#Book your appointment now and get screened today!

[wild-at-mind]

Maybe I will get top surgery purely to avoid dealing with mammogram appointments in whatever state the NHS is in by the time I reach the age to get them!!

[darthannie]

potential side effects

pairing: Jonathan Crane x f!reader summary: After giving you an experimental medication, Dr. Crane helps you get over your fear of intimacy.  word count: 2,143 warnings: 18+, minors DNI for the love of god, DARK, rough at points, I’m gonna go ahead and say NONCON, au where Dr. Crane has a private practice, abuse of power, reader is under the influence (kinda like the fear toxin), reader is sleepy, Crane doesn't take no for an answer, dacryphilia, inexperienced!reader, floor sex, spit, fighting back, a smidge of aftercare at the end. a/n: Please do not read if you’re not into what's in the warnings. I had fun experimenting with this one. I tried to be a little more thorough in the warnings. Better safe than sorry. I’m still toying around with Jonathan’s voice. Let me know if you want more of this kind of thing, or something different. I’d love to interact with you guys more!

Dr. Jonathan Crane had been treating you for the better part of a year and was in the midst of creating a new medication regimen for you. Your previous treatment plan was not working as intended, so it was back to the drawing board.

He selected you as the first person to receive an experimental medication. It was meant to be inhaled and doses were to be given during the time of the appointment. You didn’t necessarily know what to expect. He’d briefly mentioned that there may be potential side effects but didn’t go into much detail. 

You were nervous the first time you’d gone in to receive a dose. As you approached the door to his office you felt a lump begin to form in your throat. You knocked and after a moment he opened the door. Jonathan always wore the same thing most of the time. Today he donned a black blazer and slacks with a white button-up. His red tie was placed right at the center of his collar. His dark hair framed his face perfectly. He looks good today, you thought, better than usual. 

You exchanged your normal pleasantries and sat across from him on a couch. His office was spacious and dark. All the furniture was made of wood. In the corner, there was a big bookcase that consisted of books on fear, pharmacology, and different editions of the DSM. The DSM-4 was missing from the shelf, presumably on his desk. 

The room brought you a lot of comfort. It was the only place you ever got to see him. It felt like Dr. Crane was the only person in all of Gotham that understood you. It was his job after all. 

Soon the time came for him to administer the medication. 

“I’m going to spray in front of your face and you’re going to breathe in. It doesn’t take much to be effective.”, he said. 

You nodded and he sprayed. 

Your nerves subsided almost immediately and your mind became quiet.

“Any difference?”, he asked. 

“My mind is silent. All my racing thoughts have stopped.” 

“Good. That means it’s working. Some of the other side effects may begin to set in now.” 

He was right. Like clockwork, you started to get drowsy. It was like someone had given you a little too much Benadryl. It was hard to keep your eyes open. 

“Dr. Crane? Is this normal?” You couldn’t help but drag the ’s’. 

“It’s nothing to worry about. It’s just the medication working. How do you feel?” He seemed a tad on edge as he awaited your answer. 

“I feel all warm inside.” 

He then leaned back against his desk. “Any drowsiness?”

“Lots of it.” You chuckled slightly.

“That is normal.” He said, answering your question. “The medication was likely to make you feel tired.”

“Does it go away?”

“As your body builds up a tolerance, the effects will lessen. Now, I wanted to talk about the recent screenings you filled out. I would like you to check over them and rate their accuracy on a scale from one to five, five being very accurate.” 

He handed you a piece of paper and you looked it over. “Four.”

“Why not five?” His eyebrows furrowed. 

“Number six. ’S worse.” Question number six pertained to your interest in sex. More specifically how terrified you were of having it. 

It was a topic you were working on with Dr. Crane since it impacted your life so much. You were hesitant to mention it at first, but he assured you it was better to talk about it instead of holding it in. So, you spilled every detail. This included your inability to get yourself off and failed hook-up attempts.

You’d try very hard but when it came time for you to do the deed you shut down and found a way out of the situation. You hadn’t been getting out there much because, frankly, the thought of being intimate with someone was frightening. You didn’t know how you’d ever get over it. 

“Have you sought out any partners to help with your fears?”, he asked.

You took a moment to process what he said. “No, I haven’t. I can’t. It’s too-“

“Frightening, yes I remember you using that word.” He removed his glasses before continuing. “I think there’s a way I can help you with that. Personally.”

You yawned. “What do you mean by that doctor?” 

“I can make you feel better.” He looked down at you and brushed your cheek with the back of his hand. 

“How do you mean?” You could hear the apprehension in your voice. He ignored your question and reached down to the hem of your top, lifting it slightly. 

You pulled back a little too quickly and you got a bit dizzy. “I don’t know about that Dr. Crane. I can’t- I’m not well.”

He ignored you. “I think it’ll be easier if I just take you here on the floor.” 

He dragged you off the couch and onto the ground, sitting up. The hardwood was cold to the touch but started to warm under your body. He kneeled next to you. You tried to fight him as he reached for your sweater. He grabbed your wrists to stop you from thrashing around. 

“I would hate to have to tie you up, sweetheart.” You knew he would follow through so you did what he wanted. You stopped fighting back.

He neatly folded and put aside each article of clothing he took off your body. Eventually, you were completely bare in front of him. You were almost too gone to grasp what was going on. Almost. The fear began to creep in and he could tell. Maybe the medication was not working the way he intended it to. Maybe he lied about what it was intended to do. 

You slurred, “Dr. Crane, please don’t- Please don’t do this.” 

He leaned over you and you tried to push him away. He only offered a small smile and reached his hand down between your legs. You whimpered as his fingers moved lightly over your clit. You mewled at the new sensation. You gave in to the feeling and your eyes started to close. When they wouldn’t open again Jonathan lightly slapped your cheek. 

“No, no, no don’t fall asleep. I need you to stay awake for me.”, he said. 

You fought the exhaustion and watched as he used his fingers to tease you. 

He noticed you getting wetter and moved his fingers down to your entrance. He slowly stretched you with two fingers, watching your face as your mouth fell open. 

A tight-lipped smile appeared on his face. He started slow and then moved his fingers in and out very quickly, hitting a new spot until he found the one that made your legs shake. You lied back and let him work on you. All you felt was bliss. No one had ever touched you like that. 

He took his hand away and you whined. This was a first and you were glad you made it this far. This was a win. 

You thought it was over, but then you noticed him unbuttoning his pants. 

Your breath quickened and you put your hand out. “Wait! Please, no! I think I’ve had enough for today.” 

“We’re not done with your treatment yet, princess. Please hold still. It will be easier for the both of us.” 

Your body was made of putty. The side effects had gotten worse. He brought your legs into position before grabbing himself in his hand. He stroked his cock a couple of times before entering you. 

He gave you no time to adjust. His pace was slow but he fucked hard. You gasped at the feeling of him inside you. You’ve never been fucked like this before. But, that didn’t matter to him. All he wanted was to feel you around him. Make you his. 

The sounds in the room sent you reeling. You didn’t know you would moan so much. The sound of his skin hitting yours filled the room along with his heavy breaths and moans. He grabbed your hips as he thrust hard and fast. You were having a hard time coping with all the feelings you were having at once. The fear, exhaustion, and pleasure were beginning to mix. You wanted to scream. Instead, you cried. 

Jonathan moaned at the sight. He loved watching you cry. He’d seen it happen during sessions and couldn’t help but wonder what it would look like if you moaned while you cried. Now he knew. You were unable to keep quiet. Silent cries became sobs which became whimpers. 

He caressed your tear-stained face, “Shhhhhh, hush now it’s alright. You’re doing so well.”

You tried to talk through your tears. “Please Jonathan- Dr. Crane, Make it stop!”

This time he went deeper. You yelped as you felt him hit a new part of you. “I’m not stopping until you tell me it feels good. Tell me, does it feel good?”

“Yes,” you moaned, “it feels good.” 

“Yeah? Are you still frightened? Are you scared of me?”

“Yes.”, you admitted. It was hard for you to get out. How could you ever fear him? All he had ever done was help you. This was just another one of his unorthodox methods. 

He bent forward and put his arms next to your ears, locking his fingers on the top of your head to hold you in place. Your body was limp as he continued fucking you into the floor. Your eyes closed; you couldn’t bring yourself to look at him. 

He shook your head slightly. “No, eyes on me. Look at me.” 

You looked at him wide-eyed. 

“Open your mouth.” You obeyed and he spit in your mouth. In all honesty, you savored the taste. It was another way of him claiming you. 

“Swallow.” When you did he hummed contently. “Good girl.” 

You felt something weird tightening in your core. “Dr. Crane. I feel like I’m gonna-“. 

A long moan came out before you could finish your sentence. He fucked you as you rode your high and soon after his thrusts started to falter. He sat up and grabbed your hip to use as leverage. You mustered up as much energy as you could to move away from him, using your legs to drag yourself across the floor. He was much stronger than you at this point and he pulled you back. 

“No, come here. You’re gonna stay still while I finish. Got it?”

The tears kept flowing, but you obeyed. You lied back as he came inside of you. He stayed inside of you for a minute, savoring the moment. You were tired and blissed out. He pulled out of you without a word. He watched as his cum dropped out of you. 

“What a sight.”, he said matter a factly. He helped you sit up and wiped tears from your face with his thumb. He brought you close to him and kissed your forehead. 

He got up and put himself back together again. He fixed his clothing, tucking in his pristine white shirt and fastening his pants. He fixed his tie and looked past you into a mirror. 

Once satisfied, he grabbed a towel from his desk and cleaned you up. He helped you up to your feet and began dressing you. His demeanor was softer now. He took his time as he got you dressed. Once he was finished he helped you sit on the couch. You curled up into his side, seeking comfort from the man who had just used you. 

You’d never felt more confused. You knew this shouldn’t have happened. Every boundary had been crossed. But, the special attention from him felt better than anything. You fell asleep on his shoulder. He let you sleep on him for a while before he got up to write notes on what had just occurred. He found his glasses, put them on, and returned to his desk to begin writing. He included your reaction to the “medication” and how receptive you were to the treatment.

You woke up about an hour later, confused. You looked around and recognized his office. The memories of earlier events came rushing back. You felt your cheeks get hot.

Jonathan looked up from the paper he was holding up. “Rise and shine.”

He grabbed a sheet of paper from your file. He attached it to a clipboard and grabbed a pen. He handed you the materials and you looked down. It was another questionnaire. 

“Fill this out as accurately as possible.”

“What is it for?” You cleared your throat. He sat back down at his desk and picked up the paper he was previously inspecting. He looked at your file before looking back at you. 

“Our next session.”, he replied. 

[jamiefartt]

richmond's receptionist; part three

part 1, part 2

pairings: jamie tartt x reader, whole cast is mentioned

summary: with Rebecca's charity gala rapidly approaching, Jamie tries to get you to be his date, so why not take you dress shopping?

words: 19 458

warnings: no smut but hot n steamy descriptions and def some thirsting, alcohol (pls don't mix ur drinks).

outfit references: x your dress x Keeley's dress x Rebecca's dress

———

standing in front of the small mirror hanging above your bathroom sink, you brush your fingers through your damp hair. you're dressed in your work clothes, chic pleated trousers paired with a billowy blue blouse tucked into the waistband. you sigh as you lean on the sink, the porcelain cool to the touch. you pick up your mascara from next to the sink, leaning close to the mirror and carefully brushing it onto your eyelashes. once applied, you admire the way your eyes pop, accentuated by the makeup.

normally, you would dot some blush across your cheeks, but expecting you'll be seeing Jamie at work all day, you know you won't need the added flush of colour.

adding a tint of red to your lips, you begin doing your hair, masterfully tying it up into a half-up half-down hairstyle. you pucker your lips in the mirror, turning your head side to side to make sure everything is in place. a smile appears on your face, your confidence surging as you look at yourself.

as much as you're getting ready for yourself, you can't help but imagine the look on Jamie's face when he sees you today, especially after the teasing trick you pulled on him yesterday evening. of course you always try to look good at work, but the added effort is worth it for the potential to make the Jamie Tartt even a little bit flustered.

the music playing through your cozy apartment is interrupted by your phone ringing, and you rush from the bathroom to turn it off, toothbrush still in your mouth. seeing Keeley's name written across your screen, you answer, and the call opens onto her sitting at her vanity doing her own makeup.

"hey babe," she says, mouth agape in an O-shape as she curls her eyelashes. she's wrapped in her fluffy pink dressing gown and has matching coloured hair curlers wrapped in her locks.

"good morning, y/n." Roy speaks from the plush sofa behind her. in contrast to Keeley, he's fully dressed, leather jacket and all.

you wave at the couple, walking back to the bathroom to rinse your mouth. once the toothbrush and suds are down the drain, you can finally say: "hey guys! how are things?"

Roy says nothing, only giving you a thumbs up as he keeps his eyes on the book he's reading. back in your bedroom, you place your phone on the bed as you begin sliding on your staple jewellery.

"great! now, listen y/n, Rebecca's charity gala is this weekend and we need to get you a dress," Keeley says sternly, now putting on mascara.

"oh– I'm sure I have a dress in my closet somewhere," you say, turning and opening your cupboard to see if you have anything adequate.

Keeley bursts into a cackle, catching you off guard; "no, no, you need something new... something expensive and rich that will blow Jamie's socks off! or, you know, you could do that."

"oh my God, Keeley!" you shriek, your mouth flying open at her words. her laugh echoes loudly through your phone and you can't help but giggle along with her. picking up your phone, you head to your living room, grabbing your handbag from the sofa before heading to the front door.

Keeley continues explaining as you struggle to slip on your shoes with your free hand whilst holding your phone and your bag in the other; "I've booked you an appointment for tomorrow at a dress boutique in town. I can go with you if you'd like, just let me know."

"oh wow, that's amazing. thank you so so much!" with your flats slipped on, you pick up your work heels and shove them in your bag. you pant a breath before clicking open your door and heading out to your hallway. your voice echoes as you head into the stairwell of your apartment building; "are you sure, Keeley? I mean, it seems a bit excessive and I doubt I could afford anything too exp–"

"where the fuck are you?" Keeley interrupts you, peering at her phone screen with squinted eyes.

"I'm leaving my place, I like taking the stairs." you shrug in response.

"ooh, is that how you keep your glutes so tight then?" she sticks her tongue out at you playfully, and you laugh at her words.

"shut up," you reply and playfully roll your eyes.

"anyway," Keeley continues, "don't worry about the price, Rebecca said she'd cover it."

your eyes blow wide open, and you almost tumble down the stairs in shock; "what?! no, absolutely not!"

"hush, y/n, I don't wanna hear it. we're gonna make you look the sexiest you ever have in your life!"

finally reaching the bottom of the stairs, having descended 4 whole floors, you push through the double doors leading to the small car park outside. passing straight past your beaten-up old car, you walk onto the footpath.

"Keeley, I really don't think I can accept that,"

"are you walking to work?" she says, ignoring your sentiment. you shake your head a little, surprised by her question.

"yeah?"

"why?"

"because I like to walk."

"Keeley–" Roy begins, but Keeley interrupts him, "okay, y/n, gotta go. see you at work!"

before you can say bye, your phone beeps, and the screen goes black. you stop in your tracks, staring down at your phone. quickly typing in your password, you go to check your texts.

"oi!" someone shouts to you, and the fright almost makes you drop your phone. a hand flies to your chest as you look up, not at all expecting who you see.

"Isaac?" you ask, leaning down to look through his car window.

"get in. lemme give you a lift." he says before pressing a button on his dashboard. the passenger door suddenly opens, and your eyebrows raise at his evidently very expensive sports car.

without a word, you drop your phone into your handbag and walk around the car, slipping into the passenger seat.

"thanks, Isaac." you smile at him, and surprisingly, he cracks a wide, toothy one back at you. the sight makes you smile even more, and you wonder if you're bond with the Richmond players is going beyond just Jamie.

"were you walking to work?" he asks you, pushing his foot to the gas pedal and continuing down the road.

"yeah?"

"why?"

"because I like– why is that so shocking?"

your frustration evident in your voice, Isaac glances at you with a scared expression. "I was just asking," he mutters, and you sigh in exaggerated annoyance with a smile before turning your head to look out the car window. you settle into a few seconds of silence, just admiring the view of Richmond's greenery as you drive. music plays quietly through Isaac's speakers, and you enjoy the peaceful company.

"Isaac?" you ask, still staring out the window.

"yeah?" he replies gently.

"has Jamie ever mentioned me at training or anything?"

Isaac chuckles to himself, thinking for a moment before replying: "he doesn't talk about you really, but he does ask about you."

"what do you mean?" you turn to look at him, placing your elbow on the door and playing with your hair.

"like, when Keeley comes in to do promo with us, he'll hang back to ask her questions about you."

"like what?" you feel a blush appear on your face as you get shy at the thought.

"a few weeks ago, when the sign-in thing started, he asked her how long you'd worked at Richmond. then a few days later, he asked her if you were single."

"really?" you laugh, "what a slag."

Isaac laughs with you, shaking his head; "truer words have never been spoken,"

a few beats pass as your laughter dies down, and the thought of Jamie being so curious about you surprises you. he always acts so cool and unbothered, and you've only seen him soften a few times, so knowing he still thought about you before you'd even properly spoken warms something in your chest.

"but, y/n, I do wanna say..." Isaac keeps his eyes on the road as his voice softens, "whatever it is Jamie feels towards you, it's clearly something real. since you two have been doing this thing, he's been kinder, not just to us but also himself. I don't know how you got through to him, but whatever it is please don't stop. we've all seen the way he looks at you, he really likes you, mate."

lips parted and eyes wide, your gaze is fixed on the road in front of you. you're speechless, and all that's going through your mind is Jamie; how he looks at you, how he touches you, his scent and the feeling of his lips brushing past yours. before you can think of anything to say, Isaac pulls into the Richmond car park. he parks his car smoothly, slotting it next to Colin's dented Lamborghini.

"look, you don't have to tell me how you feel about him, but try not to break his heart too much if you have to." Isaac says, turning to look at you.

you nod a few times, clicking open your seatbelt before looking up at him through your eyelashes; "Isaac," you say, "I'm way too into him to break his heart."

he squints at you, obviously suppressing a smile, and he presses the buttons to open your doors.

"cheers, bruv." he nods at you.

"thanks for the lift, Isaac." you nod at him too.

both of you exit the car without another word, and you hurry in the door so you can get started with your day. unsurprisingly, Colin is already inside standing at your desk.

"good morning, y/n." he smiles at you.

"hey, Colin. sorry I'm late!" you hop behind the desk and sit in your chair, quickly changing your flats into your heels. you take the sign-in clipboard from atop the desk, only to notice you don't need to change its pages at all.

"oh," you say before putting it back in its place, "can I help you with anything Colin?"

you expect Colin to answer, but he stays silent as Isaac squeezes past him and signs in. you stare at him expectantly, and Colin just looks at you nervously until Isaac is walking down the hallway.

"are you okay?" you ask him quietly, leaning closer to him. he glances around suspiciously, making sure the coast is clear and Isaac is out of earshot.

"yeah, I just need your advice on something."

"hit me," you smile.

"I've been seeing this guy for maybe... two or three months? and I'm not sure if it's too soon to invite him to the gala this weekend."

"oh my God, Colin! that's so exciting! I'd say go for it, it's definitely not too soon." you assure him, smiling wide. his face mirrors yours and a blush appears on his cheeks.

"okay, great, thanks y/n!" he says before jogging down the hallway and to the locker room.

you smile to yourself, wondering when you became his go-to for advice. you won't complain, you're happy to make friends with the Richmond players.

"what's he so happy about?" Jamie's voice pipes up beside you as he places a coffee cup on your desk, watching as Colin borderline skips his way through the building.

you smile at him, picking up the cup. before it reaches your lips you look up at him with a sceptical look; "this isn't gonna be fucking green tea again is it?"

"don't worry, love." he assures you, sending you a wink as he finishes signing in. placing his elbow on your desk, he leans against it casually, smirking down at you. you furrow your brows, slightly suspicious of his intentions after the morning before. taking a sip, you're pleasantly delighted at the taste, although he didn't bring you a latte.

"hot chocolate?" you smile up at Jamie.

"yeah..." he says, eyes soft and smile genuine, "with a shot of whiskey."

your face drops suddenly as the aloholic aftertaste hits your throat. your nostrils flare as hot anger fills your veins, and you stand up from your seat in shock; "Jamie! what the fuck?!"

Jamie sticks his tongue out and cackles, slapping a hand to your desk before running backwards down the hallway. as you stand behind your desk, breath heaving, he blows you a kiss.

frustrated, you roll your eyes and grunt, sitting down again. you pick up your cup, lifting the lid and bringing it to your face. you inhale, instantly smelling the whiskey in the drink. with a gag, you push the lid back on, putting the cup far away from you on your desk. a grimace paints your face as you try to swallow the flavour away, but the gross liquid feels coated down your throat.

"y/n!" Keeley exclaims, excitement painted on her face as if you hadn't been speaking just this morning, "what's wrong with your face?"

"Jamie put whiskey in my fucking hot chocolate." you whine, rolling your eyes again.

"oooh, lemme have a sip," she says, holding her palms together as a plea.

"I don't think he'll ever bring me an actual latte ever again," your lips pout as you slump back in your chair.

Keeley ignores your complaint, quickly scribbling down her name before saying: "your fitting appointment is tomorrow at 6:30 after work. let me know if you'd like me to join!"

"thank you so much Keeley but I don't want to take Rebecca's money just for a dress,"

"it's not just a dress, y/n, it's a gown." she presses.

Rebecca's heels click into the building as if on cue, and she smiles wide at the two of you as she approaches.

"Rebecca! please tell y/n you don't mind buying her a dress for the gala." Keeley sighs.

"I thought you just said it was a gown, not a dress." you tease, and she rolls her eyes at you in response.

"oh, don't be silly! of course I don't care – in fact, I actively want to. can't have my employees looking cheap, now can I?" Rebecca states in a cocky tone, picking up the pen and signing in.

you look at her with an grateful look; "thank you, Rebecca, seriously."

she shoots you a wink before saying: "don't worry about it. we need you looking good for Jamie, don't we?" you can't help but blush at her words, overwhelmed by the gracious gift.

"my hair stylist and the girl who does my makeup is coming over to mine after work on Friday, we should all get ready together!" Keeley says, bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement.

"that sounds lovely!" you say.

"I'll be there." Rebecca adds.

Keeley squeals as she waves; "see you later, girls!"

Rebecca smiles at you with a nod before walking to her office, and your excitement for the gala has finally kicked in. you think to yourself; an event where everyone is dressed up to the nines, with music and an open bar? what could go wrong?

—

the next day, as you make yourself a latte in the staff room, you're surprised by two strong hands suddenly gripping your shoulders. two thumbs dig into your skin, massaging the taught muscles.

"Jesus woman, why are you so tense?" Jamie whispers in your ear, lips grazing your skin.

your eyes flutter as you struggle to keep them open, the pressure of his fingers instantly relaxing you. you smile to yourself, dropping your head back, leaning against his shoulder.

"I would be a lot more relaxed if my morning coffee wasn't such a fucking gamble every day," you joke, looking up at him through your eyelashes, "mouthwash, Jamie... really?"

Jamie chuckles to himself, smiling at his own prank. using his grip on your shoulders, he lifts you off his shoulder, spinning you around to face him. his hands rest on your hips, pulling you close to him. standing chest to chest, you can smell his cologne, woody and rich on your senses.

"you smell nice," you say absentmindedly, not thinking before speaking the thought out loud.

"ya think so? cheers, it's Tom Ford." he says with a cheeky wink, clearly bragging.

rolling your eyes, you cock your head to the side. when you look up at him again, his face holds an expression you haven't seen before. his pupils are blown wide and a small smile sits on his pouty lips.

"what?" you ask, a smile creeping onto your face too.

"nothin'" Jamie mumbles, and you can feel his thumbs rubbing up and down your sides. his eyes move to your lips, and you blush in response. nervously, you fill your cheeks with air and purse your lips as he stares at them. he chuckles at your funny face, quickly leaning down and pecking your lips. the kiss makes you drop the expression, and his eyes finally meet yours again. you raise your eyebrows and pull your head back, and his grin grows at your surprised eyes.

"what?" he says nonchalantly.

"nothin'" you say with a fake deep voice, mocking him.

as he laughs, Jamie moves one of the hands from your waist to your back, sliding it up your spine. when he gets to your hair, he wraps his fingers around the long strands and tugs lightly, tilting your chin up. your eyes threaten to close again, and your heartbeat quickens as Jamie's eyes darken.

"wanna kiss me properly Tartt?" you whisper, teasing him with a smile.

taking a few painfully long seconds to drag his eyes over every inch of your face, he eventually drops the hand from your hair. his other hand leaves your waist as he takes a step away from you. as he spins on his heel to leave he says: "you wish."

you tsk at him, rolling your eyes while shaking your head. turning to the beeping coffee machine, your mouth speaks before your brain thinks; "Jamie," you call after him, turning back around. he reappears in the doorway in merely a split second, hand resting on the doorframe as he looks at you with raised eyebrows. "I have to go buy a dress for the gala after work and I need a lift... would you mind coming with me?"

Jamie's eyebrows relax, but his eyes widen as he stares at you, blank expression on his face. you can't read what he's thinking, immediately regretting your question: "if you can't, that's fine, I just–".

"yes." he breathes, "yes, yeah, course I'll go with ya,"

you smile at him shyly, and his straight face turns into a smiling one as he mirrors you. you nod at him as a silent thanks, and he nods back before making his way back to training. taking your cup from the machine, you smile to yourself. as you pour a sugar packet into it, you shake your head, wondering how you got into this game with Jamie in the first place.

as the time approaches six o'clock, you wait impatiently for the Richmond team to sign out. as your colleagues say goodbye and sign their names, you politely smile and chat to them, and by the time the players make their way through the hallway, you're halfway out of your chair. standing up, you pick up your handbag and shove your things into it.

"you in a hurry, y/n?" Sam laughs.

"going on another date with Tartt?" Colin adds.

"leave the two love birds alone, bruv." Isaac says, picking up a pen and signing himself out. Sam takes the pen next and does the same before passing it to Colin.

from behind the large group of players all waiting to leave, Jamie appears in his regular clothes. wearing a blue hoodie with grey jeans, you admire how simple his outfit is.

"Hughes, sign me out there would ya?" Jamie calls, heading straight for the door. he brings the pendant of his gold chain to sit between his teeth as he grins at you, eyes lingering on your white top.

he cocks his head towards the door with a curt nod; "shall we?"

the players all erupt in teasing oohs and cheers at Jamie's shameless flirting, and the excitement makes you laugh. you step down from the desk, pushing your bag onto your shoulder. Jamie walks through the door ahead of you, holding it open for you to walk through. before you go, you turn back to the group of players and blow them a kiss, making them shout even louder, jumping up and down and slapping each other's shoulders. you cackle at the dramatics, following Jamie outside.

continuing your laughter as he leads you to his car you ask him: "are they always like this?"

"sadly," he pulls open the passenger side door for you, "yes."

you drop into the seat, the plush and expensive leather comfortable beneath you. as Jamie gets into the car, you look around. there's a football shaped air freshener hanging from the mirror, and there's a small rubber duck wearing a bow tie stuck to his dashboard. his gearshift has a bracelet wrapped around the base of it, colourful wooden beads with a small heart adding a pop of colour to the black leather interior.

"didn't think I could be so intrigued by car decor," you say, and Jamie chuckles shyly as he looks around at his car.

"yeah, it's just things me mum's given me... for good luck, ya'know." the look he gives you is sincere, and you smile at the sentiment of it all.

"that's really sweet, Jamie."

he dips his head down and smiles, and you're sure you spot a blush cover his face. turning the keys in the cognition, his BMW roars to life, and you both buckle your seatbelts. you tap the address into the car's gps, grateful Keeley texted it to you without you even having to ask. as he drives out of the car park's gates, Jamie asks: "if you need a lift to this shop, how did you get to work?"

"I usually walk to work, but Isaac gave me a spontaneous lift yesterday and then picked me up again this morning," you explain, looking at the side of his face as his eyes stay fixed on the road. you watch his face morph into a confused pout.

"you walk to work?"

"yeah?"

"why?"

"what the fuck?!" you exclaim, throwing your hands in the air in frustration.

"what?!" Jamie yells back, matching your tone.

you groan, dropping your head into your hands before raking your fingers through your hair, "nothing, sorry, that's just the third time someone's asked me that."

"it's a bit weird, to be fair," Jamie shrugs.

"what? no it isn't! I swear you're all such snobs," you joke, "it's a good way to get your steps in,"

Jamie snorts, and your head snaps to the side to look at him again.

"you're such a loser," he says, shaking his head.

"as if! my phone tracks them and then I get little messages every time I do 1000 steps," you explain proudly. Jamie says nothing else, just smiles before glancing at the screen showing the directions.

the two of you sit in a comfortable silence as you watch other cars go by. sitting in Jamie's car, you can almost feel how expensive it was just by the way it glides so smoothly across the road. you try to spot similar cars at stop lights and crossroads, but somehow Jamie seems to be the only one with this fancy of a car.

"y/n?" his soft voice interrupts your thoughts.

"mhm?" you hum, looking to him.

he doesn't as much as glimpse at you, keeping his eyes forward; "how come Isaac gave you a lift?" his voice is quiet and shy when he asks. with an amused smile, you stare at him, wondering if you've imagined his reserved tone.

"Jamie?" you start, "are you... jealous?"

"pfft, what? no, why would I be?" he sputters.

"are you serious?" you ask with a giggle, and his silence speaks volumes. "Jamie..." you sigh, "the only reason Isaac gave me a lift yesterday was because he saw me walking and offered me one. this morning, he passed me again, so he stopped. it's polite to accept and, to be completely honest, I just wanted to sit in a sports car." you shrug, reassuring him.

he exhales and nods, trying to disguise his worry as a joke when he forces a chuckle; "oh, right, yeah,"

you lean closer to him, leaning your chin on his shoulder. finally, he glances down at you, smiling softly. "don't worry, Jamie. from now on, I'll only take lifts from you in your sports car."

he rolls his eyes but can't help but huff a small laugh, and you smile up at him, biting your lip. "can I turn on some music?" you ask sweetly, fluttering your eyelashes at him dramatically.

