#although for some of them mine way was also right path theirs just made some further thing wayy easier

[a-dash-in-the-middle]

spend 3h with one bathroom break studying

the amount that was done is horrific but hey at least the confusing kept me focused

[moosoobi]

Battle Royale

(1) Fresh bread, French Prince

G.Lafayette : Hamilton the musical

Sometimes when you work on a project, there are moments when you need to take a break and work on something else. That’s really the case with In The Night, I have all these ideas but sometimes I feel confined to ITN (I literally have not started Chapter 3 when this is posted). And thus this fic was born. I hope you enjoy! 

Y/N and Lafayette’s POV 

Bridgerton inspired AU (watching the Bridgerton series would probably help in understanding ideas of ‘courting’ and finding a suitors) 

Odd social structure (dukes are essentially owners of land which was popularized in London, Washington is considered a president, and Lafayette is now a prince!) 

not my cover image 😟

Word count: 4k

Literally the biggest thanks to @deja-you for proofreading and some great feedback, ILY 🧎‍♀️

—-the Washington residence

The dreamy clouds would stream across the sky as Y/N began to read the newest article from Thomas Paine, the most notorious writer known for acknowledging every piece of gossip and whispers among the noble colonists. 

The pamphlet felt newly written, as few spots of the odd-smelling ink would smudge. Though Y/N was not awake, a young boy delivered this meticulous pamphlet to the Washington residence before dawn. 

As the daughter of the president, being the center of noble gossip was nothing new to her, in fact, gossip was never the center of her attention either. But something about this pamphlet in particular would surely catch her eye. 

She began to read:

‘The scene for this courting season is looking quite interesting. Now that these young ladies are finally of age, they will indeed add competition to the scene.’

Ah yes, the annual  courting season. A time for women and men to make their move and commence into the adult world. While many aren’t satisfied with their partners, reputation seems to grow higher than feelings. 

‘Many pertinent names are included in this season, and I’m honored to document the presence of these people.’ 

‘The Schuylers: all three of the incredible General Schuyler’s daughters are finally entering the courting scene simultaneously. During the war, many soldier boys would fall head over heels to impress them, and many were unsuccessful. I’m ecstatic to observe the lucky men to take the hand of Angelica, Elizabeth, and Peggy Schuyler.’ 

‘The Payne’s: Miss Dolley Payne has finally been granted entrance into this courting season. Many theories and speculation suggest that her arrival to the scene at the same time as the other great names was not a coincidence.’ 

‘And finally, the most significant family joining us this season,’ 

Y/N sucked in a breath 

‘The Washington’s: His grace’s pride and joy, Y/N, will be the most imperative competition this season. The pressure of being the president’s daughter, as well as the stigma of conceiving an heir, follow her wherever she resides. Nonetheless, Y/N Washington is an extraordinary star among the courting scene, and it would indeed be foolish to throw away your shot.’ 

‘It’s just common sense.’ 

‘-Thomas Paine’ 

It would take Y/N a couple moments before her squeals of excitement could be heard across the residence 

Shortly after, the rumbles of Y/N racing down the stairs would cause her parents, George and Martha, to take suspicious glances at each other. Y/N finally reached the dinner table where her parents were finishing up their morning tea. 

“What’s got you going so early, dear? I usually have to pull you out of bed around this time,” Martha questioned 

“Sir Payne wrote about me in the paper! My entrance to the courting scene seems to be the most glittering cluster of ink in this pamphlet” She squealed 

Y/N excitedly, yet also harshly, slid the pamphlet over to her parents, moments later they would observe her words to be true 

“That’s great, dear” Her father, George, looked up from the paper with a smile. “I know you’ll represent the Washington Family name well, although it’s a shame you’ll have to lose it when you get married” he sighed 

“Oh lighten up George, Y/N will be the talk of the town, I’m sure she’ll attract some worthy gentleman” 

“Damn right he better be worthy.” His eyes transferred from Martha to Y/N 

“Remember Y/N, very few are prepared to handle a Washington, you can even ask your mother.” 

Y/N couldn’t hold in a giggle as Martha rolled her eyes. Both Y/N and George watched as Martha arose to place her porcelain dishes in the sink

“Well I must be soo blessed to have to take care of two of them.” 

George turned back to Y/N and slid her a letter across the table, keeping another letter in his opposite hand, which was still unopened

 “May I ask what this is?” She held up the letter. Even the feeling of the paper could tell Y/N that it came from the colonial gentry. The scent faintly reminded Y/N of champagne and flowers, and the seal was a sparkling coral-pink shade. The letter appeared to be already opened 

“The Schuyler’s are inviting you to a small tea get-together, whatever you kids call it.” 

Y/N opened the envelope, searching for the details. How exciting was this, to be among the best of the best, especially in the greatest city in the world. Before she could reply, George began to speak again

“I’ve already requested for two escorts to accompany you on your way to the Schuyler residence.” Y/N turned to him in confusion 

“Huh?” She questioned “escorts?”

“Now that you’re officially in this courting season, your safety could be potentially in danger. I’m just trying to make you comfortable” He retorted 

“Father, I’m sure I’m capable of walking on my own. I mean, the Schuyler residence isn’t even that far and-”

Y/N was interrupted by multiple knocks on her door. She shot a ‘this isn’t over’ glare to her father before wandering over to her front door. She opened the door and found a surprise

The Duke of Monticello and the Duke of Manhattan, my father’s two trusted secretaries. Dropping the formalities, Y/N addressed them by their first name 

“Thomas? Alexander? Don’t tell me..” she turned back to her father. Jefferson and Hamilton stood at the doorway, both with flowers and nervous in the presence of Washington 

“Father, I’m starting to question whether you worry for my safety, or worry for your pickiness of my suitor.” Thomas and Alex attempted to hold in their laughs as if their lives depended on it 

“Of course I do!” He held a hand to his chest as if he was hurt “although I do owe them a favor-” a smirk spread across Thomas’s and Alexander’s face, yet was quickly faded as Washington addressed them 

“But no funny business with my daughter. If I hear of any shenanigans from either one of you, you both have serious consequences.” Y/N turned back to the dukes, both of them appearing drained of color. 

“Let me get dolled up and we can be on our way” Y/N swiftly ran upstairs, leaving Thomas and Alexander alone in the presence of their boss. Those poor, poor, boys

Five minutes later, Y/N glided down the stairs in her fancier skirt. Her corset gave her an amazing shape, and her hair made her appear to be a celestial being. She caught the dukes’ eyes lingering on her for a little too long. Luckily, Washington wasn’t around. “Let’s keep our focus on what’s really matters, guys” she laughed 

“R-right...” they said in unison, both turning away and pretending to be interested in the furniture in the house. Y/N had never seen the two secretaries so calm around each other, it made her realize the power the Washington’s have in the colonies. A simple order from a Washington could probably end wars, especially if it’s capable of making Jefferson and Hamilton contain their pride 

“Your graces?” She held out her hands, signifying that she was ready to depart. The dukes held out their forearm and elbows for her to take. Y/N intertwined her arms into theirs, and they headed for the Schuyler residence.

A few minutes down the path and Alexander Hamilton decided to break the silence 

“I still can’t believe you’re entering this season, Y/N. I mean, I still remember running around those horrid military camps all those years ago” he chuckled. It’s true, it’s been all these years since the war and so much has changed 

“I like to believe I’ve grown into a wonderful, young woman, don’t you think?” I batted my eyelashes towards both of them 

“Of course darlin’” Jefferson cut in “but just because we’re your honorable colleagues doesn’t mean Hamilton and I won’t be lining up for your hand” 

“Don’t be so sure. I heard this season has a few aggressive competitors on both sides. The Schuylers, the Paynes, even the Madisons! I might have to step up my game. In the meantime, both of you have to keep an open mind.” 

Thomas and Hamilton stared at each other, surprised by her response. 

“And If I find out that both of you placed bets on which one of you will earn my hand, I’ll be reminding my father to collect both of your heads.” 

Their heads hung in defeat “alright, alright darlin’ I think I kind of like my head attached to my body. No need to get violent.” 

“Plus I don’t think any of you can truly handle a Washington.” Y/N giggled, her arms still intertwined with theirs

“If Jefferson and I don’t scare away the competition, I’m sure your father will” Alexander chuckled, Thomas visibly reacted to the joke as well 

“Oh come on, the two most popular dukes of the colonies have nothing on a suitor that is truly worthy of me” she scoffed 

“And where would you find such a worthy contestant? Someone better than a duke?” The three stopped in front of the Schuyler residence 

“Don’t kill my hopes, a Washington has her ways” Y/N removed her arms from Thomas’s and Alexander’s, heading for the front door. As soon as she was greeted by General Schuyler herself, she waved goodbye to the clashing dukes 

“She’s so mine, Hamilton.” Thomas stated 

“I’m sure you should be worried about your tomcat nature, Jefferson, don’t get too ahead of yourself” Alex retorted

Jefferson audibly scoffed before wandering with him into the city 

—-France

3 weeks prior to Y/N reading that exciting pamphlet, Marquis de Lafay-- Now Prince Lafayette sat around a table of French nobles and officials. It felt like ages since he’s been in the colonies, and it has only been a few years ever since the French Revolution had ended. Yet instead of abolishing the monarchy system in France as Lafayette promised to the colonies, he and a few other nobles replaced the previous royal family. 

Lafayette was later titled as a Prince, as were other leading men of France, but he urged to continue being addressed as the ‘Hero of two worlds’. 

But with a new era upon the people of France, came the countless government meetings and conflicts that he had to resolve. 

“Your Majesty? Are you even paying attention?” Secretary Robespierre whispered over his shoulder, causing him to visibly straighten himself out. 

“O-Oui. Why wouldn’t I be?” Lafayette laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. Robespierre rolled his eyes before whispering again. 

“This is our last meeting of the day. With all due respect sir, can you get yourself together?” 

“Okay, Okay.” Lafayette sighed with boredom 

He missed the colonies dearly, sometimes he wished he never left at all, but seeing his country yearn for a revolution compelled him to sail across the Atlantic once again. He often daydreamed of his riskier lifestyle with his closest friends and soldiers, as well as the feeling of awe while serving directly under General Washington. Never in his life did Lafayette think he would miss the adrenaline rush of stealing cannons and leading fully arm battalions. 

His teenage memories of fooling around in those military camps, wandering the streets of New York City severely intoxicated, and the best memories of all, the memories of escorting the General’s daughter, Y/N Washington, to buy bread and pastries for him and his fellow soldiers. 

Oh, what could she be doing now? 

If it weren’t for the revolution at hand, Lafayette would’ve surely bent a knee once she set foot onto the military camping grounds. Lafayette held such a high respect for Y/N when they first met, especially since she was the daughter of his most admired general. The women in France just couldn’t compare to her heavenly beauty, and her kindness was unbeatable. She was the greatest treasure that Lafayette had stumbled across during his time in the colonies. Although many noblewomen would attempt to take a bite of him, Lafayette stayed loyal to his non-existent promise to Y/N.

A quick quill-slam to the table, and he was quickly drawn back to his reality. Why should he worry about his previous General’s daughter anyway? Lafayette was now a Prince, he could have anything he wanted. But the moment he set foot in France after the American Revolution, he lost the most precious things he already had. He yearned for glory, but at what cost? The cost of abandoning his bonds in the colonies? 

He sighed, standing from the meeting table and wandering to his quarters. Secretary Robespierre followed closely behind him. Sensing an odd tension from Lafayette’s mood, Robespierre attempted to address his situation

“Do you need anything, your majesty?” Lafayette froze in his tracks, weighing his two options 

“Actually...” Lafayette turned to face him “Schedule me a ship to the colonies. The earliest one you can find.” 

Robespierre tilted his head in confusion, letting the last sentence sizzle in his head.

 “I’m sorry, what?” 

The prince in distress sighed with fatigue. “I’ve decided I’m heading to the colonies, tout suite.” Lafayette kept his gaze strong  

‘B-but sir, you have so much to take care of-” Robespierre was notably panicking at this moment. “-and the recent shortages-”

“Mon Ami, there are at least three other ‘crowned princes’ who are perfectly capable of maintaining this nation. One prince gone won’t hurt the economy”  Prince Lafayette stated firmly 

Robespierre debated for a moment before confirming his thoughts “Alright. I’ll notify you when the earliest ship can be sailed. But what shall you do about the gossip? Perhaps they will believe you are not responsible enough for this role.”  

“Let the people speak as they please. In the end, I’ll remind them who’s in charge.” Lafayette began towards his quarters once again, Robespierre stayed behind to script all of his thoughts. 

