Spencer hadn't known already that he was done for, he would have figured it out right then, when he pulled back far enough to see the high, blissed out look in her pretty eyes. She blinked at him and sighed, telling him one final thing before she pushed past him and walked out into the office with no underwear and half-wobbly legs.
"I miss you already, Doctor..."
***
He missed her, too.
The month-long leave was supposed to assist in letting him clear his head, but the longer he was away from her, the more it drove him mad. Occasionally he'd still taste the sweet tanginess of her on his tongue, and no amount of coffee could rinse it out. Sometimes he'd be grading papers and daydream about hearing her whimper out his name as he took care of her.
It didn't help that she also sent him texts, little things that would have sounded innocent to anyone else but had a way more promiscuous meaning to the both of them. They mostly involved the discussion of angels, of course, as she left him with a quote or a song lyric, and other days with a fact about a specific angel.
Today, the morning before classes started, she sent him, She's gonna be an angel, just you wait and see... Spencer didn't know what it meant, what it was referencing, but it was innocent enough that he didn't think anything of it until lunch rolled around and he checked his phone to see another text.
...When it turns out she's a devil in between the sheets.
He couldn't stop thinking about it. All day, even as he was trying to distract himself by lecturing, all he could see in his mind was Y/N. Sometimes with her angel costume on, but mostly with nothing on, her body fitting into his like a puzzle piece as she sighed out his name like a prayer.
And to think, he had one more week until he would see her again.
But then he was looking through his students' quizzes, small sheets of paper with some terminology and matching definitions they needed to pair together. Since there were only about five minutes left until the class was over, he let his students spend the rest of the time how they chose, not really in the mood to burn himself out speaking when he knew it was only a matter of time before he slipped and said something about Y/N that he shouldn't.
The next quiz he grabbed was folded in half, unusual, but he opened it and was looking to go about his merry way regardless. But then he saw a post-it note right in the middle of the paper, reading She's an angel, my only angel, and punctuated with a pair of red lips.
The first thing he did was drop the pen that was in his hand. Not like he did it on purpose, though, he was pretty sure all joint and muscle function was lost upon reading the handwriting he knew so well, and a reference that only she could make.
And then he looked up, eyes scanning the sea of students to find her. She had to have been there, right? A few of the students found it odd that he was just looking through all of them, but all he was worried about was finding her.
And there she was.
Y/N had tucked herself all the way in the back, her eyes locked directly onto him. She winked then, when she knew she had his attention, and all Spencer could think about was how it must have been another dream. Her texts from earlier had gotten to him more than usual, and because of it, he was seeing her everywhere, seeing what he wanted to see.
Even though he wanted to keep looking at her, to try and figure out if she was really there or if she was just a figment of his devilish mind, he didn't want anyone to catch him. To anyone else it would look like he might have been staring at another student, and with the lust he knew was definitely swimming in them, the last thing he wanted to do was get in trouble like that.
So, to his dismay and reluctance, he slipped the note into the drawer beside him and quietly finished grading, even though he was longing to see how else he could let Y/N destroy him.
Even as the bell rang and everyone filtered out, Spencer kept his head low, refusing to look up until everyone was gone and only one person remained.
The quieter it got, the harder he could feel his heart beating. And then the only thing that cut through the silence was that unmistakable, angelic high pitch that would surely never fail to bring him to his knees.
"Did you get my note, Doctor?"
Only then did he allow himself to look up, and when he did, seeing her closer to him than she'd been in almost a month now, it was like the stars aligned. "Yes," he whispered, getting out of his seat and walking around the desk to be as close to her as possible.
She laughed and met him in the middle, nearly trapping him between herself and the desk. Her hands reached out to grab at his suit jacket and he wished that she'd touch him somewhere else. Anywhere else, just to feel the soft warmth of her skin.
"And my texts?" she cooed, taking another step and actually trapping him between her body and his desk.
"Y—Yeah, I got them."
"Oh, good. I've been thinking a lot about how you left me..." She slid her hands then, under his jacket and across his stomach until they reached his waist. "The second I got in my car to go home, you were already on your way here... And I couldn't help but wonder what you were doing with my panties..."
They were currently back in his hotel room, in the drawer and laying atop of his own clothes, a vision that had him reeling, wondering if she was wearing any now. So he asked. "Are... Um..."
Well, he tried to ask, anyway.
Y/N caught on, though, beaming at him as her hands removed herself from him and slipped up her skirt. "You wanna see the pair I'm wearing now?"
"Y/N... There's... Someone could come in, I..."
She clucked her tongue. "Oh, I wouldn't want to get you in trouble, don't worry. I'll just... Give you a quick peek."
She didn't wait for him to respond, lifting the hem of the skirt and stepping back so he could see the front of her underwear, which were white and printed with black cursive lettering.
Angel.
As soon as he exhaled, loud and obviously very turned on at the sight in front of him, she dropped the skirt and smiled. "You like them? I needed to buy a new pair since you felt the need to steal my others..."
Spencer really didn't know what to say. All he knew was that his body was on fire, and the tightening of his pants was extremely dangerous since he had another class in a half hour and there wasn't enough time to take care of it unless they did something right now. And even then, they were in a public area with hardly anywhere to go. His best bet would be to go to the bathroom and be as inconspicuous as possible to take care of it himself. Or, Y/N needed to leave immediately so he could settle down and just let it go away on its own.
Unfortunately, he seemed to have a hard time denying her of anything.
Which was why he didn't stop her when she sunk to her knees.
As she undid his belt, looking up at him  with sparkling eyes, she spoke to him. "Honestly, I had every intention to just make out with you a little, just enough to satiate myself until I can see you again next week, but... Well, I'm wearing lipstick, and I wouldn't want to embarrass you."
He'd made out with a woman before, who'd worn lipstick, and surprisingly it was pretty easy to remove, so he knew she had to have been lying as some part of a bigger scheme, but... he couldn't quite figure out what that was. Obviously she had plans to take care of his erection for him, so why make up the story?
But then she kept talking, only slightly pulling down his pants and palming him through his underwear. "And then I thought about how pretty you'd look covered in lipstick kisses, and, well... It's always good to start somewhere, don't you think?"
Oh...
His stomach did flips when she traced his dick through the fabric covering it, gently with her middle finger. And then, looking into his eyes from below, she pulled it out and slowly stroked it with her hand, a low hum coming from her throat. "Mmm, I can't wait to mark up this pretty cock..."
That's when he lost all semblance of control, a strained groan falling from his lips, coming from the great depths of his chest, just from her words alone. And she took that moment to lean forward and press the gentlest of kisses to the base of his dick. She held her lips there for a second or wo before removing them and moving just a little higher, her eyes never leaving his face.
Her kisses trailed higher and higher, centimeter by centimeter until she reached his tip, where she ever so slightly flicked her tongue over the slit at the top, tasting his precum. And then gave him one final kiss—one final red mark.
The temptation to grab her hair and hold her there while he fucked her throat was strong, but as he looked down at her, she was examining her handiwork with a seductive hunger that made him realize that no matter how strong his urges got, she would always be the one in charge. Even if she acted all innocent and submissive, she was the one who held the key to his sexual desires, and therefore she was the only one who had the ability to unlock them.
So, he contained himself as she looked up at him, winked, and quickly tucked his hard dick back into the confines of his pants.
And when she stood up, she leaned up to his cheek and pressed another kiss there, leaving behind a red mark and all all his sanity with it, quickly turning away before he could catch her.
"See you later, Doctor," she called over her shoulder before she disappeared out the door.
Spencer let out a long, unsteady breath, debating on whether or not he should take care of his situation in the bathroom or right there in the classroom, behind his desk and into the trash can underneath it while he still had ample time to do so.
He sat in the chair about a minute later, his hand moving furiously under the desk as he breathed out hushed whispers of her name.
***
No matter how badly he wanted more alcohol in his system, he wasn't going to allow it. After one drink he was already starting to feel the affects, veins buzzing right along with the low hum of the music from inside. The single streetlight above him provided only the dimmest of lights as he took deep breaths in and out, focusing on the bitter cold from the December air and the soft pelting of snowflakes upon the skin of his cheeks.
Y/N's touch still burned him, right along his inner thigh where her hand had firmly rested while they and the rest of their friends ate dinner at the bar. All night so far, she'd been teasing him to no end, whether it was a brush of her hand against his crotch or a tiny kiss on the shoulder when no one was looking.
How no one had figured them out yet was a mystery.
Spencer rubbed his hands together, trying to keep them warm when he felt it. She was behind him.
"You've been out here for a while, Spence, is everything okay?" Even when she wasn't speaking to him in her angelic higher pitch, he still felt like succumbing to the sound her voice regardless.
He turned around to face her, and sighed. It figured that even surrounded by a street that was covered in brown-tainted snow, she wouldn't have let it taint her beauty. He was convinced that no matter where she was or what she looked like, she'd always be perfect— capable of knocking the breath out of him every time he looked at her. "Honestly, you've been driving me crazy."
"Oh," she said, her eyes slightly shifting to the ground. "Maybe I... did take it too far, I... I'm sorry." The slight tinge of embarrassment and maybe regret that filtered through her voice nearly ran him to the ground— How could she ever believe that he would feel overwhelmed by her? Sure, to some extent, he was extremely overwhelmed by her, but it was never a negative thing.
"Oh, angel, that's not what I meant," he explained softly, taking a few steps towards her.
She lifted her head, eyes doe-eyed and sparkling, though not as they usually were. This time they were swimming in a softness that made him yearn for her even more. "What?"
"I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm absolutely mesmerized by you... Y/N..." Spencer brought a hand to lightly caress her face, and when she leaned into his touch it made him so warm he thought it would melt all of the snow. "I can't get you out of my head, and I... I don't know if I ever want to. I mean that."
"Y—You're not... weirded out or anything?" she asked softly. "That I just... sprung all my feelings and my lust out onto you all at once? B—Because I know it was sudden, and I came on really strong so fast, I just... I thought you liked it, and so I just kept going, but really I should have stopped and... I don't know, asked if you were okay with it..."
He'd seen this softness in her before— When she watched over JJ's kids in the office sometimes, and when she helped Penelope set the table for their 'family dinners'. Every time, on the rare occasion that she actually went on cases with them, when she helped JJ comfort the families who'd lost their loved ones, he saw it. And even through all the lust, that sweetness in her soul was what truly made her an angel. Even though the lust is all he'd been swimming in since Halloween, deep down he really knew that it was only a small part of who she really was.
So, he said to her, "Y/N, I'm enchanted by all of you. I don't... I don't know what happened to make you want to come on strong to me, but... I'm glad you did. Believe me when I say, there is nothing about you that would scare me away."
He didn't know how she was feeling, but she practically visibly melted at his words, right in front of him. "You really mean that?"
With a smile, Spencer stepped even closer and brushed a thumb over her bottom lip. "Of course I mean it, my angel."
She laughed then, her hands wrapping themselves over his waist. "Your angel, huh?"
"Mhm... If you'd like to be..."
Y/N leaned up and pressed her lips to his in answer, firmly and with all the sweetness she had nestled inside her soul.
But the longer they stood there outside the bar, kisses growing warmer and hungrier with each passing second, Spencer realized that he didn't want her sweetness any longer, not tonight anyway. He cradled her face in his hands, feeling the fire in his veins come alive when she whined into his mouth and willed herself closer.
Before he could say fuck it and decide to take her right there outside, he pulled away, still needing her but not entirely willing to get themselves caught for public indecency.
Y/N spoke before he got a chance to, her higher pitch coming back and almost bringing him to his knees.
"What do you say you take your angel home and show her a good time?"
***
She didn't even get a chance to close the door to his apartment before he was on her, his hands tugging at her coat to get it off.
It was a frenzy, at least while they were stripping. Jackets and boots and scarves were strewn across the entryway and leading into the living room, until each of them only had two layers: their regular clothes and what they wore underneath. And that's when they finally allowed themselves the luxury of wrapping their limbs around each other.
Her legs wrapped around his waist as he grabbed ahold of her ass to keep her steady. For added support, she flung her arms around his neck and kissed him the whole way to his bedroom, but not without a few stumbles. Either way, they were so quite literally wrapped up in each other that the imperfections didn't matter.
Like she could ever come with imperfections... Spencer thought as he set her down, immediately bringing his hands to the back of her dress.
Meanwhile she unbuttoned his shirt, fumbling around so much that he thought she might choose to rip it open, and selfishly he wished she would have. But she got it open without tearing any buttons, and the fabric slid easily off his shoulders at the same time her dress slid off her own.
He was going to kiss her again, but once he caught a glimpse of what she'd been hiding under her dress, there was nothing he could physically do but rake his eyes over her figure and pray for forgiveness for all the devilish things he wanted to do to her.
It was a white set, all lace that was detailed to look like feathers as it hugged every curve of her body perfectly. She wore a set of garters that attached to the panties, which he was pretty sure were crotch-less and outlined in a pretty gold shimmer.
"I knew you'd like it," Y/N drawled sweetly. The pure innocence that dripped from her tongue would have thoroughly wrecked him had her appearance already not taken care of that. And she seemed to understand how immobile he'd become at the sight of her, because she moved of her own accord, gliding over to him and reaching her hand out to undo his belt. "I'm gonna take your silence as a good sign..."
"You're stunning," he breathed, just barely, and she gave him a smile through softly biting her bottom lip.
"You're too good to me..." Her hands pushed down his loosened slacks and waited until they fell to the floor. And then she hooked her fingers under the waistband of his underwear and leaned into his neck. "And I think your kindness deserves a reward..."
Her lips gently pressed to his neck before she dropped to her knees once again, and as she descended, her hands and his underwear did the same, leaving him completely bare and open for her to do whatever she wanted. No matter how badly he longed to throw her on the bed and get to showing her just how much she'd inhabited his every fiber of being, he didn't dare stop her as her tongue darted out and licked a featherlight line along the length of his hard cock.
