#I haven’t finished chapter 8 yet but I’m close to the end and I just

[yaboy-miz]

…ok I see why people ship shadow milk with pure vanilla now

[mrs-livvy]

Me & You: Chapter 3

Author's Note: Finally got this out! Life events and work has taken over but, we're here! Let me know if you want to be tagged in!

Word Count: 6,711 {went a bit overboard....nah}

Warnings: Some sexual nature, if you squint. Minors do not engage. 18+ only {if not, do what ya want. Don't say I didn't warn you}

Tag Squad: @tallulahchanel @ranikyani @slvt4her

Previously | Prologue | Characters

Without further ado, here we go!!!

The next few weeks, close to a month, didn’t go as planned. Ronnie and Terry both had to reschedule their next dates multiple times, due to work conflicts. With Terry being a firefighter, his schedule was unpredictable just as Ronnie’s. She assisted on a few major surgeries, which also took up her time. But they managed to have phone dates instead. Total of 8 FaceTime dates, 2 dates a week, just of them both doing meals together and showing progress along the way. Even sending each other Uber Eats meals too.

Luckily today, on a crisp fall Wednesday, they had managed to set a date. Yet this morning it was not going in Ronnie’s favor. She had a flat tire, and had to get that fixed. Another car, a cyber truck to be exact, almost hit her. Which sent her into a rage but she managed to be calm after. Then she almost hit a squirrel. With all that mayhem, it didn’t get hit. How she got a flat tire was confusing to her the most because she was parked in her driveway. But by the graces of heaven above, she made it on time to work.

On one of her breaks, of a short 8 hour shift, she went back to the pictures her mom and dad sent her, at the age of 8. It was something they mentioned in a brief conversation over the phone with her parents in a joint call, how she and Terry knew each other, but she didn’t remember at all. The only thing she did remember was the fall she had at that age, but that was about it. Looking at the picture of her and a young Terry, in matching early 2000’s fits, and not a care in the world. Her mom said it was a field trip to the zoo.

“How did I not remember this?” Ronnie mumbled to herself, scrolling through the pictures. Gotta love technology to restore things. She was also told she had a diagnosis of dissociative amnesia. She was told it could come back at any point in time, and her memories flood in. Hearing her timer go off, breaking her concentration down memory lane, she had to get back to work. 

For what seemed like 30 minutes, it was about 7 1/2 hours into completing her shift, all the while trying not to trip and fall, she helped out with patients; setting up prescriptions, preparing doctors and the nursing wing made for a full day. She was looking forward to the day to end, as she finished her rounds.

“So, you have another date planned for today huh?” Denise asked curiously, looking up from the reception desk computer. “Where At? And how was the first one? We've been meaning to ask that.”

“Texas De Brazil, and It was fun. Haven’t had that much fun in a while, honestly.” Ronnie let out a boastful laugh, scrolling through her phone. While replying to messages from Terry. “We’ve been busy lately, you know? He's with the fire station and I’m busy here and with school. So we did FaceTime dates.”

“Mhm, I bet. Did you get a kiss in?” Denise, asked mostly cause was nosey, as she kept an eye out for the doctors.

“No we haven’t, and I don’t know when that’ll happen. I wanted to when we went to Main Event. But he's a gentleman, y'know?” With a slight shrug, Ronnie sighed in defeat and went back to her work notes. “It doesn’t help that I want to climb that man like a tree. I’m not that experienced but I wanted him to kiss me at least.”

Cynthia patted her on the shoulder. “With men you gotta be upfront. But I also get it. Y’all both don’t wanna overstep boundaries and are weary of one another.”

“Thank you.”

“But girl, somethings gotta give.” Cynthia adds in after finishing her last notes with another doctor. “You want that man? You go after him before some piranha sinks their teeth in.”

“She’s right, you know. It’s best to just get it over with.” Densie added. “I gotta meet with Kennedy to go over hairstyles for the wedding.  And then I’ll text yall about the dress colors.” As she gathered her belongings, she gave the girls a hug and left to accomplish her errands.

“Yes please, because I gotta figure out my hair.” Ronnie smiled with glee, while fiddling with her hair. “I gotta figure out what to do exactly about Terry.”

“You’ll figure it out soon. You’re off anyway, and have a date to prepare for in 2 hours. Get to it.” Cynthia shooed her away, causing Ronnie to sigh in mocking defeat.

“Fine. Fine, I’ll go.” She gathered her stuff as well and headed to her car, breathing a sigh of relief. Hoping her thoughts would be calmed, yet they never stopped. The more they talked, the more she dreamed of becoming intimate with Terry. It did help her itch a scratch she had finally satisfied on her own. But she also was not the only one who has been having these sorts of dreams.

-On the other side of town, around 1pm-

Going to the gym was a way for Terry to decompress and unwind, when alcohol wasn’t involved. It made his daily tasks as a firefighter, ease his tension and on the go nature. Finding a job after being a Marine for so long was a feat in itself, but he made due. 

Every now and then he’d have thoughts of Ronnie. She’d just randomly pop up in his mind. His dreams however, were much dirtier and seductive than he thought. 

During one of his bicep curl reps, he envisioned Ronnie and himself in a very compromising position.

~Dirty Thoughts Start Here~

The sounds of mixed moans; grunts, faint gasps and whines echoed in the room, as Terry was giving his all to Ronnie. Her nails dragged along his toned muscular back, enticing him to go deeper and harder. The room was lit up in a subtle candle lighting, with rose petals everywhere. The obscure sight of red lighting made the mood sexier. “Mmm Terry...” Ronnie let out a soft moan, moving her right hand to caress the back of his head, as he moved his hips slowly against hers. His soft full lips danced against her neck, planting kisses in various places. Sucking on her pulse, her left hand gripped his arm tightly. “Fuck, yes Terry. What are you doing to me?” He chuckled darkly a bit, moving his hips faster, and he leaned back. Admiring how much he has her disheveled. “Making you feel good, my love. But I need you to do something for me.” They both gave each other a half lidded look, full of lust and hunger. “I want you to ride me sweetheart. Can you do that for me?” With a slight nod from Ronnie, Terry moved slowly and laid back on the bed. Ronnie, feeling confident in herself, climbed up on him and saddled him with grace. Without warning, she slid down and earned a deep moan from the former marine. “Fuck, Ronnie. You feel so good baby.” His hands went directly to her hips, gripping her and guiding her movements to ride him. “You like that baby? You like how I’m gripping, and riding you like this?” She rotates her hips in a circle, and Terry was practically on the verge of screaming cause it felt too good. “Damn, mama. Why are you fuckin me like this?” He moaned out in pure bliss, hazy from the euphoria. His head tilted back against the satin pillowcase, “Because you deserve it Terrance.” She slipped her hand around his throat to test the waters, and he moved his hips up forward deeper into her. “You deserve it all, and then some.” Terry’s eyes rolled to the back of his head, and the echo of his name being called over and over again. Thinking it was l the goddess on top of him. “Terry…Terry.”

“Terry! Yo! Terry!” Calvin called out to Terry, grabbing the weight plate before it slipped. With a snap back into reality, Terry looked around confused. “What?” Catching his breath, and moving one speaker off his ear, he looked around a bit. 

“Bruh you good?” Tyler asked with a concerned look on his face. “You were about to drop one of the plates on Isaac’s foot.”

“Which I’m glad you didn’t. Because I don’t need my sister getting on to me again about weight lifting.” Issac chimed in with a smile. He couldn’t join the guys last time, due to his assistant teaching job at Evergreen. But he managed to tag along with James, who is Terry’s brother. 

Terry looked around at the group, full of confusion. “I’m sorry guys. I just got a lot on my mind.” With a deep sigh, he rubbed his face. “Been up early with the fire station and trying to figure out other stuff.”

He had to lie to them because all he could think about was Ronnie. Over the last few FaceTime dates, just talking to her and laughing with her, he couldn’t sleep. The familiar thoughts he had when they first met, all came flooding back. Little did he know, when they met at a football game, That wasn’t the first time they met.

“Other stuff, huh? Like what? Going on a date with Ronnie?” His brother James had let out a slight chuckle, while tapping up his hands to prepare for a spar session. “Last time I checked, you couldn’t fathom a sentence around her, when we were like 8. But now, you’ve gone on 4 dates with her.“

“I don’t know how you remember that, cause I don’t at all.” Terry’s well trimmed right brow arched in confusion at the sudden confession of a past memory he had now recollection of. “And it’s been 8, going on 9. Get your facts straight.”

“My mistake.” James raises his hands in defeat with a sly smirk. “Calvin, will just be your spar partner then, since you can’t take a joke.”

“You not finna get me beat up.” Calvin interjected, and stood by Donovan, Riley and Jeremiah who all let out a boastful laugh. “Terry said you’re sparing with him, that’s your brother.”

Isaac chimed in. “Better get it over with, before we tell Dannie you chickened out.”

“Please don’t tell that lady anything.” James groaned but smiled anyway. He loves his wife with all his being, but didn’t want her roasting him.   

“He’s right, you know.” Terry smirked and hopped in the boxing ring with his gear on. “Come on now, and get ya ass kicked pipsqueak.”

James groaned in agony and went into the ring to spar with the gentle giant. Going 3 rounds, 10 minutes each, and calling it a draw at the final bell. “Alright, alright. Times up. Hit the showers.” James folded and caused Terry to laugh in a boisterous manner.

“You’re right. Besides, I have a lady to pick up for our date. I’ll catch up with y’all later.” Waving them off, Terry headed to his truck to freshen up properly at home.

Upon arriving at home he decided to call his mom and mention what his brother had brought up. Low and behold there was an incident that happened when he and Ronnie were 8 and 9. They grew up together, met through their parents at the local neighborhood park. And one random day while playing, Ronnie fell out of a tree and Terry tried to catch her. Causing them both to fall and land on their heads.

Causing them to be in the hospital for a week. After all that happened, they were diagnosed with acute amnesia. But it got better over time as a whole. Later on in the same year, Terry’s dad had gotten a new job opportunity. Which had them move to another state for a while. They moved back to Texas when the kids were in high school and decided to have them all closer to family. The conversation went on for about an hour and a half.

“Well I guess that makes sense.” Terry sighed deeply and rubbed his face in confusion. “That would explain why I felt so close to her and I never realized it.” 

Dionne, Terry's mother, had chuckled gently. “It was a traumatic moment for us all Terrence. We didn’t know when you both would wake up. Luckily you both did.”

“So her parents have pictures of us together? In an album?” He asked curiously, while looking at the clock. He still had enough time before his date.

“Yes they should.” She added gently. “If not, I’ll ask her parents tomorrow to bring it over to the block party next week.”  

“That might just work.” Terry nodded a little, and then a notification popped up on his phone. It was from his dad. Upon opening it, he saw a picture of two little kids in matching outfits. It was him and Ronnie. “Dad sent a picture of us together at the state fair. I’m guessing he’s in the room with you.”

“Why yes he is.” She chuckled sweetly, glancing over at her husband, who was sitting on the couch not too far from her at their home. “Oh! That’s when Kathrine, Ronnie’s mother, had made you both matching dashikis. Oh it was so cute.” Mrs. Dionne sighed happily at the memory.

“Yellow and purple. It was her favorite color and mine.” His memory started to slowly come back to that day.  “Also because our dads are-“

“Que Dogs. Yup, that is correct. And her mother and I are line sisters of Alpha Kappa Alpha.” His mother added. “See, it’s coming back to you somehow.”

“Somewhat. But yes.” With a gentle smile, Terry got up from his couch in his condo, and headed towards his shower upstairs. In his primary bedroom. “Well, I thank you for the brief history lesson Ma. I gotta get ready to meet with the special lady.”

“Well, I am glad I got to help out a bit. It was only a matter of time before any of us could really explain.” She added, and signed sweetly. “Please tell her I said hello. Will you dear?”

“I will Ma, thank you. Love you.” 

“Love you too son.” She hung up and left Terry to his own devices and thoughts. Leading to a pleaser evening ahead.

“Lord, what am I gonna do with all this information?” Rubbing his face in confusion and happiness, he switched his gears to getting ready. “Anyway. Let’s get my mind and body ready.” 

After about 30 minutes to an hour, and a nice warm shower, he spritzed some of his favorite cologne and began rubbing the Shea butter in his hands to moisturize his body. Terry managed to keep himself well taken care of after he met Ronnie because she helped him get together. A sudden smile appeared on Terry’s face as the memory of Ronnie and her smile became visible in his head. He needed to get his head out of the clouds and focus but he didn’t want to.

Looking at his outfit he had laid out before him on his king sized bed; a black turtleneck long sleeve dress shirt, tapered black slacks and his black suede loafers. Next to the outfit was a jewelry box, and in the box was a double gold set Cuban link chain and a matching bracelet. The smaller necklace under the Cuban link was subtle enough for him to wear everyday. It was a gift from Ronnie for Terry, for passing his exams at the fire academy, for becoming a firefighter.

“This woman has been in my head since I got back into town. And she’s having me wear a gold chain.” A warm smile appeared on his face. “I’d say I’m the lucky one.”

Putting on his Invicta Watch, as final touch, he checked himself out one last time before heading to the truck to pick up Ronnie. The drive wasn’t so long, about 20 min to her house. To say he wasn’t nervous would be a lie. Something about Ronnie made his heart jump, amongst other things. The tension he felt when he was around her, was like no other. Looking over at the sunflower and roses bouquet he had for her, something I remembered her saying she loved during one of their FaceTime dates, he knew he had to get it right.

Parking the truck in front of her house, bouquet in hand, he made his way to the front door. “I hope this goes well.” He mumbled to himself as he rang the doorbell. 

Upstairs, Ronnie had finally put on her small gold hoops and checked herself out in the mirror. “Coming!” She called down. 

Putting on the final touches, she gave herself a once over. She had on a fitted long sleeve black sweater dress that hit her at the knees; a small gold Invicta watch on her left wrist; a small matching necklace and a few gold stack bracelets on her right wrist. “I shouldn't have picked this dress.” She mumbled to herself because the dress itself showed off her curves like nobody’s business. She was all natural too and tried to hide it a lot.

“You know what? Fuck it, lets do this. This is your season Veronica. You got this.” With one final pep talk, she slipped on her gold Louboutins heels, a graduation gift from Terry, grabbed her small bag that held her essentials, and headed downstairs. Opening the door she was met with a tall well dressed Terry, with a bouquet of her favorite flowers. He looked at her and his heart stopped. He wasn’t sure what to do as his voice was caught in his throat. 

“Veronica, you look amazing.” He was able to muster, as a sweet smile graced his face. The way his body was reacting to the sight before him, was not needed at the moment. He handed her the flowers in a sweet gesture. 

“Oh Terrence, these are beautiful.” Smelling them gently, she smiled at him. “You remembered.” He hadn’t heard her say his full name like that in years. She hadn’t heard anyone say her full name either. Which made it sound like honey coming from. Even now, her body was betraying her too. The pool of heat between her thighs formed and she shifted slightly. This was going to be a long night.

“Only the best for the queen. And was this on purpose with the matching?” Terry had asked with a raised brow in question, with a smirk. “And I see you’re wearing your graduation gift too.” The thought crossed his mind at the thought of having said heels up by his head. He needed to get his thoughts straight.

Looking down at her own outfit and then up at his, with a smirk herself. “Nah. I just like black because it’s slimming.” With a slight shrug, she sat the flowers down on the side table by the couch, grabbed her coat and locked the door behind her. “And I see you wearing one of the necklaces and bracelet sets I got you. It suits you.” The way she envisioned grabbing the chain itself to pull him down to kiss her, was very vivid.

“Thank you. Alright, let’s go have dinner. Ladies first.” He gestured for her towards his truck, and she walked in front of him. Just see what she kept hiding from everybody. The curves were dangerous on this woman and he wanted to hold and grab them so bad. “Damn. That’s what you’ve been hiding from me? You’ve gotta show it off more often, sugar.” And there it was. The slight southern accent he kept hidden.

“Hush up and get the door, Terry.” Ronnie felt her face heat up a bit from embarrassment, tucking a curl behind her ear. “Yes ma’am.” He chuckled and opened the truck door for her, helping her inside, then jogged a bit to the other side to head to their destination.

“I can’t help it that you look good, mama. Like really good.” Giving her a quick glance as they drove to the restaurant. “Why do you hide yourself the way that you do?” The question hung like a crystal chandelier. It was the question that Ronnie always asked herself. 

“As cliche as it may sound, I’m not exactly like other women that get praised a lot.” With a deep sigh, she looked out the window as the raindrops danced on it. Ever since she was little, from what she could recall, she was teased for being taller than everyone else. Along with having a darker complexion than others and being curvy. Being curvy her whole life was never a curse but just hindered her greatly. 

Nobody wanted her for her mind and personality, just for her body. Hence why her and Christian didn’t work out at all. He just wanted sex and that’s not what she wanted. Upon arriving at the restaurant, in his mind Terry was just boggled by the fact that she never felt like herself. Let alone made herself feel good. He wanted to make it his mission to make sure she felt like the queen that she is.

“Give me your hand.” Parking the truck in a good spot at the restaurant, Terry held Ronnie’s hand and looked directly into her eyes. Pools of green and blue, made contact with dark brown and hazel. The pulse of electricity danced between them as the sudden moment felt relaxing in comfort. “I may have been gone for a bit but, I do know for a fact that Veronica Dupree is the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“Terry…” Ronnie’s voice hitched in her throat, as she took in the words. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.” 

“I hope so, cause you deserve everything and then some.” Helping her out the truck, he held her hand and didn’t wanna let go.

Over dinner they discussed their busy schedules and what’s been going on lately. Family events and such, including the upcoming block party for his parents. 

“I remember you asking me to braid your hair before you left for the Marines.” Ronnie chuckled a little, before eating a bite of her salad from the salad bar. “I didn’t know what I was doing but it looked good.”

Terry smiled and nodded, just admiring her beauty as a whole. The woman before him was a marvel to behold. “I remember that too. You knew exactly what you were doing, don’t downplay yourself.” 

“Aight, aight. Fine. Yes I do know a thing or two about braiding.” Ronnie smiled back and took in the scene before her. This gentle giant of a man, dressed in black and gold accents, wanted to be on a date with no one else but her. And that scared her a bit because she didn’t want to lose him to her own insecurities. That’s what she feared the most and what happened last time, hence why she’s kept herself guarded so much. 

Yet with Terry, she felt a bit different with him. She could be herself around him and have no regrets. The days and nights she dreamt of him, only made her want him more. The way his eyes crinkle when he laughed and smiled. The way his dimples would appear just by a slight smirk. His face was truly sculpted by the Gods themselves. Her wet dreams didn’t help at all, especially since she’s front and center looking at his lips. Those full lips that she wanted on every winch of her body so desperately, she would have to beg him to kiss her. Don’t get her started on his body. It was making her want to drag her nails down his back, making it up for him to remember her by. Every time he’d look at it, he would know it was because of her. She wanted to mark her territory so badly but there read one issue with that; she wasn’t as experienced as other women. She didn’t trust anyone to take her virginity, and made the commitment to keep it that way till she was ready.

For Terry when it came to Veronica, he’d move hell and earth to get to her. The way he craved her like a starving man in the Sahara was unimaginable. The way he looked at her as well was like a hungry lion ready for a hunt. His own dreams weren’t as bad as one seemed, they were sultry and seductive. He likes to take his time with things and in said dreams he took his time in his head with Ronnie. He wanted nothing more than to make her feel good and come undone by him and him alone. He wanted her desperately but on her own terms. He was entranced by how her features made her look like a cat, graceful and agile. Her curves were hidden a lot but, left a lot to imagination, he wanted to grip her tightly. The feeling of his hands on her body were what he craved the most. He just needed the signal from the lady herself.

They both didn’t know if now would be a good time to bring up the pictures their parents sent them. But Terry felt like going first.

“Now you’re looking at me like a lion in heat.” Ronnie spoke in turn, taking him out of his daze. “You good over there, Mufasa?” Mentioned his nickname, he chuckled. There was that sexy ass smirk he loved seeing on her face, breaking his concentration. He wondered what other faces she’d make while on top of her. 

“Uh yes I’m fine Sarabi. Just fine.” Returning the smile back to her, and the nickname he gave her, she bit her bottom lip in desire. “You mentioned earlier that you needed to tell me something important over dinner. What was it?”

“Ah yes.” Back to the matter at hand, Terry proceeded. “I know this may be random but according to my parents, we’ve met before. As in before the time we met at the football game.” His nerves were getting to him, his right foot was jittery. 

Ronnie looked up from her plate that contained several pieces of steak and some veggies. Giving him a reassuring look. “Oh? How could that be?” She knew what he was talking about. She didn't know how to come out with her photos.

“Something about us falling out of a tree, and being in the hospital for about a week. Diagnosed with dissociative amnesia.” He proceeded.

“Which can improve over time, with medication or helpful moments to regain the memories.” Looking at him with undivided attention, she held his hand this time. Rubbing the back of it with her thumb. “I know. I didn’t know how to bring it up to be honest with you.”

“So you know too, but not fully.” Terry sighed slightly, giving her assured smile. “Well looks like we gotta go down memory lane together, huh?”

“Looks like it. But I don’t mind at all.” Returning the smile, Ronnie sighed in content. “I need to run to the ladies room real quick, I’ll be back.” Without thinking, Ronnie planted a kiss on his cheek, before heading to the restroom to freshen up.

Leaving Terry at the table to gather his thoughts, and bush a bit like a freshly picked Gala apple in the fall. “Ok Richmond. Time to put your plan into action.” Breathing in and out deeply, he got the attention of their waitress to select a dessert and write a special message on the plate. “I hope this goes well.”

After freshening up a bit along with collecting her thoughts, and letting the girls know in the group chat how things are going, Ronnie went back to the table and was met with a surprise. “Terry, what is this?” Little rose petals all on the table, a few tea candles lit up and just a smiling Terry with love in his eyes.

“Veronica. I know we’ve only been going on dates for a month but, we’ve known each other for years. Well technically it seems like our whole lives. I’m willing to go down memory lane with you, if you are with me.” He began, holding her hand and loved her reaction to seeing the chocolate cake slice appear in front of her. In chocolate syrup on the plate, was written 'Be My Girlfriend?’ With her heart beating practically out of her chest, she gave him a teary eyed look.

No one has ever gone through this much just to date her. She felt like she was in a fairytale. She could say she was in love with him but she didn’t want to jinx it too early. So, will you?” Terry asked with a soft tone, with hope in his eyes. He’s never felt this way about anybody before and this was huge for him. To say he was in love was an understatement, but he didn’t wanna jinx it either. Ronnie gave him a soft nod yes. “Yes. Yes I will.” The pair hugged tightly and the restaurant cheered happily for them. Even though it was just a small proposal to be boyfriend and girlfriend. 

Of course she dove into the cake with ease and no regrets. “I’m shocked you remembered one of my favorite cakes.” Ronnie smiled with happiness and bliss. 

“How could I not? You had something similar, on our 3rd date at the diner at 5th and Harvard. Before I left for the Marines.” Terry smiled back.

Offering a nod with ease and prowess, Ronnie just smiled at him and offered to share the cake slice.

After enjoying the dessert and walking around a bit to enjoy the scenery, Terry dropped Ronnie off at home. Walking her to her door, he was still nervous. Why? Because he wanted to kiss her so bad. He was craving some sort of touch from her other than hand holding.

“I’m hoping it does go well.” His voice was soft and tender, just enough for them both to hear. Standing at her door, all anxious about what to do next. The energy pulled them both closer than expected, nose to nose touching gingerly. Along with the feel of need and want radiating. “I’ve been wanting to kiss you, since I got back into town.” Terry spoke just above a whisper, placing his hand gently on her face. Rubbing her cheek with his thumb.