"go on then."

you squeal in excitement as you tap the screen on his dashboard, admiring the high-tech of it all. connecting your phone to his car, you press play on one of your playlists. soft music falls from the speakers, and you don't think you've ever heard your favourite songs in such good quality before. pressing a hand to the speaker on your door, you close your eyes, feeling the vibrations of the music. you fall back against the head rest, completely relaxing into Jamie's presence. he doesn't speak, letting you feel the sound in peace.

humming along to the song playing, you smile to yourself. you feel like you're floating as the car drives smoothly over the roads to the boutique. Jamie's a surprisingly gentle driver, never hitting his brake too hard and not swerving around bends. dropping your hand from the speaker, you start picking up on the sound of Jamie's movements. his breathing is steady, and you can hear him absentmindedly sigh every so often. you hear his hands run over the steering wheel when he takes a turn, and the sound soothes you. driving with Jamie makes him feel so human. usually only seeing him in the context of football, you feel like you know athlete Jamie more than person Jamie, despite your date last weekend. the date was amazing, and you learnt so much about him, but sitting in silence with him is a big difference to your usual constant banter.

after the car drives over a bump, you feel the car slow to a halt and the music stop, presuming you've arrived.

"y/n?" Jamie whispers gently, and you've never heard his voice so quiet. the other times he's whispered to you it was definitely not this sweet and soft, and the sound warms your heart.

when you turn your head towards him and open your eyes, he's unexpectedly close to you. with his elbow on the armrest between you, Jamie holds himself a few inches away from you. his gaze softens when you look at him, your eyes wide and amused.

"we're here," he whispers in the same gentle tone, nodding his head towards the windshield. your eyes don't leave each other's as you breathe in deeply. the smell of his cologne fills your sense again, now mixed with fresh conditioner and a slight hint of lavender. you yearn to be closer to him, and you have to fight the urge to wrap an arm around his neck and pull him into you.

instead, you let your eyes drop to his lips before quickly looking away, staring out the window at the shop in front of you. you feel Jamie's eyes on you for a few more seconds before he peels them off of your face, looking down at his hands awkwardly. facing him again, you smile nervously before leaning over the center console and pressing a quick kiss to his soft cheek. his head snaps up at the feeling and when he turns to you, he's blushing a deep pink.

"let's go then," you say, sighing and picking up your bag from between your legs, placing it on your lap. Jamie jumps out of the car, rushing over to the passenger side to open your door for you. one hand holding the door out of your way, his other hand reaches out for you to take. you place your hand in his, and he helps you stand up from the car – not that you need it, but you'll never say to no to some princess treatment.

"thank you, Jamie." you smiled at him.

"you're welcome, y/n." he says as he closes the car door behind you.

you approach the small shop, stopping by its window to admire some of the dresses on display; "oh my goodness," you breathe, "these are gorgeous!" your excitement doubles as you look back at Jamie.

his eyes are fixed on you as he breathes: "yeah... gorgeous,"

your heart rate speeds up suddenly, noticing the way his pupils are wide again, just like in the staff room earlier. your mouth opens, desperately trying to breathe in more air, but you get lost in his gaze. he definitely isn't talking about the dresses.

you swallow and try to snap out of it; "okay, Jamie, I'll see you tomorrow."

"what?" he says quickly, expression faltering and you can almost see his heart break in his face. you furrow your brows and repeat after him; "what?"

he stands up straight, suddenly acting uncharacteristically awkward as he fidgets with his car keys. attempting nonchalance, he shakes his head and looks away from you.

"I mean, I just thought I'd go in with you, ya'know... you might need a second opinion or something," he says quickly, scratching the back of his neck while he looks anywhere but at you.

you chuckle at his silly sheepishness, saying nothing before reaching out for his hand, taking it in yours. a blush appears on your face, and you turn and pull him into the boutique with you.

"good evening!" a squeaky voice chirps, and you can't see the person it came from. your hand still clutches Jamie's, and he holds yours tighter as you both look around. you're overwhelmed by the amount of gowns strung along racks against each wall, and your mouth hangs open as you run your free hand along the fabrics.

"phew! sorry about that, I'm here!" the voice speaks again, and when you turn around, a small blonde woman appears from behind an equally small counter.

"hiya," you speak politely, "uhm, my name is y/n. I think my friend Keeley made an appointment for me."

"ah! Keeley Jones! she's one amazing firecracker, isn't she?" the woman says with a smile, "now, where are my glasses?" she thinks to herself. her curly blonde hair is half pinned up, and her bright red glasses sit on top of her head. you're not sure whether to say something or not, watching her pick up and move stacks of paper on the counter as she searches. Jamie squeezes your hand, and you turn around to look at him. he lifts his pointer finger to his mouth and shakes his head, smiling at you. you smile up at him, taking note of what he means, but decide to do the right thing.

"sorry, I think they're on your head?" you say as politely as possible.

"oh! thank you, darling." she smiles at you before reaching out a hand and introducing herself; "I'm Sarah, it's so lovely to meet you, y/n,"

you drop Jamie's hand to shake Sarah's, which makes her notice his presence.

"and you are?" she asks, holding a hand out for him too.

"I'm Jamie," he smiles, shaking her hand with his right and covering the back of her hand with his left.

"such a sweet thing," Sarah smiles, "you're a lucky girl." she says, looking at you.

Jamie turns to you, letting go of her hand, raising his eyebrows at you with a teasing grin. you roll your eyes at him, ignoring Sarah's comment.

"right–", she says, pushing her glasses back into her hair and moving across the boutique towards a rack of dresses, "what are you looking for today?"

"well, I'm going to this big fancy gala on Friday and I need–"

"something blue." Jamie interrupts, hands politely held behind his back as he smiles at Sarah, avoiding your confused face.

"perfect! let me take some measurements and I'll get you set up. follow me, love. Jamie, you can wait here, take a seat." Sarah's excited, and completely oblivious to your surprise at Jamie's words, as she leads you through a curtain at the back of the shop. you glance back at Jamie over your shoulder, and he winks at you as he sits down on a velvet purple sofa.

the room you walk in is small, but tidy and chic. there's a large mirror covering one of the walls, and the carpet is white and shaggy. it seems to be one big dressing room, and it looks completely different to where Jamie is waiting for you. there's an iced window opposite you, allowing for natural light to flood the cream walls.

"he said something blue, is that right?" Sarah asks, handing you some kind of unitard which matches your skin tone.

"uhm, I guess, yeah," you say, agreeing to Jamie's suggestion. you're not sure why he said it, but it gives you more inspiration than you had when you arrived to the boutique.

"okay, darling. go slip on this little bodysuit behind the curtain over there and I'll be back to measure you whenever you're ready." Sarah smiles politely, guiding you towards a small but tall booth in the corner of the room.

once you've changed, wearing nothing but the skin tight playsuit, you call for Sarah. the carpet is soft under your bare feet as you admire yourself in the mirror. you run your fingers through your hair, adding some volume into it as you smile at your reflection. soon after, Sarah pushes a rack of dresses into the room.

"you haven't even measured me yet?" you laugh at the amount of fabric hiding her small frame.

"don't worry, angel, I've got a good eye for this stuff," she says with a strained voice, struggling to push the wheels over the carpet. you rush over to help her, pulling the opposite side further into the room. there's a variety of different shades of blue and fabrics on the rack; there's silk, satin, and chiffon, and you admire the way some of the rhinestones sparkle under the light.

"these are beautiful, woah..." you say, looking through the dresses.

"we have plenty of time to play dress-up later! let's get you measured," Sarah says, slipping on her glasses and taking the measuring tape from around her neck.

as you move to stand on a small platform in front of the mirror, music starts playing from the shop's speakers. you instantly recognise it as one of the songs you played in the car ride with Jamie. you blush, chuckling to yourself.

"did Jamie turn this music on?" you ask, looking at Sarah in the mirror.

"he did," she says, quickly scribbling down the length of your leg into her notebook, "he asked if he could connect his phone. he's a very nice man, very charming,"

you huff, a smile creeping up your face, "hmpf, isn't he?"

"how long have you two been together?" she asks you absentmindedly. the question makes you shake your head and sputter out your words; "oh, no, no, we're not together,"

"really?" she asks, "I thought I saw you two holding hands when you walked in,"

"it's complicated," you explain vaguely.

"oh sweetheart, there's nothing complicated about the way he looks at you," Sarah says quietly, and her statement stuns you, "he helped me choose these dresses for you by the way, I already know his favourite one."

not sure how to process her words, you turn your head to the rack of dresses, trying to guess which one he likes the most. your chest grows warm at the thought of Jamie's waiting for you in the next room, listening to a song you like, picking out dresses for you. with a blush on your face, you start to realise what Isaac meant; Jamie can be exceptionally kind.

"all done, my love! now, pick whichever ones you want to try on and if they need any tailoring, I can get that done for you before Friday." Sarah brushes strands of hair out of her face, standing up straight and pointing to the rack of gowns.

you look at her with kind eyes and smile; "thank you, Sarah,"

"now, I'll be just out there taking care of your friend, but just gimme a shout if you need help with a zip or anything." she winks at you before heading through the curtain into the boutique.

you take a deep breath, trying to focus on the sound of the music playing through the room. either Jamie has exceptionally good taste, or he's found your spotify account and has turned on the same playlist you played in his car.

trying on a navy dress, you spin around in the mirror. nice bodice, but ugly tule sleeves. you take a turquoise gown from the rack, deciding against it before even trying it on simply due to its big frilly skirt. next, you pull out a dress the brightest shade of blue, and try it on for fun, just to see Jamie's reaction. you pull aside the curtain into the shop before stepping through.

Jamie's hands fly to his mouth, biting back a laugh. you do the same, rolling your lips into your mouth to avoid a cackle from escaping. the dress is made of polyester, and is covered in sheer tule with big plastic diamonds.

"oh... babe," Sarah says awkwardly, grimacing.

"Jamie?" you say, still holding back a laugh.

"you look... absolutely stunnin'" he forces, face morphing into an almost painful expression.

a few beats of silence pass, before the three of you burst into loud and boisterous laughter. Jamie clutches his stomach in laughter, while Sarah covers her mouth the hide her amusement. you stop your laughing and pretend to look offended; "what? you don't like it?" you smile at Jamie. he digs his phone out of his pocket before holding it up proudly.

"go on, do a twirl," he says, filming you as you do what he asks. you laugh at the antics, holding up the skirt and curtsying. you blow a kiss to his camera and close your eyes, smiling sweetly.

"fuckin' beautiful," Jamie mutters, and he sounds more sincere than the jokey tone he had used before. you pretend you didn't hear it, taking a dramatic bow before disappearing into the changing room again.

laughing to yourself, you tug off the dress, appreciating the little ribbons Sarah has tied onto each dress' zip, allowing you to easily reach back and pull it down yourself. you take your time trying on three more dresses, and as much as you look like a princess, you don't feel like one just yet.

the final dress on the rack is a sequined baby blue one, and you're unsure of its boldness before you even put it on. you take it off the hanger, undoing the zip and stepping into it. pulling the skinny pink spaghetti straps over your shoulders, you feel the soft inner lining of the dress tickle your legs. all the dresses you had tried on were floor length, but this one falls three quarters down your legs, ending a few inches above your ankles.

reaching back, your hand searches for the ribbon in order to zip up the dress, but you can't seem to find it. turning around in the mirror, you stretch your neck to see it's missing.

"fuck," you whisper to yourself, desperately trying to fold your arm back and zip it up, but to no avail.

"Sarah?" you call, but she doesn't answer.

"eh, she's gone upstairs to her workshop for a minute. is everythin' alright?" Jamie replies. you hang your head, taking in a deep breath.

"could you come help me zip up my dress please?" you say, eyes to the ceiling as you dread Jamie's entrance. a knot grows in your stomach; you wanted Jamie to see the dress on Friday, after getting all dolled up, not when you're barefoot in a dressing room with your hair messy.

"yeah, sure, of course," he mutters, his voice coming closer through the curtain. pushing it open, he covers his eyes with his hand; "you decent?"

"yes, Jamie, just come in." you sigh, hand clutching the back of the dress as you stand on your tippy toes, mimicking the effect your heels will have on the outfit.

"alright, alright, just–" Jamie stops mid sentence. you look over at him, and his face bares a look of pure admiration. his pouty lips are parted, eyes wide and glossy under the light. eyebrows raised, his arms hang limp by his sides, and his chest rises and falls noticeably with his shallow breaths.

you don't speak, your face holding an embarrassed expression as you turn your back towards Jamie; "please," you squeak quietly.

he inhales a shaky breath before saying: "yeah, sorry, yeah,"

avoiding looking at him, you wait impatiently for the feeling of his body behind you. you hear his uneven breaths first as he stands behind you. fully aware he's blushing, you can't help but wish you had turned to the mirror, then you could at least see his expression as his hands carefully clutch the bottom of the zip, right above your ass. seeing the red tint on his face would make you feel a lot better about your half-assed appearance. his fingers brush the arch of your back as he pulls the zip up the length of your back, as his other hand rests on your waist. when he nears the top, his hand leaves your waist to brush your hair over your shoulder and out of the way. as the dress tightens around you, one of the straps slip from your shoulder.

as soon as the dress is secured, you turn towards the mirror again, lifting yourself onto your toes. the shiny fabric hugs your frame tightly, accentuating the curve of your hips and pushing up your chest ever so slightly. you hear Jamie gulp, and your eyes move to look at him in the reflection of the mirror. his eyes don't meet yours, however, as they're glued to your back and shoulders. he carries his gaze across your shoulder blades, slowly lifting a hand to your arm, gently sliding the thin strap up to your shoulder again. his breathing still sounds heavy in your ear, and his fingers linger on the exposed nape of your neck.

Jamie finally lets his eyes glance up to meet yours, and your breath hitches in your throat. his eyes are dark, not with lust or intoxication the way you've seen before, but with something else – something indecipherable. he holds your eye contact while his fingers continue their path over your skin. he brings them down to your shoulder before dragging them back up to your neck. trailing them down your spine, he follows the shape of your shoulder blades, drawing absentminded shapes on them. goosebumps appear on your skin, and you bring your hands up your torso nervously. the slight scratch of the sequins on your palms grounds you, and your eyes trail over your body. Jamie settles both hands on your waist again, and you drag your hands up over your stomach, to your ribcage, before sliding over your chest. you bring them back down, fingers smoothing the sparkles on your thighs.

when your eyes flick up to look at Jamie, you're surprised to see him staring at your eyes already. his cheeks are flushed, but he's managed to close his mouth for the first time since he opened the dressing room curtain. his hands drop from your waist, and he reaches up to bring your hair back off your shoulder before taking a step away from you. Jamie's eyes are sincere as he finally speaks: "y/n..."

"mhm?" you hum, turning to the side to admire the back of the dress in the tall mirror.

"I've never seen anyone as beautiful as you in my entire life." he says firmly, face unwavering as he looks you dead in the eye in the mirror.

you soften at his words, sighing as you tilt your head. he flashes you a small smile as you stare at his reflection. looking at you sheepishly, it's almost like he doesn't know the words he just spoke went straight to your heart – as if the look in his eyes didn't scream love.

turning around quickly, your breath is shallow as you hold his eye contact. his eyes drop to your lips and yours do the same, and soon enough you're stepping closer to him. peering up at him through your eyelashes, your eyes stay wide, and he looks at you expectantly. his eyes flick down to glance at your lips once more, but this time, your eyes stay fixed on his. the longer you stare at him, the more you feel your eyes gloss over. the sweet smile on his face doesn't fall, and you shake your head as you finally grin back.

standing up on your tippy toes, you throw your arms around his neck and hold him tightly. his strong arms wrap around your waist, placing one of his palms flat on the middle of your back. you sigh as you press your face into his neck, and you hear him exhale deeply as he holds you impossibly closer.

you breathe in his skin, feeling his hair tickle your cheek. Jamie groans into your neck, squeezing you so tight your feet lift an inch off the ground. you giggle into his neck, lifting your head up and back to look at him. he moves his head off your shoulder too, keeping your feet off the ground.

"is this your favourite dress then?" you tease him with a smile.

"definitely." he nods his head eagerly, eyes focused on your mouth. you bite your lip nervously, the way you always do when you notice him staring at them.

"what?" you ask sweetly, moving your head to the side in an attempt to get him to look you in the eye again.

"will you be my date to the gala?" he says quickly, eyes back on yours. his face breaks out in a large grin as you raise your eyebrows at him.

you look up, as if deep in thought, before furrowing your brows and pouting; "uuuhm... no." you state. Jamie's happy face immediately drops into a pouty, confused expression.

before he can contest your answer, you quickly peck his frowning lips, taking him aback all over again. kicking your feet, you laugh out loud; "okay, put me down now. I need to go pay for this dress."

—

looking at your reflection in Keeley's vanity mirror, you absolutely adore who's staring back at you. your hair is curled to perfection, pinned up in the classier version of a messy bun. loose strands frame your face and make the hairstyle look naturally effortless, despite it having taken 40 minutes to perfect. your eyelids sparkle with a slight dusty pink colour. skin looking filter smooth, you admire the way the light bounces off your cheekbones after Keeley's makeup artist fanned some highlighter on them.

she's behind you on the pink sofa, painting her toe nails, whilst Rebecca is next to her on her phone. you had agreed to all get ready together but Rebecca, picky as ever, arrived completely dressed up, having already had her stylist get her ready.

leaning close to the mirror, you screw open your shiny pink lip gloss before lathering it on your lips. you pop them together before puckering them in the mirror, making a kissy noise. Keeley laughs at the sound, and when you turn around, a mischievous grin grows on her face; "look at you with your lip gloss! Jamie and y/n sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g!"

the three of you share a big laugh as you stand up from the chair, the pink robe Keeley lent you keeping you cosy as you get ready.

"okay, time for my dress!" you sing, and Keeley squeals.

"I can't wait to see it," Rebecca says sweetly. you tilt your head, looking at her with kind eyes;

"thanks again, Rebecca, I don't think I can ever repay you for this favour,"

"shut up and get dressed!" Rebecca shouts, waving a hand to dismiss you.

"aah! okay!" you shout back, running into Keeley's bedroom, dress bag folded over your arm.

putting it on is easier this time, having tied your own ribbon onto the zip. you look at your reflection in the bedroom mirror, and you can't believe this is you. the dress fits you like a glove, and is still the most comfortable thing you've ever worn. the fabric is flowy around your legs, and tightens to hug your body around your hips. your pinned up hair shows off your clavicle, and the framing front pieces make your face look chiseled as ever. sitting on the bed, you slip your feet into your light pink heels, the platform pumps adding an extra two inches to your height. as you buckle them up, you can finally say you truly do feel like a princess.

"ready?" you call, cracking open the door out of the bedroom.

"yes!" Keeley and Rebecca both say at the same time, excitement evident in their voices.

you step out of the room, letting out a deep breath. there's no reason to be, but you're nervous. you hold your head up, imagining Jamie sitting in that room, and you're suddenly filled with a newfound confidence. taking long strides, you walk into the next room. stepping in front of Keeley and Rebecca, you smile wide. both of them are dead silent, staring at you with blank expressions. you do a twirl, hoping to pull a reaction from them, but when you face them again, you still get nothing. smile slowly fading, your brows furrow.

"is there something wrong?" you say, holding out your hands in confusion.

Keeley and Rebecca shake their heads in sync, and the latter finally speaks up; "not at all, y/n, wow,"

"Jamie-" Keeley starts, life re-entering her eyes, "is... going to..." she jumps up in the air as she screams "DIE!"

she runs over to you and hugs you as you cackle at their theatrics; "you look fucking amazing!" Keeley squeals.

you look at Rebecca as you squeeze Keeley's arm, and the smile she gives you feels warm and sincere. she doesn't need to tell you what she thinks, you can read it in her face. you mouth the words 'thank you' to her one last time, and she blows you a kiss.

"let's get going!" letting go of you, Keeley runs to the mirror to quickly check her makeup. you move towards the sofa, picking up your clutch bag and slipping your phone and lip gloss into it. Rebecca stands up, brushing down her outfit. her red dress highlights her long legs, and her pinned up hair makes her look even taller than she is. turning your back to her, she kindly helps you take the ribbon off your zip. Keeley's hair cascades over her shoulder in waves, and her black corset fits perfectly over a big pink silk skirt.

"we look so good," you turn to them, smiling wide before heading for the front door.

you all slip into the back of the slick black limousine Rebecca organised for the three of you, and you waste no time in popping open the complimentary champagne.

each of you have a flute in hand as you sing along to the music playing. Keeley holds up her phone to take selfies and pictures of all of you, together as well as posing on your own. laughing and cheering, you hype each other up as you show the camera your best faces. three champagne flutes down and your cheeks feel hot, the alcohol rushing through your veins.

"oh by the way, y/n, you'll be sitting at a table with me and Keeley tonight." Rebecca smiles as she takes a sip of her drink. your eyebrows arch in surprise, and you mirror her as you bring the glass flute to your lips.

"yeah, we didn't want you sitting with random staff," Keeley adds.

"I'm surprised you didn't put me at a table with Jamie," you say.

Rebecca wags her pointer finger at you; "hm, no, see that wouldn't really be playing the game, would it?"

"if you're sitting at the same table, there's no longing, no yearning, no sexual tension!" Keeley explains, grunting the last words as she balls her fists in front of her and shakes them.

"exactly!" Rebecca continues, "our table is in front of his, which means that each time he looks at the stage, his eyes have to pass you, which they obviously won't and he'll probably sit there all night staring at you until you notice him" she states matter of factly.

"you guys..." you drawl, "this is so lovely, but at this point I'll just want jump his bones the minute I see him. I've been holding off for so long!"

"I promise it's worth it... believe me, it's all about the wait." Keeley says, placing a firm hand on your knee and squeezing it in reassurance. "Rebecca knows all about it," she continues, "she's put Sam behind us as well, at the same table as Jamie."

gasping at her, you let out a small scream; "Rebecca! you're going to try pick things up with him again?!" she rolls her eyes at you and Keeley, but still smirks slyly. the three of you holler and laugh, drowning out the music with your noise. your stomach twists in nerves and excitement, not at all knowing what to expect from tonight. whatever happens, you have to try to resist the one thing you've been thinking about for weeks; let's see how hard he's going to make that.

—

the limousine finally comes to a halt at the Richmond Theatre, and the flashing cameras already catch your eye. the driver steps out, walking over and opening the car door for you, Keeley, and Rebecca. one by one, you exit the stretch, giving each other hands to help the other up.

the red carpet is rolled out from the end of the stoop, all the way up over the stairs into the venue. there's a backdrop set up for photographs displaying an array of sponsors including bantr and KBPR. Sam and Isaac pose in front of the cameras, standing a few feet from one another.

"Jerry! Dave! it's so good to see you guys again! make sure to get my good side this year," Sam points at the group of photographers, choosing for a simple wide smile. Isaac on the other hand, has his hands together in a prayer pose, face emotionless. "don't forget the shoes," Isaac says to the cameras, "make sure you get the shoes, bruv." he reiterates bluntly, pointing a finger down at the ground.

shaking your head, you laugh at their antics. looking at the people around you, you can't help but think about Jamie; is he inside already? what is he wearing? will he still like your dress? oh my God what if he doesn't show up just because you said no to being his date-

"y/n, it's your turn babe," Keeley whispers in your ear, and she places a hand on your back to guide you onto the red carpet. eyes widening in panic, you turn to grab her hand; "Keeley, I have no idea what to do, please come with me,"

she giggles, running in front of the photographers, still holding your hand. she flicks her hair aside, placing a hand on her hip and smiling wide. through her teeth she tells you: "just copy me, you're gorgeous."

as the two of you stand and pose together, Rebecca steps onto the carpet at its far end, smiling on her own. you reach over, taking her hand and pulling her between you and Keeley, and the three of you laugh and pose together in front of the cameras. slowly but surely, you get more comfortable, stepping aside to get a few photos on your own. Dani, Colin, and a number of other Richmond players stand next to the photographers, whistling and whooping in encouragement. your laugh is big and genuine as the cameras continue to flash, and the adrenaline running through your veins reignites the excitement you've had all week.

"thank you!" you say to the photographers as an event organiser beckons you off the carpet. she leads you, Rebecca, and Keeley towards the steps into the theatre. the three of you laugh at the rush caused by the attention of the cameras, and your words are filled with disbelief; "I've never done anything like that before! that was so much fucking fun!"

"I know right?!" Keeley cackles.

"ladies, I have to go in and sort some things so I'm going to go ahead. I'll see you at the table," Rebecca speaks quickly, blowing a kiss before rushing off.

"she's so sexy when she's all in charge and shit," Keeley says, watching as Rebecca struts up the rest of the stairs and into the venue. she turns to face you, looking you up and down. with an inquisitive expression, she reaches her hands up and twists your necklace around, hiding the clasp behind your neck.

"perfect," she says, "how do I look?"

"absolutely amazing," you reply to her, pulling some fluff from her lace corset.

"let's fucking do this," Keeley says with a determined expression, and the two of you hold hands again as you walk up the stairs. at the door, a server holds a silver platter with champagne flutes filled to the brim. Keeley immediately drops your hand, taking one glass in each hand. you struggle holding back a laugh as you take one for yourself, thanking the server quietly.

approaching the double doors into the theatre, you reach out your free hand to pull the handle, holding it open for Keeley. "thanks, babe," she says, taking a quick sip of her drink. the second she enters, she squeals "Barbara!" and rushes over to her friend nearby.

left to fend for yourself, you blink and widen your eyes at the sheer size of the ballroom. at the far end is a large stage, and the walls are covered in red velvet. you look up at the ginormous chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and the chatter from the large amount of guests bounces against all sides of the room. you can't discern any of the voices despite recognising almost every face. everyone is dressed up to the Gods, mingling and chatting in small groups. some people are sitting at their tables, whilst some are simply standing around.

you spot Ted and Beard talking to Trent Crimm to your left, and as you're about to move towards them to say hello, a recognisable voice finally breaks through your thoughts; "holy fuck."

snapping your head towards the sound of the voice, your eyes immediately notice Jamie standing next to the bar to your right. he stands up straight when your eyes meet, sliding his elbow from the counter and placing down his beer bottle.

your jaw slacks as you move your eyes down his body, noticing his suit. it's a smooth navy, tailored to fit him perfectly. his signet ring shines beneath the bright lights, and his tattoos peek out from under his sleeve. the tie he's wearing has a light blue pattern you can't quite make out from your distance, but when your eyes drift to his suit jacket, your mouth snaps closed.

Jamie's eyes are wider than you've ever seen them, and he doesn't seem to blink at all as you walk over to him. you stand close to him, nostrils flaring as you clench your jaw; "Jamie," you say flatly, trying to keep your breathing steady, "what the fuck is that?" you tuck your clutch under your arm, moving your hand up to his chest and poking a finger against the pocket of his jacket.

his mouth opens and closes a few times, but no words come out. avoiding your eyes, he frowns his lips and shrugs; "what's... what?"

you tsk at him, moving your head to the side in an attempt to catch his gaze again. your finger digs into his chest harder, finally making him look at you as he pulls away in pain.

"ow, what was that for?"

"where did you get that pocket square?" you ask, making your question clear. you glance down at the sequinned blue fabric folded in his pocket, and your ears start ringing as your heart rate increases rapidly.

"Sarah made it for me to match your dress," Jamie admits sheepishly, shoulders slumping as he looks down at his fidgeting hands.

"come with me." you say, turning around and walking across the ballroom. Jamie follows you like a lost puppy as you walk past the other guests. "hey guys, I'll see you in a bit!" you chirp as you pass the coaches and their resident writer. they wave at you and Jamie with confused faces, but you ignore them. pushing through another set of double doors, you walk into a hallway.

looking side to side, you spot what you're looking for down the hallway and on the left. you don't look behind you, sure Jamie is right there, as you strut past another bar and some couched booths. stopping to chug your champagne, you discard the glass one of the tables. when you finally reach the door labelled 'ladies, you push open the door, hoping nobody's inside.

Jamie's suddenly stops as you head into the bathroom, brows furrowed, and you roll your eyes before pulling him in with you. when you walk in, you thank God there's no one in there to see you drag in the man trailing behind you. pushing open the first stall you see, you yank Jamie's arm to pull him inside.

you drop his hand, pressing your hands against his chest and pushing his back into the door, making it shut. you waste no time in slotting your feet between his and leaning forward, connecting your lips together. his hands find your waist as he realises what's happening. your clutch drops to the floor and you grab his biceps, keeping yourself steady.

hunger sets into you as you kiss him deeply, already panting as you messily move your lips against each other. your tongue slips into his mouth with ease as your hand reaches for his hair, grabbing a handful and tugging it. he groans into your mouth as his hands move up your back, holding you impossibly closer. you struggle to suppress the moan in the back of your throat as his tongue dips into your mouth, and your knees buckle at the feeling. Jamie uses this as his chance to spin you around, pressing your back against the cold door and quickly locking it without even having to look. with one hand placed firmly on the arch of your back, the other comes up to your face, tilting your jaw up as he kisses you even harder. your heads move side to side quickly, not once pulling away for breath as you move against each other vigorously. your fingers are still tangled in his hair whilst your other hand grips his arm tight, feeling the way the muscle flexes as he holds your body against his.

your mind goes completely blank, and your senses heighten as Jamie feels warm - no - hot. your heart hammers against your chest as you feel yourself start to sweat, your shared body heat starting to become overwhelming as your ears ring. all you can see, feel, and smell is Jamie; his cologne, his cold rings, his smooth skin on yours. both of your lips are sticky with lipgloss, and the noises your mouths make together make you blush. Jamie slides his hand from your face to your neck, running his thumb down your throat as he continues to tangle your tongues together. the touch pulls a low whine from your throat, and you completely lose the strength to hold yourself up.

your hand leaves his hair and quickly finds his tie, wrapping it around your fist and tugging it. you use the leverage to pull your back from the door before pressing the same hand into his chest.

Jamie reluctantly pulls his lips off of yours as you push against him. you're both breathless, panting with open mouths as you stare at each other. his pupils are dark and blown wide, breathing jagged, and his lips are even more plump than usual. yours feel equally as swollen, cheeks hot and hair messy.

without a word, you bend down, picking up your long discarded purse from the floor. turning your back to Jamie, you unlock the stall door and walk towards the sinks. dropping your purse on top of the marble, you run cold water over your hands in an attempt to cool yourself down before digging through your clutch. pulling out a bobby pin, you fix a rogue strand of hair which has fallen out of your updo. as you do so, Jamie appears from the stall, hair no longer messy. he catches your eyes in the mirror and smirks at you. as he passes you by, he brings his palm up to slap your ass, making your disheveled expression form into a smile.

you watch his back as he leaves the bathroom, and the fact he doesn't turn to glance at you makes you part your lips and huff, impressed by his sudden composure. turning back to the mirror, you stare at yourself. your cheeks are flushed, lips red and swollen, and your legs shake beneath you. holding the sink for support, you lean forward, fanning your face with your hand in an attempt to cool your skin. the door squeaks open, and you quickly stand up straight and pretend to fix the hair around your face.

a brunette woman you don't recognise walks in, and you send her a polite smile through the mirror's reflection. "having a good night are we?" she grins knowingly, scrunching up her nose and raising her eyebrows. you let out a surprised cackle, quickly shaking your head and shrugging; "just fixing my makeup, you know how it goes."