He let out a sigh and twitched at her touch, a feat that must have pleased her, because she smiled and hummed happily as she repeated her action. Only, this time her tongue was more firm on him— not teasing anymore, but it brought him to damnation all the same.
And then she fully wrapped her lips around the head of his cock, slowly gliding herself down until he hit the back of her throat.
The sound he made was inhuman.
She wasted no time then, bobbing her head at a steady rhythm and moaning around him as she did so. It didn't take long for saliva to start gathering above her chin and dripping down onto the exposed area of her breasts, just above her bra. Occasionally she would hold him at the back of her throat and choke as she looked up at him with tears in her eyes, and the sight of his little angel happily crying with his dick in her mouth sent Spencer into a tailspin.
But as tempting as it was to paint the back of her throat white, he knew he'd prefer to take that action to a more interesting place. So he pulled away from her and breathed out, "Please, not yet..."
He looked down at her as she smiled, wetness coating her skin in the form of tears on cheeks and saliva on breasts. Her hands rested at the tops of her thighs, even as she stood up and blinked a final stream of tears down her left cheek. "Why, is there somewhere else you'd rather fill me up?"
"Please," was all he said, his breathing labored as he imagined what she would feel like.
Thankfully she seemed to take mercy on him— Y/N grabbed his hand and pulled him to the bed, where she laid him down at the headboard and straddled his thighs. "As much as I love spreading my legs for you, I think I'd much rather take a ride..."
"Anything you want," he told her, his eyes traveling up the length of her body as she got comfortable. She was, in fact, wearing crotch-less panties, and the feeling that coursed through him at the sight of her glistening pussy in decent lighting (AKA when he wasn't under her skirt in a storage closet) sent him straight to Hell all over again.
He sighed out as she played with herself, gliding her fingers delicately along the planes of her body, from her thighs to her clit, and eventually she gripped his dick to line it up, lifting her hips above him.
"Are you ready?" she asked gently, rolling her hips to slick him up with her arousal.
"Always ready for you, angel..."
The pet name sprung her into action. She sunk down slowly onto him, and he willed his eyes to stay open so he could watch as her mouth dropped open, eyes rolling back into her head as she moaned out deliciously. He let out a groan himself, the feeling of her tightly wrapping around him like velvet almost too much to handle.
"Ohhh, you fill me up so good," Y/N sighed, gently grinding her hips in slow circles as she finally had all of him inside her. "Just like I knew you would..."
Everything she was doing, between the gradual increase of the speed at which her hips rolled and the way she looked down at him with pure desire, had Spencer wondering what he'd ever done without her. What had he known before knowing the feeling of her nails gently digging into the skin of his stomach as she rode him, before knowing the sound of his name falling from her lips in a whisper? It couldn't have been anything good, because as far as he was concerned, she was as good as it would ever get.
But at some point it felt like he needed to take more. She was giving him her body, offering it to him like the most precious gift she had to offer, and yet he wanted to tear into it and leave nothing behind except her voice, calling out his name into the heavens above. He longed to give her something in return, something that would leave her just as ruined as she'd left him.
And, as always, she could tell.
Y/N laughed seductively as she leaned down, her hips still rocking into his. Her lips pressed a gentle kiss to his before she spoke. "Everything alright, baby?"
All he could do was let out a broken moan as she clenched around him on every upstroke.
"Aww... You want more? Huh, you wanna lay me down and give it to me good? Show your little angel what it feels like to be fucked so good she can't even speak?"
"Don't... tempt me," he was finally able to choke out, and she laughed.
"Aww, come on... Show me what you got..."
Spencer wasn't sure when he actually did it, but one second she was nipping at his bottom lip, challenging him to take control, and the next he was on top of her, her legs spread as wide as they could possibly get as he rocked his hips into her at a deep, bruising force.
She laughed amusedly through whimpers of pleasure, her hands spreading out at her sides like wings as he gave her everything he had. Looking down at her, head thrown back and hair fanned around her head like some sort of angelic crown, he soaked it all in and wondered if this was what Heaven was— the feeling of her succumbing to his lust, the sight of her lost in the throes of weeks of pent-up sexual tension that never entirely got released, the sound of her near-incoherently whining at how good he was...
If it wasn't Heaven, it was surely something pretty damn close.
He was almost there, tension stretching out inside the pit of his stomach, when Y/N grabbed one of his hands and brought it to her lower belly. He felt himself slamming into her at full force every time, the small bump against his hand bringing him further along the road of release.
"You feel that?" she whined, keeping his hand there. "You know what that means, don't you?"
It could have meant a lot of things, but his brain was too far gone, lost in in the fog of pleasure to even begin to think about what it was. But then she answered for him, and it was just about the hottest thing he'd ever heard come from her mouth.
"It means I'm all yours... to do whatever you want with... to fill me up with your cum as much as you want... maybe turn your little angel into a mommy..."
With a loud, guttural groan, Spencer held himself still, deep inside her, and gave her every last drop, his hand remained pressed firmly to her stomach. If he concentrated hard enough, he could almost feel his cum spilling out and filling her to the brim through the barrier. She pulsed and came around him at the same time, warmth spreading between the two of them like a drop of water would soak through fabric, until it completely enveloped them like a heavy blanket.
And then they'd given everything, their bodies clinging to each other for dear life as they settled into the gentle aftermath of such a heavy feeling of ardor. Their breaths slowed and their lips explored each other tenderly, hands doing the same until, finally, they felt themselves drifting off.
***
Spencer dreamt of Heaven that night, glimpses of a future he'd always longed for with other people, but that he would get to spend with her.
A wedding dress, white, but haloed by a gold fog as the woman wearing it glided along the aisle and made her way to him.
A house, small, but fenced in and just perfect enough for the two of them and the baby that was on the way.
A picnic table, damp, but drying out in the sun as it gradually became littered with plates of birthday cake and a little candle that was shaped into the number 3.
A woman, old, but beaming as she showed a photo album to her multitudes of grandchildren, telling them stories about the wonderful life she lived with her husband who always called her Angel.
And when he woke up, seeing that old woman as she was now, sleeping in his bed as the sun beamed through the curtains and basked her in a heavenly light, he knew what Heaven really was.
It was her.
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junghelioseok · 3 years
Text
heart-on.
↳ your one-night stand definitely isn’t relationship material, but maybe—just maybe—your manager’s son is.
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◇ hoseok x reader ◇ smut | strangers to lovers!au ◇ 10.1k [1/1]
❛❛ my boss is always telling me how perfect her son would be for me and she promises he’s coming to the next holiday party and don’t worry he’s heard all about me too and ALSO there’s this dude i slept with once a couple of months ago and sometimes he still sends me dick pics when i ask him to at 3 in the morning cause seriously dude’s got a good dick ❜❜
notes: welcome to the first installment of the serendipity series! we’re starting with hoseok, because, well, have you met me? 🤣 be warned, however, that this isn’t anywhere near as edited as i’d like so i’ll probably give it another read/edit tomorrow but for now!!! here it is!!!
⇢ series masterlist. | inspired by this post.
warnings: dirty talk bc hoseok’s got a bit of a mouth on him, unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it, kids!), sexting. dick pics, obvi. brief mention of a dead pet goldfish :(
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You’re refilling your mug when you hear it. Voices filter out from the kitchen, floating past the coffee station where you’re pouring yourself another drink and hanging in the open air of the hallway that leads back to the rest of the office. They’re familiar voices, too—voices that belong to the resident gossips of your workplace. Lottie’s pitchy, nasal tone melds with Hyejin’s higher one, their conversation interrupted every so often by an exaggerated exclamation or gasp from Sandra, the third and final member of their trio.
“Haven’t you heard? Carolyn’s divorce was finalized over the weekend, the poor thing.”
“I can’t even begin to imagine how she’s feeling. I mean, getting back into dating at her age? Goodness!”
“And now she’ll be all alone at the holiday party, too. How sad is that?”
“It’s tragic. Poor thing.”
Rolling your eyes, you grab a packet of sugar and tear it open, upending it over your mug and watching the crystalline granules fall into the dark liquid within. You know for a fact that Sandra and her husband can’t even stand to be in the same room for an extended period of time, considering how they’d spent most of last year’s holiday party talking to entirely different groups of people. You’d sat two tables away from them during dinner, and they hadn’t even made eye contact once. And as for Lottie and Hyejin, well, you’re certain that their relationships aren’t much better. All three of them are miserable people as far as you’re concerned, and you make a mental note to check in on Carolyn—a sweet woman in her thirties who always keeps chocolate bars in her purse—on your way back to your desk.
“Sheesh. Vultures, the lot of them. Don’t you think?”
You whirl at the sound of your manager’s voice. Kyunghee Jung is a dark-haired woman in her late fifties, and she laughs when she sees your startled expression, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “Easy! You’ll spill your coffee if you’re not careful.”
“I’ll probably have a heart attack first,” you reply, pressing a hand to your chest. “What was your job before this? Some kind of intelligence operative? Are you a super spy?”
Kyunghee laughs again and joins you at the counter. “Nothing even remotely as exciting as that,” she answers, plopping her mug down beside yours. It’s decorated with what looks like every color of the rainbow, a massive smiling sunflower taking up the majority of the surface, and the only remnant of the ceramic’s original color is on the very edge of the handle where there’s a lopsided little patch of white. The piece is clearly handmade, and a stark contrast to the simple mint green cup that houses your coffee. Looking at it, it’s impossible not to smile.
“I love that,” you remark, inclining your head at her mug. “Was it a present from one of your kids?”
“Hoseok,” she confirms, running a fingertip along the imperfect handle fondly. “I’ve told you about him before—he’s right around your age.”
You chuckle. “Right, I remember. That’s why he’s the perfect match for me, right?”
“Come now, there’s more to it than that,” Kyunghee defends, waving a hand. “But yes, to answer your question. He gave it to me as a birthday present when he was eight.”
“Well, you never told me he was an artist,” you tease. “Does he have an Etsy? Can I buy one of these off him? Does he do custom orders, maybe?”
Normally, your manager is more than happy to play along with your jokes, but today Kyunghee fixes you with an uncharacteristically serious look. “Why don’t you ask him yourself?” she asks. “He’s coming to the holiday party, after all. I figured you could finally meet.”
You blink. Kyunghee has been making offhand remarks about how well you would get on with her son, Hoseok, for over a year now, but you’ve never even come close to broaching the topic of meeting him. You don’t even know anything about the man beyond the fact that his name is Hoseok and that he works somewhere downtown. He also favors tall socks and yellow suspenders if the framed photograph on Kyunghee’s desk is any indication—or at least, he certainly did when he was still in diapers. Whether he still does, is anyone’s guess.
“Wow, I had no idea he was even interested in coming,” you manage when you’ve recovered from your surprise. “Did you bribe him?”
If Kyunghee notices that your voice is a few pitches higher than usual, she doesn’t remark on it. “Oh, you know. I just told him that this would be his last chance to score free booze on the company’s dime.” She laughs. “Three more months and it’s going to be all beaches and sunshine for me. I might even become a cruise person in my retirement.”
You gasp and slap a hand to your heart. “Kyunghee! Think of the environmental impact!”
“I said I might!” she retorts immediately. “Sheesh. Even in my old age, it’s hard to conveniently forget how shitty and unsustainable those damn boats are.”
You pick up your mug and raise it in a salute. “Well, the oceans thank you.”
“My husband doesn’t,” she answers with a sigh. “He’s been dying to book one of those trips that stop all along the Mediterrannean coastline, and I can’t exactly blame him.”
“That is tempting,” you admit. “You’ll have to send photos, if you do end up going.”
“You’ll be sick of me and my photos before the first day is even up,” she promises. Then she pauses, her eyes darting toward the kitchen where silence has fallen in the last few minutes. “Speaking of being sick—you think the vultures are still hovering around in there? I haven’t had lunch yet, and I need the microwave.”
Obligingly, you edge a little closer to the kitchen doorway and poke your head around the frame, scanning for Lottie and her sidekicks. “Coast is clear. Enjoy your lunch, Kyunghee.”
She nods and raises her mug at you, returning your salute. “I always do.”
///
As soon as the work day ends, you fall into your usual routine. Your commute home is easily walkable on nicer days, and though the winter weather is brisker than you’d like, you decide to walk for the sake of stopping at the convenience store on the corner of the block.
Once you arrive back at your apartment, you change into your comfiest sweats and a loose tee. You turn on some music while you throw together some dinner, and settle onto the couch half an hour later with a full plate and Netflix. Television is a welcome distraction from the events of the workday, and you manage to get through three full episodes of your current show before your pesky brain decides to revisit the events of today, replaying the conversations that you’d both had and overheard.
There’s no denying that you’ve been single for quite some time now, and for the most part, it’s been by choice. Ever since graduating from university, you’ve chosen to focus more on your career, and it’s paid off both in terms of the important position you hold in your company and your above average salary. And yet, you can’t help but think back to the gossip you’d overheard earlier—about the supposed tragedy of being single and attending the upcoming holiday party alone. Your mind wanders to Kyunghee’s son, Hoseok, and how he’ll be in attendance this year. You wonder what he’s like, and whether he really is perfect for you, as Kyunghee seems to be so fond of mentioning.
And then your mind goes to Jay.
You met Jay two months ago, on a well-deserved night out after a hellish workweek. The bar was crowded, and the music coming from the neon dancefloor in the back was just loud enough to drown out your inhibitions. That, combined with the alcohol swimming through your system, made you bold. You sashayed your way across the dancefloor, dodging inebriated bodies and swaying limbs as you fixed your attention on the head of pale lavender hair and deliciously broad shoulders that awaits you just behind the bar counter. The bartender is nothing short of gorgeous, and you’ve thrown all caution to the wind. Sure, several other women are eyeing him like he’s their next meal—several men are, too—but you need another drink. And while he prepares it, you plan to flirt.