“I’ve been wanting you to, for a very long time.” Ronnie bit her bottom lip, looking at him cautiously. Her back against her door, looking directly into his eyes. Her heels helped with the matching height. Not knowing what his next move would be. “Don’t keep me waiting this time.”

With a devious smirk on his face, he pulled her in closer by her waist,  for a kiss that was needed more than anything. The kiss felt needed and desperate. Their lips fit together like a puzzle. A soft moan escaped Terry’s lips as Ronnie’s tongue teasingly danced across his bottom lip, to gain further access. He obliged her, giving her further leverage to deepen the kiss even more. He had to hold her hips still, to not rock against him so much because he wouldn’t control himself if the situation arose, to something else that neither of them were ready for just yet.

Her decorative rings on her fingers danced along his shoulders and laid on the back of his neck. The sheer force of lust pulling them forward towards each other, made her chest hit his in ecstasy. This kiss was wanted, this kiss was needed. This kiss was everything and then some.

Pulling back from each other, they both caught their breath. “Wow.” Ronnie felt her chest heave up and down, trying to regain focus. “That was um-”

“Something. That was something else.” Terry finished her sentence, smiling like a Cheshire Cat over at her. Causing Ronnie to feel her face heat up and turn a slight shade of red. “I don’t remember you kissing like that. Imma have to get that again later. If you don’t mind, that is.”

“Let’s see how the rest of this goes, Richmond.” Causing her to giggle sweetly. “I might give you another one.” Her whole body was radiating heat, from her head to her yellow painted toes. Wiping her lip gloss off his full lips, cautious to not have dirty thoughts.

“Well I better get going. I got an early shift in the morning.” Graciously kissing her again, he also placed a kiss on her head. “I’ll talk to you in the morning?” Terry made sure Ronnie was comfortable. Holding her hand in the process, causing more heat to form in between her legs. This man is something else. She thought to herself.

“Yes you will.” Stealing one more kiss from the gentle giant, she felt at ease. “Goodnight Richmond.” 

“Goodnight to you too, Dupree.” Terry made his way back to his truck, feeling 1000 lbs lighter and happier. Ronnie headed inside to get ready for her nightly shower and to get ready for bed.

“Oh my god, I gotta call the girls. Even if it’s late.” The realization hit Ronnie like a ton of bricks, as she slid down her bathroom door. She spent the next 2 hours talking to them about the date and how it all went. “Ok now, time to get ready for bed.”

“I just kissed Ronnie Dupree. Man oh man.” Upon making it home, Terry rubbed his chin and chuckled. “And what a kiss it was.” Making sure he had everything in place before going to bed, he set his alarm for 5am.

The next several hours of sleep for them both were of course, anything but normal. The wet dreams got more and more intense. Causing them both to wake up in night sweats, and heavy breathing. 

At the fire station, Terry was able to make time to call Ronnie on his break. She picked up without hesitation. “Well good morning Mr. Richmond.”

“Good morning to you too, Mrs. Dupree. I’m glad I could catch you this early in the day.” His smile was as bright as a megawatt lightbulb. He loved hearing the sound of her voice with her slight southern twang. “How’s your shift going so far? 

“I’m glad you could catch me. So far so good, nothing too hectic.” She glanced at her notes and sighed gently. She was nervous to ask him but wanted to anyway. ”There’s something I wanted to ask you actually and I hope I’m not being too forward.” Taking the conversation to her car, to keep folks from eavesdropping, she found what she was looking for, digging through her purse.

“Oh and what is that?” His curiosity intrigued him.

“I have the medical gala in Atlanta coming up, and I wanted to know if you’re free for a week to come with me. Seeing as though the block party/anniversary get together for your parents is tomorrow.” Looking at the prestigious invite in her hand for the event, she was nervous to just ask him.

Terry thought about it for a split second. A mini vacation with his lady didn’t seem too bad. Although it was for work purposes. “I think I can manage that. I have a lot of vacation hours anyway I need to use.”

Ronnie felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. “Great! I’ll send you the details and such tonight. Hoping we can have an inside date tonight.”

“Are you asking me out now?” Terry teased through the phone, causing Ronnie to laugh.

“Maybe I am. Unless you’re too busy for your girlfriend.” The smirk she had on her face was priceless. 

“Oh so you’re throwing that now.” Terry sighed happily with a laugh. “Only been one for 24 hours, and you’re already using your title proudly. Besides that’s what you told my ex at the mall a month ago, right? That you’re my boyfriend.”

“Oh of course. I hope my boyfriend uses his title proudly too.” Ronnie asked in a matter of fact tone, checking her timer for her lunch break to end.

Terry smiled through the phone as if Ronnie could tell he was. “Absolutely. Not letting you get away this time. Just haven’t told anybody yet.”

“Which is fine because I haven’t either. Just told my friends we kissed, but that’s about it.” Ronnie went back inside the building, to get her notes for her next patient.

“I figured you would.” He chuckled, and sucked his teeth a little. “That was some kiss wasn’t it? Couldn't stop thinking about it.”

Ronnie felt her face heat up a bit at the thought. “Neither could I Terry. Neither could I.” Looking at the clock, it was time for her ro go back. “Well hopefully we can share another kiss again soon. I gotta get back to work.”

”I hope so too. No worries, we can actually pick this up tomorrow. I have something planned for after work I gotta take care of.” Terry had to get back to work himself. “I shall call you later with the details for tomorrow.”

“Sounds like a plan. Talk to ya later.” Ronnie hung up first and went back to calling her rounds feeling nervous about Seeing his parents again after the homecoming for Mike. This time it was under different circumstances. Along with feeling some unwavering tension come over her. 

Terry on the other hand was thrilled to have her come along with him to this block party. It wasn’t unheard of to have former partners at these things show up but, this time he was having Ronnie at his side. But something told him, something was off. Giving one of his marine friends a call, he needed to get this task done. 

“Hey Jason, It’s Terry. Remember that favor, I asked you? Yes, the very same, I need it now.” He sighed and typed away on his laptop, going through all the files he had opened. The conversation had lasted about an hour and he got all the information he needed. “Thanks man. I owe you.” The dangerous smirk on his face was anything but coy. He needed to get rid of this pest, and scare tactics were the only way he knew how.

Upon going through her notes and finishing up with a patient, Ronnie figured out what the uneasy feeling was. She hasn’t seen or heard from Christian in a minute. Why would she want to? Because he’s always creeping up somewhere to bother her. Ever since Terry came back into town, it’s been getting worse. Last time this happened, he did something horrible to get her attention. 

“Veronica. You might want to come see this.” Delaney, one of the other nurses, had called for her to come over. “Now I know you and Christian are over but, you might wanna tell him to stop sending you stuff.”

Ronnie was confused as to why she said that till she saw what was left for her. “What are you talking- oh shit.” What she faced was a large bouquet of flowers, daisies and calla lilies to be exact. There was a card with it too. 

“See you at the block party, gorgeous. Hope you don’t run flat on those vocals. With love, Christian.” After reading the card aloud, she started sneezing like crazy. He knows she is allergic to both flowers and got them anyway.

“This dude is trying to kill me.” Covering her face with a tissue, she read the card again carefully. “Run flat. What does he mean by that? Did he flatten my tires this morning?” Coming to a realization that he’s trying to make her life suffer, was not a good look.

“These can go to the other patients. Divide them up evenly please.” Delaney nodded with haste and had other nurses help.

Ronnie had to take matters into her own hands before telling Terry. Because only god knows what he’d do to protect her.

[ladykailitha]

A Love For Christmas Part 4

Just moving right along! We have hit the halfway point! And I've got 6/8 chapters done! And with any luck the whole story will be finished by the end of the week, allowing me to go back to writing the other stories full time.

Tomorrow I will be releasing "The Last Dragon Slayer" So that should be fun. And WIP Wednesday will be a little different, too. Here's the link to the full explanation for that! Come join the chaos!

In this we have more trauma dumping from Steve and I had too much fun naming the horses.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

~

The next task I chose for the dear little elf I thought would be easier on them. After all just because they had trouble with people and wanting things to be perfect, surely they must be good with animals.

Surely.

Surely not as it turned out.

I had just come from my workroom where I had been meticulously going through my list as new kids made the list and others would swap lists, when I noticed that door to the reindeer stables was flung wide open and multiple reindeer were milling about the field, moving only when the elf drew near, to run away.

But once the reindeer spotted me, they trotted peacefully into the stable and the elf sank to the ground with a choked off sob.

“I was brushing Donner when Vixen managed to open the lock to her to stall,” the little elf wailed. “So I rushed to grab her, but that was when Donner decided she wanted to be free too and bolted. And...”

“And in your rush to catch those two,” I said with a sigh,” the others made their escape.

The elf nodded sadly. “I’m just no good at this.”

I got down on one knee and lifted their chin slowly. “No good at what, little one?”

They swiped at their eyes with the back of their hand and hiccuped another sob. “Being an elf. I’m like that stupid dentist in that really creepy kids movie from 1960s.”

I chuckled. “Even if you were, it just means you haven’t found your vocation yet. We’ll get there.”

The elf nodded slowly and I helped them to their feet.

~

Steve felt dread settle in the pit of his stomach as he drove out to the Sinclair farm. He hadn’t seen a single deer, much less a reindeer as he drove the narrow pass up to the house. Nope. So far only horses. Lots and lots of horses.

A whole herd of the skittish, four-legged tanks on fragile sticks they called legs.

He was tempted to just back up out of the road, turn tail and call in sick or something. Because this was not going to go well.

At all.

But as he was slowing to a stop to do just that, someone pulled in behind him. Cursing up a storm and berating himself for this, he sped back up again, not stopping until he pulled up along side a 1974 Ford F150.

As Steve got out he realized the other driver was Claudia Henderson with a ragtag group of teenagers in tow. And it looked as though she had almost the whole set.

“Where’s Max?” he asked about the missing member as Will, Mike, Dustin, and Ellie all piled out of Claudia’s car.

“She got here earlier,” Mike said with a whine. “Perks of having a boyfriend whose dad owns horses.”

Steve gulped and nodded.

Just then Eddie’s van pulled up and Steve relaxed a little, not really wanting to reason why he thought that. Somethings were better left alone until 3am on a random Saturday three sheets to the wind drunk.

Eddie got out of his van with a cute little hop and slammed the door behind him. He came bounding up to Steve with the perfect dimpled smile and said, “Hey! You beat me here. I thought for sure I would be the first to arrive!”

“You’re literally last, dude,” Dustin said rolling his eyes. “My mom made thermoses of hot chocolate for everyone.”

Everyone mobbed Claudia for their hot chocolate when Max and Lucas came out of the house, a man following close behind, Steve assumed was Mr. Sinclair.

“Great!” Mr. Sinclair said with a bright smile. “It looks like everyone is here. I have my daughter Erica and Robin out hooking up the horses to the sleigh. So if everyone will follow me.”

Steve started picking at the skin on his nails as he trailed behind. Intrusive thoughts spiraled around in his head with every step he took.

“Hey,” Eddie said softly. “You okay? You look a little green.”

Steve ducked his head sheepishly. “I didn’t realize it was going to be horses. The one sleigh ride I’ve been on it was reindeer.”

“You have a problem with horses?” Eddie asked tilting his head to the side. He looked around at the all the horses milling around in various paddocks.

“When I was eight my mom wanted to learn horseback riding because she was a polo champion when she was in college,” Steve explained licking his lips nervously. “It didn’t go well. The horse was supposed to be even tempered and great with kids.”

“I’m guessing not so much?” Eddie asked gently.

“Went off on a tear,” Steve mumbled, “and then started trying to buck me off, but foot was caught in the stirrup so I was shaken around like a ragdoll until someone could calm the horse enough to let me down.”

Eddie let out a low whistle. “Damn, I’m sorry. Well, at least it isn’t Christmas related trauma. Because seriously, dude you have a lot of that.”

Steve looked him dead in the eye and said in all seriousness. “The horse’s name was Noël.”

“Shit, really?” he asked with a grimace. Steve nodded grimly. “I think Christmas might be cursed for you. Sorry.”

Then Eddie took Steve’s hand in his and Steve looked up at him in awe. “You’re going to in the back of the sleigh with everyone else, but you get nervous, just give my hand a squeeze, okay?”

Steve nodded and they walked all the way to the barn hand in hand.

They had barely reached the barn when the doors burst open and one of the horses flew past them, causing them to leap back to avoid being trampled. Then another came dashing out, and what happened next would live in Steve’s dreams for a very long time.

Eddie grabbed the bridle of the second horse and hauled himself up on it’s back, instantly calming the animal. Then he urged the horse forward into a gallop, chasing down the other horse. Once they were neck and neck, Eddie reached out and grabbed the bridle of the other horse and brought them both to a stand still.

Robin came running up to Steve just as Eddie managed to catch up to the other horse and get it to slow down.

“That was hot,” Steve said, never taking his eyes off of the other man. “Please tell me you saw how hot that was.”

Robin rolled her eyes. “I’m a lesbian, I can’t comment on his hotness. Sorry, not sorry.”

Steve turned to her with his eyes wide. “Well, speaking as someone who is into both. Trust me that was very hot.”

Eddie trotted back up to the barn, cheeks rosy from the exertion and the cold, biggest grin on his face. He stopped in front of Robin and Erica, who had also come out of the barn looking sheepish.

“Erica Jean,” Mr. Sinclair admonished her, both hands on his hips. “What are Fili and Kili doing out? I told you to get out Merry, Pippin, Samwise, and Frodo.”

Steve giggled at the names and Eddie gave him a surprised kind of smile when he realized he recognized the names of the horses.

“Fili conspired with Kili to escape,” Erica huffed mirroring her dad’s pose. “They weren’t anywhere near were we were harnessing Pippin and Samwise, but Kili managed to lift the latch on Fili’s stall and the little bastard did the same for his brother.”

Mr. Sinclair sighed, shaking his head. “I’ll make sure to get a couple of padlocks to keep the little escape artists from getting out.” He turned to Eddie. “Would you mind holding onto them until we get the other horses setup in front of the sleigh?”

Eddie grinned. “Sure thing, boss.”

“I didn’t know you knew how to ride,” Dustin said, staring up at Eddie like he was some kind of superhero and he wasn’t the only one. Most of the kids were doing the same thing. The only ones that weren’t were the Sinclairs.

“My grandma had horses when I was growing up,” he said with a sheepish grin. “But I haven’t been on a horse in almost a decade, so um... don’t try that at home. It could have ended very badly for me. I did it without thinking.”

Mr. Sinclair chuckled. “It was probably a good thing, actually. Had you thought about it, you probably would have mistimed the jump. You did good, son.”

He walked into the stable and motioned for Robin and Erica to follow him, Lucas trailing behind.

Eddie gathered up the halters and slid off the horse. He started patting the other’s nose as Steve crept closer. Eddie spotted him and hid his smile in the mane of the horse he had been riding.

“These aren’t the horses that will be pulling the sleigh?” Steve asked when he was close enough for Eddie to hear him.

Eddie shook his head. “These are riding horses and aren’t really suited to pulling sleighs. They can be used like that in a pinch, but when you see the other horses you’ll know what I mean.”

Steve inched forward a little bit more. “They won’t hurt me?”

“I promise,” Eddie murmured. He held out his hand and Steve took it gingerly. He brought Steve’s hand to touch the horse’s nose. The horse snorted but stayed still under Steve’s touch.

Steve giggled. “He’s so warm.” He let Eddie use his hand to stroke the horse’s nose. “Who’s a good boy?”

Eddie pointed over Steve’s shoulder. “Those are the horses that will be pulling the sleigh.”

Steve turned around to Erica, Lucas, Mr. Sinclair, and Robin all came out each with a massive horse.

“Big boys,” he muttered as his eyes continued to move up and up. “They could step on me and they wouldn’t even notice, you’d have to scrape me off their shoe.”

Eddie chuckled. “Probably, but they are unflappable. Come on,” he said, tugging the two idiots forward. “Let me put these two away and I’ll have Robin introduce you to the draft horses.”

Steve nodded nervously.

Eddie whispered something to Robin as he passed and she nodded. She came up to Steve and handed him an apple.

“They’re sweet boys,” she said gently, “but you really want to win their hearts? Apples. Keep your hand flat and let them munch away.”

Steve walked up to the horses and stopped in front of the closest one.

“That’s Sam,” she said, “he loves apples.”

Steve held up his hand and let Sam take the apple. Sam happily munched away and then sniffed around Steve for other apples. Robin pushed his head out of Steve’s space with a laugh.

“You greedy guts,” she said brightly, pulling out another apple. “Can’t have just the one.”

Sam huffed his agreement and munched away at her apple too. “Horses are better than reindeer,” she muttered darkly.

“That hasn’t been my experience,” he said rolling his eyes as he pet Sam’s nose.

“Yeah?”

Steve told her what he told Eddie and she nodded. “Yeah, that sounds rough. I do these type of gigs every year and there is always a reindeer or two who thinks being an ass is more fun.”

He chuckled at her animal joke and she grinned back at him.

“Yeah,” she declared, “you’re sitting next to me on this ride.”

Steve smiled at her. “I’d like that.”

Of course that meant that he sat between Eddie and her, but that was okay.

As they were getting settled on the sleigh he noticed Eddie slapping his neck and looking around.

“You okay?” he asked as the sleigh jerked forward.

Eddie’s lips were pursed to together. “Yeah. I’m fine.” He bumped their shoulders together. “I promise.”

The horses led them through the town and forests and every gasped and pointed at the lights strung up along the way, drinking Claudia’s hot chocolate and listening Charles Sinclair’s, as Steve found out his first name, stories about the town and the different places they were going through.

They stopped at Lover’s Lake and there was Mrs. Sinclair with buttered scones and hot apple cider. As they ate their fill and watched the moon on the lake, Eddie bumped shoulders with Steve.

“You still afraid of horses?”

He thought about it for a moment and then shook his head. “I don’t know what happened that day, but I learned that everyone can have bad days. So, thank you.”

~

Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

Tag List: COMPLETED

1- @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @zerokrox-blog @sadisticaltarts @dolphincliffs

2- @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @cryptid-system @kultiras

3- @maya-custodios-dionach @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog

4- @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @forgottenkanji @dreamercec @blondie1006

5- @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @genderless-spoon @fearieshadow @thesecondfate

6- @dragonmama76 @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @disrespectedgoatman

7- @counting-dollars-counting-stars @tinyplanet95 @ravenfrog @swimmingbirdrunningrock @lingeringmirth

8- @gutterflower77 @a-lovely-craziness @just-a-tiny-void @w1ll0wtr33 @beelze-the-bubkiss

9- @steddieislife @tartarusknight

[mizuki-nikki]

my top 5 favorite anime of all time ✨

i’ve been watching anime for as long as i can remember, and honestly, some of them have played a huge role in shaping the person i am today. so today, i’m diving into something close to my heart—an essay all about my favorite anime of all time!

1. K

some people might be surprised by my number one anime of all time. k series (k project, k missing kings, k return of kings, k seven stories) is hands down the most emotional anime i’ve ever watched. i first saw it back in 2012 on animax and goddamn, it hit me right in the heart. the animation was peak for its time, and the characters? so well written, so full of depth.

i get that it’s not for everyone—yeah, the plot can be a bit heavy and confusing—but that’s part of what makes it special to me. i looooove this anime. even more than ten years later, every time i rewatch it, i still feel all those same emotions. it’s not just nostalgia—it’s timeless.

(favorite character: fushimi saruhiko)

2. blue lock

i genuinely think this might be the best sports anime of the new generation. i started reading the manga during the pandemic, right after attack on titan dropped its final chapter. the author recommended it, and i thought—why not? and wow, it instantly became a new obsession.

it’s got everything i love—intense sports action, a cast full of pretty boys, and that wild battle royale twist? say less, i was all in. it has unique and fresh premise that we didn't see that often from other sports manga (being the ultimate egoist and screw teamwork? omg) when the anime started gaining traction and getting the recognition it deserves, i couldn’t stop smiling. like, finally. people see it.

i can’t wait to see where the story goes from here. and honestly? i just hope i’m around long enough to watch the endings of all the anime that shaped me

(favorite characters: itoshi sae, itoshi rin)

3. haikyuu

when we’re talking about sports anime, there’s no way we can skip haikyuu. i actually watched haikyuu before blue lock (and it is actually the total opposite of blue lock) and i’ve gotta say—it hit me hard. the way it mixes teamwork, passion, and pure determination? it’s something else.

what starts as just a volleyball match somehow turns into this emotional rollercoaster that keeps you hooked every single episode. haikyuu showed me that with hard work and trust in your team, you can rise above anything.

no doubt, this is one of the top anime of my life. if you haven’t seen it yet, seriously—go watch it. it’s a must.

(favorite character: oikawa tooru)

4. naruto

and of courseeee, i cannot forget the ultimate anime that shaped my childhood—naruto! i started watching it when i was super young, probably around 8, and even back then i was already following the manga. no question, this is one of the greatest masterpieces ever made.

yeah, it’s long. yeah, not everything’s perfect. but it holds such a special place in my heart. the journey, the growth, the bonds—everything just hits. watching naruto grow from a loud, stubborn genin to the hokage? it’s honestly so inspiring. and not to mention that sasuke is honestly my first ever fictional character that i loveeee.

definitely the best old anime of all time in my books. nothing else hits quite the same.

(favorite characters: uchiha sasuke, uchiha itachi)

5. classroom of the elite

i watched season 1 out of curiosity and it hooked me hard from the very first episode. the whole school survival vibe? absolutely my thing.

i still remember finishing season 1 and just sitting there, yep, this is going to be my new favorite anime. it had the perfect mix of suspense with excitement that made it impossible to stop watching.

[bookwormscififan]

The Chaos Files, Chapter 10

Read on AO3!

Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

A/N: Just realised I haven't really updated this in a while, so I decided to reread through the last chapter to figure out where the story's going.

Warnings: Smut. There's like a liiiittle bit of plot at the end, but mostly it's just some Jackie worshipping Phantom.

--

He had to admit, letting Jackie explore at his own pace was a whole new kind of rush.

Laid out over the kitchen counter with his hands by his head, legs spread to accommodate Jackie between them, Phantom stared at the ceiling with lust-blown eyes, panting as Jackie continued to map out his body with his mouth.

He paid special attention to Phantom’s nipples and hips, biting gently before soothing with his tongue, hands tracing patterns into the quickly reddening skin. Occasionally he’d slip his thumbs under the waistband of Phantom’s pants, teasing the idea of tugging them down, only to move his hands away and smirk against his skin at Phantom’s groan.

“Patience, darling,” he whispered, hands on Phantom’s hips pulling him close to grind against him before leaning away, pressing his fangs against Phantom’s claim mark. “I haven’t finished committing you to memory yet.” At the hitch in Phantom’s breath, he sank his fangs in, swallowing down a mouthful of blood before moving away to drag bloodstained lips over his chest as he mapped a path toward the waistband of his pants.

“P-please, Jackie,” Phantom pleaded, moving one hand to card through Jackie’s hair, only to moan as the elder vampire pinned it back to the counter with a growl. “Please.” Keeping eye contact with Jackie, he shifted one hand to tug his own hair as he rested the other on his bottom lip, curling his fingers slightly to adopt a helpless look.

“God, babe, look at you,” Jackie breathed, slowly pulling Phantom’s pants and boxers off as he stared at the expanse of skin on display before him. “You’re… beautiful.” Slotting himself back between Phantom’s thighs, he leaned down to nip at his chest.

