#… I’ll add it just in case I get yelled at

[swedenis-h]

We’ve come for you, Erik and I… together! (X)

[fluentmoviequoter]

More Than Meets the Eye

Excellent idea inspired by 5x18 with Tim and his wife from @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 ! I hope you enjoy!!

This is a documentary-style fic! All scenes in italics are the interview scenes, and the non-italic portions are body cam footage, additional scenes, etc.

Pairing: Tim Bradford x fem!cop!wife!reader (+ they have twins: a boy and a girl)

Summary: You and Tim go undercover as your criminal doppelgängers. When the case is turned into a documentary, the interviewer and viewers learn that there's often more than meets the eye.

Warnings: interview scenes in italics! fluff, angst, murder, credit card fraud, violence, threats, slightly suggestive in parts (bc Jake Butler) but SFW!

Word Count: 3.4k+ words

Masterlist | Tim Bradford Masterlist | Request Info/Fandom List

Death, deception, and doppelgängers. When the Los Angeles Police Department responded to an urgent 911 call, no one expected what would happen next.

“911 what’s your emergency?”

“Send help! He’s- oh my lord, I don’t know- there’s blood and he… I heard a scream, but not the shot!”

“Sir, where are you?”

A single scream, no witnesses, a silent shot, and a once-in-a-lifetime interaction between suspect and officer. This is More Than Meets the Eye.

When you and Tim walk into his office, where two chairs are waiting, you’re surprised to see three people and a camera shoved into the small area behind his desk. You smile at the interviewer as you sit, and Tim waits for you to settle before he lowers beside you.

“Hello! We’ll start right away. I’ll introduce you first,” the interviewer says. “Whatever feels best, and then we’ll get into the dirty details of the case.”

“Like they’re ever clean,” you mumble.

“This is Sergeant Tim Bradford of the LAPD, and his wife-“

“Don’t do that,” Tim interrupts. “She’s not my wife in this case, she was instrumental to solving it. Use her position title.”

“My apologies.”

You send the interviewer a kind smile as your elbow taps Tim’s in thanks. Tim doesn’t really want to be here, you know that, but you appreciate him standing up for you regardless. When your introduction is complete, you straighten your shoulders as the case is introduced and travel back in time to one of the weirdest days of your life.

“Sergeant Bradford, you were the first responder at the scene. But when you returned to the station is when this case truly took its first turn, correct?”

Tim sighs before he answers, “Yes, that is when this became more than just a call for me. For all of us, really.”

“Can you tell us more about that moment?”

“I walked into an interview room and saw a guy who looked like me on the other side of the glass. There was an opportunity, and our detectives were quick to jump on it.”

“Tim, switch to a private channel,” Angela requests. “I know you’re on a Metro patrol, but dispatch just alerted us to a suspected murder. You’re nearby.”

“I’ll check it out,” Tim answers. “Did the caller give any other details?”

“One of interest. He said he heard a scream but no shot. Apparently he mentioned more than one shot suffered by the vic.”

“He heard a scream but not numerous shots?”

“That’s what the call said. He told the dispatcher a name of a neighbor who had some sort of argument with the vic yesterday, so we sent another unit to pick him up.”

“Got it.”

“Thanks, Timothy. I owe you one.”

“Just one?”

“Two baby ones. Let me know.”

Tim rolls his eyes as he sets the radio aside. He reaches the address quickly and knocks on the door. There’s no answer, even after his yelled introduction as a police sergeant. Because of the exigent circumstance and probable cause of the phone call, Tim enters the house without a warrant. Inside is a blood bath, with one body spread in the tile of the entryway. Tim alerts Angela to the dead body, and she asks him to stay close to the scene and guard it until Nyla arrives.

“But the moment she gets there, come back to the station,” Angela adds.

“10-4,” Tim replies.

He clears the house, then closes the door behind him as neighbors gather near the front yard. One neighbor tells the others about what happened, and Tim assumes he is the caller. Several minutes pass before Nyla arrives with a CSU team, and Tim waves as he returns to his shop.

When he steps into the bullpen, Angela jogs to Tim’s side.

“Don’t freak out, Tim,” she says.

“I never do,” he argues.

“This- this is different Tim. So, just consider everything before you say no.”

Angela leads him into the interview observance room. On the other side of the one-way glass is a man who strikes an uncanny resemblance to Tim.

“It’s creepy, right?” Nolan asks. “He looks just like you!”

“Why are you here?” Tim counters.

“I brought him in. His name’s Jake Butler, though I fully expected his prints would come back as a Bradford.”

“He doesn’t look that much like me,” Tim argues.

“He really does,” Angela says. “I thought it was you for a split second.”

“I agree,” Wade interjects from the open door. “But whether you can see it or not, you’ve got an opportunity here, Bradford.”

Tim looks back to the window just as Jake stands to examine his hair in the reflection. Face-to-face, Tim can see the unsettling resemblance, though it pains him to voice that aloud.

“Fine, we- there’s some things in common,” he mutters.

“I’ll take it. I want you in the room with me,” Angela responds. “Shake him a little bit and find out what he really knows.”

“He saw me and immediately asked if the victim was dead,” Nolan fills in. “And his front door had blood all over the knob.”

“I’ll try not to let your wife see the competition,” Wade jokes.

Tim rolls his eyes as he follows Angela into the interview room. Neither of them speaks before Jake sees Tim and gasps.

“Yo,” he breathes out dramatically. “Your face looks like mine, man! Hey, do you have a long-lost twin? ‘Cause I’ve always felt this connection and-“

“No,” Tim says firmly.

In another part of the station, you hear about Nolan’s arrest of a murder suspect and decide to offer your assistance to Angela. A dead body in a nice neighborhood will need a lot of hands willing to do dirty work, and that’s something you don’t mind. Nyla looks up from her computer as you approach Angela’s empty area and smiles like she knows something you don’t.

“Hey,” you greet. “I was just looking for Lopez. If you need help, let me know.”

“Oh, we do. Our suspect has an acquaintance of sorts that I think you could help us find. Come with me?” Nyla replies.

You follow her to an interview room and don’t question when she asks you to walk inside. Once the door is closed behind you, you see Tim and Angela, then-

“Baby!” the man at the table cries.

Your eyes widen as he stands and steps toward you with his arms up. Tim pushes his hand against Jake’s chest and points to his chair.

“Give us just a moment, Mr. Butler?” Angela requests.

“Why you wearing a uniform, sweets?” Jake asks you. “C’mon, don’t leave me alone in here.”

You ignore his plea to stay and follow your husband into the observation room. Looking through the window, you suppress a shiver at how eerily similar Jake Butler is to Tim.

“Baby?” Tim repeats loudly. “What was that?”

Nyla raises a tablet with the criminal file of a woman who looks nearly identical to you. The name is different, and she’s currently in holding after being arrested on a warrant for missing court.

“Jake Butler’s girlfriend. Tell me that’s not lucky,” Nyla jokes, her smile wide as she observes the concealed horror on your face.

“This is too weird,” you mumble.

“It is,” Angela agrees. She lays her hand on your shoulder and smiles before she asks, “Want to go undercover for me?”

You look at Tim, who sets his jaw and lifts one shoulder slightly. He’s letting you choose. Neither of you are undercover officers; given the situation, it’s likely the only chance you’ll have to close the case.

“Only if one of you agrees to watch the kids,” you answer. “I need someone I trust with them if I’m going to pretend to be…”

“Shop,” Nyla answers with a giggle. “And that genius in there is Dim.”

Tim drops his head as he shakes it. You understand the nicknames, especially when compared to your lookalike’s credit card fraud scheme, but it only makes this more real. You’re going undercover as another version of yourself with another version of Tim. You’ll need a lot of help to get through this case.

“Neither of you are undercover officers,” the interviewer points out. “Yet you seemed eager to be launched into a dangerous situation, even if it meant leaving your children for an indefinite period of time.”

Tim clenches his jaw, and you lay your hand on his knee, below the camera's framing.

“We’re cops,” you argue. “Every morning when we kiss our twins goodbye, we know that we’re walking into danger and risking never coming home to them. What made this moment different was that we knew the outcome. With our team behind us, we could be pulled out at any moment, and the whole ‘lookalike’ thing gave us an advantage to call more shots than most UCs.”

“We didn’t abandon our children for some crime spree through the hills. It was a job, a performance, and it had a clear end date,” Tim adds. “Being a cop is the job. Our son and daughter, though, they’re our lives and we keep that line very clear.”

“Then that must’ve made what happened next hard. If your children, your relationship, are your life… how did you turn into - um - Dim, also known as Jake Butler, and…”

“Kaylee Longworth,” you fill in.

“That’s not what you called her, is it?”

“No. She was dubbed ‘Shop.’”

“Why? Dim is a play on Sergeant Bradford’s name, and an insult to Butler’s intelligence. What’s the connection from Kaylee to Shop?”

“It rhymes with cop,” Tim answers. “And she had a shopping habit that caused her financials to take a nosedive. We never would’ve found her if she’d stopped shopping sooner.”

“How was Longworth brought into custody initially?”

“A report of a stolen credit card,” you explain. “She was arrested in a Los Angeles Victoria’s Secret for using the stolen card.”

“Okay. So, you effortlessly become Dim and Shop. Where did those parents you seem to identify as go during your escapade through the hills?”

“What are you asking?” Tim interrupts. “If we feel guilty about pretending to be other people to catch a murderer?”

“Dim and Shop was just that, an act, pretend, and keeping this city safe for our family was the only thing on our minds,” you finish.

“The act went well, didn’t it? Was there any moment where you struggled or thought you did a bit too well?”

“Both,” you and Tim answer together.

“Hey, this isn’t the minor leagues, Butler! Get your head in the game or get out of my way.”

You roll your eyes at Jake’s criminal handler as Tim tightens his grip on your hips. He presses his chest against your back and licks his lips as he smiles at the man before you.

“You try controlling yourself with a woman like this,” Tim argues. “We got it handled.”

“Got something handled,” you murmur, turning your chin over your shoulder to see Tim.

“Focus,” the man snaps. “I need ten more credit cards by tonight. If you can’t do that, then maybe you’ll have to find a new girl, Butler. Can you get that through your girl-centered mind?”

Tim straightens and steps around you. As he crowds the shorter man, he drops his voice and slaps on a fake smile that does little to hide the anger in his eyes.

“I got it, pal. We’ll get it done. And when we do, you may want to find a new way to keep me in line.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it.”

Tim wraps his arm around your shoulders and leads you out, whispering an apology as you turn a corner. It’s just a cover, you remind yourself. When Tim acts like someone you don’t know, you remember that you’re playing a part, too. This isn’t you. Though it’s hard, the case is all that matters.

“Jake,” you whisper harshly as another hand wraps around your arm.

“I got the account number,” Tim grunts. “What more do you want?”

“A promise that you’re not the one and done lucky loser you look like,” the man holding a gun against Tim’s temple answers.

“The only lucky thing about him is me,” you call. “You seriously think he can manage to fall into coincidence after coincidence? He only seems like that because that’s what he wants you to see. You can’t replace us, and you know it.”

“Oh. He’s lucky to have you, huh? Then maybe we’ll keep you here for the next score and see if Jake can deliver on his own.”

“Sure. Just make sure it’s not a man he’s ripping off.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because, like I said, I’m his luck. I can press men easier than he can, if you can understand that.”

He presses the gun harder into Tim’s skin, and you level your expression. After a moment, he drops his hand and signals for the men behind you to release you.

“Let’s go, Jake,” you say.

“Where are you going? We’ve got a casino hit tonight.”

“We’ll be back,” you promise. “I doubt a little unlucky boy like you would understand.”

“You’ve got an hour.”

“More than I need,” Tim brags.

“But all those attempts to maintain your covers together fell short,” the interviewer adds.

“How so?” you inquire.

“The interruption in the park. You were millimeters from adding another felony to the arrest when an unexpected interruption occurred.”

“You mean our kids?” Tim asks. “They came up and called me dad, and we did our jobs to maintain our covers and get our guy. So, no, it didn’t ‘fall short.’”

“What are you saying?” you question. “You want me to draw him back to a room so you can pop one in him?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. I’m sure getting men to follow you into private spaces can’t be too hard. So, lure him to my room and I’ll make sure this payday is doubled for you.”

You glance at Tim where he stands on the other side of the semi-circle of criminal conspiracy.

“Dad!” a young girl yells.

You bite your tongue when you hear the familiar voice and look over slowly to maintain your composition and cover. Your daughter stops between you and Tim, and her twin brother pauses beside you. He furrows his brows as he looks at the tattoos covering Tim’s skin but doesn’t ask.

“Dad,” she repeats. “What are you doing here?”

Your son looks up at you, but you keep your eyes on Tim. Raising your eyebrows in faux accusation, you cross your arms and ask, “You have something you want to tell me, Jake?”

Over Tim’s shoulder, you don’t see Nyla or any sign of someone who should be watching your kids.

“Yeah,” the man beside you agrees. “Do you?”

“Man,” Tim drawls. “Do I look like I have something to tell? Unless his mama didn’t do her part after I bailed out, she’s just a confused little kid.”

“She’s not confused!” your son defends. He’s a few minutes older than her, fiercely protective, and he doesn’t stand for anyone talking down to her. “You’re not being kind.”

You look at the man beside you and shrug. Someone – you and Tim – taught your children too well. Gently, you tug the back of your son’s shirt to get his attention.

“Go back to where you’re supposed to be, alright? You shouldn’t run off,” you encourage.

He nods eagerly, grabs his sister’s hand, and runs back the way they came. You watch them go up a hill, then see James meet them at the top. Jake’s handler needs a performance now, so you look at Tim and tilt your head as your smile grows. You step toward Tim, loop your arms around his neck, and push yourself against him. Tim swallows at your sudden and awkward attention but recovers quickly as his hands drop to your thighs and slide up slowly.

“You may not have anything to tell now, but… It does give me an idea,” you flirt.

Tim cocks his head to the side quickly and then angles his face toward yours. “Tell me more, baby.”

“On your own time,” the handler interrupts. “Car, now, or we miss rush hour at the casino, and you can kiss your cut goodbye just like those kids.”

In the second part of your interview, set up in your living room, the interviewer asks, “And then what happened? You arrest the handler, who turned out to be the killer after a credit card robbery gone wrong. Plus, you apprehend everyone involved in his criminal racket. But a character like Jake and Kaylee can’t just disappear, right?”

“It can,” Tim assures. “That hair grease and the tattoos washed right away. You wouldn’t be asking these questions if we were trained UCs, but we had a team walking us through every step. This wasn’t something we just threw ourselves into.”

“I understand that. You performed well and closed the case. You got your spouse and kids back as you returned to your normal lives."

"Right. The job ended, and we returned to our real lives," you agree.

“You mentioned that the roles were hard to play at times, but your attraction and obsession with Butler seemed effortless,” the interviewer says.

“What are you implying? That I developed feelings for a felon who played a role in the murder of an innocent man?” you reply incredulously. “I was playing a part.”

“Well, sure, but there was no script. Everything you did was your choice, was it not?”

“Stop,” Tim warns. “What we did had nothing to do with the real people. If you can’t see that, you’re not looking in the right place.”

“My mind was never on Butler, it was on the truth. I did what I had to and what would get us the evidence we needed,” you defend.

“Those played up moments were completely necessary in your mind then?”

“Imply that she cheated one more time and we’re done,” Tim interjects. “Ask something about the case or you can finish this documentary on your own.”

“We’ll take another look at your cover identities, then. The moment in the park with your son had to have threatened that act and your composure,” the interviewer muses, changing the subject.

You nod at Tim before you answer, “Well, sure, but police work is everything expect predictable. Things happen in police work, but the detectives and a tactical team were nearby, plus Tim was right there, so there was never a real safety concern in my mind.”

“You trust Tim that much?”

“With my life.”

“And your children’s apparently. They didn’t sign up to go undercover, so how can you justify having them in that-“

“How can you justify a question like that?" Tim interrupts.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, you’ve made more than enough implications. If you think that we willingly let our children stand in a dangerous moment or put them in the path of any sort of harm, then this interview is over.”

“There’s just a few-“

“We’re done. We’ve covered the case,” you agree.

The door behind you opens, and you turn quickly. You and Tim smile as you walk to greet your children, who are returning from school.

“Mom!” your son calls as he hugs your legs. “We learned about dolphins today! Did you know they can see themselves in a mirror and know that it’s them?”

“Dad!” your daughter squeals as Tim pulls her up to hug her.

“I missed you today,” he tells her. “Do you think we should just stay here and play forever?”

“No!” she says with a giggle. “You have to stop bad people and I need to go to school.”

“I’ll stay home,” your son offers.

You laugh and take his offered drawing of a dolphin. The interviewer and the camera behind you are long forgotten as you interact with your children. This moment, the real you and Tim in your own life contrasts the limited information the documentary makers have about your parenting style.

“Alright, go put your stuff away and we’ll make dinner,” Tim instructs.

“My favorite?” your daughter asks.

“No, it’s my turn!” your son argues.

“You have the same favorite.” Tim chuckles as he directs them down the hall before he turns back to the camera crew in your living room.

Your children run to their rooms, and the interviewer asks, “Just one more thing, please. Why do all of this? You aren’t specially trained or viewed as an officer who has to do this. It’s outside of your scope, so what made this case worth it?”

“Everything we did, everything we continue to do, we do out of love for our kids and our city," you answer. "No matter what you say or how you try to twist this case, we acted from our sense of duty and from love.”

“Not that you’d understand,” Tim sighs. “Being a parent, being a cop... there’s always more than what you see from the seat you’re in outside of it all.”

[cloudcountry]

mer-shrimpy?

Genre/Tropes: No notable ones!!

Summary: The Prefect has an accident in alchemy (courtesy of Ace, Deuce, and Grim) and has turned into a merperson!! Floyd witnesses this and drags them to Octavinelle, where they hang out with the Octotrio until Crewel can reverse the spell.