A lot.
The bar counter is sticky with spilled liquor, but you don’t pay that any mind as you lean across it, the wood digging into the narrow strip of exposed skin left by your cropped top. “Hi!” you call, and the bartender looks up from where he’s just finished pouring a round of shots for a group of raucous young men.
“Hi yourself,” he says, his pillowy lips stretching into an easy smile. “What can I get you?”
You pretend not to notice the way his eyes flicker down to the dip of your cleavage and instead put on the sultriest smile you are capable of mustering. “Vodka soda,” you tell him, injecting a bit of purr into your voice. “A bit of lemon too, if you have it.”
“Trust me, I have it,” he assures, his smile growing as he reaches for a clean glass and a clear bottle. “Name’s Jin, by the way. I’m here all night, if you need anything e—”
A loud clatter and the sound of breaking glass interrupts the rest of his sentence, and all eyes at the bar go to the source of the disturbance. Conversations stutter to a halt, and even the thumping bass of the music seems to dull. Jin darts to the other end of the bar, where you can see that one of several barstools has fallen to the ground. There’s a man on the ground as well, surrounded by shattered glass and spilled dark liquor, and your eyes widen when you realize that you know him.
And arguably, a little too well.
“Fuck,” you mutter under your breath. People are starting to lose interest in the spectacle, turning back to their own conversations and continuing on as if nothing had happened at all. The man is beginning to clamber to his feet, and a few people lend a helping hand as Jin begins barking out orders for everyone to step back so he can sweep up the broken glass. You seize upon the opportunity, latching on to the nearest arm and pulling them close so you can hide behind them. Vaguely, you’re aware of them sputtering in surprise, but you only have eyes for the man who had fallen off his stool, watching him carefully as he brushes himself off and tries to play it cool despite the sizable patch of whiskey soaking his white shirt.
“Hey, uh…” Your human shield is speaking. “Are you okay? You’re squeezing me pretty tight.”
That draws you out of your daze. Abashed, you loosen your grip on his arm and look up into his face, your throat going dry when you realize how handsome he is. His black hair is parted over his forehead, a stray strand falling into warm brown eyes set above a straight nose and an inviting mouth. There’s a freckle above his top lip, just shy of the center, and your inebriated brain wonders just what it would be like to kiss it.
“I, um—” You clear your throat and try again. “Sorry about that. I just didn’t want him to see me.”
Your newfound companion raises an eyebrow and glances over his shoulder at the drunk man, who is now being ushered out of the bar by his buddies. “You know that guy?”
You nod, cringing. “Yeah, his name’s Trent. I… may or may not have dated him for a few months last year.”
The man laughs out loud. “You dated a Trent?”
“What, like you’ve never made a questionable life choice?” you challenge. “Besides, you shouldn’t judge someone based on the sins of their parents. It’s not his fault they gave him a terrible name.”
“Sure, but it is on him for going along with it,” he replies with a shrug. “I would’ve changed my name as soon as I could if my parents had named me Trent. But hey, that’s just one man’s opinion.”
You laugh. “Okay then, Not-Trent.” Relinquishing your grip on his arm, you let your fingers graze his hand before pulling away entirely. “What do you say we continue this conversation over a drink?”
The man, whose name is decidedly not Trent, catches your fingers in his and gives them a gentle squeeze. “Happily.”
One drink turns into two, and then three. By the end of the hour, you are feeling pleasantly warm, the alcohol spreading through your veins like molasses and turning your surroundings into a hazy blur. The music has grown even louder, pounding against your eardrums, and you grab onto Not-Trent’s wrist as he sets his now-empty glass back down onto the counter.
“Do you wanna get out of here?” you ask, raising your voice to be heard over the thumping bassline. “I can’t even hear myself think.”
“The parking lot’s out back,” he suggests. “Why don’t we get some air?”
You nod and stand up on wobbly legs, cursing your decision to wear heels when you stumble into your companion. He steadies you with a gentle but firm hand, and you don’t miss the way his touch lingers on your lower back, his palm warm through the material of your blouse.
Together, the two of you pick your way through the throng of swaying bodies on the dancefloor. The bassline thuds in your ears, dark and hypnotic, and you can feel the reverberations thrumming across the slats of your ribs and echoing in the cavern of your chest like a second heartbeat.
It’s almost a relief, then, when you step out into the cool night air. Your ears continue to ring for a few seconds, but it soon fades and leaves behind only the muted hum of traffic from the street and the faint sound of music from inside. At your side, Not-Trent releases a long breath and leans against the brick wall of the building, and you turn to take in the steep slopes of his side profile as he tilts his head up toward the velvety night sky.
He’s handsome. Dressed in ripped jeans and black leather, he’s a sight to behold, and you’d be lying if you said you hadn’t been craving a bit of intimacy for quite some time now. The alcohol swimming through your system makes you bolder than you normally would be, and you reach out to lay a hand on his arm. He turns toward you with a silent question glimmering in his irises, but you simply step closer, until you’re pinning him against the wall with your body and you’re breathing the same air.
“Hey,” you say, your voice an airy whisper. His eyes are near obsidian in the dimness of the parking lot, illuminated only by the orange glow of the streetlamps on either end, and your gaze flickers down to his mouth before roving to the freckle that sits upon his top lip. “Kiss me?”
Your companion’s eyes widen. His lips part, but no words come out, and you’re about to repeat your question when he finally finds his voice again.
“That’s really… that’s not a good idea.” Awkwardly, he clears his throat, but the hoarseness of his voice and the harsh bob of his Adam’s apple give away his true desires. “Look, you’ve been drinking. We both have, and—”
You cut him off, pushing up to your tiptoes and planting a messy kiss to the soft dip just beneath his bottom lip. “Don’t care,” you mumble against his skin. “I want you.”
Your companion laughs weakly. His hands find their way to your waist and pause there, as if he can’t decide whether to push you away or pull you closer. “You don’t even know me,” he murmurs.
“I don’t have to know you,” you reply. Your fingers drag down his chest, trailing along the delicate silver necklace that rests against the black of his shirt. From the chain hangs a round pendant, the surface engraved with the letter J. Slowly, you trace it with a fingertip, the metal shining even in the dim light, and satisfaction blooms in your heart when your companion’s throat bobs again. “I want you,” you breathe, soft but insistent. “Isn’t that enough?”
“I—” He clears his throat and tries again, and you wonder if he realizes that his hands have slid down to your hips, or that there’s a growing hardness against your lower stomach that’s becoming increasingly harder to ignore. “Look, I’m flattered—really, I am. And you’re… I mean, fuck, you’re gorgeous. But I don’t think we should do anything when you’re clearly not in the right frame of mind to be making this kind of decision, and—”
“And, nothing.” You wind your arms around his neck, pressing close and grinding subtly against the bulge in his pants. You smirk when he releases a low hiss from between his teeth, and hide it by laying a trail of kisses along the stretch of bare skin exposed by the dip of his collar. “Stop being such a gentleman,” you whisper. Your fingers trail down his chest, past the silver of his pendant and down to the faded denim of his jeans, teasing at the cool metal of his belt buckle. “I want this. But if you’re not interested, I can always go back in there and—”
The rest of your sentence dies in your throat. Your companion has tugged you flush against him in one smooth motion, and your gasp is cut off by the firm press of his mouth against yours. Immediately, you melt into the kiss, and a moan tears from your lips when he spins you around and pins you against the brick wall of the building.
“You’re a spoiled little thing, huh?” His breath fans hot against your cheeks, and you shiver when you meet his eyes and see the dark promise reflected there. “Used to getting what you want, huh, princess?”
Your breath hitches at the endearment—something your companion doesn’t miss. “Oh, you like that?” He chuckles hoarsely, and when he speaks again it’s in a rasp that sends heat straight to your core. “What else do you like, hmm? You want me to be rough with you, princess? Or should I be gentle and treat you like a queen?”
You reach up, raking your fingers through his hair and skimming across the soft strands of his undercut before finding purchase at his nape. “You talk too much,” you whisper.
And then you’re crushing your mouth back against his, whining when he immediately takes back control of the kiss. His grip slides downward, his fingertips digging into the skin just above the curve of your ass, and you squeak when he grabs the back of your thigh and hooks your leg around his waist.
“You feel that?” he rasps into your ear, nipping at the delicate shell and chortling when you keen. Your skirt has ridden up dangerously high on your spread thighs, and you let out a soft whimper when he grinds harshly against your center. The lace of your panties and the denim of his jeans are the last barricades between you, and you wonder, vaguely, whether your companion has a bit of an exhibitionist streak when he slides one of your sleeves down your shoulder and begins kissing a trail down to the swell of your cleavage. “You feel how hard you’ve gotten me?”
You lean down, kissing the soft spot where his jaw meets his ear before letting your teeth graze against his skin. “Why don’t you do something about it then?”
He hisses out a sharp breath, his hands tightening their hold on your hips. “You’ve got quite the mouth on you, huh? I can’t wait to make you eat your words.”
Any retort you may have had is interrupted by a sudden swell of music and the sound of a slamming door. Whirling to face the source of the noise, you immediately spot a familiar head of lavender hair atop broad shoulders encapsulated in the black uniform of the bar. Jin hasn’t noticed the two of you yet, his attention fixated on his cell phone screen, but he looks up when you let out a little squeak of surprise and shove your companion’s chest in an attempt to create some distance between you.
“Hey.” Jin raises a hand in greeting, a knowing smirk curling his lips. “This phone call shouldn’t be too long, so please. Don’t stop the party on my behalf.”
Heat floods to your cheeks. There isn’t much use protesting against his insinuation, considering the rather compromising position you’re in. Much to your relief, though, your companion simply huffs out a chuckle and waves Jin off. “Thanks, man, but we’ll get out of your hair.” Lowering his voice, he turns back to you. “Coming, princess?”
You nod. He offers you his hand, and you take it gratefully, adjusting your skirt so that it drapes properly over your hips and thighs again.
“Have a good night!” Jin calls after you, amusement lacing every word. You can’t work up the nerve to respond, and luckily, you don’t have to. Your companion leads you around the corner of the building, where several rows of cars are parked beneath an orange streetlamp. On this side, the exterior brick wall is painted with a mural, and you admire the colorful galaxies and nebulae swirling amidst silvery white stars and the word serendipity spray-painted in pale blue.
The last car in the row is parked just beneath the letter Y, and it’s here that your companion stops. The sleek black vehicle has an almost vintage feel to it, and you glance up when you hear the jingle of metal.
“I’m guessing this is yours?”
He nods, pulling a set of keys from the pocket of his leather jacket and inserting one into the lock. “Yeah. You like it?”
“It’s beautiful,” you tell him, tracing the edge of the passenger window “Makes my car look like a total piece of shit by comparison.”
Your companion chuckles, pulling open the driver’s side door, and you catch a glimpse of your reflection in the window as he presses a button to unlock the rest of the doors. Your hair’s a bit of a mess and your mascara has smudged beneath your right eye, and you hurriedly swipe at it as your companion turns his attention back to you.
“So,” he says. “Now what? I can give you a ride home, if you want.”
Deliberately, you let your gaze drop down to his crotch, where his bulge—albeit waning—is still visible. “Seriously? I thought you were going to… what was it again? Make me eat my words?”
And just like that, it’s as if a switch has flipped. His eyes darken to obsidian, his lips settling into a stern line, and you barely have time to draw in a breath before he’s caging you against the side of his car and molding his mouth to yours. Your lips part beneath the onslaught, and he wastes no time in dipping inside to explore, licking into you until you’re both breathless.
“Inside,” he breathes once you’ve broken apart, and you instantly obey. You wrench the door open and all but tumble into the backseat, and he isn’t far behind as he slots himself between your spread thighs. Your hands fly to his shoulders where you help him shuck off his leather jacket, tossing it carelessly to the front where it lands in a heap on the dashboard before focusing your attention on the hem of his black t-shirt. Your companion obliges you as you push it upward to expose his toned abdomen, grabbing it by the collar and pulling it off the rest of the way when your reach falls a little short in the cramped interior of the backseat.
“Your turn,” he whispers when you try to reach for his belt, his hands settling around your wrists. “It’s only fair, princess.”
Pouting, you let your hands fall limp in his grasp, and he chuckles as he leans down to pacify you with a kiss. Deft fingers find the hem of your blouse, pushing it up until you can twist out of the material. You throw it aside with no regard for where it lands on the ground, and lay back as your companion drinks you in, his dark gaze raking across the lacy black lingerie that decorates your curves and skims you like a second skin. “Fuck,” he breathes, his voice hoarse with a combination of amazement and disbelief. “You’re stunning.”
You smile, trailing a fingertip from the dip of his collarbone down to the silver necklace that sits prettily against his bare chest. “You’re not so bad yourself,” you tell him, tracing the letter engraved into his pendant. “Jay.”
Your companion—newly dubbed Jay—smiles back. “You’re something else, princess,” he murmurs, before leaning down to kiss you again. He explores your mouth thoroughly—languidly—before moving down to nip at your neck, and already, you can feel the beginnings of marks beginning to form, blossoming across your skin as irrefutable proof of your tryst.
It isn’t long before Jay frees you from your bra, watching with carnal fascination as your breasts spill out of the lacy material. You whine when he reaches out to cup one, his palm hot against your bare skin, and he smirks crookedly when a pinch to your nipple makes your back arch off the leather of the seat. “So pretty,” he rasps. “I can’t wait to see how you look stretched around my cock.”
“Stop waiting, then,” you tell him, trying again for his belt buckle. This time, he lets you fumble it open, leaning back to watch you work with hooded eyes and a lazy little smile. Emboldened, you push aside the denim of his jeans and free his cock from the confines of his underwear. He’s hard and hot and heavy in your palm, and your tongue darts out instinctively at the sight of the pearlescent precum beading the tip.