Finally in his study, Lafayette dipped his quill into the nearest container of ink and started to write. 

‘To the Great General Washington, It’s been ages since we’ve last written…’

Maybe Lafayette will be able to have a taste of his old life. 

---the Schuyler residence

Giggling echoed throughout the Schuyler residence as the 5 girls enjoyed their tea. 

“Have you gals read Payne’s newest pamphlet? We’re the talk of the town as of now” Angelica, the oldest Schuyler, smiled with satisfaction. Her luminous complexion complemented her coral pink gown. 

“I never expected our courting debut to be so..” Eliza searched for the right words “..turbulent among the talkers..” she took a sip of her tea 

“I’m still stunned by the feedback” Y/N laughed nervously “My father even requested his two most clashing secretaries to escort me here, they didn’t even argue once” she said in awe 

The top 5 girls of the season all sat in one room. Though they would eventually become each other's courting competition, they were great friends nonetheless. During the war, Y/N would stay in the Schuyler household while their fathers were out of town daydreaming of being free from the king, attending a few balls together, and watching soldier boys trip over themselves. After the war ended, Dolley Paine became a mutual connection through their high ranking families. The 5 got along way too quickly. 

Peggy held up the tea pot “another fill, ladies?” Y/N and Dolley nodded, both taking their turns to fill their cups. 

“Awee, look at you Peggy, you’ll make a perfect wife” Dolley teased. The rest of the girls laughed it off, yet Y/N didn’t feel at ease with that statement. 

“You don’t actually think we will all get married that quickly, do you?” Y/N looked around to see their confused expressions. “Guys?” 

“Well..” Angelica pondered for a moment “I believe that it’s ideal to marry on your first season” 

Peggy had to stop herself from spitting out her tea 

“That soon? But we’re so young, and-” Eliza interrupted

“And we’re ladies. Society expects us to do nothing more and nothing less with what we’re given” Angelica takes a content sip of her tea once again “I don’t make the rules around here.” 

The silence was awfully louder than the conversation. 

“Alright.” Dolley smiled “I guess we'll just have to make this next few weeks extra special, right?” 

Y/N took a deep breath “the best of the best.” She muttered

Peggy turned to her and nodded, and Eliza was quick to join. Y/N faked a smile at the girls, ‘I guess that’s just how it is’ is what she thought, and Angelica would raise her glass for a toast 

“A toast to the best courting season?” The 4 other girls raised their glass as well. 

Though many hours were filled with laughter and giggles, Y/N couldn’t help but imagine how much her life would change within the next few months. And just by entering this season, Y/N will give up her youth and give someone her hand to please someone. To please herself? To please the people? To please her parents? She had no clue 

She stared out the window, remembering those nights of staying at the Schuyler residence, watching those drunk soldiers stumble across the street. Many of them were her friends, friends she had met through her fathers rank. She smiled at the thought of the most memorable gentleman she had met while at those camps. 

‘The French Foreigner’ is what they used to call him, but only before he became comfortable in the colonies. ‘Marquis de Lafayette’ was his title, and Y/N always loved the sound of his name rolling off her tongue. 

“I don’t know what my father told you, but I’m sure I don’t need you to accompany me simply to buy bread” Y/N stood stubbornly 

Lafayette gently grabbed her hand and raised it to his lips 

“I just want you to be safe, mon ange, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if you got hurt..”

 He kissed the back of her hand, maintaining eye contact. Y/N appeared as if she just experienced a revelation “..shall we be on our way, mademoiselle?” 

She took a moment to think, her head still in the clouds. Y/N slowly nodded “Alright.” The two intertwined arms and headed into the city 

Oh how she missed the old days. Y/N hated to admit it, but she truly believed she met the most exquisite gentlemen during the war. Whenever she’d stay at the camps with her father, a small group of soldiers would always keep her company. A tailor, an abolitionist, two immigrants, the camps were definitely a mixing pot. 

At that very moment, Y/N prayed she’d be able to find someone like the men at her fathers military camp during this courting season. 

Y/N jumped at the tapping on her shoulder

“Y/N? Don’t tell me you already have suitors lining up out there for you” Y/N shook her head and laughed 

“I just spaced out. That’s all.” She attempted to change the subject “What were we talking about?” She questioned 

Peggy interrupted “Next week's ball, the first ball of the season. Do we show up in our best, or do we build suspense until the last seasonal ball?” Peggy debated 

“Let’s take one ball at a time, shall we?” Eliza proposed her idea 

“Well for the first ball, I suggest….” All the girls gathered around Angelica to hear her plan

—-Lafayette’s quarters (France)

Prince Lafayette neatly folded his clothes as he was departing for the colonies within a few hours. He remembers the excitement he felt when he traveled to the colonies for the first time, having to dress like a pregnant woman in order to board the ship, but he still cringes at the imagery. 

He elegantly stuffed his belongings into his shoulder bag. He stood back to admire his rushed work, but he felt as if he was missing something. 

Lafayette looked around his quarters, his eyes became glued on his treasured gun, gifted to him by General Washington himself. The wooden hilt was stained with god knows what, but the gold trimmings were shining in the afternoon sunlight. 

He’d already have French soldiers accompanying him, he was a prince after all. Would he need such weaponry? 

“I do not see why not.” He muttered to himself before stuffing it into his bag with the rest of his belongings. Lafayette dusted off his fancy clothing and stood in triumph, well, before a woman cleared her throat behind him. 

Lady Adrienne stood at the doorway to his study, her emerald green skirts creased against the doorframe. Lafayette and Adrienne previously courted before he left for the colonies, which ended up being her last straw. Lady Adrienne attempted to stop him, since she was a loyalist to the monarchs of France, but Lafayette refused to listen. 

“que veux-tu? I'm busy at the moment.” Lafayette covered his bag with a nearby coat, crossing his arms. 

“I heard you’re going back to the colonies. What’s so special across the ocean that you can’t have here? You’re a prince for god sake” 

“It’s none of your concern, get out of-”

“Last time you left for the colonies- left me for the colonies- you just weren’t the same when you came back.” she was on the verge of yelling

Lafayette sighed, having already been through this conversation ever since he came back to France. 

“This is nonsense. I need to be alone as of now.” Lafayette turned away from her to continue packing his belongings. She had a hurt expression on her face; part of her mind refused to believe he wasn’t her suitor anymore. Ever since he left for the colonies. 

She slowly began to advance towards him. “That is no way to talk to your previous courting partner, Lafayette.” Her tone was strong yet unsure. 

“It’s Prince Lafayette to you, and there’s a reason why we’re not courting now..” He was notably irritated by her presence. 

Lady Adrienne wasn’t leaving his quarters until she was given an answer. 

“Was I not enough for you to stay in France…?” she rested a hand on his shoulders, Lafayette visibly cringed. “What’s in the colonies that you can’t have here?” 

Lafayette swiftly turned towards her, brushing her hand off of his shoulder in disgust. “I don’t have to answer to you—“ he attempted to retort

“—Don’t tell me you’re still mad that I had more faith in the monarchs of our country rather than you” 

Lady Adrienne rolled her eyes annoyingly, Lafayette blood had already begun boiling long ago. She started moving closer to Lafayette, attempting to trap him in his room, and forcing him to stay in France. Although this was her main plan, she wanted an answer, and she wanted it now. 

“Your own lover didn’t believe in you. Is that why you’re so upset? It’s quite the reaction for something so minuscule—” she scoffed. 

Lafayette snapped

“—as a matter of fact, you weren’t my lover. It’s not you, its...” 

Lafayette, clearly frustrated, struggled to hold up under his old friend’s gaze. She saw it in his eyes, the way they lightened when he thought about the colonies. 

She saw a similar light in them the day he returned from France. Perhaps it was the praise he obtained for the foreign war, or perhaps some treasures he discovered, or maybe someone.

“Lafayette... Did you find another partner in the colonies?” 

The panic was visible in his eyes, but there no was no reason to panic, he thought. 

Lafayette brushed up against lady Adrienne, his lips were millimeters from her ear. He began

“Our relationship ended from the moment I set foot on that ship, and I do not regret it one bit..” 

He stepped out of her reach and continued to pack away his belongings, Lady Adrienne was frozen with shock.

“My business in the colonies is my business only,” He stated strongly. “And you are free to believe whatever you want, it would benefit me in the least to care about what you think. Am I being clear?” 

Lady Adrienne could only stand in silence

“Security! I’d love for you to escort this maiden out of this quarters at once!”

He’d never forget the hatred in her eyes as she was humiliatingly taken away. Lafayette kept his mind on his current task: the colonies await his arrival. 

—to be continued—

[falsegoodnight]

this is part two of my december fic rec! this list encompasses the fics i’ve read from the 18th to the 28th!! it’s also my birthday today which makes it even more special! i can think of no better way to spend today than spreading positivity! :)

you can find part one of this month here

✰ there’s happiness because of you by @hadestyles | NR | 1k - (so soft, tender, and beautiful!! rori’s writing amazes me always! and this was written for my birthday because they’re an angel <3)

Thursday mornings have always been their favourite.

✰ and it gets colder and colder by @hadestyles | E | 2K - (another rori fic!! once again, beautiful prose! made me feel emotional!)

Harry wants to take care of Louis. Things take a turn.

✰ make my wish come true by @soldouthaz | M | 3k - (drabble from this series) (so cute, lovely, soft, amazing!!! made my heart so happy! this is also dedicated to me which :’) sarah angel chant)

The taste of Christmas cookies fresh out of the oven and peppermint hot chocolate is still heavy on his tongue. Harry’s sweater provides some warmth and it still smells of him from before he left for his internship two weeks ago, but it’s nowhere near the feeling of his arms wrapped around him. Louis shivers despite the blankets.

✰ spirit meets the bones by @hadestyles​ | E | 3k - (i had to edit to add this because rori wrote another beautiful little fic for me :’) beautiful prose, beautiful emotions, so so so beautiful, gosh. pure poetry!)

The action shouldn’t fill his eyes with tears but it does. These small gestures mean the world to him. A steady reminder that Harry does notice all the tiny, seemingly insignificant details that make Louis him.

✰ 29 Blows by @quelquesetoiles | E | 4k - (super hot but also so cute!! love the concept of the birthday tradition in this one!!!)

For over a decade now, Harry has had his little tradition. It wouldn't be a Louis Tomlinson birthday without his best friend finding new, ingenious ways to make his life more difficult.

It's cute, it's funny, it's theirs, until Harry takes it a step too far on Louis' 29th birthday.

✰ calm me down (before i sleep) by @erodiansunflower | E | 7k - (a pwp and super hot, but also super cute??)

Prompt 24: Harry is a sex shop owner that has a crush on Louis, the shy customer who flirts with him while buying cute buttplugs, lace panties, and collars. One day, Louis asked Harry to help him put on a corset (they end up fucking in the dressing room). Things escalate quickly from there, so they start seeing each other seriously while trying other sex stuff.

✰ You’re Never Alone With a Moon This Bright by @helloamhere | T | 8k - (part one of this series) (WOW this was incredible and i am ENTRANCED! this author is an all-time favorite and idk why it took me so long to get to this series but i’m here now!! and loving it!!)

Louis was a monster. But sometimes, even monsters get a Christmas.

✰ Be a Good Girl For Me by @sincetheywere16and18 | E | 9k - (really hot and cute!!!)

Based on this prompt: “AU where Harry is Louis’ older brother’s best friend. He catches Louis dancing around his room in panties and blackmails him, saying that louis has to do anything he says or else he’ll tell Louis’ family that he wears girly underwear. Secretly soft for him, Harry gives him easy tasks and uses the whole thing to spend more time with Louis. Eventually, the orders begin to escalate and Harry teases Lou about his secret, making Louis shy and embarrassed. Louis loves the attention though, and forms a crush on his brother’s best friend. Lots of feminization, secret relationship, and enemies to lovers. Thank you!”

✰ it’s hard to fight naked by @loustarlight | E | 11k - (LOVED this so much!!! a big fan of enemies/flatmates to lovers especially when there’s a walk-in involved!!)

Louis leaves dirty socks on the couch, Zayn does assignments while he's high, and Harry is hopelessly crushing on his roommate.

✰ Sweet Scary Creatures by @specklelouis | M | 13k - (jurassic park au!! so cute and fun!!! loved louis’ character growth in this in particular!)

They stare into each other's eyes for a while until Louis remembers this is too intimate and looks at Harry’s hands on his thigh. It spans a big portion of his thigh and Louis has always been insecure about how thick he is, so he loves that Harry has huge, dustbin hands that hold him and makes him feel smaller, safer.