Author's Comments: i love these absolutely menaces they're my favorite ever i want to hold their hands and hugs them (and give azul smooches.) this ends in kind of a choose your own adventure way?

~~~~~

A bright, multicolored puff of smoke erupted from the cauldron in front of you as Ace and Deuce argued, Grim scurrying around your ankles as he cackled. The noise stopped immediately after the smoke cleared, but you still couldn’t see much of anything. It was only when you realized that you couldn’t breathe very well that you started to panic, flopping around the floor.

Wait, flopping?

You looked down at your legs, only to see the bottom half of a shrimp of all things.

“Bad pups! Stay!” Crewel yelled, quickly approaching your tiny form on the ground, “Ramshackle Prefect, are you alright?”

“Shrimpy?” Floyd leered, peeking over Crewel’s shoulders, “What did you guys do to them, huh?”

Ace and Deuce stepped back a bit, intimidated by the sharp glare Floyd sent their way.

“The water breathing potion must have backfired. What did you add into your potion?” Crewel glared.

“Um…dunno.” Ace mumbled, “I’m sorry, Prefect. I didn’t mean to make you…tiny.”

You tried to voice that it was okay, that you weren’t dying, but nothing came out but sharp shrieking noises and ragged gasps.

“It’s hard to breathe-!” you gasped, choking on air.

“Ehh? It's hard to breathe? You need water or something?” Floyd hummed, his words sending Deuce running to the nearest large plastic container to fill it up for you.

You were more impressed that he’d deciphered what you’d said.

“You can understand me?” you choked out, the sound coming out garbled and raspy.

He tilted his head, kneeling down to you, “Of course I can, Little Shrimp! Did your brain get tiny too? You’re just speaking mer.”

You were about to speak again before Floyd lifted you into his arms, curling his arms around your body and holding you close. He nuzzled your forehead affectionately, his teeth scraping against the skin.

“Leech! Unhand the Prefect!” Crewel demanded, swooping in with the container of water Deuce filled, “This is why you all needed remedial lessons in the first place!”

“Aww, no fun. I wanna play with Shrimpy!” he pouted, turning away and using his upper body to hide you away.

“It’s okay, Floyd. I’ll play with you later.” you promised, “Just please let me breathe.”

“Fiiiine. I don’t want Jade and Azul yelling at me for not taking good care of you. Whatever.” he huffed, annoyed at the idea of letting you go.

He dropped you into the water unceremoniously, the small splash briefly disorienting you before you became used to the feeling of breathing water. It honestly felt like the bathtubs at home, with the container just barely fitting you. Your tail was bent at an odd angle in order for you to breathe properly, and Floyd looked annoyed at your mild discomfort. He brightened up a second later, eyes glinting with mischief.

“I know! Shrimpy, let’s go to my dorm! We have a lot of water, and you can swim all you’d like! Then we can play all we want!” he grinned, sharp teeth gleaming in the light.

“That may be the best idea given the situation.” Crewel agreed, turning his gaze to you, “What do you think?”

You nodded, heart jumping at the thought of a bigger pool. You could breathe and have leg room in the Octavinelle pools, though you’d need to learn how to use your new bottom. You couldn’t imagine how hard it had been to transition from a tail to legs for Floyd and Jade, and in Azul’s case, tentacles. You kept trying to move how you would with your legs, but it felt you only had one big leg and only moved one way. Crossing your arms over your chest, you blew annoyed bubbles in the water.

“Aww, Shrimpy’s so cute!” Floyd cooed, scooping up the container with ease, “Come on, we’re going on a trip! Just me and Shrimpyyy!”

You tried your best to hold onto the container as Floyd slung you around the hall, yelling cheerfully about how much fun he was going to have with you. You squeezed your eyes shut, hoping you’d reach Octavinelle soon.

“Floyd, what are you doing?” someone questioned, the amused tone all too familiar.

“Jade!” he beamed, shoving the container of Jade in Jade’s face, “Look at our Shrimpy! Aren’t they cute?”

Our?!

“Indeed.” Jade chuckled, raising a brow as you floated aimlessly around the water, “I assume you were taking them to the pool in Octavinelle?”

“Where else? We need to keep our little Shrimpy close, don’t we?”

“That we do. I’ll walk with you.”

You wished you could chew them out about this stupid “our” business, but all that came out were more little shrieks and yelps. Floyd laughed, and that’s when you remembered that they could understand you.

“Poor thing. You sound so sad when you talk like that. I can barely understand you.” Jade sighed, acting all disappointed when you knew he was teasing.

“Mean!” you shrieked, and they both laughed.

Sinking back into the water, you blew annoyed bubbles until you found yourself in Octavinelle. The dorm was beautifully decorated, no doubt part of Azul’s influence. You furrowed your brow, looking from left to right. Where was Azul? It was after school, so there was only one other place he could be.

“Don’t fret, Little Pearl.” Jade hummed, staring down at you with half lidded eyes that scream trouble, “If you’re looking for Azul, he’s in his office. Of course, our priority lies with you as of now, but Floyd can retrieve him if you so wish.”

“Ehhh? Why me? I wanna play with Shrimpy.” he moped, holding the container of water closer to his chest.

“Oh, but Floyd, the Little Pearl doesn’t know how to use their tail. Wouldn’t it be more fun to play with them when they can run away? I will teach them the basics while you fetch Azul.” Jade hummed, attempting to placate his brother.

Floyd thought on it for a few seconds before brightening up, showing the container into Jade’s arms. With a loud promise of playing with you later, Floyd bolted towards the VIP Room.

Poor Azul.

“Well hello there.” Jade smiled down at you, his face distorted in the still sloshing water, “What do you say we get you in the pool, hm?”

You nodded, blowing more bubbles in the water. Jade chuckled politely, carrying you off into a hallway near the back of the dorm. You stood stationary inside the water as Jade hummed a tune, finally stopping in front of a door and pushing it open with his hip. The water sloshed over the side of the container, wetting his glove. Jade muttered a quiet apology and set the container down next to the wide expanse of clear water, his soaked gloved hand reaching into the water to pet your head.

“Do you mind if I lift you up? I hardly think dumping someone as delicate as you into a pool would be kind.” he hummed, pulling his gloves off one finger at a time, “I will also be shifting into my merform, so you won’t be lonely.”

You nodded, poking your head above the water. Jade’s bare hands were a sight you’d never seen before, and you were surprised at how soft they looked considering most of his free time was spent digging around in terrariums and even mountains. He noticed you staring, eyes crinkling in the corners as he chuckled. Without any warning, he swooped down gracefully, closing on you far too quickly for your liking. You jerked back, water sloshing over the sides of the container once again as Jade’s fangs glinted in the overhead lights.

“Don’t be shy, Little Pearl.” he cooed, dipping his bare hands into the water and scooping you up as though you were a plant ready to be repotted, “I won’t hurt you. I’ll treat you delicately, with all the care a little morsel like you deserves.”

Your eyes went wide at the morsel comment, but before you could see anything Jade had set you in the pool. Even though the water looked clear on the surface, there was a light fog settling within the water that made it hard to see much of anything. You jumped when you heard a splash a little ways away from you, but when you looked you couldn’t see anything. Fear coursed through your veins as you waited, unable to use your tail to swim towards where you hoped Jade had dove in with you. Gulping water through your gills, you tried to take deep breaths to calm down. They wouldn’t eat you, obviously. This was Jade. He just wanted to see you jump.

And jump you did, when a green blur gently tapped your tail from behind.

You jumped backward, whipping around to face none other than Jade. Crossing your arms, you glared at him as he chuckled, eyes narrowed.

“Apologies, Little Pearl. I wanted to see how you would react. It’s quite entertaining to see you out of your element.” he hummed, swishing his tail around as he darted in circles around you, “Now, do you think you’re ready to try swimming?”

“How do you guys work these things?!” you blurted, flopping in the pool like a fish on land, “It’s so hard to manage-”

“Don’t move it like you’d move your own two legs. Move like your legs have been merged into one.” Jade hummed, smirking at your struggle.

You jerked your tail as you managed to go forward, a small accomplishment in the grand scheme of things. Jade looked so proud though, and you tried not to let him feed your ego too much. He was probably laughing at you internally anyway.

“Good Little Pearl.” he hummed, swimming a bit further away, “Keep going. I’m certain you’ll be able to use that tail of yours efficiently in no time.”

With that praise, you tried even harder to swim towards him. It wasn’t as hard as it used to be now that you were thinking of your bottom as two legs merged together, and it occurred to you that merpeople had to pretend that their tail had been split in two. You wondered how they got used to feet, or even if they’d had a foot cramp before. Did merpeople have tail cramps?

You were too in your own head. As you snapped out of it, you realized that Jade had moved a bit farther, and had gone deeper into the pool. In the dimmer lighting at the bottom, you could swear his golden eye was glowing, beckoning you deeper into the pool like a siren. You almost didn’t go deeper.

Almost.

Curiosity killed the cat, as they said, and curiosity was about to kill you.

So you swam down, chasing after Jade as he darted between the various types of coral, their jagged forms rising from the sand like nature’s fortified towers. Octavinelle was truly a beautiful dorm.

With beautiful people, you thought as you watched Jade look back at you, his eyes gleaming. His expression was playful as he twirled in a circle, darting into some faded yellow coral. Without a second thought, you swam after his, elated that you were finally getting the hang of your tail.

“What are you doing here?!” a loud hissed reverberated in the water, and Jade immediately darted in front of you like a guard dog.

A familiar face poked out from the coral, his blue gray eyes narrowed with annoyance.

“Azul?” you gasped, eyes widening at the surprise, “I thought you were back in your VIP Room?”

“Wh- Angelfish? Why are you a…?” Azul trailed off, head tilting to the side as he examined you, “...Nevermind that. You need to get out. Out! Leave!”

“Azul, it’s okay.” Jade spoke, his voice calm and collected.

He still hadn’t moved away from you though.

“Azul, is everything okay?” you asked, keeping your distance.

The last thing you wanted to do was annoy him.

“Angelfish, please leave. You shouldn’t see me like this.” he sighed, shaking his head as he shrank back into the coral, “It’s not a pretty sight, I assure you. Now, if you will-”

“There’s no part of you that I wouldn’t find nice.” you said, voice so stern it surprised you, “I mean, it’s okay if you don’t want to show me, but I promise I won’t judge you for anything. I’m literally a shrimp right now.”

You flicked your tail in his direction for emphasis, and Jade snorted. He seemed to have drifted off the side since you two figured out it was Azul and not some other random student.

“Aaaaazul!” Floyd called, darting out of nowhere into the coral Azul was hiding in, “Come play with us!”

“Floyd, no-!” Azul yelped as he was slammed out of his hidey hole, a writhing mass of black following his front as Floyd cackled. Your eyes widened at the appendages as he struggled to hide them, trying to make himself seem as small as possible. He kept shooting you panicked glances, his chest rising and falling rapidly as Floyd swam circles around him.

“Azul? Why are you on edge? Is it because Little Shrimpy’s here?” Floyd teased.

“Azul, I highly doubt Little Pearl cares about such trivial things.” Jade hummed, pressing a hand against your lower back and pushing you the slightest bit forward.

Azul froze on the spot, finally taking the time to look at your expression. There was no disgust, no amusement, no fear. There was just awe and curiosity. He swallowed thickly, feeling like a specimen on an examination table. You slowly swam forward, reaching out slowly, giving him time to pull away. He slammed his eyes shut but didn’t move, feeling your hand slide down one of his tentacles. You hummed as your other hand cupped one of them, flipping it upwards to reveal the suction cups. Azul cracked his eyes open just a bit to see you staring down at his chubby hideous revolting body with such much adoration that it made his heart jump into his throat. He couldn’t breathe.

“You’re really pretty, Azul.” you murmured, pulling the tentacle closer and letting it wrap around your hand, its actions shaky and slow, “You’re gorgeous like this.”

“See? What did I tell ya? Little Shrimpy doesn’t care.” Floyd laughed, poking Azul at the base of his tentacles.

“I’m not so sure about that, Floyd. They seem to care quite a bit.” Jade chuckled.

Another black tentacle wrapped itself around your waist as his purple tinted skin turned pink. He refused to meet your gaze as you accepted his touch without a bit of repulsion, your eyes affectionate and happy as if asking him to keep going. He yanked himself away before he could pull you into his chest and hug you for hours.

“Come swim with us, Azul!” Floyd called, snapping at him with his teeth as he giggled, “You can’t hog Shrimpy all day! That’s not faaair!”

“Floyd is right, you know. You should thank him for going to get you in the first place. That was very generous of him.” Jade hummed.

“I was here the whole time.” Azul mumbled, and you shook your head at their antics.

“I’d like to make the most of this form while I’m still in it. It’s been fun so far!” you bounced a bit in the water, curling your tail in and out.

“Aww, Shrimpy’s so cute!” Floyd giggled, his expression immediately shifting to annoyance when he processed what you meant, “Ehh? What do ya mean? We’re going to have you over like this again, Shrimpy. You’re not getting away that easily.”

“Indeed.” Jade began circling you, a sinister look on his face, “You’re such a small little morsel, it would be the same if we didn’t have a chance to catch you.”

A shiver shot down your spine as Floyd followed his twin’s example, the both of them circling you menacingly as Azul stared disappointingly at them.

“If you two keep freaking them out, they’ll never come back again.” he pointed out, tugging you closer by the tail, “Don’t scare the poor angelfish. ”

“It’s just a little fuuun.” Floyd giggled, brightening up at the thought of forcing you over again, “Come on Shrimpy, wouldn’t you like that?”

“Sketchy undertones aside, I agree. I think it’d be nice to try this out again, even just swimming in my human form. It’s like stress relief.” you mused.

“Professor Crewel should be working on a cure already. We best make haste if we’re to enjoy you to the fullest.” Jade smiled his close-eyed smile, “Little Pearl, if you will.”

He gestured to the coral around you as Floyd’s yellow eye gleamed mischievous. When Jade opened his eyes, you noticed his yellow eye was glowing too.

“You may hide, and we will seek you out.” he chuckled, tilting his head slightly, “Wouldn’t you enjoy that?”

“Oh yes, Shrimpy! It’ll be so fun. We’ll try to take a bite out of you.” Floyd laughed.

 Azul shook his head exasperatedly, holding out a hand to you.

“If you do not wish to join their game of cat and mouse, I can show you around the deeper ends of the pool.” he murmured, “I’m sure you would enjoy the secret’s I’ve stashed away.”

You looked between the three, contemplating which to try first. Well, what’ll it be, dear Prefect?

[simpsdept]

Mother Carmilla x gender neutral child reader

Words: 1.5k

“Let’s practice”

A/n: hii! Okay so I saw someone post that this would be a great image! So I decided to try it, (or course with permission)! So hope this is great!

(Idea from: lillonvia)

Info: Basically the reader is Carmillas youngest child, and is trying to learn how to use those shoes Carmilla has as weapons. Readers genderless so this is for everyone! Reader is between the age of 9-12

By the way I tried to make all the Spanish words masculine since it goes for all genders (usually)

Your mother, Carmilla Carmine, was an overlord dealer of the angelic weapons. Which also meant she was pretty much trained to use all the weapons she makes. Your older sisters, Clara and Odette, were also trained, not as much as your mother but still enough to defend themselves.

You ok the other hand, no. You being the youngest of the family made her more protective over you, even not letting you go to close to the weapons. It did make you feel left out.

Your sisters knew how to use the guns and some of the daggers, but those were never really your true interest, it was those ballet shoes your mother wore. Once your sisters told you what your mother did to that exorcist during extermination day with her shoes, you immediately thought it was cool.

You wanted shoes like that. Maybe some like your mother. Though you knew she’d never say yes, it was dangerous, or so you thought she’d say no.

Right now, you snuck into the room where she stored all the weapons. Cases of guns and daggers lined up neatly on the shelves, bullets on all the racks. You’ve never been in the room before, your mother never let you.

You started to look if there were any other shoes that your mother could have. You found some boots with them, they weren’t your size though, you were a kid and most of these clothes and weapons weren’t designed for children. You sigh as you keep looking.

Carmilla just so happened to be walking by to do a daily check on her progress, and you tensed and froze. I’m instinct, being the child you were, you hid. Hiding behind a large shelf that probably wasn’t a good idea to hide behind.

Carmilla walked in, her steps sharp and you could hear your mother’s steps. You hold your breath as she checked the room and weapons that were shipped in. You sighed in relief when she walked over to another area in the room, leaning over a little, but that made the shelf shake…and then it fell. You gasp and froze as the shelf crashed onto the ground.

Carmillas head snapped over to where the shelf fell and saw you. Her eyes narrowed as she walked over. “[Name]? What are you doing in here?” She asked in a stern voice, keeping herself from yelling or raising her voice at the fallen weapons and broken shelves.

“I-uh…” m, You struggled to speak. Carmilla stood up straight and crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at you and waiting for you to speak up. You sigh and stand up, your head down. “I just wanted to…learn how to use angelic weapons too..like how you and my sisters do..” You say softly.

Carmillas expression softens as she looks down at you and sighed. “Mi amor, do you truly want to use these? They’re dangerous and I’d hate for you to get hurt.” Carmilla said stern but soft.

“Pleeeeeeaaaase!! mamá I really want to! I’ll do anything” You beg your mother and gave her some puppy dog eyes to add to it. Carmilla let out a soft smile and held a hand out.

“If that’s what you want mi corazón..” You smiled back and took her hand. “But, if you want to use the angelic weapons, clean this up. Now.” Carmilla said more stern, pointing to the fallen weapons and the broken shelves.

You chuckle nervously and nod. “Yes mamá” you say and picked up all the angelic weapons. While your mother stayed and watched. She began to ask you a questions.

“Corazón? Which weapon would you like to use?” She asked you gently.

“Hmm? Oh! Uh, I was wondering if I could be taught how to use…shoes like yours?” You rubbed your arm, slightly embarrassed to admit.

Carmilla smiled softly at the response. Clara and Odette never wanted to learn how to use their legs to fight, they preferred blades. Her heart warmed at the thought of her youngest child taking after her. “Of course Mi querido, though I may have to make some of your size. So training will not begin so soon.”

You mentally sigh at that, you wanted to train right away, but knew you’d have to wait. You nod and smiled sadly. “Okay mamá..I can wait.” You say. She came over and pushed up the shelf for you.

“Thank you mi amor” Carmilla said and ruffled your hair a gently with her large claws. You giggle softly and finish putting the weapons in their places.

It took about 6 days for the shoes to be made, mainly since Carmilla wanted them to be more durable for you. She came and got you from your room. “[Name]? I’ve got you a surprise” She smiled and sat on the bed next to you, smiling softly with a box in her hand.

You smile and sit up, sitting next to your mother as she handed you the box. You open it and gasp and smile when you saw the same styled ballet shoes inside. They were like your mothers but just a smaller size. “ay dios mío- thank you mamá!!” You hugged your mother by the side and she smiled back.

“Of course Mi amor..now why don’t we try these on? And we can start practicing if you’d like.” She offered with a smile. You practically bounce up and down as you nod excitedly.

“Yes! I’d love to!” You just to your feet with the box, pulling the angelic shoes out and tossing the body on the ground to clean up later. Carmillas heart warmed up from how excited you were to use and train in those shoes, taking after her rather than using the more dangerous weapons like guns.

You both walk down the stairs, in the middle of the purple room. You looked around and smiled. Carmilla smiled down at you. “Alright [name], let’s put those on and I’ll teach you some ways to use them. But you must listen alright?” She spoke stern but soft.

You not and smile, putting the ballet shoes on (with a little help from Carmilla since you were struggling with the ribbons), and they fit snug. “Okay! I’m ready to kick some a-“ you stop your words when you saw Carmilla glaring at you softly for you almost cussing. You nervously laugh and calmed down.

Carmilla walked over and started to speak. “First of all, let’s get you better adjusted to walking in them. Stand on your toes.” She commands you gently. You nod and attempt to stand on your toes, though you only lasted about 2 seconds. “Try again.” Your mother stood near you, more firm now”

“Dang it..” you grumble softly as you failed again. Repeatedly, you fail over and over again, your mother demanding you to keep trying and trying. “This is too hard..” you complain a little as you became more and more frustrated.

“Patience Mi amor..you’re doing well..just keep trying. It’s all about practice.” Carmilla encourages softly and sternly. You nod and take a deep breath, trying again.

After a while you were able to hold yourself up for about a minute straight, you smiled and looked at your mom. “Look! I’m doing it!” Carmilla smiled softly at you and walked over.

“See? I told you that if you practice you’d get better..now try walking to me while standing on your toes.” She encouraged. “Like this” she walked across the room with ease, she held her arms out. “Soon you’ll be able to walk normally in them. And when you master that, I will teach you how to fight with them.”

You nod and smile, trying to stay motivated. You started to walk to your mother. Though you failed a lot, standing on your toes were hard, walking across the room on them…oof..even harder. But you did have you mother to encourage you along the way. You kept trying and trying and eventually did it, and you celebrated a little.

“Good job [Name]. Now we will practice more and more everyday. Just be patient alright my dear?” Carmilla told you, giving you a smile of approval.

“Yes mamá, I understand.” You smiled back excitedly.

“Good..then i will expect you to be wearing those all the time around the house to practice.” She nods and ruffled your hair gently, walking away to do her duties.

You smiled and nodded at your mother. “You got it!”. You were excited to keep practicing, you were determined and motivated to train and impress your mother. You knew it would be long, but it would be worth it.

A/n: hi! Hope this was good! If I get comments for part 2 I could make it.

[sunarots]

pairing: rintarou suna x gn!reader (pet names: babe)

word count: 3k

cw: strong language, v brief mentions of harassment before the cut, alcohol use, kind of cheating??,, angst w happy ending (i fell in love w him writing this)

luna speaks: bye i’ve been thinking ab green day a lot recently so heres the loml in a rock band <33

Going into university without a scholarship, it meant you were tight on cash all the time. To make matters worse, the only place hiring was a small, dark bar off the main road by your flat. For seven months, it was hell. You had kicked out more drunk idiots than you could count, and had been flirted with even more often.

On the eight month mark, your last straw was when your boss revealed he was leaving you alone for the night with someone who had two days of training whilst there was a band due to be playing. That night, you were the closest to quitting you had ever been. By seven o’clock, the band was fifteen minutes late and you had already put a stop to two fights. And your coworker? Scrolling through her phone, and ignoring the man trying to get her attention.

You couldn’t take it anymore, so you marched over and took the phone from her hands. You ignored her frustrated yells after you as she was left to fend for herself for ten seconds so you could shove her phone in your boss’s desk; out of sight, out of mind. When you returned, you brushed past her without so much as a glance despite her begging for her phone.

“Do your fucking job, you’ll get it back at the end of the night when you’ve done something useful.”

You picked up two dirty glasses that were placed in front of you, shoving them in the glass washer before turning to face him.

His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, leaning so far over bar you could smell the ash and mint from where you stood. One hand fixed the chain around his neck, the other rest on the counter, fingers tapping the wood with the music from your carefully curated spotify playlist to keep you sane. He flashed you a boyish smile when you caught his gaze, almost certain he had been checking you out.

“What can I get you?”

“Three pints and a double whiskey, please.” He straightened up when you pulled out three pint glasses, carefully filling them all to the top.

You brought two of the glasses back over, nodding your head when you spotted a couple of people walk in with guitar cases. You gestured over to the stage area, letting out a sigh of relief that didn’t go unnoticed by your customer. He looked over his shoulder, noticing the cases and turning back.

“Everything okay?”

“Um...” You picked up two of the more popular whiskeys, waiting for him to decide before pouring him a double measure. “The band is late, but they just came in. These people will finally calm the fuck down and hopefully no more glasses will be broken in arguments over who’s hotter.”

He flashed you a smile, taking the whiskey from you and drinking it in one. He passed it back over to you, shaking his head when you went to pick up the card machine. “Oh, add it to our tab. Do you have any song requests? I can see what I can do for you.”

Oh? Oh. “You’re from the band?” you asked, even though you already knew from the look on his face. With the heat rushing to your cheeks, you couldn’t have been happier about the bar having dim lighting than you were in that moment.

Somehow, his smile grew wider as the music from your playlist changed. “Is this your music? You have taste. I’ll dedicate a song to ya, what’s your name?”

“Y/n.”

He picked up the three beers, nodding his head. “First song is for you, y/n.”

You watched him hurry towards the cornered off area where his two bandmates were sat in wait of their drinks, everything set up. You paused your music, watching as the mystery man sipped his beer before slinging a guitar around his neck. He tapped the microphone, leaning in to it.

“Testing, testing.”

You grabbed a bottle of sake from the fridge and the card machine, holding it up to one of your regulars.

“Thanks for coming here tonight, sorry for keeping you waiting. I’m Sunarin, and we’re Raijin.” He pulled back from the mic, laughing softly at the applause. “This first song is for a special someone, this night wouldn’t be happening without them. They’re here tonight, working behind the bar.”