“Jay,” you murmur, thumbing across the head of his erection and smirking when he hisses in pleasure. “Fuck me.”
Jay seems to consider your demand, mischief flitting across his features before he manages to school his expression into something more neutral. “Where are your manners, princess?” he asks, pushing your hand away and giving himself a few long, slow strokes. “Say please, if you want it so bad.”
For a moment, you consider refusing. Jay seems to be the type of man who enjoys a good game, but between the state of his cock and the earlier interruption, you’re pretty sure he’s nearing his limit. And even if he isn’t, you are. And so, you shelve your pride for the time being, and trail a hand down the length of your bared body as you bat your lashes up at him. “Fuck me, Jay,” you repeat. “Please. Want your cock so bad.”
His answering smile is equal parts amusement and satisfaction, and altogether sinful. “That’s my girl,” he rasps, before shoving your panties aside. Lining the head of his cock up, he enters you in one smooth thrust, and you moan as your walls stretch to accommodate his girth. You’re more than wet enough to take him in his entirety, your eyes fluttering shut when he bottoms out, and he groans hoarsely as he takes a second to relish the feeling of your walls gripping him so tightly.
“Fuck. You’re so wet, princess.” Jay dips a thumb into your slick, spreading it across your clit and rubbing a few experimental circles around the sensitive nub. He groans when you clench around him, his hips stuttering, and you squeeze around him again just to hear him grit out another curse. “Shit. I’m not going to last long at this rate.”
“Don’t care,” you murmur, rocking against him and sighing when the motion sends him a little deeper into your core. “Just fuck me, Jay. Please.”
Jay leans in, a dark lock of hair falling across his forehead as he plants an indulgent kiss on your waiting mouth. “Anything for you, princess,” he breathes. Slowly, he pulls back until only the tip of his cock remains inside you. Then he’s slamming forward, and you can’t even find it in yourself to care about the obscene sound of skin slapping against skin or the way the car rocks. Jay’s thumbing across your clit in tight circles that he times perfectly with the rock of his hips, and you wonder whether the rapidly building pleasure in your belly is due to your dry spell or if he’s just that good. You can feel every inch of him as he fills you up repeatedly, his brows furrowed in concentration and his dark hair flopping as he drives deeper in search of the spot that will have you seeing stars.
You know he’s found it when the pleasure in your belly spikes, your back arching off the backseat. Your skin is sticky against the dark leather and you’re certain the sweat gathering at your temples has destroyed the last of your makeup, but Jay alleviates your concerns with a particularly well-timed thrust and a harsh nip to the soft spot at your clavicle. You keen out something unintelligible, and his lips stretch into a smirk against your skin.
“That’s it,” he encourages. “Cum for me, princess.”
That’s all it takes for the mounting pressure to snap. Your body collapses into a searing orgasm, the pleasure flaring out like a supernova and spreading through your veins like wildfire. “F-fuck, Jay—” you gasp, your fingers scrabbling at his back for purchase and no doubt leaving scratches in their wake. “Fuck, you feel so—”
The remainder of your words trail off into garbled nonsense, and Jay huffs out a strained chuckle as he begins chasing after his own orgasm, rutting against you in a way that both prolongs your pleasure and sustains his own. “Shit,” he groans, his eyes fluttering shut. “Fuck, that’s it. Look at you—taking my cock so well. So pretty and perfect and—”
Whatever he was going to say dissolves into a groan as he gives a few more erratic thrusts before his release overwhelms him. Creamy warmth floods through you, and you rub his back tiredly as his head drops onto your shoulder, his breath flaring hot against your skin as he rides out his orgasm.
It takes several long seconds for the pleasure to recede. Your legs are still shaky when Jay pulls away, straightening up and tucking himself back into his jeans. There’s an empty ache in your core now that you are no longer stuffed full of his cock, and already, you are missing the feeling. Still, you push that aside as you sit up, adjusting your panties and wincing at the wetness that soaks the material and sticks to your skin.
“So,” Jay says after a moment’s silence, and you glance over at him when he huffs out a short chuckle. “That was fun.”
“Not bad at all,” you agree weakly, an irrepressible smile tugging at your lips.
Jay grins. It’s a bright, infectious grin—and it’s one that you’ve already grown rather fond of in the short period of time you’ve known him. It’s a grin that showcases his perfect teeth and crinkles his eyes into crescents, and one that all but forces you to grin back.
“Here, give me your phone,” he says, and you watch as he punches in his number once you hand it over. “Just in case you ever wanna do this again,” he tells you, handing it back. “Don’t be a stranger, princess.”
You glance down at his contact information, saved under the moniker you’d given him and affixed with a short string of emojis. “I won’t,” you tell him, chuckling. “In fact, I just might take you up on the offer.”
-
The screen of your laptop has long since gone dark, and you stretch your arms overhead before waking it again. Rolling your shoulders, you navigate back to the main Netflix menu, hovering over the resume button and watching the trailer loop in the background.
You’d be lying if you said you didn’t think about Jay often. You’ve texted each other quite often since that night in his car—usually when you’re bored and alone and have had a few too many glasses of wine in the evenings. You’ve found yourself tapping on his name instinctively during those odd, ambiguous hours—when late night and early morning meld together and you’re aching for a bit of relief.
And as if he knows you’re thinking about him, your phone buzzes against the coffee table, the screen lighting up with a familiar name.
[11:22pm] Jay 😘🍆💦: thinkin about u, pretty girl 😘
It’s followed by an image, and your heart rate picks up, thudding loudly against your ribs as you open it.
Tumblr media
Fuck.
Your memories of Jay’s face—made all the more hazy by the alcohol and the amount of time elapsed since your first and only meeting—truly don’t do him justice. Though the photograph cuts off just above his nose, you can still admire the sharp angle of his jaw and the fullness of his puckered lips. His skin is golden against the white of his t-shirt, and you lick your lips before thumbing across your screen to respond.
[11:23pm] You: yeah? what else are you thinking about, hmm?
His response is instantaneous.
[11:23pm] Jay 😘🍆💦: thinking about that pretty little pussy of yours
[11:23pm] Jay 😘🍆💦: how good it looked in that pic u sent me tuesday 👅
You barely even notice the way your hand begins trailing down your body, pushing aside the elastic waistband of your sweats. It’s as if you’re on autopilot, as your fingers find their way to the damp spot growing on your panties.
Yeah? you write back with your free hand, already teasing at your clothed folds with the other. Tell me more.
///
It’s an uncharacteristically warm Friday morning when you find yourself in the elevator with Jimin, a good friend of yours who works on one of the lower levels of your office building. “Morning,” he says as he steps in, a large iced coffee in hand despite the fact that it’s still very much the middle of winter. Then he squints, leaning a little closer. “Oh my god. You got laid!”
“Oh my god, not so loud!” you hiss, whacking him on the shoulder and jabbing the button to close the elevator doors. “And no, not exactly. I’ve just been texting Jay.”
“Texting, sure.” Jimin mimes air quotes around the word and rolls his eyes. “You’re sexting him, and we all know it. How many pictures of his dick do you have saved on your phone now?”
“Oh my—” You sigh, trailing off. “Can we not talk about this right now?”
“Right, of course.” Jimin takes a sip of his coffee and pretends to check his watch. “When would you like to talk about it then? Do you need to check your calendar? Can I book an appointment for later this afternoon?”
You stick your tongue out at him. “Shut up.”
Jimin just grins, his lips puckered around his straw. “So, how’s Jay? Have you asked for his real name yet?”
You shrug. “What’s the point? It’s not like we’re friends or anything. We’ve literally only met the one time.”
“Yeah, but that’s just because you’re a coward,” Jimin points out. “What’s stopping you from meeting up with him again? You have his number. You have at least one photo of his dick. Ask him out already!”
“It’s not that easy, though,” you sigh. The elevator doors open to let a few more people in, and you move to the side and lower your voice so that only Jimin can hear. “Jay—he’s not exactly boyfriend material. I mean, we fucked in his car the first night we met.”
“So?” Jimin frowns and takes another sip of his iced coffee. “You talk about things besides sex, don’t you? You definitely told him about your goldfish dying, at least. I mean, you told him before you even told me!”
“Yes I did, and he was appropriately sympathetic about Mustache’s passing, unlike some people,” you sniff. “Get over it already, won’t you?”
“Never,” Jimin replies, ignoring your pointed jab. “I’m sure you only told him because you knew you could get a sympathy sext out of it. How many dick pics did you get out of that night, anyway?”
“You’re gross,” you tell him, punching him in the arm. “Not to mention that’s exactly why Jay’s not boyfriend material. He’s perfectly happy with—whatever it is we’re doing. I can’t just ruin that by asking him to get dinner.” You frown, gnawing on your bottom lip. “I don’t want to make this into something that it’s not.”
Jimin hesitates. “Fine, okay. I guess I can understand that.”
“Yeah.”
There’s a pause, as the elevator makes a few more stops. You watch the numbers crawl higher, and know that you’ll soon have to part ways with your friend..
“Hey.” You nudge Jimin with your shoulder, just as the elevator doors close and you begin the ascent to his floor. “Wanna know something interesting?”
Jimin looks up from his phone, where he’s scrolling through Twitter. “Always.”
“My boss’ son is coming to the party tomorrow.”
Jimin’s eyebrows disappear into his ashy blond hair at your revelation. “Kyunghee’s son? Hoseok, or whatever?”
You chuckle. “The one and only. She’s found about a million ways to bring him up in conversation this past week. She thinks we’re a match made in heaven.”
“Wow.” Jimin releases a long breath. “I wonder what he’s like, then.”
You shrug, adjusting the strap of your work tote over your shoulder. “I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?”
///
The morning of the party, you wake up to an empty refrigerator. Half stale cereal and the last dregs of milk from the carton become your breakfast, and you munch on that as you mull over the contents of your closet. You’re still in your pajamas, but you pull out your comfiest jeans and a sweater to change into after you finish eating. Then you turn to your collection of dresses, rifling through them and mentally debating the merits of each material and color.
You could go in one of two directions tonight. On the one hand, this is still a work party, and as such your attire should probably maintain a certain level of decorum. But on the other, you’re meeting Hoseok Jung for the first time tonight. You aren’t necessarily looking to start anything with the man, of course, but you do want to look good. With that in mind, you eventually settle on a deep red number that you pull out of the very back of your closet, made of a silky material that skims your curves and accentuates your best assets. Laying it on the bed, you begin your hunt for a pair of matching shoes. Twenty minutes of searching and another five of agonizing later, you step into the bathroom, intent on showering and getting on with the rest of your day.
Upon exiting the bathroom, you decide that tackling the state of your refrigerator takes top priority over your other weekend errands. Sitting down at the dining table, you take stock of what you have in your pantry, planning out your meals for the upcoming week and making a list of what you need to purchase in order to make them a reality. It’s just after one in the afternoon when you exit your apartment with a completed grocery list and your purse stuffed full of reusable canvas bags. The store is a short walk from where you live, and you decide to put in your earbuds as your feet navigate the familiar route. The temperature is surprisingly mild for winter, and the sun shines bright from its perch in the cloudless blue sky. It’s perfect weather for a walk, and the fresh air clears your mind and eases your heart.
At the grocery store, you forego the stack of baskets and instead grab a shopping cart. Weaving your way up and down the aisles, you check items off the list on your phone one by one. Eventually, you find yourself in the cereal section, grabbing a box of granola before turning to where your favorite cereal normally sits. It isn’t there, and you turn in a full circle, confused, until your gaze finally lands on the familiar box on the top shelf.
Great.
Sighing, you push up to your tiptoes, stretching your arm as far as it can reach. Your fingertips graze the shelf, but you can’t quite get a grip on the box itself. Glancing down, you scan the bottommost shelf and wonder if you can step on it to give yourself a boost.
“Need a hand?”
The voice comes from behind you, and a vague sense of familiarity sparks in your brain. Slowly, you turn around, and your entire body freezes when your gaze slides up to the speaker’s face.
“Jay.” The syllable escapes you in a near whisper. “H-hi.”
“Hey.”
Jay stands before you, looking like sin incarnate in a faded denim jacket, black sweatpants slung low on his hips, and not much else. At his throat, his silver necklace sparkles, the silver J pendant glinting beneath the fluorescent lights of the store, and you’re suddenly beyond grateful that you decided to put on a decent sweater before leaving.
“Here,” he says, stepping forward until he’s close enough that you can smell his cologne—sandalwood tinged with sweet citrus. “Let me help you with that.”
The sudden proximity has your breath hitching in your throat. Your heart thuds erratically against your ribs as he reaches around you, the denim flaps of his jacket gaping in a way that exposes even more of his bare chest. By the time he pulls back with your cereal box in hand, you feel almost faint, belatedly realizing that you’d been holding your breath.
“You wanted this, right?” Jay asks, and you aren’t sure if you’re imagining the innuendo underlying his words or the teasing inflection of the syllables.
“Y-yeah, that’s the one,” you manage, fighting to quell the uneven tempo of your heartbeat as you accept the box. “Thanks.”
“Happy to help,” he replies. Then he leans in, close enough that you can feel his warm breath fanning your cheek as he murmurs his next sentence into your ear. “Anything for you, princess. You know that.”
Heat floods across your cheeks. Your heart skips two full beats before taking off into a sprint, and it’s impossible to ignore the way your core begins to thrum, as if anticipating a repeat of that night you first met all those weeks ago. Almost instinctively, your eyes dart up to the ceiling where the security cameras are, and Jay follows the trajectory of your gaze with a low chuckle and a soft brush of your cheek with the pad of his thumb.
“Sorry, princess. As much as I’d love to get my hands on you, I’m kind of on a time crunch today.”
You can’t stop the wave of disappointment that washes over you, even if you’re in the exact same boat. “Rain check, then?”