Unable to resist Phantom’s whines for longer, Jackie slid a hand down to palm at his cock, smirking at the way the younger jumped from the contact before bucking his hips up to rock against his hand. With his free hand, he traced the line of Phantom’s side until he could entwine their fingers, leaning down to kiss him and bite at his bottom lip.

“J-Jackie…” Phantom’s plea was a high-pitched whine when Jackie pulled away completely, looking at him with helpless eyes before registering that Jackie was fumbling to get his own pants undone and off. “Jackie!” he whined, having been pushed back down when he tried to help out.

“Fuck, Phan, I could eat you,” Jackie panted, running his hands along Phantom’s thighs before leaning down to lap at the tip of his cock. His hands snapped to Phantom’s hips, pinning him down as he tried to buck into his mouth. Kneading the flesh there, Jackie hummed, taking more of his claim into his mouth and bobbing his head, listening to Phantom moan at the sensations.

He kept his hands by his head, but Phantom felt like he was losing his mind as Jackie suckled and licked at his cock, seeming determined to tip him over the edge with just his mouth. The faint scrape of Jackie’s fangs against his most sensitive area was just enough, and he practically screamed as he came, toes curling when Jackie swallowed everything before pulling off.

“J-Jackie,” he panted, wrapping his arms around Jackie’s neck when he was lifted, nuzzling against his claim mark as he got carried upstairs to bed.

“I’m not done showing you how much I love you,” Jackie whispered, laying Phantom in bed and crawling over him, stealing a couple chaste kisses before slipping a hand under the pillows, using his other hand to tangle their fingers together. “You finished before I could even start anything good.” Coating his fingers, he leaned down to lap at Phantom’s as he slid a finger into his hole.

Phantom writhed and moaned as Jackie stretched him, clawing at the blankets and gasping when the elder vampire slowly pushed into him, waiting until he caught his breath before starting to thrust. “Jackie…” he groaned, lifting his arms to hold Jackie’s shoulders and whining when they were pinned down again.

“Keep. Them. There. Darling,” Jackie ordered, punctuating each word with a sharp thrust and a teasing bite at his neck. “God, I want to be so gentle, but I can’t hold back when I’m inside you,” he panted, resting his forehead on Phantom’s collarbone, breath coming out in hot puffs against his skin.

“T-Then don’t,” Phantom huffed, hands twitching above his head in attempts to free themselves from Jackie’s grip, whining when all he got was a deep roll of his hips that made him see stars. “Let me feel you lose control.”

He knew those words would get to Jackie, theory proven correct when Jackie growled before gripping his hip tight and pounding into him with such force he felt his head hit the bedframe as his eyes rolled back in his head.

Jackie’s lips returned to Phantom’s neck, biting a necklace of red marks around it before latching to his claim mark again, sinking his fangs in and drinking as if he’d been starved for a century. The hand pinning Phantom’s own above his head slipped slightly as he lost himself in the taste of his claim, and he groaned into the bite as he came, filling Phantom and shivering when the younger came between them.

“God,” Phantom panted as Jackie pulled out, laying boneless on the bed as he stared at the ceiling. “What did I do to deserve you?”

When he was met with silence, Phantom turned his head to look around, feeling a small panic rising in his chest before catching sight of Jackie, stark naked and dampening a towel in the bathroom. With a sigh and a breathless chuckle, he dropped his head back down, laying an arm over his eyes as he bit back his own self-deprecating thoughts.

“Phan.” Jackie’s voice was still rough from arousal, mouth clear of blood as he cleaned Phantom gently. “I do hope you know that if there’s ever a time that I can’t provide for you or protect you, it’ll be because I died trying to keep you happy.”

“God, Jackie,” Phantom scoffed, pulling Jackie into a kiss before tugging him into the bed, rolling over so he was laying on top of him. “I never want you to be so depressing after sex again, alright? You are my claim, and I want nothing more than to be with you forever. I want to celebrate us, forge a bond stronger than what I have with Mare, so that I can’t live a day without you near me.” Leaning down to kiss Jackie again, Phantom laid his head on his chest, listening to his calm breathing and letting it lull him to sleep.

Jackie stayed awake for a while longer, staring at the ceiling as he combed through Phantom’s hair with his fingers. Was it possible to have a bond with a claim like that? If so, what were the consequences? Phantom’s hands on his stomach were warm and soft, just barely clutching at him in his sleep, and suddenly all of Jackie’s energy left him, falling asleep with questions still circling his mind.

--------------------

@iamvegorott @brokentimewatch @rattyboyisemo @dungeon-dragons-dragons

[candycandy00]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thank you so much for tagging me, @scary-grace! This was a lot of fun!

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 

18, though I’ve only posted a fraction of my BNHA stuff on there and there’s even some JJK stuff I haven’t posted there yet. 

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count?

217,870. And wow it took me way too long to find that lol. I didn’t even know about the Statistics page! 

3. What fandoms do you write for? 

Currently, Jujutsu Kaisen and Boku no Hero Academia. I wrote for a ton of different fandoms back in my “previous era” I’ll call it lol. I wrote for One Piece, Naruto, Final Fantasy (mostly 7 and 12), Death Note, Gundam Wing, Harry Potter, Durarara!!, and lots of other things (almost all of it featuring non canon ships like Cloud x Yuffie and L x Misa). I’d like to try writing for Bungou Stray Dogs and Demon Slayer at some point. 

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

The Doll House (2,280)

Human (390)

The Offering (377)

How to Seduce a Gamer (300)

Little Miss Nobody (234)

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try to! But sometimes if it’s a comment on an older chapter of something I might not or if I got several close together I miss a few and then I’m too embarrassed to go back and respond later. Or if they just comment with an emoticon, I’m not sure how to reply lol. 

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

In my current era, it’s definitely the Mr. Compress chapter of The Dark Carnival. I have other fics that end badly for Reader but this one felt very tragic to me. 

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? 

Most of mine have pretty happy endings! 

8. Do you get hate on fics? 

Current era, I occasionally get people complaining that certain Readers are wimpy or stupid or whatever. I even had one person on AO3 write out a huge wall of text about how one of my Reader characters was a Mary Sue (they simultaneously complained that she was too weak and useless in a fight but also too perfect). But I tend to shrug off those comments. Readers are supposed to be Mary Sues. They’re literally Reader/Writer self inserts! Part of the appeal of x Reader fanfiction is the fantasy of Reader being an idealized version of yourself. So yeah she can hang out with the League of Villains and be the only girl Dabi has ever liked, or she can be old high school buddies with Gojo and Geto and they’re both crazy about her. It’s all fantasy. 

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? 

Yes! And I write pretty much all kinds that don’t involve my three “big no’s” (minors, animals, or scat/pee/vomit). 

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? 

Not since I was a kid, writing Sailor Moon/DBZ crossovers lol. 

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? 

Not in my current era, not that I know of. In my previous era, I wrote a Gundam Wing fanfic that got really popular in the fandom and was ripped off twice. Not exactly copied word for word, but very close in both cases. They basically changed the wording around a bit but kept the entire plot the same (and it was a very unique AU with a big, sprawling plot). 

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? 

Not that I know of!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? 

Like 20+ years ago a friend and I were co-writing a very fucked up DBZ fanfic together. It was actually pretty good, but it was unfortunately lost to time. I’d give anything to find it and be able to read it again, but she’s the one who was posting it and she deleted her account a few years later. 

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? 

I’m just gonna go with my current fave ships of my two main fandoms: BNHA (Spinneraki) and JJK (SatoSugu). 

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? 

Probably The League of Villains Heroes. I love it dearly but it gets practically no notes so I have little motivation to keep working on it. 

16. What are your writing strengths? 

I’ve always felt like dialogue is my strong point. Probably because, until I was up into my 20’s, I rarely read actual books and almost exclusively read comics/manga (which tend to be dialogue heavy). I think I’m pretty decent with plotting as well. 

17. What are your writing weaknesses? 

Descriptions! 😩 I am so bad at describing things. Or rather, I’m bad to just… not do it. I literally forget to. I’ve had friends read my work and be like “what does this place look like?” Or “what does that guy look like?” And I can see it all so clearly in my head that I forget readers can’t see it as well. 

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? 

I sometimes toss in some honorifics just because it seems weird to have certain characters not use them. Other than that, I try to avoid throwing in random Japanese (the only other language I would even consider using, just because these are Japanese characters). I did have Sukuna say his famous “Gambare, gambare” line once but it’s just too iconic! 

19. First fandom you wrote for? 

First I wrote for: Sailor Moon. First I actually posted a fic online for: Dragon Ball Z. 

20. Favourite fic you’ve written? 

I’m going to pick one from each fandom, only among completed fics. 

BNHA: Trending Topics

JJK: The Offering

Tagging @missrosegold and any other writer friends who would like to do this!

[herblinz]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thank you for the tag dear and talented @aftergloom ! Tagging @jawanaka @andordean @poetikat @stardustbee @storm89 @ro-the-bard-writer @wholelottatiffy @grinningnexu @botherbother-blog @eloquentmoon and/or anyone who’s interested.

1. How many works do you have on A03?

Twelve.

2. What's your total A03 word count?

153,256, discounting a fic translation. 😬

3. What fandoms do you write for?

The Witcher (books & game), Cybperunk 2077, Star Wars

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

By kudo ratios i think it’s: the stars are not there, Await the Dawn, The Path of Aloneness, Seeking Resonance, Half Moon, Full Circle, something like that I don’t want to calculate everything 😂

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes! To show my appreciation to the commenter, make friends, gush over blorbos. When commenter comments on many chapters I tend to reply in conclusion-ish to one or few of them, because I don’t want to flood threads with my own comment, perhaps out of an ingrained false sense of modesty?

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

…I’m not sure 😂 All of fics are angsty fics, but with a sense of emotional catharsis at the end so I’d hope none? I recall some comments pointed out certain level of heartwrenchingness at Regis/Queen of the Night ficlet, and a little bit with Takemura’s ficlet. I think Blood of Emerald might be the angstiest ending when it’s done (no getting around it there hehe)

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Seeking Resonance! But even then readers also pointed out sad sentiments 😆 It’s a fluffy ending imo

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not yet :)

9. Do you write smut?

Yes! Not very adept but I’m learning.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Sort of. One Witcher x Cyberpunk 2077 long before the game was out.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes and not sure 100% which one (i have no memory); think it’s the Regis Professor AU fic?

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No but would like to.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

Hard question. I’m a multishipper. Maybe Geralt x Yen? Cerys x Ciri x Tankred? Judy x V?

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Aside from one abandoned sequel to my first fic, I don’t think there will be unfinished WIP. I’m just slow at em.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Psychology. Environmental storytelling. Some level of symbolism and metafiction employment. For fanfiction, maybe my close observation and portrayal of canon characters, i dunno; I do go a little lotho-minor-maul method before I can write anyone.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Oh boi. I’m still quite a novice, so basically everything aside from the few strengths. Especially with structure. Also dialogue. Also visualization of scenes (strange yes, but I am unable to see scenes most of the time, about short of aphantasia). I have great difficulty in writing long works.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

If there’s a purpose, whether for worldbuilding inside fiction or cultural reasons in real life. But sometimes it can be the bad kind of jarring. I remember personally opt to not use latin directly for star wars fic, for example (even tho translation sounds stoopid).

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Witcher! My Once and Future.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

Seeking Resonance I suppose. It’s soft and brought soft feelings to others on bad days. I loved that.

A bit cheating here since I haven’t finished, but I think really it will be Blood of Emerald. It’s basically original fic given the amount of worldbuilding and characters I have to do on my own, and the story is from a legend the length about 2 pages in canon ending with everybody dying (sad, angsty, violent deaths). Rare character, obscure material. I’m writing a full-length fic literally for myself and maybe 2 other people in the entire fandom. It gives me ulcers and insomnia. “odi et amo, nescio” 😂 Jks aside, I think for me there’s the allure like that of Matters of Britain retelling. The ending is set in stone, no one ever gets to know the whole truth. And it’s not even about the “how we got here.” A blink of light long gone by the time it reaches the eye. But for some reason it must be told.

I like Await the Dawn, too. And the stars are not there. Discovering the fun and love for OC first time here huehuehue

Somewhat relevant ramble: reflecting on what aftergloom mentioned in her experience, Q.11 (stolen lines and fics)—my writing is usually detached from my life, and I made a point to myself and closed ones irl that I would be extremely cautious in using real life material in my fiction. But there is a bit of that “grain of truth” in the stars are not there. My childhood crush had an unusual dream about me and I kept the sentiments while writing Maul (it is hard not to write a bit of myself in this character; The Wrath did a good job evoking some memories…). I found it to be a valuable exploration in my approach to writing. I think I would feel ambivalent to stolen lines, as it is hard to keep track of where “originality” begins and ends, but it would be quite an interesting experience indeed if bits of real-life event is written by someone else. ==

[monkeyfish2021]

Fun to join, so why not! Wall of text incoming and links on the bottom! 🤩

1. I made a decision to try killing a popular character in a story, even though many readers might be put off by it and not want to continue reading. It made it interesting to see how the other characters were affected by it, and continue their own growth or deterioration because of it. Would I do it again? Yes. Yes I would.

2. I’ve been working on 8 different stories this year; multi chapters, stand-alones, and WIPs that have yet to see the light of day.

3. I’ve learned that I develop ideas much better when brainstorming them with a friend! 🥰

4. Since all I’ve written is Final Fantasy 7 fics, I’d have to say that FF7 Remake is the media that has inspired me the most.

5. I wrote exclusively for Final Fantasy 7 😂

6. Tifa/Reno is the ship nearest and dearest to my heart now and for always ❤️ However, during Whumptober I tried to include other rarepairs that I love, including Tifa/Leslie, Tifa/Zack and Tifa/Sonon!

7. Reno is a constant source of fascination and a muse for exploring different states of anguish, angst and hurt 😂 He therefore also needs some love sometimes.

8. I did not write for a new fandom this year, nor did I visit ships I haven’t previously written for.

9. I think that completing Momentary Bliss this year is what meant the most to me. It’s been three years in the making, and it was such bittersweet relief posting the epilogue 🥰

10. The fic it made me the happiest to work on must have been, ironically, the Whumptober prompts! Giving myself a challenge with a restricted word count per chapter of 100 words was so much fun, and it made me able to finish all 31 prompts, both due to my enthusiasm and each chapter not taking too long to complete!

11. Most satisfying to complete is again Momentary Bliss. Just in terms of completing something I worked on for so long, it was very rewarding!

12. I had a really hard time focusing around the time of Zifafest, so I was only able to finish one of the three prompts I wanted to, and I realize I find it really difficult to write Zack. Maybe that will change once Rebirth comes out 😅

13. Whumptober was the easiest to write 😂 I guess I could also say that parts of a series I’m working on that is not yet published can also classify as partly easy, due to it just being FUN!

14. Shortest: The epitome of a perfect package (2,448 words), and longest, at completion this year: Momentary Bliss (114,594 words) 😱

15. I guess my Fic Rec of mine from this year would have to be either Momentary Bliss or Whumptober, with my new longfic Safehouse a close second (third?😂).

16. Sad to say I don’t have a particular song or playlist to listen to while I write, although I listen to a lot of soundtrack music generally in the background. Hans Zimmer is a regular go-to.

17. Go-to writing snacks: A cup of Earl Grey tea, and something I can keep picking at, like Cheez Doodles or M&Ms. Maybe a couple of biscuits.

18. ALL OF THEM ARE HARD TO TITLE! Titles are the freakin bane of my existence. But if I have to choose one? The epitome of a perfect package.

19. Literally can’t choose, I’m not very good with great opening lines. Feels like I need a paragraph to set the scene.

20. “Ignoring the guilty ache in his chest telling him they were doomed, he held her tightly.” maybe. From the Whumptober 2023 drabbles.

21. Favourite piece of dialogue might be Reno’s conversation with Aurora di Salvo in Safehouse. Not gonna copy the whole thing in here 😂

22. An excerpt from one of my favourite scenes from 2023:

As he’s squatting low and trying to catch his breath, bullets are still hitting the car, and voices of encouragement and frustration spur the shooter on to continue.

Shrieks and shouting can vaguely be heard from the end of the street, and when he peeks that way, Reno sees people running away from the alleyway. The shooter across the street jumps out of the window and aims his gun Reno’s way as soon as his feet hit the ground.

What would Rude do in this situation? Fuck, Reno wants to bounce ideas off him, that’s how they work best: A terrible idea from Reno that Rude makes less so. Rude would probably lay low in this situation, get out while they could, reassess with Tseng and potentially move in on the mob together.

But Rude… They shot him. He wouldn’t get to be the reasonable voice in Reno’s head ever again. How the fuck would he avoid making mistakes now? Trusting himself? No, fuck that.

They couldn’t get away with this. Fuck this stakeout, fuck this being surveillance only, fuck the mob, fuck them and their fucking capo; they killed Rude and they would not get away with it.

A red haze falls around him and he unclasps his electric mag-rod, extending it with an effortless flick of his wrist. The electricity crackles satisfyingly with the push of a button, and the comforting feeling of the handle serves as an anchor to his new mission.

Reno takes a deep breath and feels a rage-filled calm come over him.

For Rude.

Then he runs.

23. Final version of a sentence or paragraph I struggled with:

Fear chokes him. What will he do if he can’t keep the shadows at bay this way? He must convince her otherwise.

It was really hard for me to properly convey anxiety and fear with the limited word count I had left of my drabble for the Alleyway prompt, and I had some help from @bouncymouse to make it convey more of the feeling I was going for! ❤️

24. Something that surprised me while working on a fic… Maybe having an epiphany about a plot point later in the story that would work really well (yet to be written or published)?

25. I use Notion to write, my phone notes to write down ideas during the day, and Google Docs to format before I publish to Ao3!

26. The most satisfying writing moment for me this year might be when I really got into the groove with Safehouse, and wrote down the first draft to 4-5 chapters in a very short amount of time (for me). The energy that comes from a new idea that just needs to come alive is really exciting!

27. I did not do anything special to celebrate completing a fic…. 😅

28. Recharging between fics for me is just about taking a break to refocus my head onto the new idea, or to find a new idea if I have nothing already thought up.

29. No one mentioned, no one forgotten! But as a whole, the beautiful people in the ReTi server and Tifa’s Harem who are supportive, enthusiastic and generally amazing to be able to communicate and cooperate with! ❤️

30. In 2024, I want to continue Safehouse, and get one of the WIP series I’m already working on published! If I have time to join another event, I’d like to try to do that too! 🤩

Thanks for reading!

Here are the fics mentioned:

- Momentary Bliss

- Safehouse

- Whumptober 2023

- The epitome of a perfect package (for Zifafest)

fic writer asks

What’s something new that you tried in a fic this year? How did it turn out and would you do it again?

How many fics did you work on this year? (They don’t have to be finished or published!)

What’s something you learned about yourself as a writer?

What piece of media inspired you the most?

What fandom(s) did you write for this year?

What ship(s) captured your heart?

What character(s) captured your heart?

Did you write for a new fandom or ship this year?

What fic meant the most to you to write?

What fic made you feel the happiest to work on?

What fic was the most satisfying to finish writing?

What fic was the most difficult to write? Did you finish it?

What fic was the easiest to write?

What were your shortest and longest fics this year?

Rec a fic you wrote or posted in 2023

What were you go-to writing songs?

What were your go-to writing snacks?

What was the hardest fic to title?

Share your favorite opening line

Share your favorite ending line

Share your favorite piece of dialogue

Share an excerpt from your favorite scene

Share the final version of a sentence or paragraph you struggled with. What about it was challenging? Are you happy with how it turned out?

What's something that surprised you while you were working on a fic? Did it change the story?

What did you use to write? (e.g. writing programs, paper & pen, etc.)

If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year?

Did you do anything special to celebrate finishing a fic?

How did you recharge between fics?

If this were an awards show, who would you thank?

What’s something that you want to write in 2024?

[dia-souls]

🥀 Subayui fanfic 🥀

Pairing: Subaru🗡️ and Yui 🌸

Author: Admin Ava

Genre: Funny, Sweet themes, Happy ending

Chapter: 3

Admin's note: ⚠️ This Chapter includes violence themes, Choking, humiliate ⚠️

“Ok, class, I need to step out for a minute. Finish chapter 8 on your own. I’ll be back” As the door closed the students started to chat amongst themselves. Mainly about mundane topics, but the main thing on everyone’s minds was the dance on Friday. It was anyone could talk about. From girls talking about what they’ll wear to the guys discussing who they‘ll as out. Amid all these conversations, one thing on Yui's mind was,” Should I ask someone?’’

All day she has been hearing about the dance from all the second years, they told her how fun the dance is. Everybody dressed in the most exquisite ensembles from designer brands that cost more than the house she lived in. Some people talked about how heavenly the food was. Prepared by the most renowned chefs in the world. Drinks are brewed from the highest quality fruits and alcohol. For the adults of course. Then the music would be played by talented musicians from all over Japan. It sounded like a dream.

Yui only got more and more excited as she heard amazing things about the dance. She was apprehensive before but now, she couldn’t wait for Friday. Be that as it may, there was one thing she wasn’t so sure of yet. She had been hearing from some of the girls about who they were going to ask to go with them. That was something she hadn’t thought about.

“We need to ask someone to go with us? I wonder if anyone would ask me. Probably not, especially with all these beautiful girls here. Who’d ask me? Besides, I’ll be going with the brothers anyway. I bet it would be awkward if I had someone going with me. Although…it would be nice.’’ She had never been asked out before, therefore her father being her partner at a church event didn’t count.

After the bell rang for lunch she decided to head to the library to eat. Even after being at this school for a year now, she still wasn’t used to all those children who were raised so differently from her. She didn’t mind, however, in fact, she did enjoy the time for the small amount of time she got. Gave her time to relax and study without interruptions.

Once she reached the library and found a quiet place to sit. She was finally in her element. Putting her nose in a book, blocking out the world, herself the only one around for miles. It was calming, peaceful, and well worth the bullying she received every time she went home.

That as it may be, the illusion was shattered once Kou decide that she could lose a couple of seconds of what she most desperately needed. “Hey, M-Neko-Chan~ What's up?” “Oh hello, Kou-kun. Not much, just trying to get some quiet.” “Yeah, yeah, that’s nice and all. Anyway, I said something I wanted to ask you.” Yui raised a confused eyebrow at the idol. Did he want to ask her something? Her conscience told her to be weary of his question, while her more optimistic side encourage her to at least consider his request. In the end her optimism over her rationality. Only by a margin though.

“Uh, sure. What is it.” Kou's smile was very big and very unsettling. “ Well, I’m pretty sure your ears have been ringing with everyone talking about the dance on Friday I just wanted to ask..” Kou walked towards her, his face a little close for comfort. “Has anyone asked you to the dance yet or have you asked anyone?” Huh? That’s all? Yui was a bit taken aback by Kou's question. She had thought it would’ve been more….eerie “Uh, no. No one has asked me or I haven’t asked anyone.” Kou's face twisted into an annoyance for a second. Then, into mischievous. ‘’Oh is that so~ Well then I don’t suppose you fancy going with……me!”

What! HIM!? Yui was so taken aback by his statement that she fell out of her chair. Kou roar with laughter as Yui rubbed her bruise backside as she watched Kou lose himself in a loud cackle. She hastily picked herself off the floor while brushing the dirt off her skirt. Looks like her quiet time was completely ruined. Not wanting to waste her time being the butt of Kou's joke, she swiftly grabbed her things and stuff them in her bag. Yui let out a huff as she walked past Kou to the exit of the library. Nonetheless, Kou wouldn’t let her just leave. Instantly he was in front of her. Due to their height difference, there wasn’t any room for escape. “Hey now M-Neko-Chan, I wasn’t done talking to you yet.’’ The once smiley vampire aura turns cold and distant. Yet, possessive.