You felt your coworker’s presence by your side, leaning on her toes to try get a better view past the customers. You stepped back, leaning against the warm glass washer and locking eyes with Sunarin.

“Y/n, I hope you have the time your life.”

You couldn’t help but smile at him, watching intently as he started playing the first few notes of your favourite song.

For the four hours they played, you struggled to take your eyes off Sunarin. And you knew he could say the same about you. Whenever you looked away to tend to your job, you would look back and his eyes would still be rest upon you. Even at the end of the show, tidying up, he still couldn’t look away.

You had your coworker clearing down the tables whilst you were counting out the tips for the night, considering sneaking some extra notes for yourself. You did do more work…

“Can I close our tab?”

You spun around at the sound of his voice, trying to stop the smile from showing. “Yep.” You picked up the card machine, scrolling through to find their name.

“So, what did you think?” The corner of his lips tugged up into a lopsided grin, his eagerness showing. He slid his card over to you to tap when ready.

“You’re really good. Do you play often?”

“Yeah. You should see us sometime, out of work. Then you can have a front row view.”

You held the card out to him, an eyebrow raised. “Depends. Will you dedicate another song to me?”

He laughed, soft like honey. “I’ll dedicate every song to you, babe.”

Their next performance was at a club you were familiar with, frequenting there with your friends on the weeks where you have very little classwork. You weaved through the people with three drinks in your hands, managing to squeeze your way to the front where your friends were stood.

“I, uh, got you a double whiskey and a pint.”

Rintarou looked up from his guitar, eyes growing wide. “Well, well. Look who remembered my order.” He set his guitar down, stepping over to you and taking his drinks. “You must like me,” he teased with a wink, shooting back the whiskey and setting it on the chair by his guitar along with the pint glass.

Thankful for the dim lighting hiding your blush, you shrugged your shoulders and took a sip from your own drink. “I’m a bartender, if I don’t know people’s orders I’ll get fired.”

He shook his head, picking up his guitar and waving to his bandmates. “Nah, you like me.”

Rintarou backed up onto the stage, eyes kept on you the entire time. He tapped on the microphone, tested it, and cleared his throat. “My name is Sunarin, we’re Raijin. I’d like to dedicate this concert to a very special someone. Y/n, have the time of your life.”

At the end of the show, when everyone’s eyes were still on the band, Rintarou walked down towards you and held out his guitar pick. It was a marble one, gold with black with an S on it. You took it from him carefully, a sparkle in your eyes.

“Keep it. It’s yours now.”

On your two year anniversary, Rintarou swore to you he would make it up to you. He promised that he would finish up in the studio quick, that you would only be in there waiting for forty-five minutes before you made your reservations. He sat you down in the chair his manager usually sat in, gave you a pair of headphones. Told you to listen, prayed you’d like it.

“We recording? Hey, y/n. Happy two years together, I hope you had the time of your life. This one’s for you.”

For thirty-seven minutes, you sat and listened to ten songs written by your boyfriend. His heart, his soul, all on a record for the world to hear. The album he had been working on with his band so intently. Every thought, every feeling he had about you for the last two years, coming through the headphones.

When the end of the last song played, you couldn’t find the words. You sat in silence, staring at Rintarou’s reflection in the glass before you. His eyes stay on you, just like always.

When you finally managed to face him with tears in your eyes, his heart dropped. For a second, his world started to shatter. You hated it. It was too raw, you couldn’t face him. He reached to remove your headphones, stopping in his tracks.

You threw yourself into his hold, burying your face in the crook of his neck. There weren’t enough words in all languages combined to describe your love for him. Instead, you pulled back from him and took his face in your hands. “You are my rock.”

His lips tugged upwards, fighting back tears of his own. “You are my world. Come on, let’s make our reservations.”

Your third year anniversary was spent in Rome, one day before the last concert of Raijin’s world tour. You sat watching him from a chair on a private balcony, glass doors only opening when food was being delivered. His fingers softly strummed an all too familiar tune on an acoustic guitar.

The door behind you slid open, an older man carrying a tray with two drinks and a dessert you hadn’t ordered. On the house, he had assured, carefully setting them before you both and retreating to the restaurant once again.

Rintarou set the guitar aside, picking up his glass and holding it towards you. “Thank you, for travelling with me. I couldn’t have done this without you by my side.”

You remembered the stress in the air around him packing, confused on what to bring when he’ll be gone for seven months. You assured him he’d be able to wash his clothes, get them freshened. Talked him through it all. When he asked you to come with him, you were concerned he’d regret it.

“What if you want to go out with the boys after?”

“Then I want you to come out with us after, too.”

You tapped your glass against his, taking a sip of the cocktail before speaking, “I wouldn’t have been able to sit at home with you here. I can’t sleep without you.”

Rintarou dug his spoon into the tiramisu, holding it out for you to taste. He watches you intently, taking in every movement you make, the way you covered your mouth when you pulled back from him.

“I feel the same.” He took a bite of the dessert for himself, setting the spoon down on the tabletop and leaning back in his seat.

Your gaze followed his onto the skyline, a view of the city from above. “It’s so beautiful here. I wish we had more time.”

“We have all the time in the world, babe.”

You turned back around, taking a sip from your cocktail. You set the glass back down, facing the empty chair across from you. Turning your head in confusion, you set your gaze at him knelt beside you, holding up a sleek, black box.

“I want to spend the rest of my life, having the time of our lives.”

A year and a half later, his hands rest on your hips, swaying along with you slowly to the same song you had danced to at the start of the night. Your uncomfortable shoes had been discarded long ago, not long after your first dance, sat carefully perched upon the chair you ate your meal in. You held him as close as you could, hearing him whispering along to the song in your ear.

“I know we’ll have the time of our life.”

Two nights ago, you were sat at your dining table, head held in your hands with your fingers massaging your temples. Rintarou paced back and forth in front of you, attempting to take deep breaths to calm himself down.

You lifted your head, hands dropping to the table, looked at him. “Rin, sit down.”

He shook his head, turning to face you with his eyebrows forced together. “Why? So you can sit there and nag at me? How many fucking times, y/n? She kissed me! I pushed her away, but the cameras didn’t capture that, did they? They never fucking do.”

“That’s not why I’m hurt, Rin. It was one week ago, why didn’t you tell me?” You could feel the tears trying to escape. “You tried to cover it up. You and the band tried to hide it from me. I thought we were meant to be open and honest with each other.” Your eyes flickered over to the frame hung on the wall: glass, a polaroid of the two of you when you first met, the guitar pick. Engraved in gold at the bottom, have the time of your life.

“I didn’t want you to think anything of it!” Rintarou sighed, pulling out the seat across from you. He sat, clasping his hands and resting them on the tabletop. “I love you, y/n. I don’t care about some- some crazy fucking fan who said she wanted a picture and then kissed me for it. I pushed her away. I swear it.”

Your eyes never moved from the picture of you both, so young and early into the relationship. His arms around your neck, pulling you in closer to him. Both of you with wide smiles, you looking at him in adoration.

When you didn’t respond, his attention turned to the frame on the wall. All he could focus on was the engraved phrase at the bottom. He didn’t notice his vision getting blurry, his cheeks getting wet.

“What happened?”

Your eyes drifted over to him, eyebrows raising at his words. Part of you wanted to laugh at how stupid his question was. “Rin, we’ve been married two years. ‘What happened?’ You did. You did a month long tour and didn’t invite me with you, you didn’t consult me. You just said you were going on a tour. And when you get back, I see you kissing another girl all over the news after… You have made me look like a fool.” You watched him dry his tears, unable to conceal high emotions anymore.

He cleared his throat, tapped his fingers against the table. “Please, how can I make it up to you, y/n? I have to make it up to you.”

You hesitated, trying to force back tears of your own. “I want you to give me some space for a few days. I need to think.”

Rintarou knows what you meant when you said that. He sits waiting on your doorstep for you to come home from work, having left his key inside without realising. He knows you’re thinking about whether or not you should leave him, start over with someone who wouldn’t fuck you over, stop showing their love for you. He knows you deserve better, but he wants to be the best for you.

When he spots your car pulling up in the driveway, he’s on his feet in an instant. He collects the bouquet of flowers for you and holds them behind his back, an attempt to hide them. Rintarou watches you intently, can see you considering whether or not you should just drive away. He sighs in relief when you open the car door and start walking towards him.

You stop a foot away from him, lips quivering at the sight. He hasn’t changed out of the clothes he had left in, his hair unkempt and eyes sunken in and almost lifeless. He struggles to find the words, lips apart but nothing coming out. Instead, he pulls out the flowers and holds them out to you with shaking hands.

“These are for you.”

You take them from him cautiously, but your eyes don’t move from his. You let out a breath you didn’t realise you were holding, and throw your arms around him. You bury your face in his jacket, making an attempt to hold back your tears. “I didn’t think you were coming back,” you admit, pulling back and cupping his face in your free hand.

He leans further into your touch, the warmth of your hand something he never wants to pull away from. “I can’t lose you, y/n. I’m nothing without you.” Rintarou’s voice cracks midway through, and his tears start falling. “I’m so sorry I lied to you. I’ll never do it again. I should have told you. I can’t- I need you with me. You matter more to me than anything, even music. I would burn every guitar in the world if it meant I could hug you for five seconds.”

You swallow your heartbeat, taking in a deep breath through your nose. “Rin-“

“I can’t breathe if you’re not in my life. I mean it, y/n, all this time I’ve been saying I hope you have the time of your life because I do. I want you to, and I want it to be with me. So badly, I do, even if I stole it from Billie Joe Armstrong, I need it to be true. If you want to get even, you can. You could go out and kiss four hundred people and I wouldn’t care as long as you came back to sleep in my arms afterwards.”

Rintarou’s hold on you grows weaker as more tears begin to fall. “Please, just give me one more chance.”

You wipe at his tears with your thumb, a deep ache in your chest. “I love you, Rin. So much,” you promise him, moving your hand away from his face to wipe at his own tears. “Please don’t leave me again after a fight, no matter how much I beg. Just leave the room, but sleep in the same bed as me. It’s so empty without you.”

He lets out a soft cry of relief, dropping his head and letting it fall against your shoulder. He snakes his arms around your waist, pulling you in closer to him. “You’re stuck with me forever.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

[mariabtsos]

Never Ending ||m.yg||

Description: wasn't Yoongi the one that was supposed to give you flowers for no reason?

Genre: One-shot, Yoongi x f!reader, established relationship, fluff, Yoongi is literally the sweetest man alive (wbk)

WARNINGS: None, this idea came after seeing this really sweet like reddit post, it will be at the end of this post.

Word Count: 2.6k+

Ever since coming back from service, BTS’ comeback preparations had been nonstop. It was almost like their debut days, they started early and ended late, whether they were practicing the choreography for a new song or recording their parts again, or getting back into recording RUN BTS.

You and Yoongi had seen very little of each other, working almost opposite schedules with a Saturday or Sunday off sprinkled in where you would mostly sleep and catch up on what you had going on so far, having those little moments made all the time you missed him worth it, you loved them, it was how you were able to build your relationship in the first place.

You and him met when your best friend practically begged for you to come with her to a double date. Yoongi was the one you were paired with, and you connected almost instantly. You had so much in common, more specifically your mutual love for music and the art behind it, you had small dates where he would take you to his small studio space, he'd told you he was a trainee, and that he was set to debut soon with the guy your friend was on a date with.

A year later, the guy your friend dated didn't debut, but Yoongi did, and that's when the small gestures started, you were at every music show that you could be at, bought every album, and went to every showcase or small gig you could afford. Yoongi showed his gratitude in small ways, he would get you a single rose, or a small cheap necklace, or if he wanted to really treat you he'd save up and take you to a nice restaurant. And as his success grew he was able to give you more, although he wasn't one for extravagant gifts, he always gave you something that made you feel special.

Even whilst he was serving, at the end of each week when he came home he'd bring you flowers and your favorite food, you had never felt more loved.

And now that he was back, you wanted to show him just as much gratitude. He was working so hard to make their first comeback grandiose, and even if he was exhausted, he'd spend his days off spending his time with you only sleeping if you were accompanying him.

You decided to do something simple, you found a flower shop that did the most beautiful arrangements and you called, setting something up that you imagined Yoongi would like; they even gave you the choice to add some fruits, and what better for your boyfriend than to give him the absolute love of his life, tangerines. You hoped this would help him relax a bit, and feel your support even if you didn’t see each other much.

“Okay guys, why don’t you take five, hmm?” Sungdeuk announced to the room, the seven men and their backup dancers immediately heading for water or laying flat on the floor, the latter was Yoongi’s case.

“I said it in 2013 and I’ll say it again, I was told we would only rap, not dance,” Yoongi’s breathing was heavy as he spoke, causing his hyung and Jungkook who were laying on the floor to laugh. “This is good for you hyungs, at your old age you need to exercise to keep your joints healthy,” the maknae giggled, followed by chuckles and laughter around the room from their members and some of the dancers.

“Yah!” Jin yelled as he smacked Jungkook in the back of the neck.

“Yoongi-ssi!” he sat up as he heard their manager’s voice from the practice room door, “come to my office please,” Yoongi nodded, carefully standing up from his spot on the floor, softly kicking Jungkook after he loudly announced he was in trouble.

Yoongi giggled at the the whole thing, his mind slowly making his way back to you, he didn’t have to record anything today, maybe he’d go to his studio later and call you, yeah, that’s what he would do, they were told they wouldn’t be here till midnight today, and that they could sleep in tomorrow before they had to do some photoshoots for their upcoming album, so that meant he could get home before you did and make you dinner. You worked as a nurse, and unfortunately had been assigned 12-hour shifts the past couple of months; going into work at noon and getting out at midnight, by the time you got home and ready for bed, Yoongi would arrive, exhausted, but he still would want to at least have small conversation, your relationship was built with communication, and he wasn’t one to disregard it.

He met the man at the door and followed him to the elevator, reaching the floor where the offices were, they made it to his quickly, where Yoongi’s eyes almost popped out of his sockets when he noticed a medium-sized vase with a beautiful arrangement of flowers and small basket of tangerines. A little white piece of paper stuck out in the middle of all the flowers, Yoongi opened and he smiled so wide.

From Yn, just because. I love you ♡

“As you can tell, they are for you,” the manager chuckled humorously, “you better not fuck it up with her Yoongi-ssi,” he said candidly.

“I haven’t fucked up in 10 years, I don’t plan on starting now,” he kept re-reading your note, he thought your handwriting was beautiful, even when you didn’t.

When he made it back to the practice room with his flowers and tangerines his members immediately started teasing him, especially Jungkook. “Look at our hyung with his flowers! And they say chivalry is dead,” he would say, “yeah hyung, I thought you’re the one that’s meant to get her flowers?” Taehyung added, grabbing him by shoulders and ruffling his hair.

“Yah! Stop it, Ynie is sweet for doing this, don’t see how Yoongi hyung’s face is about to split into two?” Namjoon pointed out smiling, his dimples showing proudly. 

They had lived together for 13 years after all, all Namjoon wanted was for his hyung to be happy, and the fact that you did that for him had his heart swelling with warmth. You were so good for Yoongi.

“I need you guys to talk me off of running to the jewelry store and getting her a ring,” the room went silent.

“You don’t have one already?!” Hobi piped up, smacking his shoulder, his good shoulder. Yoongi shook his head.

The guys look at each other, and then at Sungdeuk, “I don’t think no one’s going to talk you off of it Yoongi-ah, in fact, I think everyone should take the rest of the afternoon off,” he announced loudly, “you six, please help him set up,” he asked the other members who immediately pulled the cat-eyed man, grabbing all their stuff, including the flowers and tangerines, and headed out to prepare.

It was 8pm

They had made it to the jeweler just in time, they were lucky he owed Jimin a favor, otherwise Yoongi would’ve had to wait, and he sincerely didn’t think he could.

You guys had started talking more seriously about marriage about 5 years into your relationship, mainly because you had started to feel scared that with idol life, Yoongi would enjoy not being entirely tied down to a person. Thankfully that wasn't the case, and he'd promised you, when the time was right, he would get down on one knee.

He wasn't sure why it took him 10 years to come through with that promise.

Yoongi was grateful for your late nights of conversation after that, every so often you would have little YouTube marathons that would start with alcohol reviews and end in proposals, and he had remembered every comment you made about those rings, he’d also remembered the comments you’d made when one of your friends got engaged. He was able to find a beautiful ring, something he knew you’d like. His members helped get all the materials he needed, as they rushed to your shared apartment and started decorating the place, Yoongi and Jin cooked whilst the rest added finishing touches, at some point Jungkook went and got his camera, stating he’d be the one to stay so he could capture the moment.

Yoongi could complain about the maknae all he wanted, but there was no one as loyal and dedicated to his friends as him.

It was 11:30pm when they were finished, Jungkook and Yoongi were saying goodbye to the others as they made their way into the car they would have to share back to the HYBE building so they could get their own vehicles, they had all ran around in Yoongi’s car, a medium-sized SUV that barely fit all of them, but they managed.

“I call shotgun! I deserve it after going in hyung’s trunk,” Jimin ran after he had said his goodbyes, with Taehyung following closely behind as he whined about him getting shotgun, the rest walked away at a normal pace, not eager to deal with the soulmates and the game of rock-paper-scissors that they would certainly be playing.

Yoongi was pacing around, it was 12:48am now, you’d be home any minute now, Jungkook had hid behind the black sectional in your living room, thankful you had left some space between it and your wall due to the heating system. Yoongi started serving dinner, he’d kept it as warm as he could so that you could enjoy a warm meal before he asked what he believed to be one of the most important questions of your lives.

He heard the digital ping of you punching in the door code and he knew there was no backing out now.

You opened the door to find your house lit by small candles, your dining room table set up with your good plate set, and the flowers you had sent Yoongi as a centerpiece.

“Hi baby,” Yoongi smiled widely as approached you, kissing your lips softly, as if he was savoring you, “hey,” you sighed as he pulled away, as always he took your breath away, “did I miss an important day? Our anniversary has already passed, hasn't it?” you went through the different options nervously, and Yoongi could only chuckle at your silly concerns.

“No baby, I just wanted to thank you for the flowers,” he explained, taking your jacket off and grabbing your bag, putting them both away. You took off your shoes and slipped on your home one on, walking hand in hand with your boyfriend.

He pulled a chair out for you, you whispered a thank you and sat down; Yoongi left a kiss on your hair and went to sit down himself. He’d cooked your favorite meal, you both started eating, it was a comfortable silence at first, which you broke when Yoongi sat up to clean your dishes after you were both done. “How early did they let you all out for you to have pulled this off?” you asked him, supporting your chin on your fist as you watched him.

“Maybe…8:30?”

Your mouth dropped, he’d invested this much time to thank you for something so simple like flowers? You truly didn’t deserve him. Once he was done, he scrolled through his phone a bit, selecting one of the songs on the 3rd CD of Proof, he walked toward you and held out his hand, you recognized “Quotation Mark” almost immediately.

“We’re planning on making it a full group song,” Yoongi explained as he spun you around, making you giggle, how he wished to hear that sound forever.

And maybe, after tonight he would.

He danced around you, because truly they were planning on making it an OT7 song, and there was this bit of the choreo he had added for the purpose of what his plans were tonight. He truly hoped Jungkook was recording this, if you said yes like he hoped you would, he wanted to rewatch this every day until you were married, and eventually show it to your children. Here it came, the part that he’d be taking over once the song was done, the first half of Hobi’s rap was perfect for this. 

“...Today, I make sure to throw my heart to you first, a safe landing with you, the catcher,” He got down one knee, pulling out the small velvety box from his pocket, you hands immediately covering your nose and mouth in shock, your eyes filled with tears as the song went on, Yoongi had stopped after he found himself tearing up.

“I’ve always known you were the one for me, you’ve been with me when I was nobody and when success came, you kept me humble, you kept my feet on the ground whilst being one of my biggest support systems. I told you when the time came, I’d get down on one knee, and your kind gesture today was what tied it all together for me, I don’t care if people think it’s not that big of a deal, it was to me.” your chuckled mixed with your sobs, “I want to be able to hear you giggle every day, and selfish as it maybe, I want you to be mine forever, would you marry me, Ynie?” the words left his mouth miraculously, as he was fully sobbing now.

Did your small gesture truly lead him to such a big decision? To join your lives as one was something you had dreamed of for a while, hell recently you’d had a dream of yourself and Yoongi dancing in what felt like cloud, with a beautiful white dress and him in one of those suits that made him look like absolute prince, you could only assume you dreamt of your wedding day.

“Baby my heart’s about to fall out of my ass please say yes,” he chuckled nervously, bringing you out of your thoughts. Poor guy, he’s probably watching you watch him and he’s thinking the worst.

“I’d like nothing more,” you thought Yoongi’s face would split in two, he wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you in for a tight hug “and I promise to send you pretty flowers and tangerines every chance I get, for the rest of our lives,” you whispered. Yoongi couldn’t help himself, pulling away slightly so he could give you the kiss of a lifetime, he knew how much you love his lips.

“She didn’t say no hyungs!” You heard Jungkook’s distinct giggle and muffled cheers.

“You FaceTimed them?!” Yoongi whined, hiding his face in the crook of your neck. His dongsaeng walked out of his hiding spot, camera in one hand phone on another hand, “I thought you were recording with it!”

“I was recording with my Samsung, you know when you post this video they’ll want to see that,” the younger rolled his eyes, bringing the camera over so you could see the pictures.

“I wish I wasn’t wearing scrubs for this,” you complained, thanking your lucky stars there was no puking or excess of blood spilled on you tonight.

“You could’ve worn a burlap sack and Yoongi hyung would still think you’re the most gorgeous person alive noona,” Jungkook laughed, causing your fiancé to blush intensely. And between the guys congratulating you and Yoongi actually putting the ring on your finger, it really hit you that he was now your fiancé, and that your biggest dream had come true.

Your life would have a never ending amount of love, laughter and chaos, and you wouldn’t want anything else when it came to Yoongi.

A/N:

Hello! Sorry this took so long to get to you! I had a plan for this and when I saw this particular like reddit story thing I just NEEDED to do it with Yoongi. I hope y'all like it!

[vanfleeter]

Whiskey & Cherries

Summary: When love at first sight actually happens.

Characters: Jake Kiszka x OC Word count: 7.9k Warnings: 18+ || Language. Adult themes. Angst. Body insecurities. Self doubt. Tension. Smut. Sex. Unprotected penetrative sex (never be risky, always wrap it). Oral sex (f & m receiving). Fingering. Allusions to sex. Fluff. Jake with his words of affirmation. Jake and flowers. Just all around fluffy Jake. (pretty sure I may have missed something so please let me know so i can add it)

Dropping his guitar case on the floor in front of his bed, he slips out of his shoes and walks along the carpeted bedroom of the hotel suite until he reaches the balcony doors. He swings them open and breathes in the fresh air. The sun was shining high in the sky and he smiled. Being back in France felt so wonderful. He wasn’t cooped up in his home back in Nashville. At least here, not many cared who he was unless he wanted them to.

Hearing someone knocking on the door of his suite, he leaves the bedroom to go answer it. Seeing Josh through the peephole, he grumbles under his breath his annoyance before opening the door. “Twelve hours on a plane with you wasn’t enough quality time?” He says.

“I would say yes, but my dearest brother, we have rehearsal for the show tonight. The car is waiting for us downstairs.”

“Give me two minutes,” Jake says before closing the door again and going back to retrieve his shoes and his guitar.

Stepping out of the elevator, he follows Josh out of the hotel. Stepping into the revolving door, his eyes lock with the eyes of a brunette as she moves in the opposite direction. “Woah! Pay attention!” Josh yells as he pulls Jake from the revolving doors. “You almost squashed yourself.”