✰ hereafter (ad infinitum) by @larryent | M | 13k - (this was absolutely beautiful!! the writing was incredible, the contrast between the old timeline and new one impeccable, and the letters!!! love them!! and vampire harry is always a win!)

"A legacy is every life you’ve touched. And you’ve touched mine twice."

On the coast of San Francisco in 2024 is when Harry falls in love all over again.

✰ Believe Me When I Say You Have It All by @helloamhere | T | 20k - (part two of this series) (loved this even more than it’s predecessor. not to be dramatic, but i’d die for the louis and harry in this series. this whole world has my heart)

Harry had never faced anything in this forest that had actually succeeded in scaring him. Louis was no exception.

✰ Yours to Lose by @loulicate-recs | M | 26k - (so cute and soft and sweet!!! louis and harry were both angels and IAN <3 little cutie!!! so proud of you hanis!)

Louis always gets distracted with his mummy duty and he eventually catches Harry's attention.

✰ But It’s Useless by @thinlinez | E | 26k - (this put such a big smile on my face!! so cute and lovely!! louis was a relatable and adorable menace and harry was a smitten idiot but they both got there in the end!!)

Omega Louis would never guess that he would be trying to hack into Alpha Harry's Wifi. That is until everything changes when he tries to get to know his enemy.

✰ Stuck On You by Writewhatiwant | E | 34k - (so so sweet! loved the aspect of stickers in this fic and how louis found joy in them!! really loved how both louis and harry (especially harry) grew throughout this story and how they found peace at the end!)

Louis’ life revolves around his stickers. Harry’s life revolves around his job. The universe has decided their worlds should revolve around each other.

✰ smoke between your teeth by @soldouthaz | E | 37k - (i think everyone knows how much i adore sarah and her fics but this one just might be a new favorite! loved all the psych stuff, the pining, the rom-com worthy confession <3 brilliant!)

Louis tries to stop his addiction to cigarettes and discovers he's been addicted to Harry for much, much longer.

✰ Your Life Worth Walking on a Bright Morning by @helloamhere | T | 38k - (part three of this series) (it just keeps getting better and better <3 so comforting and consistent and beautiful!)

For all its complexity, Louis sometimes reminded himself, life could always be simplified into a series of forks in the road. Even overwhelmingly big things were survivable when you broke them down to their choice. One path or the other, left or right.

✰ On The Edge by @zanniscaramouche | E | 47k - (so crazy good!! zanni is always amazing me!! loved the ice skating, the hockey, the misunderstandings, the multi-faced and beautiful characters and relationships - all so perfect!)

Figure skating is as vital to Louis’ identity as his DNA, so when his skates go missing right before the last Olympics of his career there may be a meltdown only vanilla bath salts can fix. Well, that and the stupidly charming hockey player he met on the plane.

Harry’s too old to be the wonder kid and too young to be taken seriously in the NHL. As an alternate thrown in at the last second, he fights to prove himself on the national team at the largest sporting event known to man. Or he will, once he gets off this flight and can focus on something other than the fussy figure skater and his stunningly blue eyes.

A baggage mix-up skews both of their perfectly laid plans for gold, forcing the two to work together as the clock clicks towards the minute they’re expected to shine on centre ice.

✰ made for lovin’ you by @cuddlerlouis | E | 53k - (loved this so much!! touch depri/accidental bonds are my favorite and this was no exception!!! the characterizations, the tension, the misunderstandings, the tenderness, the fluff!!! so good!)

A quick, horny decision ruins Louis’ summer plans, but may also lead to unexpected discoveries. Featuring the road trip of dreams, misunderstandings, and a bit of fate.

✰ social cues by @outropeace | E | 56k - (so fucking good!! the slow burn in this was impeccable!!! pair it with friends with benefits, mutual pining, angst, misunderstandings... amazing <3)

To Harry, Louis was becoming as tangible and essential as music in his life. He still was a mystery but at the same time, he was one of the most real things Harry had. He just hoped he could live up to the image Louis probably had in his mind of him.

He could play the part, after all, what was published of him wasn’t as detached from reality. He didn’t think of himself as a rockstar cliche, although he couldn't deny he did sleep around, partied a lot, and did some drugs. But then again, wasn’t that what the majority of his friends back in his hometown were doing at college?

Harry wanted to impress Louis, he didn’t want to disappoint or leave his expectations unfulfilled, so he’d give him the full rockstar experience.

It was a very simple plan, what could possibly go wrong?

✰ dripping like spider milk by @raspberryoatss | E | 64k - (pip amazing me with her talent? a common occurrence. this was so wonderfully written and so well done!! loved the characterizations, the dynamic, the angst, the miscommunication, the pining, the HUMOR!!! it was all so amazing!!)

When he sees the alpha, his brown hair curling around the top of his neck and his broad back that’s filled out over the past couple of years, Louis freezes for a moment. The alpha turns around, Louis’ surprised expression mirrored on his own for a fraction of a second before he schools it into a big, yet shy grin and a wave of his huge hand. With his nostrils flared, Louis knows that he can smell him, too.

They never hired alphas, except for—

“Harry.”

✰ a taste of freedom and sweetened passion by @tomlinvelvetfics | M | 74k - (okay technically haven’t finished reading this one yet but i want to get this up early and i already know this is amazing because it’s LATE and she’s incredible!!! and, i mean, anne of green gables?? abo?? best birthday gift ever!! will be spending the day reading this in bliss <3)

“Are you mad?” he explodes, throwing his hands up, groaning. “I was so, so close to reaching my goal, and your stupid, stalking ass had to creep up on me, hm?”

Harry is trying to keep his laughter in, walking closer to him, eyes soft. He doesn’t like the way those eyes make him feel, an odd, dangerous mix of nervous and flustered, so he bends down to pick up the books, raising an eyebrow when Harry growls in protest.

“I wanted to pick them up for you,” the alpha pouts, and Louis glares at him, getting into position and lowering the pile of yellowed pages over the top of his head.

“I’m a functional human being, thank you very much,” he grits out as he begins to walk and mentally count the amount of steps he takes. One, two, three, for heaven’s sake Harry fuck off!, four, five. He doesn’t let himself be distracted as the alpha walks along with him despite the slow pace, green eyes focused on him in a way that would, in any other cases, compelled him to throw a book in the alpha’s face.

He doesn’t know why he doesn’t do it and certainly doesn’t want to think about the reason, whatever it might be.

If you read any of these lovely fics, remember to leave kudos and comment to show your appreciation!

*if i made any errors, please let me know :)

enjoy!

[indelibleposies]

You're walking along a widing garden path at noon, green grass peeks out among patches of melting snow. The first crocuses have just broken free from the ground and the birds are chirping in the trees. Suddenly, a finch flies by just beside your head, dropping something at your feet. It's a note. It reads: What would your favourite ship propose with?

thank you so much for this ask!!!! thinking about it has been a highlight of my past couple days lol

yentriss: theirs was actually an impromptu proposal; they’d been curled up in bed together, breeze blowing sweet salt air through the window, and Triss had tucked her face in close to Yennefer’s neck and whispered “marry me.” it’d been received well.

not as much of a success: the bestowing of rings. the hunt actually devolved slightly into something of a competition. Triss and Yen generally just ended up with hickies or other...claiming marks until their handfasting actually rolled around and they were like. hmmmmm

but honestly? rings aren’t really either of their vibes anyway. so Triss ends up with a necklace with an amethyst hanging from a silver chain, long and easy to tuck close to her heart. Yen wears a silver bracelet, which looks like delicate vines laced together. The necklace and bracelet come from the same vein of silver in a mine far to the north and are magically tricked the fuck out. There’s a locator spell, a communication spell, a proximity spell......they both managed to cast some sex booby-traps on each other’s piece, which turn out to occasionally be as sexy as hoped, but mostly just end up in humiliating situations for both of them. Triss also managed to sneak some healing back ups into Yen’s bracelet, which comes in handy.

geraskier: I’m really into the bros & dumbasses aspect of their dynamic right now so I just can’t fathom any legit proposal - just a proposal for a fake marriage...which means Geralt gets Jaskier’s family crest, like any good betrothed would. The godsdamned thing has heft and flash to it; Geralt gets so distracted by its presence that he has to run basic sword forms for days just to get used to the way it affects his swing. He still has a hard time looking away from the ring sometimes, even after wearing it for weeks.

Jaskier, meanwhile, made do with braided flower stems and easily manipulated bark until Geralt could get a simple iron band cast. “my beloved says it’s simply a reminder that his love for me blooms anew each day,” Jaskier would beam, flashing the slightly-bedraggled flower of the day at sighing barmaids and stableboys alike

(after their true feelings finally come to light, Geralt mysteriously no longer complains of the weight of the family crest, although Jaskier still catches him staring at it from time to time. Geralt tries to upgrade Jaskier’s ring, but Jaskier howls at the injustice of it, saying that the iron represents the steadfastness and permanence of Geralt’s love for him.)

sambucky: Bucky gets Sam a gold ring and, after some debate, gets a simple engraving on the inside. It reads “for stw - jbb. xx.”

a couple weeks after the proposal, Bucky wakes up to a ring box on the pillow next to him. it’s a match for the band he gave Sam, but on the inside, it reads “a fool can have his charms. xx - stw-b”

important note: Bucky proposed with Ella Fitzgerald’s cover of “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered” playing in the background. A verse goes like this:

He’s a fool and don’t I know it

But a fool can have his charms

I’m in love and don’t I show it

Like a babe in arms

(I initially read this prompt as how they would propose and kinda thought about sambucky a LOT so here’s how it happened below the cut)

Bucky plans a romantic dinner at home, complete with flowers and candles. things don’t go exactly to plan, bc things never do with them, but they eventually manage some takeout in the light of a guttering candle or two. after dinner, Bucky allows Sam to turn on one (1) lamp in the living room, while he puts on his carefully put together playlist. then he pulls Sam into him to dance. it’s not exactly a normal activity for them, so it takes some awkward shuffling and teasing before they ease into something softer. Bucky plays some early 40s love songs (”Don’t Want to Walk Without You” by Dinah Shore maybe??) to give Sam the opportunity to tease; he plays some Marvin Gaye (”It Takes Two” probably or he just goes right in for it with “Trouble Man”) to feel Sam’s smile against his cheek; he hums roughly into Sam’s ear during “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered.” He distracts Sam from the end of the song by steering him to the couch while Bucky paces in front of him, rambling more than he really meant to. Sam riles him up a little too, tilting his head and smirking at him and batting those long eyelashes.

“so what I’m trying to say is that it would just make sense, if you decided to marry me. and it would be. good.” Bucky kinda tries to kneel but Sam yanks him onto the couch before he makes it all the way down.

“lucky for you, I’m looking for a little more.....good in my life.” they kiss and Bucky gives Sam his ring and Sam doesn’t stop riling him up until Bucky drags him to bed and gets him to shut the hell up. they’ll cuddle afterwards.

[buckybarnesdollface]

The Beach House

Summary: Reader is insecure about her body on a vacation with the Avengers, but a certain supersoldier shows her he thinks she’s stunning.

Warnings: Smut

           When Tony had said he was taking the team on a retreat, a private beach house in Malibu certainly hadn’t been what I’d expected. The place was enormous, with over a dozen bedrooms, a home theatre, a pool, and access to its own private beach. After what the team had been through in the past year, Tony had insisted we all deserved to spend a little time relaxing and being pampered.

           In all honesty, I felt a little out of place being here with the rest of the Avengers. I’d only been recruited six months ago, and on tenuous terms – I’d originally worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. as a Level 6 agent, although I’d started in Level 5 as a biomechanical engineer. It was my knowledge of biomechanics that landed me at the Avengers compound. The Avengers had been in need of someone familiar with the subject, and Maria Hill – who had been my commander at S.H.I.E.L.D. and whom I’d remained close with after – had recommended me to Tony Stark. He had been reluctant considering him and Maria had been on unsteady terms since he’d fired her from Stark Industries, but when I created an implant for Rhodey that meant he didn’t have to wear the braces to walk I had been eagerly welcomed onto the team.

           Since then I had assisted with things such as successfully allowing Vision to hold his human appearance even without the mind stone, helping Dr. Banner control when he changes into the Hulk, and repairing/upgrading the tech in Sergeant Barnes’ arm. My place had initially been strictly in the compound, but when Tony found out I was also trained in espionage I was sent out on a few recon missions. And although in the last six months I had created friendships with the other Avengers, I just couldn’t shake the feeling that I didn’t really belong here.