"right..." she drawls, winking at you before she disappears into a stall. you sigh out a breath, glad it wasn't Keeley or Rebecca walking in on you, even though they would probably have a few tips to make yourself look less sloppy after you and Jamie's heated make out.

sure, you weren't exactly playing the game of tension they were talking about, but your kiss with Jamie was worth every second. you wouldn't have lasted flirting with him all evening without knowing what he tasted like. the feeling of his lips on yours, hands pressed against your back while you clawed at his hair, is going to replay in your mind all evening, and you hope you won't be going home alone.

pulling your lipgloss from your bag, you quickly dab some more on your still-puffy lips. hoping all traces of Jamie are gone, you clip your clutch closed and head for the door. as you push through into the hallway, the loud chatter of the event reverberates through the walls, and adrenaline sets in again. you decide against returning to the ballroom just yet, walking down the hallway and to the small bar at the end of it.

"y/n!" Sam beams as you meet him at the bar. you get the attention of the bartender.

"I'll try the peachy keen, please," turning to face Sam you say: "how are you, Samuel?"

"I'm doing good, what about you?" he laughs at your use of his full name.

"hungry! I'm so excited for the meal and the auction and everything," you say, accepting your cocktail from the bartender with a "thank you so much."

"ah, really? are you going to bid on Jamie?" Sam asks with a grin.

"ha!" you cackle, "Jamie wishes I'd bid on him! but... I don't really think I can afford the auction anyways. Keeley said it goes into the tens of thousands!"

"I think Jamie would do it for free if it was you bidding on him, he's obsessed with you." Sam takes a sip of his drink, and you arch your eyebrows; "really?" you ask.

"oh yes, for sure... but I don't think I need to tell you that," he says with a smirk on his face.

"what do you mean?" you shrug nervously, already picturing Jamie's dark eyes when you pulled away from him in the bathroom stall. you bring your sweet drink to your lips in attempt to distract yourself.

"well, I saw him stumble out of the women's restrooms a few minutes ago. he's not very good at hiding his certain excitement, if you know what I mean,"

Sam's words take you aback, and you snort into your drink and cough as you place the glass down. you wipe the splatters from your face and look up at him with a shocked look.

he continues, the smirk on his face growing even more devilish; "and then I see you walking out of the same bathroom a few minutes later... which makes me think that maybe... you were in there together?"

you inhale deeply, raising you eyebrows and smiling at him. picking up your glass from the bar, you turn to walk away. "I will speak to you later, Sam. enjoy your meal." you say politely, and he laughs at you as you turn and head through the doors and back into the large ballroom.

contrary to when you arrived, the carpeted room is now bustling with people. you stand still in front of the door, stunned by the crowds. you can hear the familiar laughter and shouts of the Richmond players, but you can't see them. you look over to the stage to see Rebecca standing beside it, nervously discussing something with Higgins. glancing back towards the bar you had previously found Jamie at, his place is now taken by Roy and Keeley as they stand close together. her hand holds his arms as he looks down at her lovingly, a content smile resting on his face. you smile at their interaction, the gentle side of both of them is a rare sight at work, and it's as if they're all alone in this room full of people.

"excuse me ladies and gentlemen," Rebecca's voice sounds through speakers around the room. chatter dies down as everyone turns their attention to the stage, where Rebecca is standing behind a microphone.

"thank you so very much for coming," she pauses as the chatter dies down quickly, "dinner is going to be served soon, so if everybody could please find their seats, that would be delightful." everyone applauds Rebecca as she smiles and walks off the stage. you beeline towards her, awkwardly smiling at people as you push past them. standing next to the stage, Rebecca is flattening non-existent creases in her dress as she now talks to Ted.

"it's gonna be amazing, boss, don't you worry!" you hear Ted chirp as you approach the two. sensing your presence, Rebecca turns her head and smiles at you.

"oh, y/n, thank goodness you're here." she breathes.

your face contorts into a puzzled look as you glance at Ted whose face is still in his classic closed mouth smile; "we arrived together," you chuckle to yourself, and her face of realisation makes the three of you laugh. "let's go find our seats." you say, and you look back to Ted, "will you be sitting with us, coach?"

the three of you move towards the tables, and Rebecca guides you to table nine, smack down in the middle of the ballroom.

"that's right! I can't wait to tell Roy about my new uniform designs,"

"it's called a kit, coach," Beard suddenly appears next to Ted, Jane beside him.

"well we'll have to make them thermal then... winter is coming!" Ted says proudly, snapping his fingers with a chuckle.

you look up at Beard, completely confused. "Game of Thrones," he says in a flat tone. from beside him, Jane also speaks up in the same way; "Kit Harington."

"ah," you say, the awkward smile on your face fading as you turn away from the encounter, shaking your head as you walk to the other side of the table. pulling out the chair directly across from Ted, you're facing the stage with your back to the rest of the tables. as you move to sit down, however, Rebecca stops you.

"wait, okay, hold on," she circles the table, stopping at each chair and crouching down. your brows furrow as you watch her, clueless as to what she was doing. she brings her hands up in front of her face, holding her fingers in an L-shape as she frames her vision. "perfect..." she stands up straight and pulls out the chair in front of her, "this is your seat."

the antics make you laugh, giving in and moving two seats to the left and sitting down; "thanks?"

"you're so very welcome," her tone is sincere, as if she didn't just dance around the table choosing you a chair. she sits down in the seat to your right, immediately grabbing for one of the complimentary bottles of white wine set in the centre of the table. screwing open the top, she fills your glass first, all the way up to the brim. she does the same for her glass, almost making it overflow, before putting the wine bottle back into its ice bucket.

"Rebecca, oh my God," you widen your eyes at her with a smile, and her mischievous smirk makes you laugh. "I've already paid for it! we might as well drink it." as the two of you giggle, you raise your glasses and clink them together, some wine spilling over the rim as you cheers.

"hey! wait for me!" Keeley runs over, Roy trailing behind her, before lifting her cocktail up to join your toast, "here's to y/n shagging Jamie tonight!"

your hand flies to your mouth in shock and you shush her, glancing around to see if anyone heard her vulgar words. the only other guest who heard her comment was Roy, who smiles at you sympathetically before muttering "fucking gross," under his breath as he sits down. Keeley playfully sticks her tongue out at you before moving to sit beside between Rebecca and Roy. she leans over closer to you and Rebecca as Roy fills their glasses with wine; "have you seen Jamie's pocket square, by the way?"

you don't need to be looking in the mirror to know the intense blush that just set across your cheeks as you avoid looking at her. Rebecca furrows her brows and shakes her head, looking between you and Keeley. you suck in your lips and close your eyes, knowing what Keeley is about to say.

"it's the same as y/n's dress!" she whisper yells, and you reluctantly open one eye to see Rebecca's reaction.

"what the fuck?!" her eyes shoot open wide as her head snaps to look at you. you stay quiet, opening your other eye and bearing your teeth in a wide grimace. "how did he get a piece of your dress?" Rebecca says to you in a hushed tone before her face drops, "oh my God, y/n, don't tell me you've already slept with him."

now it's your turn to widen your eyes in a shocked expression; "Jesus, no!" you say, slightly offended by Rebecca's assumption. she, Keeley, and Roy stare at you expectantly, waiting for you to continue.

"what?" you ask them, nervously chugging the rest of your peach cocktail. none of them speak as they watch you drink, and you roll your eyes before explaining: "he went dress shopping with me and I guess the tailor made him a pocket square for tonight. I swear I had no idea he was going to do that! he did it behind my back."

Keeley squints at you, clearly not believing a word you say. when you look at Rebecca, she pouts her lips and nods, but you can't decipher whether it's in reassurance or mockery. "I believe you," Roy suddenly says, "he's a possessive little bitch, he would definitely pull this shit."

you chuckle at his words, and he sends you a quick wink with a small smile. as you look past Roy, your smile drops, not giving you the chance to return the wink, and Rebecca says what you're thinking: "speak of the devil,"

"you talkin' bout me?" Jamie says, firmly placing his hands on Roy's shoulders as he stands behind him. a cocky grin plasters his face as he stares down at you, quickly winking at you as your mouth falls slightly open.

"let go of me." Roy states, face stone cold as he stares ahead. Jamie doesn't follow his order, simply squeezing Roy's shoulders and shaking him side to side. "I'll kill you." Roy says again, but Jamie ignores him.

"Rebecca?" he asks sweetly, taking his time to drag his eyes off of you and look at the woman next to you, "why can't I sit at this table?"

"oooh..." Ted says, watching intently as Rebecca folds her arms on the table. Jamie's tight-lipped smile is sweet, but fake, and Rebecca mirrors his expression. she inhales deeply, tilting her head to the side as she looks up at him.

"because I said so, Jamie." she says, and your eyebrows arch as you bite back a smile when he glances at you, his cocky expression now cracking slightly. his grin turns into a pout as he gasps for a response. "but-" he starts, but Rebecca interrupts his rebuttal: "because I pay you to play football for me, Jamie, not to accompany me to dinner."

Roy bursts into a loud laugh, gaining everyone's attention as the table goes completely silent. Jamie slides his hands from his shoulders, startled by the sound of his laughter. Keeley giggles from beside Roy, covering her mouth to hide it. the whole table looks at him, amused smiles creeping up your faces. Jamie, on the other hand, looks defeated, eyes finding yours again. he sends you a sad look, pouting his lips. silently, you lift your shoulders in a shrug, smiling at him. your smile is sincere and warm, despite his opposite expression. still, since your encounter in the bathrooms not too long ago, your heart is finding it hard not to be fond of Jamie as you look at him. you'd like to keep up the tension-filled flirtatious banter, but since feeling the pressure of his mouth on yours, you can't help but long for the next time you'll get to taste him.

"good one, Rebecca," Roy finally speaks, falling back into his blunt normality as he brings his drink to his mouth.

Jamie composes himself, rolling his eyes before glancing at everyone at the table; "whatever," he mutters, looking straight at you again, "see you during the auction, y/n," he winks before turning and walking away, clearly quickly recovering from the embarrassment.

Rebecca and Keeley slowly turn towards you, mouths agape, and the three of you wait a few seconds before squealing in excitement.

"holy shit!" Keeley says, reaching across Rebecca to grab your hand, "he wants you!" she growls, and you all share another screech as you process Jamie's parting words.

"who wants who?!" a voice interjects your noise, matching your excitement with an amused tone and a wide smile. you look to your left as the same brunette from the bathroom sits down in the free seat next to you. your expression drops as you feel the blood drain from your face, contrasting the deep blush Jamie had just given you. she catches your eye and smiles wide; "hey! we're at the same table, what a coincidence!"

"Sassy Smurf?!" Ted hangs his head to the side to try and see her face. she immediately turns to him, opening her arms wide as they match each other's wide smiles. "Marlboro Man!" she shouts, and they embrace in a quick hug. the interaction both warms your heart and confuses you, turning to give Rebecca a questioning look. you're overwhelmed by all of the interactions you've had since sitting down at the table, and at this point you have no idea how the evening is going to pan out.

Rebecca smiles at you, interrupting Ted and the mystery woman's conversation to introduce you; "y/n, this is Flo, my best friend,"

"since childhood," she includes, "and you can just call me Sassy, it makes me feel more interesting," she smiles and winks at you as she holds out a hand for you to shake. you take it, repeating Rebecca by saying "I'm y/n, it's so lovely to meet you."

"y/n is our receptionist at Richmond, and she's really good," Keeley says, "she gets along with literally everyone, especially Jamie Tartt." she smirks at Sassy and raises her eyebrows suggestively.

Sassy turns to look at you wide eyes, an intrigued smile spreading across her face as she looks at you. you can almost see the cogs turning in her mind, and your face falls as you try to shake your head as subtly as possible. panic starts setting in as you realise she's connecting the dots between you in the bathroom and the conversation at the table, and you hope your wide eyes tell her not to mention your post-Jamie run in.

"ooh," she drawls, elongating the vowels as she nods her head. you hold your breath, hoping she understood your silent plea. "yeah, he's not really my type but, go get it babe," she sends you a cheeky grin and raises her brows at you. you feel the back of her hand tap the side of your thigh in reassurance as she turns her back to you; "so Ted, how have you been?" you hear her say, and you sigh in relief before drinking as much wine as you can in one gulp.

everyone quickly moves on, diving into their own conversations. Ted and Sassy seem to know each other quite well, Sassy leaning close to him as he speaks, making him blush. Rebecca must notice your confused expression, interrupting her own chat with Keeley and Roy to lean in to your ear; "they've slept together a few times." your eyes widen as you dramatically scoop your head to the side to look at Rebecca. you exchange knowing smiles, and her eyes soften as she looks at you. furrowing your brows as you notice her expression change, you're about to ask her if everything's okay, but she beats you to it.

"as much as we tease you about it," she starts, "Keeley and I think you and Jamie are perfect for each other. I can see how much you like him and -- not that he's hiding it very well -- but I can tell he is utterly in love with you."

you open your mouth to contest, but Rebecca holds a hand up to stop you; "I promise, y/n. now, during the auction, I want you to bid whatever amount needed to win him. don't worry about the cost, I'll cover it."

"oh- absolutely not!" you gawk at Rebecca, "you can't buy me a dress and a man!"

"of course I can. I'm the boss, remember?" her voice is stern as she pats your thigh.

"please, I'm begging you, just take the dress out of my paycheck." your eyes are pleading as you clasp your hands together. she shakes her head at you and tsks; "none of it. now, let's eat."

as if on cue, dozens of waiters appear out of nowhere, carrying platters of plates. first they bring the chicken, then the steak. you all dig into your dinner, and the food is delicious - not surprising, Rebecca would never settle for less than perfect. you eat, drink, and laugh, especially with Sassy beside you, her numerous offhand comments making you laugh louder than you normally would if you didn't have this much alcohol running through your veins. you notice the way Ted looks at her, even when she's speaking to someone else, and you recognise it as similar to the way Jamie looked at you in the dress boutique earlier this week. his eyes are soft and features relaxed, a small smile resting comfortably on his lips. his pupils are big, and his chest moves up and down slowly as he breathes -- he seems completely at ease, despite the hustle and bustle of the room. it makes you think of seeing Keeley and Roy earlier, looking at each other as if they were the only ones here, not a care in the world about who's around them. you smile to yourself before turning your attention back to the story Sassy is telling, some retelling of a funny memory she shares with Rebecca.

Keeley laughs at her words, and the sound is just infectious, making you laugh more than the story itself. your eyes move to look at Roy, who looks at Keeley with soft eyes identical to Ted's. you huff a small laugh to yourself, it going unnoticed by those around you as they're all engrossed in the conversation. Roy stares at Keeley with such adoration that it tugs at your heartstrings. their chairs are pulled close together, and his arm is draped over the back of her chair as she leans into him ever so slightly. her wine glass sits in her hand as she laughs, and each time she does, Roy smiles to himself. you doubt he's even listening to Sassy's tale, completely distracted by Keeley's joy. he's infatuated with her, and you can tell by the way she continues to crack his hard exterior. you wonder what he's like with her behind closed doors; you bet she has him walking around wearing her signature pink robe.

you look down at your hands, admiring the manicure you got in preparation for the event. the glossy light pink colour matches the details of your outfit, and you're still surprised at how comfortable your dress is. you run your fingers over the blue sequins, seeing how they reflect the chandeliers above you. you can't believe Jamie's little stunt he pulled -- when did he even ask Sarah to make him that pocket square? you look over your left shoulder, trying to find him at the table behind you, but he's not there. when you look to your right and past Rebecca, you see a table with Richmond staff, but no still no Jamie. scanning the countless people at the event, you can't seem to spot him.

it seems you were looking too far, however, as when you look at the table diagonal to yours, also in the middle of the room, your eyes land on him immediately. he's already looking at you, lids low on his eyes as he stares. you quickly glance away, trying to hide the fact you were looking for him, but you can feel his eyes burning into the side of your face. he's sitting with other Richmond players, but doesn't seem engaged with them at all as he stares at you. you have no idea of knowing how long he's been staring at you, but decide to meet his eyes again. as predicted, he's still looking in your direction. unlike usually, his face isn't cocky or teasing. instead, his eyes are soft and dark, and his mouth is closed in a small and subtle smile, probably unaware of its presence on his face. your gentle smile morphs into a shy one as he doesn't break away from your stare.

looking back to your lap, you touch your fingertips up to brush your lips, replaying every second of your kiss with Jamie in the bathroom. your skin recalls each goosebump as you imagine the way his hands ran up your spine. as you remember the taste of his tongue against yours, a blush takes over your face and your vision blurs. days of tension and patient waiting were interrupted by that first kiss, and you hope that wasn't your last.

—

the evening continues smoothly; you all finish your meals and continue emptying the wine bottles. warmth runs through your veins as alcohol mixes with contentment, and you fight the urge to blurt out something stupid about Jamie in your conversations. this proves to be made extra hard with him in your peripheral vision, and you can feel his eyes on you every time you laugh. you get more flustered the more wine you drink, and it's a true struggle not to stand up, take Jamie's hand, and take him home.

your engrossed in conversation with Sassy and Ted when Rebecca speaks into the microphone on the stage. you hadn't even noticed her leaving the table, a testament to your tunnel vision after a few drinks. Keeley shuffles over to sit next to you, and you see Roy standing up from the table. he buttons his suit jacket swiftly as he slides past the other tables and towards the stage. Keeley grabs your hand and squeals; "time for the auction! I will literally kill anyone that bids on Roy."

"ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for coming to support this year's annual Benefit for Underprivileged Children gala!"

the room breaks into a loud applause at Rebecca's words, and you take the opportunity to glance at Jamie. this time, to your surprise, he's not looking at you. his eyes are focused on the stage, and you use his distraction to look him up and down, eyes lingering on his pocket square. dragging your eyes upwards again, you notice Sam looking at you. he's sitting right next to Jamie, and is clapping absentmindedly as he stares at you with a challenging look, eyes squinting. you ignore him, quickly facing the stage again.

"now for the part you've all been waiting for," Rebecca continues, "the auction for a chance to spend an all-expenses paid evening with one of Richmond FC's very own football players!" everyone claps again, and the cheers get louder as Roy makes his way onto the stage. you jump at the sound of Keeley screaming beside you, her arms in the air as she claps for her boyfriend. his face remains expressionless as he lifts a hand up to salute to Keeley, and she does the same. she grabs your arm with one hand as the other holds her bidding paddle at the ready.

"I love it when he acts all 'I'm Roy and I don't smile'" she puts on a gruff voice as she smiles, "I just keep trying to make him crack!"

"first up, Roy Kent." Rebecca says, gesturing as Roy steps up to the microphone.

he takes a deep breath before using his best deadpan voice to say: "if any of you, other than Keeley Jones, put up your hand, I'll have you escorted out of here." the crowd laugh at his words, but his face stays cold as Keeley throws her paddle up into the air; "twenty-five thousand!" she shouts with a beaming smile, standing up from her seat with a small jump. "sold to the lovely lady in the puffy skirt!" Roy says into the mic before Rebecca even has the chance. Keeley squeals as Roy immediately exits the stage, making his way back over to the table. when he reaches Keeley, she throws her arms around his neck and kisses him sweetly. Ted coos at the gesture, and the players behind you cheer and ooh at the couple obnoxiously. Roy flips them off as he keeps his lips on Keeley's, and it makes you think of Jamie again.

when you flick your eyes over to his seat, you find it empty, but Sam still manages to catch your eyes again. you curse under your breath before forcing a smile. he points to the stage and when you turn your head, you see Jamie standing on the stage next to Rebecca. the spotlights make his pocket square sparkle, and the sight makes your heart beat faster than it should. "he's a possessive little bitch" Roy's words run circles around your head, and you can't help but admit you don't mind his possessiveness -- only when it comes to you.

"next we have a free meal with unlimited wine at the luxurious Richmond Hill Hotel with the one and only Jamie Tartt!" Rebecca exclaims, "and if the lucky bidder gets even luckier, she can have one night's stay in the hotel included!"

your cheeks flush a deep crimson as your mouth drops open wide. Sassy turns to you with a loud gasp, and Keeley cackles as she grabs your hand, bouncing up and down in her seat. your hands cover your mouth as you duck your head shyly, your entire table encouraging you to reach for your paddle. you finally make eye contact with Jamie, who is biting his lip with a teethy grin. he shoots you one of his classic winks and you sigh, picking up the paddle.

"let's start at five thousand for Jamie," Rebecca says.

you're about to put your number in the air, but someone else beats you to it. you look to the right, following the voice repeating the number, only to see Roy with his paddle in the air. the room erupts in laughter, including Jamie. Roy looks at you and winks; "we could get some extra training in," and he cracks you a smile.

"five thousand for Roy Kent? okay," Rebecca says as she holds back a laugh. her eyes are on you as she continues; "six thousand?"

finally lifting your paddle, you call out: "six thousand!"

Jamie smiles as Rebecca says your name into the microphone. unlike at the table earlier, his face is back to a cocky grin. strong arms crossed in front of his chest, his chin is held high as he runs his tongue across his teeth. his eyes are glued to yours, so you take it upon yourself to drag them up and down his body, enjoying the view. his trousers are tight around his thighs, and his arms practically bulge out of the suit jacket. how had you not noticed this earlier? how big he looks in the fitted outfit, and how much you like his blonde hair, and how the button up shirt he's wearing isn't white, but is actually the same shade of dusty pink as your shoes. your lips part as you realise just how much you two are matching, and your brows furrow in feigned anger. Jamie smirks as he sees you looking him up and down, but you decide to tease him just a bit more.

"do I hear seven thousand?"

eyes on his, you refuse to lift your paddle, despite Sassy trying to lift your hand. keeping it tucked under your crossed legs, you don't make any move to bid on him.

"seven thousand pounds!" you hear from behind you, and you turn to see Sam's hand in the air. everyone laughs again, and his joke starts a ripple effect amongst the football players.

"ten thousand." Isaac says bluntly, and when Jamie blows him a kiss from the stage he says: "love you, bruv!"

the bidding goes through a number of players dotted throughout the room until finally, the number reaches nineteen thousand.

"any more for any more?" Rebecca hopes, glaring at you.

Keeley drums on the table suddenly, and Sassy is quick to join in. soon, Roy, Ted, Beard, and even Jane are all tapping the table, giving you a drum roll.

"twenty thousand!" you shout, shaking your head as you throw your eyes to the sky. Rebecca doesn't give the chance for any more bids, immediately saying: "sold for twenty thousand to y/n y/l/n!"

Jamie laughs as he looks down at you, and you bite your lip as he mouths to you; "you're mine."

—

with the auction finished, and some of the Richmond players paired up with new potential wags, most of the tables are empty. although Rebecca couldn't hire the real ABBA, Higgins managed to find a more-than-decent cover band to take the stage as musical guest. you bounce up and down to the rhythm of the music, hand-in-hand with Rebecca. you spin her around, and she does the same to you as you sing along to the classic 'Dancing Queen', and you point to her every time the chorus plays. you laugh and cackle as you scream along to the songs, dancing with Rebecca and Keeley, and sometimes Sassy. allegedly, Roy doesn't dance, so Keeley has resorted to dancing on her own. she has long discarded her heels, and you wish you had the balls to do the same.

when the song switches to 'Chiquitita', Keeley collapses against Rebecca's chest, clutching her tightly in a hug. Sassy whispers something to Ted, who has been krumping the whole time, before they both disappear through the double doors into the hallway you had pulled Jamie through earlier. you smile as you watch them walk away, hand-in-hand. when you turn back to Keeley and Rebecca, you're surprised to see Sam standing in front of you, hand outstretched. you take it with a shy smile, and he pulls you close. you put a hand on his shoulder as he leans down, but he keeps the hand not holding yours to himself; how respectful. together, you move side to side as he has to shout in your ear to be heard above the music.

"where's Jamie?" he asks.

"I don't know," you reply, standing cheek to cheek so he can hear you.

"you look stunning tonight, y/n."

"thank you, Sam! you look great!" when you saw him at the bar earlier, you hadn't completely recovered from Jamie, so you hadn't noticed his sophisticated look for the night.

"I know you and Jamie were in the bathroom together," he says, ignoring your compliment, "and I noticed your matching outfits."

you roll your eyes, pulling him close to you so you can explain yourself; "I didn't know how was going to do that! Roy said he was being possessive."

"and Roy is right...," he says, twirling you around using your entwined hands, and he stops your spin halfway, allowing your eyes to fall on a sulking Jamie, "now go talk to Jamie. I've gotten him all jealous and bothered, now you have to handle the rest while I try to talk to Rebecca."

turning to face Sam again, you laugh wildly, slapping his arm as you pretend to be upset at his antics. he matches your expression, cackling as shakes his hips. you hold your pointer finger up to him, quickly grabbing his hand again and pulling him towards Rebecca, who is still holding Keeley in her arms. their height difference is exacerbated by Keeley's missing shoes, and her eyes are closed as she rests her head on Rebecca's chest. your boss looks at you, pursing her lips as she holds back her laughter. you move closer to her; "Sam has no one to dance with, maybe you can lend him a hand?" you say before leaning down to whisper in Keeley's ear. "Sam is here." you say, and she doesn't need any more information before standing up straight and dancing through the crowd and out of sight.

pushing Sam towards Rebecca, you let go of his hand, quickly fixing the twisted strap on your pumps before stepping back onto the carpet. fittingly so, the band starts singing 'Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!', and you smirk to myself as you walk towards Jamie. his jacket is unbuttoned, pockets hanging loosely at his side. with his head down, he has one hand in his pocket and the other fidgeting with a toothpick on top of the table. he doesn't notice you approach, so you move to stand behind him. you bend over slightly, folding your arms over his shoulders as you hold your face next to his. Jamie, stubborn as always, doesn't react to your presence, so you flatten your palms against his midriff, feeling his hard abs beneath his shirt. this makes him sit up slightly, taking a hand out of his pocket and placing it over your hands.

"isn't it funny you're at table six, and I was at table nine..." you say in his ear, but he ignores your silly comment.

your fingers drag up painfully slowly, reaching his chest before he drops his hand down. his chest moves up and down rapidly as he borderline pants at your touch. separating your hands, you bring them across his chest firmly before pulling them up to his shoulders. you squeeze his solid muscles, secretly admiring his strength.

"there's not a soul out there," you whisper along to the song, lips brushing his ear, "no one to hear my prayer,"

"Jamie," your voice is sultry in his ear, knowing exactly what you want from him right now. the song isn't helping your heated state, the bass pumping in your flushed chest. he tips his head back as you continue to massage his shoulders, resting it in the crook of your neck. you can see every inch of the soft skin on his throat, and you drag your eyes over his adam's apple as it bobs with his nervous gulp. stopping the movement of your fingers, Jamie stands up abruptly, buttoning his jacket with shaky hands.

smirking as you look up at him, he clenches his jaw and shakes his head as if telling you not to say anything. without another word, he takes your hand in his, interlocking your fingers tightly, and walks towards the door. he pushes through the first set of double doors, you in tow, before suddenly coming to a halt. you stand beside him, both of you silent for a few seconds. torrential rain slaps the pavement outside of the venue, and you look at your clothes with wide eyes. he does the same, and when your eyes meet again, you both laugh. his hand comes up to brush his air back as he looks out at the rain, but your eyes are glued to his bicep. the seams of jacket look like they're about to burst as he flexes his muscles, and your smile fades into an O-shape as your jaw slacks. yes, he's a professional footballer, but he's so big, and so muscular. your eyes drop down as you lean back, taking a glimpse of his backside, and that is definitely a rugby ass.

"fuck it," he mumbles, pulling you from your trance, and before you know it he's pulling you outside. you rush down the steps, squeezing his hand tight so you don't slip, before running to the street corner. there's a line of black cabs picking up guests, and Jamie pulls open the door to one. holding open the door for you, he lets you crawl in first, before ducking down.

"hi!" you chirp to the driver as Jamie climbs in next to you, "sorry you have to drive in this weather," you apologise before giving him your address through the plastic privacy partition. the driver closes it, so you buckle your seatbelt, and once Jamie's shut the door, he does the same.

"we're going to yours?" he asks, pushing his dripping wet hair out of his eyes.

"yeah." you say simply, smiling at him. you're sure you look like a drowned rat, and you hope your makeup isn't running down your face. despite only being in the rain for a minute or so, you're both completely soaked.

you look at each other for a few seconds as the driver takes off, and you can't help but laugh at each other's appearance.

"you look like you do after training, but... worse," you giggle, pushing a misplaced strand of his hair over.

"and you look... just a little bit melted," he laughs, "but still gorgeous." while you laugh, your lip quivers as you shiver from the cold rain, so he shrugs off his wet jacket, laying it over your legs in a poor attempt to keep you warm, but it's the thought that counts.

turning to look through the window, the air suddenly grows a little bit awkward. five minutes ago you were ready to let him do whatever he wanted to you, and now you're sitting next to each other in a silent cab completely drenched from the rain. you sigh, thinking about your next move. you want to reach over the middle seat and take his hand in his -- quite frankly, you'd prefer to straddle him and make out with him right here and now. but you stick with your first option, glancing down at your lap before sliding your hand over and taking his. as you fold your fingers together you bring his hand up, brushing your lips over the back of it as you kiss each of his knuckles. you don't look at him, just hold his hand in your lap as you continue staring out the window.

the drive continues in silence for a few more minutes, before Jamie clears his throat. eyes glued to the street, you don't look at him when he speaks; "aren't you happy you won me in the auction?" you can hear the smirk in his voice as he says it, and you roll your eyes with a smile.

"is this our free date night, then? because I was actually going to give it to my dad as a birthday gift, he loves you." you reply, still avoiding turning to him.