Jake looks behind him again to see the woman through the blurry glass as she approaches the check in counter.

“Jake!” Josh snaps, once again grabbing hold of his arm and pulling him to the car. “We cannot be staring at women right now. We have to get to rehearsal.”

All through rehearsal, Jake couldn’t get the image of the woman’s face out of his mind. Though he never missed a single note or beat while they rehearsed, his mind was still elsewhere. He obviously had no idea who she was, but he wanted to know who she was. But he knew he wouldn’t see her for a long time. He had a show to get through tonight and who knew what tomorrow would bring.

Jogging down the few steps of the side of the stage, Jake hands off his guitar to the tech and heads back to the dressing room. He pours himself a small glass of whiskey and knocks it back in one gulp before pouring himself another.

“We’ve still got hours before the show and you’re already getting drunk,” He hears Josh snicker behind him.

“I’m not drunk yet,” Jake says as he turns to face his twin.

“After tonight, we have a couple days free here in Paris before we move on to Rome. Have any plans for what you want to do?”

Jake shrugs his shoulders. “Maybe relax in the hotel, work on some songs.”

Josh scoffs, shaking his head. He grabs the whiskey bottle from Jake and takes a swig, causing Jake to raise his eyebrows in surprise. “What? I don’t just drink tequila brother.” Josh says before taking one more drink of the liquor and handing it back to Jake. “We are in Paris, Jake. France, for god sake. Do not hide away in your room for two days. You should come hang with us! I think we’re going to go exploring.”

“What more could we explore?” Jake says. “We’ve been here so much already, what do we do?”

Josh shrugs his shoulders. “I’m sure we can figure something out. There’s always something to do.”

Jake rolls his eyes and takes another drink. “I’ll think of something to do.”

“Or who..” Josh smirks. “I saw the way you were looking at her.”

Jake shakes his head. “I have not slept with a single woman this entire tour, I plan to keep it that way.”

“Bullshit.. I bet before we even leave Paris, that dumb vow you made will be broken.”

“And if you win, what do you want?”

“Teasing rights,” Josh smirks.

“Teasing? Really?”

“Or I get to drive your Porsche for a week.”

“Teasing it is,” Jake says.

“Afraid to let me drive your precious Porsche?”

“Actually yes,” Jake twists the cap back on the bottle and puts it away. “I don’t want to sleep with anyone,” He continues. “I have no need for it.”

“Jacob, there is always a need. You just choose not to act on it.” Josh sits on the arm of the couch and straightens up enough to see himself in the mirror and begins fluffing his hair. “I’m sure jacking off just isn't cutting it.” He throws a smirk over to Jake who just simply crosses his arms over his chest.

“You are stupid,” Jake says.

“You know I’m right,” Josh stands back on his feet and heads for the door. “We’re all going out for an early dinner, if you’d like to join.”

“Yeah sure, I’ll meet you outside.”

After dinner finished, and meeting a few fans, Jake finds himself back at the venue and getting ready for the show. He looked at himself in the mirror and saw just how tired he looked. Did he look like this the whole day? Maybe a day or two of relaxation and sleep isn’t such a bad idea.

Finally arriving at the hotel after the show, Jake thanks the driver before climbing out of the car and making his way inside. He turned down going out with the guys for an aftershow bar hang out. All he really wanted to do was sleep and that’s what he tried to do when he got back to the hotel. He laid there in bed for what felt like hours but sleep never came over him.

Getting out of bed, he walks over to the balcony doors and swings them open before stepping out inside the still warm air. Maybe a little fresh air could help. Falling into one of the balcony chairs, he rests his feet on the railing and leans his head back as he closes his eyes and takes in the sounds of Paris. It was somewhat quiet at this hour, a few cars driving by, maybe a couple talking every now and then.

“Beds exist for a reason.”

Peeling his eyes open, he turns to look behind him when he sees her. She was standing on the balcony that’s beside his, leaning against the railing. Seeing her this time, she was only wearing a thin, silk robe over a pair of shorts and tank top that showed more cleavage that was respectable to look at. Though he can’t say much, he’s only in his boxer shorts.

“Oh uh, couldn't sleep.” He says as he stands up from the chair.

“Time change?” She asks. “That’s my excuse.”

He shakes his head. “Sort of.. Also had a show and the adrenaline hasn’t quite worn off yet.”

“A show? Like a play?”

Jake chuckles and shakes his head. “No, I don’t act,” He says. “I play guitar.”

“Oh,” She says, nodding her head. “A band. Have I heard of it?”

“Obviously not if you have to ask.” He says as he walks over to the side of his balcony. “I’m Jake.”

“Nice to meet you, Jake. I’m Val.”

“Short for Valerie?” He asks.

Val shakes her head. “Valentine,” She says. “My mom gave us unique names when we were born.”

“Unique name for a unique person.” He says, only to immediately regret the words he just uttered. “I’m sorry,” He sighs. “That was pathetic.”

Val giggles and leans against the railing once more. “You’re cute when you blush,” She says. “So you said you play the guitar?”

Jake feels relief when she finally changes the subject. “Yeah, I do.”

“Care to show me?”

“I don’t think anyone wants to hear it at four in the morning.”

Val hums to herself before stepping backwards to peer into her room before coming back to the railing of her balcony. Slipping off her robe, she tosses it to Jake. It smelt sweet like cherries or something like it.

“Wait, what are you doing?” He says when he sees her swing a leg over the railing.

“Coming over,” She says, swinging her other leg over.

“Are you crazy?” He says. “You could fall.” He rushes over the railing, dropping her robe, and reaching out to grab hold of her. She leaps over to the edge of his balcony and he helps her over the railing.

“Not the first time I’ve jumped balconies,” She says, bending over to pick up her robe. She slips it on, not bothering to tie it and steps through the doors and into his room. “Must be a well known band if you can afford a room like this,” She says as she looks around.

“I don’t look familiar to you at all?” He asks.

“Should you?”

“Maybe?”

She flops down onto his bed and props herself up on her elbow. “What’s your band’s name?”

“Greta Van Fleet,” He doesn't hesitate to tell her.

“Ahhhh okay,” She says. “Still haven't heard of you.”

He scoffs and walks over to the bed, grabbing his guitar off the floor in the process. Sitting on the bed, he tunes the guitar just a little before beginning to strum a few chords. He hadn't noticed Val crawling across the bed as he played, his mind completely focused on the guitar. She sat perched at his side as she listened and watched him play. It came so easily for him as his fingers glided up and down the fretboard while the others plucked the right strings. The guitar seemed to meld with him, as if it were an extension of his body and he just knew how to use it perfectly.

The thought alone made her eyes wander over the rest of him. The focus on his face drew out the intensity and passion he has for what he does. His forehead wrinkled and moved whenever he played a different chord or note. His jaw clenches and relaxes and his lips just stay the same. They glistened whenever he licked his tongue over them. They looked soft. She wonders if they feel the same way too.

Val then moves down his body, watching as the muscles flex in his arms as he moves. His skin was slightly tanned, must have gotten some sun before coming here to Paris. Her eyes moved further down his body and towards his chest and torso. He wasn’t quite sturdy, has a little bit of a stomach but still he looks beautiful. He wasn’t sporting a six pack but that didn't matter. She still found him beautifully just the way he was.

His legs came into view and she found them to be a little hairy but not too much. The tan followed all the way down to his feet, which tapped to the beat, keeping him on track with what he was playing.

Her hands were itching to reach out and touch him. She could still feel his hands on her waist as he pulled her over to his balcony. She didn't pay attention to how his skin felt at the moment but now she wants to. She wants to feel every part of him.

Stop it, Val. You don't even know him.

“Penny for your thoughts?” He asks, drawing her out of her mind. She bashfully shakes her head, looking away. He chuckles and moves to set his guitar on the floor. “Did you like what you heard?” He asks.

“If you’re this good on an acoustic, I can only imagine what you must be like with this band.”

Jake smiles and turns himself on the bed to face her. “A simple youtube search would confirm that for you.”

“I’ll have to look it all up later.”

“Why not now?” He asks, finding himself leaning a little closer to her.

“Because I’m a little distracted.”

“Really? By what?”

“More like who..” She breathes.

He chuckles, his warm breath breezing over her lips before he presses into her. Her lips tasted just as her robe smelled. Cherries. Her lips were soft that he was thinking they would be. He pulls away, his lips lingering a little longer to savor the taste of her. Taking the initiative again, he leans back again and kisses her. Taking his hand, he wraps it around the back of her neck and uses his thumb to tilt her chin upwards.

He feels her poking her tongue against his teeth and he chuckles before granting her access. Without breaking apart, she moves her body closer and starts to wrap her legs around his waist until she’s seated on his lap. His hands drop to her waist, holding her in place as they continue their makeout.

His eyes peel open when she pulls away, only to start kissing down his neck. Usually it would be the other way around, but he isn’t complaining, he’s enjoying the feeling of her lips on his skin. He leans back on his hand, tilting his head back and closing his eyes again as he savors this moment. A moan escapes his mouth before he can even stop it and he can feel her smiling against his neck.

Giving in further to the moment, he lays down on his back on the bed, allowing her to have full control. If he leaves Paris, having broken his streak of not sleeping with anyone, so be it. He was hers and he didn’t care at all. The feeling she was giving him was euphoric and he wasn't going to deny it.

Feeling her hand trace the curve of his semi erection over the top of his boxers, he opens his eyes once again and looks down at her. She has those doey eyes that he can’t ever resist. He nods his head and she pulls down his boxers enough to release him. Another moan falls from his mouth when she takes him in hers. His hands snake down his body and tangles in her hair.

This can’t be real.

It has to be a dream.

His body tensed as he felt himself approaching his release. He can’t stop himself from spilling inside of her mouth, but he’s pleasantly surprised when she takes it all and swallows. Pulling away from him, she sits back up and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand.

“How was that?” She asks.

“Amazing.” He says breathlessly.

She pulls his boxers back up and climbs up to straddle his waist. She places her hand against his chest and smiles. “Your heart is racing.” He chuckles and pulls her down for a kiss.

“Can I taste you?” He asks before kissing her again.

“I think it’s only fair.” She says before sliding off her robe.

Jake glides his hands along her shoulders, following the robe as it falls down her arms and pools around her hips. His eyes canvas every curve of her body, every minuscule scar. She didn’t have the supermodel body, but he didn’t care, he still found her beautiful. Just like him, she had a little meat to her body, it was perfectly toned or sculpted but it was a body that has been lived in. Worn over the years but still beautiful. He gently traced his thumbs over to the strips on her hips and looked up into her eyes.

He could see the timid look in her eyes as she watched him, wondering if at any second he would change his mind and not want her like she was wanting him. His lips curved upwards as a smile graced his sun kissed face. His brown eyes single handedly reassured her that he was in complete awe of her.

He didn't even know her besides her name. None of that mattered in the moment as he still took the time to admire her body.

Slowly he let his hands run over the fuzzy elastic band over her shorts and tugged on them, pulling the fabric away from her body and letting go, watching it snap back against her skin. He giggles lightly to himself. He dips his thumb beneath the elastic and looks up at her.

“May I?” He asks. Val nods her head and he proceeds to go further down inside of her shorts. He feels her hands grip loosely to his hips, her own instinctively bucking against his thumb. He gently rubs over her clit making her gasp.

With graceful movements, he’s sitting up and laying her on her back between his legs. Removing his hand from her shorts, he takes them off and licks his lips at the sight of her laying bare in front of him. Leaning over, he licks his tongue through her folds earning another gasp from Val. She didn't taste like cherries but she did taste sweet.

Within a couple minutes he had her releasing on his tongue and he licked up every drop. He pulls her back up and kisses her, tracing her lips with his tongue as he pulls apart from her.

“Being a rockstar, you must have a lot of women when you want to.”

He scoffs with a smile. “I could, but I’ve chosen not to,” He says. “Sure I could live the drugs, sex, and rock ‘n roll lifestyle easily, but I like the calm paced life. Play a lot on stage, flirt with the fans during the set, and then just relax afterwards.”

“When was the last time you slept with someone?”

“It’s been a couple years..” He says. “I used to just have meaningless sex. None of it meant anything. I brought a woman home after a night out at the bar, we’d slept together, and then she was gone by the time I opened a bottle of whiskey.”

“So what am I?” Val asks. “It’s almost five in the morning–in Paris–and you have me in your bed.”

Jake brings his hand up to her face and brushes her hair behind her ear. “I don’t know.. There’s just something about you that I like–as if I was meant to meet you. You’re not like the others..”

“What if tonight was our only night? Then what?”

Jake shakes his head. “I don’t believe it to be our only night,” He says.

“How can you be so sure?” She asks.

“I feel something with you–something that I have never felt before. And if we only spend tonight together, I won’t ever forget you. Who knows,” He says, tracing his thumb over her cheek. “We may see each other again and if we do, then we will know we were meant for each other.”

“Already falling in love, are we?” Val teases.

“Well we are in the city of love,” Jake playfully responds. “No.. But when I saw you for the first time yesterday, I was hooked. I thought about you all day and having you here now feels like a dream that I never want to wake up from.” He kisses her lips and then down to her neck before stopping just above her cleavage. “Let me love you tonight and then prove to you later that you are to be mine, and I yours.”

“Spoken like a prince.”

“I like to think I was in another life.”

Val giggles and kisses him. “If you treat me just like the others, I will never forgive you.”

“Only if you promise not to leave after I open a bottle of whiskey.”

Val shakes her head, “Never. You are stuck with me until the sun comes up.”

He smiles. “Good.”

As the sun begins to rise, the light filling the room, Val wakes up to the feeling of Jake running fingers ever so gently over the surface of her back. She flips her head to the other side and looks up at him. “Good morning,” He says. His breath still smelled like whiskey.

“Good morning,” She responds before flipping over onto her back.

“Do you have any plans today?” He asks, walking his fingers up the expanse of her stomach.

“My friends and I were just going to relax on the beach, but I can cancel.”

“I don’t want you to cancel your plans,” He says.

“We have a whole week here, I can miss one day.”

“And what would they think about you spending a whole day with some guy you just met?”

“You’re not just some guy,” Val says as she reaches her up to push his hair back away from his face. “Not anymore.”

“What if we spent the whole day in bed?” He asks. “We can order room service and just be together..”

“You don't want to go out?” She asks. “Do some exploring?”

“I have explored Paris countless times,” He says. “But I have yet to explore you,” He says as he rolls over top of her.

“You have too,” Val giggles as she tries to roll away from him. “You have seen every inch of my body.”

“Ahh, but that was with my eyes,” He says. “I meant with my lips.” He says as he starts kissing her neck. She giggles at the tickling sensation he gives her as he works his way down her neck and to her collarbone. “You are so beautiful.” He says.

“You keep saying that and yet I have a hard time believing you.”

“I only speak the truth,” He says. “I would never lie to you.”

His fingers glide over her stretch marks again as he kisses her breasts. “I just can’t wrap my head around why a rockstar like you would ever love someone who looks like me? Last night was beautiful and I just thought you were saying those words.”

“I meant every word, why are you doubting me now?” He says.

“I guess I’m just getting deep inside my head..” She says. “I have always had trouble loving my body and yet a man like you still sees me as beautiful–even with my stretch marks and my hips.”

“Your hips are beautiful and so are your stretch marks,” Jake says as he traces the marks on her hips. “You don’t need a perfect body for me to be attracted to you. Your eyes alone have already done that for you.”

“And what about my legs? My thighs–”

He covers her mouth lightly with the palm of his hand. “You are beautiful,” He says. “With every mark on your body, your hips, your thighs. Every inch of you is beautiful. I do not need a super model’s body pressed against mine, I just want yours in all its flawed beauty.”

He sees a tear start to slide down the side of her face and he wipes it away with the pad of his thumb. “You are beautiful, don’t ever think otherwise.”

“How can you say such things about a woman you have only met just four hours ago?”

Jake shrugs his shoulders. “A woman deserves to know when she is beautiful.” He leans his head down and kisses her.

“I should probably tell my friends where I am before they think I was kid–napped..” She moans when she feels him slip back inside of her.

“At least your kidnapper is sexy,” He teases before thrusting back inside of her.

Within minutes they were both coming down as he gave her sloppy kisses.

Against his begging, she slips on her clothes again and heads for the door. “Ten minutes and then I’ll be back.” She says as she pulls herself away from his arms.

“Jake Kiszka?! You slept with him?!”

“Shhh!” Val says, clamping her hand over her friend’s mouth.

“How did that even happen? When?”

“Last night,” Val says as she steps away from her friend and heads over to her suitcase to grab clothes. “I saw him out on his balcony and he brought me into his room. He played me a song on his guitar and then… We slept together.”

“And you’re going back over there?” Val nods her head. “I just can't believe this is happening,” Her friend continues. “So you’re spending the day with him?” Val slides her shoes on and slips in a sweater over top of her shirt. “He leaves in like a day, while you’ll still be here.”

“I know..”

“So then what happens after that?”

“I’m not sure,” Val says as she fixes her hair. “I can’t go with him, but maybe we’ll meet again sometime.”

“Are you in love with him?”

Val shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t know if I’d call it love just yet, but I do feel something. He’s so sweet, Jayge, and so kind. He’s not at all like the typical rockstar you would assume.”

“How can you be so sure about that?” Jayge questions. “What if.. What if he only thinks of you as just some women he fucked in Paris and he never thinks of you again?”

“Wow, way to be such a downer.”

“I’m not a downer,” Jayge says as she sits down in the bed. “I’m being logical here. Val, he’s a rockstar, currently on tour for the next four months and after this week in Paris, you’re going back to Dallas.”

“Then I will savor whatever this is while it lasts and then.. Well.. I’ll deal with the fact that I may never see him again.”

“Val, I’m sorry.. I just don’t want you to get your hopes up that this means anything. Of course, by all means, have sex and just have fun, but don’t let yourself get caught up on what could happen.”

Noticing Val was oddly quiet all of sudden, and not paying much attention, Jake pulls away from her, cocking his head slightly as he studies her face. “Hey,” He says, cupping her face in his hands. “Is everything okay?” He asks.

“Hmm?” Her eyes flicker up to his.

“You seem a little..distant.”

Val shakes her head. “No, no.. I’m okay..” She says.

“Are you sure?” He asks.

Val nods her head, forcing a smile on her face. “Yeah, I’m sure.” She says as she brushes her hand up along his arm.

Jake exhales a breath and drops his hand from her face. “Something’s bothering you,” He says. “Come on, talk to me.. What happened while you were back in your room?”

“Jake, it’s stupid.. Really..” Jake cocks his head, still not believing a word she’s telling him. Realizing that he won’t let it go, Val sits up on the bed and crosses her leg in front of her. “My friend.. She thinks that after you leave to finish your tour and I go back home, you’ll forget about me.. And that this was all just a simple fuck..”

Jake’s hands drop to his lap as he lowers his head. “That’s what she thinks of me?” He says.

“Jake..”

“Is that what you think of me?” He asks, looking back up at her. “I was honest with you.. I’m not like that anymore..”

“I know,” Val says. “But is she right about what happens when we go our separate ways? Jake.. We’re from two different worlds. You have this whole career and I’m just some girl from Texas.”

“You're not just some girl,” He says. “This isn’t just a simple fuck either.” He reaches for her hand and rubs his thumb over her knuckles. “I know this isn’t ideal and we do have separate for the time being, but I just know this isn’t over when I leave.”

“I don’t want her to be right,” Val says. “I don’t want to be just another girl.”

“You are not just another girl,” Jake says. “I want to explore more of this with you. Don’t let what your friend said make you think differently.”

Climbing off the bed, Jake grabs his button up shirt and slips it on before moving onto his shorts. “Come on, I think we need to get out of the room,” He says as he hands her her clothes.

Jake enjoyed seeing the smile on her face as she talked animatedly with the florist. Knowing he couldn't commit to memory, he took out his phone and snapped a photo as he continued watching the conversation play out. The smile she bore, he’d never want to forget that. Suddenly the florist was pointing towards him and Val looks over, still wearing a smile, and nods her head. The florist nods her head as if understanding whatever Val had told her before waving him over. As he approached the table, the florist handed him a small bouquet of wildflowers and motions for him to give them to Val.

“Oh okay,” He says, his cheeks growing a light shade of pink. He hands Val the flowers and leans over to kiss her cheek. “May our love grow wild and free like these flowers,” He whispers into her ear. He feels her skin grow warm and he chuckles. “Am I making you flustered?”

“Just a little..” She whispers.

“Good,” He says. “Just wait until we get back to the room. Your cheeks won’t be the only thing that will be red..” He says, keeping his voice low, before pulling away. He goes to retrieve his wallet from his pocket when the florist hurriedly stops him. “I have to pay you,” He says.

“No, no!” The florist exclaims. “It’s a gift.”

“Are you sure?” Jake asks.

“I am sure,” She says. “Love comes without a price.”

“Thank you,” Val says. “I hope you have a wonderful day.”

As they walked away from the stand, Val picked out one of the purple flowers. Jake tries to stop her but she already has the flower tucked safely behind his ear. “Beautiful.” She says.

“Val, men do not–”

“Men do,” She cuts him off. “And I think you look good with it.” She reaches up and kisses his cheek. “Keep it there.” He did keep there the whole time they ventured around the street market.

He snuck even more candid photos of her, not realizing she was doing the same. As he goes to put it away, he feels it vibrate and he lifts it back up to see a text from Josh.

‘Whatever you are doing, forget about it for a little while and come get lunch with us!’

Jake looks up at Val who’s distracted, smelling different candles. “Are you hungry?” He asks, walking up to her.

“A little, why?” She says as she straightens back up.

“The others are getting lunch, do you want to go?” Val lifts up a candle for him to smell. He scrunches up his face when he smells the god awful scent. “Ew..”

Val giggles and sets the candle back down on the table. “Are you sure?” She asks. “They won’t think–”

“Doesn't matter what they think,” He says as he pulls her into his arms. “But they will love you.”

“Ummm.. Sure, why not?” She says, shrugging her shoulders.

“Well well well, you must be the woman who’s captivated my brother,” Josh says as he embraces Val in a hug. “It’s nice to finally get to meet you.”

Val giggles and hugs him back, “It’s nice to meet you too…..”

Josh laughs, slapping his hand against Jake’s shoulder. “I see my brother has not told you about us,” He says. “I’m Josh, his twin.”

“Twin?” Val questions as she looks between the two.

“We don’t look so much alike now but we used to growing up.”

“Oh, and this is Sam, our younger brother,” Josh continues. Sam waves at her with a wide grin. “And then there’s Daniel, our childhood friend and badass drummer.” Danny waves as well before taking a drink of his beer. “Come sit and join us!” Josh says as he pulls her to their table.

All through dinner, they got to know each other, more so they wanted to know everything about Val. Jake also couldn't keep his eyes off of Val, watching her as she held conversations with his brothers and allowed them to ask her whatever they pleased.

“Do you ride at all?” Josh asks. “Horses, I mean..” He adds, glancing over at Jake.

Jake’s smile fades and he kicks Josh’s leg underneath the table. Josh winks at him and sips on his drink.

“I was taught how to ride from a young age,” Val says. “Still do.”

“Jake, I believe you found yourself a cowgirl.” Danny chuckles.

Jake smiles and reaches over to kiss Val’s cheek. “I don’t know, did I?” He whispers. He chuckles feeling her cheeks warm slightly and he squeezes her thigh.

They were barely inside the door of his hotel room before they’re tearing off each other’s clothes. Jake kicks the door closed behind him, the lock latching immediately behind him. As he picks her up, she wraps her legs around his waist and he carries her into the bedroom. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, with her still wrapped around him, he feels his way around her hips and pushes down her pants. Having left his jeans by the door already, she ground down against his groin, her clothed center rubbing against his semi hard dick.

Pulling away from him, long enough to take off his boxers, she then lays him back on the bed and starts to kiss down his body. He hisses, grabbing a fist full of her hair when she nips his skin above his hips. “Did you just bite me?” He questions, titling her his chin downwards so he can see her.

She winks up at him before continuing down the rest of his body until she reaches his length. He can’t help the moan that escapes him when he feels her envelope him with her mouth. She licks and strokes him a few times before making him release her hair. She rises to her feet and slides off her underwear before climbing on top of him.

He moves further up the bed, carrying her with him, until he’s comfortably lying in the middle of the bed. He squeezed her hips as she sinks down on him, taking him as deep as he can go. “You’re so sexy from this angle,” He says, looking up at her. He moans again, his head falling against the pillows as she starts to lift herself and stop in a steady pattern.

Val rests her hands on his shoulder, keeping the pace, rising and falling repeatedly, bringing herself closer to her climax. Jake grips her hips tighter and pushes his hips upwards, meeting her thighs as they collide with his.