“You haven’t given me an answer yet. Don’t you think that is kind of rude? Not to mention the fact that you’re trying to leave without even saying a word, I’m disappointed. Honestly who the hell do you think you are huh!?” Despite Kou’s abrasive behavior. Yui stood her ground, albeit anxiously.

“ Kou-kun you were the one who abruptly asked me the question in the first place, so forgive me for being shocked. Also instead of at least helping me off the ground, you just laughed at me the entire time. I thought you were here just to make fun of me, if you have nothing better to do than laugh at me I’ll decide to leave. I’m sorry but my answer is n-“

In a fit of frustration Kou grabbed Yui by the throat and slammed her back to the door with a loud thud. The shock was so great that it knocked the wind out of her. Kou grasped her throat so tightly that air barely was able to enter. Tears floated down her face as she struggled to breathe. With her eyes glazed over with tears, she could hardly see Kou. His face which was normally so handsome and charming was contorted into a violent scowl. His bright were clouded with hatred, those idol-worthy, perfect white teeth gritted against each other in an unbearable ear-piercing screech. The muscles in his hand cracked and popped as his fist squeezed so tingly that blood started to trickle onto the floor.

“ Do you know how hard is to be nice to an oblivious twit like you? You’re so fucking stupid that it’s pain to even talk to you. Millions of girls would love to even get the chance to even breathe the same air as I do. Yet here you are being ungrateful for the gift you’ve been giving. The opportunity to be seen with a start like me, but all you can think about is leaving?! Are you sick in the hand or are you naturally born with no common sense? You’re so lucky right now….but, YOUR DUMBASS CAN’T EVEN SEE IT!!!

Kou squeezed tighter on Yui's neck as he continued to snarl insult after insult at her face without even thinking. Yui struggled to remove his hand from his hands from her neck but was unable to do so. With air becoming more and more scarce, and dark splotches blinding her vision. She has to think fast.

So, with the last bit of strength, she could muster. Yui opened her mouth which was covered in drool from struggling to break free, and bit down on Kou's hand as hard as she could! He howled in pain as blood spurted from his hand! Yui fell to the ground while coughing up a storm as air slowly enter its way back into her lungs. Kou grasped his hand as he glared at Yui with a look of murder in his eyes. “ YOU BITCH! LOOK WHAT YOU’VE DONE! YOU BIT MY HAND!!” Kou walked towards the blonde ready to intact vengeance for causing him pain. But she was ready. Before Kou could lay a hand on her, Yui grabbed a fountain pen from her pocket and as Kou was nearer, she stabbed the point of the pen in Kou’s wounded hand!

Kou fell back in pain, clutching his hand, giving Yui time to get up and run out of the library. She ran faster than she has ever before! Her body needed time to rest from being near seconds away from deatmh but the adrenaline kept her going. Her only objective was to get away from the vampire that would surely main her if he caught her.

As Yui turned the corner, almost falling in the process, she spotted a tuft of white hair in the distance.

“SUBARU!”

chapter 3 ended.

To be continued…

[skyward-floored]

Thanks @zarvasace! :)

1. How many works on AO3? 58! Though taking into account things like whumptober collections and other oneshots... the actual number is definitely over 100, possibly close to 200 XD

2. Total AO3 word count? 738,361!

3. Top 5 fics by kudos:

Brethren in a cradle, about the chain accidentally acquiring a baby is first, which is kinda cool because it’s probably one of my more self-indulgent fics? I’m just happy other people like the idea as much as I do :)

Because They Aren’t Suffering Enough in Canon (Linkeduniverse Whumptober 2022) is second, which I personally consider to be one of the best whumptober years I’ve done, so I’m happy to see it up here :)

Accidental domestication is third, which is just about the chain having encounters with wolves that should not be as nice as they are XD It’s silly and honestly a bit cracky, but it’s got a little whump in there too so it’s got something for everyone I guess!

Fourth is Always Darkest Before the Dawn (Linked Universe Whumptober 2023), more whump! There’s some good fics in here, some of my favorites honestly, and several with multiple parts so I think that keeps people coming back to it. I guess lol.

And fifth is actually Troubled Waters, which I’m kinda surprised about? I like some of the other mer legend fics I’ve done better XD Though when I wrote it, there were only a handful of mer Legend fics out there, so I think it filled a niche.

4. What fandoms do you write for? Pretty much just Zelda these days, though I started with ninjago!

5. Do you respond to comments? I try to but I’m so forgetful 😔 at this point I have so many I haven’t responded to I doubt I’ll ever catch up, but I try to keep up with them at least a little bit.

6. Fic with the angstiest ending: Probably this one whumptober fic where I ah... killed Epona. It’s vey angsty. Very.

7. Fic with the happiest ending: ...most of them? XD I usually try for a happy ending in my fics, or at least a satisfying one. It’s not technically finished yet, but I think a Royal Castletown wedding probably has the most triumphant one.

8. Do you get hate? Only from a bot one time. I’ve had some odd comments before, but nothing truly hateful.

9. Do you write smut? nooooope.

10. Do you write crossovers? Do AUs count. Because if so then that’s a resounding yes. Otherwise, no.

11. Ever had a fic stolen? Not to my knowledge, and I hope it stays that way.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Again, not to my knowledge. That’d be neat though!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic? Sort of? I’ve had people help me with fics, and I’ve helped them in turn, but I don’t know if I’ve ever done anything that could truly be called co-written.

14. All-time favorite ship? Zelink, to nobody’s surprise I’m sure. It’s really like ten ships in a trench coat though, and I like some kinds more than others. Skyward sword is my favoritest :]

15. WIPs you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I have this one fic about Time and Legend being captured and tortured while the rest of them think they’re dead that’s like 3/4ths done, but I really don’t know if I’m ever going to finish it up. I should probably post what I’ve got so people can at least read the first four or so chapters, heh.

16. Writing strengths? Hm, I feel like I’m pretty good at dialogue? And fight scenes give me grief, but once I sit down and focus on them I feel like I can write a pretty good one.

17. Writing weaknesses? Descriptions 😩 I feel like I never know where to put them, like no matter what I do it seems like it’s interrupting the flow of things, and I really have to fight to fit them in in a way that makes sense.

18. Thoughts on mixed language dialogue? It’s fine? I don’t really know enough other languages to enjoy it, but it’s fine. It’s not quite the same but I’ve written a handful of things with some random non-English words, though only one published thing.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Warrior cats, which consisted of about two handwritten pages and then I gave up and never wrote anything fic-like again until I was 18, and wrote a ninjago fic. And then started writing lu stuff. And then I was doomed for life XD

20. Favorite fic you've ever written? I can’t pick, good grief! I mean I’m fond of all my Incredibles au stuff, my mermaid legend fics are fun to reread, all my whumptobers are crazy to look back on, kitty wind is silly but angsty, hdw I’ve had lots of fun with plot and stuff... but I probably have to say brethren in a cradle.

I had the idea for it during the worst summer of my life, and part of what kept me going was that urge to share the silly idea I’d started to write, and the fact that other people also love it means so much to me. I love going back and reading the chapters of it I’ve managed to publish, and just working on it in general. It’ll always be special to me.

No pressure tagging @telemna-hyelle @hero-of-the-wolf @wolfwarden @adrift-in-thyme @only-lonely-stars <3

I have been tagged by @batrogers!!

1. How many works on AO3? 241

2. Total AO3 word count? 1.25mil. Almost to my 3rd AO3 anniversary :D (that's around 1,170 words every day for three years, not counting nonpublished words! Proud of that rate, even if it's slowing.)

3. Top 5 fics by kudos:

Status? about Four. I think this one hits the sweet spot for a lot of people: not too long, a bit angsty, but sweet.

so i admit that the mud didn't do much for me, about Hyrule. Actually the first fic I ever posted on this account, it's silly and I'm surprised to see it so high

incandescently happy, a post-LU happy ending. Posted little chapters every day for like a month which kept it in people's feeds so I think that's why it's so high

what is a stump supposed to do, a random Hyrule & Four one, honestly baffled why it's up here

Rise and Shine and Fall, my successful (by that I mean actually wrote and posted every day on schedule) Whumptober 2022 extravaganza compilation. I posted it all in one work, so it's higher than most other whump fics of mine, but there's a lot in it!

4. What fandoms do you write for? Zelda. In the past I wrote a tiny bit of Danny Phantom and a fair amount of FE3H!

5. Do you respond to comments? Always!! I admit to being SO VERY BEHIND right now, a couple months' worth. I'm trying to keep up on new ones, but I've had some beautiful wonderful readers going through my catalog and I can't always keep up!! XD

6. Fic with the angstiest ending: I don't write a lot of negative endings, so I think this badge goes to Counterbalance, my LU Darks AU. I'm actually fully in love with this fic, it's probably the best mix of silly and angsty I've ever written. It's full of what are essentially OCs but they're all my babies and I love them.

7. Fic with the happiest ending: incandescently happy, post-LU. The whole fic is essentially a fix-it ending, though LU doesn't have an ending yet. XD

8. Do you get hate? A couple silly comments trying to tell me I'm doing things wrong, but not really no! Oh, also can't forget the ask I got that was "Remember that Jesus is your first reader." I think that was meant to be passive aggressive but there's a chance it was meant like, genuinely? Not sure.

9. Do you write smut? Nah. And I don't plan to. Not my thing! Closest I get are vampire bites XD

10. Do you write crossovers? I swear I've done more but the only ones on my AO3 are a Vidow fic done in an original world (Nothing New Under the Sun (crystals, dumplings, jewelry)), and Blood-Sucker's Guide to High School, a Vidow retelling of a very fun vampire novel.

11. Ever had a fic stolen? Nope, but I did have one of my Vidow fake fic book covers stolen for someone's fake fiverr listing. Got it taken down with a DMCA but I was like, why

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Not to my knowledge.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic? Oh plenty. @enrolio and I spent most of 2020-21 lockdowns and beyond cowriting, mostly original stories (1.7mil) but a lot of fic, too (nothing published, but almost 400k worth.) We're currently in the process of working on a big epic original fantasy series, though that's a long-term project. @batrogers and I have done a few alt-POV-type projects too, which have been super duper fun!! Hope to do more.

In that vein too, I feel like the Bad End Links kind of qualify here—so much of the characters and their stories were brainstormed collaboratively and so many friends have contributed details and fics and art, it feels like a fun group project! I've really enjoyed working on it. :D (the encouragement and hype for it also helps a lot!! I'm really hoping to finish this big project out!)

14. All-time favorite ship? Ahhhh a harder question than you'd think, tbh, even if you're limiting it to fic. I've written the most for Vidow, and they're definitely up there (same with Fourdow though I've done less with them.) I do have to admit that Linhardt/Byleth might take the cake, though. They were the first ship I was ever actually obsessed with, and the first romantic pairing I wrote in fic.

I just really adore Linny in general, and I love how the pairing continues and closes off some of the themes in the Crimson Flower route of FE3H. That's the only route where Byleth doesn't become archbishop-slash-dictator, and I think choosing to live life in a small cottage, not particularly contributing too much to the government, builds nicely upon the themes of becoming human and choosing your own destiny, themes that are really missing from the other routes.

15. WIPs you want to finish but doubt you ever will? My old AO3 account (a couple FE3H fics and not much else) has a series where I wrote the beginning of a fic and then had several different endings planned, each a different ship with Linhardt, but I only ever wrote one. I'd love to read the rest but I have too many other fics calling my name!

16. Writing strengths? Um... Volume and speed? Also AUs. I think I can call myself good at fitting characters into new settings. Also fight scenes are fun and I think I do them well.

17. Writing weaknesses? I feel somewhat weak in the plotting and style realms.

18. Thoughts on mixed language dialogue? You can't count on a reader to know not-tagged languages, so that has to be accounted for in the text.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Danny Phantom, in high school or maybe just after. That's late for a lot of fic writers but... there are reasons for that, and a different discussion!!

20. Favorite fic you've ever written? This is an extremely rude question, because I love so many for different reasons. I write things I want to read!! Counterbalance (for the tone) and Blood-Sucker's Guide (for the finished novel plot) are up there but I linked them above, so I'll take the chance to call out a different few—Marvelous Misadventures is way up there, a Wind-focused modern with magic AU. I promise I'm still working on that last chapter (and the epilogue), I just gotta throw everything else aside one month and buckle down. Maybe June, I don't have any fic events planned and 06/23 was the last update. I think some earlier chapters need a refresh as well, once I have the ending written.

I'll also toss White Walls (medwhump, "non consensual body modification: the fic") into this category for how long it is and how proud I am to have finished even a collection this long, and a long walk, a Linked Nexus fic where I did so much math and had so much fun with it. :D

Tagging: @silvrash-797 @toyouhellohowareyou @nopenototdaysatan @skyward-floored :)

[justathoughtfulangel]

Left Behind But Not Forgotten ~ Colors, Chapter 9 (Kai Parker Fanfiction)

Hello, my dears :) Welcome to Chapter 9 of Colors, my Kai Parker Soulmate AU Fanfiction. This is NOT meant to be read as a standalone piece. Events of the story and even the universe it is set in vary greatly from the original show. If you haven’t yet, please read the Details post and previous chapters linked on this masterlist.

*not my gif

Word Count: 2,305

Pairing: witch!Kai X witch!Reader (soulmates)

I don’t like writing with Y/N in the place of character names, but this IS a reader insert fanfiction. I use Rosalie Wilson as a placeholder. Use Rose/Rosalie as a substitution for Y/N.

Warnings: This chapter may only be suited for mature audiences.

This next chapter takes place a few months after the end of chapter 8 (and seven months from the start of the story). Hope you enjoy it! :)

The music was loud and obnoxious. There were red plastic cups littered about the first floor of the Salvatore Mansion. It was the end-of-the-school-year celebration; Rosalie, Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline had just finished their third year at Whitmore successfully.

Rose stood in the corner, waiting for Kai to come back with a drink for them both. Unfortunately, Damon found her. She’d been strictly avoiding him since he left her and swept Elena to safety seven months ago. Leaving her to presumably die was not a forgivable offense.

“So,” Damon approached her awkwardly, simultaneously blocking any route for her escape. He missed Rosalie, but she was just as stubborn as him. “Whatcha think of the party?” Rose blinked in disbelief. What a groundbreaking start. “Aren’t you just about two centuries too old for such parties?”

Damon sighed, knowing there was no smooth way to ask for her forgiveness except to just bite the bullet. “Rosalie, I’m so sorry. I know leaving you there with Kai was wrong, especially when we knew he was dangerous. I was betting on you being soulmates – I didn’t think he’d actually hurt you.” If that was meant to placate her, Damon was sorely mistaken.

“Right, I suppose gambling with my life to save Elena is excusable.” In Damon’s world, it really was. Rosalie knew that, too. They were all hard-wired to choose and protect their soulmates over anything and anyone.

From across the room, Kai wove a pathway between the drunk college students, taking great care to not spill the cocktails in his hands. He heard the end of the conversation as he got closer, remembering his own anger at Damon for just leaving Rose with someone as dangerous as him. “Rosalie, I-”

Malachai intercepted the conversation, handing Rose her drink and wrapping his free arm around her waist. “She heard you. From where I’m standing, that’s a terrible excuse.” With half his body so close to her, Kai felt her slight shudder. If it was a shudder of anger, hurt, or something else, he didn’t know.

Rosalie swallowed some of her pride, and though a great deal of her trust in Damon had been lost, she still cared for him. “I hear you, Damon. I… I’m just going to need more time before I can forgive you.”

Damon’s lips pressed together. That wasn’t what he wanted, but it would have to do for now. Nodding in acceptance, he let them be. Rosalie chugged down half of the drink in her hand, making Kai chuckle.

“Well, you’re officially a much bigger person than I am.” Rosalie laughed along with him. “I’m not. You just don’t give yourself enough credit for things.” Malachai hummed in response, setting his drink down to wrap both arms around her waist. “If you give me far too much and I give myself too little, I think it evens out.”

Rosalie fought off a frown, wishing he could see himself the way she saw him. Coming up into her toes, she gave him a short but sweet peck on his lips. “I’m going to find a way to make you believe in yourself.”

Kai smiled, but the glimmer in his eyes wasn’t there. “Rose, I love you. I don’t want you trying and hoping for something that will not happen.” She raised her brows, poking his cheek softly. “Challenge?”

Resting his forehead against hers with a small sigh, he nodded in agreement. “Alright then. Let’s see who wins.” The music was still annoyingly loud, and people were jumping around in every direction. Malachai and Rosalie just stood in the little corner, ducking out from the party after they’d made an appearance for a decent amount of time.

~

With his hand in hers, Rosalie brought Malachai into her recreated childhood home. She learned to walk in this house. She spoke her first words in this house. This house had built her, and she had destroyed it. Every detail of the house had been made anew. As she looked at it now, Rosalie didn’t feel so heartbroken – not with Kai at her side.

Kai’s eyes flitted over the family Christmas pictures by the entrance, admiring the red and green sweaters while wistfully remembering the same photos of his own family. He wouldn’t admit it, but he kept those pictures with him wherever he went in the prison world. It was also too soon, but he thought about taking new family photos with Rosalie.

His cheeks colored, and it didn’t escape Rose’s attention. “What are youuuuu blushing about?” She poked his cheek playfully. Malachai shook his head away from the finger, refusing to answer. His adorable expression made her heart lighter. She’d never brought anyone here after the accident, but he was different. He had a right to everything that made her who she was, and this? This home defined her in all the ways one could be defined.

“Alright then, don’t tell me.” Rose took his hand and pulled him into the kitchen. Thinking they were going to make food, Kai began perusing through the fridge. No one had been here in weeks; naturally, the fridge was empty. Malachai looked back to Rosalie in confusion, only to find her kneeling by the kitchen sink and pulling out cleaning supplies from under the cabinet. He groaned in complaint, still a bit buzzed from the alcohol and not inclined to spend hours cleaning the house. “Can we at least use magic?”

~

98 minutes, an extra-large pizza, and two showers later, Kai found himself spooning Rosalie. He nuzzled into her neck, leaving a tender kiss on her jaw. She squeezed his hand lovingly in return, sighing softly in contentment. They were both surprisingly awake, despite the long day. Cleaning was a lot more tolerable with someone else to do it with, and their slightly inebriated nature made it a lot of fun.

“What are you thinking about?” Rosalie needed something to fill the silence. His words always calmed her, whatever they were. “Well, to be perfectly honest, I’m thinking about you and I sneaking into the hot tub after hours.” As he spoke of the memory, Kai smiled brightly…

Kai had always been a rulebreaker, and he’d pulled Rose into it, too. The security was bleak, and it was well past 2 A.M. “Kai, where on earth are we going?” 

“Shhh, you’ll see very soon.” Snapping his fingers, he stole her vision momentarily, making her stumble. “I’ve got you, don’t worry. We’re almost there.” The second Rosalie hit submit on her last term paper, he’d pulled her up from her desk, got her to change into her swimsuit, and finally revealed the surprise he’d been working on for weeks. 

When her vision returned, Rose gasped in surprise. The hot tub in the apartment complex was surrounded by candles, the flames casting luminescent reflections on the bubbling water. Nearby was a plate with some delicious snacks, comforting and extravagant alike, and a chilled bucket with a bottle of Peach Moscato she adored. Kai wrapped his arms around her waist as she took in every bit of the scene, kissing her cheek lovingly. “Congratulations, darling. I’m so, so proud of you.” 

Rose’s hand came up to rest on his cheek, bringing her lips to his. “I don’t even know what to say, Malachai. Thank you… thank you so much.” Kai only smiled, pecking her lips once more. “Anytime.”

Rosalie turned over in his arms, resting her hand on his face and holding him close. “I still can’t believe you did that for me. It was like something out of a movie.” Malachai rested her forehead against his, kissing her lips sweetly and pulling her even closer under the cozy comforter. “I’d do anything for you.”

Their kisses were always addictive, laced with something more than romance and attraction. Something more than love itself. It was the conjoining of two halves of a whole. When something is so fulfilling and complete, it’s impossible to give it up. When Rosalie’s lips brushed against Kai’s for the next uncountable instance that night, he didn’t have it in him to let her pull away.

Their mouths danced together. Their heartbeats synced to one rhythm. Their eyes were closed, absorbing every sensation, every little dip and curve of each other. Kai gingerly hoisted Rosalie atop him. His arms wrapped around her back, pressing her body to his without letting their kiss end. Rose almost whimpered into the kiss, nearly overwhelmed with how much she wanted him.

This was foreign to them both. Neither had been romantically involved with anyone else. They’d been waiting to make love to their soulmate and only their soulmate. Now that the moment was here, neither was afraid. This was it. Without any apprehension, they both knew it would be perfect.

“Rose…” Kai broke the kiss, shifting away just a fraction of an inch. “I want you. I want all of you.” His voice was mixed with labored breaths, his lips trailing along her jaw and neck, not willing to stop touching her. Rosalie’s eyes fluttered gently, lost in the feelings Malachai elicited in her. “You have me, love. You already have all of me.” Rose sat up, pulling Kai up with her. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and in the process of tugging his shirt from his body, she unknowingly shifted her hips against him. Malachai groaned, feeling himself harden and grow beneath her.

Rose was, surprisingly, quite the vixen. He’d always known there was a fire within her, but this was a fire that consumed him, too. He craved it badly, wanted it to burn him in the most delicious way possible. Kai removed her shirt, mirroring her anticipation. More and more of their bare flesh embraced the other’s, desperate to become one.

Becoming more and more impatient as his desires grew, Kai flipped them over, laying Rosalie beneath him, removing her leggings and panties off in one fell swoop. His left hand fumbled with his own shorts while the other trailed over the soft skin of her inner thighs, just an inch away from her eager sex. Rose trembled below him so enticingly, egging him on. 

 Two of his fingers slipped between her lower lips and inside her, warming her up to take his cock very soon. “God, you don’t know how much I’ve ached for you, baby.” Despite the pleasure at the strange new sensation coursing through her, Rose giggled a little. “Trust me, it’s been the same for me.” Hoisting herself up on her elbows, she crushed her mouth to his, their moans drowning together as her hand found his hardening cock. It wrapped around Kai’s length, stroking him teasingly. 

 Their tongues meshed together, and all conscious thought was gone now. Rosalie broke the kiss, leaning over and trying not to tremble as Kai’s fingers explored her while she grabbed the new box of condoms from the bedside table. Kai raised his eyebrows, pleasantly surprised. This truly had been on her mind just as much as his, and she’d prepared for it. Not looking away from his eyes, Rose slid the condom on his cock, loving the little moan he let out.

Kai kissed her again, slipping his fingers out from inside her dripping pussy. He laid her down, more gently this time. The atmosphere in the room had changed. There was still passion and need and desire, but it was enveloped in something more: adoration. Malachai loved Rosalie, and Rosalie loved Malachai. Nothing else mattered. 

 With a steady slowness, Malachai aligned his sex with hers, penetrating her with care. She winced noticeably, and he peppered kisses of apology all over her neck. This was pure pleasure for him, unlike anything he’d known. “I’m here, Rosalie. I love you so fucking much. You have all of me.” Kai was not the one claiming her; they were claiming each other, their souls forever brandished with a mark unique to them.