           “You do know that the whole point of bringing the team here was so that we could enjoy the sunshine, right, (Y/N)?” Tony said wryly as he walked into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of scotch. With a glass of lemonade in hand and a book tucked under my arm I had just been about to head to the den to curl up and read, which I explained to Tony. He shook his head.

           “You can read outside,” he said. “At least go sit by the pool and be around the rest of the team and act like you want to be here.”

           “I do want to be here,” I protested.

           “Then get your butt out there. I didn’t spend a fortune on this place for people to sit inside by themselves.”

           With a sigh, I allowed Tony to usher me out the patio door. Most of the team was either at the beach or in the city, but Steve and Bucky were in the pool tossing a football back and forth. I took a seat on the wicker rocking chair under the cover of a large umbrella and had just cracked open my book when I noticed that Tony was leaving.

           “Where are you going?” I accused, and he grinned.

           “Pepper is waiting for me on the beach.”

           I glared at him. “Then why did you drag me out here?”

           “Because some sun would do you good,” he replied, “and because you have to stop spending so much time alone. Now I gotta go, enjoy!”

           He waved as he disappeared down the path that led to the beach, and I was so annoyed I contemplated going back inside just out of spite. It was a beautiful day, though, and I had already settled in so I turned my attention back to my book.

           For awhile, it was nice – I read my book while in the background the guys continued their game of catch. It wasn’t as peaceful as being alone, but Steve and Bucky were the two least rowdy members of the team and I’d be lying if I said it bothered me having the two shirtless supersoldiers there. If I was going to be forced into company, at least theirs was unobtrusive and pleasant.

           It didn’t take long before more of the team returned, though. Sam came out of the house, having woken from a nap, and Natasha and Wanda had returned from shopping and had decided to come sunbathe by the pool. Suddenly I was feeling less than relaxed. With Sam thrown into the mix, Steve and Bucky’s game of catch was much louder and more aggressive. And with Nat and Wanda, who both looked like poster girls for a Playboy magazine, laying by the pool in the new bikinis they had bought I was feeling even more out of place than usual. I glanced down at the denim shorts and baggy t-shirt I wore and suddenly felt like a whale next to a couple of mermaids.

           “Sam, god dammit!” I heard Nat shout and I looked up to see that the football had landed in her lap, spraying her with water. Sam had the decency to look apologetic only for a moment before he snickered.

           “Maybe you shouldn’t sit so close to the pool if you don’t want to get wet,” he pointed out.

           “Maybe you should learn to throw a football,” Natasha retorted, tossing it back at him with a perfect spiral.

           “Those are fighting words,” Bucky taunted, and Sam grinned.

           “I propose a match. Guys against girls,” he said. “Losers cook dinner for the winners.”

           Wanda shook her head. “There’s only two of us and three of you. That’s unfair.”

           “(Y/N)!”

           Steve’s voice startled me, and I cursed internally as I looked up to see the five of them looking expectantly at me. I shook my head.

           “I’ll pass,” I said. “Football’s not really my thing, and I’m not in the mood for swimming.”

           “Oh, c’mon!” Nat said. “It’ll be fun! We can show these boneheads how it’s done.”

           “You wish,” Bucky snorted. I shook my head again.

           “Really, guys, I’m good. Maybe some other time.”

           I was hoping they’d drop it, but of course it was never that easy. “Is it that you can’t swim?” Sam asked.

           “I can swim,” I defended. In fact, I normally loved swimming. But with both Natasha and Wanda looking like goddesses in their skimpy bikinis and the three very fit guys, there was no way I was going to go put on my basic one-piece bathing suit and come back down just to feel insecure.

           “You haven’t been in the pool once since we got here, (Y/N),” Steve pointed out gently. “There’s got to be a reason.”

           “Tony said the retreat was for relaxing,” I replied, a slight bite to my tone. “Your idea of relaxing may be playing games in the pool, but mine is not.”

           Steve held up his hands in surrender and I felt bad. He truly was one of the nicest people on the team and I hadn’t meant to snap at him, but my patience had expired and I was starting to resent Tony for forcing me to be more social.

           Not knowing what else to say and feeling awkward, I got up and headed inside. I looked out the kitchen window to see that Nat and Wanda had jumped in the pool and the five of them were laughing and having fun. With a pang of jealousy, I retreated to the den with my book.

           The next day, I stood in the full-length mirror in my room and stared at my reflection. I’d put on my bathing suit – a black one-piece with a corseted neckline that showed a modest bit of cleavage. Although it did make my breasts look good, I couldn’t help but take note of everything I hated – the less-than-flat tummy, the cellulite on my thighs, the rolls that even the black material couldn’t hide…I thought of how Natasha and Wanda had looked in their bikinis, and a noise of disgust pushed its way from my throat. I peeled the bathing suit off and threw on some shorts and my old Star Wars t-shirt before making my way downstairs and out the patio door to the deck.

           It was still fairly early, the morning sun warm and the birds chirping. Most of the team was still asleep or watching TV in their pyjamas so I had the backyard to myself. I walked over to the pool and sat down on the edge, letting my bare feet dangle in the water. It was cool but not cold, just enough to feel refreshing in the Malibu heat. I tilted my head back and closed my eyes, letting the sun warm my face.

           “I…I don’t mean to intrude,” a soft voice said behind me, and I turned to find Bucky standing there with an apologetic look on his face. “Steve made breakfast; he saw you were awake and was wondering if you wanted some.”

           I blushed and ducked my head, embarrassed that he’d caught me in a vulnerable moment. “Uh, yeah, sure,” I said. “I’ll be right in.”

           Bucky nodded and then headed back inside. I waited a moment and then followed.

           Later that night, we decided to throw a party on the beach to celebrate our last night in Malibu before returning to New York and to work. A big bonfire roared on the beach, and some of the team had started a game of beach volleyball. Clint and Scott were manning the barbecue, and the guys were pounding back hamburgers and hot dogs as quickly as they could make them. I had to admit it was nice seeing the whole team so carefree and having fun. I even convinced myself to join in on a game of volleyball with Peter, Wanda and Thor, and found myself laughing as Thor tried to rein in his strength to make it a more even playing field.

           As it got dark the party only intensified, but I found myself growing tired of the prolonged social interaction. Waiting until I was sure no one would notice, I slipped away from the party and made my way back up to the house.

           At night the back deck was lit with thousands of fairy lights. I once again sat down on the edge of the pool, contemplating going for a swim while everyone else was down on the beach, but before I could get up to change into my bathing suit a shadowy figure appeared on the path. I stiffened, but when he stepped into the light and I saw it was Bucky I relaxed slightly.

           “This feels like deja-vu,” he chuckled, and I gave him a small, shy smile.

           “How come you aren’t at the party?”

           “I saw you leave. I wanted to make sure everything was alright.”

           I flushed as a weird feeling blossomed in my stomach. “I’m fine,” I assured him. “Just needed some air. I love the team, but sometimes these parties can be…”

           “A little too much?” Bucky finished for me and I nodded. He gave me a small smile before coming to sit next to me, dipping his own feet in the water. He stared down towards the beach as he spoke. “I know better than most how it feels to be overwhelmed around people,” he murmured. “I know how easy it is to isolate yourself when you’re the newest team member and you feel out of place, but trust me when I say that everyone wants nothing more than to make you feel like a part of the family. Speaking from experience, they will keep trying to include you in things until you cave and just go with it.”

           I pursed my lips and shook my head. “I don’t isolate myself –”

           “(Y/N), c’mon. If you aren’t on a mission or in your lab working, you’re off somewhere alone with your nose buried in a book.” Bucky chuckled. “I get it, it’s tough when everyone else already has a history with each other. But the team thinks you’re great. Trust me.”

           I finally turned my head towards him to find he was already looking at me. I bit my lip, my cheeks still warm.

           “When I was a part of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” I explained, “I felt like I was on an even playing field with everyone else. Sure, there were those with higher clearances than me, but we were all just human. But now…” I trailed off. “I’m surrounded by highly trained assassins and the world’s smartest people and superhumans and a god. Of course I’m going to feel out of place, I’m the least qualified to be here.”

           Bucky’s eyes widened and he shook his head. “If you were unqualified to be a part of the team, (Y/N), then Maria would have never suggested you for the job and Tony would have never recruited you. The team is lucky to have you.” He grinned and flexed his metal arm. “Besides, if it weren’t for you, I would have to go all the way to Wakanda whenever I needed maintenance on this thing. You certainly give Shuri a run for her money.”

           For what felt like the hundredth time that night I blushed. Bucky and I had been alone together on a few occasions when I was working on his arm, but this felt different. It was personal, and if I was being honest, I’d had a small crush on the supersoldier since I’d met him six months ago. I was suddenly highly aware of the fact that we were alone.

           “So this is the second time I’ve found you out here by the pool,” he pointed out after a moment of silence. “I know you like to swim, (Y/N); you use the pool at the compound all the time.”

           I shot him a confused look. “How did you –”

           “You aren’t the only one awake at ungodly hours,” he chuckled. “I have a hard time sleeping. Nightmares. I’ve seen you sneak to or from the pool on a few occasions.” He shook his head. “So why were you so reluctant to swim here? The pool here is so much nicer than the one at the compound.”

           Suddenly my throat was dry and I turned my head away from him. “If I tell you, you’ll think it’s stupid,” I mumbled.

           “I promise I won’t. Tell me, (Y/N).”

           “I just…I don’t feel comfortable around the team,” I admitted, my eyes trained on my lap. “Everyone is all so in shape. Hell, Nat and Wanda look like frigging supermodels walking around here in their bikinis. And then there’s me. I already feel like an outsider, but if I was next to them in their bikinis, I just…I couldn’t do it. It’d just make me feel worse about myself.”

           For a moment we sat in silence, but I could feel Bucky’s eyes on me. I had never told anyone about my insecurities like that before, especially not to a man as gorgeous as Bucky Barnes. When he still hadn’t spoken I began to panic, worried I’d made a mistake in opening up, but finally his soft voice broke through the silence.

           “(Y/N)…(Y/N), look at me.”

           When I didn’t move, he shifted his body towards me and then lifted his flesh hand to take my chin gently between his thumb and forefinger to direct my gaze to his. His blue eyes were soft as he looked at me.

           “Are you kidding me?” he breathed. “You wouldn’t join us in the pool because you were scared of what people would think of you in a swimsuit?”

           I frowned and pulled away from him. “You don’t get it,” I snapped. “You’re just as in shape as the rest of them, if not more so. I’m the only one on the team without abs.”

           Bucky shook his head. “Do you think you’re the only one with insecurities, doll? We’ve all got ‘em,” he said to me. “You seem to think that Natasha is so perfect, for example, but you know how much she hates that scar on her abdomen from the time I shot her.”

           I shook my head. “It’s a little scar, I don’t know why it’s such a big deal to her.”

           “And what about me? Do you know how long it took me to feel even somewhat comfortable wearing short-sleeved shirts, let alone no shirt at all, around the team? I was ashamed of my arm and I hated the scarring on my shoulder from it. A year ago, I wouldn’t have been in this pool because I always felt like everyone was staring. But you know what? I was tired of missing out on things because of my anxiety and I quickly found out that everyone on the team had better things to do than judge me about a metal arm and some scarring.”

           “I know it sounds ridiculous,” I groaned. “But it’s the way I feel. Whenever I’m around the two of them I feel like a boulder next to diamonds.”

           Bucky snorted, and I glared at him. He shook his head apologetically. “I’m sorry,” he breathed. “I’m just having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that you think you’re any less beautiful than Natasha or Wanda.”

           “I’m not blind,” I retorted. “They have supermodel bodies. I can’t compete with that.”

           “Why do you feel like you have to? This isn’t a competition, (Y/N). Your size doesn’t determine your worth as an Avenger or as a person, so it shouldn’t matter.” He grinned before standing and tugging his t-shirt over his head. “And for what it’s worth,” he said as he tossed the shirt onto the deck, “back in my day, a woman with a body like yours drove men wild.”

           My eyes widened as I felt the blood rush to my face. “What are you doing?” I asked him.

           “Going for a swim. You gonna join me?”

           I shook my head in protest. “I’m not wearing a bathing suit…”

           “Neither am I,” he laughed. “That’s what underwear are for.” Bucky slid his shorts from his hips, leaving him in nothing but a pair of black boxer briefs. He grinned mischievously at me before jumping into the pool. “C’mon!” he called when he resurfaced.

           “Bucky, I don’t…I can’t…” I stammered, but he was already swimming over to me. He stood, his hands on the concrete on either side of my thighs as he looked up at me.