“Rain check,” he agrees. Slowly, you reach up to touch the engraved silver pendant resting against his chest, rubbing it between your fingertips before tracing the curve of the J, and he catches your wandering fingers between his and presses a gentle kiss to your knuckles.
“You know how to reach me,” he murmurs with a mischievous wink. His gaze lingers even after he’s released your hand, and you clear your throat awkwardly before turning to deposit your cereal box into your shopping cart.
The two of you go your separate ways then, exchanging goodbyes. You finish the rest of your grocery shopping in a daze, idly going through the motions at checkout and letting muscle memory guide you back home. Your arms are aching by the time you step past the threshold of your apartment, and you heave your shopping bags up onto the kitchen counter with a relieved sigh before returning to the entryway to toe off your shoes. You throw together a sandwich as you unpack your groceries, taking a big bite as you walk back to your bedroom to look at the dress you’ve picked out. Pacing over to the closet, you double-check your shoe choice. Briefly, you debate whether or not to wear flats instead of heels.
There are still a few hours left before you have to start getting ready, so you take the last of your sandwich back to the kitchen and whip up a smoothie to go with it. You scroll through your phone as you eat, browsing through the latest news headlines and scrolling through your social media accounts. Just before six o’clock, as the sun starts setting beyond the horizon and casting long shadows across your living room, you start getting changed. You snap a photo in the mirror once you’re dressed, pulling up Jimin’s name in your phone and sending it to him.
[6:13pm] You: last chance to come tonight
Your phone buzzes with a response almost immediately.
[6:14pm] Jimin: nah. i’d hate to step on hoseok’s toes.
You laugh. Not so fast, you text back. We don’t even know anything about the guy yet. What if he’s boring? Or sexist?
[6:15pm] Jimin: if u think kyunghee raised a sexist you’re seriously deranged
[6:16pm] Jimin: now stop taking selfies and get your ass out the door! you’re gonna be late!!!!
///
Each year, the holiday party tends to be a little over the top, and this year is no exception. The company has bought out the entirety of a restaurant for the evening, and you glance around in amazement at the twinkling lights and lush evergreen boughs decorating the walls and strung up along the ceiling. An assortment of sparkling ornaments hangs from the massive tree in the far corner, interspersed between silver tinsel and more lights. Grabbing a champagne flute off a passing server’s tray, you head farther into the restaurant, skirting around tables draped in creamy linen and greeting your colleagues and friends.
“Is she alone?”
“Figures.”
The voices come from the direction of the open bar, and somehow, you just know that they’re talking about you. Lottie, Hyejin, and Sandra are clustered in the corner with glasses of wine in hand, casting glances around the restaurant and gossiping about anything and everything with a pulse. You’re sorely tempted to grab the nearest pitcher of water off a table and pour it over their heads, but you suppress the urge and instead head over with a saccharine smile. “So lovely to see you, {Name},” Lottie says as you approach.
“I love your dress,” Sandra adds. “Very slimming.”
“Thanks,” you reply, putting on your brightest, fakest smile. “Yours is great too. How are you and your husband enjoying the party so far?”
Sandra’s face sours, and you hide your smirk in your champagne flute. Maybe it’s petty to bring up her rocky relationship, but you’ve been subject to snide comments from Sandra and her friends for years now and it’s become increasingly hard for you to bite your tongue. A few tables away, you spot Sandra’s husband, Rodney, take an enormous gulp of his whiskey and wince as it burns down his throat.
“We’re all having a wonderful time, aren’t we, ladies?” Lottie cuts in when Sandra takes too long to answer. “Hyejin’s date is over there with Rodney, and my boyfriend is fetching himself a drink. You remember Dev, don’t you?”
You nod, even though it’s a lie. “Sure. Say hi to him for me.”
Lottie’s lips curve up into a smile, her head tilting to the side, and you’re suddenly reminded of a snake rearing its head back for the kill. “So, what about you? Have you brought someone tonight, or—?”
“Hi ladies!” Kyunghee materializes at your side, her lips painted a festive red shade to match her dress. She’s wearing the disingenuous smile that she reserves for the resident gossips of your office, and you try not to let your relief show on your face when Lottie’s attention refocuses on your manager.
“So good to see you, Kyunghee,” she simpers. “Have you been here long?”
“Not as long as you,” your manager replies, nodding at the near-empty wineglass in her hand. “I see we’re already making a dent in the wine supply, and you’re falling behind, {Name}. Why don’t we go remedy that, hmm?”
She doesn’t give you a chance to respond, grabbing your arm and leading you away. Kyunghee is surprisingly spry for a woman her age, and you follow after her with some difficulty as she marches through the throngs of conversing people, all the way to the line at the open bar.
“I’d like you to meet someone,” she says, gesturing at the man standing at the end of the line with his back to you. “{Name}, this is my son, Hoseok.”
The man turns around at the sound of his name, a warm, affable smile stretched across his face. “Hi, I’m H—” he begins, but he’s cut off by your sharp intake of breath. His eyes go wide, his smile fading as his mouth falls open, and you’re certain you’re wearing an even more dumbfounded expression. “It’s you,” he says, his voice hoarse.
“Wh-what… how…” You trail off, speechless. The words flounder and die in your throat as your brain struggles to process this development, and you practically feel the way the gears in your head churn to a stuttering halt.
Because this man standing before you, the one that Kyunghee has just introduced as her son, is none other than Jay. He looks completely and utterly devastating in a navy waistcoat and matching slacks, a green tie shaped like a Christmas tree knotted loosely around the white collar of his shirt. His dark hair is parted, his undercut exposed, and you can’t tear your gaze away from the loose strand that has fallen across his forehead.
“H-hi.”
Jay—Hoseok—swallows. “Hi.”
Kyunghee glances between the two of you, her brows furrowing. “I take it you two already know each other?”
Hoseok’s ears begin taking on a scarlet tinge, the color spreading to his cheeks as he struggles to find his vocabulary again. “I—yeah. Yeah, we’ve met.”
“Right. Do I even want to know how?” she asks dubiously, before shaking her head and huffing out a sigh. “No, forget I asked. I don’t want to know. I’ll just leave you two to… catch up.”
Waving goodbye, Kyunghee disappears back into the crowd of partygoers milling around. Hoseok turns back to you, sucking in a deep breath, and you fight the urge to stare down at your toes as his gaze roves across your face.
“I can’t believe this,” he says, breaking the silence that’s fallen between you at last. “My mom’s been talking about you for months, but I never imagined that it’d be you.”
“You’re telling me,” you reply, finally having recovered your voice. “Kyunghee brings you up all the time, but I never thought… I mean, we didn’t even know each other’s names, and now…” You shrug. “Here we both are.”
“It’s a pretty crazy coincidence, huh?”
“Definitely.”
A beat passes, and then two. You’re fully aware that you’re staring, but you don’t dare blink, afraid that he’ll disappear if you close your eyes. Of all the things that you thought might happen tonight, this particular meeting wasn’t even close to making the list. Never would you have thought that the man you only knew as Jay would turn out to be Kyunghee’s son. Never would you have connected Jay to the photographed little boy in yellow suspenders on Kyunghee’s desk, or realized that they were one and the same.
From behind you, someone loudly clears their throat. Another voice calls for you to get a move on, already, and both you and Hoseok belatedly realize that you are still standing in line for the open bar. Hoseok’s eyes go wide again, and you nearly tread on his toes when you both try to move forward. “After you,” he says with a chuckle, gesturing for you to go in front of him, and that’s enough to break the tension. You step ahead of him with a laugh, catching up to the line, and Hoseok doesn’t stray far as he follows your lead.
“So, what are you drinking?” he asks, a smile playing at the corner of his lips. “Vodka soda with a twist?”
“Actually, I think I’m going to stick with wine tonight,” you reply, peering at the bottles lined up on the counter. “What about you?”
“Hmm. Jack and coke, I think. Nothing else is really calling my name right now.”
Grabbing your drinks, the two of you begin searching for a place to sit. You spot Kyunghee at a table near the front, and she smiles knowingly and offers you a thumbs-up when she catches your eye. Eventually, you settle on a table near the Christmas tree, the lights glimmering off the glasses and reflecting off your knife as you pick it up to butter a slice of crusty bread from the basket in the center. Hoseok follows your lead, grabbing a piece for himself, and the two of you munch in silence for a few seconds before Hoseok breaks it.
“You know, my mom says you’re the perfect girl for me” he says with a dry little chuckle. “Think she’s right?”
“I don’t know,” you answer. “It’s funny, though—Kyunghee’s been telling me the same thing. She sings your praises all the time.”
Hoseok laughs and scratches the back of his neck. “Oh, jeez, that’s kind of embarrassing. I’m glad she’s saying good things, at least.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” you tell him, grinning. “She’s only shown us one photo album from your childhood.”
His face crumples. “Was it the Disneyland one?”
You nod, fighting back laughter, and watch as Hoseok groans and lets his forehead meet the linen-covered tabletop with a dull thunk.
“I don’t like rollercoasters,” he mumbles into the tablecloth, his voice muffled by the material. “They make me queasy.”
“Even now?” you ask, and he nods.
“Yep.”
The clinking of a fork against a wineglass—amplified and broadcast through an array of invisible speakers built into the restaurant’s walls—interrupts any further conversation. You twist in your seat to watch your company’s leadership give their opening remarks, listening as they congratulate everyone for a great year and wish you a happy holiday season. The servers begin going out with plates of food, and you thank them as they set yours down. Hoseok does the same before raising his glass in your direction, clearing his throat and offering you a crooked little smile.
“Here’s to second meetings.”
“Third, if you count the store earlier,” you correct, and he chuckles and nods in agreement before clinking his drink against yours.
You spend the entirety of dinner chatting with Hoseok, getting to know him beyond the few facts Kyunghee has mentioned and what little you’ve gleaned from texting him the last two months. He tells you all about his dance studio, Hope World, where he teaches both contemporary dance and the occasional Pilates class. You find out that in addition to rollercoasters, he also dislikes sour foods and raisins, but he loves mint chocolate and sweet and sour pork. He also has a very low tolerance for alcohol—something he tells you as he tilts the rest of his drink into his mouth. “Should I be worried?” you ask as he sets his glass back down, and he chuckles and shakes his head, sending the loose tendril of hair flopping across his forehead.
Dessert is served, and subsequently eaten. The music is turned up, and people slowly begin finding their way to the open space that serves as an impromptu dancefloor. Hoseok rises to his feet and extends a hand toward you, and you only hesitate for the briefest of seconds before accepting it. He leads you out amongst the other swaying couples, his hand finding its way to the curve of your waist, and you rest your hand on his shoulder as he begins guiding you in a slow, simple waltz.
“So?” Hoseok’s voice is a low murmur, soft and gentle against the shell of your ear. “What’s the verdict?”
You blink. “The verdict?”
Even without looking, you can tell that he’s smiling. You can hear it in the lilt of his voice, and imagine it in the curve of his lips. “About me,” he clarifies, carefully pulling back so you can spin in a circle beneath his outstretched arm. “About us. My mom will never let me hear the end of it if she turns out to be right, but I still wanna know. So what are you thinking?”
“Are you asking if I think we’re perfect for each other?” you ask, giggling. “I don’t know if I believe in all that, to be quite honest. Destiny and soulmates—I mean, doesn’t it seem a little too good to be true?”
Hoseok hums. “Maybe. But considering all that’s happened to us in the last couple of months, don’t you think there’s a chance that it's all more than simple coincidence?”
“Maybe,” you concede. “Still, I don’t know if I can give you a verdict just yet. We haven’t even gone on a date.”
“We did do things a little backwards,” Hoseok admits, tugging you close and winding his arm around your waist. “Let me make it up to you, then. Are you free tomorrow?”
“What if I am?” you challenge.
“Then, I’d like to take you out for breakfast,” he replies without missing a beat.
The prospect of a proper meal with Hoseok Jung does something funny to your insides. Still, something makes you hesitate, and you avert your gaze as you search for your next words. “I wasn’t expecting to end tonight with a date,” you admit slowly. “I honestly didn’t even think you were interested in… well, anything beyond sex, to be honest.”
Hoseok’s face creases into a frown, and you look up again when he murmurs your name. “I understand why you would think that,” he says. “Really, I do. But honestly? I had every intention of texting you and asking you out properly. I was going to play it cool and wait a few days, which was stupid in retrospect. And then you texted me first.”
“I texted y—” You trail off. “Oh, god.”
“It seemed like you’d been drinking,” Hoseok says with a shrug, and you press a finger to his lips before he can say anything more. You remember the night in question, and you remember the bottle of wine you’d consumed. And you definitely remember the photographs you’d sent of yourself, and the ones Hoseok had been kind enough to send in return.
“Wait, so you were going to ask me out? And then I… I sexted you?”
Hoseok nods, and you groan and bury your face into his chest.
“I can’t believe this,” you mutter, and you feel laughter rumble through his chest before a hand comes up to stroke along your back.
“Believe me, I’m not complaining,” he assures you. “But I’d still really like to take you out, so what do you say?”
His gaze doesn’t leave yours for a second as he awaits your answer, and your heart skips a beat when you look up to see the earnestness in his eyes and the hesitant smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “Breakfast sounds wonderful,” you whisper, and the smile that blossoms on your companion’s face is nothing short of radiant.
“Good,” he says. “Great. Breakfast tomorrow, then. Now, can I kiss you?”
You’re already pushing up to your tiptoes, your fingers fisting in the soft hair at his nape. “God, yes.”
///
“Hey, you made it!”
You beam. “Hi.”
You and Hoseok are about to commence your first date, having just sat down at a cozy little café for breakfast. Hoseok has pulled your chair out in true gentlemanly fashion, and you can’t help but smile over your menu at the few lingering snowflakes that have yet to melt into his dark hair.
“So, here we are,” you remark. “Our fourth meeting.”