More and more tender moments passed. Their lovely sounds of ecstasy were muted by their incessant kisses, stopping for nothing and no one. She was his and he was hers: now and forever.

~~~

One week later, Malachai woke in an empty bed. His arms and the other pillow were cold, telling him that Rosalie had gotten up long ago. The mahogany clock on the wall read 7:43 AM. Where did she go this early? Kai shoved the blanket aside, slipping on the black sweatpants he’d discarded last night, and made his way downstairs. Rose was curled up on the couch under a light blue blanket. She’d dozed off again. A picture of her with her family lay beside her, near her fingertips as if she’d fallen asleep while holding onto it.

Kai looked upon her for a moment, kneeling by the couch and gingerly moving the picture frame away. Despite his best efforts, the movement woke her. He stood, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Sorry love, didn’t mean to wake you.” Kai slipped behind her, pulling Rose into his lap and wrapping the blanket around them both. She didn’t say anything, just silently snuggling into him. He knew what she was thinking, even without her saying anything. 

 “You don’t have to say anything, but I need you to listen.” Rosalie nodded, nestling her head into his neck. He rested his cheek against the top of her head, holding her to him. “I know you still feel very guilty about your family. I also know you well enough to know that a part of you always will. But…” Kai moved away just briefly, shifting so he could look into her beautiful eyes. “Just because they’re not here right now doesn’t mean they’re not always with you. Maybe they’ve been left behind in the past, but they’re not forgotten. They never will be.

“They are alive in you.”

~~~

That concludes Chapter 9 of Colors! Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I loved writing it.

Note: I realize I didn't write the smut scene to completion (pun intended). This was because I believed sex between two soulmates was honestly something I couldn't do justice to. I imagine it to be so powerful and healing - I didn't think I could put it into words in the right way. Also, I didn't want to leave any smut warnings at the top because it would give away that their first time is in this chapter but I will include them from this point out (if applicable).

Chapter 10 is posted! Read it here.

Please feel free to send any thoughts/comments/constructive criticisms my way. I always welcome them!

If you’d like to be added to the taglist for this story and/or for my other Kai Parker pieces, please send me a message or leave a comment on this post.

Until next time, JustAThoughtfulAngel <3

Master Taglist: @socio-kai-path1972, @bluelicious, @genevivetaylor, @prettybitchfatwitch, @kolsangel

Colors Taglist: @lalaooopsie, @southernbell91, @rootbeerfaygo

[shemarmooresfedora]

Home

Series Summary: After being arrested, Spencer Reid desperately tries to get back home to his daughter, Camellia, who was placed into foster care in your home.

Pairing: Single!Dad!Spencer x Foster!Mom!Reader

Word Count: 1.7k

Content/Warnings: mentions of Diana’s Alzheimer’s and Schizophrenia, prison, separation of father and daughter, swearing

A/N: i hope you guys enjoy my new fic! this may be about 8 chapters or so! i’m not sure yet, going to see how interested people are in the plot :) (also quick disclaimer: i have never been in the foster care system so please excuse any inaccuracies)

Masterlist

Chapter 1

Spencer never wanted his daughter to see him like this, being brought into the BAU bullpen in handcuffs. He was supposed to be the good guy.

Right now, he couldn’t tell if he still was. He had good intentions going down to Mexico to get non-FDA approved medicine for his mom but he may have killed someone in the process. If only he could just remember.

Camellia ran into his arms to hug him, a hug he so desperately wanted to return if it wasn’t for these stupid cuffs around his wrists.

“They can’t just take you away, Dad,” she cried.

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I’m going to get back to you as soon as possible,” he promised, kissing the top of her head.

Spencer felt absolutely crushed as the guards had to drag his crying 11-year-old off of him so he could be taken to his holding cell.

-

You had just gotten off of work when your phone rang. Eileen, the head foster care coordinator, was calling.

“Hello,” you answered.

“Hey Y/N,” she greeted you, “I know you haven’t had a foster kid in a few months but I kind of have an urgent case. 11-year-old sixth grade girl. Mom has been out of the picture for a while, Dad recently imprisoned and on trial for murder. There are a bunch of family friends willing to take her but no direct family,” she explained.

“I can take her for as long as she needs,” you told Eileen.

“Great! I’ll text you the address, it’s the FBI headquarters.”

-

When you walked into the BAU, still in your dino scrubs and white lab coat, Eileen was surrounded by a frantic group of people.

“As I said before, I don’t doubt any of your credentials but this is the law. We can only give away a child to direct family at this point in time. If you are not direct family, you will need a lawyer to fight for custody as well as permission from her father but that process could take months,” Eileen stated.

“Spencer hasn’t spoken to his father in years and his mother is in a facility for her schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s,” a dark-haired woman spoke.

“Exactly so she must be turned over to the foster care system. I apologize to you all but this is how it works. We can’t bend the rules,” Eileen said.

“I don’t want Callie fending for herself in a house with 20 other kids,” a blonde-haired woman argued, “I’m her godmother. She stays with me all the time. She was staying with me while Spencer was in Mexico.”

“Sorry, my answer is still no. But, hopefully this will squash your concerns, Y/N!” she called you over, “This is Y/N. Jo will be placed with her. She is a pediatric doctor and currently has no other foster kids at the moment but all of her past kids have absolutely adored her. She always passes her surprise safety and wellness checks with flying colors.

“Hi,” you waved, intimidated by this huge group of frustrated people with guns on their hips.

“A doctor? So she isn’t even going to be home most of the time,” a curly-haired man scoffed.

“Actually, I own my own practice. I don’t work at a hospital so I usually have a regular 8-4 shift unless one of my patients needs urgent attention,” you clarified.

“JJ, don’t make me go,” a girl, who you could only assume was Callie, sobbed.

They were all staring at you like you were the worst person on Earth. You wanted to shrivel up and die. When you went through the process of becoming a foster parent, you thought this was a very admirable thing to do. You just wanted to provide a good home to kids in need.

“Do any of you have a key to Dr. Reid’s residence so Camellia can pack a bag?” you asked politely.

The woman closest to Callie that must be JJ pulled a key off of her chain and handed it to you.

“I’ll-um-leave my phone number and address here so you guys can contact me at any time or stop by. I understand your concerns but please know I try my absolute hardest to make sure all kids feel welcome and safe in my house,” you scribbled your information down on a scrap piece of paper.

“Are you ready to go, Camellia?” you asked softly.

She went around hugging everyone in the circle before solemnly nodding to you.

God, you felt like such an asshole.

-

After Callie finished packing her things from her bedroom in relative silence, you returned to the car.

“I don’t know what you like to eat but we can stop at the grocery store so we can get stuff you like and any other things you need,” you said.

You were met with silence from the backseat. You offered for her to sit in the passenger seat but she declined.

“Listen, I’m really not trying to be the bad guy here. Please don’t make me out to be one. I know you are having a tough time with your Dad’s situation right now but shutting everyone else out won’t help,” you spoke softly, “Trust me, I know.”

You sighed when the silence continued. You pulled out of the Reid’s driveway and headed to the grocery store.

-

You let Callie lead when you entered the grocery store, opting to follow behind her with the cart. She went immediately to the frozen meal section and started throwing them in.

“Camellia, that’s fine if those are what you want but just so you know, I love to cook so I can make you anything you want,” you offered.

“This is what I’m used to,” she spoke sharply, “My dad is not a bad dad, he just usually doesn’t have much time.”

“I never claimed he was,” you defended yourself.

After that, you kept your mouth shut. Clearly, she was a very independent girl and she had her own routine she liked to stick to.

-

You hauled all the grocery bags inside the house and unloaded them as Callie brought in her suitcases.

“So Camellia, I put all the food you picked out in these two cabinets. I mean obviously, you are welcome to anything in the kitchen but I just wanted you to know where the things you picked out were. I always have a grocery list on the fridge that you can add to,” you began to give her a tour of the house, “Bathroom is in there. There’s another upstairs. Here’s the living room with a TV,” you headed up the stairs, “Here’s my room.”

On your bed was an adorable toyger kitten cuddled up on your pillow.

“Oh! This is Winnie like Winnie the Pooh. I just got her a few weeks ago from a shelter. She is super friendly and loves snuggles so she will probably try to sneak into your bed unless you keep your door closed.”

“I don’t mind,” Callie spoke softly as she petted Winnie.

You smiled softly. These were the first words you got out of her that weren’t a rejection.

You continued the tour, “There’s a bathroom between our rooms but I tend to use the downstairs one so feel free to make it your own. And here’s your room,” you opened the door to a white room with a queen bed in the center, a small bookshelf, a few plants, and paintings.

“I hope this is good enough for now. We can go out this weekend to a home goods store if you want to redecorate. I’d even be open to repainting it if you want,” you offered.

Callie just set her bags down and nodded.

“Alright, I’ll leave you be. I’ll probably be downstairs for a while watching TV if you want to join. Let me know if you want me to make you anything,” you began to shut the door but Winnie slipped in first.

“Good night, you guys,” you smiled softly.

-

“Do you want me to wait out here or come in with you?” you asked softly.

Spencer had been denied bail, meaning he was transferred to a federal prison and Callie was going to be staying with you for a while. She had taken the news rather hard as expected when the team came over to your house to tell her. You still weren’t really accepted by the group so you mostly stood in the corner of the kitchen while they were all in your living room.

You had spoken to Eileen several times about Callie’s current situation. She gave you permission to do whatever you saw fit. This means you could opt her out of school one or two days a week if she wasn’t feeling up to it as long as she emailed her teachers and got her missed work in on time. You were researching different therapists for her to talk to because she didn’t seem to want to open up to you. You were also given a schedule of visiting times for her to visit her dad in prison.

“I’ll just go in alone,” she walked in the door to the visiting room, leaving you in the waiting room.

-

“Dad,” Callie tried to hug Spencer but the guard pointed to the ‘No Touching’ sign posted on the wall.

They both sat down defeatedly at opposite ends of the table.

“How are you?” Callie inquired, wiping her tears away from seeing her father locked up.

“I don’t want to talk about me, sweetheart. How are you? Emily and my lawyer visited yesterday and told me you had to be placed into foster care,” Spencer asked, concerned.

“It’s okay. Not the best,” she sighed.

“What’s happening? Are they hurting you? Are they not giving you enough to eat? Callie, I’ll have my lawyer on the phone and you out of there so quick,” Spencer frantically stated.

“No, Dad. Y/N is fine…nice, even. But she’s not you,” Callie cried.

Spencer’s face softened, “I’m so sorry, Callie. You don’t deserve to be dealing with any of this.”

“Just please come home,” she sniffled.

“I’m trying, sweetheart, I’m really trying,” he replied earnestly with tears in his eyes.

A/N: i will also be starting a series taglist if you don’t want to be added to my main taglist so just clarify which one you want to join! also i recommend listening to the song Home by Phillip Phillips because it is kind of like the theme song for this story

main taglist (just ask to be added/removed!): @samuel-de-champagne-problems @g0lden-cth @spencerreid9 @averyhotchner @coldlilheart @k-k0129 @ickleronniekinsemotionalrange @harrystylesandthegoobs @cmily @jswessie187 @rem-ariiana @hoodpankow @mochionly @spencerreid-187 @babymetaldoll @fics4arainyday @ssavanessa22 @all-tings-diego

series taglist: @ilovespencerreidmarryme

[heyhilana]

Italy (Javi G)

Summary: You and Javi decide to take his private jet to get to Italy for the lavish party you both planned to close a deal with a client. But now that you and Javi have been all over each other since your dinner together, it seems that even flying in the air can't keep you both from making up for the lost time teasing each other. Following that after two days, you and Javi make plans to have a candlelight dinner the night before the party.

A/N: Hi! Originally I wanted to separate this as Mile High Club and then another chapter, but I realized it would probably flow better if I made this one chapter. This chapter officially concludes Los Jefes and the following chapter is technically how this started even though it serves as the last chapter. I wrote Show off as a one-shot, but then the rest of the series came to mind after so these are prequels for that chapter. I may write headcannons or pieces in between for fun, but for now, it's all done <3 Happy reading!

Pairing: Javi G x !f reader (work partners turned lovers)

Warnings: Slight lap dance? Like, it's more for show but it ends quickly. Quick blowjob, unprotected sex, p in v sex, biting, creampie, mentions of fingering, but overall, just a loving story as I wanted to give them a better happy ending to make this mini-series end in a full circle.

Word Count: 6.5K (I didn't mean for it to get there)

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You had been on a private plane a few times due to your previous partnerships with other crime leaders. Some had multiple meals throughout the flight if it was longer than 8 hours, and other had round the clock drinks to make you almost forget about all that you had to do. But you knew that Javi’s took the cake the minute you saw it. Red carpet leading the way to it, you almost felt that you were underdressed getting into it. Of course, Javi didn’t see it that way as he snaked an arm near your lower back, whispering in the shell of your ear.

“Too bad we have other people on this plane,” His voice was husky, and a smile was tugging across your lips over what he wanted to do with you.

“We just finished 30 minutes ago.”

“Who’s to say we can’t go again? I just bought this plane a few weeks ago, and I’m sure you haven’t joined the mile high club yet.”

“You’re insatiable aren’t you?”

“Around you? Always, mi vida.” He kiss your ear lobe, then your jaw before turning away acting like it didn’t send shivers all down your spine. He led you down the red carpet that covered the stairs, letting you go first up the stairs and then he continued. You were greeted by Jaime, one of Javi’s trusted men that guarded him with his life.

“Good afternoon, Miss Y/N. Any particular drinks that Victor can make for you?”

“Good afternoon Jaime. And yes, I would love a Bellini. I think it would be fitting for where we’re headed.” You saw the rows of seats right in front of you, as well as a dance floor fitted with a pole which let you know that whoever owned this plane before had many parties while in the air. And as you walked ahead you saw the bedroom right at the end of the plane, letting you know that you and Javi would probably be there for the remainder of the flight. Jaime also greeted Javi the moment he walked in, and the two shared some words that you did not hear as you walked right up to the pole, setting your bag down on one of the free seats. Jaime and Victor went to their respective quarters of the plane, just right next to the pilot’s door and closed the door.

“I was thinking about taking that down but it seems to me that you like it,” Javi was settled into one of the plush seats, just as you twirled around the pole.

“Well, it’s not everyday that I can practice my skills on a private plane.”

“Welcome to the high life, baby. It only gets better from here.” Victor came up behind you with your drink as well as Javi’s usual, you took yours and took a sip and the sweetness enveloped your tastebuds. You were sure that by the time you got off of this flight you would be nice and comfortable. You continue to twirl around as Javi watched you, looking you up and down as you were only wearing the sandals that you had only mentioned to Javi in passing time and he surprised you with them last night and the sundress that catered to your body. Feeling a burst of confidence you dropped nice and low, looking at him a smirk on your face.

“Care for a dance?” The way he looked, his suit jacket unbuttoned along with his dress shirt, legs slightly open giving you a seat that you grew to love over the past few weeks, you were in pure lust and love.

“What kind of dance?” The quirk in his brow garnered a laugh from you.

“Well, I have a few ideas in mind,” You moved back up and put your drink on the bar counter, going back over to the poll and twirling around it, getting a firm grip on the pole to jump up and slide down, seeing his eyes rake your body. Knowing that you weren’t wearing any panties underneath you knew that your sundress was clinging to your butt, and so you bent over when you got your feet planted on the ground to shake your ass a little.

“Oh, is this another one of your talents baby?”

“It could be. I love to be full of surprises,” You jumped on the poll again to twirl, this time with one hand as you touched your breast.

“I think I know something else you like to be full of.” He took another swig of his drink, finishing it from there. The way his voice was dropping made you want to drop everything and have him fuck you right in that chair. Wanting to be closer to him, you got back on your feet and walked over to him, noticing how when he looked up at you his eyes were completely blown out. You took your rightful seat, arms coming around his neck.

“Yeah? You’re starting to know what I need. Maybe I need you to fix it.” You were looking down at him, ever so slightly grinding down on him making him buck his hips up. You were still sensitive from earlier, but he knew just how to wind you up again and again.

“Here or the bedroom?” He leaned up towards you to grab your hips, lips reaching to meet your jaw.

“How likely are Jaime and Victor going to walk in on us?” You barely got out the words as Javi took the initiative to kiss going up your jaw, your sweet spot right between your jugular.

“They know to not come out. Unless you want to put on a show that is?”

“Put on a show? I thought you didn’t like sharing.” You grinded down on him further, feeling him grow right in his pants.

“Oh, they will never touch what’s mine,” He pulled down the straps of your dress, your breasts on full display as the top of it fell right in your lap. “But they can see what a fucking stunning woman you are.”

“Then I can put on a show for you then, and maybe flying back they can get one too,” You got up to strip tease more, much to his pleasure as your sundress fell down completely.

“That’s it baby, show me that pretty body.” You stepped out of the dress and went back over to him, turning around to grind your ass on to him, instantly he was holding your hips to touch you, get some sort of relief as you gave him a dance. Wetness already pooling was already a norm for you two as you grinded right down on his hard on, whining as you felt it brush against your clit.

“I could take you just like this. Fuck, I’ll take you anywhere.” You got up to face him again seeing the wet spot you made on his pants. You put your breasts in his face, and the way he lightly bit your nipple that was right near his lips made you clench your legs more.

“Javi, take off your shirt.” You breathlessly asked, and he obliged, taking off his button up and throwing it somewhere else on the plane. You touched him, wanting to feel his soft skin that you were memorizing just a little while earlier. He suddenly got up, his hands settling right on your back thighs as he lifted you up. You were startled but you soon forgot about it as he led you to your bedroom, and you picked up your drink to finish it, sipping the last bit of it.

“Your lips should be wrapped around something else,” His vulgarity was surprising you by the minute, liquid courage making you want him more than before. He laid you down on the bed and took the empty glass from you and put it on the small nightstand. He took off his slacks and boxers, and the view of his hardening cock never failed in making your walls ache for that stretch. You sat up and his cock was leveled with your mouth, much to your contentment.

“I feel like you get bigger every time, but you still fit inside me.” You kitten licked his shaft, and his hand was tangling in your hair.

“I’m always going to fit inside you. Need to feel you wrapped around my cock all the time.” You hummed in response as you spat in your hand to wrap it around the base of his cock. You lightly pumped him as he thrusted himself into your hand.

“Someone’s needy already.” You were giggling a little but it was cut short when he wrapped a hand around your hair.

“Let me fuck that pretty face, amor.” Without wasting any time he was thrusting, and you put your hands on his thighs for support as he went on. There was something about how when you looked at him and seeing him grunt like an animal and fuck your face harder that made you want him more. It was as though he was insatiable with you always, always needed more than the last and testing limits with you. The more you opened your mouth and let the tip hit the back of your throat, the more he twitched in your mouth. You were humming and fighting a smile as you loved the way he took charge of it, the way he looked down at you and pulled your off his cock right when he was about to cum.

“But I wanted you to finish,” You were pouting a little.

“I have the rest of the day to do that. Besides, I can always do something else,” He smiled and tapped your cheek, to which you opened and he spat in your mouth. He kissed you right after, sitting back down and having you both move back so he could pull you into his lap. You felt his cock pressed against your core, grinding down to make you both moan.

“Ride me, baby. Please,” Hearing heady words escape his lips as his hands tangled with your body made your walls pulsate. You were smiling as he helped you lift up to angle yourself right above his cock, your hand wrapped around it and rubbing it up and down your slit. Every time it hit your clit you jumped, still sensitive from the previous session. But nonetheless, you pressed it right at your hole and he pushed you down, his head burying into your chest to bite a little.

“You’re gonna leave marks on me now?” You were whining as he bit down more, sucking a little. His tip was just gently pressing against your spot, and you were grinding down to get some relief.

“That’s it baby, use my cock,” He breathless asked before biting again in different spots, making goosebumps rise all over your body. You clawed at his back as you grinded down more, feeling that familiar spot being grazed over and over again.

“Javi, are you trying to leave marks on me?”

“When we arrive at that party, I want everyone to see what I did.” He leaned up and looked right at you as he spoke to you, hands gripping your hips to guide you.

“I’m yours now after this?” You gave him a small smile as he stopped your movements to fuck up into you.

“You were mine the moment you let me into your apartment.” He threw his head back as you moved your hands back to steady them on his legs, holding yourself up as he thrusted. You were meeting his thrusts little by little, soon feeling that familiar knot forming that you never thought you would feel all day long but with Javi, it was all you ever felt. You kept tightening every time he was fully inside you, your body speaking for you.

“You keep doing that and I’m gonna cum inside you.”

“Who said I didn’t want that?”

“Fuck, you’re joking,” You had always made him pull out or cum somewhere else, but there was a change in you that you didn’t see coming.

“I’m not joking baby,” You leaned back up to wrap your arms around his neck. “I need you to cum inside me, nowhere else.”

“You sure?”

“I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life.” The low groan that erupted from him just as your peak was making you whine, losing all sense of control was inevitable as you felt that blissful, blinding relief washing over your body. Legs shaking, pulsating walls, a mumbled cry of his name as you couldn’t speak coherently and his light shushing as you were still not alone on the plane. You clutched to him just as he released inside you, a bite down as he was trying to conceal his moans too. You rocked with him, the wave washing over you both until you stilled. He pulled his head up and you clutched his face, kissing him deeply. And after kissing for who knows how long resulting in more trying to catch your breath, you climbed off of him and went to your side of the bed just as he laid down to cuddle with you.

“That was fun,” You were over the moon as always ever since you got with him, and the chuckle that erupted from his throat made you smile.

“It’s always fun because it’s with me,” He remarked, his head resting on your chest.

“Getting a little cocky now aren’t we?”

“I’ve been cocky the moment we met. It didn’t stop you then and it won’t stop you now.”

“First you’re cocky, and now you’re a now it all. Should I be rethinking this?” You joked as you played in his hair.

“Who else is going to take you to Italy and everywhere else in the world and treat you like the queen you are?”

“Smooth, Gutierrez. Very smooth.” You both were laughing until you stopped and you both were looking at each other. He moved up to kiss your lips once more before sleep lulled you away from reality. Although that only lasted for a half hour before a knock on the door stirred you both.

“Who is it?” Javi’s asked, sleep laced in his voice.

“Jaime. We land in 10 minutes.” You checked your watch and saw you spent most of the time in the room with him rather than enjoying the jet.

“Understood.” Javi acknowledged Jamie and heard the receding footsteps soon after.

“I didn’t get to enjoy all of the jet.” You were pouting a little.

“We’re going to have more trips on this jet and many more.” He nuzzled back into your neck and kissed the exposed skin.

“If we keep getting in this position it will never happen,” You were laughing, but when he bit your neck again you gasped. Soon you felt those fingers snaking there way between your legs and up to your core. “Javi, the plane lands in 10.”

“And I’ll make you cum in 2. Just relax and enjoy the ride.” You couldn’t even protest if you wanted to because the moment he pushed them in, you were back into ecstasy.

-

After a delay in arrival, you walked down the track in new clothes and Javi was right next to you with a hand on the small of your back. You were greeted by Julia, one of the new hires for the event.

“You must be Javi Gutierezz and Y/N Y/L/N. It’ll be a pleasure working with you.” She held her hand out and you both shook it one at a time.

“I’ve heard nothing but high regard for your work, which leads me to believe that this event will go perfectly fine.”

“It will. Now let’s get you to the car so we can discuss plans,” She was walking towards the large Mercedes V-Class that had Jaime and another man opening the doors for you three. She went in first and after you did with Javi helping you in the car. He followed suit and in there was a table with files everywhere. The doors closed and the two men got into the front of the car, the engine starting and you all taking off.

“Care for some champagne?” Julia asked as she pulled out the bottle and glasses.

“It’s happy hour somewhere,” Javi remarked as he took a glass. You did the same and Julia poured the champagne steadily so that it would not get on the table. She put the bottle back in the compartment and lifted her glass.