           “Come on, (Y/N),” he murmured. “Please? Just let yourself be carefree for once. If it makes you feel better, I won’t look until you’re in the pool.”

           I pursed my lips, but there was no way I could say no to him, not when he was looking at me like that with those impossibly blue eyes. Finally, I rolled my eyes and groaned.

           “Fine.” I said. “But turn around. Don’t move until I say.”

           Bucky obeyed, a grin on his face, and I stood up to yank the t-shirt over my shoulders before shimmying out of my shorts. For a minute I stood there with my arms crossed over my chest, feeling terrifyingly exposed. At least I had thought to put on my matching black lace bra and panties earlier that night. Taking a deep breath, I slipped into the water quietly, making sure the water was deep enough to come up past my chest before I spoke.

           “Okay,” I said softly, and Bucky turned. He grinned at me.

           “Was that so hard?” he teased.

           “Harder than it should have been,” I admitted, and Bucky’s grin turned into a sympathetic smile.

           “I don’t want you to ever feel insecure or uncomfortable around me, (Y/N). I’ve always got your back, okay?”

           I could only nod, at a loss for words. Hesitating, I let myself step deeper into the pool until my feet no longer reached the bottom and I had no choice but to swim. I had to admit it felt good; swimming had always been my favourite way to relax.

           “So, are you sure you don’t mind missing the party?” I asked Bucky as I swam a lap around the pool. He shook his head.

           “Nah, I’m happy where I’m at right now.”

           Warmth spread through my body, and I smiled to myself. We swam in comfortable silence for a little bit, just enjoying the peace and quiet. At one point I came up for air, pushing the hair back from my face and not realizing I’d come up in the shallow end and the water barely reached my hips. I opened my eyes and found Bucky standing a few feet away, his eyes locked on me and his jaw slack.

           Cheeks burning, I quickly dropped to my knees in the water and wrapped my arms around myself tightly, horrified. “You’re staring,” I accused in a shaky voice, and Bucky’s eyes widened as if he’d just realized what he’d done.

           “Shit, I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “I didn’t mean to, (Y/N). It’s just…you’re…”  

           He was rambling, clearly uncomfortable, and I frowned as tears stung the backs of my eyes. “I get it,” I muttered, but Bucky shook his head.

           “I don’t think you do get it, doll,” he murmured, his voice huskier than it had been before. When my brow furrowed, he took a couple of steps towards me, his tongue darting out to wet his lips. “It blows my mind just how much you don’t get it.”

           “Do you have a point to make,” I snapped weakly, “or are you just going to keep making me feel shitty about myself?”

           “You have no reason to feel shitty about yourself, (Y/N); especially not with me.” He took another step closer, then another. “You’re perfect.”

           “Wait…what?” I shook my head, confused. “Bucky, what the hell are you talking about?”

           “You, silly girl. I’m talking about you,” he murmured. “You’re beautiful. I’ve thought so since the first time I laid eyes on you, and it kills me that you don’t see it. If you could see what I see, see how absolutely stunning you are…”

           At this point my head was swimming. This was a joke; he was messing with me, knowing that I was at my most vulnerable right now.

           But Bucky wouldn’t do that – He was one of the kindest people I knew. And all I had to do was look at his eyes to know he was being sincere.

           “Why?” I whispered.

           “Why what?”

           “Why me? You could have any girl you wanted…”

           “I want you, (Y/N),” he insisted. By now he was standing in front of me, and when I wouldn’t stand he sank to his knees so we were more at eye level. “I don’t know how to say it to make you believe me, but I think you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen and god, I would spend every day of my life making sure you knew it if you’d let me.”

           For a minute I couldn’t speak. I just stared at him, shocked as a lump formed in my throat, and then tears were spilling down my cheeks. Bucky’s eyes widened.

           “Don’t cry, doll, shit. Did I say something wrong?” he breathed. “I didn’t mean to upset you…”

           “No,” I said, shaking my head as I swiped at my tears in embarrassment. “You did nothing wrong, Bucky. I just…I keep waiting to find out this is all a joke but you’re serious, aren’t you?”

           Bucky’s face softened. “Of course I’m serious! I’ve been wanting to tell you this for months but I just never knew how.” He chuckled, his cheeks tinted a light pink. “You’ve got no idea what you do to me, doll. Walking around the compound in those leggings and your loose t-shirts, hinting at what’s underneath. You’re sexier all covered up than those other girls are in their bikinis.” He bit his lip. “Do you know how many times I’ve had to leave the gym while you’re training because of what you do to me?”

           Heat flooded my body, and if I weren’t already on my knees those words certainly would have brought me to them.

           “Bucky…”

           “I don’t want you to think I got you into the pool just so I could get you to take your clothes off,” he said quickly, looking suddenly embarrassed. “I truly did just want to help you move past your insecurities. But then I saw you and honest to god, doll, you took my breath away.”

           I ducked my head. “Not even a part of you wished I was thinner?” I asked in a quiet voice. Bucky reached out to cup my cheeks in his hands.

           “Absolutely not,” he said firmly. “I grew up in a different time, doll. One where women had curves and were desired even more for it.” His hands slid from my face to my shoulders, then down my back to rest on my waist. The contrast between the warmth of his flesh and the chill of the vibranium sent shivers through me, and he grinned. “Besides,” he murmured, “I like having something to grab onto when I’m with a woman.”

           Bucky’s fingers dug gently into the flesh of my waist and I inhaled sharply. He held my eyes and I could feel heat pooling in my stomach as I watched the blue in his eyes slowly turn black as the reflection of the fairy lights made them glitter.

           “Bucky?” I whispered breathlessly.

           “Mmm, doll?”

           “Kiss me.”

           Bucky’s grip tightened on my waist as he pulled me closer, and then he inclined his head until his lips just barely brushed over mine. He waited a few seconds, uncertain, but when my hands reached up to clasp behind his neck and pull him back to me his lips pressed against mine with more pressure. My fingers tangled in the hair at the nape of his neck, tugging gently, and Bucky groaned into my mouth, giving my tongue access to explore. I dragged it lightly over his bottom lip before touching it to his, and suddenly we were no longer on our knees. Bucky had pulled me up and lifted me into his arms, my legs straddling his waist as he carried me over to the edge of the pool. He sat me down, his body still between my legs, and kissed me with fresh vigor as his hands roamed over my thighs.

           I broke the kiss, ducking my head. Suddenly I felt too exposed and Bucky could tell because he took his hands from my thighs to instead intertwine them with my own hands.

           “(Y/N), hey,” he murmured. “It’s okay, if you don’t want to do this…”

           I shook my head. “It’s not that, I just…” I trailed off, biting my lip. The next thing I knew, Bucky was lifting my hand to lay it flat against his chest, right where flesh met metal. My eyes widened slightly and he gave me a small smile.

           “Bucky…” I whispered. I had touched the arm countless times when I was doing maintenance on it, but he had made it very clear from the beginning that no one was to touch the scars. And now here he was, encouraging me to do so.

           “It’s okay, doll,” he murmured, his voice husky. Hesitating, I ran my fingertips lightly over the puckered skin, still an angry pink even all these years later. I could feel him shiver underneath me but he didn’t move, his eyes trained on my face as I traced the jagged lines.

           “Do they still hurt?” I asked quietly, and Bucky shook his head.

           “Not really. Once in awhile I’ll get a ghost pain as a reminder of how it happened, but more than anything it’s just ugly.”

           I leaned in to press my lips softly to the scars. “Nothing about you is ugly.”

           Bucky pulled my lips back to his as his hands slid back to my thighs. “That’s the point I’m trying to make, doll,” he murmured. “I could say the same thing about you.” He slid his hands further up my thighs and I could feel my body reacting to his touch. The heat in my stomach had returned and my body shifted until I was pressed against him, my legs wrapping around his torso while he deepened the kiss. His hands moved from my thighs to my hips, fingertips gliding over my flesh and sending shivers up and down my spine.

           When his fingers reached the clasp of my bra I froze, and he pulled back from me to meet my eyes. “If you want me to stop…”

           “No, I don’t, but…right here? Bucky, we could get caught…”

           He shook his head. “Everyone’s too wrapped up in the party, no one will bother us for awhile.”

           “And if you’re wrong?”

           With a noise that could only be described as a growl, Bucky was climbing out of the pool and pulling me to my feet. Before I knew it his hands slid under my thighs and he lifted me up as if I weighed no more than a bag of flour, wrapping my legs around his waist and carrying me towards the house. Shifting my weight to one arm to open the door, his lips attacked mine as soon as we were inside. My hands tangled in his hair as our lips fought each other for dominance, and when my legs tightened around Bucky’s waist he backed into a table and knocked a vase of flowers to the floor. It shattered and Bucky disconnected his lips from mine in annoyance.

           “Shit,” he swore as I giggled.

           “You might wanna be more careful, Sergeant,” I teased. “Tony’s probably gonna get charged for that.”

           Bucky’s eyes met mine, blue irises nearly swallowed whole by his pupils. “Call me that again,” he growled, and I arched an eyebrow.

           “Sergeant?”

           “Fuck,” he groaned, his fingers digging into the flesh of my thighs as my back hit a wall. His mouth was all over me and his touch was dizzying, and I tightened my grip on his shoulders. I could feel my control fading, more quickly than it ever had with anyone else. I pulled my lips away from him with a gasp.

           “If we don’t get to a bedroom right now,” I said to him, “then someone’s gonna walk into this kitchen and get a show they aren’t expecting.”

           With a wicked smirk, Bucky made for the stairs and took them two at a time. His room was closer and we crashed through the door, lips still locked together and hands exploring hot, damp skin. Bucky kicked the door closed behind us and then set me on my feet, hands still lingering at my waist.

           “Fuck, you’re so beautiful,” he murmured huskily, and my cheeks burned. Suddenly I was shy again and my legs felt weak. I set a hand on his arm to steady myself and his grip on my waist tightened. “(Y/N), if you don’t want to do this we can stop right now,” he said in a quiet voice, his tone gentle and sincere. “I would never ask you to do something you don’t want to do.” He lifted one hand to brush a wet strand of hair out of my face, tucking it behind my ear. “All I want is for you to know how stunning I think you are.”

           My breath hitched and I looked up to meet his ocean-blue eyes. “I do want this,” I whispered. “I want you, Buck. More than anything.”

           “That’s all I needed to hear,” Bucky murmured, and then he was leaning in to kiss me. It wasn’t like the other kisses, that had been all passion and lust; no, this one was soft and sweet and fueled by pure emotion. When he slowly pulled away, he nuzzled his nose against mine affectionately before meeting my eyes.

           “It would be so easy to just ravage you right now,” he said in a low, even voice that sent shivers through my body, “but shit, doll, I want to do this right. I wanna take it slow and memorize every inch of you, have you squirming underneath me till you’re beggin’ me to stop and I’ve ruined you for all other men.”

           As he spoke his Brooklyn accent came through and that, paired with his words, sent a wave of heat crashing through my body. I couldn’t stop the whimper from escaping my mouth, and Bucky’s lips curved into a smirk.

           “That sound good, baby doll? You want it nice and slow? Want me to ruin you so I’ll be the only one to ever be able to satisfy you again?”

           I had never heard Bucky talk like this; I hadn’t even known this side of Bucky existed. He was usually so reserved, and on the occasion that he did let his guard down he was still the early twentieth-century gentleman he had been raised to be. But this…Now I was starting to understand why Steve was always saying that Bucky had been such a ladies’ man back in the day. If he’d talked like this to any woman, she would’ve been lifting her skirts for him in seconds.

           I wanted to say something witty, something along the lines of “Why don’t you use that talented tongue of yours for something else,” but in that moment my wits had completely escaped me and I was a hot, flustered mess. Instead, I barely managed to muster a breathless “Yes” as I looked up at him with half-lidded eyes. He lifted his flesh hand to run a calloused thumb over my lips. In a brief moment of bravery, I grazed his thumb with my teeth and then sucked it into my mouth, my eyes not leaving his.

           Bucky’s eyes widened. “Shit, doll,” he swore softly, and then his hands were tugging me closer until my body was flush with his. His hands moved to grip the flesh of my backside, one cold and one hot on my skin, and I moaned into his mouth as he kissed me. I could feel the outline of his manhood against my hip, solid and large, and when I shifted against it his hands on me tightened.

           He backed me up until my legs hit the bed and then he was lowering me onto the mattress, crawling up after me until his body hovered above mine. He held my eyes for the briefest of moments and then I was pulling him back into a kiss. He pressed his hips down into mine and in return I bucked up into him, craving the friction I needed to relieve the pressure building inside me.