“Jake…” She moans, squeezing her eyes shut as her mouth falls open.

“Yeah baby, let go for me.” He says. “Come on..”

They both meet their ends and she collapses against his chest. He rubs her back and kisses her forehead. He slowly sits them both up and brushes her hair out from in front of her face. “I’m going to miss this,” He says.

“Gee, I hope you don’t only want me for sex,” Val jokes.

He lightly taps her ass as he laughs. “I want you for more than just sex,” He says. “I want to take you on romantic dates, fun adventures. I want to hold your hand and cuddle with you in bed. I want to have a life with you.”

“Boy you are falling quickly,” She jokes again, earning yet another smack to her ass, making her laugh. “All of that sounds wonderful,” She says. “Maybe I can teach you how to ride a horse.”

“Oh I know how to ride a horse,” Jake says.

“Yes but do you know how to ride a horse?” She says. “Full speed through an open space, the wind blowing through your hair,” She runs her fingers through his semi sweaty locks. “The adrenaline coursing through your veins and the feeling of being as free as the wind.”

“You make it sound like an adventure.”

“It can be,” She says. “It’s my favorite thing to do when I need to clear my head–or just to have fun.”

“How often do you go riding?”

Val shrugs her shoulders. “Whenever I decide to,” She says as Jake starts to kiss down her neck and over her shoulders. “I think you’d enjoy it.”

“I think I’d enjoy anything with you,” He says, continuing to kiss her body. He makes his way to her chest and sucks gently on one of her nipples. He can feel her heart beating in her chest. He releases her nipple and turns his head to press his ear to her chest. “I could listen to this all the time,” He says.

He sighs, realizing by the morning time he’ll be on a plane and flying to Rome…without Val. How was he supposed to leave her behind while he continues with this tour? He knows he can’t just cancel the rest of the tour. Missing someone you love wasn’t a big enough reason to cancel everything.

As if they were thinking the same thing, Val speaks up as she runs her hand through his hair. “You promise nothing will change when you leave?” She asks.

Jake lifts his head and tilts it backwards to look at her. “Nothing will change,” He says. “I promise..” He caresses her cheek and presses his lips to hers. “As soon as I get back home, I’m coming to you.”

The morning came sooner than either of them wanted and as Val still slept, Jake quietly made his way around the room collecting his things and packing them into his suitcase. Once everything was zipped and ready to go, he carries them out of the room to set by the hotel door. He quietly goes back to the bedroom and sits on the edge of the bed before gently waking up Val.

“Hey, it’s time for me to leave..” He says.

“Already?”

Jake nods his head. “Yeah..”

“Can I come with you to the airport?” She asks.

“Of course,” Jake says as he stands up from the bed.

The two of them stand in the middle of the crowded airport, not wanting to let each other go. Val was the first to finally pull apart, regretting looking up at Jake. His eyes were glossy with tears as they flickered between hers. “I wish you could come with me,” He says. “You’d love Italy.”

“I’m sure I would,” Val says as she reaches up to wipe away an escaped tear slipping down his cheek.

“Goddamn it,” He huffs, wiping his own hands over his cheeks. “I’m not supposed to cry… I’m so pathetic..”

Val giggles, shaking her head. “Only four more months,” She says, wrapping her arms around his neck. “And then it’s you and me and the open field.”

He smiles and leans down to kiss Val. “I’m looking forward to it.” He kisses her again, savoring the taste of her chapstick. “Cherries..” He hums. “Definitely going to miss that.”

“Jake,” Josh says as he walks up to the two of them. “We have to go.”

“Yeah, okay..” Jake says as he takes in a deep breath.

“I’ll see you soon,” Val says as she kisses him one last time before pulling away and heading off back through the airport. Jake wipes his face again and slips on his sunglasses, covering how red his eyes must look, and heads off to catch up with the others.

-4 months later-

Four months away from Jake proved to be harder than she had originally thought it would be. Sporadic texts here and there, last night phone calls when he was available. She was depressed the first few weeks, moping over what they had in Paris. Part of her didn't believe this would move forward, based on the tone of his texts. His voice when he spoke only sounded like he wasn't at all interested anymore.

But then they stopped all together. It has been at least a month now since she last spoke to Jake. He hadn't responded to any of her texts so eventually she stopped sending them. Maybe Jayge was right. Maybe Paris was only what it was at the moment. Even the words he spoke held no meaning anymore.

She needed to get her mind off of him and she knew of the only way to do so.

Riding.

She started out at a slow pace, taking in the colors of the wildflowers as they swayed in the wind, the clear blue sky with not a single cloud to be seen, the sounds of the birds singing from the trees. Then the slow trot turned into a full on sprint, as fast as the horse could go. The wind ripped through her hair as the tears stung her eyes.

She really was just some girl to him. At least that’s what it felt like. He gave her no reason to think otherwise, never reassured her that she was more than that. She felt just like the others that he talked about. Except this time, it wasn’t her leaving him by the time he opened a whiskey bottle, but it was him leaving the memories of her behind in Paris. Those memories would never leave Paris.

Eventually the horse started to grow tired, so she led him down to a nearby river to rest and drink. Her phone started to ring in her pocket and she pulled it out to see Jake’s name on the screen. She simply stared at it, not making a move to answer it, letting it disappear and go to voicemail. His name pops back up, another incoming call.

Rolling her eyes, she taps the answer button and presses her phone to ear.

“Hello?”

“Hey, are you busy?”

“Just riding..”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine..” She says, tilting her head down and fidgeting with the reins in her hand. “I haven't heard from you for a while…”

He sighs. “Yeah.. I know.. I’m sorry..”

“You know, if you don't want me anymore, you could just tell me..”

“What? No.. Val, of course I still want you. I meant every word I told you back in Paris.”

“Somehow I’m finding it hard to believe that anymore.. You’ve talked to me like you have no interest and even when you do talk to me, it’s so few and far in between.. I’m struggling to believe that you do mean what you told me.”

“Val, I swear, I meant it all. I’m sorry for acting that way, I have no other excuse except that I’m tired.. But the tour is finally over and I want to continue where we left off.”

“Jake, I have to go.”

“No, Val, please don’t-”

She doesn't let him finish as she ends the call. Letting the horse rest a little more, after a few more minutes she climbs back up onto the saddle and rides away from the river, keeping her phone on Do Not Disturb for the time being. This time on the way back to the ranch, she doesn't haul ass back through the fields, instead she decides to take her time riding back.

After an hour, she finally reaches the ranch. Climbing down off the horse, she walks him to the stables but stops when she sees Jake leaning against the stable door. He was dressed appropriately in jeans and cowboy boots, though his button down shirt was open to the last two buttons, revealing his still tanned chest. When he sees her, he pushes off the door and walks up to her.

“Please, can we talk?” He asks.

“Jake, I get it, okay?” Val says as she leads the horse into the stable. “I fell for your stupid trap. You got what you wanted.”

“No, I didn’t,” He says, following after her. “Val, I meant everything I told you. I was stupid for not following through, but I swear I’m not treating you like the others. You mean so much to me, Val.”

“Sure didn't sound like it the few times we’ve talked.”

“I’m sorry.. I-I don’t know what else you want me to do.”

“There is nothing you can do Jake.” She says as she turns to face him, after locking the horse inside the stable. “We were crazy to think this would ever move forward from Paris. We live in two different states and we have different lives. I can’t just drop everything to move to Nashville o-or to follow you on tour, and you sure as hell can’t move here because of the band. Just admit it, Jake, this is not going to work.”

“No!” He exclaims, following her out of the stables. “I am not going to admit it because I know we can make this work.” He grabs her hand and pulls her back to him. “I’m not asking you to follow me on tour, I won't make you do that. I’ve seen what happens if you do. I can’t ask you to give up your life for that, but I am asking for you to not give up on us. If I have to move to goddamn Texas, then I will. My bands will survive.”

“Jake, don’t move here.”

“Why not? You’re here.”

“You’d hate it.”

“I can deal with it, if I still have you. Come on, I know you’ve imagined turning this rockstar into a cowboy.”

Val can't help but laugh. “Cowboy by day, rockstar by night?”

“I could do it,” He says. “I know how to ride a horse.”

“You really want to move forward with us?” Val asks.

“You already know my answer,” He says as he pushes their bodies together, lifting up her chin and kissing. “I will do whatever it takes to keep loving you.”

“You’ll do whatever?” She asks, looking up at him. He nods his head and she smiles. “The house is empty,” She says, nodding her head to the white farmhouse behind her. “The boys are out wrangling the herd, could be a couple hours.”

Jake smirks before grabbing her hand and running for the house. Within minutes he had her naked and in her bed, kissing every inch of her body, making up for the lost time. When he reaches her legs, she pulls him back up and kisses him.

“I need you,” She says. “Please.”

He nods his head and adjusts himself between herself, careful to take it slow as he pushes himself inside. She hisses slightly and he pauses, looking at her. He slowly eases further in until he’s completely bottomed out. He stays like that, allowing her time to readjust to him. When she was ready, he began at a snail pace, taking his time until she was comfortable enough to let him go faster. In no time she was begging him to and he obliged, picking up the pace until the headboard began hitting the wall.

Her lips still tasted like cherries when he kissed her, the taste being enough to intoxicate him. He didn't stop until he was struggling to keep himself at bay but he couldn't. He couldn’t stop himself from hitting his climax and spilling inside of her. She followed not too long after him.

They laid there in bed, completely spent and covered in sweat but still cuddling each other. Jake traces the curves of her hip with his fingertips and kisses her forehead.

“Valentine!” A man calls from downstairs.

Val sits up in bed, holding the blankets up to cover her chest. “Who is that?” Jake asks.

“My dad,” Val says as she scrambles out of the bed. “Get dressed, hurry–and button up your shirt.”

“I have to meet your dad so soon?” Jake asks as he climbs out of the bed and starts picking up his clothes to put back on.

“Better to get it out of the way now rather than later.” Val says as she zips up her pants.

“Oh fantastic,” Jake mutters before following Val out of her bedroom.

@losfacedevil @writingcold @edgingthedarkness @i-love-gvf @katuschka @josh-iamyour-mama @sammysstolenbirks @asendingtothestarsasone @hollyco @musicislove3389 @its-interesting-van-kleep @katiegvf @tinydancer40 @gretavangroupie @lizzys-sunflower @fleetingjake @takenbythemadness @godly-sinsx @psychedelectable @dancingcarbon @cheersdannyx2 @piratejtk @katuschka @musicislove3389 @takenbythemadness @wildbluesorbit

[sturnlova]

First time ( C.S )

(Chris Sturniolo x Female reader)

( Warning : Smut, F & M receiving, kinda new to writing, not proof read all the way, pet names, fluff, i don’t know what else 😭 )

Chris : Orange

Y/N : Pink

Matt : Blue

Nick : Purple

Nathan : Red

(Word count : 900)

——————————————————

Me and Chris have been best friends for over 8 years and i’ve told him every secret expect one, i’m a virgin, but i didn’t feel the need to because he can’t do anything about it. well at least i thought he couldn’t

“Exactly bruh, Y/N when your fucking someone would u let them do anal cause i personally wouldn’t” i giggled at his comment and so did everyone else but i didn’t really now what to say since i’ve never done anything romantically like sex, it’s not like people didn’t want to do it with me i just wasn’t ready. Nate went on for a while about fucking girls and his own experiences until i grabbed my phone and hoodie and hopped off the couch to go to Chris’ room and lock myself in there until i was ready to come out. I heard Matt whisper yell at Chris to go check on me and find out what’s wrong.

“Y/N let me in please, i wanna know if you’re okay, what happened Y/N/N”

“please go away Chris it’s embarrassing it doesn’t concern you anyway.”

“ I’m not going away Y/N/N cmon we’re best friends you gotta tell me ill tell you a secret if you want me to”

A minute after i unlocked the door, Chris opened it to see me with a puffy face due to the tears of embarrassment i shed. “Wanna sit and talk about it, i promise i won’t judge ” Chris moved us to the bed and laid me on his chest for we could talk about why i was crying out of nowhere.

As we laid down and made ourself as comfortable as we could i let out a sigh and a whisper into his chest “i’m a virgin at my grown age, Chris i just don’t want to do it with someone i don’t connect with, you know.” Chris just runs his fingers through my hair as i talk about how i feel embarrassed about being a virgin and why i still am one.

A uncomfortable silence forms until Chris cuts it with a knife “if you don’t wanna do this we can forget about it but do you want me to help, like platonically of course.”

“Help?”

“Yeah help.”

“You will tell me how to do it?”

“Of course Y/N no one has to know if u don’t want people to know“

He stands up and asks if i’m 100% sure, “im 101% sure Chris” He takes of his top and i take this as a queue to take mine of to, chris is there with jorts on and i’m left with shorts and my bra on which he unclasp with a bit of a struggle, but it’s fine. He leans down to kiss me softly but passionately.

He lays me down on the bed and crawls on top me of me. He pulls down my shorts and panties, leaving me naked well he still has his shorts on. “Chris please can you take ur shorts off, or do something please, it feels weird being naked and ur not.” “yeah sweetheart i’ll take it off don’t worry” He takes them off as he speaks.

Sweetheart?

I have to be honest with Chris because after all we are best friend’s “what if it hurts Chris, many get a towel in case i bleed.” “It’s ok we don’t need a towel but i’ll be slow i promise and you can just tap my arm 2 times if u want me to stop, ok?” i nod my head in response. He spreads my legs open and places my ankles on his shoulders. He teases my pussy hole a bit making sure i’m stretched before anything more happens.

“Okay I’m ready Chris just go slow” he slowly adds his length to me, i hiss in response as this is a new feeling and his definitely not small “you ok? want to stop” “no no keep going” He finally adds it all to me and starts moving, i can feel his balls against my butt it’s a bit funny to me only because this is the same boy i used to force to let me practice make up on. He continues his thrust at a steady past well whispering praises in my ear.

I’m a moaning mess under him due to all the new sensations i’m feeling; his tip hits my cervix with every movement he does. Chris giggles, “what’s so funny lover boy?” “the fact you can barely talk ” “shut up” i say between my moans.

“Y/N i’m really close ok, i want you to cum all over my cock” he whimpers as he moves slower and sloppier. “Let go baby” we finish together and giggle at each other’s sweaty tired faces a couple seconds after. We lay in bed together naked in a comfortable silence.

“You did so good Y/N/N i’m so proud of you. Thank you for being comfortable with me.” he kisses my check “you want me to get ya dressed for we can go back down? Or you wanna stay here for a bit ” “Yeah can you please get me dressed before someone walks in, and also i know i don’t have to much experience but you’re good at fucking” Chris giggled and pulled out of me to add my clothes and his clothes back on.

Chris puts his clothes on then grabs me by the waist and puts my clothes on until Nate walks in our room.

“Did y’all fuck?”

“what?” i say with a tone that clearly had attitude to it.

“No we didn’t do that, she had really bad stomach pains and was crying so it might i’ve sounded like moans but it wasn’t..”

“Oh sorry than but why is she naked?”

“Nate get the fuck out”

Chris whispered in my ear “I’ll drop you off home baby” i started to blush and nodded my head and looked down.

✧༺✦✮✦༻༺✦✮✦༻✧

It’s been 4 months since Chris admitted his feelings to me after “helping me” and i couldn’t be more thankful. I now have the best boyfriend i could ever ask for, we also have an annoying but loveable Nate who saw us Post sex.

[cottonlemonade]

How You Met

word count: 950 || avg. reading time: 4 mins.

pairing: post time-skip Akaashi x chubby!Reader

genre: fluff

warnings: one person being casually rude about your weight (it’s quick tho)

The taiyaki were still hot in the white paper bag, the smell reminding you it was almost lunch time.

Looking the street up and down for a bus stop or a waiting taxi you turned on the spot. A little ways up the pathway you could make out the typical black boxy shape of a Tokyo taxi and readjusting your handbag you headed towards it, only for a busy looking person in a suit to snatch it up before you could reach it, muttering something about how you would be better off walking for some exercise.

In disbelief about such rudeness you shook your head, pulling your coat a little closer around your chubby form.

You were sure another taxi would take its place soon enough and got on tiptoes to examine the traffic, on the lookout for one.

A mischievous breeze blew up your coat collar, making you wish you would have worn a scarf after all. Although April was right around the corner, the weather today was icy cold.

Giving up for the time being you headed towards a little flower shop you had passed just a few meters back to warm yourself.

A bell chimed when you opened the door. Pots with regular and more exotic house plants stacked on shelves along the wall, one display case behind the counter held the fresh cut flowers while another showed already bound bouquets in varying sizes and color schemes.

The woman standing behind the cash register called a friendly greeting and held the beginnings of a new arrangement at arm's length to check for possible improvements.

"What can I do for you?", she asked, putting the flowers down and folding her hands over a small pregnant belly.

"I would like a bouquet with peonies and… some eucalyptus, please."

The woman smiled and got to work, asking here and there for specifics in color or fullness.

She was about to come to an end with the simple coral and cream bouquet when the doorbell rang again and a young man looking remarkably like a substitute literature teacher entered the shop, a phone to his ear.

"Yes, father, I am getting flowers. I’ll be there soon. Oh, actually, I might be a while, there are quite a lot of people waiting."

You heard an angry voice yelling something unintelligible from the phone, when he simply hung up and sighed. He reached to tug at his collar like it was too tight and closed his eyes for a second, then, remembering he was in public, gave a bow to you and the saleswoman and apologized.

"Please take as long as you want.", he said, almost pleadingly.

He looked like he had a headache, grabbing his collar again.

"O-on second thought,", you began, turning to the owner that was just about to add the last eucalyptus branch, "I forgot I wanted more. Silly me. Uhm, could you make one with… hmm, those blue ones, some of the small greens, those white tulips, and lots of those light blues there, please? And then another one… with those yellow ones there, there and those, too, please." Your best friends would be delighted.

"Oh", the owner caught on immediately, "that was quite a lot. I don’t think I could memorize which ones you wanted all at once."

"No problem. I can tell you one by one."

The young man gave a small grateful smile at the stage-play-like interaction, letting out a “Thank you very much” under his breath.

As the shop owner wrapped up the first bundle of flowers at snail speed, you turned to the young man, wanting to cheer him up.

"So, where do you not want to go?"

Seemingly too exasperated to care about talking to a perfect stranger he said, "A blind date. Which, by the way, isn't actually blind but with a woman I have absolutely no interest in talking to about anything."

"Oh fun.", you said and trying to lighten the mood added, "Why not bring some flowers that say Thanks for coming, I don’t wanna be here?"

Everyone laughed, but the guy stopped after a second or two, looking at you for the first time, then turned to the florist.

"Can I do that?"

She thought for a moment, then slowly nodded, "I can add some candytuft, for sure and… hm, something really neutral for… and then… maybe I still have some butterweed. Yeah, I think I can do that."

You stayed even after your third bouquet was done, keeping the conversation going, joking around and glad when the young man gave a genuine laugh.

"Let me.", he said, sounding tired, when you drew out your wallet to pay for your flowers.

You shook your head, smiled and handed your card to the owner. Then you reached into the paper bag.

The buns in the meantime had turned lukewarm, but still smelled heavenly when you fished one out in a napkin and handed it to the woman - the other still in the bag you placed on the counter for a moment, grabbing a pen from your pocket. You quickly jotted down your name and number on the paper and handed it to him.

“And here. If you need rescuing from your blind date, send me a text and I’ll call you right away with some made-up emergency.”

Then you raised your free hand that wasn’t busy balancing the flowers with a “You got this.” and after a final wave you left.

Akaashi was still staring at the door for a few long moments after you had gone.

“You’d make a cute couple.”, the saleswoman mused and grinned when the young man blushed profusely, holding tighter to the paper bag.

[sunshine-on-marz]

guess who's back, back again

to request married gn!reader and aaron hotchner headcanons

- 🦭

My first time writing for Hotch!!!!

I wasn’t sure if you wanted the wedding itself or what so I did a little of everything

Put a Ring on it

Aaron Hotchner x Reader

Find my other work here!!

Before the wedding he’s a mess

Especially since he’s so closed off durning work so when he gets home it all just kind of hits him

“Aaron, love are you okay?” You cup his face, and feeling the cool metal of your ring on his cheek just makes his heart speed up. “I’m alright, just thinking. Now, c’mere” he slides over on the couch to make room for you to curl up next to him. “Now what’s wrong, just because you’re a profiler doesn’t mean you get to lie to me” you tease, he smiles a bit, leaning over to kiss you. “We’re getting married, sorry for being a little stressed” he chuckles, which makes you laugh too. “Why are you nervous, what do you not love me anymore?” You ask, fake offense dripping in your voice. He pulls you forward to kiss you again. “Of course not”

Now the wedding itself? Different story.

He makes sure it’s everything you’ve ever wanted

He DEFINITELY cries when you walk down the isle

You add in a message to Jack in your vows and it’s so solidifying to him that you are the one

Not that he needed any convincing

He takes off almost a month from work for your honeymoon and the BAU is SHOCKED. I tell you.

“20 days?!” Derek yells when Rossi breaks the news. “I mean atleast he’s actually taking time off for once” JJ says, leaning back in her chair. “20 days is quite the long honeymoon, most couples only take 7 days” Spencer said, not looking up from his book, making Emily laugh “maybe we’ll actually see him smile when he comes back”

He’ll take you anywhere you want for the honeymoon.

Now for normal married life?

This man worships the ground you walk on

He may seem all cold and grumpy but you just make him feel like heaven is on earth

Even when he has to leave in a rush for work he always leaves you a note saying how much he loves you

“Sorry, got a case. I love you sweetheart, have a good day, I’ll call later. PS: wear that new shirt ”

He calls you atleast once a day when he’s out on a case

And texts you any chance he gets

“How’s your day going love?”

“Have you eaten lunch yet?”

“I love you (we’re all safe. Don’t worry)”

Overall he’s just the best ever

[ethereal-engene]

Upstairs Neighbor | Jongseong

pairing: Jay x gn!reader

genre: slice-of-life, non-idol!AU & uni!AU // warnings: cuss words and mentions of food

summary: you confront your upstairs neighbor about something, but things play out a little differently than what you planned for in your head. // word count: 767

note: inspired by this clip & enjoy ✨

While you’ve never met your upstairs neighbor(s), you know the unit above you is a guy

His sneeze gave it away 💀 (yes it could be heard from the floor below him)

Normally you don’t haven’t run into too many issues with your neighbors, but of course on the night before your exam you run into one

Maybe you could have anticipated it when you heard the dragging of something big across the floor boards as they vibrated onto your ceiling

Nonetheless you paid no attention to it until the first chord of an electric guitar was played

As soon as you heard it, you grabbed your noise canceling headphones, in hopes that it’d lessen the loudness of the continuous guitar playing

While it did help a bit, it was still loud enough for you to grow irritated. Shouldn’t he know that other people live there and be mindful of his surroundings??

However you were still a bit optimistic that he’d stop after maybe 30 minutes but once it hit that 30 minute mark and it didn’t seem like he’d stop anytime soon

How in the fucking hell were you supposed to focus on your studies if all you could focus was the noise bouncing off the walls??

Plus this exam was such a big percentage of your grade. If you failed it, it would have to work so much harder just to get a passing grade for this class

You couldn’t take it anymore and found yourself stomping up the stairs to knocking on his door

“YAH!! Open this door. RIGHT NOW!” You screamed at the door

When the door finally opens, you’re greeted with such a handsome face that you forget what you were going to say

“Did you need something??” An equally irritated look painted on his face and laced in his tone

GOD WHY WAS HE SO HANDSOME EVEN WHEN ANNOYED?

… silence still fills the space between you two

He fake coughs trying to get your attention

“Oh… uhm yeah! I was just wondering if you could keep your guitar playing down? I’m trying to study for an exam and it’s really hard to focus on anything with it so loud.” You finally reply

“Oh and totally not related but you’re really handsome! Okay bye now” you quickly add on and start speed walking down the stairs

Only you didn’t get that far because he yelled out for you to stop

He walks over to you and stares at you like you’re crazy because why would you not even let him respond first 😭

He won’t tell you this but he thought it was cute and funny that you tried to leave without letting him respond back to your request & compliment

Obliging to his request to stop, he catches up to you and gives you his thanks & he’ll try to keep it down

Of course, he couldn’t leave you without giving you his number on a slip of paper

You know…in case he’s still too loud and maybe for something more than that 😏 (like a date or something hehe)

“Before I forget to mention, you’re cute!” His smile reaches his eyes as he hands the piece of paper

Your face heats up and finally lets go of his hand that was holding the paper

“Thanks, I appreciate it! I’ll see you around!!” Your voice slowly decreases in volume as you descend the stairs

Waving goodbye and he shouts with “No problem and I’d be more than glad if I got to see you again!” All said with hints of hope and flirtatious tone in it✨