“To new partnerships.” You both raised your glasses as well.

“To new partnerships, and also new travels.” You added, and the three of you clinked your glasses and took a sip, enjoying what the high life brought you. You all put your glasses down and Julia got to work pulling all the files out in order.

“Okay. Here’s the floor plan that I made showing how many tables we can fit there. Given the guest list, we can fit 12 comfortably and up to 14 if needed.”

“Let’s stick with 12. I want all the guests to move around freely so that if they are drunk, they can’t bump into each other.” Julia nodded and crossed out the 14.

“Next line of business. Where do you want Brian Jackson to sit? The others I know are easy to place as you mapped out their chemistry but I’m not sure where Brian should be placed,”

“Place him at table 9. It’s close enough to the bar but still in everyone’s line of view as he has one of the best views of the water. He’ll want all the attention, so we should cater to that.” You pointed at table 9 right where Julia’s pencil was.

“I like your way of thinking.” Julia noted.

“And I like your execution,” You complimented back to which she smiled and got back to clearing off the list. “What’s next on the list?”

“The next item is where you two want to be seated. I could place you right in the middle or place you closer to the edge where the water is for when you both do your toast.”

“Where do you want to sit, Javi?”

“I prefer the water. I want the view since that’s what I’m paying for,”

“Fair enough. The last item on the list is where do you want Jaime to sit? I could have him sit at your table or nearby in the event that something happens. But I can ensure you that the security detail we have is top notch.”

“Jaime can sit with us. I’d feel better with him close by.” Julia nodded and checked that off her list.

“Okay, the tabling is all set and it’s just in time for us to arrive at the villa.” The car was rolling to a stop as you looked out from the tinted windows to see the beautiful villa Javi owned.

“When did you buy this?” You turned to look at him.

“I don’t remember. I think it was a birthday present or it could’ve been a Christmas gift for myself. I’m leaning towards the Christmas gift possibility.” You rolled your eyes at his statement.

“Give or take, how many homes do you own?”

“Possibly one in almost every country. I still haven’t gotten towards the Netherlands for property.” He put his finger on his face as though he was pretending to think.

“Well there’s no way you can live in them all in one lifetime.” The doors opened and you climbed out after Julia, waiting for Javi to follow.

“You’re right, I don’t. Most of those properties I converted into housing for the homeless since I realized donating to the countries was only going to get me but so far. I grew up with nothing, so this was my way of redeeming myself and giving back even with my business.” He climbed out of the car and you both started walking to the front door.

“I didn’t know that, actually. It never showed up in your file.” You admitted.

“I kept it hidden for a reason. Some of philanthropy I wanted for everyone to see but that, I wanted just for myself.” Jaime opened the door for you both.

“That’s sweet of you to do, really.” You placed a kiss on his cheek.

“Thank you.” You, Julia, and Javi walked into the villa and you were immediately taken aback by the beauty of it all. The vines on the front of the house was enough to blow you away but the way they were brought inside made you smile. It had the timely feel of when you were faced with the dining room, an older chandelier with real candles hanging over the decadent table, already seeing that lunch was to be served. Countless paintings adorned on the walls, light curtains that allowed the sun to envelop the house in warm light, and with patios at every window, you were sure that you could enjoy a nice book right on the patio. You sat your purse down on the couch and took a seat, almost falling asleep from how comfortable it was.

“How big is this villa? Oh, thank you,” You thanked one of the servers who handed you a glass a water.

“Well there are two floors above this one, the second floor being the main bedrooms and the last floor being where the study and the main balcony is. And that’s not including the basement complete with a wine cellar.” He sat down right next to you as Julia and the other workers were preparing to get to work.

“And let me guess, that’s where you keep your prized wine collection?”

“You’re right my love.” He took your hand into his and squeezed it, rubbing his thumb over it.

“What are your plans for us today then?”

“Well, there is a garden in the back since I know you love the fresh herbs in food so you can pick some out. And the pool hasn’t been used yet so I was thinking we could make up for the last time we went swimming,” He whispered the last part in your ear, making chills rise up in you.

“We have work to do you know? It’s not all pleasure or else we would just be here by ourselves.”

“Business is necessary but you didn’t really think for one second that we were going to spend the whole time working now?” The mischievous grin that was on his face made you giggle.

“What am I going to do with you?”

“I have a few ideas.” He raised his eyebrow.

“We have work to do. We can have fun later,” You moved your hand away from his and got up, going over to the team to discuss more options for the party. He sighed before getting up, going to meet with Jaime to do his portion of the event but not before deciding on sneaking in a little something for tomorrow night.

“Julia, can you please put the two chairs near table 6? I know that George and Heidi are going to want to sit next to Francine and William.” You were in full speed, setting all the tables up as tomorrow was the night your party celebrating your role as a business partner as well as closing the deal with Brian Jackson was going to take place. You didn’t want to admit it, but all the time you spent studying everyone’s relationships and alliances paid off as you were sure that nothing would go awry at this event.

“Yes, boss!” Julia and the other man working alongside her were moving the chairs to the right corner when you felt someone’s arms snake around you.

“Have I told you how hot you look working?” His mouth was at the shell of your ear, and the little kiss he placed after he spoke made you melt further into him.

“I think you’ve told me that enough, but I don’t mind hearing it again,” You smiled as you could feel his slight stubble prickling at your cheek as he moved his head down to your shoulder.

“I’ll tell you that every day for the rest of my life.”

“Oh are you? As soon as I get up and I go to sleep?” You were joking, but the grip on your waist got tighter.

“I’ll tell you the minute you wake up, when we eat, when we’re working, when we relax, but especially before bed.” He let go of you, moving his head up and spun you around so you could face him.

“Well aren’t you the charmer,” You wrapped your arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his lips. He was eager so deepening it took not much else as he would probably make out with you in front of everyone and not have a care in the world. But as much as you enjoyed getting lost into him, you pulled back to look at him.

“I have to get back to work since this is almost done, but dinner at 6?” He pouted a little, but he didn’t protest too much.

“Let’s make it a later one since you and I both know we’re not getting out until later.” The mischievous grin made you blush and roll your eyes.

“Javi, how are you this insatiable?”

“Because I’m with you so why would I ever get enough of you?”

“You’re so cheesy. Stop it.” You were smiling as you rested your forehead on his.

“If you didn’t like it I think this would’ve stopped a long time ago.”

“Okay, smartass.” You both laughed.

“I’ll leave you be. But we’ll have dinner at 8. Sounds good?”

“Sounds perfect. I’ll see you later.” You kissed his cheek quickly but he pulled you back in for a real kiss. You were sure that another long kiss would commence but that was interrupted by Julia.

“Ehem,” She cleared her throat and you two pulled back. “The chairs are set but Giancarlo needs you to go over the dinner sets. He’s in the kitchen down the hall.”

“Thank you for letting me know. Tell him I’ll be with him in a minute.” You were rushed, wanting to get your alone time back with Javi. She nodded and walked off with some pep in her step.

“I think you should order me around like that.”

“Don’t I already do that?” You quirked up an eyebrow.

“No one likes a smartass,” He pretended to get serious.

“Are you copying me?” You mocked, fake offended.

“Maybe.”

“Of course you are. But go, amor. I’ll catch up to you a little later, I promise.” He nodded and kissed your one last time, walking to the car that was waiting for him.

-

You arrived back into your shared room with Javi a few hours later, laying out three outfits that you were stuck on deciding. Of course, Javi took the liberty of getting clothes for you in Italy when you told him that you would pack some for the trip, so now you were decided between two that he bought for you, and two you brought for yourself.

“Javi, I told you I was going to bring clothes to go out,” You called out as he was showering.

“But you’re in Italy. You have to get clothes from every place you visit.” He yelled from the shower. You shook your head and began trying the first one on, going into the mirror and loving what he picked out. It hugged you just enough for you to feel confident in it, but what you loved most was the fact that it had pockets that had a decent amount of depth to them, a small detail that you loved since it was hard to find dresses with pockets.

“I knew you would like that one.” He spoke as you didn’t realize he had gotten out of the shower and was just in a towel loosely wrapped around his waist.

“It has pockets!” You exclaimed like a little kid, taking your phone and realizing that you could fit it in the pocket.

“Now you can have comfort and style, just the way you like,” Javi got closer to you and you were trying to not look him up and down. “Are you sure you want to make the reservation?” His hand was on your waist so suddenly.

“Javi, the more we push it for later the more likely we’re not going to eat.” You felt his other arm snake around you as he was now right behind you looking at you in the mirror.

“I have a few things to eat right here,”

“Javi, we are going out and then we can have fun later. I want to at least explore the city before we end up spending the rest of the trip in this room.” You moved his hands down and stayed firm, although you were decently close to through logic out the window.

“I understand my love. I’ll get dressed and then we can go out, I promise.” He gave you a warm smile and went into the adjacent closet to pick out one of his suits. You tried on the rest of the clothes, modeling them and all but the first one was the one for you. How did he know your style so well you wouldn’t know, but you appreciated the sentiment and got ready for dinner.

-

Walking along the streets of Italy was blissful. Rich orange, cotton candy pink swirling around to create the picturesque photos you would only dream of seeing once in a lifetime. Not a cloud in the sky, seeing the sun fall and the moon rise as each minute passes, walking near the fountain as other couples were standing near. You pulled on Javi’s arm to move closer as you loved the lights on the bottom. You let go of him to bend down slightly and put your hand in the water, seeing all the coins that were on the bottom.

“You should put this in your backyard. I’m sure they can make a replica of this,” You noted, thinking about the space that was in his backyard that could possibly fit another house if he wanted to.

“You can tell them whatever you want, cielo. If you want it, I’ll get it for you.” He rubbed the small of your back as you rose back up. You got an idea, pulling out your wallet and pulling out two coins. You handed him one and you kept the other in your hand.

“Make a wish.”

“What could I possibly wish for?”

“Anything. The first thought, just kiss the coin and throw it into the fountain. I’ll count down from 3. You ready?” He nodded and you both closed your eyes. You thought about what you wanted and smiled when it came to mind. “3, 2, 1. Toss!” You exclaimed before you quickly kissed it and threw it into the fountain. You saw that he did the same and you were happy, a little bit of the two of you now making your mark here.

“What did you wish for?”

“If I tell you, it won’t come true.” You pouted.

“Of course you say that,” He rolled his eyes as he took your hand in his and began walking down the street to the restaurant.

“It’s true!”

“Sure it is.” You playfully hit his chest as you both laughed. You clung to him a little, seeing that the sunset was fading out and the night sky was illuminating so brightly, the crystal stars mesmerizing you. You couldn’t help but stare, to take it all in as you were so busy that you missed out on the little things.

“I’m enjoying this, Javi. Are you?”

“I always enjoy times like these. They’re perfect no matter what we do.” You looked at him, feeling your heart swell as you were enamored by how he was. His looks impressed you, but his heart? A heart of gold that was not so hardened by this life. He reserved this time for you, to cater to you, to be who you needed and deserved. You knew from research that he only went out for a party, not for dates like these. It was the little things that he did for you, and the big things that made you feel that this was not a waste of time. Walking down the streets of Italy at night, of course with Jaime not too far behind, enjoying this time before business began the next day, it was whimsical, magical even. You would live in this moment forever if you could, to have time stop and no worries floating through your mind. Just you, your lover, and the streets of Italy to your fantasy. And it only got better from there when you saw that you were right in front of the restaurant. But, you saw that no one was inside.

“Did you buy out the restaurant, Javi?”

“Yes. I want us to enjoy our five course meal without having to wait. Besides, I want to hear you speak too without having to yell.” He led you inside and from there, the architecture, the painting, the brick walls, the ambiance of it all was what took you aback. A fairytale that only got sweeter with every page as you were seated right in the middle of the dining area, Javi letting go to pull out your seat for you.

“After you,” He winked at you as you sat down, placing your purse on the opposite chair. He rushed over to sit at the opposite chair and Jaime was seated further away as he was serviced too. Soon the waitress came over, wine in tow.

“Hi. Welcome to Pane e Salame. My name is Vittoria and I will be serving you tonight. Here is a bottle of Schiava to get you both started. The appetizers will be out soon.” You both nodded and said thank you as she left.

“Is everything made already?”

“It should be. I called this in before we flew in so that they had time to prepare. I want this to be as smooth as possible.” He opened the bottle with the bottle opener and poured you both a glass.

“It already is, and you’ve done so much for me already. This trip, the date, the event tomorrow. Everything has been so perfect that I can’t believe that it’s even happening. It means so much to me, more than I can explain,” You could already feel tears threatening to come up but you managed to hold it together.

“One day you’ll understand why I have done so much. I’ll prove it to you every day but this,” He pointed between you both. “This is what makes me happy.” He took his glass and you took yours.

“What do you want to drink to?”

“To us, our empire, and mostly, to making this night last for as long as we can.” He raised his glass with a smile.

“I can drink to that.” You smiled back and raised yours.

“Alla salute.” He toasted as he clinked his glass with yours. You said it back and both drank at the same time, the rich wine simmering down nicely as you knew that you would only want imported wine from now on.

As dinner passed and countless meals were served, the night was nearing an end and all you and Javi were doing were talking as if you had not seen each other in years. Plans for the future, what you both loved to do, opening up, it was endless between you two. You were on cloud 9, not wanted to get off any time soon. You noticed that after his sip of the wine he shifted in his seat, his face growing rather serious.

“I have to tell you something.” He was looking at you, but there was a little bit of fear in his eyes.

“Is it something bad?” You hoped not, as this would ruin everything in place.

“No, no! Nothing bad, I just wanted to wait to tell you until tomorrow but I can’t wait anymore.” He shuffled in his seat once more which made worry settle in the pit of your stomach.

“Well, what did you want to tell me?” You tried to even out your voice, but your nervousness was getting the best of you.

“I know we’ve been together for a little bit of time now, but I realized that I fell in love with you. I never thought that I would find the one, especially in this line of business, but I love you so much, mi amor. I wanted to take you out rather than tell you any other time because this is big for me, big for us.” He took your hand in his, squeezing it as tears were welling up in your eyes.

“And here I am happy that I decided on waterproof makeup,” You joked as you wiped your eyes with your free hand. “I love you too Javi. I’m in this because it feels right and I know I’m making the right decision by being with you. And I’m not letting you go, not now, not ever.” You squeezed his hand back. He leaned up to kiss you and you did the same, not caring that your light tears made the kiss a little salty as it didn’t compare to how sweet this moment was between the two of you. You both leaned back to sit back down, just in time for dessert.

“Do you both want a picture?” The waitress asked as she set down the lava cake. Javi looked at you and you nodded, wanting just one photo for the occasion.

“One should be good.” He handed the waitress the portable camera he carried in his pants pocket and you both leaned over the table, smiling right at the camera as she counted down. The flash went off and she handed the camera back to Javi before going back to her station.

“It’s a good photo. The only photos we have are when I’m sleeping on you.” He handed you the camera so that you could see.

“I love it. Should we get it framed for the bedroom?”

“We should. I think it’ll look good back home. But for now, let’s get to dessert,” He picked up his fork and dug in, his sweet tooth never failing to make you laugh.

“Save me some please,” You put the camera down and picked up the fork, taking a bite of the savory food.

“Better get in what you can.” He was already halfway done with his size. You knew that he would eat more of it than you but that was okay. You were happy, in love with the man that made you feel special, and you were in beautiful Italy. Nothing could change what you felt now because you knew that everything would be okay, that as long as you both were on this journey together, you would have each other’s backs through it all.

[yabai-korra]

The reasons why we're getting Manorian book

There has been a lot of speculation whether SJM is going to favor us with book/novella about Manon Blackbeak and Dorian Havilliard, recently I saw some fans doubting it, so here's a list of logical reasons why it's happening.

1. It's SJM

This woman writes two 500+ pages books per year, for her it would be a piece of cake.

2. There have already been books focused on side characters

a) Chaol and Yrene - Chaol was one of the most unpopular characters before Tower of Dawn (which made me love him hehe) and she still wrote a 600+ pages long book about him, just imagine what she'd do with the most popular character (Manon) and one of the most popular ones (Dorian).

b) Nesta and Cassian - this is ship is the closest to Manorian equivalent in ACOTAR series, aka starting from a physical relationship that develops into a sentimental one. Also 6th ACOTAR book will be focused on a new characters (most probably Elain)

3. Favoritism

SJM has talked multiple times about her love for these two. When asked about her favorite TOG character, she said Aelin, but Manon was a close second place and she said that she absolutely loves writing her.

In another interview, when asked who she would go on a book tour with and a few similar questions, she answered Dorian.

Now, I haven't seen all of her interviews ever and I'm not sure how much she loves Nessian and Cahorene (seems to love Nessian a hella lot tho), but it's definite that Manorian are some of her favorite characters and it's just logical that she would write about them.

4. Unfinished story/Unresolved feelings

Ships at the end of TOG:

Rowaelin - married

Elorcan - engaged

Lysaedion - engaged

Chaorene - married with a baby on the way

Nestaq - engaged

Manorian - hug and "we'll see"

All the ships basically got engaged in the last chapter (it's not like I didn't like it hehe) and their stories, romantic-wise, were pretty much finished and they have no unresolved tension between them. Manorian on the other hand, have enough of it for all the ships lol.

KOA spoilers ahead!

Keep in mind, Manorian relationship was mostly a sexual one, and they don't quite yet have a way of communicating their feelings properly. So there is a lot of unaddressed between them, even though they obviously care a lot about each other.

The unresolved things between Manon and Dorian:

"“And if I asked you to stay?” / “I’d need a very convincing reason, I suppose.” / “Because I don’t want you to go.” - they just fucked and Dorian left for Morath later, which impacted Manon a lot but they haven't discussed it

"I even care about you." - Manon got up and left

"There is only one witch who will be my queen." - Manon doesn't know about this

Manon saved Dorian from Valg demon even when Aelin couldn't. It was the worst thing to happen to Dorian and he still bears scars from it, yet he didn't have an appropriate situation to thank Manon for it

Dorian knows that Erawan lusted after Manon, which got him pissed of course, and he didn't have a chance nor time to ask Manon about it. It might be nothing, but if I were Dorain and my girlfriend who doesn't show feelings was locked up with a crazy guy who has a thing for her, and have seen the way he treats women, I'd be concerned. Erawan was a Valg king, a tough opponent even for Manon. If he had done something to her, and he had plenty of means and opportunities and wish to do so, Manon would never openly tell anyone (maybe Asterin) about it, because it would imply opening up and being weak, which is Manon's worst fear. Again, SJM, as the Queen of Foreshadowing, wouldn't just randomly throw in the main villain having a thing for an important character, everything in her books always has a meaning and purpose.

"Would you miss me if I didn't [come back]?" - Manon didn't reply

This is how SJM described Manorian marriage: "She would be his wife, his queen. She was already his equal, his match, mirror in so many ways. And with their union, the world would know it." - and you're telling me it's not deserving of its own book? Not just that, Manon asked Dorian for marriage and they, again, just had sex, with Dorian loving the idea but deep down knowing that Manon would feel caged in a marriage. And that attitude won't just change out of the blue. It takes time and development which is something SJM writes amazingly.

With the Thirteen gone, beside Abraxos Dorian is the only creature Manon cares about.

Dorian's mortality (although as you'll see in point #6 I'm sure he's not human)

The dreaded "You could just marry each other." / "We'll see." (Thanks Yrene :)

5. Foreshadowing

Listen here, SJM IS THE QUEEN OF FORESHADOWING. She thought of a detail (Dorian's dad's name) in the first book that would matter in the last book. Of course, there are many many many more examples of that, but if we got "We'll see." then we'll fucking see it happen.

6. Unresolved things about Manon and Dorian as individual characters.

Manon and Dorian and both pretty broken at the end of KOA.

Manon lost the Thirteen, the only people she cared about. That is a huge trauma that needs to be addressed, especially with someone so reluctant to show feelings and heal like Manon.

Dorian can't be human?? He has fae abilities due to his relation to Gavin and Elena even though he's not even called a demi-fae. He possesses powers no one else does, phantom hands for example, which he didn't steal like shape-shifting. And Maeve pointed out that due to his father being possessed by Valg when Dorian was sired, it's possible he got some of the Valg abilities. (Also she said that he's stronger than Aelin) The main villain, especially written by Queen of Foreshadowing, wouldn't just let drop it there and that's it. Also not to mention Dorian's own struggle with depression and self-worth.

They have both just become rulers of their kingdoms, completely new to it. Dorian has spent a big part of KOA imagining what kind of a king he wants to be (one that will have a witch queen hehe) and it was a major point of his character. And addition to that affecting them as characters, the future of Adarlan and Witch Kingdom could make a good plotline.

7. Other TOG characters

Although pretty much all the readers would die to see Chaorene baby, Lorcan in Perranth, Aelin and Rowan ruling Terrasen, Lysandra and Adeion officially adopting Evangeline, Nesryn and Sartaq becoming Khagan and Empress of Antica, all of these don't make enough of a plot on its own. They are great side-plots.

We know all of these characters love each other and are happy together, there isn't that much to be added to their personal stories other than kids. (same way Feyre and Rhys got a baby in Nessian book) Manorian however, they haven't even kissed without it leading to sex, they hugged at the end of KOA and it was the pique of their relationship. Their relationship is merely at the beginning, whereas others have pretty much reached their ultimatum (ofc SJM can decide to add some drama with betrayal, kidnapping, pregnancy etc. but for now everyone is good and settled beside Manorian)

Not to mention the way other relationships would affect them. Chaol, Dorian's brother, and Yrene, Manon's wannabe bestie and Manorian shipper, would bring their baby to meet his/her uncle Dorian and aunt Manon, and imagine Manon with a baby lol.

SJM loves Aelin and other characters way too much not to give us an insight on them as married couples, but since her books are huge and it's her, it needs a plot with drama, addressing traumas, repressed feelings, worldbuilding, and sex, and Manorian's got all of that.

8. Abraxos

We need more Abraxos, that's just a fact.

Wow that was a long one. Anyways, in conclusion, we're getting that Manorian book. Pretty sure it's gonna a book rather than a novella (TOD was also planned as a novella but then guess what) because there is just SO MUCH possible content.

[mionemymind]

Chapter 7: The New Beginning

Fake Memories

Series Summary: After Y/n is caught cheating on Wanda with Carol, Y/n would do just about anything to get Wanda back into her life. But was it even Y/n’s fault that she cheated? Or was it the new enemy set on revenge?

Chapter Summary: Healing isn’t easy, especially when Y/n doesn’t know if she wants to. 

A/n: First, I want to thank you to all the anons that have filled my inbox with nothing but sweet comments. Dealing with family matters is always hard and something I struggle with but reading those made it a little easier. And I think I’m ready to admit this, but the family matter that I’ve been dealing with is that recently, my grandma has passed away. And death is always something hard for me to talk about. But everyday is a new day, and everyday I learn to take a baby steps from this. I will be okay, but all of you have been a tremendous help.  Second, I want to say thank you to a couple friends ( @somewhatgreatexpectations @abimess @randomshyperson @yourtaletotell ) that have helped me come out of my writer's block so hand it to them for helping me update. But just thank you all haven’t given up on me yet. You all are the reason why I still push myself to write. So thank you thank you thank you. (Not my GIF)

Warnings: Anxiety, curse words

Word Count: 6.4k

Masterlist 

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 |

“Bucky,” looking up from his book, Bucky focused his attention towards Y/n. Still true to his word, Bucky visited Y/n every day regardless of the time. Sometimes he would even sleep on the couch even though it was uncomfortable. Other times, they would just sit around with each other’s company. And if they were lucky, they would do a group board game night with Beth. But she doesn’t quite like playing with them, stating, “Heroes and their uncanny ability to always win.”