"I'll make sure he tells you how good I am in the bedroom," this makes you snap your head towards him, mouth agape, and he laughs at your expression as he tosses his head back against the car seat. you laugh along with him, staring at his bright smile. your eyes drop down and look at how his wet button up clings to his skin, and suddenly your heart beat speeds up again.

attempting to calm yourself, you look at the jacket draped over your lap. reaching for its pocket, you pull the folded blue fabric out of it. you hold it up to Jamie, raising your eyebrows in silent question. his expression falls sheepish again, smile fading. he glances out the window briefly before turning to you again, concerned look on his face.

"y/n, I just wanna say -- I'm sorry if me wearin' that pocket square made you uncomfortable. I guess I was so wrapped up in all of the flirting and everythin' that I didn't think about how it would look wearin' that tonight," his words are sincere as he looks at you with furrowed brows.

"Jamie," you whisper, eyes softening as you process his worry, "thank you for apologising, but don't worry. sure, it was surprising, but honestly I think it's really fit..."

his worried look turns to confusion as he puckers his lips; "what? are you serious?" he asks you, eyebrows arched.

"yes, Jamie, I'm being very serious. why do you think I took you to the bathroom and made out with you?" you say, absentmindedly playing with the fingers wrapped around your hand.

his eyes look to the ceiling of the car, and he licks his lips as he thinks hard. sighing, he starts slowly nodding his yet; "yeah... I guess so... well-played." he says, winking at you, and suddenly he's back to his regular, teasing self.

"so, why aren't we going to my superstar footballer mansion?" he asks, lips frowning in a grimace.

"because my penthouse flat is right here," you say, ducking your head down and pointing out of his window. the cab stops right in front of the small car park of your apartment. it's not a big building by any means, so it's more like a drive way that have a few cars parked on it. Jamie looks up at the four-storey building before looking at you with a bored expression.

"penthouse?" he repeats, pointing his thumb out the window, "how luxurious." he rolls his eyes before digging through his trouser pocket, pulling out a money clip.

"a money clip?" your tone now matches his, "what are you? fifty?"

"here ya go, sir," he hands a wad of cash to the taxi driver without even knowing how much the ride was. he ignores your comment, opening the door and holding it for you. you pass him his jacket, and when you step out of the car, he throws it over your shoulders. the rain is still lashing, and you make a run for the front door as Jamie closes the cab door and thanks the driver.

you hold your clutch over your head as you try to shield your hair from any more rain, but you doubt it helps at all. you knock on the double doors to the entrance, and the doorkeeper sitting in his small booth inside buzzes you in. Jamie catches up with you and places a hand on the small of your back as you walk inside. you shrug his jacket off, handing it to him as you make your way to the lift. he folds it over his arm, and smiles at the doorkeeper as you walk past his desk. you press the button to call the lift, and the doors immediately open.

"Jamie Tartt?" he asks out loud, completely bewildered.

the two of you step inside the lift, and when Jamie turns to face him with a friendly face, he holds a finger to his lips as if to shush him. the door slides closed, and the doorkeeper remains in shock the entire time. leaning against the wall, you stare up at Jamie with an amused grin, but the second the lift starts its ascent, Jamie turns to you. he grabs your face and crashes his lips onto yours. your hand flies up to clutch his wrist as you lose yourself to his touch. you waste no time slipping your tongue into his mouth again, and you feel like you can finally breathe. all evening you imagined doing this again, and now your body shivers as the anticipation comes to an end.

the lift stops, and Jamie stands up instantly, clearing his throat. you're left panting against the mirrored wall of the lift as it dings and the doors open. Jamie stands aside, holding out a hand as he beckons for you to walk in front of him. pushing yourself up, you pop open your clutch to dig for your keys. when you walk past Jamie he, of course, gives you a small slap to your ass. you squeak at the noise, but don't say anything else, pulling your housekeys from your bag. Jamie follows you around the corner and towards your door, and when you unlock it and push it open, the warmth of your apartment feels like heaven on your wet skin.

"it's small, but it's all I need really," you explain to Jamie as you walk towards your sofa. "nah, it's nice," he smiles at you sweetly, the opposite to the way he looked at you in the lift.

your living room and kitchen are conjoined, and the space definitely isn't the biggest, but its coziness welcomes you. dropping yourself onto the plush couch, you sink into the pillows, staring at Jamie. he clicks the door shut behind him before slipping off his dress shoes and placing them next to your doormat, right beside your work shoes. he turns and walks towards you, unbuttoning his jacket and throwing it over the arm of your grey sofa. you expect him to sit down next to you, but instead, he crouches down, kneeling on the ground proposal-style. quickly sitting up, you stare down at him skeptically, wondering what his next move is. his eyes hold yours as he slides his hands up your calves, and goosebumps raise on the smooth skin instantly. leaning forward, Jamie pushes your dress an inch over your knees before gently kissing them. you can't help but laugh at the feeling, it tickling slightly due to your damp skin. his thumbs slide over the divots in your knees, and graze over some scar you've had since childhood.

his hands slide down your legs before he focuses his fingers on the clasp of your heels. lifting your right foot up slightly, he brings his lips to your ankle, kissing gently before sliding the pump off. he does the same to the your other foot, and the relief of having your shoes off makes you sigh as you hang your head back. Jamie presses his thumbs into the sole of your left foot, easily rubbing the knot out of the arch of your foot. a small whine slips from your lips at the feeling, and Jamie lets a low chuckle slip as he moves on to your other foot, doing the exact same thing. this time, you manage to hold back your groans, biting down on your bottom lip with your eyes screwed shut.

moving his lips back to your ankle, Jamie straightens out your leg, running kisses up the side of your calf. when he reaches your knee, he brings your leg back down before sliding his hands up to your thighs, one hand on each leg. you lift your head to look down at him, and his eyes hold a pleading look as he stares up at you. your lips part, completely invigorated by the sight of Jamie on his knee in front of you, hands hidden under your dress, practically begging to touch you. leaning forward, you take control, wrapping his tie around your fist as you pull up, helping him back to his feet. he holds his hands out for you, and you take them as he lifts you from the sofa. staring up at him, hands resting in his, your flutter your lashes.

"you okay?" Jamie whispers, a crooked smile appearing on your face.

you nod and hum in response, letting go of one of his hands and stepping past him. he follows you as you pull his hand, walking down the hallway. you pass the bathroom, heading straight for your bedroom. leaving the door open behind you, you push Jamie into the room ahead of you, letting go of his hand. he sits down at the end of your bed, legs spread. you slot between them, back turned to him. reaching up, his fingers delicately pull at the zip on the back of the dress as you pull down the straps, and you think back to the boutique; you knew you wanted tonight to end this way, but never in a million years had you actually thought it would.

as the dress drops from your frame, you hear Jamie's breath hitch at the sight of your pink lingerie. his hands immediately come to your waist, spinning you to face him. straddling his lap, your hands come up to his neck as his hold your back to keep you up. a smile creeps onto your face as your cheeks go hot, and Jamie mirrors you. moving to look down to avoid your gaze, his eyes snap up again immediately, flustered by the lace covering your body. a giggle escapes your lips as you pulls his face to yours, pressing kisses to each cheek before moving up to his forehead, then down to his nose, before finally reconnecting your lips.

deepening the kiss, your lips move against his with a hasty hunger, and as you're about to slip your tongue into his mouth again, Jamie pulls back; "oh shit," he says, and you shake your head in confusion.

"what?" you ask, embarrassment beginning to cloud your mind as you stare at him expectantly.

he avoids your eyes, shaking his head with his lips parted in thought; "I forgot to sign out after work today."

———

i told u this would be long x_x

thank u so so much for reading richmond's receptionist! i've had the most fun writing this and will probs write an epilogue asap (i'm not ready to move on yet)! any feedback is welcomed and appreciated, thank u! <3

[daysofyellowroses]

noodles

carmen berzatto x reader | 1.9k | based on this absolutely adorable request from my darling @thecapricunt1616 enjoy it then i am beyond happy 💗🌼🫶🏻

It didn't matter how many times you shook the plastic stick, the little pink plus sign didn't fade. You tossed it in the trash can, where it joined three others with matching pink pluses. You couldn't really get your head around it, you'd been careful, taken things relatively slow..well, kind of. 

Things had just progressed a little quicker than you'd expected. One minute you're applying for a hostess job, thinking you probably won't even get an interview, seeing as it was a Michelin-starred hotspot, then next thing you're front and center at a fancy restaurant and spending large portions of your shift flirting with the head chef. 

It was never serious flirting, it was just silly and fun. You made flirty comments to everyone, you just particularly meant them with Carmy. He finally seemed to get the hint when you asked him upstairs after he'd dropped you home for the 10th time. 

Nothing really happened that night, you just shared a drink, cheap wine from your refrigerator, and made each other laugh with stupid jokes. You told him you meant it when you flirted, he insisted you were joking. It was only when you kissed him that he finally got the message, kissing you back with a fervor that had your head spinning in the most wonderful way. 

From there you two developed a relationship that suited you both. You were professional at work, still had some nights apart when you were both exhausted or just needed some alone time. But you had spent hours sitting on his kitchen counter watching him cook, told him stories from your past, encouraged him to tell you some stories too. You watched movies that you didn't pay full attention to, you read your book with your legs over Carm's lap, rolling your eyes with a grin when he would tease you for looking so serious. 

It was the best relationship you'd ever been in, and while you weren't sure what the future held, you were positive Carm would be a big part of it, that you two would keep going, develop your relationship.

Sure, you had thought about kids, marriage, a home together etc., but in a kind of just-for-fun-daydreamy kind of way. 

Now, one of those things was becoming a reality. It wasn't exactly how you would have planned it, you and Carm weren't even living together. Sure, you stayed at his most nights of the week and had more than a few personal belongings left there, but it wasn't the same.

It felt like moving in should have been the next step. The excitement of starting to really build a foundation together. You were just skipping ahead a step or two, apparently. 

Eventually you left the bathroom and chose to sit on your bed for a while instead. You called your doctor and made an appointment, more as a formality. Maybe it would feel more real when your doctor told you rather than seeing it on a plastic stick you'd peed on.

Once you were dressed you went to make a coffee before stopping yourself, wondering if it was ‘allowed’, even though it was so early on. You decided to play it safe, having a herbal tea instead, which you nearly choked on when your phone rang, Carmy's ID flashing up on the screen.

Did he know? How could he know?

“Hey,” You smiled as much as you could, trying to feel normal. “How are you? How is everything?”

You hoped you didn't sound too unusual or not yourself, feeling annoyingly aware of yourself.

“Hey, everything's good,” Carm replied and you felt yourself relax a little. “Just..there's been a slight change of plan for today.”

You stifled a laugh, nothing Carm could say could be a bigger change of plan than an unexpected pregnancy.

“Oh? You raised a brow, lightly tapping your nails against your cup. “What's up?”

“So, it turns out that apparently I promised Richie and Sug that I'd babysit while they have some meetings. I hate to ask when it's your day off but..could you help me?”

You couldn't help but laugh, resting your head on your head on your hand and letting out a soft sigh.

“Of course I'll help, don't worry. When do you need me?” 

An couple of hours later, you found yourself at Carmy's apartment, smiling as he opened the door looking flustered, a toddler on his hip and a doll in his hand.

“Perfect timing,” He smiled, stepping aside to let you in. “I'm outnumbered.”

“Who said I'm on your side?” You raised a brow, smiling at the little boy on Carmy's hip and gently stroked his cheek as he giggled. “I'm here to help the kids gang up on you.”

“Oh good,” Carm nodded, lightly tapping you with the doll. “Bring it on.”

You made your way to the living room, smiling as you spotted Eva on the couch, giving her a little wave.

“Hey girly girl,” You grinned, going to sit next to her. “Hope you've been keeping your uncle busy?”

“Yeah,” She giggled, leaning over to you as Carm came into the room. You leaned down, smiling as she whispered in your ear.

A half hour or so later, you went to open the living room door as there was a knock, adjusting the toddler on your hip before opening it and trying to keep a straight face as you met Carm's eyes.

“Hi, can I help you?” You asked, raising a brow.

“Uh, yeah, actually,” Carmy nodded, trying to keep a straight face. “I have an appointment, I'm a little early but..maybe you could squeeze me in?”

“Maybe,” You nodded, biting your lip softly. “Come in, follow me.”

You turned and walked further into the room, gesturing to the couch. “Take a seat.”

“Yes ma'am,” Carm nodded as you walked to the kitchen door and opened it.

“Your two o'clock is early,” You said, glancing back to Carm for a moment.. “Do you want to fit him in now?”

You nodded before turning back to Carm and gesturing to the kitchen. “She'll see you now, come through.”

You walked into the kitchen and smiled as you watched Carm walk in, the smile on his face as he spotted the makeshift beauty salon that had been set up.

“Take a seat,” Eva gestured to the seat across the counter, an adorably serious look on her face. You placed the baby into his high chair by the table, smiling as you heard Eva boss her uncle around.

“Hands in the bowl, keep them still.”

You went to the fridge, taking out a little light blue lunch box before glancing over to Carm with a smile.

“What color do you want?” Eva asked, pointing to the handful of nail polishes sitting on the counter. 

 “Hm, I'm not sure,” Carm mused, looking at the colors. “I got a big date tonight, I wanna look my best. What do you think will suit me?”

You smiled to yourself as you put the lunch box in the microwave, laughing softly as you heard Eva tell Carm to hold still.

After lunch and Carmy's nail appointment, you decided to take the kids to the park, feeling a new wave of love for your boyfriend that he made no attempt to remove the red nail polish. When you were taking the stroller to the lift, one of Carm's neighbors passed you in the hall and smiled at you and realized that it wouldn't be long before the baby in the stroller would be yours.

You brushed off the thought, trying to focus on just having a nice, fun day. As you were en route to the park, Carm asked if you could have a little detour, and you were sure the look on the kids faces when you arrived at build-a-bear would never leave you.

Carm took his nephew from the stroller and placed him on his hip before taking him to pick out a teddy, your heart swelling in your chest, moreso when Eva took your hand and asked you to help her choose.

You found yourself subconsciously placing your hand on your stomach, wondering what it would feel like to hold your own baby on your hip, feel their hand in yours, see the excitement in their eyes when they were presented with a cute little toy.

Carm's nephew had picked a bear (perhaps with a little nudge from his uncle), that ended up in a chefs uniform (that one was a total push), while Eva chose a bunny that she chose a performance outfit for. 

When you got back to Carm's, you were more than happy to chill on the couch, though you practically melted into it when Carm got a book and read to the kids (and their new toys) til they were asleep. 

“Not a bad effort,” You smiled, looking over to Carm and trying not to imagine the toddler that could be in his lap one day. “You might actually be pretty good at this whole uncle thing.”

“I might just be,” Carm grinned, reaching out to touch your hand. “Had help from the best though.”

“You're welcome,” You smiled, gently stroking his hand. “I presume that's why you're taking me on a..big date, was it?”

“Oh absolutely,” Carm nodded, looking serious for a moment before he grinned. “the biggest.”

“Hm, guess I'll have to get glammed up,” You smiled, looking over to Eva. “Maybe I'll see if I can get a last minute appointment.”

That evening, after a quick trip home to grab a change of clothes, you were back in Carmy's apartment. It felt so quiet without the kids, you found yourself putting on music just for background noise. 

When you were in the bathroom putting on your makeup, you felt a wave of nausea hit you, more out of nerves than anything else. You hoped it would leave, but before you knew it you were bent over the toilet, taking a deep breath as you waited for the inevitable.

There was a knock on the bathroom door when you were washing your hands, looking up at the mirror taking a deep breath. Even with makeup you still looked unwell. 

“Hey,” Carm smiled as you opened the door, the concern evident on his face. “Are you okay? I thought I heard..”

“I'm fine,” You nodded, taking a deep breath and letting out a sigh as the concern didn't leave his face. “I just..need to talk to you.”

You walked into the bedroom, sitting on the bed and trying to think of the right words.

“Okay,” You began. “this is..really not what I thought would happen, and I don't know how you're going to take this but..oh god..”

As you buried your head in your hands, Carm was immediately by your side, his arm around your waist. 

“Whatever it is you can tell me,” He assured you. “I promise. Just let it out, we'll handle it.”

“I'm pregnant.” You said before you could stop yourself or build it up more, lowering your hands and looking over to Carm.

“You're..wow,” Carmy nodded, rubbing his jaw. “Well, thank fuck for that. I mean, I knew, but I thought you were dumping me.”

“Wait what?” You raised a brow. “You knew? How did you know?”

“I just knew,” Carm shrugged with a smile. “I mean, I guess I hoped I was right..I know it's skipping ahead a little but..I want what we had today, all the time.”

“Can you stop being so perfect for like one day?” You rolled your eyes with a grin, resting your head on Carmy's shoulder. “Or maybe just after the big date.”

[cyberrfangs]

“Hello, Handsome!”

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡･:*:

IN WHICH. . .

After Nick gets his wisdom teeth removed, you, his boyfriend, decide to go and visit him. What happens when he is still a bit loopy and lays his eyes on you?

WARNINGS: male!reader, use of Y/n, use of pet names (handsome)

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡･:*:･ﾟ

NICK had been texting you all of last night, complainants of his empty stomach due to not being able to eat before the surgery along with his endless protests of not being able to sleep. His head reeling with the thoughts of his upcoming appointment, his own mind betraying him with the agonizing counting down of seconds up until his removal of wisdom teeth.

WELL, now it was the morning of. Unfortunately, you were going to be busy with your own errands the entirety of the morning, unable to go with him and his brothers.

BUT, you found yourself quickly getting finished with your errands, wanting almost nothing else but to be there for your boyfriend while he was going through this surgery. Not out getting your groceries for the week.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡･:*:･ﾟ

I stepped through the front doors of the dentists office, walking up to the front desk. A humble smile lingering on my lips.

“Hello, good morning! How can I help you?” The middle-aged receptionist asked me sweetly, her ginger, shoulder-lengthened hair moving as she turned to look at me.

“Hello, good morning. I’m here to see Nicolas Sturniolo, he’s getting his wisdom teeth out today?” I said, trying to match her energy as she turned to her computers screen, supposedly checking the bookings for the day.

“Sturniolo, Sturniolo… ah! Here he is!” She beamed, a few clicks coming from her mouse as her eyes darted around the screen. “Yep! So your going to find him in room 238. You’re going to go up to the second floor using the elevator just down that hallway and take one right and one left, then, he should be there.” She said, turning to look at me as she spoke.

“Alright, thank you.” I said politely, turning to walk down the hallway she pointed to, my shoes quietly tapping the carpeted floor with each step I took.

Soon enough, I reached the second floor after stepping off the elevator, Nicks familiar voice ringing through my ears along with a couple laughs. Most likely coming from his brothers.

I turned to the right, then to the left before I came across a room with the numbers, ‘238’, on an engraved plate in front of an arched doorway. Excited, quickening my pace before I finally got to the doorway, standing beneath the arched, painted drywall as I listened to him speak, his voice muffled by the wads of cotton in his mouth.

“Hey, how’s he doing?” I said as I walked over to Chris, him being the closest.

Chris and Matt both looked over at me, amused smiles on their faces as a giggle fell from Chris.

“He’s doing better, still pretty loopy though.” He smiled, looking back at Nick as he talked. The brunette looking around, seemingly confused at the new voice.

“Who’s that? Who else is in here?” He slurred, his speech still muffled as small laughs came from the other two brothers. “What? Why are you laughing?” He asked, a faint hint of amusement in his voice.

A small laugh fell from my own lips, walking over into his line of sight as I grinned gladly. “Hey, Nick. How’re you feeling?” I laughed softly, trying not to look directly down at him as I stood nearby Matt, my back towards the window.

He stood still for a moment, his jaw slightly slacked as it was when I got there. “Hello, Handsome!” He beamed, smiling wobbly at me as the other two bursted out into more giggles, a few falling from me.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡･:*:･ﾟ

It was a few days after the surgery, and Nick was now free of the effects of the laughing gas. Right now, I was sitting with Nick at their dining room table, carefully spoon-feeding Nick a bowl of ice cream, one small scoop after another.

“Has your head been feeling any better lately?” I asked, looking at the bowl of ice cream before up at him. Finding his eyes already on me.

“Oh, it’s been so much better. I feel like I can actually think now that they’re gone.” Nick chuckled, earning yet another smile from me.

“I’m happy to hear that. Didn’t want you to have to deal with that for too long.” I said, scooping up yet another small spoonful of the sweet treat.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡･:*:

NOTE:

OKAY, so this is my first attempt at writing something in awhile😭😭. It was pretty short and I feel like I could have done better, but, I had little to no idea how to continue it…

MY requests are open! So, feel free to send something in. Whether it be requesting or just saying something.

LIKES AND REBLOGS ARE APPRECIATED

[warabidakihime]

Rules and Roses Chapter 3

★ characters: kibutsuji muzan x reader x akaza

★ plot summary: Kibutsuji Muzan has finally decided to expand his empire, and the way he intends to do so is by running for the highest political position. With you, his darling wife, at his side, he believes he can achieve and have everything the world has to offer. He is, after all, the Phoenix of Phario.

★ fic playlist: sometimes, same day, as time stops, wolf’s song (this is also the vision board for the fic). 

★ content warnings : implied violence and abuse, profanities, toxic relationships, smut. MINORS DNI.

comments are always welcome and greatly appreciated! hearing your thoughts motivates me to write more, so please leave a comment. have fun reading!

-

"Hey Akaza, good morning! Sorry to message you so early, but I need to let you know I'll be meeting with Ms. Rivera at her place today before lunch. Please have the car ready by 10:30 am. Thank you!"

Akaza, huh?

Akaza stared at your message, his eyes fixed on his phone screen, but his mind wandered. Minutes passed as thoughts raced through his head. Finally, with a deep sigh, he shook off his distractions, put down his phone, and began getting ready for the day.

One thing about you: you hated delays, whether caused by you or someone else.

There was a time when Akaza accidentally overslept, and you had an early doctor's appointment. Because he was late, you drove yourself and got annoyed at him for messing up your schedule. Eventually, you calmed down and reminded him that time is something you don’t like wasting.

Since then, Akaza has never missed an alarm and has always been punctual.

However, he was confused as to why you didn’t tell your husband about what happened that day. You're usually an open book and a chatterbox with your husband, so it came as a surprise Muzan wasn’t informed of his little oopsie. 

He didn’t ask you why, though. 

First, he didn’t want to push his luck, and second, he didn’t exactly want Muzan to find out. Muzan was known to be strict and blunt with everyone except you.

You have your rules, but Muzan has his demands.

Akaza knows this well since he was Muzan’s bodyguard before being assigned to you after your marriage. This change in his role was rather unexpected, considering your... dynamic.

As his mind wandered down this path, Akaza shook his head, his eyes closing in frustration.

“Don’t even think about going there,” he muttered to himself, knowing he didn’t have the patience to entertain such thoughts.

With another deep sigh, he continued getting ready. Once finished, he almost sprinted out of his room to start the car, ensuring everything was set for you to leave as soon as you were ready.

-

"Sign here, Ms. Rivera."

"Gladly."

Since it was a weekday, traffic in the capital city was manageable, and you arrived at your client's home right on time.

Muzan’s busy campaign schedule meant you often had to accompany him. If he wins the election, you’ll be the first lady, a role with its own important responsibilities.

Time flew by, and since your last meeting with Ms. Rivera a month ago, you were now down to the final run-through of her wedding plans for next month.

The only thing left was for your client to pay the remaining balance for your services.

After collecting the payment and discussing final details with Ms. Rivera, your meeting ended after nearly an hour. Akaza was there in the living room with you and the client, keeping himself busy with phone games,playing silently out of respect.

As he noticed the meeting wrapping up, he excused himself to prepare the car so you could leave promptly.

"Where to?" Akaza asked as he drove off.

"Hmm... let’s eat somewhere before going home. Are you craving something?" You looked at him, and he responded with a sheepish chuckle, "Don't worry about me, madam. You choose what you want."

"Honestly, I don’t know what I want to eat. I’m hungry but can’t decide what I’m in the mood for."

Akaza navigated the highway smoothly, one hand on the wheel, the other propped on the door with his chin resting on his palm. He hummed as he thought about where to eat.

"There's this burger joint I know. It’s a bit far, but their food is good and cheap," he suggested. His tone exuded excitement, and as you listened to him, you noticed the excited tone, which for some reason made you equally excited as well.

"Sure! That sounds great. I don’t have any other plans, so we can take our time," you replied just as eagerly.

Akaza looked over to you for a minute, catching the pretty smile plastered on your face. Without his permission, his heart skipped a beat, and warmth seeped through his veins, softening his usually stoic demeanor.

Today, with the sun shining brightly and the breeze feeling wonderful against your skin, Akaza allowed himself to let his guard down just a bit and let his inhibitions win for once and just this once.

"It's decided, then."

With a fond smile, he nodded at you before stepping on the gas, determined to get you to the burger joint he enthusiastically vouched for.

The place where the remnant of your past lingered—the place where your Pandora's box awaits.

-

"This is so good!" you exclaimed as you took your first bite of the burger you ordered.

Akaza merely chuckled while watching you eat, his eyes filled with fondness and a little bit of pride. He was clearly pleased that you liked his suggestion when the two of you were deciding what to eat for lunch.

Through the years of serving you as your bodyguard, he learned that you were rather picky with the foods you ete. You have sensory issues, so certain food textures and scents are not to your liking.

You also don't like eating foods you hadn't tried before when you were very hungry, because what if you didn't like them? It would ruin your appetite right there and then. But this time, you had hearts in your eyes after taking your first bite of the burger.

"See? I told you it's good and mad cheap too. A little bit greasy, but we'll live," Akaza said with a chuckle.

You nodded enthusiastically in response. "Yeah, but to be honest, for some reason, the taste is familiar to me."

You looked around the burger joint, scanning every nook and cranny as you tried to gather your thoughts. "It's my first time here, yet this place feels so familiar, and the taste of their food reminds me of something, but I just can't pinpoint what it is."

Still lost in your own little world as you enjoyed your meal, a spark twinkled in Akaza's eyes as he listened to you.

"Maybe you've been here before, but you can't remember. I mean, if my schedule were as hectic and loaded as yours, I'd also forget stuff every now and then."

You hummed as you took another hearty bite, your pupils dilating at how much you loved it, making your bodyguard chuckle fondly at you. He didn't say anything more, knowing you were in the process of gathering your thoughts.

"I guess so, but I figure if I liked their food here so much, I wouldn't be able to forget this place. You know me and my obsession with food, Akaza."

Yeah, I know.

How could I ever forget?

"Most of what you make me do is either order you food or buy you iced coffee. How could I forget?" he replied with a teasing smile.

You playfully swatted him on the head.

Akaza snickered, finding absolute pleasure in teasing you.

"What? It's true! Check our chatbox—it's full of your food orders."

Rolling your eyes, you shot back, "And who’s the one who enjoys eating half of those orders with me?"

Akaza grinned, leaning back in his chair. "Well, can you blame me? You tend to overorder, and most of the time you persuade me to eat the rest of it."

"Overorder? That's rich coming from the guy who always insists on extra fries," you retorted with a smirk.

"Hey, those fries are amazing, and you know it. And I'm not one to deny free food," Akaza said defensively and quite audaciously as he is having this conversation with you, his main source of income, but over the years of working for you and spending time with you, the two of you have grown close and a lot comfortable with each other's company.

"Yeah, yeah, just admit you can't resist good food either," you teased.

"Alright, alright," Akaza conceded, laughing. "You got me. But seriously, if I didn’t help you out, you’d probably be buried under a mountain of food by now."

You couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, maybe I do get a little carried away sometimes."

"A little?" Akaza raised an eyebrow, grinning.

"Remember that time you ordered enough sushi to feed an army? I had to go buy you medicine in the middle of the night because you got a bad stomach ache."

You rolled your eyes again, your cheeks a bit red due to a slight embarrassment, but you tried to cover it with a sheepish smile.

"It was a new place, and I wanted to try everything!"

"You certainly did," Akaza said, shaking his head. "But it’s all part of the job—keeping you happy and well-fed."

"And teasing me endlessly," you added.

"Of course," Akaza said while still wearing that damn teasing smile on his face. "It's also part of my KPIs."

You couldn't help but laugh, shaking your head at his cheekiness. "Well, as long as you’re enjoying yourself."

Akaza leaned back, his expression softening. "I am. Besides, someone has to keep you grounded."

"Grounded, huh? More like keep me entertained," you retorted, smiling.

"That too," he admitted with a chuckle. "Ready to head back?"

You nodded, feeling satisfied both with the meal and the company. "Yeah, let’s go. Thanks for lunch, Akaza."

"Anytime, boss," he replied, standing up and offering you a hand.

With a shared smile, you both left the burger joint and headed back home.

-

Still on cloud nine from your spontaneous lunch out with Akaza, you entered the mansion, still chatting and laughing with one another. You didn't notice Muzan in the kitchen, helping himself to a glass of wine.

He had just come back from a busy day, which included attending business meetings at Obelisk Kibutsuji, participating in media interviews with his running mate Douma, and going to a fitting for an upcoming event you both would attend in about two months.

After such a hectic day, he rewarded himself with a drink to unwind.

At the sound of your melodious laugh chiming like bells in the hallway, his ears perked up, and he immediately looked up, his curiosity piqued. What could be the reason you were in such a good mood?

"Oh, hey, my love. You're home," you said lovingly as soon as you saw your husband in the kitchen.

"Yeah. The fitting ended a lot earlier, so I headed straight home," he responded with an equally loving smile.

Clearly elated to see him, you immediately sprinted with light steps towards Muzan, giving him the tightest bear hug and a smooch to match. Muzan happily reciprocated the kiss, making you giggle in between kisses.

Meanwhile, Akaza stood on one side of the room, waiting for you to either dismiss him or have him remain in his post should you have other tasks for him.

After a few more moments, you both pulled away and smiled at each other.

"How was your day, darling?" Muzan asked, still holding you in his embrace.

"It was great!" you replied.

"Oho? And may I know why?" Muzan asked again, his voice lacking the usual professional tone he used.

"My meeting with Ms. Rivera was successful, and we will be proceeding to the actual wedding preparations. And then, Akaza introduced me to this burger joint downtown, and it was so good! I need to take you there, my love. They have the best iced coffee too!"

"Oh, did he?" Muzan said, his scarlet eyes darting towards your bodyguard, who was currently wearing a polite smile as he regarded your husband with a nod and bow.

Muzan replicated his smile, although it didn't quite reach his eyes.

Turning back to you, Muzan said, "Well, when I'm not too busy or when we're in the area, let's eat there, hm?"