           Bucky slid a hand underneath me to undo the clasp of my bra with deft fingers, and then he broke our kiss to trail his lips down my throat to my collarbone as he slid the damp garment from my shoulders. My nipples, hard from a combination of the cool dampness of my bra and my arousal, stood erect as my chest heaved with ragged breaths. Bucky’s eyes were pools of black in the dark room, tongue darting out to wet his lips as he drank in the sight before him.

           “Touch me,” I begged in a raspy whisper, and then his hands were on me – one cool and smooth and the other hot and rough – roaming over my curves but purposely avoiding my breasts. He finally cupped them softly, fingers kneading flesh, and when his thumbs brushed over my nipples, I arched up into him with a soft moan.

           “Such a good girl,” he murmured. “Promise I’ll take real good care of you, doll.”

           His hands slid down my body at an agonizing pace, and with them so did his mouth. He latched onto a nipple and sucked it gently into his mouth and his name left my lips in a breathless plea. He moved onto the other nipple, his hands slowly sliding further down my body. When the fingertips of his metal hand reached the waistband of my underwear he hesitated, his eyes meeting mine.

           “Tell me what you want, doll,” he murmured.

           “I want you…” I whined, but Bucky shook his head.

           “That could mean anything. I need you to tell me exactly what you want; I’m not doing anything until you do.”

           I was so strung out already and he’d barely even touched me – I wasn’t even sure I could form coherent sentences at the moment. “Your hand,” I managed to rasp, and when his flesh hand inched up my thigh I shook my head and reached out to grasp his wrist. “No. The metal one.”

           Bucky’s eyes widened. “(Y/N), I –” he choked, but I cut him off.

           “You asked what I wanted,” I pointed out, and then in a softer voice I added, “Please.”

           Blue eyes burned as his left hand slid up my thigh slowly, pushing the black lace aside and exposing the heat between my legs. He let out an almost-silent groan at the sight.

           “Already so wet for me, doll,” he whispered, voice thick with desire. His metal digits swiped through my wetness, spreading it over my folds, and I let out a shuddering whimper at the contrast of his cool fingers on my aching heat. He continued to run his fingertips through my folds, and once he was satisfied he sank one and then two fingers into me, drawing out an obscenely embarrassing moan from my lips.

           “Don’t hold back, doll,” he murmured. “I wanna hear every pretty little noise that comes out of that pretty little mouth.”

           As he spoke, Bucky flexed his fingers inside me and I cried out, back arching off the mattress. He smirked.

           “So tight, doll,” he praised. “Gonna feel so good around me when I’m inside you.”

           “Bucky…” I whimpered, and when he pulled his fingers out of me I let out an exasperated whine that set him to chuckling.

           “Don’t worry, doll, it’s only for a second,” he assured me, and then he was on his knees between my legs and tugging my damp panties from my hips. “I gotta make sure you’re good and ready for me, you’re so tight I wanna make sure I don’t hurt you.”

           I didn’t have time to respond before two thick metal digits were once again filling me up and his tongue left a hot, wet stripe up my folds to my clit. I let out a strangled gasp, hips bucking up into his face as my hands instinctively tangled in his damp hair. I tugged on the dark locks and Bucky groaned against my folds, sending vibrations through me that freshly slickened his fingers and tongue. He began to slide his metal fingers in and out of me at a steady pace, not rough but not exactly gentle either, and the feel of his fingers curling against my inner walls combined with the way his tongue drank down everything I had to offer him and his lips wrapped around my clit had me on the edge in no time. With one last hard suck my moan evolved into a strangled scream, his name falling from my lips in heated ecstasy. He brought me down with kitten licks as his fingers slowed, and then his teeth nipped the inside of my thigh affectionately before he slid up my body to kiss me languorously.

           I could taste myself on Bucky’s lips and it fueled my desire. I locked my legs around his waist, grinding my still-sensitive wet heat against the bulge in his boxer briefs. He let out a grunt and rolled his hips into mine, teeth grazing the skin of my throat.

           “No more teasing,” I said breathily. “Need you inside me…Now. Please, Buck, I can’t wait another second…”

           Not needing to be told twice, Bucky shed his boxer briefs and then his body was over mine again. I could feel his length, hot, heavy and solid against my hip, and I reached down between us to take him into my hand. Bucky let out a small hiss, and butterflies filled my stomach when I realized how large he was. Now I understood his comment about getting me ready had been more than just dirty talk. As I slid his length through my slick folds to coat it in my juices, though, I concluded that he would have no trouble; the feel of his hard cock against me was enough to have me dripping with fresh arousal.

           “(Y/N), fuck,” he said through clenched teeth, and with a demure smile I lined him up with my entrance and let go of him.

           “Ruin me, Sergeant,” I murmured, and with a purely animalistic growl Bucky sheathed himself fully in me in one slow thrust.

           We both let out long, low groans, and Bucky held himself still as I squeezed my eyes shut and adjusted to his size. The stretch of my walls around him bordered on painful, but it was overshadowed by the deliciously satisfying feeling of being so completely full of such a beautiful man. A beautiful man who was looking down at me with both undeniable adoration and feverish restraint.

           “Just tell me…just tell me when,” Bucky grunted, and I realized he had been holding his breath. Wickedly, I squeezed my walls around him and he gasped, blue eyes wide as he let out a string of curses from his kiss-swollen lips. He fixed a glare on me and shook his head. “Do that again, doll, and this is gonna be over before we’ve even had a chance to start.”

           “So start, then,” I said in exasperation, and with a glint in his eyes Bucky pulled out almost all the way only to thrust back into me with force, knocking the breath out of me. In a few thrusts I was matching Bucky’s rhythm, hands on his back pulling him as close as humanly possible to me as nails dug into flesh.

           The room quickly filled with the grunts and moans of passion, accompanied by the sound of skin on skin. Bucky’s hands slid under my thighs to lift my legs and wrap them around his waist – This new angle not only let him hit that elusive spot in me that even I often had a hard time finding, but it also had his pubic bone grinding against my clit every time he pounded into me. Within seconds this new position had me keening, and Bucky grinned down at me before nuzzling his face against my neck.

           “That feel good does it, baby girl?” he panted into my ear, every word punctuated by a calculated thrust of his unforgiving length into my yielding heat. “You got me so fucking hard, seein’ how wrecked you are underneath me. Wanna draw those pretty noises from you all night long till everyone knows how good I make you feel.”

           “Bucky…” I whined, nails biting deeper into the taut flesh of his back as he drove into me fiercely. “Buck, I’m…”

           As quick as he started, his movements stopped. I opened my mouth to protest, breathless and hopelessly strung out, but with his length still inside me he flipped us over so I was straddling his hips. In this position I could feel him even deeper inside me, something I hadn’t thought possible, and with a moan my head fell back. I could feel him chuckle beneath me, and then his hands were on my hips and he was rocking me against him slowly.

           I took over the movements, grinding my hips against his until we were both groaning in pleasure. Bucky’s hands slid up my thighs, over every curve and up to my breasts. He took them into his large hands and brushed his thumbs over my nipples, bringing a breathless moan from my lips as I arched into his touch.

           “So beautiful,” he murmured, and the softness of his tone had me opening my eyes to see that he was looking up at me with absolute adoration shining in his eyes as his thumbs traced across my breasts, still cupped in his hands. It was in that moment that I realized this had not been a heat-of-the-moment thing, nor did he intend for it to be a casual thing. This man – this beautiful, remarkable, supersoldier of a man – was as infatuated with me as I was with him. Dizzy with this revelation, I placed my palms flat on his hard chest to steady myself.

           Bucky rolled his hips up into mine gently, and then with more vigor as the seconds passed. It took no time at all for me to find myself on the edge of release. I could tell Bucky was close, too; his thrusts, which had been delivered with precision up until now, were sloppier and more erratic. I leaned down to capture his lips in a fiery kiss.

           “Come for me,” I panted, my voice barely above a whisper. “Come for me, Buck, I wanna feel you.”                      

           He let out a soft curse in what sounded like Romanian, and then one hand was on my waist pulling me onto him while he drove up into me, while his flesh hand snaked between us so he could press his thumb onto my still-sensitive bud. That did it, and with a cry I came undone. Bucky was only a few seconds longer, spilling into me with a quiet groan that sent a small wave of heat through my spent body.

           Exhausted in the best way possible, I collapsed on Bucky’s chest, and his arms wound around me to hold me closer to himself. He rolled us over so that I was more comfortably snuggled into his side, smoothing my damp hair away from my face and pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. It was like that that I fell asleep, the soft rise and fall of his chest lulling me into a peaceful slumber.

           A sharp knock on the door woke me up the next morning. Sometime through the night Bucky must have pulled the covers over us, but now I poked my head anxiously out from under the cocoon he had created. Another knock sounded, and this time I sat up and elbowed Bucky in the side. He let out a grunt in annoyance, still half-asleep, when Steve’s voice followed the knock.

           “Buck, are you awake in there? C’mon, Tony’s rounding everyone up. He wants to leave by eleven.”

           At this Bucky’s eyes opened, and he glared at the door. “I’ll be on time,” he snapped. “Worry about yourself, punk. I just have to pack.”

           Steve muttered an indistinguishable response. When Bucky was sure he was gone he rolled over to nuzzle his face against my neck, arms pulling me tight to him.

           “Mornin’, doll,” he murmured into my skin, sending a shiver through me.

           “Morning,” I replied, the feel of his lips on me temporarily making me forget we had just almost been caught. I wanted to continue where we had left off the night before, but I knew that Tony was very strict in his scheduling and the clock on Bucky’s nightstand said it was already ten-thirty. Reluctantly, I went to pull away from Bucky, but his arms around me tightened.

           “Not yet,” he mumbled, metal hand skimming over the skin of my hip and raising goosebumps. “We still have time.”

           “Buck, I still have to pack,” I protested unconvincingly. “Besides, Steve almost caught us…”

           As if on cue, more voices sounded out in the hallway. “Has anyone seen (Y/N)?” Wanda asked. “She isn’t in her room.”

           “She left the party early last night, haven’t seen her since,” Peter replied, and I cursed under my breath. As I went to sit up, Bucky’s door swung open and Steve’s large form filled the door frame. His eyes widened as he took in Bucky and I together in bed, me holding the blankets up to hide my nakedness, and then our underwear discarded on the floor. Shock quickly dissipated into a mischievous smirk, but he at least had the decency to blush. Before anyone could say anything, Sam’s voice was yelling up the stairs.

           “Yo, I think I know where (Y/N) is!” he said, glee underlining his tone as he jogged up the stairs. When he caught Steve standing in the doorway and Bucky and I in the bed with flushed cheeks, a shit-eating grin spread across his face.

           He tossed something onto the bed, and I realized it was the clothes we’d left by the pool the night before. “I figured you’d need those before you snuck back to your own room,” he said to me with a wink, and then he turned to Steve. “C’mon, Cap, let’s leave these two to get dressed.”

           Both of them fixing us with one more smirk, they shut the door and we were alone again. I buried my face in my hands with a groan, but all of a sudden I was on my back and Bucky was on top of me.

           “Well,” he murmured, “since everyone knows we might as well make a good impression.”

           I grinned up at him. “You’ve got fifteen minutes before Tony storms in here and drags us onto that quinjet by our ears,” I teased. “Think you can manage that?”

           “Oh, doll, fifteen minutes is plenty of time to let everyone know you belong to me.”

[light679]

Hey hun! Dunno if you're taking requests at the moment... but I saw that analysis on Leon's room and it got me thinking... what would Leon's early travels be like while he was taking the gym challenge? I feel like we didn't get to hear to much about it, other than Sonia saying a few things, but I was wondering what your take on it would be? Feel free to ignore this ask if you've got a lot going on at the moment! But thank you if you end up answering! ^^

Hello there! This ask makes me seriously happy! I’m so glad you liked my post about his room! I love thinking about young Leon and his gym challenge, I see so many pictures of him on Pinterest of him as a youngster with Charmander and I die of cuteness every time, so here's some hc's of mine to go along with this! :3 Thank you for such a lovely ask!

So first of all, I sort of hc that Leon and Sonia took the Gym Challenge the same year as Raihan, so all three of them became pretty close friends during this. Leon and Raihan probably met at the opening ceremony or at one of the gyms at hit it off, constantly arguing in a playful way about who was going to be stronger. 

The Wild Area was definitely a struggle for Leon. Sonia and her Yamper leading him to the right path, as she mentioned in the game? Definitely happened here 😂. Sonia probably did her best to not let him out of her sight, but of course when Leon gets excited about something, or saw a Pokemon he really wanted to catch or battle, he would just run off at a moment’s notice. He caught a lot of cool Pokemon that way, but often had to call Sonia on his Rotom phone to have her come find him, who gave him a light scolding later on lol. 