Hoseok’s lips stretch into his signature grin, breathtakingly bright and infectious. “And hopefully many more.”
You grin at him. “Yeah? Too bad this is breakfast, because I’d drink to that.”
He leans forward, his grin widening. “Next time,” he says as his hand finds its way around yours, his fingers slotting comfortably into the spaces between your own. “We can do dinner, maybe. Or I can cook for you. But for now, I’m just happy that we’re finally doing this.”
You give his hand a soft squeeze. “Me too.”
“Just promise me one thing?”
The sudden seriousness of his tone has your brow furrowing in concern. “Sure, of course,” you reassure. “What is it?”
He winces. “Please don’t tell my mom about all the dick pics.”
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crackheadgeminibby · 3 years
Note
Would you write something about x reader wanting to Chris do his tap dance and refuse to but gets convinced by his girlfriend? ☺️
wrapped around her finger
pairing: chris evans x female!black!reader
warnings: age gap, language, fluff, mentions of alcohol i guess
word count: 1.4k
a/n: hey! thanks for this request, it’s something i didn’t know i needed in my life😂i hope you like it!!
i do not consent to my work being copied in any way, shape or form or reposted on any other platform
gif from TMZ
Tumblr media
In the two years that you had been in a relationship with Chris, you had never seen him dance. Like an actual dance. Obviously, you had both attended numerous parties together and he always did stupid dance moves to make his friends, but mostly you, laugh.
You would think that with you being a dancer, Chris wouldn’t mind busting out some of the dance moves he learned when he was younger, but he never did. You asked all the time, mostly when he wasn't 100% sober and, thus, less self-conscious, but he always said that he didn’t remember.
It was the holiday season and this year, Chris and you had decided to spend it in Boston with his family. You both had a lot of things to take care of and you couldn’t afford to abandon them to travel halfway across the world to be with your family.
It was your first holiday season spent at the Evans’, which meant that you were about to witness a lot of their family traditions for the first time.
The first tradition that had been explained to you was that on December 23rd, the men went to get a tree while the women decorated the living room, followed by everyone decorating the tree when the men came back.
The next tradition was that, after Christmas Eve dinner, everyone had to open one present: matching pyjamas for the whole family.
The third tradition was the Christmas Day breakfast in the pyjamas from the previous night followed by games and a talent show.
You were currently seated in one of the chairs in the living room, watching as Scott and Chris were failing spectacularly at Pictionary.
“Time’s up!”, Shanna signals.
Scott groans, throwing his head back, “It was 'twist', Chris! Come on!”
Chris frowns at his brother, looking at the drawing, “How the hell was I supposed to guess that?”
“I drew a game of Twister!”
Chris crosses his arms, “It looks nothing like Twister, Scott.”
You snort before laughing at their bickering. You get up, leaving your glass on top of the fireplace, “Come on, Steve, it’s our turn!”
Scott groans, handing you the Sharpie as you get a piece of paper from the box. You open it, seeing 'gold medal' scribbled on it.
You smirk and turn back towards the family, nodding at Shanna so she can start the timer.
“Okay… GO!”, she announces.
You turn towards the paper, drawing a gold bar. Steve looks at you, inquisitively, before saying, “Umm, chocolate!” You shake your head, adding other gold bars to create a pyramid.
Steve looks at you, trying to figure out what you’re drawing, before screaming, “Oh! Gold bars!” You make a wavy sign with your hand, indicating that he’s almost there.
“Bar?” You shake your head again.
“Oh, okay, gold!”
You nod excitedly, moving on to the next part of the drawing. You draw a circle, writing 1 in it, and add a lanyard on top.
“1st place!” You shake your head at Steve, encircling the entire drawing, indicating that the answer is the whole thing.
“Umm, medal?” You frantically nod your head.
“Gold medal!”
“Yes!”, you scream in response. Steve gets up and hugs you excitedly before you both start doing your winner dance.
Scott and Chris both look at you, mouths agape, while a look of fake offense draws itself on Scott’s face, “How in the hell do you have a better connection with my boyfriend than I do with my brother?”
You chuckle, before shrugging your shoulders and replying, “Don’t worry, Scott. That was the last round so we're done winning everything…”
Scott and Chris both look at you with pouts on their faces as you laugh loudly, throwing your head back. You raise your hands in surrender and back away before plopping down in your seat, taking a sip of your drink.
“So, I believe I was told a talent show would be happening?”, you ask, wiggling your eyebrows.
Lisa smiles widely before nodding, “Indeed. Chris and Scott, do you want to start us off?”
Chris and Scott turn on the TV, playing their music. You didn’t know what they had planned because as Chris had said: “you have to wait for the surprise”.
You immediately burst out in laughter as the melody of “A Whole New World” from Aladdin starts.
Chris had made you watch Aladdin at least three times in the past couple of weeks (you had stopped counting) and you were confused, but you didn’t particularly mind since you loved the movie.
You smile throughout their excellent rendition of the song, clapping and cheering when they’re finished. Chris smiles, sitting down next to you before Lisa announces that Shanna and Carly were next with a scene from Lilo & Stitch.
As his sisters are playing Lilo & Stitch hilariously well, Chris turns towards you, smiling, before taking your hand in his and kissing your knuckles, whispering “I love you”. You feel heat rising to your face, smiling back at him and kissing his cheek before laying your head on his shoulder.
As Shanna and Carly are bowing after their performance, you see Lisa turning to you.
“Okay, Y/N, your turn.”
Your eyes widen as you stare at her, “Wait, what? I didn’t know I was supposed to prepare something.” Lisa raises an eyebrow before looking over at Chris who was getting redder by the second.
You look at him intently before he stutters, “I… um… forgot to tell you?”
You groan at him, throwing your head back. Lisa chuckles silently before saying, “Well, then, since you forgot to say anything, maybe you should join her.”
Chris’ head snaps up towards his mom, “What? Ma, no. I already went.”
Lisa looks at Chris before shrugging her shoulders.
“Well, then. You heard your mom. Up.”, you tell Chris while standing up.
Chris looks up at you, raising an eyebrow. He clearly had no intention of getting up.
“What are we even going to do?”
You smirk at Chris.
“Well, I intend on singing ‘I Just Can’t Wait To Be King’, now what you do next to me is... Dealer's choice.”, you say, shrugging your shoulders.
Scott’s face lights up, “Oh my God, Chris, why don’t you tap dance while she sings?”
Chris shakes his head rapidly, crossing his arms over his chest, “No. Absolutely not.”
Chris’ family members all start to plead, saying that they haven’t seen him tap dance in so long. He doesn’t budge, continuing to shake his head. As his family abandon their mission, falling silent, Chris looks up at you.
You give him a pleading look, mouthing "please" before biting your bottom lip. He uncrosses his arms, maintaining eye contact with you, before sighing loudly, “Fine…”
You smile at him, leaving a kiss on his cheek, before asking, “Okay, well, where are your shoes?”
He sighs again, starting to get up, “They’re in my closet, I’ll get them.”
You hold up your hand, replying, “I’ll get them. I wanted to get myself some water anyways.”
He nods before settling back down in his seat.
You climb up the stairs, entering Chris’ room before heading to the closet. As you’re looking for his shoes, you can hear that the family has started to talk, rather loudly.
As you’re getting a glass of water from the kitchen, you hear Chris’ mom.
“She really just has you wrapped around her finger, doesn’t she?”
“Yeah, yeah, she does.”, you hear Chris reply, love evident in his voice.
You enter the living room, a large smile plastered on your face, dangling Chris' tap shoes with one hand, “Well, then, Mr. Dancer, let’s do it.”
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xaphrin · 3 years
Text
I am hoping to post this whole fic all at once, but I was so happy with this chapter that I wanted to share it. So, here. Have some "I wasn't supposed to fall in love with my wedding baker" AU.
- - -
When Damian opened the door to find Raven standing in the hallway, the expression on her face spoke volumes about her feelings of being here when most people were dead asleep.
She adjusted the large plastic container in her hands and shook a lock of hair out of her eyes. “You are aware that it’s two in the morning, right?”
Damian knew. Of course he did. A part of him almost felt apologetic for calling Raven and forcing her to come to his home in the middle of the night (especially over something as insignificant as lemon curd), but with the premium he was paying her for an off-hours house call, he didn’t allow that apology to take root. He’d been accused of being a “night owl” on more than one occasion, but the truth was that he suffered from occasional bouts of insomnia. And if he had to suffer through this ailment, then so should others - including the baker for his wedding.
“I’m paying you enough to make up for your interrupted sleep schedule.” Without any ceremony, he ushered her into his penthouse, closing the door behind her. Titus pushed past him and nudged Raven’s hip, begging for pets. Damian couldn’t help but notice that Titus paid Raven more attention than he paid his own fiance. “Sleep when you’re dead.”
Raven’s lips pulled to the side in a teasing half-smile, her eyes meeting his. “How chivalrous of you.” There was a small pause as she set the plastic container down on a small table by the door and bent down to scratch Titus behind the ears. “You know that your night time doorman seems to think I’m here for purposes other than cake. Why else would some strange woman be visiting you at an unreasonable hour?”
Damian didn’t care what his doorman thought, and he highly doubted Raven cared. She was just trying to get under his skin. He shrugged and turned away from her, motioning her to follow him deeper into his flat. “I hardly see how that is my problem. Besides, didn’t you say that you get up at four in the morning anyway?”
Her face fell. “That is entirely beside the point, and you know that, Mr. Wayne.”
“You can call me Damian.” He had reminded her of that fact at least half a dozen times now.
“Ha.” Her sarcastic laugh made him smirk. “No one calls a Wayne by their first name. It’s akin to social suicide. I’d be willing to bet that you even call your father Mr. Wayne.”
Damian walked her through the massive living room, heading towards the kitchen at the far end of his flat. “Only on holidays, and the occasional birthday.”
Raven snorted. “Ah. I see how deep the decorum runs.” As they walked into the kitchen, her face lit up with surprise, and she let go of a low whistle. Pushing past him, she inspected the appliances with blatant envy. “Do you even know what I would do to have this oven in my posession? I would commit war crimes to get this oven in my apartment.” She opened the oven doors and looked inside before standing up and turning to him, eyes narrowing. “Is this just for show? Do you even bake?”
“No.”
Raven closed the oven door and sighed. “Pity.”
“I cook.”
That seemed to pique her interest, and she leaned against the marble countertop, watching him with a sharp stare. There was a long stretch of silence, and it felt like her eyes were boring into him, stripping away everything that protected him until it felt like each flaw was exposed to her scrutiny. In any other situation, Damian would have slammed up some kind of barrier to keep her from looking too deep, but this time he found himself oddly comfortable with letting her investigate him. He didn’t mind showing her his weaknesses, and that thought should have scared him, but it didn’t. He kept his face blank and let her watch him.
“You know… I am having a hard time imagining you slaving over a stove in a hot kitchen.” Her head tilted to the side and she smirked. “Although I like the thought of you wearing a frilly apron. A soft pink one, with ruffles and bows.”
His face fell and he crossed his arms over his chest. Cheeky. “I am docking your home visit fee until you take that back.”
“Mm. Worth it.” She turned away from him, and reached for the plastic container on the counter, unsnapping the lid. In an instant, Titus was at her side and Damian watched her sneak him a treat she had obviously made for him. Raven seemed to make herself at home in his kitchen, as if she belonged there. He found himself smiling at her, and a strange kind of warmth filled his chest.
“So, tell me your fear with the lemon curd, and why it was so imperative that you force me out of bed at two o’clock in the morning to travel all the way across town with cake samples.”
Well, when she put it like that, it did make him sound like a typical, spoiled son of an eccentric billionaire. Damian ignored that small spot of guilt again and settled on a stool at the eat-in counter. “I think my fiance is allergic to lemons… or curd. I can’t remember, but it’s one of those.” He thought for a long moment, trying to remember what it was that she had said last time he had spoken to his fiance.
“You can’t remember?” Raven turned back around and looked at him, her expression incredulous. “Haven’t you two known each other for years? That's what all the tabloids say anyway.”
Oh, right. The tabloids were spinning the relationship into some falsehood of star-crossed lovers who used to be childhood best friends. The truth was far less interesting. “We have known of each other for years. We’ve crossed paths at various parties and events, and my father and hers have a mutual business relationship. But, knowing each other implies some kind of deep, long term relationship. Something more than casual friends.”
“Ah.” Raven rummaged through his cabinets for plates, setting them next to the plastic container containing cake samples. “And I take it that’s not what you have with the daughter of Queen Consolidated?”
Damian shrugged, knowing that talking about the arrangement was opening himself to all kinds of scrutiny from her. But, there was something about Raven that made it almost comfortable to open up to her. In all the times they had been together, she never seemed like the type to spill his secrets. In fact, she seemed to keep them closer than most people he knew. He actually liked talking to her - even with her cheeky attitude. “We’ve only been together in an official capacity for a few months.”
“Oh…”
Her tone seemed to waffle between pity and understanding, and Damian felt like he had to scramble for an explanation. It felt like he didn’t want her to think less of him as a person.
“The marriage is one of a business nature. Our families would be brought together with the marriage of children. It would strengthen the ties between us.” After saying it out loud, Damian realized how cynical that sounded. It was more than just a business move. For all intents and purposes, he liked Emiko, she was smart and polite and reasonably attractive. Marrying her was a good, sound move. He would be content though their marriage.
“I didn’t realize that was still a thing - marrying for business purposes.” Raven pulled out cake samples from the plastic box and placed them on the counter. “Sounds a little medieval, if you ask me.”
Damian shrugged, not feeling any particular way about her comments. “She’s a lovely woman.”
“Is she?” Raven scoffed. “My landlady is a lovely woman. The mail person is a lovely woman. The person who delivers my takeaway is a lovely woman." She gave him a flat stare, pursing her lips. "Lovely woman is not a term of endearment you use for someone you're madly in love with."