"It's a date," you giggled. Then you turned to Akaza and said, "You can go ahead and rest now, Akaza. Thank you so much for today."

"Yes, madam," he replied before bowing and retreating to his room at the far end of the mansion, beside Kokushibo and the maids' quarters.

Unbeknownst to you, Muzan was trailing your bodyguard's disappearing figure, and just as you were about to look up at him again, his undivided attention was back on you.

Giving your hips a good-hearted squeeze, he pointed to his half-empty wine glass and said, "Want a drink, darling?"

You nodded. "I'd love to."

The two of you walked back to the spacious kitchen. You sat on the countertop, your legs swinging merrily, as you watched your husband pour you a glass of red wine. After handing it to you, he walked over to the other side of the kitchen to look for something.

"How was your day, my love?" It was your turn to ask. Muzan smiled handsomely and replied in a relaxed manner, "Chaotic as always. To be quite honest, I think the fatigue is catching up to me."

You frowned at this. "It's because you're pushing yourself too hard. Why don't you take a day or two to rest?"

"Hmm... I might. I'll check my calendar, and if it's not too full, I will move those schedules to a later date," he replied while rummaging through a kitchen drawer.

"Want me to give you a massage later?"

Muzan finally returned to you after finding what he was looking for, a familiar smile now plastered on his face. He walked closer until your knees were against his torso, and both of his arms were securely placed on each of your sides, caging you in place.

"Just a massage? I think I'm going to need more than that, Y/N."

Already understanding what he was implying, you mirrored his smile, wrapped your arms around his neck, and invited him in between your legs. "What do you mean?"

Muzan chuckled seductively, his face only inches away from yours, the tip of his nose touching yours, his scarlet pupils mesmerizing you.

"I need you naked and moaning for me, darling. Can you do that?"

You chuckled just as seductively, already feeling aroused. You could only nod in response, much to your husband's delight.

"Hmm... it's decided then. But wait, before I get sidetracked, let's take our night supplements first."

You rolled your eyes at that. "Not you edging me before we even get started, Muzan."

Muzan let out a hearty chuckle, highly amused at your choice of words. "I'll make sure to repent later."

"You're forgiven," you replied with a chuckle, then took the pills your husband prepared for you. While you were preoccupied, a rather odd expression was plastered on Muzan's face, but it quickly reverted back to 'normal' once you're done.

"That's a new brand, by the way. Douma introduced it to me. He said it's way more effective than the one we're taking."

"Really? Hmm... I've not heard of this brand before. Is it imported?" you asked while gulping down a glass of water.

"Yeah, it's made in Italy."

You hummed in response, and in a split second, you found yourself being embraced by your husband again. In all honesty, he nearly gave you whiplash, but that's just one of Muzan's many quirks you fell in love with.

Then you felt him place a sensual kiss on your neck, immediately turning you into a puddle, even more so when you felt his teeth puncture your flesh. Afterwards, he dragged his kisses from your neck to your jaw, then finally to your lips.

"M-Muzan." You moaned as you felt his hands roam around your body, leaving chills in their wake.

"Already, darling? I'm just getting started." He didn't give you a chance to respond, as the moment you were about to, he glided his tongue between your plump lips and invited yours to a dance of tango.

The kiss left you so hazy that you didn't even notice Muzan had already discarded your pencil skirt, your undergarments dangling on your foot, and your blouse and bra fully undone by his skillful hands.

"I missed you so much, Y/N. It's been a while, huh?" Muzan asked after pulling away momentarily before diving down to one of your breasts, immediately nubbing on your nipples, making you gasp and moan out loud.

"Y-yes," you breathed out.

It was already well into the night, and usually the both of you were already in bed given that you were always busy with your respective work. But at this very moment, you'd never felt more alive and hungry for each other.

It really has been a while since you last had sex. Heck, it had also been a while since you last went on a proper date. So craving each other like rabbits in heat wouldn't surprise anyone, considering the two of you were borderline obsessed with one another.

"Ahhh," you gasped, your back arching as you felt your husband's tongue glide over your needy clit.

Muzan continued his magic in your nether region, quickly sending you over the edge. You had one hand clamped over your mouth, nervous that if you let any more lewd sounds escape, you would wake the maids and bodyguards.

"Let me hear you, darling," your husband hummed between your legs.

Unbeknownst to you, Muzan had his eyes wide open and focused on the entrance of the kitchen. Even in the dimly lit room, he could see someone's shadow.

Still concentrating his gaze there, he spoke again.

"Come on, Y/N. Let me hear you sing. Say my name, darling. Who's making you feel good?"

As if on cue, you reached climax; your eyes shot open and then closed shut again in sheer pleasure.

"Ah, fuc—Muzan!"

Muzan smirked as he watched the shadow slowly disappear.

"Good girl."

[faebaex]

Tangled in Wonderland - Three's a Crowd, Four is a Party

author note: Eee Scarabia chapter! I really enjoyed writing this one, I never get an opportunity to write Kalim and Jamil and they were interesting and fun to write. Also, chapters are taking slightly longer as I thought of an interesting twist halfway through and now I’m working up to implementing it!! Floyd up next! (๑>◡<๑)

characters: Kalim Al Asim x GN!Reader, Jamil Viper x GN!Reader

You were unnerved.

Today, you saw Crowley. But not because it was you chasing him down, hurling abuse at him and whatnot. No, this time he came to you. And he didn’t come empty handed. He brought you a phone.

It wasn’t book four yet. Winter holidays were nowhere near. You hadn’t asked for a phone, but Crowley had insisted that you take it, in case you needed it for an emergency or whatnot. He just wanted you to have it, just in case.

You felt on edge. You had no idea what was happening. Since you had been transported to Twisted Wonderland, the story had proceeded as planned no matter how much you had tried to avoid it. At this point, you were still in the fray of book three, so why was Crowley giving you a phone now? That wasn’t supposed to happen until everyone was leaving for the winter holidays! So why now was the story veering off path?

It was all you had been fretting over for days. On top of avoiding Azul and the Leech twins, you were now worried about your future, and the little electronic device in your hands. You stared at the black screen, your perturbed expression reflected back at you as you walked back towards Ramshackle dorm. You wondered what this would mean, getting the phone a whole book early. Perhaps you were overthinking it? It was just a phone, after all. It hardly played a part in book four, only used as a brief plot device before disappearing completely. Maybe you were worrying over nothing…

You didn’t get any longer to dwell on it before you walked straight into someone. Or more accurately, they crashed into you.

You fell backwards from the impact, right onto your ass with the current object of your misery going flying out of your hand. “Ouch…” You groaned, checking your palms for grazes, and hoping your uniform trousers didn’t get damaged in the fall.

“Sorry, so sorry! Hey, are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?”

You froze when you heard that voice, not daring to look up. Oh no, oh no.

“Ahahaha… Jamil was right, I really should look where I’m going…”

Kalim Al Asim. The game’s local ball of sunshine and housewarden for Scarabia. Victim of book four, whatever way you look at it. Usually often chased after by the ever suffering—

“Kalim!!”

Jamil. Vice housewarden of Scarabia and perpetrator of book four. And another person that you certainly didn’t want to get mixed up with.

You quickly scrambled to your feet, dusting yourself off and looking around wildly for your tote bag so you could quickly take your leave. You found your bag sprawled across the path a few feet away, quickly grabbing it and throwing it over your shoulder, trying to make your getaway before Kalim could rope you into anything.

“Hey, are you okay?” Kalim asked again, having gotten back to his own feet. You waved him off quickly, a tight smile plastered on your face that you hoped would placate him enough to get him to leave you alone, “I’m fine, I’m fine. Don’t worry about it! I’ve got to go, I’ve got an appointment…” You quickly rushed out an excuse, turning to walk away, even though that was the opposite direction to Ramshackle. You’d only taken a few steps when you felt a hand grip your arm, stopping you in your tracks.

“You forgot this.” Jamil said, holding out your phone, the cursed little object that was apparently finding new ways to bring you misery. You plastered your fake smile back on as you turned around, but it was quickly wiped away when your phone screen flashed on… And both you and Jamil looked down to see your phone screen had several cracks spread across it.

“Ah.” Jamil exhaled, and Kalim was quick to bound to his side, his face falling when he saw the ruined screen. “Oh no, I’m so sorry Y/N! Was that my fault? I’ll buy you a new one!”

“Oh no no! It’s all good!” You quickly said, grabbing your phone out of Jamil’s hand and shoving it in your tote bag, “It’s just some random dud that Crowley gave me, he probably found it in the 90% off sale basket at Sam’s!” You faked a small laugh before you waved and quickly rushed off in the opposite direction before they could stop you.

This was the last thing you needed. You were already up to your eyeballs dealing with the events of book three, you didn’t need book four to start early! You ducked down into the courtyard, sitting behind a bush and flopping your bag down beside you. You dug inside and pulled out your now cracked new phone, fiddling around with the buttons. It seemed to work fine, just the cracked screen making the interface look a little funky, but it was still useable. You sighed as you settled behind the bush for the long haul, hoping that fate would give you a small break for once.

Fate did not give you a small break.

It had been a couple of days since your little bump with Kalim, but thankfully you didn’t have any further run ins with either Kalim or Jamil. You did have a run in with a couple of mischievous eel twins, but otherwise you’d call yourself unscathed.

Of course, that was until Kalim came bounding towards you as you left the school building, giving you no hope of escape as he called your name and waved his arms at you exuberantly. So exuberantly, in fact, that he almost toppled over as he ran up the stairs, and you had to grab him by his upper arms in order to steady him. Kalim laughed, his usual carefree laugh as he fell into you, clutching your arms as he beamed at you.

“I’m sorry, I keep falling into you lately!” He commented, keeping his grip on your arms as he righted himself, still not letting go once he was solid on his feet, “I was looking for you! I wanted to invite you to a party!”

Oh no.

Kalim continued on, completely oblivious to the strained smile on your face. “I have been thinking of a way to make it up to you for breaking your phone, but Jamil told me I couldn’t buy you a new one. So I thought, why don’t I host a party with you as the guest of honour!”

Oh no.

You opened your mouth to try and stop this tragedy in motion but Kalim continued, unfettered.

“And then I thought, why not invite all the other housewardens too, and we can have a little housewarden party!”

Oh no oh no oh no.

“So come to the dorm tomorrow evening for the party!” Kalim exclaimed, bright smile on his face as he let go of you and span on his heel, bounding down the stairs with the same exuberance with which he came, “I’m going to invite the rest of the housewardens now, so I can’t stay. Bye!”

“Kalim, wait!!” You shouted after him, but he was already long gone, off to invite whatever housewarden he ran into first. This situation was worse than what you ever could have imagined – not only were you now the guest of honour at a party that you didn’t ask for and certainly didn’t want to attend, now all the other guests were all the people you had been trying to avoid! Whilst your relationship with Riddle had bloomed into something pleasant, and Leona gave you no trouble when you passed him in the hallway, you certainly didn’t want to be stuck in a semi-formal setting with Azul, considering all the issues you have been having with him lately. On top of that, you did not want to run into all the housewardens you had successfully avoided thus far.

You had to think of a way to get out of this.

You sighed as you slowly trudged into the hall of mirrors, heading for the Scarabia mirror.

Despite how hard you tried, you weren’t able to convince Kalim that you couldn’t attend his party. He was surprisingly hard to pin down, and when you finally managed to catch him, he batted off all your excuses like they were flies.

Nothing to wear? “Just come in your uniform! I’ll wear mine too, we’ll match!” Kalim assured with his sunny smile.

Got a detention? “Don’t worry, I’ll move the party back an hour!” Kalim exclaimed sympathetically.

Sudden homework to finish? “Bring it with you, Jamil can help! He’s great!” Kalim beamed, nodding enthusiastically.

Poor Jamil, as if he didn’t have enough to do.

You dragged your feet as you walked through the portal into the Scarabia dorm, not wanting to get to this party any faster than necessary. You realised that it would be more suspicious if you just didn’t turn up at all, so you hoped that if you showed your face for at least an hour, you could find an excuse to leave quickly with minimal damage incurred. Perhaps Riddle could help, he was a stickler for rules. Now you just had to remember one of the Queen of Hearts’ rules to quote.

The hallways of Scarabia were eerily quiet as you walked through them, incredibly conscious of the sound of your footsteps, as soft as they were, as you tried to figure out where to go. Even though you had played the game, you still had no idea of the layout of the dorms. You figured the party would be in the lounge, but where was the lounge?

You heard footsteps approaching and you looked up to see Jamil rounding the corner. He was distracted, looking down and typing on his phone. You opened your mouth to get his attention but he suddenly looked up, sensing someone ahead of him. His face immediately dropped when he saw you, a panicked expression overtaking his features as he froze in place before speeding towards you. Your eyes widened at the display, and you held your hands up to defend yourself but it didn’t stop Jamil as he grabbed hold of your wrist and yanked you towards him, clasping hold of the tops of your arms. Oddly, it reminded you of Kalim.

“What are you doing here?!” Jamil hissed at you in a whisper, almost looking like he wanted to shake you, his expression severe. “I-I came… For the party?” You stuttered out, confused and a little startled with the way that Jamil was acting. An uneasy feeling swept over you. Had book four actually started early and Jamil was already on his rampage? A thousand thoughts ran through your head a once, your expression looking akin to a deer in the headlights when both you and Jamil were abruptly brought back to reality by a voice.

“Jamiiiiil!”

Said voice trilled through the dorm, sounding faintly like it was coming from the entrance of the dorm. Unmistakably Kalim’s. Jamil’s expression turned more panic as his grip tightened on your arm and suddenly he was dragging you along the corridor, yanking open one of the doors and pushing you inside, quickly slamming the door shut.

The room that Jamil had shoved you both into was pitch black and very small, and you blinked several times in an attempt to help your eyes adjust. When your eyes finally adjusted, you saw that you were in some sort of cleaning closet, and you were very close to Jamil. You took a quick step back, not realising just how small the cupboard was as you bumped your head on one of the shelves.

“Ouch.” You hissed, Jamil immediately turning to shush you. “Be quiet, he’ll hear us!” Jamil scolded quietly, and you glared at him, disgruntled, opening your mouth and retort when—

“Jamiiil! Where are you?” Kalim called, his voice so close to the door that it made both you and Jamil freeze. You slowly closed your mouth, holding your breath as you listened to Kalim’s footsteps walk down the corridor, his voice slowly fading as he walked further into the dorm in his search for Jamil. Jamil pressed his ear to the door, making sure that the corridor was indeed silent before he turned back to you, the panic gone from his face but now replaced with an unimpressed expression as he folded his arms across his chest.

“I got Kalim to cancel the party, didn’t he tell you? I sent him off to tell all the housewardens not to come.” Jamil whispered, and your expression turned surprised as you shook your head quickly. Jamil sighed heavily, his hands massaging his temples. “Of course he didn’t…” He muttered under his breath, and you swear you could detect a hint of bitterness in his tone. Jamil closed his eyes as he continued to rub his temples, and you stood awkwardly, wondering what to say when Jamil suddenly opened his eyes and held out his hand.

“Give me your phone.”

“What?” You blurted out, leading to Jamil shushing you again. “Give me your phone. If Kalim sees you here, he’ll insist on having a mini party. I’ll go and distract Kalim, and I’ll message you when the coast is clear so you can leave.”

Oh… That was actually a pretty good idea. Scarabian foresight, you supposed. You reached into your blazer pocket and pulled out your phone, handing it to Jamil and he pressed the start button, clicking his tongue when he saw it light up instantly.

“You should really lock this,” he remarked as he began tapping away on your broken screen, “Azul would have a field day if he got hold of this.”

That he would.

Jamil tapped away silently on your phone for a little bit longer before handing it back to you. “Stay here and keep an eye on your phone. I’ll message you when you can leave. Make sure your quick.” Jamil said curtly, opening the door and stepping out. He turned to look at you right before he closed it, a hint of a sly smile tugging up his lips, “and you should really get your phone screen fixed.”

Ouch.

You stood awkwardly as you waited in the cramped closet, thinking over everything that had happened. Jamil had arranged for the party to be cancelled… You knew that Jamil usually got the bad end of the deal when it came to Kalim’s parties, always having to cook and arrange for things on top of all the other things that he had to do when he wasn’t wrangling Kalim. He could just be doing this for his own reasons, to lighten the load on his own shoulders. Or… Book four could have indeed started early and he cancelled the party so that he didn’t have all the housewardens sniffing around when he was coiling his grip around Scarabia.

You sighed as you crouched down and got a little more comfortable. Perhaps you were overreacting, and Jamil had no motive for doing this, it was just another way of keeping his head down and keeping his carefully crafted exterior looking ordinary and un-astounding.

… But you had seen the aftermath of book four, and Jamil certainly wasn’t the type to stick his neck out for anyone else, let alone you. So you really didn’t know what to think, and you just hoped with all your might that whatever it was, it wouldn’t cause you any more trouble.

Your phone vibrated in your hand, a message from Jamil popping up.

‘Go. Now.’ The message read, and you quickly shuffled to your feet and slowly opened the door, peaking out to make sure no one else was in the hallway before you quickly skuttled out of the closet, closing the door quietly and running as quietly as you could as you quickly made yourself out of the Scarabia dorm and towards the mirror portal.

You breathed a sigh of relief as you crossed over the threshold into the hall of mirrors, feeling a weight leaving your shoulders. You stopped for a moment at the entrance as you typed a quick message to Jamil to let him know you had gotten out undetected, and to thank him as well. You know, just in case it went a long way in the event that when he did eventually overblot, he might not throw you to the edge of the dorm along with the rest of the cast. Small victories, and all that.

As you hit send on the message, you got a peculiar feeling. The same feeling you got sometimes when fate decided that it wasn’t done messing with you yet. Or when someone was watching you.

You shouldn’t have stopped outside the hall of mirrors.

[seoksgrl]

rather be dead than cool, 3. : jjk nerd!jungkook x popular!reader college au, dislike to love genderbent she's all that au

tws: nothing much!! some academic burnout, a little fake dating if you squint and cover one eye and turn around in a circle and put a gun to jk and oc's heads

m.list prev | next

“Okay, so let me get this straight,” Jeongguk says, walking beside you as the two of you make your way to his hair appointment. You’d booked it a few days ago, the same morning you took him shopping, and today is the day you get to see the back of those split ends. Though, instead of being excited about the prospect of a haircut, Jeongguk is ironing out the finer details of the hasty text you sent him after lunch with Mina and Irene, “you’re helping me get a date with Sana, who will be at the party. Yet you want me to go to this thing with you as your date?”

You resist the urge to roll your eyes at his big dumb boy brain for not seeing your vision, but you settle for a quiet, exasperated sigh instead, “Not a date, per se. As a friend, two friends who will arrive together. I’ll make introductions and such, and then I’ll let you loose in the wild,”

Jeongguk’s hands find home in the pockets of his baggy jeans, his shoulders shrugged up to his ears, “Yeah, well your people are certainly animals, I’ll give you that,”

While Jeongguk isn’t totally off base with his astute observation of your inner circle, you huff anyway, feeling oddly protective when you know he considers you part of those ‘people’. When you imagine Jeongguk at Jimin’s party, you picture a baby lamb hanging out with a pack of wolves. Not the best image going forward, but your goal is to make Jeongguk into more of a fierce, well-dressed dog - perhaps not a wolf, but you have to take baby steps. 

“Just stick with me, and I will take care of everything. Mina and Irene are really harmless,” You pause as Jeongguk reaches for the door to the salon, opening it for you to enter, “Well, at least Mina is,”

He cocks a brow, but doesn’t say anything further before you walk in, Jeongguk following close behind. 

The day of the party arrives faster than you would have liked, especially given that you have a paper due for one of your classes and for the first time ever, you’re actually a little behind. Only by a paragraph or two, but it’s still a mark on your pristine reputation. 

This bet business with Irene has left you feeling a little overwhelmed, with a sizable amount missing from your allowance thanks to trips to designer stores and salons that you haven’t even had the luxury to enjoy. Monique offered to do your nails while you were waiting for Jeongguk to finish, but in the end you had to leave before seeing the end result anyway, which is something you’re not pleased with. You only hope that Jeongguk didn’t opt to suddenly go bleach blonde, or get a blue streak through his hair just to spite you. 

When your phone rings, you’re in the middle of taking your hair out of the heated rollers your father brought back from his business trip to the States, and you reach over to see it’s Jimin calling you. There’s a vaguely icky feeling in your tummy, but you run with it, sliding your finger along the screen and setting it to loud speaker. 

“Y/N? Hey,” Jimin says, his voice just as musical and pleasant as you remember it. You can almost picture him now, slouched in an artsy sort of way across his bed as he speaks to you, probably shirtless and definitely smiling, “I just wanted to check in before the party. I figured Irene might have told you I’m bringing Luna,”

Ugh, of course. While, yes, Irene already gave you a heads up, you’re still non-too-pleased about seeing your ex and his new girlfriend. There are no lingering feelings left behind, even after the awkward nature of your breakup, but the whole thing still makes for an uncomfortable evening, especially when you’re going to be mentoring a very tall, very moody photography major most of the evening. 

“Yes, Irene told me,” You say in the brightest voice you can muster, “I don’t know if she told you, but I’m actually bringing someone too,”

“Oh,” Jimin says, sounding surprised by the new information. You’re too grown up to be petty, but you can’t prevent the satisfied smile that creeps across your face at his flustered response, “I didn’t realise you were seeing anyone,”

Damn, not quite the idea you wanted to float, but you can’t exactly back out now. Jeongguk will understand, or maybe you don’t even have to tell him to pretend to be dating you. It’s not like you’ve ever been a fan of PDA, and Jimin knows that more than anyone. 

“It’s…new. And, not especially serious,” You grimace, “It’s super casual,”

“That doesn’t sound like you at all,”

“I’m trying something different,” Is your quick response, “the end of relationships are usually a time where people experiment. New hair styles, new tattoos,”

New fake, unaware, casual, photography major boyfriends.

“Ah,” Jimin’s voice is muffled, like he’s speaking away from the phone, but all you hear after a few muffled noises are the words that come next, “well, I suppose I’ll see you in a couple hours,”

“Yes,” You say, “see you soon,”

When you hang up, it’s all you can do not to scream into a pillow, but obviously that would ruin your makeup. So you settle for throwing said pillow at your wall instead, though it doesn’t give you nearly as much satisfaction. 

Two hours later, you leave the house to wait outside for Jeongguk. You had arranged for him to pick you up after sending him your address, and you look out for a non-descript, modest car. Instead, what you hear is the rumble of a motorbike engine, and you grit your teeth, counting to ten before you look up just as the sound quiets. 

“Of course, he drives a motorbike. Why wouldn’t he?” You mutter, walking down the path towards the clean, empty street where Jeongguk is parked clad in all black, donning a red helmet. His eyes meet yours as he flips up the black visor, blinking at you until you come to a stop in front of him. 

“Good evening,”

There’s a moment where you just look at him, deadpan and unsmiling. He sighs, swinging his leg off the bike and standing to his full height. For some reason he seems taller, and it’s only when you look down that you see the clunky, black boots on his feet. 

“You didn’t think this might be worth mentioning?” You ask once you raise your face to his again, squinting a little in the setting sun. 

Jeongguk looks down, still wearing the helmet, and shrugs, “I can’t wear expensive, fancy shoes on the bike,”

“I’m not talking about the boots,” You roll your eyes this time, giving in to the urge, and you almost think you hear Jeongguk snort quietly, his leather-clad shoulders jumping on a laugh, “I meant the bike. You agreed to pick me up and didn’t mention we would be riding a death-chariot to the party,”

Stepping away and walking to the large compartment on the back of the bike, Jeongguk doesn’t immediately reply, instead he flips the lid, pulling out a matching helmet and handing it to you. When you give him a stony glare and cross your arms over your chest instead of taking it, he glances heavenward, as if you’re the frustrating one. 

“Come on, Y/N. The bike is only dangerous if there’s a moron driving it,”

“Could’ve fooled me,” You mutter, taking the helmet and attempting to figure out how the whole thing works. You don’t like the person you become when you’re with Jeongguk, it’s almost like he’s just beginning to bring out this whole other side of you. He’s the first person you have ever felt the urge to hit, for example. 

As you struggle to figure out how to pull the helmet on without ruining your immaculately styled hair, Jeongguk tuts, grabbing the offending item off of you and standing right in front of you. He holds it over your head and waits, speaking quietly and oddly patient despite your reluctance, “Might wanna tuck your hair behind your ears unless you want it sticking to your cheeks the whole ride there,” 

Hesitantly, you do as he suggests, flipping your hair back so it’s behind your shoulders. It’s not going to make a whole lot of difference, you know, but you figure you might as well take Jeongguk’s advice. It’s only when the helmet touches the crown of your head that you duck away, peering up at Jeongguk as he rolls his eyes and drops his arms, the helmet hanging by a strap in one of his hands. 

“Is this gonna ruin my makeup?”

“Probably,”

“Jeongguk,”

He frowns, hard to see due to the helmet, but you see the scrunch between his brows, “Y/N, you look fine. You can fix it when we get there, I know you carry around one of those little compact things,”

You do, but that’s beside the point. With what feels like your seventh sigh in as many seconds, you nod, bracing before Jeongguk begins to tug the helmet down onto your head. It’s not the most comfortable thing in the world, and your face feels a little squished, but Jeongguk notes that it’s for your safety, so you let it go. 

After getting on the bike first, Jeongguk instructs you to put a hand on his shoulder, using that to pull yourself up while placing a foot on the small footrest on the side of the bike. Once you copy his earlier movements and swing your leg over the seat, you plop down, jostling the two of you slightly as you try to get comfortable. 

“You can hold onto me, or there are some handles on either side of your seat. My shoulders or my waist are fine, but try not to tug on me too much,” He says, turning to face the front before he twists his wrist, the bike roaring to life beneath you both. He checks on you a couple more times before he lifts his visor once more to speak over the rumble of the engine, “Oh, and hold on tight. I like to ride fast,”

“Wh- Ah!”

The bike moves with a sudden jolt, the speed steady at first before Jeongguk leans into the wind, the houses on either side of the road moving past you both in a blur. Your hands alternate between gripping the handles on either side of your seat and squeezing at Jeongguk’s shoulders, adrenaline beginning to rush through your veins as the bike turns onto the main road. 

Now, you know what Jeongguk means about riding fast. The wind rushes past you, so strong it almost feels like you might be blown off the bike from the force of it, but you just mimic Jeongguk’s movements and lean into it, using him as a shield. It’s now that you notice the broadness of him, the sheer size of his body as you hunch behind him on the bike, your hands clutched at his shoulders for fear that you might fall off at the next turn. Every so often, the bike pauses at a red light, and Jeongguk looks over his shoulder and gives you a thumbs up to check in. All you can do is return it, and then you’re off again. 

You want to hate it, because really, you should. It’s dangerous, reckless, and not at all what anyone in your circle would expect you to do. But there’s a little voice in the back of your mind that quips maybe that’s why you’re having so much fun. And you are, despite the fact your makeup is being rubbed off by the rough material inside the helmet, and your hair will be flat when you get to the party. 

Under the visor, you’re smiling, and you can’t even help it.

You both make it to the party in one piece, and despite the surprising urge to tell Jeongguk to keep driving, you hop off the bike with a little help. Jeongguk unclips the helmet from under your chin and lets you pull it off. Your cheeks are flushed and warm, and probably red raw from the helmet. You can only imagine you look a mess, but when you glance up at Jeongguk to get his opinion, he’s staring at you. 

Or at least you think he is, because he’s still got the helmet on. 

“Will you take that thing off already?” You say, “I haven’t seen the new haircut,”

“Maybe I should keep it on,” Is his quiet reply, and you tilt your head to the side, shooting him a blank look, “Fine, fine. But it feels weird,”

His hands reach up to unclip the latch, before they plant on either side of the helmet to tug it off. When you see his face again, your eyes latch on two things at once, somehow. 

First, the haircut is…good. Probably not what you would have told him to get, but it’s nice. A shorter version of the long hair he had before, a little choppier, like a shaggy mullet. It suits him, and you admit he probably would have hated changing his appearance more than he already has. 

Second, your eyes fall to his lips. More specifically, the new, silver ring that wraps around the lower one. That certainly wasn’t on the menu. 

“When -”

“I know,” He says, lifting his hands up in surrender after putting his helmet away, “but I felt like I was losing my style a little. I just wanted to do something I’ve always wanted, so I did. And I paid for it with my money, so you can’t really say shit about it,”

Well, he has you there,

“Fine, the piercing isn’t bad. I’ll allow it,” You nod, threading your fingers through your hair at the root and fluffing it a little, “Do I have helmet hair?”

“No, you have rich girl hair,” He deadpans, and you roll your eyes in response. Any more eye rolling, and you’re sure you’ll lose them in the back of your skull. 

Jeongguk finishes securing the bike, locking up and running a hand through his shorter hair. The strands still tickle the back of his neck and fall over his forehead, but you have to admit he looks better without so much weight and bulkiness crowding his head. Now you can actually see his face, and his eyes, which are dark brown and twinkly. And looking at you. 

“You good?”

Blinking, you smile, falling into step with Jeongguk before you pause, causing him to groan impatiently. When he asks what’s wrong, you offer him a sheepish smile, biting your lip, “So…there is one little thing I forgot to mention,” he doesn’t reply, instead he raises a brow in question, his lips pouting a little while that silver ring glints at you mockingly, “So, this party is my ex’s cabin, and he’s a little annoying. Basically he got a new girlfriend, so I just need you to pretendtobemynewcasualboyfriend, okay?”

“What was that?” He asks, eyes wide, “You want me to be your casual…?”

“Fake casual,” You reply, pausing because it feels like knives in your throat to actually say the word, “...boyfriend,”

Jeongguk just stares at you, giving you that same deadpan look you’d given him mere moments ago, and you can appreciate how that might be a little bothersome, now you think about it. He crosses his arms over his broad chest, looking like an arrogant ass, “Is this not what we talked about?”

“I know I said it wouldn’t be that kind of situation, but plans have changed and hey,” You step towards him, head craned to look at his face, but he doesn’t move, “I’m helping you out. I just need you to do me this one, small favour. I mean it’s not even really a big deal, just nod along when someone talks about us dating casually. Make sure you say casual -”

“I think I’ve got it,” He speaks louder over your tirade, sighing in a quick exhale before he thrusts his hand at you without looking. When you don’t take it, he glances down at his empty hand before looking at you, “Well?”