Leon learns how to cook in the Wild Area while he’s camping and such, but isn’t necessarily the best. He’s decent at making spicy foods, which are his favorite, although the reason they’re likely better than his usual is that he puts a lot of spices in to mask any other imperfections since the focus is mainly on the spice when you eat it. Sonia does a lot of their cooking. Raihan is a little more independent and does his own thing, but will pop in every once and while and set his tent up near theirs. Sonia and Leon set their tents up at the same camping spot together virtually every night to keep Leon from getting lost and to just have a friend nearby. In my opinion, Sonia develops a slight crush on him at least once over the course of their Gym Challenge, but it never really goes further than that. Leon’s so focused on his Gym Challenge and eventually Sonia realizes this, so she gets over it pretty quickly. 

In his journey, there’s probably a few spots that Leon really likes. Of course, the Wild Area is something he absolutely loves. It gives him a chance to get really strong and meet strong Pokemon, which as we know is something Leon really puts care in. Particularly the Lake of Outrage is a favorite of his. There’s a lot of really strong and interesting Pokemon there, and the Pokemon that come out of hiding in the different weather is incredible to him. And is also probably where he met his Dreepy, which he evolved into Dragapult. He also probably really likes the cold, mountainous area leading up to Wyndon. There’s quite a few strong Pokemon there too, and he can just feel how excited and eager those Pokemon are to join in some exciting battles, maybe feeding off the energy that comes from the city nearby. 

Which of course brings me to Wyndon. I hc that Leon absolutely loved the city life at first. Compared to Postwick, it’s so bustling, exciting and new to him, with a lot of people excitedly talking about Pokemon battles and the upcoming challenge. It matches his own passion and excitement for battles and the Championship Cup in a way a lot of the other places along his journey didn’t. Hammerlocke was probably the closest thing to matching his excitement, although it still had a different atmosphere that didn’t quite match his, although he was incredibly excited to see all of the history-related things in the city. Leon’s room is a clear indication that he IS smart, and that he enjoys learning new information. Just like he did with Pokemon, he also most likely went to all of those historical spots in the towns to learn about Pokemon, something a lot of challengers may not have done. Obviously in Sword and Shield you do since you’re helping Sonia make discoveries, but in reality, unless you have a strong passion for learning and history/science/etc, a Gym Challenger could easily breeze by something like that and ignore it. But Leon, despite being incredibly excited for his own journey, most likely dragged Sonia to all of these exhibits and areas to learn more about the history of Galar and Pokemon, in part because he hopes it will help him learn about Pokemon to make him stronger and in part for him to just continue learning. Seeing these places eventually makes something click for Sonia and she ends up being thankful that he’s brought her along to them. 

Naturally, every time they stopped in a city that had boutiques, Leon was quick to pick up a new hat. He picked up a new hat in just about every city he could. He might even have done it as a ‘reward’ for himself for winning a battle. Like, once he beat a Gym Leader, he treated himself to a new hat. Eventually Sonia noticed his bag being so full, seeing that it was full of caps and made him send some home. Partly to make sure he had room to carry actually important things with him and partly because it would damage the caps. Sonia liked fashion and clothes too, and would hate to see Leon ruin his new clothes too. After her lecture on how he was damaging the caps, Leon almost always had them sent home unless he wanted to swap it out. His fashion sense in buying other clothes was still absolutely atrocious, but still adorable. 

The Gyms were fairly easy for Leon, breezing through most of them, except one: Melony, who would have been old enough to still be Gym Leader during that time. Not only did he have a few dragon types that were pretty well damaged by Melony’s ice types, but her Gigantamax Lapras wasn’t weak to Charizard, and was in fact, strong against it being an ice and water type. Leon also doesn’t typically seem to use electric types, and there’s a solid chance that his Charizard wouldn’t have known electric-type moves by then (I hc he probably did some special training for that to happen/Pokemon have to go through some special training with Pokemon of that type to learn moves outside of their specific typing). He still won on his first try, but it was a very close match. The dragon-type leader was also probably a bit of a tougher match for him since dragons usually aren’t weak to fire, but still less of a challenge than Melony. 

Leon’s definitely the challenger that a lot of other Gym Challengers look up to and admire, and with him being favored to win their year, though Raihan comes in as a close second. A lot of people loved his adorable Charmander, but he was certainly seen as incredibly ‘cool’ once his Charmeleon evolved into Charizard. Charizard isn’t exactly a common Pokemon in Galar, coupled with it being incredibly strong, people grew fascinated by it very quickly. 

Their match during the quarter finals is really close and intense: Leon beating Raihan by just a hair. Many people were incredibly impressed by their match, for both men. Raihan was offered a position at the Hammerlocke Gym almost immediately after their match, and Leon received several proposals for endorsements contingent on his win against the Champion. Despite how intense their exhibition matches were in the subsequent years, many people still regard their quarter finals matches as one of the best matches in Galar history. There’s probably a rerun screening of it whenever Gym season pops up each year honestly. 

[recurring-polynya]

Do we have a Byakuya giving Renji marriage advice fic? I'd love to read one!

I know this is gonna seem like I can’t read the prompt, because it’s 95% Byakuya giving Rukia marriage advice, but I just honestly think Byakuya trusts Renji on this, given that Renji has worked for him for years at this point and just sort of anticipates all his needs and understands him better than really anyone, and also, Byakuya does not understand Renji at all and has no idea how his dumb jock brain works. He knows exactly how Rukia’s brain works, though.

Anyway, I am back on my Byakuya-writing-letters bullshit, please enjoy some Sunday afternoon feels. I think it should be obvious, but this takes place the night after Rukia and Renji’s wedding.

❤️   🥂   🎊  

It was late at night, but Rukia couldn’t sleep. Too much excitement, maybe, the unfamiliarity of a new house, the evening’s pleasant alcoholic haze fading into the beginnings of a hangover. It certainly couldn’t be the idea of a new life entirely, looming in front of her like an iceberg, complete with a new name and all sorts of new possibilities. Primarily, there was a new bed and a new person who slept in it with her, and she found the idea of waking him up terrifying, so she slipped out from under the blankets and crept downstairs.

She was digging around in the kitchen, wondering if Renji had gotten around to making any pickles since he moved in a month ago (there was an entire cabinet full, wonderful man!), when she remembered the note.

Rukia had briefly flipped through the envelopes of wedding money they had received earlier. The one from her brother bulged, and when she opened it up, the bills inside were large. Renji got nervous in the presence of large sums of money and she suspected he would attempt to give it back, so put it away quickly to deal with later, but not before she noticed a sheet of paper tucked inside among the bills. It had only her name on it, in her brother’s finest handwriting.

After retrieving the note, she settled on the couch (which had been Renji’s but was now theirs because that’s how this worked) with the jar of pickles tucked beside her (the pickles were hers because they were the spicy kind Renji made specially for her even though he couldn’t eat them himself).

My beloved sister, the note opened.

It is my impression that one of the important roles of an older brother is to go before one’s younger siblings, to chart the unknown terrain of life, and to act as guide and mentor. My own marriage was characterized by deep love and joy in the face of hardship, and I hope that yours will contain all of its happiness and none of its heartache. Unfortunately, I regret to inform you, I have no idea how I did it.

When our lots were first cast together, as you know, I declined to form a close relationship with you. This was a mistake on my part, born of the fear that you would remind me too much of Hisana. Later on, to my horror, I found the truth to be far worse-- although you do share some of your sister’s fine qualities, in personality, you bear a much greater resemblance to myself.

That being the case, I imagine that by the time you find this note, you will have tied yourself up into knots over whether or not you ‘deserve this’ or if you can ever be a satisfactory partner. We are very fine Kuchiki, you and I, Rukia. We are strong of body and of will. We are dignified in all we do. We devote ourselves to our duties before our else. Our hearts are strong and love strongly, but we hold them close, as we must. Our family is our pride, which, paradoxically, makes it nearly impossible to share ourselves with those we hold closest.

Your sister Hisana was an exceedingly stubborn person, who formed her own opinions of me, which may or may not have had any grounding in reality. She frequently told me that I was ‘kind’ and ‘thoughtful’ and ‘sweet’ and a variety of other adjectives that no other thinking person would dare to apply to me. It is very difficult to live with such a person for long before you find yourself trying to live up to their misguided delusions.

As it happens, this is among the distressing number of personality traits my adjutant shares with my late wife. His optimism is endless, his vision is permanently rose-tinted, even when he insists upon wearing those horrendous goggles. Any yet, time and again, I have seen him bring out the best qualities in the horrible ne’er-do-wells under our mutual command. Indeed, if I have ever been a good brother to you, it is mostly due to his belief that I could be so. It is a verifiable fact that you are one of the best best souls in all of Soul Society, one would think it would be unimaginable to inflate your worth beyond its actual measure, and yet, somewhere, he manages that, as well.

How is one supposed to live up to these sorts of expectations from the person they love most of all? It is impossible. At least in my case, Hisana was quite aware that I am a pompous buffoon, whereas Abarai fully believes the sun rises and sets for your personal benefit. I am going to tell you something that may be difficult to hear: you have to simply deal with it. He is never going to stop. If you are truly as like to me as I suspect, you will rebel against this, your brain constantly trying to sabotage your happiness.

The fact of the matter is, Rukia, these feelings of inadequacy spring from the very fact that you hold him so dearly that your own estimation of him is also blown out of proportion. Do not misinterpret me. I am very fond of Abarai, but he is a mess. A disaster. You have probably never seen his filing system, but it would give you the vapors. (I do suggest that you take responsibility over that aspect of your household management.) Again, I sympathize. He is actually not nearly so bad as your sister, whom I once watched deface a centerpiece at a very fancy benefit dinner (the end result was extremely offensive and also very humorous). In my mind, she is still the most perfect person I have ever met.

Perhaps I am mistaken. Perhaps you are plagued with none of the insecurities that troubled the early days of my marriage, and that I was only able to come to terms with once it became evident that our time together would be finite. I desperately hope this is the case, and if so, please do me the courtesy of destroying this letter, and forgetting all of this.

In either case, I wish you the utmost happiness with your horrible husband.

Your affectionate brother,

Byakuya

Rukia’s fingers clenched on the edges of the paper. The edges of her eyes were burning. How dare he do this to her, after all these years? How many times had they crossed paths in the gardens in the hours when they should have been sleeping? Since when did they need to say things in order to show how well they understood each other? Rukia had half a mind to march over there right now and punch him in his perfect face. He was most likely sitting out next to the koi pond this very minute.

“Thinkin’ of skippin’ out on me already?” a sleepy voice asked behind her, and Rukia jumped nearly a foot in the air.

“What? No!” Rukia rubbed at her hair and frowned apologetically at Renji, who seemed more interested in yawning. "I was thinking too loud and I didn’t want to wake you up.”

“Nah, my skull is too thick, I can’t even hear my own thoughts most of the time.” Renji leaned over the back of the couch, and Rukia guiltily folded her note in half. “Letter from Captain?”

“Uh, yeah,” Rukia excused. “Sorry. It was kinda personal.”

“I understand. I got one, too. It was less personal.”

A piece of paper dropped in her lap and as she was busy unfolded it, Renji grabbed her jar of pickles.

“Hey, that’s mine!” she protested.

“You don’t gotta tell me what your brother wrote to you,” Renji yawned, tucking the pickles under his arm. “But I think you should probably listen to him. He knows what’s he’s on about.”

Rukia looked at the piece of Squad Six letterhead in her hands. In precise, businesslike handwriting, it read:

To: Abarai Renji, Assistant Captain, Sixth Division

From: Kuchiki Byakuya, Captain Sixth Division

Re: My sister/Your pending wife

Lieutenant Abarai,

Please be aware that Rukia is prone to poor decisions when she has insomnia and it is in your best interest to prevent her from consuming excessively spicy and/or vinegared goods past a respectable bedtime.

Sincerely,

Captain Kuchiki

“Rat fink!” Rukia exclaimed.

“Come back to bed,” Renji implored, pressing a kiss into her hair. “I know some good ways to make your brain shut up.”

“Okay,” Rukia agreed grumpily. “I’m eating those pickles for breakfast, though.”

“I’m makin’ pancakes, but suit yourself.”

Rukia decided that maybe it was best to try and get some rest. She had a big rest-of-her-life coming up the next day.