"I never said I was madly in love with her."
"Ah. I see. I must have misunderstood." She handed him a slice of cake, her eyes as sharp as a hawk’s as she watched him. "Raspberry and chocolate." She paused. "Is that the business agreement to the marriage then? You marry Emiko Queen, and in return both families have fingers in each other’s pots… so to speak.”
"Yes." Damian took a bite of the cake, and he tasted the sharp tartness of the raspberry at the forefront of the cake before melting away to luscious chocolate. Just like the first time he tasted her cakes, he barely kept himself from moaning in pleasure. She had to bake magic into her cakes for them to taste this damn good. He chewed slowly, letting himself wallow in the flavor.
"Does she love you?"
Damian swallowed and stared at her. The question caught him off guard. He knew for certain he didn’t love her, but he had never really thought about whether or not she loved him. "That's forward of you."
"Asking if your fiance loves you?" She snorted and lifted her eyes to the ceiling. "You're right. How rude of me." Another slice of cake appeared. "Pistachio and cardamom."
He took a bite and tamped down a shiver. She was a magician, there was no other explanation. The flavor curled in his mouth like spiced smoke. "It'll be a fine arrangement."
"Mm. How romantic, an arrangement. Be still my fluttering heart."
Damian rolled his eyes and took another bite of cake. "I am amazed you manage to keep clients with the mouth on you."
She gave a one shouldered shrug. "I let my work speak for me." There was a pause and she leaned over the counter to look closer at him, trying to decipher his expression. “But you never answered my question. Does she love you?”
Damian blinked, letting her question settle in the pit of his stomach. Did his fiance love him? He doubted it, but then again, he never thought to ask. Emiko wasn’t frigid to him, but she wasn’t overly attached either. Indifferent seemed to be the best way to describe her feelings, as though she cared for him as nothing more than a distant friend. She seemed to view this arrangement the same way he did - a duty to her family and a business transaction. Nothing more.
“Your silence speaks volumes.” Raven’s head tilted to the side and she stared at him again, blatantly reading his face. He felt uncomfortable, letting her sharp eyes watch him. She seemed to see more than anyone else had. “I see hundreds of couples a year, and I’ve learned to pick out who truly cares for each other, and who really doesn't know what they want."
Damian took another bite of the pistachio cake, never looking away from her face. Even when she was picking him apart, she was beautiful. "And I take it that you believe I'm the latter?"
"I don't just believe, I know." She handed him another slice of cake. "Orange spice."
"I'm not particular about marrying for love. I've never subscribed to the idea." The orange spice was by far the best, and it immediately went on the short-list.
A pitying look crossed her face. "You don't believe in love?"
That question made him pause, and he looked back at her, his head filled with something akin to smoke. It was like he couldn’t think beyond her question. "I… don't know." He realized with some small amount of shock that he really didn't know. As he sat there, watching her, he realized that he never thought he would fall in love. He had crushes and minor relationships, but nothing that he would call love. Nothing that made him feel like the world was falling out from under his feet, and he was left clamoring for something that made him whole.
“You look surprised by your own answer.” Raven’s voice was soft, nearly swallowed up by the silence between them. “Did you honestly think you would never fall in love?”
“I suppose I did.” Damian took another bite of cake and shifted in his seat. “Love never seemed like something I gave much thought to. My duty has always been to my family, and as long as I am comfortable, I don’t see the need for much else.”
Raven pulled out another slice of cake. “Have you thought that maybe you haven’t met the right person?”
Damian’s face fell and he stared at her, taking the slice of cake from her. “That seems a trite response.”
She shrugged. “Perhaps. That’s vanilla and rose water.”
Damian’s face scrunched at the flavor and he pushed it away. “That rose water is abhorrent.”
A soft laugh escaped and Raven shook her head. “Rose water is very en vogue right now. I’m not fond of it, but some people like it.” She took the slice back and leaned against the counter. “So, tell me if you don’t mind, why are you putting all this effort into a wedding with someone you don't have feelings for?"
"It's meant to be a performance." He hummed softly, thinking. “Both of our families have a reputation to uphold, and if we don’t live up to that expected standard, the media will tear us apart. Emiko doesn’t need any poor publicity.”
“Mm. I understand to a point.” She paused and pulled out another slice of cake. “You’re very pragmatic about this.”
The way she said that didn’t sound like a compliment. Damian took the offered cake. “I don’t require your approval.”
“I never said you did. I’m only in this for the absolutely exorbitant fee you’re paying me.” She smirked. “But… I am curious, don’t you want to fall in love? Just once?”
“And who would I fall in love with?” He took a bite of cake and practically sighed. Chocolate and orange.
“You’re a Wayne. More than half the world would be willing to fall in love with you. Take your pick.”
“I don’t think you can force love.”
Raven shrugged. “Well, your upstanding camaraderie with your fiance doesn’t fit the bill either.”
He blinked and took another bite of the cake. This was the one. “I never intended to love her. Our partnership will be fine.”
Raven lifted an eyebrow. “So… what happens if you fall in love with someone before you get married?”
“I hardly think that will happen.” He scoffed and took a third bite of the cake. He doubted he would find anyone who could coax him to fall in love. That seemed like an impossible task. “And even if I did, it changes nothing.”
“You’re so committed to this marriage. It’s admirable.” Her smile widened. “I take it the orange and chocolate one is the winner? You’ve eaten half the slice already.”
“You’re talented at this.” He took another bite and met her stare. “What about you?”
“I think the chocolate orange will both make a statement and still be appropriately conservative.”
“That’s not what I asked.” His eyes searched hers, and he suddenly realized he had to know. He had to know if there was anyone in her life that meant more than just a friend. He wanted to know who her heart beat for. “Are you in love?”
Color crawled up her neck. “That’s a pretty personal question to ask your baker.”
Damian shrugged. “For what I’m paying you, humor me.”
She chewed on her lower lip and glanced away, and she shifted for a moment. “Currently? No. I was in love once, but… it faded.” She looked back into his eyes. “But that doesn’t make it any more special and important.”
"And you want to fall in love again?" He felt strange and a little invasive asking these questions, but some part of him wanted to know. He wanted to know not just about falling in love, but Raven falling in love specifically. Would she fall in love again? And with whom?
"Of course." Her voice was soft and gentle, and she gave him a small, almost sad smile. "I haven’t found the right person to fall for just yet. But it’ll come.”
Something in Damian’s chest twisted and he found himself reaching across the counter to rest his hand next to hers. It was as close as he dared to get to her. She met his stare for a long moment, and that feeling in his chest turned almost painful. He wanted to brush a stray lock of hair from her face, to feel her skin under his fingertips, but his hand stayed firmly pressed against the cool marble of the counter.
He swallowed slowly and nodded. “The chocolate orange.”
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scuttle-buttle · 3 years
Text
Chapter 11
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WC: 2077
Rated: E
Chapter Tags: full on angst, discussions of emotional trauma, mild depictions of blood/gore, mentions of self h*rm & su*cide, mentions of child abuse, discussions of physical disabilities, institutionalization, some dialogue & plot canon to TV show, hurt/comfort
🧠
The rest of the conference went by much like the first day did. Both you and Laszlo bought a few books for your collections. An ease had settled over your conversations with the help of Sara and John's presence; you spoke more freely with each other. You tell yourself it is not because he's going soft on you or vice versa, but rather that you have found yourself in this imaginary bubble where you happen to get on well. It's inevitable that it will pop once you’re back at school and Laszlo will revert back to his usual callous state.
Laszlo. It still felt odd to think of him like that, rather than by his title. You couldn't lie, it gave you a sort of thrill. Even in your dreams you had only called him by his honorific. Thankfully you didn't have another dream after Friday. You couldn't escape the feeling that you'd said something incriminating in front of the man in question. So you chose to pretend it didn't happen.
Monday morning came and you headed to the train station. Once again he had secured a private cabin for the journey. This time you came prepared with a book since you had yet to replace your broken phone.
"Thank you again for inviting me to this, I really enjoyed myself. It was really nice of the department to foot my travel expenses, the hotel was really fancy. I may have helped myself to a mini-bottle or two," you joked.
"There is no need to worry about the department's finances; they were not involved."
You pause. He paid for you? Laszlo did say he would take care of the arrangements; but the four-star hotel, the private compartment train tickets, the admission to the conference, and every meal? Shit, that must have been a fortune, hundreds of dollars at least.
You don't know what to say, so you settle for an awkward "oh." A moment passes before you add "I appreciate that, um, I can pay you back. Might take some time but I can."
The professor is flippant in his reply. "There is no need, it was well spent for the research and knowledge acquired." He opens his book signaling the conversation is over.
You lick your lips. Fine then, I'll just consider it payment for emotional suffering and damages of the last eight weeks.
The first few hours of the journey were spent reading one of the new books you picked up at the convention. Occasionally you would peek over the pages at the professor. He was engrossed in his own selection; sometimes he would pause to write down a thought.
Around the seventh hour of your journey you had given up on reading anymore in favor of looking at the fields outside. The silence was comforting.
Laszlo had trouble concentrating on the book in his hand. He saw you as a conundrum. One minute you could be sociable and teasing with your comments, then next you were biting at his throat with your quick wit and fierce ideals. He decides that he wants to know what made you into who you are today. Now is as good a time as any.
His eyes on you cause a tingle up your spine but you ignore it. Laszlo breaks the silence; "may I ask a personal question?"
"You just did," you answer, still peering out of the large window. He huffed once, amused. At his following silence you face him. You raise your eyebrows to signal him to go on with his question. Curiosity grows at the thought of what he intends to ask.
"Twice now you have made implications of a traumatic past," he begins.
Bubble popped.
Interrupting, you snark "is this the part where you psychoanalyze me, doc? Because trust me, I've been through enough of that." You pick at the lint on your jeans.
Laszlo tries to choose his words more carefully the next time he speaks. "What I mean to say is, the first afternoon in the classroom where you defended that student you implied you had been witness to a trauma. You then displayed signs of anger and embarrassment before leaving prematurely. Yesterday you mentioned having entered a psychiatric facility. As an alienist I can't help but find myself curious about your experiences."
You slide your eyes to meet his from across the cabin. Your face is devoid of any emotion. "We all have our demons. Even you can't argue with that."
Your jaw clenches. Everyone had warned you. They all said he would try to worm his way into your head to figure you out. All the reviews, the gossip, everything. It was a big fat 'I told you so'. You give a pitiful laugh at the situation. "You know, everyone told me that you would pull this stunt."
He seems confused by your statement. "And what is that?"
"That you'd get inside my head and try to figure me all out or whatever. You already know I googled you beforehand, what everyone says about your methods. By now I assume you've done a little research yourself. I promise you there is nothing exciting here," you scoff and point to yourself.
"You would be correct in your assumption." You chew at your cheek as he starts. "I do know some of what happened in your past. Yet I also know that society likes to dilute the truth into something either more palatable, more entertaining, for people to consume greedily. What I want to know is what you have faced. How you have not allowed the experience to overcome you so much so that your humanity is erased like the characters I lecture on."
Eyes closing of their own volition you are thrown back in time to that night so many years ago. You didn't talk about it anymore. Bitsy knew of course, but that was the extent.
Laszlo waits. He knows this is likely to push you over the edge if your history with him means anything. Quite frankly, anyone would be tossed to their limit at his interrogation had they gone through what you had. John always told him that he needed to work on his bedside manner; that he had a habit of coming on too strong in his pursuit of learning the intricacies of the human mind. But your earlier comment about being sent to a so-called 'nuthouse' rubbed him the wrong way. It left a bad taste in his mouth. He needed to know. He needed to understand.
Laszlo can imagine the reprimand that he would receive from John and Sara for this. Just as he considers apologizing for his intrusion you open your eyes.
"She was fine. None of us suspected anything was wrong. I came home from having dinner with some… boy, and she had locked herself in the bathroom. She- she must have started over the sink and moved to sit on the side of the tub. She was hunched inside it when I got the door open. I pulled her out. Blood was… everywhere." Your voice is clinical as you explain.
"After, I shut down. So I checked myself into a psych ward a few days later when I couldn't get the feel of her blood off my hands. It's slippery, you know. And it smells. You wouldn't think so but it does." You clear your throat. "I did the therapy, took the meds they prescribed, all the standard treatments. Later I started watching true crime documentaries. I'd heard about exposure therapy so I figured the more I saw the gore, the less the image of my dead roommate would bother me. And it did help. The nightmares stopped after a while, I came back to school. I was better, just not the same.” You had watched the passing landscape as you explained. Turning to face him you speak again. “That's why those pictures didn't bother me. They weren't anything I hadn't seen before."
He contemplates you. The discovery and subsequent loss of your friend in this manner would no doubt cause lingering effects to your psyche. A stain that would forever remind you. "I offer my sincerest condolences. I do not presume to know what that would be like to experience, but I am glad you sought help afterwards. To make the choice to alleviate yourself of your own suffering where possible.”
As he says this he realizes that your anger towards the idea of being enslaved to unconscious impulse makes perfect sense. It explains why you focused so much energy on defending your belief in free will. That you have the power to choose how you carry your joy, your anger, your healing. It reminds him of how he held onto his own guilt and hurt, ignoring how it festered within him for so long. He feels as though he needs to share a piece of himself with you.
“I played piano as a child, quite well too. My mother hoped I would someday make a career of it. I vividly remember playing Mozart’s Concerto for Piano No. 20 in D Minor at a holiday party when I was seven years old. It was my favorite to play.... It requires two hands." You finally look at him. "My father...” He pauses to gather himself.
Now it is the doctor that cannot meet your eyes. As you listen you feel your confusion grow. How could he have been a talented pianist if he only had full use of his left hand? Unless..., the realization dawns on you just as he continues, his words slow.