“I don’t hold hands,” A nervous cackle escapes your lips before you can stop, so you pass it off as a cough, “Holding hands isn’t very casual,”

“I hold hands with people I date,”

“It’s not dating, it's casua -”

“Y/N!” Jimin’s voice calls from the door to the cabin, cheery and clearly a few beers in, he jogs down the steps and strolls over to where you and Jeongguk are still stood at the beginning of the dirt path, “So good to see you after...everything,”

You swallow down a grimace and heaps of second-hand embarrassment, nodding quickly as if you’re fraying at the seams. Maybe you are, after all, these two men are going to be the death of you.

“So good to see you…after…” You swallow again, hard enough that your throat aches, “that,”

As if sensing the tense and uncomfortable energy, Jeongguk throws a heavy arm around your shoulder, offering his other hand to Jimin for him to shake, “Hey, Jeongguk. I’m the casual boyfriend,”

Oh, kill me now.

taglist: @kyglover @jk97bam @btsffreader92 @jjeonjjk7

please let me know if you wish to be added to the taglist!

[jennay]

I'm Fine

Request: Hello sweet bean! I'm a relatively new fan of yours and have loved everything you've written about Noah thus far. The last one I read had me thinking of a request? I was wondering what Noah would do if he found out his girlfriend was having an overwhelming day and wanted to cheer her up? Like, there was a mountain of small inconveniences that kept piling up and she was shutting down from her own anxiety

An: Thank you for calling me sweet bean. It's literally my new favorite thing to be called. I hope you enjoy! I tried!

Noah Sebastian master List

Warnings: floof anxiety?

You woke up from a nightmare that doomed your day. Fear and panic gripped your heart. Things went downhill when you found out your alarm had failed, forcing you to hurry to work; your coffee maker had malfunctioned, depriving you of your caffeine boost; and Noah had snatched the last of your favorite breakfast bars last night without letting you know.

You hoped things would improve as you finally got your car to start after several attempts. But you were mistaken.

You got to work and nearly died from a heart attack when you saw the pile of documents and the list of appointments that awaited you. You felt overwhelmed by the work your secretary assigned you as if you were a superhuman lawyer who could handle everything simultaneously.

You wished you could walk away from it all but knew that was not an option. Being a lawyer was already stressful and demanding, and dealing with this extra workload was not making it any easier.

You needed to talk with Amanda, your secretary, and see if some of these could be moved around.

You walk into her office and greet her with a smile; you don't want to be mean or upset her. "Hey," You say, sitting at the chair by her desk. "So I need a favor." You lean over and point to the screen. "Can you please call these two clients and ask if they can come in tomorrow? I have the Taylors coming in at 9 a.m., and the meeting always runs over the scheduled time. If you can start booking them out for at least two hours, that would be amazing."

She nods her head, apologizing, "I'm sorry. I know you've said that before. I'll write it down."

"That's alright, don't worry about it. I just need at least an hour between each meeting so that I can be ready and not rush things, but the Taylors are always here for a long time; they're very thorough and want to know everything that's going on.." You sighed and rubbed your temples. "I'll be in my office if you need me. Please let me know if anything comes up."

You sit at your desk, reviewing papers and bracing yourself for the chaos people will bring you today.

Sometimes, it takes a toll on you, especially when your life is not going smoothly. You glance at the clock and see you have a few minutes before your clients arrive. You decide to text Noah, who always knows how to cheer you up.

Can I come home already? I miss you and could use some aggressive snuggles right now. This day has been shit already.

You smile when he texts you back almost immediately. You know he is an early riser, but you are still impressed by how fast he replies. He must have sensed your urgency.

I'll be here when you get home, baby. You can have all the cuddles you want. I love you. You're a badass; you'll kick the shit out of the day. Ok?

You feel thankful for Noah. He is the best thing that's happened to you. He’s supportive, caring, funny, sexy, and makes you feel loved and appreciated.

On days like this, you wish you could shrink him to a smaller size, put him in your pocket, and carry him around. Whenever you needed him, he would pop out and say words of encouragement and sweet things to you. Your life would be so much easier with a pocket-sized Noah.

You put your phone in the drawer as your office door opens, and Amanda's head pokes through the gap. She is your receptionist and assistant, and she helps you manage your schedule and appointments.

"Your 9 o'clock is here," she says.

You nod your head, "Go ahead and send them in."

You take a deep breath and prepare yourself for another session. You hope Noah's words will give you the strength and patience to get through the day.

You storm into the house, slamming the door behind you. You are overwhelmed by emotions. Your hair is soaked from the rain, and your mascara runs down your cheeks. You have had the worst day ever, and all you want is Noah's warm embrace and gentle words. "Noah, are you home?" You call out, your voice cracking.

You hear him reply from the living room. "Yeah, I'm here. Did you take a cab home?"

You can't contain your feelings any longer. You let out a loud sob, toss your bags aside, and hide your face in your hands, crying hysterically.

"Oh, babe," Noah says, getting up and hurrying to you. He wraps his arms around you and pulls you close to his chest, where you press your face and cry even harder.

He kisses your hair and strokes your back gently. "Shh, it's ok." He whispers. "I'm here for you."

You shake your head. "I'm over it. Can you just put me out of my misery and put a pillow over my head?"

He chuckles softly, "No, no, no. Come on. I have something for you." He holds your hand and leads you to the dining room, where you see a beautiful bouquet of roses in a vase on the table. He has also ordered Chinese food, your favorite cuisine. You notice your favorite liquor on the counter with other ingredients, indicating that Noah plans to make cocktails for you tonight.

As you gasp, your hands instinctively cover your mouth. Noah's thoughtfulness never ceases to amaze you.

You wrap your arms around his waist and snuggle your face into his chest, feeling his warmth and comfort. "Thank you," you whisper.

Noah kisses the top of your head and rubs your back gently. "Anything for you, princess." He pulls away, and you look up at him, seeing love and kindness in his eyes. "I'm sorry you had such a tough day," he says, kissing your forehead. "Go relax. I'll take care of everything." He pauses briefly, "You're getting a nice back rub tonight, too." He says, holding his hands up and wiggling his fingers.

You smile, walking back to your room and changing into the bathroom, where you wash your face to remove all the smeared makeup.

Sometimes, you wondered how Noah could look at you so lovingly when you look as rough as you did.

After changing, you return to the dining room, where Noah waits patiently. He smiles at you, happy to see you approach. He stands up and scoots out your chair. "Come sit."

You smile at the gesture, excited for the food and fruity mixed drink in front of you. "God, I love you," you say, taking a long sip of your beverage.

Noah laughs, "Me or the drink?"

You lift your eyes to his, "Both, but mostly you."

He chuckles while taking a bite of his food. "So," he says, putting his fork down, "What happened today?"

Your shoulders drop, remembering the annoyance of the day you didn't

want to talk about every little thing, from the coffee pot to your clients not being very understanding and your car breaking down. "Just casual bullshit." You sip your drink, "My car is in the parking lot at work…"

Noah groans, "Again? I thought Folio looked at it?"

"He did, but he's not a miracle worker, and I'm honestly not sure there's any hope for that thing. It's old." You say, forcing a smile. "Let's talk about you."

Noah's eyebrows knit together in frustration as he says, "You always do this." He laughs, but you can hear the edge in his voice. He leans back in his chair and looks at you pleadingly. "I want to hear about your day; in therapy, they say it's good to talk about things. It helps you process and cope with them." He reaches for your hand across the table, his eyes softening.

You shake your head, feeling affection for him. You stand up and gather the empty plates, trying to lighten the mood. "Well, my love, you're not my therapist." You lean down and kiss his cheek, feeling his stubble against your lips. "We can talk about it tomorrow if you want to. But right now I just want you as Noah. Ok?" You giggle as you walk away from him, carrying the dishes to the sink. You drop them in, deciding to deal with them later. You can feel the effects of the alcohol you had with dinner. Your face is warm, and your worries seem distant and trivial. You feel happy and relaxed as you walk back to Noah.

You stand before him, smiling with rosy cheeks and a gentle gaze. "I really do appreciate you." You say sincerely, wrapping your arms around his neck.

He grins and stands up, holding you close. He takes your hand and leads you to the living room, where he sits on the couch and pulls you down to sit before him. He gently lifts your shirt over your head and tosses it aside, handing you the throw blanket to cover your chest with, knowing you'd get cold. He places his hands on your back and starts to massage your tense muscles with gentle pressure. He draws circles on your skin with his fingers, making you sigh in contentment.

You feel a knot of tension in your chest and decide to share what's been bothering you the most today. "The Taylors said I'm a bad lawyer and won't be using me anymore." You say, finally opening up to him. "They accused me of being incompetent and unprofessional just because I refused to lie for them in court."

Noah's hands freeze for a second, and he curses under his breath. "Dicks." He says before resuming his soothing motions. "You don't need them anyway. You did the right thing, babe. You have integrity and ethics, unlike them."

You let out a deep breath, feeling a bit of relief from his words and touch. "I do, though. I've been working with them for so long, and I hate saying this because I'm not just in it for the money, but they were a huge source of my income. They paid me well, and they had a lot of connections in the industry."

Noah wraps his arms around you and pulls at you, signaling he wants you in his lap. "There'll be others, you don't need people who treat you like shit." He says softly in your ear. "You're an amazing lawyer, and you have a great reputation. You'll find better clients who appreciate you and respect you."

You smile weakly and lean your head on his chest. "That's most of my clientele." You say with a laugh. "Most of them are greedy, selfish, and dishonest. That's why I'm always so thankful to come home to you. You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

Noah kisses the top of your head and whispers, "I love you and I'm always here for you. No matter what."

You smile up at him, feeling his warm breath on your face as you nuzzle close to his neck. He wraps the blanket tighter around your bare chest, making you feel safe and loved. "I know. I feel it, and I'm grateful for it." You whisper, letting him know you appreciate his presence in your life.

He leans his head on yours, wrapping his arms around you in a tight embrace. He kisses your hair softly, making you sigh in contentment. "We'll get everything figured out with your car and your job, and I won't eat your breakfast bars anymore." He chuckles, trying to lighten the mood.

You laugh against his neck, feeling his pulse quicken under your lips. "You can eat all the breakfast bars you want if my nights end this perfectly." You say, looking into his eyes and seeing the love and happiness reflected there.

He smiles back at you, pulling you closer for a passionate kiss.

You melt into him, forgetting about all your worries and troubles. All that matters is him and this moment.

You feel his hand caress your cheek, then move down to your waist. He lifts you gently, carrying you to the bedroom. You wrap your legs around him, holding him tight.

He whispers in your ear, "I love you so fucking much."

You smile, feeling the same way. You kiss him again, ready to show him how much you love him.

Tags: @thisbicc @yumikitten @lma1986 @chemicallady

[katasstrophic-arts]

In Bloom pt. 2

Sebastian x F!Farmer

pt. 1

Content - angst comfort, fluff, pregnancy, unnamed farmer, no y/n, Mild sexual topics

1.8k words

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later, after the sun has set you and Sebastian head to leave the Flower Dance. The both of you are promptly swarmed by people giving you their last congratulations of the day and asking some final questions. You’re happy to talk to everyone and answer with a smile but then questions begin to get more long term and topics you haven’t discussed with Sebastian yet. “Do you plan to use disposable or cloth diapers?”, “How do you plan to handle late night baby shifts?”, “Will you start a scrapbook?”, “How comfortable will you be with the baby around the farm animals and pets?”, “Do you want to have more children?”

Sebastian leaves most of the questions to you and nods along to your vague answers. But now he can tell exhaustion is starting to set in for you. He shoos away any more questions and ushers you back to the farm.

When you enter the house you take a vibrant purple and white flower out of the crown on your head and press it in a book in your living room. You make a mental note when you see Sebastian pass you carrying his laptop when you go to enter the bedroom. Finally in your sanctuary you shuck off the stuffy shoes and dress from the event. You perform your nightly routine and put on some comfy shorts and one of Sebastian’s shirts. As you’re about to climb into bed you realize Sebastian hasn’t come back into your shared bedroom. It’s only around 10 o’clock and Sebastian has been known to stay up late into the night, but town festivals usually prompt him to go to bed immediately afterwards. 

You walk back into the living room to find your husband sitting on the couch. He has already removed his suit jacket but is still in his dress shirt and slacks, hunched over his laptop on the coffee table. 

“Hun, what are you doing?” You ask.

“Oh, uhh. I’m just looking up some stuff.” He sheepishly replies to you. You look over his shoulder and see a page open for ‘Tips for Expecting Fathers’. “I wanted to find out what more I can do for you. I just feel so useless right now.”

Sebastian hasn’t been a helicopter spouse through your pregnancy so far. He trusts that you know your limits and will listen to Harvey’s orders. The only thing Sebastian has been insistent on has been not going into the mines and splitting the farm work. You still care for the animals, he helps you plant and water the crops, and you point out what is ready to harvest so he can collect them and put them in the shipping bin that Alex comes to collect each night.

Sitting down next to him you stroke his hair as he continues, “I mean, I’m paying attention at all the appointments with Harvey but it’s all advice for you. You’re growing a whole damn human and all I can do is bring you things and make sure you’re comfortable.”

Leaning into him you wrap your arms around his shoulders from the side, “Come to bed, love. Let’s talk tonight but we can do this later." You gesture to his laptop screen. He continues scrolling to a tip that recommends ‘General childbirth classes should be taken late second trimester to early third trimester’. “See, we have at least a month before we have to think about taking classes.”

Closing his laptop, he helps you stand and walks to the bedroom with you. You settle in bed as you watch him shed his formal attire. A heat begins to pool in you as more of his creamy, pale skin is revealed but you push it down, knowing that you need to have a serious conversation. After his nightly routine he hangs up the vibrant blue suit and flumps into his side of the bed in his boxers and an undershirt. 

“How are you feeling now?” You prompt.

He exhales, running a hand through his hair, “I don’t know. I guess a lot of it hadn’t really settled in yet. Everyone asking all those questions today made me realize how little I know.”

“Our decisions on how to raise them can be made later. And our opinions could change so we don’t have to lock anything down yet.” You try to reassure him.

“And like you said before this happened earlier than we planned. If this had gone to plan around now would be when we’d just be finding out you’re pregnant. I know that I love you and I want this baby, but becoming a father is… it’s just something new.” He takes a deep breath. “Now that everyone in town knows it’s really starting to hit me, and I have no idea what I’m doing.” He tenses and throws his arms up before reaching up to rub his face, stressed. “When Maru was born I was five but Demetrius didn’t let me do anything and it stayed that way. And I wasn’t really involved with Vincent until he was about 3, and that was just babysitting duty with Sam at the beach or the park. So right now I’m just trying my best to be supportive of you because I know this is taking a lot out of you.”

“And I really appreciate all you’re doing. Giving me massages and working in the fields while you still have your own projects.” You say, attempting to reassure him.

“I’ve been cutting back on the projects actually. My clients probably think I’m just going through another depressive episode.” He sits up in bed, his hands flying to his head as his eyes glaze in panic. “And I just read that fathers can also get postpartum depression! Oh Yoba! What if I…”

“Hey, hey! You won’t.” You reassure him, slowly sitting up next to him and carding your fingers into his hair, a trick that usually calms him down. “And if it does happen we’ll figure it out together. We’re doing this together. Always remember that.” 

You mentally kick yourself for not seeing all these troubles have been building in his mind. Sebastian has always found your emotions easy to read but he still keeps his cards close to his chest. It usually comes out in evening conversations like this one but this spring has been very busy and you’ve been so tired by the end of the day that you haven’t been able to have them lately. Your stomach is doing flops, regretful to see your husband in such a state but… Hang on… You quickly grab his hand and place it on your stomach. 

There it is, the light fluttering you’ve been feeling lately. Sebastian finally looks at you, his eyes grow wide and his face changes from panic to shock to awe. “Thats…”

“Our baby.” You say resolutely. The movements continue and you smile lovingly at your husband, whose gaze is now firmly locked on your belly. “They’ve never moved this much. They must like your voice.”

Sebastian continues stroking your belly as the fluttering comes to an end. “Hey there. Nice to finally meet you. I’m your Papa.”

“Papa?”

“Thought I’d try it out.” He leans in and gives you a tender kiss. Laying you both back down facing each other he continues to roam your body with his hands. “Yoba, I love you. Both of you. So, so much.”

“And we love you too.” You share a warm smile with him. Placing your hand on his over your bump.

“I know I’ve heard their heartbeat at the clinic and seen you growing but this is…” Sebastian closes his eyes and soaks in this moment of adoration. “I swear I’m gonna put in more effort. The farm work felt inevitable just from living here and of course I want my wife to be comfortable so I don’t mind giving you massages.” He locks eyes with you unshaking. “But I’m gonna put in the real work. I’ll pound on Pierre’s door at any hour until he lets me in to get whatever you’re craving. I’ll help my mom build the nursery. I’ll cook you meals according to Harvey’s dietary plans and finally remember to leave out the coffee.” Tears start spilling over your eyes through his proclamations. “And I’ll hold you close through all your mood swings.”

He does just that and wraps his arms around your shoulders, pulling you tight against his body. One of your hands moves around his waist while the other goes to your face to try and stifle your tears. Yet all of the emotions from today start to settle in and you are fully sobbing now. Sebastian places a kiss on top of your head that’s now resting against his chest before speaking in a hushed tone into your hair. “What’s on your mind, love. Talk to me.”

Through your sniffles you manage to say “Everyone is just so supportive and nice.”

“What did you expect? You’ve been the same to all of them since the day you moved here.”

Finally getting your tears under control. “It’s just… I’m so happy I moved here. That I met you and everyone in the valley.”

“I don’t know how I ever got you to fall for a schmuck like me.” Sebastian quips.

“Because under that edgy loner persona you really are a thoughtful, caring person.” You pull back to look into his eyes. “You learned to play the keyboard when Sam wanted to start the band. When you used to smoke by the lake you would bring an ashtray so the ashes wouldn’t get in the water. You rescued an injured frog and built a whole terrarium for them so you could nurse them back to health.” Sebastian looks away sheepishly through your praise of him, a light blush covers his nose and cheeks. “And you’ve done your best to quit smoking since we got married because you wanted to live a long life with me.” Your hand moves to your stomach again. “With us.”

Sebastian’s blush deepens “The valley used to feel so drab and meaningless, but you brought light here for me again. I often felt unappreciated at home… but I really feel like I belong here with you.”

The fluttering begins in your belly again, you both look down to where your bodies are pressed against one another. Sebastian somehow manages to pull you tighter against him

He continues. “To be honest, I never thought I'd end up in this situation… Married and a kid on the way. Now that I'm here, I like it… With you I'm excited about the future again. Thank you for giving me a family of my own and making me feel welcome in the valley.”

The two of you stay like that for a while, holding each other close and trading compliments. Both of you hoping to feel the movement in your belly again. Eventually you resign that it won’t be happening again tonight and let yourself fall into sleep. 

You dream of the Flower Dance. However this time you’re not dancing with your husband but with a small unknown child with dark hair and your smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AN: I am so so sorry this took so long to get out. I swear this was 80% written when I posted pt. 1 but life gets in the way. 

I did an unnecessary amount of research on pregnancy while writing this. My housemate would be so concerned if she saw my search history…

[winters8child]

It´s been a long, long time

Chapter 106

I placed the flowers on his grave, my fingers tracing the bronze letters of his name engraved on the stone. It was the first time I’d been here since the funeral, but now that I was doing slightly better, I thought I could face it. I sat on the grass, and Bucky stood beside me, his hand resting on my shoulder.

“Hey, Steve,” I whispered. “I’m sorry it took me so long to come.” My voice wavered, and I sniffled. Suddenly, Bucky’s phone rang, breaking the silence. I glanced up as he lifted his hands apologetically and checked the display. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “I’ll be back in a minute,” he said, walking through the gates.

I turned back to the gravestone, biting my lip. It felt strange to talk to him when he wasn’t really here, but isn’t that what people did?

“I’m not doing so well, Steve,” I whispered. “I miss you. We both do.” I wiped away the tears that began to stream down my cheeks. “It helps that I’m not alone. We’re trying to get better... but it’s hard.” I heard the crunch of gravel as Bucky’s heavy footsteps approached.

He crouched down next to me, avoiding my eyes. “Who was it?” I asked, noticing his reluctance to meet my gaze. He shrugged, “Wrong number.”

I frowned slightly. He’d been gone longer than a simple wrong number would take, but I decided to let it go. It wasn’t my business. I just nodded. It felt even more awkward to talk to Steve with Bucky beside me, so we sat in silence for another ten minutes.

I glanced around; the cemetery was empty, as it was the middle of the week. Most people were probably at work or out enjoying the nice weather. “Is it stupid to say that I wish Natasha had a grave I could visit?” I said quietly. She had sacrificed her life for the stone, and there wasn’t even a body to bury.

Bucky shook his head, his voice solemn. “I don’t think it’s stupid.” We sat there for another ten minutes before we decided to leave.

He dropped me off at the house before heading to his court-mandated therapy appointment. He had to go once a week, supposedly to make amends for his "crimes." Crimes he hadn’t committed out of his own free will, but because Hydra had controlled him.

Every time, he’d return with takeout he picked up on the way back. It was our home now, I supposed—he hadn’t been back to his place in weeks, except once to grab some of his belongings. He hadn’t officially moved in, but he was still kind of living here.

I was sitting on the couch, trying to read a book, when he walked through the front door, back from his latest appointment. He held up a bag in his right hand, and a delicious smell filled the air. I sniffed and tried to guess what we were having today.

"Hmm... Italian?" I asked as he walked over.

"Yeah, too easy. I just craved some baked ziti," he replied. He’d stopped asking what I wanted since I always answered, "I don’t care." Instead, he’d pick up whatever he felt like, and I’d try to guess what it was. It was a silly little game, but it felt normal, and I craved normal.

Usually, we would talk about his therapy sessions. I never pried, but he’d share with me anyway. Tonight, though, he was unusually quiet as he unpacked the different dishes, spreading them out on the coffee table.

"Everything good at your appointment?" I asked, keeping it light. I wasn’t going to press for details if he didn’t want to share, but he seemed tense.

"Yup," he said shortly and started eating. I frowned, sensing something off, but I let it go and began eating too. He’d brought me lasagna, my favorite Italian dish, but it never quite measured up to the one my mother used to make.

That’s when his phone rang again. He glanced at the screen, turned it off, and went back to eating. He was definitely acting weird; I knew it, especially because the same thing had happened at breakfast. Someone had called, and just like now, he’d turned off his phone after checking who it was.

“Wanna talk about it?” I asked cautiously, watching his reaction.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” he said, biting into his garlic bread.

“Okay,” I mumbled, though curiosity was eating away at me.

“Do you mind if we watch TV?” he asked. We usually talked during these dinners, but it felt like he was trying to escape the awkwardness.

“No, I don’t mind,” I replied as he turned on some action movie. I couldn’t focus, though; my mind drifted. I kept telling myself it was none of my business. Maybe he was seeing someone—but when and how? He had been by my side since the funeral.

I gathered up the empty containers when we finished and tossed them in the trash as Bucky walked into the kitchen.

“Listen, I’m really tired. I think I’ll just crash on the couch. Therapy was exhausting today…” he said, and I quietly nodded. I wondered what they had talked about; usually, he told me everything, no matter how gruesome the stories were.

“Good night, then,” I said with a smile. He leaned over and kissed my temple before heading to the living room.

I went to bed not long after, but sleep wouldn’t come. I tossed and turned until my eyes finally grew heavy, but a noise from downstairs made me sit up. Bucky was having another nightmare. I sighed, staring at the ceiling, waiting for it to pass, but this time, it was taking longer than usual.

I mustered up the courage to finally go downstairs, I couldn’t ignore it any longer. I tiptoed down the stairs and found him on the floor, not on the couch. He had tossed off his blanket, and his skin glistened with sweat on his bare chest.

He was tossing and turning, grunting in his sleep, his face contorted in a grimace.

“Bucky?” I whispered as I knelt beside him, hesitant to reach out. After a moment of hesitation, I placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to wake him.

“Bucky?” I called again, louder this time. Suddenly, his eyes shot open, and he grabbed my hand, pinning it above my head. In an instant, he rolled on top of me, his metal hand closing around my neck, choking me. I struggled against his grip, trying to speak, but his hold was too tight.

His face was twisted with anger, but the expression faded as he blinked, his eyes shifting as he truly saw me, waking from his nightmare. He released me immediately, scrambling off. I turned to the side, clutching my neck as I coughed, gasping for air.

“Oh my god,” he whispered, his eyes wide with horror.

"It's okay, you had a nightmare," I managed between coughs. His hands reached for my face, his eyes filled with fear as he searched mine.

"Did I hurt you? I’m so sorry," he pleaded, his voice almost breaking.

I placed my hands over his, feeling the tremble in his touch. "I’m okay, Buck," I said, putting all the sincerity I could into my words. I could swear I heard our heartbeats as we stared at each other, the seconds ticking by in a charged silence. His hand left my face, and he gently tucked a stray hair behind my ear. I shivered at the soft touch, feeling the warmth spread through me despite the lingering tension.

I rested my hand on his bare chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart beneath my fingers before I gently pushed him back, creating some space between us. I wasn’t ready to face the hint of emotions I kept telling myself weren’t there anymore.

“I’m ok,” I repeated softly, and he slowly released me, his hand dropping to his side.

“How long have you been sleeping on the floor?” I asked cautiously, searching his eyes.

He hesitated, then finally answered, “I haven’t slept in a bed since the war... it’s too soft... not that I really sleep well either way.” His voice was barely above a whisper. “These nightmares... I’ve had them for so long now...” he added, shaking his head as if trying to dispel the memories.

“What are the nightmares about?” I asked, then quickly added, “If you want to talk about it.”

He looked up at me, a haunted expression shadowing his face. “The things I did, as the Winter Soldier. The people I hurt.” He paused for a moment, his eyes dropping before he continued. “That I hurt you... like I did in that cell. I haven’t forgotten. How could I?” His voice trembled, and the pain in his eyes was unmistakable.

I swallowed hard, the memories flooding back—those cold, unfeeling eyes of the Winter Soldier as his lips pressed against mine. The way his hot breath brushed my ear, the sting as he bit my lip, and the metallic taste of blood mingling with his moan.

“It wasn’t you who did it,” I said softly, reaching out to hold his hand, but he pulled away.

“Yet I still remember every touch and taste...” he murmured, his gaze dropping again, his voice filled with guilt. “How does one forgive such a thing?” he asked, his voice breaking.

“I don’t have to forgive you because I don’t blame you,” I replied, leaning in, trying to catch his eyes with mine.

He finally looked up again, sighing as he placed his other hand over ours. My cheeks warmed under his intense gaze, and I had to look away for a moment. When I glanced back, he was still watching me, his eyes soft but filled with uncertainty.

"One day, we’ll be okay," he said, his voice somber, like he was hoping for it but wasn’t quite convinced. Still, I smiled, wanting to believe it for both of us.

Next Chapter

[tomtenadia]

Detours to You - 27

Here I am with a new chapter... hope you like it. We are almost at the end. :)

Rowan was running late and he hated it. He had been out on a firehouse visit and the inspection had lasted longer than he wanted and now he was rushing towards the bookshop, excitement bubbling through him. Aelin had a doctor’s appointment and they were hoping to finally discover the gender of the baby. They had tried at the previous visit but their child had decided to be cheeky and not reveal themselves. Before leaving the firehouse he had texted Aelin to let her know he was on his way. And while he was giddy at experiencing all that he had missed during Aelin’s first pregnancy  Maya had become fascinated by the idea of having a sibling and she had been also inquisitive about her growing belly so Rowan had done some research to find a suitable book to explain to a toddler what was happening. It was followed by a lot of interesting evening with some really challenging questions. 

Finally getting rid of his pickup he walked quickly to the shop. Inside he was met by Lys and Elide who were at the counter discussing something.

“Good morning, Chief.” They told him as he entered “Aelin is in the back office.”

“So, are you excited?”

Rowan nodded. He was happy about the pregnancy but now he was really looking forward to know more about their baby. He had been fussing more than usual but he had a great help in Maya who was happy to help her mum too. Some evening they would sit on the sofa and Rowan would read stories and Maya would place her head on her mum’s lap to be close to the baby. He was looking forward to feel them kick. Rowan wanted to experience so badly all the little things that he had missed with Maya.

“Yes.” He replied “I just wish she would take it a bit slower. She is always so tired.”

Elide sighed “We try. But you know how she is.”

He nodded. Yes, the few times he had suggested her to stay at home she almost strangled him and called him a fussy buzzard. 

“You do know she is going to drop the baby in the middle of this bookstore, right?”

Rowan groaned. He had already enlisted the parents to help him in his mission to convince Aelin to take it slow. 

“I know..”

In that instant Aelin appeared and went for a kiss “Don’t, I was in the office sitting down.”

Rowan groaned and then gently brushed her small bump “are you both ready to go?”

Aelin nodded and waved at the two women and they left the shop.

In the car Aelin strapped in “I am so excited.” She brushed her tummy “I hope peanut will behave today.”

He leaned forward and kissed her “you make me happy.” He confessed.

“Peanut, you need to know that your dad is a mushy old man.”

Rowan roared with laughter and set the car in motion “don’t listen to your mum, little one.”

At the hospital they went straight for the maternity ward and checked in with the nurses and sat waiting for their doctor.

“Aelin, Rowan, come in.”

After the usual chat, doctor Hafiza invited Aelin to lay down on the bed and Rowan took position at her side, her hand in his in anticipation.

Doctor Hafiza moved the ultrasound machine closer and stood beside the bed.

“You know the drill,” she joked, and Aelin lifted her shirt to allow the doctor to place the gel on her belly.

“Now, let’s see if your baby today decides to reveal themselves to us.”

Rowan kissed Aelin’s hand and gasped at the image on the screen. It did not matter that he had seen it before, the grainy picture of his child still moved something in him. 

“Come on, little one, move for me.” Doctor Hafiza shifted the wand until a big smile spread on her face “so what do we think?”

“A girl,” added Aelin quickly.

“I am happy with either.”

The doctor moved the wand a bit more until a huge grin spread on her face and with his finger she pointed at the screen “what about a wee boy?”

Rowan and Aelin stared at each other and he kissed her and Aelin nodded excited.

“Is he okay?”

The doctor was silent for a moment “yes, all the measurements are perfectly within range, he is growing up nicely.”

Rowan brushed Aelin’s hair “we are having a boy,” his voice soft and already in love with the life growing inside Aelin,

“Is Aelin okay too?”