100% stops playing guitar the whole night and decides to cook lunch for you

even though he’s just met you but also as an apology for last night

Bonus:

he shows off his collection of guitars to you

Hoping that you won’t find his collection/hobby to be too dorky

Of course, plays a couple songs trying to impress you too 😭 (he’s so cute)

Maybe even learns your favorite song(s) whenever he finally asks you out/to be official

Finds you adorable whenever you try to play a couple of chords… even if they’re so wrong 💀

Gladly walks you to class even if he has to run all the way to the other side of campus for his class (even though you told him to stop doing that when you learn about this)

100% smirks but also gets embarrassed when he learned that you forget what you were going to yell at him about the first time y’all met because of how handsome he was

This was so much shorter than I intended on but my brain blanked on what else to add 😭 oops but also I like getting straight to point 💀💀

Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed this! If you did, please leave me feedback through reblogging it with your thoughts in the tags or commenting it, notes, dms, or asks! They’re all appreciated and make me very happy :))

Take care and signing off

- ash

[artydonsgf]

Hi, I know Mike fiast has a dog and not sure if you only write about art or mike but can I request Mike with his dog and a story regarding y/n - any direction works

hi! i forgot to add it to my rules but i don’t really write about actors/real people, all my work is fictional characters because that’s what’s comfortable to me. that’s on me though, but i did write a meet cute with art n his dog! please enjoy<3

“Stop!” The single word is so desperate, you can’t help but look up. Right as your eyes left the book in your hand, a speeding object hits you right in the chest. Everything goes flying, your book now ruined a few feet away. Your head snaps to the ground, your vision briefly going black as a result. You’re still on the floor when the same voice keeps yelling.

“Bad boy! No!” The sound of running fills your ears. You’re hauled up until you’re sitting, making the green of the grass and the blue of the sky blend together. You squeeze your eyes shut, trying to control the nausea rising in your stomach.

“Are you alright? Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” a voice frantically checks on you. The stranger places a hand over your hair. You finally stop swaying enough to put a hand up.

“Please stop yelling,” you say, voice barely above a whisper. You swallow another wave of nausea.

“Oh fuck, I’m so sorry,” the voice quiets but not by much. You crack an eye open, not really sure what you’d find. Crouched in front of you is a boy your age. His blue eyes are crinkled with worry and his blonde curls stick to his forehead, slick with sweat. The rush in your head stops a fraction. The hand that isn’t on your head is wrapped around the collar of his dog, effectively calming the puppy down. “Racket is only a puppy and I’ve been trying to train him to be less-,” he starts ranting.

“Not to interrupt or judge, but you named your dog Racket?” You both interrupt and judge in the same breath. The stressed look on his face melts away, now replaced with a puzzled look.

“I’m a tennis player, it only felt right,” he explained, his hand still situated on your head. You slowly nod. The dimples on his cheeks deepen with a smile. A click sounds in your brain and you recognize the boy in front of you.

“You’re Art Donaldson!” You move too fast and speak too loud and the sharp pain in your head is a swift punishment. He grabs your shoulder to steady you before nodding. His smile somehow getting bigger.

“You recognize me?” He sounds bashful. You give him a look before throwing a glance at the poster pinned to the tree behind him. A picture of Art is plastered over it with details of his upcoming game. There’s one on every tree in the park. His cheeks turn pink. “I didn’t actually think they’d put it on every tree,” he explains. You nod, still dizzy. It’s only then he remembers that his dog knocked you over. “You need a doctor. Can I bring you to the athletic trainer?” He points to a nearby building. You nod, getting ready to gather your things. He beats you to it and soon, your bag is slung around his shoulder. Racket sniffs at your feet but with a stern warning from Art, he walks forward with no issue. When you finally arrive at the trainer, Art explains what happened and waits patiently until you’re assessed.

“You likely have a very mild concussion. Keep an eye on your symptoms and if they worsen after about three days, please see your primary doctor,” The athletic trainer tells you, strapping a ice pack your head. “And if you can, stay with someone. This is just in case you end up passing out.” She pats your hand and gives you a lollipop on your way out the door.

“Thank you for bringing me,” you turn to Art with a smile. The ice pack strapped your head probably makes your face look a little wonky. “I’ll see you around.” You start to turn away but he grabs your hand.

“Wait,” he turns red upon realizing he grabbed you. “Do you have anyone to stay with?” He drops your hand and starts running his fingers through his hair. Your eyebrows shoot up, though your face looks squished.

“Yeah, my roomate is getting back from spring break in a few days, I’ll be fine,” you start to turn again but he stops you once more.

“I’m just a little worried, do you mind if I check up on you? Maybe through text?” He fishes his phone out of his pocket, dropping it in the process. Your head pounds still but butterflies start to flutter in your stomach.

“Are you asking me for my number?” Your sly look is thrown off once more by the ice pack but his face turns an even deeper shade of red anyway. He clears his throat.

“Yes, I am. I want to make sure my dog isn’t the reason a pretty girl gets irreversible brain damage,” he says with a grimace that is somehow adorable despite its awkwardness. You grab his phone and tap your number in, dropping an emoji with a bandage next to your name.

“We’ll work on your flirting techniques, I’ll see you around,” you wiggle your fingers before crouching down to gently rub Racket’s head. As you walk away, you decide that the concussion was worth it if it meant meeting Art Donaldson.

i know this isn’t exactly what you were looking for but i hope you enjoy anyway!! idk how concussions actually work by the way. thank you for the request n as always, feel free to request something again! mwah mwah mwah

[booksandabeer]

Ramblings on Fandom: Peggy Carter, Steve Rogers, Delusional Shippers, and Alleged Misogyny

So with the release of Season 2 of What If…? emotions are once again running high, the outrage is outraging, and people are up in arms about the whole Captain Carter situation. While I do think that some reactions are a little overblown, even needlessly aggressive in tone to the unfortunate detriment of their otherwise convincing arguments, I share the confusion and frustration about the sudden centering of a long-dead & never excessively popular character, the sidelining of the Steve-Bucky friendship, and the as-inexplicable-as-it-is-total exclusion of Sam Wilson as Captain America. However, I’m not here to talk about the show because (1) I haven’t watched this season and have no plans to (why waste time torturing myself with something I know I’ll hate?) and (2) other people have already written dozens of metas about it, so what could I possibly add at this point.

What I do want need to talk about (lest I explode) is something that has irritated me for a long time and that is now happening again: Every time someone even mildly criticizes Peggy Carter, expresses doubts about her suitability as a heroine, or even just questions her disproportionate importance to the franchise post-EG, inevitably a certain section of fans will come out of the woodwork to immediately throw around accusations of misogyny and yell about how we’re all just a bunch of delusional Stuckies who are mad that she got "in the way" of our ship. Sigh.

This is gonna be a long one, so I’ll put it under a cut. Rant incoming. You've been warned. If you don't want to read, simply keep scrolling.

First of all, let me state very clearly that I’m not debating the existence of misogyny and sexism in fandom spaces—or in the media from which these fandoms originate. At all. It exists, it’s a thing, I’m not denying that. Which is exactly why it frustrates me endlessly to see these accusations thrown around as a gotcha! argument to shut down any and all critical debate around a female character. All it does in the end is escalate rhetoric and radicalize attitudes.  

In the case of Peggy Carter, specifically her treatment by Stucky shippers, I’ve always found 'misogyny as a motive' to be a largely unsubstantiated accusation.¹ Now, I neither presume nor do I want to speak for the entirety of Stuckynation, so I will not claim that there aren't corners of the fandom where people discuss her in ways that I find off-putting and deeply unserious, but I will say this: If you genuinely believe that disliking one (1) fictional female character equals “hating all women” and wanting to suppress and marginalize their presence in fiction and real life alike—then I think we need to take that word away from you until you’ve learned its true meaning.

You might also want to ask yourself how exactly reducing a female character to a mute trophy wife or a heroine who has to act out her love interest’s recycled storylines helps your feminist fight.

As for the “getting in the way of your ship” part of the argument. Very simply put: No character can get in the way of something if there never ever was “a way” to that something to begin with. “Being mad” implies that there was a reasonable expectation that wasn’t met, a substantive hope that was crushed. Now, I’ve said this before and I’ll gladly say it again a million more times: No Stucky shipper in their right mind ever truly thought that there was even the slightest chance that Marvel Studios owned by the Walt Disney Company would allow Steve “Captain America” Rogers and Bucky “Winter Soldier” Barnes to be canonized as an explicitly romantic pairing in their billion dollar franchise. Be serious. That was never in the cards. I wish we all lived in a world where it was, but we don’t, and it wasn’t. The best we could ever hope for was for Steve and Bucky to get a good, satisfying, in-character ending. And if, in Steve’s case, that would’ve included hints (or more) about a possible rekindling of his, uh, aborted romance with Sharon—then so be it. But we never got any of that. The characters never got any of that. Instead they sent Steve into 1950s suburban hell, literally trapped him behind a white picket fence, and condemned him to a life of passivity and lies, all so he could be married to a woman he barely knew a long time ago in a completely different world; who built and ran a top-to-bottom Hydra-infested organization, but apparently never noticed that there was anything wrong with her life's work. For decades. Great. As for Bucky—well, we’ve all seen the devastatingly grim-faced, utterly lonely, and deeply sad version of him that was presented to us in TFATWS. Happy endings all around, I guess.

So. Am I mad that Steve didn’t get to ride into the rainbow-colored sunset with Bucky at the end of EG? No. Because that was never going to happen anyway. Would I have been mad had he ended up with Sharon or another female character in the 21st century? Also no. Granted, I wouldn’t have been ecstatic about it, but mad? No. But am I mad that Steve ended up with this specific female character under these specific circumstances as presented in canon? Fuck yeah, I am.

The thing is: I personally believe Steve and Peggy to be fundamentally incompatible when it comes to the way they view the world and their respective places in it; their morals and values; their capacity for compassion and empathy; their ability and willingness to compartmentalize, compromise, and collaborate with people and institutions whose ethics and/or politics do not align with their own. I have a real hard time believing that a relationship between these two (or worse, a hasty marriage) could be either happy or long-lasting.

I don’t believe Peggy to be inherently evil, I don’t hate her, I simply think she operates within a different moral framework than Steve (and even genuinely believes it to be a righteous one).² Your mileage may vary, but I personally happen to find that framework reprehensible, even indecent, and ultimately dangerous. After all, over the course of the 20th century, we have seen exactly where that kind of “the ends justify the means” brand of pragmatism leads—over and over again. Not to mention that the people who use this line of argument to defend characters like Peggy (or real-life politicians for that matter) never seem to want to look too closely at who gets to define what "the ends" are in the first place and who decides when they've finally been met.

(Never. The answer is never.)

And to be clear, there is absolutely nothing wrong with depicting, and even centering a narrative around a morally (dark)gray character—oftentimes it’s actually the more interesting option—but you cannot at the same time claim that they are purely good and should be only admired as such when their actions literally tell an entirely different story.

So, no. I will not accept Peggy Carter as the shining aspirational heroine that the MCU so badly wants to sell her to me as—while simultaneously continuing to reveal things that paint an increasingly darker picture of her character. And I will certainly not celebrate seeing one of my favorite characters of all time—whose defining trait was that he couldn't ignore "a situation pointed south"; who used to fight for the little guy and against the establishment; who once said about the very organization that Peggy Carter helped build that it was so corrupt, it all needed to go—rendered morally inert for some hollow happy ending that may as well be a conservative’s wet dream full of false nostalgia for an America that never really existed. I cannot find it in me to be anything less but mad about that.

But that does not make me a misogynist. It does not make me a delusional shipper. It makes me someone who looks at what the MCU has been telling me about Peggy Carter for years now—over and over again—and takes it at its own word.

--------

¹ If you’ve actually read a a fair number of Stucky(!) fanfics you will have noticed that the reverence afforded to and "page time" devoted to her character and her relationship with Steve is somewhat disproportionate to anything that's backed up by canon—well, up until EG, where she was suddenly reanimated as The Great Love of Steve’s Life—and in my experience, it's highly unusual for any fandom to put so much (mostly) positive attention on another character, let alone a potential love interest that is not part of the endgame ship.

² I also want to emphasize that if you love Peggy and she's your fave: good for you! I genuinely have no beef with you. People can agree to disagree. All I ask for is that we maybe stop willfully ignoring the less savory aspects of her character. You don't need to pretend she's perfect to justify your affection for her. I LOVE Steve, and yet I have no problem conceding that he is FAR from perfect.

[hannahbarberra162]

Can't Fix Fix A Broken Heart, Chapter 25

18+ MDNI

On Ao3

All other chapters

Tate has devised a plan to get a Girls Trip™ for the two of you, you just need to execute it to perfection.

I definitely don’t dream about having Ace snuggling me when I’m on my period. Like a living weighted blanket who would say sweet things into my ear. That is definitely not a wish of mine and complete self-indulgence.

~

This is the set up for the divergent endings. The good ending will be first, the bad ending will be last.

The next morning, you knocked on the door to the women’s quarters, holding your sketches under your arm. You knew you didn’t need to knock, it had been your living space too at some point. But it didn’t feel right to barge in unannounced. A very hungover looking Heidi cracked open the door and smiled weakly at you.

“What’s up?” she rasped at you. Evidently, more nurses than just Tate had a wild night. 

“Is Tate up? I was hoping to get a few minutes with her before work.” You had all your ideas with you, you were ready to show her some and see which ones she liked.

“Yeah, gimme a sec,” Heidi replied, opening the door all the way. “Tate!” she yelled. There was a chorus of ‘shhhhh’ that rang out among the darkened room. Tate shuffled up to the door, looking worse for the wear. You smirked at her.

“How’re you feeling?” you asked with a bright smile. She glared at you, but without malice. “C’mon, I’ll make you my hangover cure. Chug it and we’ll chat after that.” Tate blinked slowly, but shuffled out the door and put her arm in yours. The two of you walked silently down the halls together, ending in the kitchen. Just like with Ace, you sat her down while you made your drink of lemon, honey, vinegar, chili peppers, seltzer, and a little dash of secret ingredient. Tate emphatically frowned when you handed it to her, but shrugged. 

“Can’t be worse than whatever I drank last night,” she lamented. “Bottoms up,” she said, chugging the drink. You handed her the water right after, which she sipped. “So, I remember some of what we talked about last night. Did you say that you finished the sketches?” 

You grinned at her, putting the drawings in front of her. “I did, we can go over them together and see what you like and what we need to change.” You spread them out, showing her your ideas. “Basically, these are mix and match pieces in a few colors. You can pair any of the tops with any of the bottoms for a good outfit. I even included skirts of various lengths in case you…miss…the mini skirts,” you finished with a wink. “I thought darker fabrics would be better in the case of bodily fluids. Teal and periwinkle tend to be universally flattering, no matter your skin tone, but black or gray are also good choices. In terms of fabric, cotton would be a good choice but we’ll have to go to a fabric store and find some samples…” You went on about dye lots, fabric blends, and clothing cuts, explaining everything in detail to Tate. She nodded along, looking through the sketches. 

“So, what do you think? What can we change to suit your needs better?” you asked the now revived nurse. 

“Absolutely nothing. These are incredible! I love the long pants, it’s so annoying to wash other people’s blood off the tops of your thighs.” She was looking over the drafts intensely, making notes with a pencil she had. “I have nothing to add other than you’re a genius. Let’s get off the boat at the next large island and get some samples. Make a whole day of it,” she said, putting her hand over yours and smiling kindly. You smiled back, but were unsure. You had a feeling it would take a lot of convincing for Marco to let you off the ship. “I’ll work on Marco,” Tate said as if reading your mind, “I have a plan.”

You felt lighter after your brief meeting with Tate. She had to go back to the infirmary for work and you had to go to breakfast. While you ate, Thatch was pretending to be upset with you because he found out that Ace had joined you and Marco for the night. You could tell he wasn’t actually upset but you still felt like you had to walk on eggshells.

“But we did that too, remember?” you reminded Thatch. “Ace came in once when you were brushing my hair for me?” You were seated on Thatch’s lap, like always, eating whatever he was serving you. And, like always, it was delicious. 

“ Mija, of course I remember, Ace snores like a train and burns hotter than the sun when he’s dreaming of you,” Thatch scoffed. He speared another forkful of eggs and brought it to your mouth. You opened without thinking and chewed the gooey, cheesy dish. “Look mami , you ate it all, I’m so proud of you!” Thatch kissed the top of your head. Recently you noticed you gained some weight, your clothes were fitting differently. You felt physically well, better than you had in a long time. You couldn’t say the same for your emotional well being, but at least some part of you was healing. 

“Thanks to you,” you said, giving Thatch a kiss on the cheek. He really was a good chef, and you were in a good mood from your conversation with Tate that morning. 

“Someone’s feeling well,” Thatch commented. You hummed, you didn’t want to reveal your plans with Tate yet. It would take a lot of convincing but you thought she figured out a way to get off the ship together for a day. Thatch kissed you again, this time on your mouth, and set you down. You went off to work, feeling energized and ready to take on the day. 

Until later that morning. 

You felt a long gone but familiar sensation of cramping in your lower stomach. One of the only upsides to being starved half to death was that you lost your period for a long time. Obviously, it was a sign of incredibly poor health, but you liked to look on the bright side of things. You always had terrible cramps when you had your period, and it looked like this time would be no exception. You put your hand on your lower stomach, you needed to talk to the nurses quickly. You apologized to Blenheim, promising to fix his scabbard later in the day. You scurried off to the infirmary, hoping to avoid Marco.

Logically, you knew Marco was a doctor and had studied the female reproductive system. But you still felt much more comfortable talking to other women about menstruation than men. You slunk into the clinic, quickly ducking into one of the unoccupied examination rooms. Peeking through the cracked door, you waited until you saw a lurid pink miniskirt pass by the door. You darted out, scaring Bethany, who dropped her clipboard.

“You can’t just pop out at people like that!” she scolded you. 

“Sorry,” you replied sheepishly. “I need pads and tampons, can I use the ones in the women’s bathroom here?” you whispered. There weren’t many women’s restrooms on the ship, you only knew of the ones in the infirmary and connected to the women’s quarters.

“Sure, they’re communal. You don’t need to ask,” Bethany replied at full volume. You hoped Marco wasn’t listening in.

“Thanks, see you later.” You sped off to the women’s bathroom in the infirmary, grabbing what you needed. You were still wearing a stupid dress, but you swiped some underwear from the clean patient laundry. They were too big, but it was better than nothing. If Marco was mad, well, he could solve the problem himself. Leaving the bathroom, you jumped as you saw the very man you were trying to avoid leaning against the opposing wall. Served you right for surprising Bethany, you supposed.

“Everything alright?” Marco asked, assessing you with his eyes. He was in doctor mode, which made you feel more comfortable. You knew what to expect when he was like this, he was professional, detached, and had good bedside manner.

“Oh, um, yeah. I just got um, my…period.” Marco smiled kindly at you.

“Congratulations yoi. It’s a sign of recovery. However, the first menstruation after extensive amenorrhea is often quite painful. I recommend you go lay down, rest and relax.” Even though it was phrased as a clinical recommendation, you knew it was an order. 

“Ok Marco. Where should I go? I don’t want to ruin any-” Marco waved off your concerns.

“We’re all adults here, no one is upset by the human body. Ace cleaned his room, would you like to go there?” You tried to hide your disgust when you thought about Ace’s room and the last time you’d seen it. Marco laughed.

“I understand your hesitation yoi, but I checked it myself. It’s clean and always the perfect temperature. Go there. I’ll give you some medicine to take with you.” Marco left to rummage in a nearby cart, grabbing a bottle of low grade pain killers. “Take two, and drink some water. I’ll have Ace check on you in an hour or two.” Marco kissed you on your head, turned you around by your shoulders and sent you off with a little push. You didn’t feel that bad, you’d been having your period for many years. Going to lay down preemptively was overkill, you thought, but you weren’t going to disagree with Marco.

An hour later and you were glad Marco had sent you to lay down. You remembered having cramps, of course, but nothing like this. You were curled up on Ace’s freshly made bed, writhing in pain. After the first wave of cramps, you’d taken the pain killers, but they weren’t getting close to helping with the pain. Marco had stopped by briefly, bringing you tea, a hot water bottle, and tucking you under the covers. You asked him to heal you but he said there wasn’t anything wrong with you, that it was excess uterine lining being shed normally. There was nothing to heal, so his flames wouldn’t do anything. He had a busy day and couldn’t stay long but promised to send Ace up. 

In between pains so intense you thought your stomach was being sliced in half, you took a look around Ace’s room. It was so much better than the first time you’d been in the room. He had cleaned out all the food, all the old papers, and done his laundry. Marco was right, it was warm and cozy. You weren’t sure if it was the room itself or if it was somehow the residual effects of his Mera Mera, but you didn’t care. You tried closing your eyes and falling asleep but the closest you could get was dozing in and out of consciousness. 

Creaking, the door opened, and you heard Ace ending a conversation. You kept your back turned to the door and pretended to be asleep in case he could see you.

“ - don’t think she likes it, not like I do…” Ace sounded doubtful about whatever it was. 

“Remember how you were when you joined yoi? All anger and fury? And now look at us,” you could tell he was speaking with Marco. “Give it some time, it will be everything you ever wanted. Family and love, happiness and a place where you belong, all here with us. Here, give her these,” Ace hummed, and it sounded like they kissed. Footsteps told you Marco left, and Ace opened the door, holding a few bottles of pills. He spotted you on his bed and kicked off his shoes, putting the bottles on his desk. You really wanted to ask him about what they were talking about but didn’t have the courage to admit you were listening in to their private conversation. 

“Poor baby,” he said, as you heard him taking off his pants and knife.

“S’ok,” you replied, stretching a little. Ace got into the bed with you, crawling behind you. You whined, you didn’t want to be manhandled right now. You saw Marco had given Ace a bottle of vitamins and another of anti-nausea medication for you. You'd take them later, you couldn't move right now.

“Shhhh. S’gonna be alright.” Ace curled up behind you, spooning you. He moved your hands away from your lower stomach and replaced them with his own. You felt the gentle warmth of his Mera Mera heating you. You mewled and scooted backwards, snuggling into him. Ace buried his face in your neck and held you closer. He let you relax and drift to sleep, holding you tightly in his arms. 

It was a challenging few days for you. Your period was lighter than it normally was, but extremely painful. You didn’t leave Ace’s room much, spending your time reading and thinking about your reply letter to Vista’s brothers. Thatch, Ace, and Marco all visited as they could, with Ace staying with you at night. They were actually…sweet. You wished they were always this way, then you’d have no doubts about staying on the ship with them. Thatch brought you desserts and savory food in equal measure and gave you massages when your muscles were tight. He didn’t make you sit on his lap but let you eat by yourself in Ace’s bed. He tried to hand feed you, but sulkily accepted when you declined. Marco brought you medicine, tea, pads, and more books from his collection. He made sure you were physically comfortable, bringing loose pants, extra blankets and pillows. Ace, of course, warmed you up and snuggled with you until you thought you would merge together on an atomic level. You were thankful he let you hole up in his room.

“Sorry, I know it can’t be easy having me in here all the time,” you said to Ace on the third day. You were laying in bed together, limbs entangled, facing each other. Ace was still dozing after the night you’d spent in each other’s arms. You were brushing his freckles lightly with your fingertips. You were feeling better, you’d be out of his room by the afternoon, you thought.

“S’great. Wish’is all the time,” Ace mumbled. “Would lock you in here’f I could,” he continued, putting his chin on the top of your head. You sighed because you knew that when you got up, you would be back to your previous life of rules and punishments from the three Commanders. You nuzzled deeper into Ace’s arms, keeping the real world at bay for just a few hours longer.