“What is it like - in - um - in,” closing his book, Bucky finished Y/n’s sentence with, “therapy?” Nodding her head, she replied, “Yeah, therapy.”

“It’s different.” Bucky paused, not quite really sure how to word out his thoughts. He knew Y/n was still unsure about getting help but all he wanted was the best for the girl. “I mean at first, I didn’t speak at all. I hate being forced into doing things, but it was part of a contract deal with the government. In order to pardon me of all my crimes as the Winter Soldier, I needed to do mandated therapy.”

Rubbing his hands together, Bucky could feel himself getting vulnerable. This was never easy, but he quickly reminded himself that this was for Y/n. “There were a lot of exercises done during the span of a couple of sessions and somehow, I did find myself actually speaking to her. My therapist is a mixture of patience and sternness. She knew when I was avoiding certain things and depending on her call, she would either back off or put a little bit of pressure on me to speak. She matched my energy so it was like speaking to myself.”

“Would you say it helped?” Bucky was quick to nod. As much as he didn’t want to admit it (he did for Y/n’s sake), therapy did end up relieving some of the stress and nightmares of being the Winter Soldier. “Yeah...I would say it did, kid.”

“Would you say that you’re healed?” Bucky thought about it before answering with, “I would say that I’m a little less broken.”

It was quiet in this part of the tower. Almost too quiet. Of course, Y/n didn’t expect terrifying screams or cries for help. But still. It drove Y/n crazy to know that in each room was someone different dealing with their own struggles. She would be happy for them for getting help, but she hated that she needed it too.

“Beth,” Y/n called to grab her attention. The two were walking at a slow pace towards their destination. It wasn’t far but Beth stated clear orders for Y/n to not push herself. “Hmm?”

“Why do I need to heal?” The two continued to walk as Beth thought of a good answer. In fairness, everyone's reasons for wanting to heal were different. To sum it up in one general answer didn’t seem genuine. So Beth asked, “Well...do you want to stay broken?”

Y/n stood still. Whether it was because of Beth’s question or because they reached their destination didn’t quite matter. “I - uh-” Feeling frustrated, Y/n sat at a nearby chair. She ran her hands through her hair as her leg anxiously bounced.

“I don’t even know what I want,” she whispered. Beth squatted in front of Y/n. With one hand she cupped Y/n’s cheek, in the other, she placed it on her knee to stop her leg from bouncing. This may have gone beyond nurse protocol, but is there truly a good protocol to follow when it comes to emotional superheroes?

“Y/n,” Beth whispered sternly. For a second, Y/n looked into Beth’s eyes and felt a little calm but the anxious feeling was still overwhelming. “No one and I mean no one has answers to everything in life. It’s okay to be confused. It’s okay to feel nervous. It’s going to be okay...you hear me?”

Y/n nodded in response. Although Y/n loved to prove a point, it was the way Beth carried herself to be so strong that even her stubbornness wouldn’t be able to fight it. It was the way that Beth was one of the few people in the world that Y/n didn’t feel the constant need to argue about everything. She was one of the few that Y/n could trust to be right. And that scared Y/n.

“Now I wouldn’t be agreeing to this if I didn’t know that things would turn out okay. So at any point, you want to stop, just press this button and I’ll be on my way to you.” Once again, Y/n slowly nodded in agreement as she was given a blue button with a lowercase B in the middle.

“Let's go now, okay? Don’t want to wait any longer for Y/n 2.0.” With a couple of pats to the knee, the two stood up and went to the door. Beth opened it as Y/n walked in with a button in hand and a cane in the other.

“Ah, Ms. Y/n, glad you can join me.” Y/n slowly sat down with a tight lip smile. “Darling, let me introduce myself. I am Dr. Estella Johnson, I will be your new mental health therapist.”

It has been a week since Fury’s meeting. The majority of the Avengers, besides Bucky and Wanda, were tasked with missions near and far, all with the task of finding more information in regards to Hydra’s plan. So far, all of them came back empty-handed.

For Bucky, Fury still tasked the Avenger with dealing with whoever had hurt Y/n in addition to trying to get more information from Memory Man. As for Wanda, the girl never got real orders from Fury as to what to do. Even when she tried to ask, Fury simply dismissed her stating “I have places to go.”

So here she was standing in Y/n’s room with a handful of supplies. The place was still a broken mess, but with enough elbow grease and a touch of magic, Wanda could have it fixed in no time. “Maybe then it will be easier for us to talk,” Wanda hoped.

There was still no new information on Y/n. The same updates “she’s okay” was all that was given to them. Well, that was all that was given to Wanda. The team still didn’t speak much about Y/n. However, Wanda’s patience was running thin, but with a lot of thinking, she knew that it was simply best to wait. Not only that, Fury only unfolded more mysteries for the redhead during the meeting.

With another click of his button, Fury showed an old family picture of Y/n and her parents. “Y/n Wolfenstein. The only daughter of elite members Aldous and Helda Wolfenstein.” It was obvious the room felt a bit different, but Fury couldn’t quite place whether they cared or not.

Click. “Hein Stromanoff better known as Memory Man by us. Not much new detail about him other than what you already know.” Before Fury could click again, Tony had interrupted with, “Actually, this is the first we’ve heard of him.”

With a stoic look, Fury looked to see if Stark was bullshiting with him. This was not the time nor place to pull jokes, especially since his daughter’s safety was growing to be compromised. But when Tony didn’t budge, that’s when more things clicked in Fury’s head. “They don’t know,” he thought. “They seriously don’t know.” Even though Fury had more questions than answers, this was still not the time to ask them.

Putting his feelings aside, Fury said, “Well then. Memory Man was first known after an altercation at one of Tony’s parties a couple of months back. He was quickly captured and apprehended with the help of Carol and Y/n the very next week.”

“Altercation?” Wanda thought. She couldn’t really remember much of an enemy altercation during Tony’s parties for the past few months or any altercation at all. Even as Wanda kept thinking, Fury slightly noticed the fist that Wanda formed at the mention of Carol and Y/n.

“For a couple of months, all that was known about Memory Man was his unique set of powers. He has the ability to replace memories and feelings, however, his powers are only able to work when he touches your head.”

“Replace with what?” Steve asked. Usually, he would be one of the first to be informed of new enemies so it did slightly tick him off that he was only now made aware of Memory Man.

“Different memories or with whatever he pleases. He can alter how we remember things which makes him dangerous. In addition, his effects seem to be permanent. He is unable to reverse any damage done.”

“How did Carol and Y/n even know about this enemy?” Fury looked at Steve as well as the rest of the crew. He could only trust that there was a reason Y/n didn’t tell them what had happened. The only thing Fury wondered thought was why?

“That is none of importance. Now here are your missions.”

It’s been hours later in the day and so far, Wanda has painted the walls, built the furniture, and organized the closet. Everything was new so far but it still needed decorations.

“All done.” Wanda stood near the center of the room, admiring her work. The girl was covered with sweat and paint. The only thing she used her magic for was to remove all the old and broken furniture. Everything else was done by hand. Although she could have gotten everything done in probably 30 minutes with the use of her magic, she wanted to feel accomplished in her work. She also hoped that once Y/n came back from her mission, she would feel in every ounce of the room just how sorry Wanda was for hurting her.

Too busy in thought, Bucky was walking by and noticed that Y/n’s door was opened. Walking in undetected, he noticed the new improvements done to Y/n’s room. What was even more surprising was the redhead in the middle of the room.

“You did this?” Slightly startled Wanda immediately turned around and was relieved to see Bucky. “Yeah, just got done actually.”

Walking further into the room, Bucky was amazed at the sight of everything and practically nodded in approval. Once he was done, he looked at Wanda and slightly smiled to see the small strokes of paint on her. “She did this herself,” he thought.

But with one single feeling of his scar, the weight of what Wanda did brought a whole new perspective of things. Although Bucky didn’t see the mess that Y/n’s room was in, Wanda did. And she didn’t even need an explanation to try and fix things for Y/n.

“Why?” Bucky was curious and hopeful. He didn’t speak much to Wanda to know that she was hurting badly after the altercation. But knowing what he knew, he desperately hoped that this was for a good reason.

“I-” Wanda looked around the room and knew why she had done this but being asked by Bucky was somewhat unexpected. She looked back at him and said, “I have my reasons but I want Y/n to be the first to hear why. So if you happen to see her, please tell her that I just really want to talk to her - honest.” One thing that Bucky did love about Wanda was her ability to wear her heart on her sleeve regardless of all the pain she had been put through, something that sometimes made Bucky jealous. So as he saw the genuine expression on Wanda’s face, he knew he finally had good news for Y/n.

Steve roamed around the facility, his guard held high along with his shield. He was doing his final sweep of the building, wanting to make sure that all Hydra agents were captured. Slowly walking into the last room, he relaxed slightly at its empty state. “All clear. All agents have been detained. Start the evacuation process.”

“Understood Captain.” Steve wedged his shield into the ground as he unbuckled the strap of his helmet. He proceeded to throw it at the wall not caring about his childish reaction. “Fuck,” he screamed internally as he groaned in frustration.

This was the 7th Hydra building that his team had managed to extract and there was not a single bit of information that could be given to help Fury. Although it did help to know that these criminals were being captured, Steve couldn’t help but be so angry. What were they wanting with Y/n? Why did they need Y/n so fucking badly? And where the fuck is Y/n even at?

Pacing around the room, Steve could feel the pressure and anxiety building up inside him. He was a walking volcano waiting to explode. This negative feeling was something Steve wasn’t used to. This was different beyond what he had experienced before. And maybe it was the underlying fact that Steve’s guilt was still eating him up inside. With no known whereabouts of Y/n’s location or even mission, Steve didn’t have a single source of outlet for his guilt. So this whole time, it’s been sitting inside him like a parasite. And it certainly didn’t help that the guilt exponentially increased during the meeting with Fury.

Click. “Across the United States, there have been more than several spottings of Hydra agents and facilities. Not only have their numbers grew but so have their bases. With the information that Sergeant Barnes has managed to retrieve, Y/n is nothing but a lesson to be learned by ALL members of Hydra. A traitor among their ranks is something to not take lightly.”

Click. “This is where we come. While I have increased security around the building, we must figure out Hydra’s next step.” Fury slid each member, besides Wanda, a folder containing all the specific details. “In each folder is a different section of the U.S. with various people and locations. We need to capture and control as many as we can before this gets out of hand.”

With another click, the projector was turned off. “I need at least two reports each week of what your situation is. Other than that, your flights are scheduled for tonight.” And just like that, the ticking time bomb inside Steve started.

“Captain, criminals have been boarded. Surveying agents have also been posted. Waiting for your arrival to departure.”

Not wanting to waste any time, Steve picked up his shield and helmet. What he failed to realize was the small crack that he caused in it. Although it was nothing, Captain America was really close to breaking. “Copy that.”

“She’s doing fine, Carol,” Beth sighed. Whether it was Bucky, Carol, or Fury, Y/n came with a lot of people that cared about her. And unfortunately, that means a lot of people needing daily updates and sometimes hourly updates. This pressure was something new and familiar to Beth, but how she wished for a small break.

“You know I’m not supposed to be giving you this confidential information.” Sometimes it was like these heroes didn’t understand just how much she could lose her nursing license if they found out how lenient she was. “I know. I know. I just-”

“-care for Y/n. I know Carol. I’m glad that you do and as her nurse, I also want what’s best for her. So please let me do my job. I’ll give you updates but relax a little. Y/n is in good hands.” In the middle of filing her reports, her pager had gone off.

Quickly looking at it, Beth read, “Y/n NEEDS you!” Sighing once again, Beth hurriedly said, “I need to go now, Carol. Bye.” Not caring enough to hear her say it back, Beth hung up and left her office.

Running at the speed of sound, Beth maneuvered through the quiet hallways as fast as she could. This was the first time that Y/n had actually used the button and she certainly didn’t want to let the girl down on her promise.

In little to no time, Beth arrived in front of Dr. Estella’s office. Beth quickly knocked and entered the room. She first noticed the tense atmosphere as well as how fast Y/n’s leg was bouncing. In fast strides, Beth squatted beside Y/n and had placed her hand on Y/n’s anxious leg. Out of instinct, Y/n placed her hand above Beth’s and held it.

“Are you okay?” She whispered while noticing the irregular breathing from Y/n. “I-”

“Hello, Beth. I was just telling Y/n about the steps we are going to take to regain her memory.” Beth eyed Estella down, wishing that she could at least be mildly concerned at Y/n’s frightened state.

“They - they want to run tests on me. Beth - I - I don’t want tests. I can’t do tests.” Y/n was terrified. The last time someone wanted to do tests on her was - “Don’t worry honey. They won’t do tests.” Beth turned to Estella with a stern look. “Is there any other way to help her with her memories?”

Estella thought for a moment before standing up. She walked towards her shelf and grabbed two notebooks. She slowly walked towards Y/n and gave the two notebooks to her. Sitting back down, Estella explained, “Old fashioned methods never fail. It may take longer but it’s bound to work.”

Y/n sighed in relief. Her grip on Beth’s hand loosened as she grabbed the two notebooks. “Your assignment for the next couple of months is with every memory, I need you to write it down. Even if you don’t think it’s the right recollection of the memory, it’s still important to write it down. In the other notebook, I need you to write memories that make you feel happy or any memory that is one of your favorites. Every other week, we’ll take a look and talk about it.”

A small alarm came from Estella’s watch, indicating that this session was over. “That's for today Y/n. As always, you are doing wonderful my dear. See you soon now.” Estella gave Y/n a small smile as the duo left the room. As Beth shut the door, Estella couldn’t help but worry for Y/n. “That girl is something else.”

Adjusting to her new schedule was hard, but trusting another person was harder. They were only three sessions in and Y/n hardly spoke. Each session was two hours long. Half of it was dedicated to general mental health therapy while the second half was dedicated to restoring her brain’s memories.

During the first half of the session, Y/n would remain impassive. Her guard was always up and her answers varied in shortness. This lack of participation only led to longer silences that broke when the clock ticked. Something Estell noted was the way Y/n would glance at the clock, waiting for the hour indicator stating that therapy was over.

The second half of the session was drastically different. With each session was a new brain exercise to help Y/n remember. It was like a switch had gone off. Rather than remaining to herself, Y/n would participate in each exercise like a kid in gym class. She was attentive and somewhat anxious to get things started. This was something Estell also noted and she could only hope her questions would be answered.

However, with only three sessions, Estell knew things weren’t going to move quickly when it came to Y/n. There were always patients that didn’t like speaking to someone about their problems. What she found was that superheroes were harder to crack considering they would let their pride and ego get the best of them. But with a quick look at Y/n’s file, she knew that was not the case. Ex hydra member turned to Avenger within days apart from each other didn’t sit well with Estell. Not because of who Y/n was associated with, but the age that she was recruited. A kid shouldn’t have to fight for the world when she can barely process what’s happened to her.

But regardless of the waiting game that Estell had to play, she knew that if she didn't continue to try and break the ice, Y/n would never open up. So today, Estell had in place a different tactic that surely could work.

“Hello, Y/n,” Estell said in her always charming voice. As Y/n sat down in her seat, the first thing she noticed was the sprawl of comics laying on the table in front of her. A glance at them, Y/n knew they only included them.

“I want to start today’s session a bit different if you don’t mind.” Y/n nodded for Estell to continue, hoping she wouldn’t have to talk about the Avengers today. “I understand that therapy is hard and is something that takes some getting used to. So starting today, we will start every session with a bit of light reading. Not only does this improve your brain, but I found that it is a bit of a relaxer.”

Estell got up from her seat and stood in front of the table, glancing at the selection she had. “I wasn’t quite sure on what you like to read so I brought out some comics from my collection. Choose one that you like.”

Looking closely at the selection, the majority of the comics were of Captain America, Iron Man, or Thor. People often called them the “Big Three” but they were only big disappointments. However, deep in the mess of comics, Y/n spotted a familiar logo and managed to grab it without making a bigger mess.

“Nice choice. Let’s see,” looking over her stack, Estell picked up a Hawkeye comic. “I’ll be reading this one today.” She walked back to her seat and mentally made a note of Y/n’s choice.

The two read in silence. At first, Y/n hadn’t meant to actually read but the art was too good to pass over. She then found herself suddenly hooked to the point she didn’t even glance at the clock. The more she read, the more she realized how little she actually knew about Bucky. But a deeper realization hit her, this was the first time Y/n truly realized how much brainwashing she received from her parents.

Of course, she studied about the Winter Soldier from the books provided to her, but none of them ever mentioned how heinous Hydra’s actions were. “We tortured him,” she thought. “And I believed it to be good.”

It had been a while since Y/n thought about her parents and even Hydra. She wanted to remove that part of her life so badly. But how could she when the person that saved her was the same person that she hurt? Before she knew it, Y/n finished the comic, and unfortunately, it had left on a cliffhanger.

Frustrated, she placed the comic back on the table and crossed her arms. Confused by her actions, Estell placed her comic back on the table and jokingly said, “Reading not your forte?”

“It isn’t that. Stupid comic left on a cliffhanger.” Progress, Estell noted. That was the longest sentence Y/n said and she planned on getting more.

“I can bring the next issue for our next session if,” Y/n scooted closer to Estell, needing to know what she had to do. “If you can tell me, is he as scary as they say he is?”

With a small smile on her face, Y/n replied with, “Hardly.”

Bucky sat in his regular seating, eating the ramen he ordered for him and Y/n. As he was slurping his noodles, he felt Y/n’s eyes on him. Making eye contact with her, Y/n gave a ridiculous look to which he responded with, “What?”

“Can you be any louder?” Bucky swallowed before saying, “Absolutely. Want to see?” Bucky held up his next set of noodles with a proud smirk on his face. Rolling her eyes, Y/n said, “No thanks dinosaur.”

“Now you’re just being mean.” Still, Bucky continued to eat his ramen as loud as he possibly could. At one point, Beth came in to change Y/n’s pillows and even commented, “Is it that good, Bucky?”

“Apparently. He won’t stop slobbering it up,” Y/n said sarcastically. Bucky simply laughed at Y/n’s comment as Beth shook her head at Bucky’s actions. She left the room with a nod and soon the two finished up their food while continuing to watch the film that Bucky has put on.

Although the film was interesting, Y/n couldn’t help but think about the information she learned about Bucky. Before she read those comics, all she generally knew about Bucky was that he was Steve’s best friend. At one point, Hydra was involved and had tested on Bucky. A couple brainwashing sessions later, the Winter Soldier was created.

According to Hydra literature, he was one of the most successful assassins they’ve had. Even when he did gain consciousness of his actions, a quick session would quickly devoid him of rebelling against Hydra. He was the person that could get the job done.

After that, things got fuzzy. She knew that Steve was involved in the reasons that Bucky was back but that was it. Even during her time with the Avengers, Bucky hardly spoke about his past. It was something he only confined in with Steve, Sam, and his therapist. Looking at it now, it made sense why the two didn’t speak much. However, Y/n’s anxiety and curiosity got the best of her. She needed to know.

“Did you hate me?” Bucky heard her clearly over the film. He took a moment to think. Before responding, he paused the movie and looked at Y/n. “I hated your family. Not you.”

Y/n’s shoulder slightly relaxed at this revelation but there were still questions she needed answers to. “Did you ever want to hurt me?”

Quick to respond, Bucky said, “Yes but only to get back at Hydra. But I think you leaving the cause will hurt them more than me hurting you.” He ended his sentence with a chuckle while briefly remembering the times that Y/n did piss him off. It was never serious, just Bucky getting made over new things in this generation.

“Bucky...why didn’t we talk before?” Y/n looked away from Bucky, still not ready to admit her attempt.

Taking a leap of faith, Bucky intertwined their hands and said in the most gentle voice, “Because I was childish. I took my hatred and placed it on you when it wasn’t your actions. I looked at you and thought about all the times Hydra hurt me and I just couldn’t get over it. But…”

Bucky sighed, trying his best to overcome this need to build barriers. It was time to be vulnerable. It was time to heal. “I was tired of hurting. So I started to get help and I started to hate you less and I started to love myself for once. And when I found myself removing my hate of Hydra from you, I felt like I couldn’t really talk to you. I spent so much time avoiding you that I didn’t know where to begin. I really would have spoken to you Y/n, I just wish it was under different circumstances.”

“...Me too.” The two continued with their movie and never once did Y/n remove her hand from Bucky’s grip. She found the strong and somewhat gentleness of it to be comforting. Similar to the feeling of a weighted blanket. But rather than the soft feeling of a blanket, Bucky’s coarse hand felt even more comforting.

“We talked about you today.” Bucky leaned back in his chair and said, “Oh, really?” Y/n nodded. Although she wouldn’t mention the jokes that she and Estell shared about Bucky, it sure was the first time she actually enjoyed the therapy.

“Yeah, I talked about how lonely you are,” she teased. Bucky rolled his eyes at the offending comment. “Hey! I have you. That’s gotta count for something.”

“Yikes Bucky. That’s really sad.” Unphased by her comment, Bucky replied, “And to think I was going to get your favorite pullover. Y/n slightly smacked Bucky’s arm with a betrayed expression. “Well did you?”

“Nahh, couldn’t get it. There was someone in the way.” Tilting her head in confusion, Y/n asked, “Who?”

“Wanda.”

“Are you prepared, Y/n?” Feeling her palms sweat, Y/n nodded in agreement as she opened her journal up. “Okay, since this is our first time hearing your memories, let's start easy with any favorites or happy ones that you would like to talk about. Start whenever you’re ready.”

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Y/n moved to page 3 of her journal and started to read the vague memory she had.

“Y/n, are you okay?” Carol Wanda asked. The two were training today as they worked on better body movements for Y/n’s powers. The easier the flow, the better the trajectory of her powers. It was during the middle of training that they decided to take a small break.

When she was drinking her water, Carol Wanda noticed the jagged breathing coming from Y/n. Even as she asked, Y/n still didn’t respond to her. Putting her water away, Carol Wanda started to walk towards Y/n when suddenly a huge spike surge of Y/n’s powers caused her to flame up.

“Y/n!” Automatically, the sprinklers turned on in the room, but the water that came from it didn’t affect Y/n’s flames. From the looks of it, it probably made it worse.

“ Carol Wanda! It won’t stop!” Y/n could feel the hot flames coming off of her body but nothing was helping. Her breathing was still jagged and her anxiety was causing her powers to act up.

“Do you trust me?!” Carol Wanda yelled through the flames. By now, Carol Wanda used her powers to prevent Y/n’s flames from reaching the ceiling. There was already enough water damage that would cause another pretty penny coming from Tony’s wallet.

And as the two locked eyes, Carol Wanda could feel Y/n. She could mostly feel the anxiety and trust that surged through her but there was something else. With a flick of her wrist, Carol Wanda threw Y/n into the nearby pool and immediately jumped in after her.

Carol Wanda swam towards Y/n seeing that her flames were still trying to fight the water surrounding them. So with one final idea, Wanda grabbed Y/n’s shirt and kissed the girl that made her feel everything at once.

“Tell me Y/n, why is that a favorite memory?” Still feeling nervous about this reveal, Y/n answered with, “I have a - uh - a hard time talking sometimes and I think that was one of the first things I loved about her. She understood what I was feeling before I did. According to her, she just felt me.”

“Do you think she still feels you?” Shrugging her shoulders, Y/n answered timidly with, “I’m not sure if she can...I haven’t been feeling much of anything lately.”