The woman in question rolled her eyes “he is fussing. If it were for him he’d lock me up in a cocoon until the baby comes out.”

The doctor laughed “she is fine and I will schedule regular check ups. You are well over thirty and although not risky yet, I just want to make some extra checks.” she explained “I would recommend taking it easy. Let him do the heavy lifting.”

Rowan beamed but their doctor stopped him “movement is not all bad. Work will be fine until she manages, and I recommends walks and there’s also pregnancy yoga. Just be mindful of which poses you do.”

“Oh yes, I used to do that when I was pregnant with Maya.”

“I had a c-section before, will I be able to have a natural birth?”

Aelin felt Rowan’s hand tense in hers.

The doctor nodded “we will monitor your pregnancy carefully, but there’s usually no risk if both mum and baby are healthy.”

“But there are risks?”

“Rowan, childbirth itself is always a risky business. But I am good at my job.”

Aelin looked up at him and she knew he was already in crazy fussy mode.

“Let’s just hope the little one behaves better than his sister and waits for his correct time and decides to come out as nature intended to.”

The doctor chuckled “Maya was a hellion from the start.”

Aelin and her doctor seemed to share a joke they only knew about and Rowan stood there in silence. A part of him, reminding him that he had not been there the first time and the dull ache of what he had missed came back. He sighed, pushing back all the negative thoughts. He and Aelin were on track, they had a family and they were looking forward. It was time for him to stop dwelling on what had happened.

Aelin patted his hand “he is a worrywart and I am sure he is already thinking about all he could do to protect us.” She kissed his hand looking up at him and mouthing an I love you.

“Guess it’s the first responder in him.”

The doctor cleaned up Aelin’s belly and she finally sat up “I will book your next appointment, but if you have any issues just call the ward and I will try and squeeze you in.”

Outside of the room Aelin turned to Rowan and threw her arms around his neck “we are having a boy.”

He bowed his head and met her lips for a sweet kiss “wonder how Maya will take it.”

Aelin smiled against his lips “that little hellion of ours will be delighted.”

Rowan quickly looked at his watch “is it okay if I take you back to the bookstore? I have a meeting coming up soon and another firehouse visit.”

“Of course.”

“Sorry,” a kiss “I have a captain who is in an acting role because an investigation and I have to check a few things.”

Aelin caressed his face “go, Lys and Elide will look after me.”

“I will come and pick you up after work, then we are getting Maya from your parents and we’ll celebrate tonight.”

“Adult fun?”

“Menace.”

*

Rowan afternoon had been crazy. After his meeting he had run to the fire station and when he was on his way back the radio became alive so he did a u-turn and drove to the accident. By the time everything was resolved it was far too late for his taste. He had quickly called Aelin while driving and told her he might not be able to meet her to go and pick up Maya. He hated it, but that was his job. On his way home he had stopped at Emrys and bough Aelin’s favourite chocolate cake to apologise.

He drove uphill to the house and relaxed. He just wanted to sit on the sofa with his two women and have a quiet evening.

“Ae, I am home.” He called while toeing off his shoes.

Maya appeared instead “hi dada!”

In a swift motion he picked her up “hi munchkin, where’s mum?”

“She just went to the toilet.”

He kissed his daughter “sorry I could not come and pick you up.”

“Mama said you were helping with a fire.”

“I was.”

A moment later Aelin appeared and he quickly scanned her to make sure all was okay.

“Is that chocolate cake you have in your hands?”

Rowan scoffed and looked at his daughter still in his arms “she loves chocolate more than me.”

Maya hugged his neck “it’s okay dad, I love you.”

Aelin moved closer “peanut and I love you madly,” she added leaning against his arms “but you must know by now that I would gladly cheat on you with a cake from Emrys.”

He laughed and put Maya on the ground while passing the cake to Aelin “I need a shower then I will make dinner.” He then turned to Maya “make sure mama does not eat the chocolate cake while I am away.”

The girl grinned and Rowan disappeared upstairs.

By the time he was back all refreshed both Aelin and Maya were in the living room “Dada, I kept mama away.” She told him proudly.

Rowan  smacked a kiss on her cheek “well done, baby.”

Aelin crossed her arms at her chest “yes, the little traitor,” she joked “you carry them for nine months and then they side with the father.”

Rowan sat at Aelin’s side and pulled her to him and kissed her “I am just looking after your sugar intake.”

She grumbled and Rowan caressed her belly “did you tell Maya?”

“I was waiting for you.”

Rowan nodded and called the girl who crawled happily with her elf toy in tow.

He lifted her up and sat her in between them “Maya, your mum and I today went to the doctor and we discovered a bit more about your sibling.”

She looked at them with interest and Aelin took over “what do you think about having a little brother?”

“Can I play with him?”

“Of course,” added Rowan “as soon as he is a bit older you can teach him all your favourite games.”

Quickly she held elf closer at her chest “but Elf is mine.”

“Of course.”

At that she relaxed and went to touch her mum’s belly. 

Rowan took that as a cue to go and make dinner.

He was busy prepping when a set of arms sneaked around his waist “that went well I think?”

Aelin kissed his back “I am not sure how she will react. I was an only child. Will she get jealous?”

Rowan chuckled and kept cooking “I was an only child too but as you know, the Whitethorn are a huge clan. My dad had a brother and a sister and they got a long wonderfully.”

Aelin sighed “I want her to love her brother.”

He turned for a brief moment “as long as we show them both that they are loved, we should be fine. Let’s try and make Maya feel included.”

“She is already proud of being a big sister.”

Rowan kissed her and went back cooking “how did you two get home?”

“Lorcan came to pick up Elide and he offered to get Maya from school and drive us home.”

He relaxed “I am sorry I let you down.”

Aelin moved at his side and looked at him “you did not,” her hand caressed his face “you were at work and then had an emergency. And if Lorcan had not showed up, we would have gone to my mum until you were back.”

Rowan kissed “I love you.”

Aelin pinched his arse “now Whitethorn, get a move on with the chow. You spawn and I are starving.”

He pushed her gently away and finished preparing dinner.

Then while cooking an idea hit him. 

He knew how to propose.

He just needed to enlist Lysandra and Elide in his plan.

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[ereardon]

My Girl [Chapter 18][Jake "Hangman" Seresin x OC]

Summary: Jake Seresin could be the answer to all of your dating woes. He’s the full package: steady job, mature, dependable, attractive to a fault. The polar opposite of every guy your age and he’s everything you’ve ever wanted in a partner. But there’s one roadblock: he’s a single father to four-year-old Ellie. Jake is looking for a level of commitment you’re not quite sure you’re ready to give, and he’s not willing to bring someone into his daughter’s life who isn’t there for the long haul. And even if you are stepmom material, is Jake ready to let someone back in his life while still mourning the recent loss of his late wife? 

Pairing: Jake “Hangman” Seresin x OC [Lawyer Natalie West]

WC: 7K

Warning: Age gap, cursing, pregnancy, childbirth, mention of vomit

Series masterlist here

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Three Years Later

“Mrs. Seresin?” 

You turned with a smile on your face. “Yes?” 

“Doctor will see you now.” 

You nodded and pushed yourself up out of the chair. At thirty seven weeks pregnant, that alone was a feat. “Come on peanut,” you said to Ellie. 

She looked up with a grin and closed her book. Ellie loved joining your ultrasound appointments, especially when, like today, Jake couldn’t make it. 

In the room, you laid down on the table and pulled your shirt up, bunching it under your bra. The doctor sat down on her beige rolling stool and gave Ellie a smile. “How you doing, Ellie?” he asked. “How’s school?” 

“Good!” she said cheerily, eyes trained on the screen. Dr. Mason grabbed the abdominal wand and pressed it against your basketball-sized bump. 

“Alright, let’s see here,” he murmured, scooting in closer. “Baby’s measuring great, around eight pounds. That’s a healthy little man in there,” he said and you smiled. Ellie stood up and came to stand next to the bed, her eyes zeroed in on the baby on the monitor. “How are you feeling? Any Braxton Hicks?” 

You shook your head. “Not really. Can’t sleep at all and my heartburn makes me want to burn buildings down but other than that I’m alright.” 

He laughed. “Heard that before.” 

“Do you think I’ll make it to my due date on the ninth?” you asked quietly. 

“Well,” Dr. Mason said, “babies tend to come when they want. But I don’t see anything that would make me concerned for an early delivery.” He pulled the wand off of your belly and wiped at the leftover gel with a tissue. “That said, take it easy. And if you have any sudden symptoms like increased heart rate while stationary, or if you feel light headed, I need you to call my office, OK?” 

Ellie’s hand came out and grabbed yours and you squeezed it reassuringly. “Don’t worry, peanut,” you said softly. “Your little brother and I are going to be just fine.” 

***

“Dr. Mason said everything is good,” you murmured, running your fingers along your expanded belly.

“That’s great to hear honey.” Jake’s voice was a little crackly on the phone.

“Any more info on when you’ll be home?” you asked. 

“Still nothing,” Jake said quietly, “but I’m hoping next week. Can you two hold on that long for me?”

The baby kicked and you rubbed the skin over that spot. “We’re doing our best.” 

“How’s Ellie?” he asked. 

“She’s good. Phoenix took her to a movie this afternoon and she and Bob made dinner together which was really sweet.” 

Jake sighed. “I miss her. And you.” He paused. “All three of you.” 

You smiled. “We miss you, too.” 

There was a beeping in the distance from Jake’s end. “Sweetheart, I gotta run. I love you, I'll try to call you when I can, OK?” 

“I love you too,” you whispered. “Be safe for me.” 

“Always am, honey. Goodnight.” And then the line clicked and he was gone. You sighed, leaning back against the bed, waiting a few moments to psych yourself up enough to get out of bed and go downstairs for a snack. 

In the kitchen, you started to pull out an assortment of foods from the fridge — pickles, leftover pasta, an orange — placing them all on the dark granite counter. As you went to close the fridge door, you jumped. “Shit!” 

Bob stood behind the door in a pair of pajama bottoms and a long sleeve shirt, his hair slightly askew. “Sorry!” he said, hands in the air. 

You let out a breath and leaned one hand against the counter. “It’s fine, just didn’t expect you.” 

“I heard a noise, wanted to check and make sure you were OK.” 

Jake had asked Bob to stay with you and Ellie while he was on his three-week deployment. He had put in a formal request to defer the mission, but it was declined and he reluctantly went, pressing a kiss to your forehead in the doorway the morning he left, with tears in his eyes. He was terrified to miss a single moment of your pregnancy. You had told him it was fine, you would be fine. But the truth was, you were terrified, too. You didn’t have to tell him that, however. He didn’t need that added stress. You had simply told him that you loved him, and you would see him soon. 

You smiled and opened the pickle jar, digging out a fork and stabbing one. 

“I’m fine,” you murmured. “But thanks for checking.” 

Bob nodded. He turned to leave, but you stopped him. 

“Bob?” 

“Yeah?” 

You stepped forward and pulled him into a hug the best you could with the belly. His hands wrapped around you carefully, like you were going to break. That’s how all of the daggers treated you, even Rooster. Hugging you while you were pregnant was like holding fine China. “Thank you,” you whispered against his shoulder. “For staying. For everything.” You pulled away and wiped at your eyes. “We couldn’t have done it without you.” 

Bob smiled. “It’s no problem, Natalie.” 

“Seriously,” you said, brushing away the hormonal tears. “Not sure how I got so lucky, but I did.”

“It’s what you do for family,” Bob said quietly and you almost broke down into tears again. 

But you stifled them back and gave him a grin. 

“Goodnight, Nat,” he said softly, turning toward the door. 

“Night, Bob.” 

You leaned over the kitchen counter, eating your midnight snacks. Once the pregnancy was confirmed, you and Jake had tearfully sold his old house, upgrading to a larger one with enough room for Ellie and the baby and a spare few bedrooms for when the daggers inevitably fell asleep on your couch. You missed the wrap-around porch and the memories from the old house, but Jake had slid his arms around your waist, rested his chin on your head as you watched the movers pack up the last boxes and murmured into your ear, “We’ll make new memories, baby. Any place I’m with you is home.” 

***

It started in the middle of the night. One minute you were asleep, the next you were sitting straight up in bed, a shooting pain rippling across your midsection. 

“Fuck,” you muttered to yourself, leaning over and grabbing your phone to check the time. 2:05 a.m. You leaned back against the pillows, waiting for another pain to strike. Fifteen minutes later, you felt the rippling pain again. 

Hauling yourself out of bed, you slid on a robe and eased the door open, wandering down the long hallway to the very last door and knocking gently before pushing it open. 

“Bob?” you whispered. 

The aviator jolted awake, sitting up and reaching for his glasses instantly. When he spotted you in the doorway, frazzled, he stood up immediately and crossed the room. “Natalie? What’s wrong?” 

You grimaced. “I think I’m having contractions.” 

“Shit,” he muttered, running a hand down his face. “Are you sure?” 

You nodded. “I’ve never done this before, but yeah, I think so.” 

“OK.” Bob jiggled his leg for a second. “I’m going to call the Admiral, see if he can get word to Jake’s squad and get him released. You go get your bags packed and wake up Ellie.” 

“We shouldn’t leave until they’re like five or six minutes apart,” you said. “That’s what the books tell you.” 

“Got it. In that case, you get your bag packed, leave it in your room, I’ll bring it downstairs. See if you can go relax and I’ll come check on you once I’m off the phone, will let you know what they say.” 

“Let’s let Ellie sleep,” you said softly. “We can wake her when it’s time to go.” 

Bob nodded. “Yeah, that sounds good.” 

He turned to grab his phone and your voice stopped him. “Bob?” 

“Yeah?” 

“I’m scared.” 

Bob pulled you into a hug, his large hands warm on your back. “I know. You got this, mama.” 

The sun peeked its head over the horizon as you groaned, tossing your head back against the couch. Bob was frantically running around the house in his socked feet, trying desperately not to wake Ellie as he gathered your bags and loaded them into his truck, packing snacks in the kitchen, trying repeatedly to get in touch with Jake’s squadron. 

You bit back a moan as another contraction ripped through your side, eyes scrunched, when you felt the couch jiggle next to you. 

“Mama?” Ellie’s tiny voice pulled you out of your haze and you opened your eyes. 

Ellie sat in her red pajamas on the couch cushion, her feet tucked up beneath her, worry across her face. “Hey peanut,” you murmured. 

“Is the baby coming?” 

You nodded. “Yeah, he is.” 

Her mouth formed a little “O” shape. “What should I do?” 

You and Jake had talked extensively about what to do to prepare for the baby. He had been so excited, mapping different routes to the hospital depending on the time of day. Jake had his overnight hospital bag packed since your sixth month, just waiting near the door. He and Bradley had set up the nursery and had gone to the store to stock it with everything you might need: diapers, rash cream, a white noise machine. 

Meanwhile, you and Jake had initiated several conversations with Ellie about what it would be like to welcome a baby into the house. You had read book after book about how to add another sibling into a household, and what to do to make sure Ellie felt important despite all of the attention a newborn would undoubtedly take. 

What you hadn’t done was explain to her what was going to happen when you went into labor. 

You reached out a hand and brushed her hair back softly. 

“Have Uncle Bobby help you get a sleepover bag ready,” you said. “One change of clothes, toothbrush, toothpaste, underwear. And then some stuff to occupy your time like some books or a game or your iPad.” Her eyes lit up. You and Jake only let Ellie have thirty minutes of iPad time a night in the living room after dinner. “Make sure you bring the charging cord, OK? It’s cold outside, so pack a jacket.” 

She nodded and stood up from the couch. As you leaned back against the cushions, Ellie paused in the doorway. “I’m excited,” she said and you gave her a tired smile. 

“Me too, El.” 

Ellie skipped off upstairs and you looked down at your phone. No new messages. You slid your thumb over the home page and pulled up Cassie’s contact. 

“Cass?” 

“Nat?” She yawned. “What is it? It’s like six in the morning.” 

“I’m in labor.” 

“You’re WHAT?” Cassie’s voice was so loud you had to pull the phone away from your ear with a grimace. 

“I’m in labor,” you repeated. “And Jake is still on his mission and we haven’t been able to get in touch with him.” 

“Oh, sweetie,” she said, her voice a lower, more normal register now. “Honey, we’ll be right there, OK. Brad! Brad! Get the fuck up, we gotta go home.” 

“Cass,” you whispered into the phone. You could hear Bradley in the background zipping up suitcases. They were in Santa Barbara for the weekend and you felt guilty they were rushing home, but you needed Cassie. You needed all of them.

You needed Jake. 

“I’m fucking terrified,” you admitted. 

“I know you are,” she said. “Cross your legs and keep that little boy in there. We’re leaving now, it’s a five hour drive. Bradley!” She shouted. “You’re gonna get us there in four, right baby?” 

You heard Bradley’s deep voice on the other end. “Anything for Nat and my little nephew in there.” 

You smiled. “I love you guys,” you said. 

“We love you, too,” Cassie replied. “Tell Bob to call me with updates, OK? We’ll see you soon, Smalls.” 

“Bye, Cass.” 

***

Three hours later, the contractions were officially five minutes apart and you called for Bob who helped you into the passenger seat of his truck, Ellie packed up in the back with the bags. 

Bob dropped the two of you off at the front door and swung around for a parking spot. The nurses settled you into a L&D room, and you sent up a silent prayer that it was a private room. 

“What did the doctors say?” Bob demanded as he stepped through the door, carrying Ellie’s pink duffle bag and your green Goyard tote stuffed with distraction material: books, a bluetooth speaker, a mini chess board, a cooling towel. 

You shook your head. “Haven’t seen anyone yet, they’re just getting me prepped.” 

The nurse managing your monitors smiled. “You must be Dad.” 

Ellie laughed from where she sat on the couch in the corner. You smiled while Bob flushed with embarrassment at the mix up. “No, this is my friend, Bob. My husband is on deployment, we’re trying to get in touch with his squadron.” 

The nurse touched your arm gently, looking at you with soft eyes. “Ok, dear, let’s get you hooked up.”

It didn’t matter how many books you had read or the number of birth classes you went to, nothing could prepare you for birth. Not the discomfort of the IV, or the sweeping nausea that caused you to grab the bucket that Bob held out and vomit until you felt weak. 

Nothing could have prepared you for the sinking feeling that with every minute that passed you were more and more sure Jake wasn’t going to make it home to see his son being born. 

You had just shut your eyes, Bob and Ellie had gone down to the hospital cafeteria to get something to eat for lunch, when you heard a knock on the door. 

“Nat?” 

Your eyes flew open. Cassie stood in the doorway, eyes wide. “Cass.” 

She was on the bed next to you in an instant, her arms wrapped around your shoulders, and you felt salty warm tears rolling down your cheeks, landing at your lips. You didn’t even realize when you had started crying. 

Cassie pulled away and wiped at your face. “We made it.” 

You laughed. “You’re probably too early. Doctor said I’m only four centimeters dilated.” 

“How much is that?” Bradley grinned as he entered the doorway, carrying a vase of flowers. He leaned down and kissed your cheek and then proceeded to make a home for the flowers on the table next to the couch. 

You rolled your eyes. “The size of a walnut.” 

“Jesus, what kind of small ass head is this kid going to have?” Bradley teased and you laughed while Cassie threw him an annoyed look. 

“Brad!” 

“Cass!” he mocked and you laughed again. They were perfect together. 

“Uncle Rooster!” Ellie launched herself into Bradley’s arms and even though she was eight-years-old now and definitely not as light as she once was he caught her in midair perfectly, spinning her in a circle before pulling her in tightly and planting her back on the ground. 

“Hey honey,” he said softly. “How’s my favorite girl doing?” 

“We had pancakes for lunch!” 

You gave Bob a look and he simply shrugged. “Weird day, Nat. Can’t the kid have breakfast for lunch?” 

“Anything goes today I guess,” you sighed. 

“Have you heard from the squad?” Bradley asked. 

Bob shook his head. “Talked to Mav, but that’s it.” 

“Let’s try them again,” Bradley said, walking over to Bob and clapping his hand on the aviator’s shoulder. “We’ll be right back.” 

The two men exited the room and Ellie picked up her book, curling back up on the couch. Cassie dragged a chair next to the bed and plopped down. 

“Sorry to interrupt your weekend,” you said with a frown.

“Shut up,” Cassie said. “You know there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.” 

“Because hospital cafeteria food is so much better than the food at the Ritz.” 

She rolled her eyes. “How bad is it?” 

You shrugged. “Not pleasant, I’ll give you that. I already puked twice. Poor Bob had to hold the bucket for me.” 

Cassie grimaced. She hated vomit. “Thank God I got here when I did. Would have hated to see that.” 

You snuck a peek over at Ellie before turning your gaze back to Cassie. “What if he doesn’t make it, Cass?” You paused. “I don’t think I can do it alone.”

She grabbed your hand, the one that didn’t have the IV, and squeezed. “He’s gonna make it, babe. Jake would never miss this.” 

“What if they don’t get to him in time or he’s flying and doesn’t even get the call?” You were starting to panic. 

“Shh,” Cassie said, sitting up and brushing the hair off of your face. “Take a deep breath. If, by some horrible terrible worst last case scenario, Jake doesn’t get here, you won’t be alone. You have me and Ellie and Brad and Bob. And we fucking love you, Smalls.” She smiled down at you. “And we love that little bug in there, so just know you’re not alone, babe. You have a room full of people who love you. You can do this.”

“I needed that,” you sighed. “Thank you.” 

Bradley and Bob burst back into the room. 

“We have an update,” Bradley said. Your fingers locked onto Cassie’s. “We spoke to Admiral Simpson and they were able to get a call onto Jake’s ship. He knows you’re in labor and they’re making plans to lift him out as soon as possible.”

“Thank God,” you muttered. 

Another contraction started to build in your midsection and you groaned, leaning forward. Bob immediately reached for the bucket and Cassie’s eyes widened into saucers, pushing back in her chair. You grimaced, a small moan leaving your body, and once it was done you leaned back, waving away the empty bucket. 

“I’m fine,” you panted. 

Bradley stood in the door, frozen. 

You laughed a little at him. “Bradley, what did you expect?” 

He shook his head. “I don’t know, didn’t really think about it too carefully if I’m being honest.” 

“How about you and Cass take Elle home for a bit?” you asked. “It’s gonna be a while. Maybe watch some TV, take a nap, come back in a few hours? I’ll call you if anything changes.” 

They nodded and you turned to Bob. 

“Honey?” you said softly. “You should go, too.” 

He shook his head, glasses slipping down his nose slightly. “I’m not leaving you alone.” 

“I’ll be fine,” you assured him. “I’m asking too much of you to be here the whole time.”

Bob looked exhausted. You could see it in the bags under his eyes, the frazzled way he kept running his fingers through his hair. But you also knew he wouldn’t leave you there by yourself.

Bradley clapped his hand on Bob’s shoulder. “How about this? Floyd, you go home with the ladies. Take a nap, take a shower, make some dinner. I will stay with Mrs. Seresin over here.” He winked at you. “How’s that sound?” 

Relief flooded your body. Cassie reached over and kissed Bradley and Bob acquiesced, grabbing his car keys from the side table. Ellie approached the bed and laid one hand on your belly. You reached over and stroked her hair. “Bye, sweetie, go have fun with Aunt Cassie and Uncle Bobby.” 

She nodded and followed Cassie out the door. Bob shot you one final look and you smiled at him reassuringly. 

Bradley settled into the chair that Cassie had pushed away a few minutes earlier. 

“Just you and me, Smalls,” he said. Bradley had adopted the nickname Cassie had for you. 

“You didn’t have to stay,” you murmured. 

“Jake would kick my ass if I left his girl alone giving birth,” Bradley said. His warm eyes locked on yours. “He’ll make it, Nat. I promise.” 

“He’ll never forgive himself if he doesn’t make it back in time,” you whispered. “I know him. It’ll tear him apart.” 

Bradley shook his head. “He’ll make it.” 

You nodded before another contraction started and your face scrunched up in pain, fingers tightly gripping the white hospital bed sheets. 

“What do I do?” he whispered, panicked. 

“Give me your hand,” you groaned and Bradley stood up, inching toward the bed and you reached out, taking his enormous hand into yours, bearing down until you heard him choke back a muffled yelp. 

When it was done, you let go, panting, and Bradley shook out his hand. “Fuck, you should enter arm wrestling contests, Smalls,” he chuckled. 

“Sorry.” Your voice wobbled and Bradley caught it immediately.

“Hey.” Bradley wrapped his arms around you from behind, his lips pressing a small kiss onto your temple. You started to cry, softly, as Bradley held you in his arms. “You’re doing so good, Nat. You’re a fucking superstar.” 

You sagged in Bradley’s arms. He was the best replacement for Jake that you could think of, but he wasn’t the real thing. Once your tears dried, Bradley pulled away and sat back down on the chair. 

“If he couldn’t be here for this part,” Bradley said softly. “I’m really glad I get to be.” 

Bradley leaned down and took your hand, pressing a kiss to the back and you giggled. “Don’t make me cry again, please.” 

He shook his head. “Never.” 

***

The sun was setting by the time Cassie, Ellie and Bob returned. You had progressed to seven centimeters. Bradley had quickly stepped into the partner role, rubbing your shoulders, whispering positive affirmations in your ear through the contractions. 

“How you doing, babe?” Cassie asked. 

“I’m fine,” Bradley replied and she shot him a look. “I meant Nat.” 

You and Bob laughed. Bradley grinned sheepishly. 

“I’m fine, guys,” you said. “Hey, El, how are you?” You patted the bed and she slid onto it next to you, one hand on the bump. You looked up. “Do you guys mind leaving us alone for a minute?” 

They nodded and left the room. You stroked Ellie’s hair softly. 

“Ellie,” you said quietly. She looked up at you. “I just want you to know that your daddy and I love you very much. I know it’s going to be a big transition to have a little brother, but nothing is going to change in terms of how much we love you. Does that make sense?” 

She nodded. “I know.” 

“We’re still going to do all of our own special things,” you whispered with a smile. “Getting our nails done and going to the beach to eat ice cream. That’s all you and me, kid.” 

Ellie’s hand flattened against your stomach. “What are you going to name him?”

You and Jake hadn’t been able to settle on a name. It had been a long debate over the last nine months. “What name do you like?” 

She thought about it for a minute. “I like Henry.” 

You paused and looked down at her. It was perfect. “I like Henry, too,” you said and Ellie beamed. “Let’s ask your dad when he gets here, OK? But if he’s OK with it, so am I.” 

“When’s daddy getting here?” 

You shook your head, arm tightening around her middle. “I don’t know, baby. I wish I knew.” 

“I hope he gets here soon.” 

“Me too,” you said. “Or else your Uncle Bobby is coming into the delivery room with me and that might scare him too much.” 

“Can I come in?” Ellie asked. 

“I don’t think you want that, honey,” you laughed. “Wait until you have a baby, if you want one. I think it’s something you only need to experience, not view.” 

She nodded. “OK.” 

Just then, another contraction hit and you winced. The monitor started to beep. Ellie quickly unfurled herself from the bed and stood up. 

“Should I get Aunt Cassie?” 

You nodded. “Yes, please, honey.” 

Ellie tossed open the door and ran out into the hall. You clutched your stomach and grimaced, a few tears sliding down your cheek. You hadn’t wanted to do this alone, without Jake. 

The day you found out you were pregnant, you simply sat on the bathroom floor and cried. 

It was such a different experience from the time you had taken the pregnancy test in law school. Back then, you had been terrified it would be positive. You knew Sam was wrong for you. You knew your life would be uprooted. You wanted more for your child than the life you were willing to give them at that age. 

This time, it was different. You had Jake and Ellie and a life. You and Jake had talked about having kids, but in a casual way. Despite Ellie’s pleas to Santa for a little brother, the two of you had taken a lax approach to adding to your family. 

That’s why the two pink lines were such a shock. 

You couldn’t even stand when Jake knocked on the bathroom door and found you crumpled on the ground, back against the white wood cabinets. 

“Nat?” He rushed to where you were, took in the dampness of your cheeks. “Honey, what is it? What’s wrong?” 

You looked up at him. “I’m pregnant.” 

Jake’s jaw dropped. In a second, he was crouched in front of you, pulling you into his arms. “Oh my God, Nat,” he whispered against your hair. 

He pulled back, his green eyes on yours. 

“Are you happy?” he whispered. 

“Of course!” you said and Jake let out a sigh of relief, pulling you against him once more. 

“We’re having a baby,” he murmured, one hand stroking your back. “I love you so much.” 

***

The contractions were getting stronger. Bob’s hands rubbed circles against your back as you leaned forward with a grunt. 

“Where is he?” you cried, leaning back with a sob, your eyes filled with tears. It had been five hours since Bradley had spoken with Admiral Simpson. You had expected Jake to be there by now. 

“He’s on his way, Nat,” Bob whispered softly, taking a wet washcloth and pressing it to your temple. “I’m sure of it.” 

“I need Jake,” you sobbed, eyes screwed shut. Bradley and Cassie had taken Ellie out on a walk. She didn’t need to see this part of the labor. “I can’t do this without him.” 

“You’re doing great,” Bob said softly in your ear but you heard the pain in his voice. What he was trying so desperately to hide: he was afraid Jake wouldn’t make it, too. 

“I can’t!” you wailed. “I can’t do it without him.” 

“Nat, you have to,” Bob insisted, squeezing your hand. You looked at him through the tears. “You have to do this, whether he gets here or not. You’re strong, you can do it.” 

You leaned back, the contraction finally ebbing, and shook your head softly against the pillow. “Bobby, I can’t.” 

He leaned forward, his blue eyes glued to yours when the door opened. You both looked up eagerly, only to see the doctor. 

“How we doing, Natalie?” she asked sweetly and you let out a rough chuckle. 

“Awful, thanks Doc.” 

She laughed. “I know, but we have to ask. Alright, let’s check how things are going.”

Bob stayed near your head as the doctor sat down near your feet and checked your cervix. “You're eight centimeters,” she said. “Doing really nicely, Natalie. It’s going to happen soon, now. Could be half an hour, could be two hours. I’ll come back to check on you in thirty minutes but the nurse will be in around fifteen minutes from now.” She stopped and patted your hand. “You’re doing great.” 

Once the nurse was out of the room, you leaned back and dissolved into tears. Bob held your hand in his, stroking it gently with his thumb. 

“Do you want me to get Cassie?” he whispered. 

You shook your head. “No. Please don’t leave me.” 