~~~

A few days later, you needed to find Ace once more. You and Tate thought you had figured out a way to finagle a girl’s day out of the Commanders. The two of you wanted to stop at the next big island, coming up in about a week. It was close to the calm belt, but you’d actually been to the island years prior. It was known for its large textile factory and incredible fabric inventory. You’d done a few fashion shows there, maybe you could use some of your previous fame to get a discount on fabrics, or at least try to. It also had a day spa that was known for its wet saunas and hot tubs. You really wanted to go with Tate and enjoy a relaxing girls trip. Tate’s plan would require you to be crafty and a little conniving, but it would be worth it if it worked out. 

Ace was going to go on a mission later that morning, you needed to find him quickly. He was still inhaling food in the mess hall after you’d eaten breakfast. You waited for him outside the mess hall, wanting to speak to him in private. When he left, you grabbed him by the arm and pulled him aside. You looked up at him with hope in your eyes.

“Ace, can I get off the ship with Tate at the next island? They have a fabric store I want to go to. Please?” You weren’t sure this would work, but you really wanted to go to the fabric store in person. 

“Ah, I don’t think so. You’ll have to ask -” you stopped Ace from talking by pulling him down by his hat string to kiss him. You kissed him deeply, holding him at the back of his neck. All that time you’d spent with him in bed had you feeling connected to him, and you hoped the reverse was true as well.

“Please?” you asked again in a pleading tone. Ace smiled at you, disarmed by the forward display of affection.

“I know you’re trying to manipulate me, but I have to say, it’s working. OK, as long as someone’s with you. Ask Thatch or Marco, though, just to be sure. I’ll be gone by the time the Moby’s docking at the next island, and I’m not sure when I’ll be back.” 

“Thank you Ace! Thank you, thank you” you kissed his cheeks every time you thanked him, making Ace smile even wider.

“You should ask me for favors more often, I like the way this is going.” Ace husked. He pulled you against him, you could feel his growing erection through his shorts. You rubbed up against him a little bit, teasing him.

“Let’s finish this in a bit, I need to go eat breakfast and Thatch doesn’t like when I’m late,” you replied. One last kiss to Ace and you were on your way. The first part of your plan had been a success.

Next, you waited until it was lunchtime. You were extra good for Thatch, complimenting his cooking and allowing him to feed you without complaint. You finished about two thirds of your food before you started talking to him about the island.

“Thatch, I have a favor I want to ask you,” you began, eyes wide.

“If I can grant it, I will mami. What do you need?” Thatch rubbed your palm with his thumb.

“Can I get off the ship with Tate at the next island? There’s a fabric store I want to go to for the new nurses’ uniforms.” You looked at Thatch hopefully.

“Ah. No, I don’t think so. I don’t want -”

“But Ace already said yes, I was so excited,” you said while making yourself cry. Tears fell down your face and you twisted the knife in Thatch’s heart. “I t-told Tate we could g-go, and I was going to invite y-you -” Thatch frowned and rubbed away the tears from your cheeks.

“ Querida, if it’s that important to you, I’ll talk to Marco. We can try to make it work. I’m not sure it will happen, but we’ll try.” You smiled, stopping the tears.

“Thank you Thatch! Thank you, thank you, thank you.” Just like with Ace, you kissed him with every thank you. 

“ Mija it’s not a guarantee, you understand that, right? I don’t want you to be upset if it doesn’t work out in the end,” Thatch said, still stroking your cheek. You gave him a genuine smile - you knew he would try his hardest to let you off the ship. He would go and talk to Marco on your behalf and try to convince the Phoenix into letting you off the ship. Marco would be the toughest of the three, but you thought between you, Thatch, and Tate it would be possible to convince him. You exchanged a few more kisses, thanking him, until he had to leave to prepare lunch for the crew. Part two of Tate’s plan had worked. 

Marco found you in the afternoon as you were on the deck leaning against the main mast, relaxing. You were still taking it easy but the little work you’d been doing had tired you out. How did the crew break so many toilets?

“So I hear you want to have an excursion on the next island,” Marco began, standing over you. He seemed to be in a good mood, or at least hadn’t outright denied you. His half open eyes showed some amusement, which was a good start.

“There’s a textile store that I want to go to with Tate. To get samples for the nurses’s uniforms. I haven’t been off the ship yet.” You tried to keep yourself from rambling but it was always hard for you to keep your cool around Marco.

Marco hummed. “And it has nothing to do with the spa on the island yoi?” You looked up at Marco with wide eyes. He still seemed amused, he wasn’t mad with you yet. He squished your cheeks gently between his thumb and index finger, the corners of his lips quirked up into a cold smile.