“Well, you’re doing great, Y/n. Do you think you’re able to do another?” Y/n nodded her head again while flipping through a couple pages. Satisfied with her choice, she read.

The night was cold as the two watched the stars from the balcony. With Carol Wanda’s back to Y/n’s chest, they enjoyed the night as best as they could even though the light pollution in the air made it harder to see the stars.

They didn’t speak much until Y/n saw Carol Wanda starting to shiver. Automatically, Y/n used her fire powers to raise the temperature of her body. She brought Carol Wanda closer to her chest as she said, “I told you we needed a blanket.”

“Pshhht. What’s the point of a blanket when I have the best heater as a girlfriend?” Y/n laughed at Carol Wanda’s words since she was always used as either a heater or ac depending on Carol Wanda’s temperature. “Plus, this gives me a better excuse to cuddle.”

“Do you even need an excuse to cuddle?” Carol Wanda shook her head no as she replied, “Not really buttt I don’t want to sound like a clingy girlfriend.”

“Does it matter what you sound like? As long as you’re my girlfriend, everything is going to be alright.”

“I think this is one of my favorites just because it feels calm.” Estell tilted her head, indicating for Y/n to continue. “I’ve always been surrounded by chaos that I hardly know what it feels like to be calm. And when I try to calm down, it ends up feeling weird to me. So this was one of the few times that feeling calm wasn’t bad.”

“I know that this is only our seventh session, but you’ve been progressing at such a great pace Y/n. I’m very proud of you for the steps you’re taking. And if you’re up to do one more, we can end this session after. Let’s do something a little more vulnerable if you don’t mind.”

Flipping through her favorites, there weren’t really ones where she felt vulnerable but in between the pages, she found the right one.

“When did you realize you were into girls?” Y/n and Carol Wanda lied in bed, bodies tangled together as the tv played in the background. There were a couple empty bottles lying around as the twin decided to steal some of Tony’s stash. It wasn’t like he was going to notice.

“I never really thought about it before,” Y/n replied honestly. Time in Hydra didn’t really allow her to think much about love. It was always about the future of Hydra.

“Then how did you know that you wanted to date me?” Y/n thought about the first time that she saw Carol Wanda and the months that lead after their first encounter. She thought about how Carol Wanda made her feel and how she continued to make her feel.

“I look at you and feel a little more human. Even my parents couldn’t make me feel like that. So this feeling has to be different compared to the rest. You’re not like the rest. So I only assumed this was what love felt like.” With teary eyes, Wanda kissed the love of her life.

After Y/n’s tenth session in therapy, she was cleared by Beth and Estell to go back to her room up in the tower. Although she was scared to see the team, Bucky warned her that they were going to be gone for a while. Something about important missions which only relaxed Y/n.

As she walked into her room, Bucky trailing behind her with all her shit, she stopped at the entrance amazed at what she saw. “Why must you have so much shit with you?”

“I’m high maintenance. Get over it before I tell Beth.” Bucky rolled his eyes at the small threat but no matter what he says, he will always be scared of Beth.

The two stood in silence as Y/n soaked in her improved room. She barely remembered what it was like before her breakdown, but seeing it transformed was still a lot to process.

“What do you think?” Y/n walked in and touched the new sheets she got. “No more sleeping on the floor,” she thought. The more she looked around the more she couldn’t help but not believe what she was seeing. “Did she really do this?”

“Yeah, kid. She did all of it.”

Finding herself to be hungry, Y/n walked to the kitchen late at night and grabbed food from her cubby. The feeling almost felt too surreal as she remembered the countless times that she had to starve to survive. “No more,” she thought. Grabbing a couple chips, she went back to her room and stopped midway at the sight of Wanda.

“Y/n?” She said in disbelief.  Rubbing her eyes awake, she still found Y/n standing right there. This wasn’t an illusion that her mind created. She was really here.

Taking a step forward, Wanda asked, “When did you get back home?” Y/n scratched her neck, feeling anxious about the situation. “Today.” Wanda took another step forward and said, “You’re really here.”

Subconsciously, Wanda’s power reached out to Y/n. It almost brought Wanda to tears. She could finally feel Y/n and she no longer felt like nothing.

Feeling her anxiety rise, Y/n started to walk past Wanda but her words stopped her. “Please give me a chance to tell you I’m sorry.”

“I - I don’t know Wanda. I-” Wanda walked back in front of Y/n and softly grabbed her hands. This only increased Y/n’s anxiety as she couldn’t handle all of this at once. “Please.”

Y/n pulled her hands away from Wanda and started to open her door. She responded with, “You don’t even know everything.” As Y/n started to close her door, Wanda said, “So then please tell me.”

“I - I can’t.” Y/n closed her door, feeling her anxiety reaching its peak but Wanda still tried as she said, “I’ll be here when you can.”

Deep under the states lied the very organization that the Avengers were hunting. Behind all the forgotten cities, railroads, and trash was Hydra. In almost the middle of nowhere stood a tall man with a sharp beard and eyes full of hatred.

He was surrounded by mere agents that followed his command at every beating second. On the screen in front of him lay his target of more than three years.

With an insidious smile, he said, “We’re coming for you Y/n”

Chapter 8

A/n: I hope this update was worth the wait. I never want to disappoint y’all 

Taglist:  @halobaby  @arelyitsherec8 @blackxwidowsxwife @cristin-rjd @madamevirgo @trikruismybitch @paradiselost916 @mmmmokdok @morbid-gaymer @dailyavengering @itsnottilly @helloalycia @randomshyperson @tomy5girls @daenerys713 @ensorcellme @lezzzbehonesthere @imagine-reblog @sighsam @olsensnpm @tquick99 @feolok @emilyprentisslittlewhore @mvddison99 @iamapotato @shadowybailiffdreamer-donkey @yuhloversxx @mjaudrey @upsidedowndanvers @somewhatgreatexpectations @wandavixen @second-try-stevie @magicallymaximoff @username23345 @coollemonsaresour @littlewinchester15 @aimezvousbrahms @afuckingshituniverse @am-just-a-cosmic-joke-to-me @ohmygooddamnbisexualmood @diaryoflife @s7uts @newyork1432 @the-anxious-stargazer @hello-mtf @marvelousbelladonna @ima-gi–na-tion @obsessed-with-wandamaximoff @the-camilucha @itsnottilly @171611 @kaitlynroseb @daisybri7 @drpepperobsessed @bemyvitamin @musicinourlips @marvelousbelladonna @gingerbreadcookieforlife @xastrydx @chasethemoon @naixia00 @lostandsearching @stupidsapphicsstuff​ @haechanana @the-camilucha​ @severepeanutartisanhands​ @owloftheshadows​ @somewhatgreatexpectations​ @ywuen​ @mixed-fandom-mess​ @loomontoia​

[im-no-jedi]

MLWTBB: First Time For Everything

aka the (continued) journey into my self insert nonsense✨

chapter summary: the eventful night is over, and Hannah and Hunter are ready to go home, but neither of them are finished confessing to each other quite yet...

notes: this is a continuation of my story, “My Life With The Bad Batch”; I highly recommend reading that first before this one! I created a few new planets for this story. I’m also not 100% versed in SW terminology, so forgive me if some things are labeled incorrectly! each chapter will be rated accordingly, as opposed to the overall fic. lastly, there is romance in this story. hope you enjoy! 💙

add. notes: this chapter was edited and proofread by my sis @jam-n-ham! thanks sis!! 😋💙

closing message: and here we are, the end of yet another long, multi-chapter fic. it was a huge deal for me when I finished MLWTBB earlier this year, and although I said I planned on continuing the series, I honestly was unsure if I would make it this far. but I did! and I have a LOT more to come! so thank you everyone who took time to read this (as well as all of my other stories!), and I hope you all look forward to the further adventures of me and TBB! 💙💙💙

Chapter 19 (Final), 3200+ words, rated T (mostly just for smooching and a smidge of suggestive things 😋)

previous chapters: Prologue - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Chapter 12 - Chapter 13 - Chapter 14 - Chapter 15 - Chapter 16 - Chapter 17 - Chapter 18

✨MLWTBB masterlist✨

______________________________________________________________

The walk back to Hannah’s apartment wasn’t going to be quick, by any means. Even if there had been no threat of danger, it was still quite a distance between the watchtower and the apartment building. It was already quite late as well, and Hannah had definitely begun feeling the effects of physically exerting herself for most of the night. But as to be expected, Hunter took the lead and held Hannah by the hand, guiding her back through the dark streets of Ord Mantell with an air of caution and care.

Unsurprisingly, the trip was quiet for the most part. Even if they didn’t both enjoy the silence so much, Hannah’s fatigue made her even less talkative than normal. They didn’t go entirely without speaking to each other though. Hannah still had some questions she wanted answered.

“So, be honest,” Hannah began. “What was the first thing that attracted you to me? Physical or not, doesn’t matter, just the first thing that, like, made your heart flutter or whatever.”

“Oh man,” Hunter replied, scratching the back of his neck. “Uhh... probably your smile, I think.”

“Aww, really?”

“Yeah, you have a cute smile. And believe it or not, as sensitive as I am to sound, I really love hearin’ you laugh.”

Almost like she wanted to prove it, Hannah broke out into a fit of laughter. She covered her mouth to soften the loudness of it, but like usual, her laugh was almost too much to muffle.

“Dare I ask what part of me you were most attracted to first?” Hunter asked once Hannah’s laughter had died down.

“Oh gosh, I mean, I was pretty smitten with you right away. Even through the armor. Your body is... fantastic.” Hannah bit her lip and ran a hand along the back of Hunter’s shoulders, causing him to shiver a bit. “But also, like... you are stupidly handsome, dude. Tattoo or not.”

A flustered blush broke out on Hunter’s face and he cleared his throat. “You think so, huh?”

“Oh absolutely. I’m genuinely shocked you haven’t had girls flocking to you up until now.”

Hunter looked torn. Clearly, he wasn’t used to hearing such things. “Well, lucky you, I guess.”

There was no way he could fully hide anything from Hannah anymore, and her eyes squinted a bit as she studied Hunter’s face. “You don’t believe me, do you? Or should I say, you don’t agree with me?”  

“I mean... not really,” Hunter replied with a shrug.

Hannah scoffed. “And you get on my case all the time about disliking my own appearance?”

“Hey, isn’t it a good thing that we find each other attractive? Can’t that be enough?” Hunter’s tone was borderline irritated, and it both saddened and frustrated Hannah to hear.

A moment of silence went by before Hannah said anything else. “Have you always thought that way about yourself? Or was it because... others told you that?”

Hunter kept his face turned away from her as he spoke. “Bit of both, I guess... I try to not let other’s opinions of me affect me too much, but... I dunno, it’s a bit harder hearin’ it when you’re a kid...”

Immediately, Hannah wrapped her arms around Hunter’s waist and snuggled her face into his shoulder. “I’m sorry, babe...”

Hunter said nothing and just wrapped an arm around her, keeping her close as they continued to walk.

After another short period of silence, Hannah asked if she could ask another question. Hunter didn’t mind at all; he was still happy to answer her questions.

“Alright, so...” Hannah sighed and laughed a bit. “I’m probably the most curious about this above everything else. But it’s ok if you don’t have an answer for it.”

Now Hunter was genuinely curious to know what the question was.

“Do you... do you remember... or do you know in general...” Hannah sighed again. “Sorry, lemme start over. Do you know... hmm... no...” She cleared her throat. “What... what was the moment where you... where you knew... you know?”

Hunter had been holding back a snicker and finally let it out. “I don’t... Knew what?”

Redness began to show on Hannah’s cheeks, and she bit her lip in contemplation while looking down at the ground. “You know... when you fell in love with me?”

Hunter’s face immediately softened. “Oh... umm...” He went quiet for a moment to ponder the question. “I think I do, yeah. It was a while ago, actually.”

“Yeah?” Hannah’s face lit up. “Me too.”

“Oh yeah? How long?”

Hannah chuckled a bit out of embarrassment. “Since... Volruna...”

Hunter’s eyes went wide. “Really?”

“Yeah...”

“Oh... well... me too.”

Now Hannah’s eyes went wide. “Oh my gosh, seriously?”

“Thinkin’ about it... yeah. I’ve been in love with you since Volruna.”

If Hannah’s heart could’ve burst out of her chest, it would have. She clutched Hunter’s hand to her chest and looked at him adoringly. “I’ve loved you since Volruna too...”

For a moment, they just stared at each other lovingly, with Hannah keeping Hunter’s hand close to her chest. He could feel her heartbeat and it gave him a sense of calm he’d never experienced before.

“What was the moment?” Hannah eventually asked. “The moment where... you just knew.”

Hunter took in a breath through his nose and thought for a moment. “The Prism Palace... it was at the Prism Palace.”

Hannah blinked in surprise. “Really? Oh... was it when I gave you that little...” She leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the side of his mouth, and he chuckled.

“No, but that was nice, thanks.” Hunter gave Hannah a little squeeze, which made her giggle. “Nah, it was... it was right before that actually.”

Now Hannah was even more curious and watched Hunter intently as he spoke.

“Everything that had happened up until then was... a lot. I wasn’t even sure exactly how I felt about you. I knew I liked you and I was definitely attracted to you. But... there was somethin’ else. Something I’d never felt before. And then when we got to the Prism Palace and you spilled your heart out to me –tellin’ me about your family and all that – I figured it out. I loved you. And you choosin’ to stay so that I could leave... kriff, it broke my heart. I knew after that, I was gonna do whatever it took to keep you safe. To not lose you again.”

Unsurprisingly, Hannah had been brought to tears by his words. She had already figured out the last part a while ago. But hearing him say it out loud, hearing the inflection of pure love in his tone... she could’ve melted. His hand was still clutched between both of hers, and she brought it up to her face to nuzzle into it, placing a few gentle kisses just above his knuckles.

“Well gee, mine’s nowhere near as emotional as that,” Hannah eventually joked with a chuckle.

“That’s fine,” Hunter reassured her. “Wait, hang on, lemme try and guess it. Just tell me: was it before or after mine?”

“Before,” Hannah answered, sounding almost ashamed.

The signature thoughtful pose of Hunter clutching the base of his chin reappeared as he pondered the answer. This time, Hannah finally admitted how cute she thought it was, which prompted Hunter to teasingly tell her to not distract him.  

After another moment of thought, Hunter grimaced a bit. “Don’t tell me it was the Loth Cat toy...”

Hannah threw her head back with a hardy laugh. “Why do you hate Grumpy Pants so much? But no, that wasn’t it. You’re close though...”

Hunter’s eyes squinted and he studied her face to try and ascertain the answer from her. “Wait... the sugar sticks?”

Hannah’s lips tightly pursed together. “It was during that moment, yes.”  

A puzzled look crossed Hunter’s face, and it made Hannah giggle.

“Let me just tell you,” Hannah said, letting out a small sigh. “So, it started before we even left together. I had... made this sort of bet with Omega – more like a promise, really. Cause I had gotten a glimpse of your softer side earlier, and I was so determined to see more of it. So, I told Omega that I wasn’t planning on even coming back until I’d gotten a laugh out of you. I knew it was gonna be near impossible, buuuuut I was up for the challenge.” She started laughing as she recalled the moment. “It was so stupid. Possibly the stupidest joke I’ve ever made in my entire life. But I said it, right after we’d gotten those sugar sticks, and well...” The memory made her break out into a fit of giggles. “You let out the most genuine laugh I’ve ever heard. At my stupid little joke. And I guess it touched me enough to realize that... that it wasn’t just a fleeting thing. I had strong feelings for you, and I could finally put a word to it. I was in love with you. And I haven’t questioned that for a single second.”

The touched expression on Hunter’s face spoke volumes. He felt the same way of course, never once questioning his own feelings for her. It made him even more regretful that he’d ever tried to stifle a relationship with Hannah. There was nothing that was going to separate them from that point forward though. Not if he could help it.

Hunter didn’t ponder these thoughts for long, as the context of Hannah’s confession was too silly to ignore. He couldn’t help himself and broke out into a fit of snickers. “I wish I could be more surprised by that, but I’m not. Your sense of humor is so weird; it’s adorable. Just like you.” He pulled Hannah in closer and gave her a big smooch on the side of her face, causing her to break out into giggles again.

“We’re both just a couple of weirdos, trying to make our way through the galaxy,” Hannah joked.

“That’s for sure. With emphasis on the couple now.”

“And don’t you forget it!” Hannah pulled Hunter’s face down to kiss him on the lips, making an audible smacking noise for emphasis.

The rest of the trip was spent recalling some of their favorite memories of each other. Since Hunter was so well-known for keeping an eye on things, it wasn’t surprising that he’d noticed so many things about Hannah. Brief little things that seemed so mundane to her were treasured moments to Hunter. And to his surprise, it was the same way with Hannah towards him. He wasn’t the only one who liked to take note of other people, and all things considered, the fact that she prioritized him so highly shouldn’t have been so surprising. Neither of them liked being in the spotlight for very long, but when it came to each other, the attention was a welcome act.

By the time they made it back to Hannah’s apartment, it was well into the night. The moon was high in the sky and already starting its descent down again. And yet, it still hadn’t felt long enough, and they both regretted having to end their time together. But it wasn’t really an end. If anything, their time together was just getting started.

Unsurprisingly though, Hannah wanted to use any excuse possible to not have to go the long stair-filled journey up to her apartment. “If I have to see one more step today, I’m going to explode,” she lamented.

Lucky for her, her newly acquired lover still had enough energy for both of them and practically dragged her all the way up the stairs. “See? That wasn’t so bad,” Hunter said once they’d made it to the apartment. “Easier than the watchtower, right?”

Hannah looked at him with half-lidded eyes. “Babe, you literally had to carry me up the last flight.”

“And?” Hunter teased as he carefully set Hannah down on her feet again. “Worked out great for me.” He got a playful bop on the arm and snickered.

“So how much you wanna bet they’re still up?” Hannah asked, keeping a hand hovered over the door panel.

“All of ‘em? Nah. Tech, maybe. You know how late he likes to stay up.”

“True... usually not this late though. If any of them are still up, it’s probably Echo. Call it a bestie feeling.”

Their predictions set in place, Hannah motioned for them to be quiet and then finally opened the door. As expected, the room was dark inside except for the small bit of light coming through the open door. The curtains hanging over the back door were slightly cracked, which allowed a sliver of light to cascade into the sitting area. Snoring could easily be heard and was immediately recognized as Wrecker and Tech, who were spotted sleeping on the couch together. Another figure was nearby, sitting up awake and reading a datapad on a pile of pillows made into a makeshift seat.

“Well,” came the instantly recognizable voice of Echo. “Look who finally decided to come back.”

“Told ya,” Hannah smugly said, playfully conking Hunter in the chest.

Echo sat his datapad down and walked over to them as they came further into the room. “So, how was it?” he teasingly asked.

Hannah and Hunter both looked at each other, then back at Echo again.

“Oh, it was terrible,” Hannah blatantly replied.

“The worst,” Hunter added, acting completely serious.

“Absolutely awful.”

“Hated every second of it.”

The unamused face Echo gave them broke Hannah enough to make her sputter and start snickering. “You know what,” Echo said, his tone as unamused as his expression. “It’s probably better that I not know what you two were doing. You can just keep that information to yourselves; I’m good.”

“Oh, come oooon, Echo,” Hannah said with a fake whine. “Don’t you wanna hear in detail about all the times we--”

“Nope!” Echo quickly retorted. “No thank you!”

Hannah began snickering again while covering her mouth to not be too loud. Wrecker stirred a bit in his sleep, which prompted everyone to keep their voices down.

“Well, I’m gonna get some much-needed sleep now,” Echo said in a quieter voice. “You two do whatever you’re gonna do. Just remember there’s other people in the room now.” He was playfully poked by Hannah before going back to his pillow seat, now with the intent of snuggling up into his signature blanket burrito.

“Guess that means it’s time for us to head to bed too,” Hunter said with a sigh.

“Yeah...” Hannah also sighed, but hers morphed into a yawn. “Wish we didn’t have to though.”

“I know...” Hunter grabbed both of Hannah’s hands and held them gently. “Just remember: this wasn’t our last night together. Not by a long shot.”

A soft smile spread on Hannah’s face. She already knew it in her heart, but hearing it out loud was still reassuring.

Per the norm, the two of them took some time to just stare into each other’s eyes and hold hands in silence. If they could’ve stayed that way forever, they would have. But Hannah felt herself physically unable to stay awake for much longer and was the one to eventually break the silence.

“Goodnight, handsome,” she softly said, giving Hunter’s hands a little squeeze.

Hunter ran his thumbs across the back of Hannah’s hands and held them just a bit tighter. “Goodnight... my love.”

The smile on Hannah’s face grew, and within seconds, her lips were on his, giving him a loving and tender kiss. They held the kiss much longer than necessary and were slow to part. Their clasped hands and gazes on each other remained as Hannah slowly walked backwards into her room. The last thing Hannah did was give Hunter an adoring smile before shutting the door for the night.

Hunter let out a wistful sigh once she was gone. He looked down at his own hands, still feeling the warmth of Hannah’s touch on them. They still had her scent as well, and he brought his hands up to his face to take a deep inhale in ecstasy. Even though he was tired, it was probably going to be a bit before he could fall asleep for the night.  

Regardless, he walked over to the sitting area and plopped down on the other makeshift seat of pillows across from Echo. Maybe it was the events of the night that had gotten him so pensive, but Hunter looked between each of his sleeping brothers fondly. He was so grateful for them, and especially grateful that Hannah had welcomed them all in as her own. She truly was everything he’d dreamed of having as a partner. Reaching into one of his pockets, Hunter pulled out the good-luck charm he’d been gifted, and he mindlessly began fiddling with it as he replayed the events of the night in his mind.

Meanwhile, Hannah was having a time of her own in her room. Right after she’d shut the door, she practically collapsed against the wall and let out a long, dreamy sigh. Her hands clasped tightly to her chest and her eyes shut as she reminisced on everything that had happened. She truly felt like the luckiest woman in the whole galaxy and had never been so happy in her entire life.  

Her eyes eventually opened again, and she was met with the sight of a small figure curled up asleep in her bed, surrounded by pillows and plushies. Hannah took a moment to fondly watch her sweet little sister, almost lamenting the fact that she couldn’t gush about the night to her right away.

After changing out of her clothes and into some comfy pajamas, Hannah slowly and carefully crawled into the bed, next to Omega. She tried her best to not wake the little girl, but to no avail as Omega began to stir once Hannah tried to lay down on her pillow. Omega’s eyes slowly blinked open to the sight of Hannah smiling down at her, and immediately she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up.

“You’re back!” Omega exclaimed, prompting Hannah to shush her. In a quieter tone, she began bombarding Hannah with questions. “How was it? Did you have fun? What did you do? Where did you go?” She covered her mouth and let out a small gasp. “Did he kiss you?”

The smile on Hannah’s face spread into a wide, cheesy grin. “Uhh, what do you think, sis?”

Immediately, Omega broke out into a flurry of happy squeals and practically tackled her big sister, causing her to go into her own fit of happy laughter. It was all over after that, as Hannah began going into detail about the night while Omega sat and listened intently.

They had no idea they could be heard from the other room. Even though they weren’t being that loud, Hunter could still hear them through the walls, and a delighted smile never left his face until their voices finally died down, signaling that they’d gone to bed for the night.

The last thing Hunter saw before falling asleep that night was the bouquet of fake flowers Hannah kept on her kitchen counter. From the small amount of light feeding in through the back door, he could see another small object sitting next to the vase: a small cup with a single blue-green flower in it.  

A perfect sight to end a perfect night.

TO BE CONTINUED...