“My father had two sides. One loving and the other brutal, the two often coexisting. It was something as trivial as putting me to bed, I recall... A game of tug of war. We were laughing…” He inhales a sharp breath. Already you can feel the tears begin to blur your vision. “I don't remember if he was drunk or if I said something that offended him. He must have pulled my arm behind my back.” Laszlo exhales shakily. “In small children, fractures can often affect…” he trails off, unable to finish. You can hear how he barely holds himself together.
Your heart aches for the broken man that sits in front of you. He never let on how much his arm bothered him, at least not within your presence. Suddenly you don’t see him as this rude, insufferable, obsessive man, but instead as someone that spends his life trying to protect himself. He projects his own anger and hurt so that he may, just for a minute, forget about his own demons. He wants to help others even when he feels he cannot bear to help himself.
But unlike you, he has to live with the physical reminder of his past every day of his life.
You stand and move to sit on his right side. Before allowing yourself to think too much of your actions, you place your hand atop his own, curling your fingers around his palm and squeezing delicately. You don’t bother wiping away the tears on your cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Laszlo;” the whisper is barely heard above the sound of the train. A second passes where you fear you have overstepped and offended him by touching the affected limb. When his thumb tightens against the backs of your fingers you know he is not. He holds you in place.
“You asked me how I kept my humanity. How does anyone really? We learn to take what we get and we carry it in a bag. Sometimes you have to drag the damn thing behind you. But eventually the weight gets less and less if you allow yourself to move forward, even if it’s still there with you all the time. I dealt with what happened years ago and it does still haunt me. It’s easier now than it was, but… I- I suppose I’ve learned from you too. Sitting in those lectures and hearing you talk. We can either let it haunt us for the rest of our lives… or we can accept it… and use the memory of our pain to help ourselves and others.”
“I’m not sure the choice is entirely in our hands.” His tone is mournful.
You turn to smile at him through your tears. His own eyes are bloodshot. “I disagree. If it weren’t, if we didn’t have the freedom to choose that, we’d all be murderers.”
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fandom-monium · 3 years
Text
For the Holidays
Summary: In which Spencer does not want to go to his high school reunion, but you tagging along changes things. “You doubting my skills, Dr. Reid?”
WC: 2.1k
Tags/Warnings: Spencer Reid x GN!Reader, fake-dating trope, pining (so much pining), Morgan trying to be a good big bro (and wingman)
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Spencer Reid does not hate Christmas.
“Reid, come on⎼”
“No.”
“Just listen to me.”
“I did, and it’s a stupid idea.”
No, really. Because hating Christmas would imply he didn’t care. Which he does.
Like when Garcia never fails to drag him into decorating the bullpen every year. Obnoxious Christmas music plays in the background as they bomb Hotch’s office, and it’s worth the smile on his face when he walks in the next morning.
It would mean hating Rossi and his extravagant dinner parties. And yeah, he always hosts but these are just as special if not more so. His mansion is decked in fairy lights and streamers, the food are traditional holiday recipes, and the whole place seems a little less massive.
And he doesn’t hate his breaks. He nearly spits out his coffee when Morgan grumbles about how he almost tripped and fell over from the ice. He has to scramble away as the older man bats at him.
Or when Prentiss drops off holiday-themed pastries? Mhm, just thinking of the ribbon-tied box makes him salivate.
Hating the Christmas card is completely out of the question. Henry and Michael make them every year for the entire team, and JJ makes an effort to shake them out carefully for. It has a boyish charm Spencer never had at their age, a mess of glitter and construction paper. He displays it on his desk anyway.
And you. It would mean hating all the various hot chocolate beverages you’ve made since December started.
Apparently, it’s serious business⎼the art of hot chocolate making. You’ve leaned against his desk, hands waving about as you try to articulate to him the relevance, going over anything and everything you can remember of its history and significance. Of course, he knows all of this already, but he likes you too much to stop you. He almost releases a loving sigh. Instead, he settles for nodding and grinning at you, and he doesn’t really get it but he loves it: the hot chocolate, your pensive expression as you await his critique, even though by now he’s sure you know he has no other comments except ‘delicious’.
He loves it all. He loves you⎼all of you guys. Obviously.
So, no. He does not hate Christmas.
But that doesn’t mean he loves it either.
Which is why, when Morgan leans against his desk, he greets him as normal, a smile forming on his lips as he sets his book down. There is no danger here, except Morgan’s guns. And the heinous green and red envelope between his fingers⎼
Where the hell did he get that.
Spencer’s blood froze. His collection of trauma was nothing compared to this.
Now here he is, packing away his things so he can go home to his warm, cozy apartment and order takeout like he does every year. He's not one for change. No need to break tradition.
But Morgan is acting like a child. Wait, no, even children are better behaved than this. Children at least give up faster.
“I’m telling you, it’s a good idea.”
“As a certified genius, I can say with all honesty, it is not.”
“I promise you it’ll be fine,” Morgan reassures him, voice soothing. The letter, colorful and bright and an eye sore, mocks Spencer. He wishes his reflexes were faster, so he can snatch the abhorrent cluster of sparkles and poorly printed holiday cartoons. And shred it.
Maybe if he glares hard enough, it’ll burst into flames.
“Morgan, my class hated me. The whole school hated me,” Spencer shoves another book into his satchel. It's harder than he means to, and he sends a silent apology to Stephen King; he usually handles his books with care. But not right now. Now, he's tired and exasperated and he just wants to curl up on his couch with The Doctor. "I'm sure I won't be missed."
"But you’re the life of the party!"
Spencer looks up.
Morgan winces, "Yeah, even I wouldn't believe me.” Spencer snorts, continuing to stuff his belongings into his satchel. Morgan’s relentless however. “But you deserve to show them up. You’ve got degrees⎼plural⎼and you're a hotshot FBI agent.”
“Are you not aware of the tragedy that is my high school social experience?”
“Oh, I'm very aware, and thank you for being vulnerable with me. But it's because I care that I’m telling you.”
Morgan’s hand falls heavy on his shoulder, making Spencer pause. He meets his gaze, the man’s expression solemn.
“You deserve to rub it in their faces until the only thing they can smell is your success.”
Morgan grins when that draws out a laugh from him.
Spencer huffs, “Shouldn't we be the bigger person here by not going?”
The older man grimaces, retracting his hand as if the idea offends him. “Fuck that. Be a show off! They deserve to be knocked down a peg after what they did to you in high school.”
Spencer bites his lip. Yes, he’s accomplished, and yeah, as Morgan said, he’s a ‘hot shot FBI agent’. But the memories surge in like a broken dam, cruel laughter and harsh words crashing into him as if he’s twelve years old again. He’s an adult now, so he doesn’t topple over from the impact like before, but the pain is a phantom limb, old and familiar, and leaves a pit in his stomach.
He was a child prodigy then. How would going back as he is now be any different?
Morgan's heart clenches when an unspoken pain flits across Spencer’s face, glossing over his eyes. He can't imagine how deep the emotional scars go, but he knows Spencer needs some form of closure from his past. So when he found the invite, he knew they had to seize the chance. If he wants to continue to move forward, Spencer has to learn to let go. And right now, this is his first class ticket. It’s why he’s pushing this so hard.
This is for Spencer.
But the doctor shakes his head, a strained smile tugging his lips. “Morgan, I had no friends. Even if I go, what am I supposed to do once I arrive? It'd be awkward enough as is.”
“True,” The older man contemplates, a light bulb going off as he snaps his fingers. “You know what you should do? Ask (Your Name) to go with you.”
“(Your Name)?” Spencer jolts, fumbling to catch his phone. Despite being a man of science, his eyes dart around, like you’re a demon summoned at the mention of your name. “Wha-what? Why?”
“They could act as your buffer. And you did say you wanted to be closer with them. This is the perfect opportunity,” Morgan shrugs. Like his suggestion is common sense, logical. Maybe it is.
But this is you they’re talking about. You would never. You’re too cool for a silly high school reunion.
At least, that’s what he’s convinced himself as Spencer’s face pinches. He catches his lip with his teeth. “Morgan, I appreciate the… thought, but I could never ask (Your Name).”
“Ask me what?”
… Oh no. You are a demon.
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Spencer whirls around in time to see the glass door shut behind you. You stand there in all your poise and beauty, the fluorescent lights softening your expression. You're bundled up in a matching coat and scarf, the knitted beanie snug on your crown and clashing with your outfit (Garcia told you it’s not your Christmas present, but you’ve worn it everyday since). There’s sprinkles of snow all over you.
You’re not a demon, Spencer decides, even as you brush a clump off your shoulder, nose scrunched in annoyance. More like a snow angel.
You tilt your head curiously when Spencer doesn’t answer immediately. There’s a knowing look on his face as Morgan, realizing the poor guy probably won’t respond any time soon, steps up.
“(Your Name), I thought you went home already.”
You cross the bullpen. “I was. Garcia walked me down and I got to the courtyard. Then I realized she had me so distracted that I left my phone charger,” You rummage around your desk and without looking up, you reiterate, “So ask me what?”
Spencer blinks. “What?”
“You had something to ask me, right?”
Right. That. He runs his fingers through his hair awkwardly. “Actually, I don’t⎼oof.”
Morgan jabs his side, “Yes, there is something Reid needs to ask you.” He sends him a meaningful look.
“Shoot.” You nod to them before rifling through your desk drawers. Nope, not there. You card through files and office supplies, oblivious to the conversation Spencer and Morgan have with their eyes, shooting looks and mouthing at each other.
You bend over your desk as Morgan gestures, Ask them!
Spencer shakes his head vigorously, No!
Do it, or I'll do it for you, he mouths.
Spencer squints at him. You wouldn't.
Morgan smirks and Spencer's heart drops to his stomach. Before he can run, shout for help, literally anything, the man slings a buff arm around his shoulders, forcing Spencer to slightly bend down to his level, hugging him to his side.
He's trapped. Stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Fuck.
“Reid is going to his high school reunion,” Morgan starts, biting back a grin when the nerd squirms against him. Both men boys watch, one excited and the other petrified as you disappear behind your desk.
“That’s nice.”
"Yeah. But all his classmates are older than him and married…“
“Uh-huh…” You scan the dark floors, half-listening as Spencer frowns at the unnecessary detail. He never told Morgan such a thing. He didn’t even know, so how would Morgan-?
“So, can you guys pretend to be a couple or something?”
Thud.
“What!?”
Luckily, neither of you notice the other’s surprise as Spencer chokes on air at the same time you let out a pained hiss.
Morgan lets him pull away, withholding a snicker. “You good, (Your Name)?”
“I’m okay!” Your head pops up from under your desk as you rub the top of your head. You blink owlishly. “I’m sorry, did you just ask me to pretend to be your partner?”
“Yes! But Reid’s partner,” Morgan emphasizes, slapping the doctor’s back hard enough he nudges forward.
You stand and Spencer straightens up, trying not to fidget as your gaze burns into his. You’ve known each other for quite some time now, and while Spencer likes to think he knows you pretty well, it bothers him when your expression becomes unreadable. He knows it shouldn't but it does. He’s a profiler, yet your thoughts are completely obscured by a mask. It only makes him more nervous than he already is.
His skin feels hot when your eyes trail over him, and he prays his scarf is enough to cover the flush spreading from his neck.
He's about to disintegrate when you finally answer.
"Okay."
His brow shoots up and his heart flips. You move away from your desk as he sputters, "Really? Are⎼are you sure? I don’t want to put you out of your way.”
“I wouldn’t have agreed otherwise. Why?” You step closer, and he can’t breathe, not without it hitting your face. You stare him down the bridge of your nose, eyes narrowed. “You doubting my skills, Dr. Reid?”
“What? No, of course not!”
You raise an eyebrow expectantly. “Then it’s settled? We’ll pretend to be a couple for your reunion thing?"
A beat of silence. Spencer realizes you're waiting for his confirmation. But panic rises like bile in his throat and he hesitates.
Maybe he should back out now, retract the entire conversation and take the embarrassment like a man. Tell you he was never planning to attend the stupid reunion because his classmates were (and probably still are) assholes. Honesty is key to any relationship after all.
Especially between coworkers. Ahem.
A flicker of movement and Spencer glances over your shoulder. Morgan nods frantically at him, teeth flashing as he grins wider than before. He gives him two thumbs up.
Maybe, for once, he should pull a Morgan and just vibe it.
Yeah. Yeah!
Swallowing, he nods to you, giving you his signature white-person smile because he's sure if he speaks he might blurt out something completely inappropriate. Like statistics on workplace relationships (they’re great reading material, okay).
Your lips quirk up. "Cool. Text me the details when you get the chance.”
You brush past him before he manages a reply, your footsteps fading. Morgan waggles his eyebrows at Spencer. Spencer blankly stares after you.
“What just happened?”
“You just got a date to your reunion. A fake date, mind you, but you’re welcome nonetheless,” Morgan smirks at him. “So, you got a plan, Pretty Boy?”
His face falls, and the hearts in his eyes⎼shit, had they always been there?⎼chip slightly.
He does not have a plan.
Deleted scene:
“Did you do it?”
“It went all according to plan, Mama.”
AN: I fucked myself over and wrote 7k+ and still counting. Now it’s an unplanned holiday mini series. This kind of stems from Bonding as this uses Mysterious!Reader. Also, I seem to be into pining (fuck established relationships, suffer in silenceee). Whatever holiday you celebrate, I hope you still enjoy this one shot!! 
One of the biggest disappointments of CM: Spencer doesn’t confront his high school bullies. I read several fics of him doing so, but a lot of them have the bullies be just as much of an asshole as they were to him in the past, but he deserves more closure. 
This will be my take on it. It’ll be a lot of pining but I hope to focus on the his hardships in a less angsty, dramatic way.
Hope you enjoy it!! There will be at least 3 parts?
Also, spread the usage of the term ‘partner’, which can be used for same-sex and opposite-sex relationships.
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