Bob squeezed your fingers. “I promise.” 

The door swung open again and you turned, expecting the nurse. 

A full sob left your lips as you locked eyes with Jake. 

Jake rushed to the bed, wrapping his arms around you, kissing your head repeatedly like he was trying to convince himself you were real. “Baby, honey, I’m so sorry. Nat, I’m so sorry. I got here as fast as I could.” 

He pulled away, tears streaking down his face. Your fingers reached out to lace around his arm and you pulled him back closer, his lips locked on yours. 

“I love you,” he murmured, one hand reaching out to stroke your belly. “I’m so sorry I didn’t get here sooner.” 

“You’re here now,” you said, shaking your head. “That’s what matters.” 

Jake looked down at you, wiping his eyes. Then he looked across the bed at Bob. “Bob,” he said, walking around the edge of the bed and pulling the other man into a tight hug. You watched as Jake shook as he teared up in the embrace and when they pulled apart you thought you saw tears in Bob’s eyes as well. “Thank you, for everything,” he said softly. “It’s more than I should have ever asked.” 

Bob shook his head and looked at you. “You don’t have to thank me.” 

You sat up and Bob approached the bed. You pulled him into a hug the best that you could, your fingers soft against the back of his head. “Thank you, Bobby,” you whispered.

“Of course,” he said softly, squeezing your hand as he backed away from the bed. Jake gave him a pat on the back as he rounded the bed, headed out the door. “I’ll let Cass, Brad and Ellie know you’re here.” 

“Thanks, Bob,” Jake said softly. He returned back to his spot at your side, hands traveling all over your body: your hair, your arms, rubbing your back, one hand resting on your belly, gold wedding band catching and glinting with the overhead fluorescent light. Jake sighed. “Thank God I didn't miss it. It’s all a blur, baby. One second I was on the ship and then they called me in and said you were in labor and they were lifting me out and I blacked out. I just remember running to my cabin to pack my bag and then running through the hospital doors.” He looked down at his green flight suit. “I’m a little underdressed for the birth of our son.” 

You chuckled, just as another contraction started to rip through your abdomen. You hunched forward with a grunt, and Jake placed his hands on your shoulders, whispering to you. 

“You got this, honey. You’re so strong. Take a deep breath, baby.” 

A small tear slipped out of your eye as you leaned back against Jake. He was so solid. You could do this now. “It hurts, Jake,” you moaned. 

“I know it does, baby,” he said and you could see the pain in his eyes. How much it hurt him to watch you in agony. He rubbed your belly gently. “I’m so sorry.” 

You shook your head, the contraction dying down. “It’s OK, you’re here now.” 

The door swung open and a nurse sauntered in, eyes trained on Jake. “Oh,” she said. “You must be Dad, then.” 

You nodded. “This is my husband, Jake.” 

She gave him a long look and then smiled at you. “Now I see why you wanted him around. Although the guy who was in here earlier was cute, too.” 

You laughed through the pain. She lifted the sheet and peered between your legs before looking back up at you. 

“Alright, Natalie. Are you ready to have a baby?” 

You glanced at Jake. His eyes were glued on you. You smiled. “Let’s do it.” 

***

They didn’t call it the ring of fire for nothing. 

You had your legs pulled back, fingers tight beneath your knees. You dropped back against the pillows, sweating, and turned your head to the side to look at Jake. He wiped at your forehead with a towel and smiled. 

“You’re doing great, baby,” he whispered. “I’m so proud of you.” 

You shook your head. “One, Jacob. We’re having ONE baby. This is it, sir.” 

The nurses and your OB laughed near your feet and Jake grinned, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “One is plenty, sweetheart.” 

Another pain slammed into your side and you hunched forward with a yelp. 

“Alright, Natalie,” your doctor said, her head just barely visible past your belly. “It’s time to push. Dad, you’re going to want to see this. He’s crowning.” 

Jake let go of your thigh and moved down, his eyes wide. He looked up at you with a massive smile. “I see him!” 

“Great,” you gritted. “Can you tell him it’s fucking checkout time?” 

Jake laughed as you bore down with a scream, a truly guttural yell, and there was so much pressure you thought you were going to break in two until you saw Jake’s face light up. 

“That’s the head,” the doctor said. “Take a breath and then give me another push, Natalie. Ten seconds.” 

Jake scrambled back to his place near you, his hands on your leg, and you sobbed, shifting forward, giving it your all. “That’s my girl,” he whispered into your temple. “You got this, baby.” 

And then there was relief. And a cry. 

You looked down as the doctor held up a squirming baby. 

Your son. 

He opened his mouth wide in a shrill cry and you started to cry as the doctor lifted him into the air, placing him on your chest. You looked up at Jake as he cut the umbilical cord. 

“Henry,” you said softly and Jake looked at you with tears in his eyes. 

“Henry?” 

You nodded, stroking his tiny arm with your finger. “Ellie and I decided before you got here. Hope that’s OK.” 

Jake smiled. “It’s perfect.” He leaned over and pressed his lips to yours. “I love you.” 

You were so caught up with the tiny, wiggling, perfect baby in your arms that you forgot to respond for a moment. 

“Hi Henry,” Jake whispered softly. “Your mama and I are so happy to finally meet you.” 

You broke down in tears, cradling Henry to your chest, Jake’s arm wrapped around you, the three of you with your heads pressed together. When you pulled back, you reached out a finger and wiped at Henry’s cheek gently. “Hi honey,” you murmured. “It’s mama.” You looked up at Jake with a smile. “Thanks for waiting for everyone to get here to start the show, little man.” Jake chuckled softly next to you, one hand rubbing circles on your back, the other resting gently on Henry. 

“We love you so much, sweetheart,” you murmured to the now quiet baby on your chest. 

You closed your eyes for a split second. And when you opened them again, you watched the way Jake was gazing at his son. You wanted to memorize that look for the rest of your life. Keep it in the back of your mind forever. You’d never get enough of it. 

Jake smiled at you once he caught you staring. “You did so good, pumpkin,” he said, lips pressed to yours. “I’m so proud of my girl.” 

***

The doctor and nurses took Henry away to get him cleared up, and Jake helped you get changed and cleaned up. 

“I’m going to go get Ellie,” Jake said as you sat with Henry asleep in your arms.

A few minutes later, the door eased open and you looked up. Ellie’s hand was slotted into Jake’s, and he led her to the bed slowly. 

“Ellie, meet your brother Henry.” 

Her eyes flashed brightly and she looked at you. “Henry?” 

You nodded. “I think it fits, don’t you?” 

Ellie stepped closer to the bed. You nudged the baby in her direction. 

“You can touch him gently,” you said and she reached out a small hand, stroking his tiny one. Henry squirmed and Ellie pulled away. “It’s OK,” you said softly. “You’re doing great, honey.” 

She nodded and reached back out, slowly petting Henry’s head. “He’s so small,” she said quietly. 

You and Jake chuckled. “Yeah, he is,” Jake said. “You were this small once, too, peanut.” 

“What’s his middle name?” Ellie asked. 

You looked up at Jake. “Well, your dad and I hadn’t actually discussed it, but I like Jacob.” 

“Like daddy?” 

You nodded. “Exactly.” 

“I like it,” Ellie said, her eyes glued on Henry. She slid one finger over his hand and he grabbed it reflexively and she giggled. “He has my finger!” 

Jake put his hands on Ellie’s shoulders. “You ready to be a big sister, El?” 

She smiled up at him. “I love him already.” 

“Us too, baby,” Jake whispered, leaning down and kissing the top of her head. 

The three of you stared at Henry for a little while longer, Ellie’s tiny laugh filling the room as she shook hands with her baby brother. 

“OK, kid,” Jake said softly. “Let’s go get your aunt and uncles, OK? Let them meet their new nephew.” 

Ellie grinned and headed for the door. 

“Be right back, sweetheart.” 

And then it was just you and Henry, again. He looked like Jake, as much as a baby could look like anything. You knew he would grow up and charm everyone. You wanted him to grow up to be the kind of man his father was. To be the kind of person you had fallen so hard and fast for. 

You couldn’t wait to watch everything he would do and all that he would become. 

“Knock knock.” Cassie slid the door open slowly, her eyes wide. Bradley and Bob followed on her heels, along with Jake and Ellie, everyone filing into the room in a single line. Cassie wrapped one arm around your shoulder, leaning down and brushing a finger over Henry’s face. “Well, aren't you handsome?” 

“This is Henry Jacob Seresin,” you said with a smile. “Henry, meet your Auntie Cassie, your Uncle Bradley and Your Uncle Bobby.” 

They were all crowded around the bed. Looking up, your heart swelled as you watched these people who had become such an integral part of your life gaze down at the newborn in your arms. 

“Can I?” Cassie asked and you nodded, carefully transferring Henry into her arms. She cooed at him softly, sitting on the edge of the bed. “He’s perfect,” she whispered. “You guys did good.” 

“It was all Nat,” Jake said. “She’s a superhero.” 

You leaned back against the pillows. “When it’s your turn, Cass, get the epidural. I don’t care what anyone says.” 

She laughed gently. “Never a doubt in my mind, sweetheart.” Across the edge of the bed, you caught Bradley with tears in his eyes. Cassie must have noticed it too, because her face morphed. “Brad, honey?” 

He sniffled and pushed the tears away. “You’re a natural.” 

Cassie grinned. “Do you want to hold him?” 

Bradley shook his head. “Later. I’m enjoying the view a little too much right now.” 

“Ew,” Ellie said and Jake laughed. 

To your left, you felt Bob’s hand come down on your shoulder, his fingers squeezing you briefly. “How are you?” he asked quietly. 

“I’m good,” you whispered. “Thank you, Robert.” You paused. “Do you want to hold your godson?” 

He looked down at you with surprise and then over to Jake who nodded. “Godson?” 

“If you’ll accept,” you said. 

Bob nodded feverishly. “Of course. Yes.” 

Jake chuckled, approaching Cassie and carefully lifting Henry out of her arms. You watched as Jake seamlessly crossed the room with his newborn son in his arms, smiling down at the baby, before gently laying him in Bob’s outstretched hands. Jake helped him cradle Henry’s head, the rest of his body resting carefully in his long, strong arms. 

Bob gazed down at Henry with a mystified look that you recognized all too well. It was the way you sometimes caught Jake looking at Ellie. It was unfiltered adoration. Genuine and absolute happiness. 

***

Bradley and Cassie had gone back to their house after you finally shooed them away, taking Bob with them. They promised to return first thing in the morning with breakfast. 

Jake had taught Ellie how to hold Henry as the two sat on the couch across the room. She treated him like a porcelain doll, and you thought you might never get tired of watching the way she gazed at him. Or the way Jake looked at the both of them. 

It was late, and you had barely slept for going on twenty-four hours. But somehow, the adrenaline coursing through your veins made you forget that fact. 

So when Jake and Ellie fell asleep on the couch, Ellie curled into her father’s chest, one of his large hands wrapped around her back, holding her close, you couldn’t help but stare at them. How perfect they looked. 

And when Henry began to fuss where he sat in your arms, you shushed him quietly, rocking him gently until he was lulled back to sleep. 

It almost terrified you, how much you loved the three of them. More than you had realized was even possible. 

Holding your newborn son in your arms, watching your husband and daughter — you had officially adopted Ellie the day after the wedding — sleeping peacefully across the room, you felt truly whole for the first time in your life. 

You closed your eyes and thanked God it wasn't just a dream.

THE END 

A/N: This is the end, folks! Thank you so much for reading this series, I have absolutely adored writing it. I'm definitely happy to revisit Jake, Natalie, Ellie and Henry's lives in the future for drabbles down the road! xx

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[bl00dst41ned]

*.·:·.✦ catering day ✦.·:·.*

pairing: jude bellingham x female oc (Ryan)

summary: in which it’s time for Nugget to fully move in in the house and her owners go a bit over the top

author's note: part one here, read it for content. requested by @hummusxx, delivered by me. also some things might not make sense, so like J.Lennon said, imagine. enjoy besties !

warnings/content: a very obsessed Jude, fluff, fluff and more fluff (since I love cute relationships)

word count: 839

The sun was rising, waking Madrid up. On a normal day, Jude and Ryan would have woken up way later and lazed around the house, crushing their screen time. But today was different. Jude had woken up at the crack of dawn, getting ready for the excited day he and his girlfriend were about to have.

“Ray” He softly sang in her ear, his breath tickled her neck making her scrunch her face in her sleep. “Ryan”

“You sound like a serial killer” Ryan mushed his face away, rubbing her eyes open. She wrapped her arms around him hugging him tightly as he left multiple kisses on her neck.

They stayed in this position for a few minutes, Jude almost falling asleep from his girlfriend sweet touch. She ended up letting him go and getting up from the bed.

“Jude, it’s 6 in the morning, why would you wake me up?” She was already on her way back to bed before he quickly grabbed her arm.

“We have to take Nugget to the vet at 9”

Jude had taken it upon himself to book an appointment at the veterinarian, finally putting his few spanish lessons to use. Which surprised Ryan, since he would not try to speak for his life.

The two had gotten ready, now in the car on their way to the vet. While Ryan kept her eyes on the road, Jude kept his on Nugget, his index finger rubbing his growing fur. Ryan took few glances at them and appreciating him bonding with his new pet.

Nugget had been at their house for two days now. Jude stayed glued to it most of the time not even letting Ryan take care of him unless he had practice. They tried to feed it the best they could even buying a syringe so that it was easier but they wanted to give their pet the best care.

Once they arrived at the vet, they waited a few before entering the office. The doctor examined Nugget, trying to determine its age, give appointments for his vaccins and scan it for a microchip. They found out that Nugget was actually a female, was only one week old and probably stayed outside for two to three days. He gave them a brand for cat milk to improve her growth before letting them go. Ryan and Jude left the veterinarian, Nugget stuffed in her box.

………………………..

Jude drove the cart through the pet shop, Ryan’s arm wrapped around his bicep as the couple walked through the aisle. Jude basically wanted to put everything in the cart, Ryan trying to be responsible even though she too wanted to buy the whole place.

She scrolled through her Pinterest looking for ideas as Jude complimented everything.

“Can we create her a little room in our mhouse?” He asked with a wide smile after seeing a picture on her phone.

She gave in, finding it very cute too. They looked through the shop for her furniture. They picked up a green pastel sofa, covers, cushions, everything in mini size. Jude picked up way too many stuffed animals for Nugget showing it to the little animal even though her eyes are still closed.

“Jude, Nugs can not see” Ryan broke his happy bubble making him snap his head towards her, mugging her.

“This is between me and Nugget, mind yours”

He went back into a conversation with his now bestfriend as Ryan looked through essential stuff.

“Look at this collar” She pointed to a baby blue one with clouds.

It only took a second for them to decide to take it with them.

………………………..

They ended up checking out, leaving with a full cart. At home, they immediately choose a bright and calm space in their living room to install her mini room. And they took it very seriously. Ryan drew a sketch of the space, calculating the space with her actual and future size+ while Jude did all the furnishing. Once they were done, they put the final touch, Nugget’s shoe box. Since she seemed to enjoy it, Jude and Ryan agreed to give their shirt for it to become her cover.

“Seems right to me”

They admired their work before looking around at their house.

“We should think about decorating our place too” Jude spoke, pointing at their lack of furniture.

They recently moved in, but did not take the time to buy furniture. Boxes were all around the rooms since they didn’t even had any cabinet to put their stuff into.

“Yeah” Ryan dragged, not motivated at all “Maybe another day”

As they did since they’re together, one’s laziness caused the other’s. The two decided to spend the night watching their signature movie, Paddington, Nugget layed on Ryan’s lap, after an eventful game of rock, paper scissors.

They treated Nugget like their child, spoiling her with everything to give her the warmest home. Nugget’s life had not started easily, making them want to cater her. With her addition, they have now become a family.

like and repost (hope you enjoyed it)

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[do-it-jakey-baby]

Dreams in Ink

Danny Wagner x f!reader

Synopsis: Danny has booked in to get his third tattoo with a very sentimental reason behind it.

Warnings: mentions of needles, tattooing

A/N: This was a special request for one of my pookie’s birthdays!! HBD my gorge baby g, this one’s for youuuuu. 🎂🫶🏻

Today was the day.

Even though he’d done this twice before, the nerves still gnawed away at him. But what better way to commemorate playing at the Royal Albert Hall than getting a new tattoo? He and his brothers had dreamed about this moment since the inception of Greta Van Fleet, and now it was actually happening. So many years had been spent preparing for this very moment, they were all truly grateful for the opportunity and determined to make it a night to remember.

The band’s assistant had taken care of the booking, Danny explaining what he wanted and letting her do her thing. She’d found a cute little studio, not too far from their hotel. All he needed to do was show up, which alleviated some of the stress of the experience they were about to embark on. The entire band loved being in London, the city was so vibrant and the fans were just as passionate as back home in the States.

Following his usual morning routine, he stepped out of the shower and took great care when it came to his bouncy curls. He’d learnt along the way to use a cotton t-shirt to dry them, plopping them on top of his head as he got ready for the day. He then raked his hands through the curls and applied a gel to set them, scrunching up through the ends to the base. Once he was happy with the form of his ringlets, he grabbed his room key and headed out. Usually, his brothers would tag along to the studio, but today they were all feeling the effects of the pub that they situated the evening before, so a member of the security team was his only company. They arrived at the studio five minutes early, Danny’s palms beginning to sweat with anticipation. A bubbly, bright eyed girl with long, blonde hair approached him as he walked in through the door.

“Hi there, do you have an appointment?” She smiled, showcasing her pearly white teeth.

“Hi, yes. Daniel Wagner, my appointment is at 10.”

“Fantastic, if you could just fill out this form for me and I’ll let Y/N know you’re here. She’ll be over to show you the design in a minute.”

Danny filled the form out and gave it back to the girl, then took a seat in the waiting area.

A few moments later, the tattoo artist made her way through the thick, forest green velvet curtains that separated the reception from the main studio. She was possibly one of the most beautiful women he’d ever laid eyes on, with her silky, mahogany hair and cherry red lips.

“Daniel, right?” She asked, squatting down in front of him with her iPad in hand.

“Uh, yeah. But you can call me Danny, if you like. Most people do.” He wanted to smack the heel of his hand into his skull, why was he getting so flustered?

“Ok, well hi Danny. I’m Y/N. I’ve got the design here, if you wanna have a look and let me know if it’s what you had in mind.” She flipped the screen around in her hands and held it out to him.

He’d chosen the outline of the Royal Albert Hall. It seemed fitting, given the importance that playing there held in his heart. He peered down at the screen, noting that the design was exactly what he’d hoped for.

“That’s perfect!”

“And we’re going on your wrist?”

“Yeah, please.”

“Fab! Ok then, I’ll get the stencil sorted and then we can get started.”

With that, she stood up and walked back through the curtain, the smell of her perfume wafting through the breeze as she moved past him. It was such an alluring fragrance, subtly sexy but warm. It reminded Danny of a summer night back in Nashville, sat around a campfire with a glass of whiskey in hand. It smelt like home. In fact, he’d been so fixated from it since the moment she’d left that he hadn’t even noticed his name being called.

“Danny? You ready? Not having second thoughts now, are we?” She chuckled. Oh god, her laugh was so musical, the sweetest melody.

“Yeah, sorry... Lost in thought.”

“Come on back, let’s get you stencilled up.”

He entered through the curtains with her, walking out into a relatively small, but homely studio space. There was another artist at work in their own booth, a partition dividing the two spaces for client privacy.

“Ok, so I’ve printed out three sizes, so if you take them over to that mirror and try them on for size. Once you’ve picked the size you like, I’ll pop it on for you.”

Danny approached the mirror and held the three sizes up to his arm, deciding on the smallest of the three. The artist then shaved his arm and applied the stencil solution, then pressed the stencil down onto his wrist. She carefully peeled it off, urging him to go and take one more look before she began. Happy with the size and placement, Danny laid down on the couch and extended his arm out to lay on the rest. She slipped into her latex gloves, then took a seat on her stool.

“You ready?”

“Yeah, a little nervous though. This is my third tattoo, but it’s still pretty daunting.” He let out a nervous laugh, which brought a smile to her face.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle.” She winks.

She dips her machine into the small pot of ink, then stretches the skin of his wrist between her finger and thumb. She leans in, her breath tickling along his skin, causing his breath to hitch right at the moment the needle makes contact. She pulls back, her eyes clapping onto Danny’s.

“Are you ok? Was that too much?”

“No, no. Sorry, carry on. I’m all good.”

She rubs her hand across his arm, trying her best to soothe his nerves. He can tell that she genuinely cares about her clients, which is incredibly endearing.

“As long as you’re sure. I can help take your mind off it if you want? Tell me why you chose the design.”

She goes back to her position and begins to etch the line work into his skin, giving him occasional reassuring glances and listening intently as he explains the meaning behind the tattoo.

“Well, me and my brothers are playing at the Royal Albert Hall tomorrow night. It’s been a huge dream of ours for the longest time, so it’s extremely sentimental.”

“Wow, you’re playing there? You must be pretty big, huh?”

“I guess you could say that.” He chuckles.

“Tell me about your band. It’s so cool that you’re getting to live your dream.” She grins.

“Well, I’ve known the guys for what seems like my whole life. They are blood brothers, but really we’re all brothers. They are my best friends, such an amazing bunch of guys. Sam was my best friend growing up, we were practically attached at the hip. Still are. Josh and Jake are twins, a few years older than Sam and I. Jake’s dream was always to start a band, so the rest of us just kinda went with it. Music has been such a big part of our lives, we’re so influenced by it. It great that we now get to influence people too.”

“Danny, that’s amazing! It sounds like you guys are really close, getting to do what you love with them must be so fulfilling.”

“Yeah, it really is. I get to travel the world with them, explore countries we’d have never got to see if it wasn’t for the band. We’ve actually just finished up the Europe leg of our world tour. Next stop is North America again, then we go onto Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.”

“Damn! Ok I’m gunna need to know the name of your band, sounds like I have some listening to do.”

“It’s Greta Van Fleet, but please don’t feel obliged!”

“If you’re good enough to tour the world, I’m sure you’re good enough for me.”

She finishes up the rest of the tattoo, wiping down his wrist with cooling green soap which is gratefully received.

“So, what do you think?”

“I love it, thank you so much. And thanks for chatting with me, it really did take my mind off it.”

“Anytime.” She gives him a sweet smile. “Here’s a sheet with some aftercare information on it. It was lovely meeting you, Danny. I hope the show goes well tomorrow.”

“Likewise, you made me feel so comfortable today. It really was a pleasure, Y/N.”

She blushes slightly, then composes herself, running her hands through her hair.

Fuck it. Here goes nothing…

“I’m sorry if this is too forward, in fact please don’t feel like you have to say yes. But I had a lot of fun chatting with you, and I’m free this evening. If you don’t have plans, would you want to come out for a drink with me?”

She mulls it over for a minute, the cogs turning in her head.

“Yeah… sure. I don’t usually accept offers from clients, but something’s telling me you’re different. Here’s my business card, shoot me a text.”

Danny holds the card in his hand, looking down at it. He smiles, then looks back up.

“Great. I will. I’ll see you later? Thanks again for today.”

“Yeah, see you later, Danny.”

[slut4sturniolo]

𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 🖤.

𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭! 𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐟𝐟! 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭!𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭 𝐛𝐥𝐤 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥! 𝐬𝐨𝐟𝐭! 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭!𝐛𝐥𝐤 𝐟𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐭: 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐈𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐝, 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞.

。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・゜✭・.

the warm glow of the California sun beams in through the parted curtains in your bedroom. You wake up throat dry, you rubs eyes and look over to your left, Matt wasn't in the bed anymore. Curious you reach over to your night stand and pick up your phone, the screen lighting up the time reads 𝟗:𝟒𝟓 am. You know your boyfriend and he's never up at this time so where could he be.

before you could get up out of your shared bed the door to your bedroom opens, on the other side is a shirtless Matt standing with a light brown breakfast tray with food served on it carefully. He sees you about to get up and he shakes his head, "No, No baby lay down. I brought you some breakfast you can eat in bed," Matt says with a warm smile on his face as he walks the tray over to you carefully placing it over your lap in bed.

"Wow thank you so much! I can't believe you're doing this for me!" you say excitedly to Matt as you pick up her utensils and dig in. Matt wasn't Gordon Ramsay or anything but he did make a decent breakfast meal Matt watches you with a smile, the look on his face is a soft one as he loves seeing you enjoy your meal.

"While you finish your your breakfast i'm going to run us a hot bath and take you out in LA today because It's all about you girl," Matt says as he winks at you walking towards your shared bathroom.

Surprised at his statement you swallow your food, breakfast in bed, a hot bath, and a day out in LA? What did you do the deserve this treatment? Maybe the pussy was a little TOO good last night, you think to yourself as you giggle and finish up your breakfast.

~

Now in the bathtub together, Matt sits behind you with his arms wrapped around you. As the hot water and his arms embrace you, you lean back into his arms shut your eyes taking in everything. You guys have plenty of intimate moments but never one like this in the bathtub together, mainly the shower and your hair always ends up wet even though complain to Matt all the time that you can get it wet.

"I do have the start of our day planned out already, I've booked you a nail and toe appointment at your favorite salon with your nail tech. I know you've been wanting to get them redone so here I am to deliver," Matt says as he takes the white wash clothes and starts rubbing it against your body slightly massaging you.

"After that I want to stop by the jeweler and pick something up that I custom ordered. After that it's whatever you want because it's all about hot chocolate," Matt says kissing you on your neck as he starts washing you up.

"Mmm~ baby you just treat me so well what did I did to deserve you?" You ask him rhetorically as you turn around and peck him on the lips. He stops washing you up momentarily and he wraps his hand around her neck lightly kissing you back passionately. With things getting hotter than the water temperature Matt places his hands on your waist as he turns you around and straddles you on his lap the water sloshes around.

Bringing you in closer to him Matt takes his other hand and has it join his on your waist, you start lightly grinding up against his as your kiss breaks you tilt your head back a little as breathless moans escape your lips. Matt was sucking a hickey on the front of your neck marking his spot on your body. You wrap your arms around his neck and start running your fingers through his hair.

~

All dressed and ready you and Matt are now in your Black Escalade, buckled up with his hands on the wheels you and Matt make your way to your salon to your tech, as "Frank Ocean" plays throughout the escalade you and Matt lock hands lovingly as he drives his one hand on the wheels and the other in yours.

As you both make it to your nail shop you unbuckled your seat belt and grab your purse, Matt comes around to your side of the door quickly and opens it for you. Holding out his hand for you, you take it and step down giving him a kiss on the cheek. He shuts the door after you and pockets the keys. Your chosen outfit for the day is solid black leggings, a cream off white turtleneck short sleeve top, a leather jacket on top and black ugg slippers.

Inside your purse were some black chancel sandals that Matt gifted to you to celebrate your six month anniversary. As he takes your hand in his you guys walking into the shop together seemingly matching, with his solid plain white tee, gold chain around his neck, baggy black cargo pants, and light brown ugg slippers matching yours.

As you guys step inside the nail salon has get to get full yet, spotting your tech she smiles big at you as she walks to the door with a towel in hands drying them as she comes to greet you. Smiling you two do your greeting and she leads you to her station and gets to working her magic on your toes and hands.

With your nails and feet finally finished you call Matt over for the review of them and he absolutely loves them. Solid white toe acrylics and solid white nail acrylics, "They look gorgeous, they'll go great with your next gift," Matt says as he leans in and kisses your forehead. Leading up to pay for the service Matt leaves a generous tip for your tech as you get in the car and head to your next planned destination the jeweler.

~

Arriving at the jeweler you guys walk into together, you're greeted by a foreign man with a strong Italian accent. Him and Matt dab each other up and both you give them man a small hug with the side kiss on the cheek. He leads two the two of your to his table and reaches out from behind it pulling out a black velvet box.

As Matt takes the box in his hands he hands it to you and your heart stops, the box was too big to a be a ring so it had to be a necklace or a bracelet of sorts right? Your breath shaking  you open the box, taken away you place one hand over your mouth as tears flood into your eyes.

"Matty it's so fucking beautiful bro- thank you," you say through choked sobs.

Matt smiled and gently takes the box from you  and places the bracelet on your wrist, and he was right, it did go perfectly with the nails. You bring him into a passionate and quick kiss, as the two of you break apart and Matt finishes up business with the man you wipe the tears from your eyes as they slowly kept coming. The next part  was all on you and you KNOW exactly what you wanted to do.

𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐞.

And shopping spree you did, everything paid for by Matt. He kept his word and his made a day all about you, taking you to your favorite lunch spot after shopping all day, even taking you by the Mercedes-Benz dealership to spot a car you'd like for your upcoming birthday. All of that and just a beautiful drive around LA with him, after everything was over and done you two finally return back to your shared LA home.

As you unbuckle yourself you open up your car door this time, you had a LOT of stuff to get out the car even though it's a day about you didn't want Matt to have to carry all of your bags so you pitch in against his will of course. As the both of you carry your things upstairs you get there and stand in your doorway in awe.

On your accent table by the foyer you see a million roses bundled in a heart, and multiple Chanel bags. You hurry in giddy and set your bags down next to the accent table and go straight to the roses. There a beautiful dark crimson color, one of your favorites and next to them multiple items from Chanel one of your favorite brands to shop from.

As tears fill your eyes you look to Matt and place your hand on your chest, the tears still streaming down your face.

“I can’t thank you enough for ANY of this. Thank you baby you are the absolute best,” You say as you walk in to hug him and you give him a kiss on the lips.

He smiles and holds you in an embrace, kissing your cheek he looks at you and says; “That’s not all, go check the bedroom…”

Curious you walking towards your bedroom, as you get closer music seems to get louder and louder as you take a step closer, you listen more and more and you realize it’s “Let me love you” by Mario playing…..

It’s the song you sung at a karaoke night, the first time you saw Matt in person and you were star struck.

As you place your hand on the door knob you slowly turn it and open it to reveal the candle lit walk away with pink and white roses that lead to a bigger candle lit heart with the same roses inside. Inside that heart reads the words; “Marry me” completely speechless and stuck standing there you see Nick and Chris come from out of your closet and the Matt’s side of the bed both with cameras.

“W-what?” You say completely shocked and stunned at the cameras.

“Turn around and look Y/N” Nick says as he points behind you from the closet.

You turn around and you see Matthew down on one knee with a black velvet box. He smiles at your and asking you the question himself instead of in light up letters;

“Will you marry me Y/N?”

。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.・゜✭・.