“Tate asked me about the store and the spa. And Thatch also came to talk to me about it. You’ve been working everyone to get off the ship yoi.” You swallowed dryly, you felt caught. “You’ve been a good Doveling lately yoi. Had a hard time this week. I’ll allow it with the understanding that one of us will be with you at all times.” He squished your face with a little more force. “We wouldn’t want you to get lost or hurt. We’re always looking out for you, you know that, don’t you Doveling?” 

You nodded. “Yes, Marco. Thank you Marco.” you replied. Even though Marco had said he allowed it, you felt the lingering threat behind his words. He’d be watching your every move and if anything went wrong on this trip, you didn’t think you’d ever be let off the ship again. 

“You can show your appreciation to me later tonight yoi,” Marco said, moving his hand from your face to your hair, pulling it gently. You were forced to tip your face up even higher. “It’s quite lenient of me, don’t you think?” 

“Yes, Marco. Thank you, Marco.” You shivered thinking about what Marco would want in exchange for allowing you off the ship for a day. He kissed your mouth briefly and released his hand from your hair. 

“Stay here and relax a little longer. You look like you need it yoi.” You agreed. It felt like you’d have to pay for your time off the ship with a pound of flesh. And you knew they would be collecting. 

[techs-goggles9902]

Can you do at Tech lives fan-fic (like if Tech is CX-2)??

CX-2 is all that remains

Warnings: prosthetic stuff, mentions of blood and stuff, contact lenses 💀 scars and stuff, bacta usage, memory issues (ik nothing super bad but what if you had a fear of contacts??) TBB SPOILERS

Word count: 1457 (WHOA I WENT OVERBOARD)

A/N: IM SO SORRY I TOOK SO LONG ANON. I genuinely love the bad batch but I HATE WRITING THEM SOMETIMES 😭 I feel like I’m butchering their characters. But I gotchuuuuu!!! Lmk if I should continue this.

Requests are open! See Masterlist for details!!!!

IMPORTANT NOTE: some of this was supposed to be italicized but my copy and pasting removes it, so some of this stuff are their thoughts. Just an FYI

“You recognized it, too,” Hunter whispers to Crosshair as the group hurries up the rocks.

”I did. You said he died on Eriadu,” the sniper replies in a low mumble.

“He did… Wrecker watched him fall.”

”Well, obviously he survived. Next move?”

”Follow through with the plan, Cross. I’ll have Echo double back and take us down there.”

”But… it’s him?”

Hunter pauses. When he speaks, his voice cracks, “Tech’s alive. And with the Empire.”

Tech - no, CX-2! He had to get used to that - needs to get out of the water, and fast. The current pulls at him as he grips a narrow rock beneath the surface.

His helmet can only keep him alive for so long, he needs air sooner rather than later.

This isn’t ideal. The cybernetics will never last if their circuits are drenched.

His slender fingers lose their grip on the rock. One, two, three. The Shadow loses his grip entirely, his gloves ripped apart at the seams as the sharp ridges cut into the calloused flesh of his fingers.

The current throws him back into another rock, his backpack absorbing most of the impact.

There, he thinks as the water starts to seep into his body suit, I just need to make it to that ledge and my odds of survival increase significantly.

He feels his cybernetics digging into the tender flesh of his legs. The part where the river meets land was so close, yet so far. Reaching out a bloody hand, his shredded fingers are met with rough sediment.

Finally…

”Echo, Rex, please. It’s him! I feel it,” Hunter says, trying to keep Echo from making the jump into hyperspace.

“Hunter, what if it’s n-”

”Rex, your buddy isn’t coming after us. He let us go. There’s no risk in going down there,” Crosshair cuts in. Echo and Rex glance at each other.

Rex, Echo’s expression says, what if…

Echo, Rex’s body language reads, you said it yourself. He’s gone.

You didn’t give up on me.

Rex’s gaze softens. “Fine. You have ten minutes.”

Hunter lets out a breath, clasping Rex’s shoulder. He says, “I owe you.”

”You owe me a lot, Sarge.”

Echo lands the ship just off the riverbank but is still hidden in the trees in case Wolffe changes his mind. The ramp opens with a soft hiss and plants itself on the rocks with a gentle thud. The river laps against the rocks like white noise, the water running down the cliff adds to the effect.

And there, lying on the rocks, still half in the water, lies the Shadow. Barely conscious and panting, his bloodied fingers groping the sediment.

“Maker… Gregor, get the med kit!” Echo yells back into the ship as Hunter, Crosshair, and Wrecker trip over themselves to get down to the riverbank.

“Shit… Hunter, is he…” Wrecker asks in a low tone, kneeling down beside the semiconscious clone.

“His heart’s beating,” the sergeant replies.

“Damn… Wrecker, can you get him on the ship? Gently?” Echo asks, leaning down to check the assassin’s pulse.

“I got him.” Wrecker slowly turns the clone onto his back and snakes an arm beneath his knees and back. “I gotcha, I gotcha…”

CX-2 feels himself being lifted up off the ground, his helmet removed, his head resting on someone’s shoulder plate. He hears voices calling out to him, hands lowering him down onto something somewhat comfortable. A bunk?

His armor taken off his wet bodysuit, said bodysuit is either peeled or cut away from his body.

“Cybernetics aren’t the best quality… just a pawn in Hemlock’s game,” a gruff voice says.

“Oh, Tech…” a softer voice says.

“I told you that you should’ve taken medic training,” a different voice comments. A scoff follows.

“Stow it, Cross.” Cross… that seems so familiar to CX-2. All the voices do, even the soft, feminine one. A warm liquid oozes out of where prosthetics meet flesh. Blood.

“Shit, Gregor, hand me the gauze,” He knows this voice…

“Echo, keep pressure. I’m getting him bacta,” Echo… warm hands trail down his body, checking for further injuries.

“Crap… these prosthetics are absolute trash, I should know. Not even connected properly… Tech, if you were awake to see this mess…” the voice, Echo, scoffs. CX-2 hears a smile in his voice.

“Are…are they as good as yours?” CX-2 hears his own voice ask that. He doesn’t know why he said that. In fact, his mouth moved on its own accord. All sounds around him cease and everything’s quiet except the soft hum of the ship.

“I… no, sorry, bud…mine are cooler,” Echo responds. CX-2 feels a subtle smile tugging at his own lips. Why? These are the enemy. Someone tends to his mangled hands, cleaning them and wrapping them tenderly.

“Tech…” CX-2 hears that name being called over and over again. Whispered in his ear. Murmured into his forehead as soft lips make contact with the scarred skin. Breathed into his hands as someone holds them gently.

His eyes open, just for a moment, meeting the gaze of five pairs of brown eyes. “Tech is gone,” he says. “CX-2 is all that remains…” He’s out like a light a second later.

Hunter’s heart felt like it was stabbed, trampled, cut out of his chest, and thrown out onto a rock to die. Tech is gone… the words echo through his mind all the way back to Pabu. This wasn’t the reunion he had in mind when he realized the Shadow was actually his little brother.

Crosshair doesn’t know how to feel. He abandoned his squad, his family, for the Empire. Is this karma, he thought.

Nonsense, Tech’s voice whispers in his head, this has nothing to do with you. The rational explanation is that the Empire succeeded in turning me into an assassin where they failed to turn you. Do not blame yourself, Crosshair. There was nothing you could do to stop this.

But I could’ve known, Crosshair’s voice whispers back to Tech’s, we would’ve been at Tantiss together.

And how could you possibly have known that, Cross?

Wrecker just tries to keep Omega away from their unconscious brother. “He needs his rest, Meg.”

“I won’t leave until he wakes up,” the blonde replies, crossing her arms. “I’m not bothering him, anyway.”

Wrecker sighs, placing a hand on her scrawny shoulder. He mutters, “Tech’s always been the one to take care of us… it’s weird that we’re taking care of him.”

“I know… what did he mean by ‘Tech’s gone’?”

“I… I don’t know. Cross said the Empire erases their previous lives while they turn them into… this. He’ll pull through and we’ll be losing to him in dejarik in no time.”

Echo was confused. Tech had just asked him about his cybernetics, meaning he did in fact remember them, at least somewhat. He stares out the viewport in the cockpit, his fingers picking at his scomp link. Tech always hated when he did that.

The next time CX-2 resurfaces, he’s staring up at a - wooden? - ceiling, definitely not a ship’s. A house? Hut? Cabin? He groans, lifting a hand up to pinch the scarred bridge of his nose. His face was littered with thick, ragged scars. Ever since Eriadu.

He looks at his hand in surprise as he sees its bandage has been changed recently. Where is he? CX-2 sits up slowly, orienting himself as he goes. The room is warm, small but not small enough that you feel claustrophobic. A window is above the bed he’s currently lying on, soft light filtering through the translucent curtains. He strains his neck to peer out of it.

Pabu…

He gets off the bed, looking down at his prosthetics, which start just below the knee. They’re sturdier as he stands and they don’t restrict his movement like they used to. They’re… comfortable.

He quietly - as quiet as you can get with two durasteel feet - leaves the room, examining the hallway. A kitchen is down the hall, so he heads there. Wincing, he looks around the corner to see if anyone’s there.

There is.

Crosshair…

“C’mere, Tech,” the sniper says, gesturing to the seat at the island beside him. CX-2 hobbles over to it, taking a seat silently.

“I’m not the brother you remember,” he rasps, looking out the window.

“No shit… no goggles?”

“Hemlock thought I should wear contacts so the goggles don’t break out on a mission.”

Crosshair hums in response.

“Why did you come back?”

The sniper takes a moment to respond, “Couldn’t leave you behind.”

It’s CX-2’s - no, Tech’s - turn to hum in response. He feels Crosshair leaning against him slightly.

“You’re not who you used to be, but we’ll get there. Right?”

“Possibly.”

Crosshair scoffs, “Good to have you back.”

Taglist: @will-is-silly @fionajames @sevdidntdie @hellhound5925 @dangraccoon @skellymom

Please let me know if you want to be taken off or join the list!!!

[written-with-clouds]

Monstober Day 8: Hybrids (WooSanHwa)

Day 8/13

Summary: Seonghwa works with Hybrids to rehabilitate them after traumatic events.

CW: None?

I left this one more open ended on purpose incase I decide to write a more fleshed out fic for it

not beta read

Series Masterlist

“He’s right through here, Mr. Park..” The officer places a hand on the push bar of the metal door, but doesn’t open it. “He hasn’t said a word to anyone since getting here… good luck and I’ll be right here if he gets violent, so just yell.” 

“Thank you, but I’m sure that won’t be needed.” Seonghwa replies to the officer as they push the door open and allow him through. 

Inside the small investigation room sits one metal table with two chairs on either side and a one way mirror that takes up most of the opposite wall. Sitting in one chair is San, the panther hybrid that Seonghwa has been tasked with rehabilitating. He is wearing handcuffs that connect the table. His head hanging as he stares at his lap, if it wasn’t for the cat ear twitching on his head, Seonghwa would have thought San didn’t notice him enter.

“Hello San… My name is Seonghwa. How are you feeling today?” Seonghwa carefully moves to the free chair and sits down. Moving slowly so as to not startle the hybrid. 

As expected, San doesn’t say or do anything. “I’ve been assigned to help you… but I can’t do that if you don’t speak to me.. I’m sure you know that you’re being put on trial for what happened to your handler…” San flinches back in his seat, what little Seonghwa can see of his face is scrunched into a grimace. “But I’m here to help you set the record straight.” 

They sit in silence for a while, Seonghwa letting San get used to his presence and scent. He does this for all of the extreme cases, introducing himself and what his job is, telling the hybrid his goal with helping them, and in the rarer instances—like this one— sitting in the room with the hybrid while Seonghwa does something else. This time, that ‘something else’ is paperwork for Wooyoung’s—a fox hybrid that Seonghwa cares for— upcoming doctor’s appointment. 

The longer they sat in silence, the more curious San grew, lifting his head to watch Seonghwa. After a moment Seonghwa lifts his gaze to San and smiles kindly. 

“Don’t worry, this has nothing to do with you…I’m filling out some paperwork for the other hybrid I care for.” Seonghwa replies simply, turning the paper so San can see that he isn’t lying. The hybrid nods his head, the chains rattle as he fiddles with his hands under the table. 

“However… I do have one thing to fill out that involves you.” Seonghwa rustles through his papers until he finds the one he needs. He places it down on the table and slides it over to San. “I have requested that you be released into my care for the time being. All I need is your signature to show your consent to this. Should you like, you’ll leave with me today and stay at my house for the duration of your trial. That paper lists all of the accommodations I already have in place and I left some blank lines for you to add anything else you want to request. I am willing to change anything on the list if you ask and I’ll do my absolute best to meet whatever requests you have but I will not tolerate anything that is potentially harmful to you, the hybrid already staying with me, or myself. In addition, per the agreement I have made with the court, you are not permitted to leave my home unattended.” 

San blinks, looking down at the paper Seonghwa handed him. He skims most of it, not caring for the legal mumbo jumbo, but he stops to carefully read the accommodations Seonghwa had listed. The most notable being that he would have his own room that could lock for his privacy and comfort, but Seonghwa would have a key incase of emergencies. And he would have his own bathroom that connected to his room. San signs the paper.

“Before we head in, I want to warn you about Wooyoung… the other hybrid that lives here.” Seonghwa turns off the car and turns to face San in the passenger seat. “He can be a little excited when someone new comes over… He means well, but he doesn’t always realize how loud he can be.” 

San nods slowly, worriedly glancing at the house. Seonghwa places a tentative hand on San’s knee reassuringly. “It’ll be okay.” 

at one much..” 

“Wooyoung, we talked about this.. Remember that not everyone likes having their personal space invaded.” Seonghwa says patiently as he observes from the side. Wooyoung’s eyes grow wide as he remembers and he looks back at San, taking a slow, dramatic, step back before looking to Seonghwa for approval. “Good boy Youngie.. Now, why don’t you show San to his room and I’ll order a Pizza or two for dinner.. If that’s alright with you, San.”

At San’s nod of approval, Wooyoung bounds off down the hallway. “Here’s your room. My room is across the hall if you need anything… and Hwa’s is down there and to the left.” Wooyoung points a clawed finger deeper into the home. The two of them stand there, Wooyoung rocking on his heels as San opens the door to his room and walks inside. It’s not a large room by any means, but it’s the biggest room San has ever had. It has a full sized bed that’s been freshly made, a desk and chair, a large wooden dresser and even a full bookshelf. San spots a door on the far wall and figures it’s the bathroom. 

“You don’t talk much.. Do you?” Wooyoung asks, waltzing into the room and plopping down on the edge of the bed. He bounces up and down, “It’s okay if you don’t.. I can talk enough for the both of us,” Wooyoung smiles at San and San almost smiles back.

Seonghwa wakes up the next morning and nearly trips over Wooyoung, who is lying on the floor in front of San’s bedroom door. “Youngie, what are you doing?” 

“San sounded distressed last night.. I could hear him pacing back and forth…” Wooyoung replies sadly, pouting. 

“That still doesn’t explain why you were sleeping in front of his door.”

“I was worried.. But his door was locked so I sat outside it for a while and talked to him through the door… well, I talked at him.. But he stopped pacing after a while.” Wooyoung said, his tail swishing from side to side behind him. Seonghwa ushers Wooyoung along, glancing back at San’s door in concern. 

Morning’s for the next month are much the same. Seonghwa gets up and heads to get Wooyoung up for the day as well, but nearly tripping on the fox hybrid in the process. Every morning, he asks Wooyoung why he was sleeping outside San’s door. And every morning it’s the same answer. 

“He was upset, Hwa.. He calms down when I talk to him.. I didn’t mean to spend all night out here, but I fell asleep..” 

Seonghwa tries to ask San about it, trying to figure out how to help him settle at night. But San still won’t talk to Seonghwa, he only answers yes or no questions. And while technically a form of communication, it isn’t very efficient in finding the root of the problem. 

Wooyoung, however, has been making some headway. San seems to respond to the other hybrid well, enjoying his company and seeking him out within the house once San wakes for the day. And, apparently, finding comfort in the foxes' presence outside his door at night.

Wooyoung wakes up leaning against the wall next to San’s door. But it isn’t because Hwa woke him.. In fact, it’s still dark outside. It doesn’t take long for Wooyoung to realize what had woken him when he hears quiet whimpers from behind San’s door. The panther hybrid sounds hurt and Wooyoung tries the door knob, locked.. It’s always locked at night. Wooyoung thinks, pacing in front of the door.

Seonghwa! Hwa has a spare key for emergencies.. And Wooyoung would count this as an emergency. He doesn’t want to wake Hwa though, so he carefully sneaks into the humans room. Quietly opening the drawer where he keeps the key and gets out of the room as fast as he can. 

Returning to San’s room, Wooyoung knocks softly first. “San? Are you okay?” He asks. If he can avoid using the key he will, but he only receives a pained whimper in response. “I'm going to use the spare key…” He calls out softly, letting San know his moves. 

Entering the room, San is laying on the floor in front of his bed. He is curled tightly around himself and trembling. He’s whispering something in his sleep that Wooyoung can’t quite make out, despite his enhanced hearing. He carefully approaches San, crouching down next to the sleeping hybrid.

“Didn’t know…” San mumbles in his sleep. “Didn’t mean to… I’m sorry, I’m sorry..” 

Wooyoung ghosts a hand over San’s shoulder and then suddenly, he is pinned to the ground with two hands around his neck. 

His hands fly up to cover San’s, trying to pry them off his airway. “S-an… It’s me. Wo-Wooyoung” San’s eyes are hazy as he looks at Wooyoung, or rather, looks through Wooyoung. “It’s o-okay… you’re safe..” 

San’s eyes focus on Wooyoung and widen, he removes his hands from around Wooyoung’s neck and scrambles back until he hits the wall. Wooyoung coughs, rolling onto his side as he catches his breath. 

“I…Oh my god..” A raspy voice whispers and Wooyoung realizes that San spoke. Wooyoung sits up and looks at San. “I’m so sorry Wooyoung.. Please don’t tell Seonghwa…he’ll..he-” 

“What do you think he’ll do, San? Wooyoung asks quietly and when San doesn’t answer he scoots closer. “San… What happened?” 

Unexpectedly, San breaks into tears. He places his head in his hands and draws his knees up to his chest. Wooyoung crawls over to San and wraps him in his arms, rocking the two of them gently as he shushes San. They stay like that until San calms down enough that his sobs turn into sniffles. Wooyoung sits next to San but continues to cradle the panther hybrid in his arms and rubbing his back soothingly. 

“Can you talk about it? I don’t think it’s safe for you to keep it bottled up anymore..” Wooyoung whispers. 

He feels San give a small nod before shakily inhaling. “I was assigned a mission to gather intel on a group of local weapons dealers. It was a run of the mill job, I had done countless of the same jobs before. But someone tipped them off. They knew I was coming and set a trap. I was knocked unconscious and when I came to,”San chokes back another sob, his voice wavering. Wooyoung encourages him to continue. “When I came to, I was in a blacked out room. There was no light at all, even with my ability to see well in the dark, I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. There was also no sound. I was completely cut off from those senses. I wasn’t fed or given water the whole time I was kept there. None of the torture was physical, it was worse… being cut off like that.. It can drive a person mad.” San sniffles, exhaling heavily. “When they finally found me I was delirious… My handler was the one who opened the door.. He was the first person I saw…But the bright light from his flashlight and the hallway lights behind him blinded me.. I thought it was one of the weapons dealers coming to finish me off. I didn’t mean to kill him.. I swear..”

“I believe you..” Wooyoung and San sat in silence. The only sound being that of San’s sniffles. 

As the sniffles die down, Wooyoung speaks. “You need to tell Hwa.. He wants to help you and is worried about you..” 

“I want to.. But I’m scared..” San admits. 

‘I’ll be right by you the whole time… if you want.” Wooyoung smiles reassuringly. 

“Please..” 

The next morning, Wooyoung and San meet Seonghwa in the living room. San opens up to Seonghwa, telling him what he had told Wooyoung the night before. And Wooyoung stays next to San the entire time, holding his hand and rubbing thumb over the back of San’s hand. 

Hearing what had caused San’s lashing out hurt Seonghwa, cutting into his heart. He crosses the room to where the hybrids are sitting and kneels before San. Seonghwa places his hands over top of Wooyoung and San’s joined ones. “I am so sorry.” 

“It wasn’t your fault, Seonghwa..” San spoke. 

“I know.. But I still hate what happened.. And I hate that you’re being tried for it..” Seonghwa stands, wrapping his arms around San. He pulls the hybrid against him, petting his hair, “You’ll get through this.. And if you’ll let us, Wooyoung and I will be here to help you every step of the way.” 

San smiled, for the first time in a long time, nuzzling against Seonghwa and gripping Wooyoung’s hand tighter. “I would really like that..”

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