[armywriter2605]

Theirs - Chapter 6 - OT7 x Reader

Genre: Mafia AU! BTS; Yandere AU! BTS; Angst; Fluff; Smut; OT7 x Reader

Warnings: Cursing; Mature Content ; Mentions of abuse and bullying; Yandere BTS; Gore; Oral sex (female and male receiving)  Stalking; more to be added throughout the series

Words: 4.7k +

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

Tag List :

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GIF NOT MINE

Three days had passed since you found out what your best friends’ job was. The seven of them were acting like it never happened. Like they didn’t work for a mafia and didn’t hurt people, yet you couldn’t let it go. It was stuck in your mind. The sweet guys you fell in love with had revealed a side you didn’t know existed. Although that had happened, they were still your best friends, at least, you wanted to believe that. They were still the guys you met years ago, the same ones who were there for you through all your ups and downs.

You woke up with a headache, uncommon for you since you rarely had headaches at all. None of the boys had been coming to your room and sleep with you, which unconsciously was a stress reliever for you. You had known these 7 guys for so long, being close to them every single day. It was weird for you not to. Of course, they acted like nothing much had happened yet there was still some tension. Especially between you and Taehyung. You had barely directed any words to them, and now the feeling of guilt was starting to hit you right across the face. Had you overreacted? Was the tension between you and not only Taehyung, but all of the boys on you? Like they said themselves, they were still the boys you met at the arcade. They were the same boys who promised to take care of you and protect you at all costs. Was it you fault they were doing these things and went down this path?

You stood up from your bed and put a hoodie on, which belonged to one of the guys. That was one of the many advantages of always being so close to them during high school years. The endless number of possible hoodies you could borrow and use. You put socks on and walked to the bathroom, leaving for the kitchen once you were done. You sighted all of the boys eating in silence. Some were looking at their phones while others simply stared at the white painted walls, lost in their own world.

You let out a sigh, the headache making it almost impossible to talk. The brightness coming through the windows was making it even worse. It almost felt like you were hangover, the only difference was that you had not drunken a thing last night.

“Angel, good morning.” You heard Hoseok say as he looked up from his phone, putting it to the side as his attention was now on you. He noticed how Jungkook’s hoodie covered your upper body till your midthighs. You gave him a weak smile as you made your way to the member sitting closest to you, who was Jimin. You looked at him and hugged him tightly from behind, surprising all of the other six boys. Were you finally accepting them and putting the whole talk from the other day behind?

“Hey munchkin, good morning.” His voice was raspy which made it sound like he had just woken up yet there was still the same sweetness you knew. You missed the intimacy you had with them. Only then you noticed how dependent on them you were.

“Minnie, I don’t feel good.” You mumbled into his back, closing your eyes.

All the seven guys looked up once they heard you small voice. You looked so tiny hugging Jimin like your life depended on it. If you weren’t feeling bad, they would find this situation the cutest ever.

“My head hurts so bad. I never wake up with headaches…” Your voice was low and with your face buried in Jimin’s clothes, you couldn’t see the smile the boys had on their faces. You were coming to them in such a vulnerable state which meant you trusted them. In their minds, you clearly wanted them to take care of you and that warmed their hearts. How adorable you were. Although in your head, you simply needed comforting. Your head was killing you and it could be anyone right now, you just simply wanted to feel better soon.

“Come here, princess.” You heard Jin say, opening his arms for you. That made you smile. Jin was always the one who took care of you whenever you were sick. You loved how he made your favorite soup and bought your favorite bread. He always made sure you got better in an instant. As you walked into his arms, Jin rested his palm on your forehead which instantly made you relax.

“You don’t have a fever. I’m sure it’s just stress that’s giving you the headache, princess. How about Namjoon and Yoongi take you to bed while I get you some pain relievers and cook you a good breakfast? You’ll feel better immediately.”

You nodded before turning to Namjoon who carefully picked you up in bridal style. You rested your head against his chest as Yoongi walked in front of you both, opening the door to your bedroom. Yoongi was the first one that laid on your bed, taking the left side of the bed. Namjoon carefully laid you down next to his hyung as he took his hoodie off and made himself comfortable, laying next to you on the right side of the bed. You smiled as you felt Yoongi wrap his arms around your waist and at the same time, Namjoon intertwined his legs with yours. Their warmth immediately comforted you, your headache already getting better.

Namjoon brushed a strand of your hair away from your face, caressing your cheek afterwards. “Rest, baby girl. We’ll wake you up once Jin – hyung is here. Plus, looks like Yoongi-hyung is already ready to sleep although he woke just 30 minutes ago.”

“Shut it, Joon.” You heard the older male say, knowing he was smiling against your back. With that, your eyes closed, Namjoon being the last one you saw before you left for the land of dreams.

3rd person POV ON

As Jin and Hoseok were cooking a breakfast fit for their queen, the three younger members sat around the island in the kitchen. Jimin had a smile on his face as he drank down his juice, remembering how tightly Y/N hugged him.

“She’s still mad at me… she didn’t even look at me.” Taehyung said as he ate his scrambled eggs. He was mad at himself for yelling at her, yet it wasn’t his fault. He needed Y/N to understand how much all of them cared for her, doesn’t matter how. Y/N was their everything, yet it was annoying him how she smiled at Hoseok and Jin but not at him. He wanted her close to.

“Hyung, she wasn’t feeling good. Once she feels better, she’ll come to you. You know she loves you as much as she loves all of us.”

“Jungkookie, she was wearing your hoodie, she hugged Jiminie, smiled at Hoseok-hyung and Jin-hyung and is now with Namjoon-hyung and Yoongi-hyung. I also want some affection.”

“And you will get it soon enough, Taehyungie. How about you ask Jin-hyung if you can take the breakfast to her? I’m sure she’ll appreciate it a lot.”Taehyung nodded and turn to the older males that were talking to each other while cutting up some fruit.

“Jin-hyung, do you think I can take the breakfast to Y/N’s room? Or at least help?”

“Of course. I’ll need to clean up anyways. Why don’t you and Jungkook take the breakfast together instead? You’ll need another pair of hands if you wish to take everything without spilling.”

“Thanks!”

Taehyung had now his square smile as he grabbed his phone, staring at his lock screen. It was a picture of Y/N and him at an amusement park, both wearing matching hats. He remembered that day so well. It was three years ago, the day after Y/N got to know she passed her exams. He still remembered the huge smile she had on her face. All the boys had helped her studying till early in the morning even though Namjoon was the one that truly explained most of things to her. Taehyung needed her to understand that their love for her was endless and they weren’t going to let a small detail of what their job was get in their way. Nothing was getting in their way of claiming you as theirs.

About half an hour later, Jin and Hoseok had successfully finished plating everything. They were both extremely happy with it, as it was maybe one of the best breakfasts that had been cooked in this house.

“Okay one of you takes the tray with the food, while he other takes the glass of juice and the medicine. Do not let anything fall or you’ll ruin our whole work.” Hoseok said as he eyed the younger boys who nodded excitedly at their hyung.

“Jimin, you can actually help them. Just open the bedroom door for them so Taehyungie doesn’t try anything funny.”

“Sure, hyung. Let’s go.”

With that, Taehyung took the tray of food that had pancakes, fruit, eggs and much more in it while Jungkook took the fresh orange juice and the pills bottle. Once Jimin opened the bedroom door, Namjoon carefully looked at it, seeing his younger brothers walking in. He smiled as he now carefully started running his fingers through Y/N’s hair.

3rd person POV OFF

You woke up as you heard the clicking of a phone camera going off and long fingers ran through your hair. You carefully opened your eyes, seeing Jimin pointing his phone at you. You let out a quiet chuckle before seeing both Taehyung and Jungkook with what you deduced was your breakfast. It looked extremely good and you were starving. Namjoon kissed your cheek before he stood up. You looked at him questioningly, wondering why he wouldn’t stay right where he was, warming you.

“We have work today, baby girl. We stayed at home these last three days, but we need to do some stuff now, okay? Jungkookie and Taehyungie will stay with you, don’t worry.”

You frowned and simply nodded your head at him before he left the room with Jimin following close behind. You turned to Taehyung and Jungkook before looking at Yoongi, who slept next to you.

“Yoonie, you need to wake up.” You said as you ran your fingers through his hair exactly how Namjoon did for you just minutes earlier.

“Mm…”

“You have work, Yoonie. You need to get up.”

You heard the older male let out a deep grumble before he opened his eyes. He looked at you and buried his face in the crook of your neck. “We’ll be back later, love. Eat your breakfast and stay at home. I love you.”

Yoongi gave the younger boys a look before he yawned and got up before placing a kiss on your forehead. “Bye love. I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss all of you too. Be careful, please…” You mumbled as you saw him smile and nod, waving his hand and leaving the room, closing the door after him.

You sat up on the bed as Taehyung now placed the food in front of you, smiling widely. He sat next to you where Namjoon once found himself as Jungkook put the juice glass on your nightstand with the pills before he got into the bed, getting under the covers where Yoongi slept soundly just minutes earlier.

“Eat up, sweetheart! Jin-hyung made many things and you need to eat a bit of everything if you want to get better.”

“I’m already feeling better Tae. Sleeping next to Joonie and Yoonie really helped.”

“Still, you need to eat and take the medicine. Just to make sure that headache doesn’t come back. Me and Taehyung-hyung will keep you company all day. We can play games, sleep, watch something together. We’ll have tons of fun.”

You simply nodded your head at Jungkook’s words, before grabbing the fork and knife and eating a bit of the pancakes. “Please help me eat this okay. I can’t possibly eat all of this by myself plus we don’t want to throw any of this away, so start eating Kookie, Taetae.”

Both of them nodded happily as they heard you use their nicknames. As the three of you ate, you heard the front door close signalizing the other boys had left the apartment. About an hour after, you, Jungkook and Taehyung were done eating and making small talk. Your headache was now much better which was good. You were the first one to get up from the bed as you looked at the boys who laid on your bed. “I want to go out! Maybe to the mall or something. It’s such a nice day out too.”

Jungkook was the first one to shake his head, ripping away the smile off of your face. Taehyung soon followed as he gave you a sad smile.

“No can do, sweetheart. You heard Yoongi-hyung. We should stay at home today. Maybe another day, okay? We can have tons of fun inside. There’s this new game that I bought and maybe I could teach y-”

“I want to go out, Tae. Not play some games inside. I want to go out because the weather is nice, and I feel like it. I was inviting you two, but if you don’t want to come, I’ll go by myself.”  

By now, Jungkook was standing next to you. He wasn’t going to let you leave that room until the three of you were on good terms. These three days had been hell for him, he wasn’t going to go three more days with you not talking to them.

“You won’t leave this house, Y/N-ah. It’s for your best plus, you just had a headache. What if you get a headache while you’re out? No. We’re staying.” Taehyung said as he stood up now, looking at you in the eyes

“Stop fucking controlling me. If I want to go, I’ll go!” You slightly raised your voice at him, the bottled-up anger from the previous argument coming out. You were done with them telling how things were going to be instead of consulting you first. It wasn’t fair.

“You’re ours. And you’re not fucking leaving this house, understood? Yoongi-hyung say for you stay inside and you are going to stay inside. Stop making things so damn hard.” Taehyung replied to you in the same tone of voice you gave him, Jungkook simply staring at the both of you bickering back and forth.

“Fuck the both of you!” You yelled as you made your way to the door. Jungkook noticed that and stood tall in front of you, not letting you grab the door handle.

“Oh, you wish, sweetheart. Having the both of us may even be a dream of yours, hm?” You heard Taehyung say from behind you, his breath hitting your neck. At the sound of his voice, you swallowed hard. The anger inside of you had now completely vanished, as your thoughts were now clouded with the sight of Jungkook looking down at you. His pupils were dilated, filled with an emotion you had never seen before on him, lust.

“Right, Y/N? Was this your way of perking our attention? If that is what you wanted you could’ve just told us, right Kookie?” Taehyung’s hands now made their way to your waist, pulling you into him, yet you still faced Jungkook who nodded at his hyung’s words.

You weren’t sure of what say, yet your body knew exactly what it wanted. You rested your head against Taehyung’s shoulder, your neck now completely visible and exposed to the older male. You let out a deep sigh when you felt Taehyung’s warm lips connect to your neck. He carefully placed small kisses on your neck, his tongue brushing your skin every now and then, giving you goosebumps.

“T-Tae…ah…Kookie please…” You unconsciously moaned as you stared into Jungkook’s lust filled eyes. That was enough to drive him crazy, closing the space between you two connecting his lips to yours. To say you were surprised was an understatement. You immediately closed your eyes, focusing on the hungry kiss Jungkook was delivering. It was like he had been wanting this for God knows how long. His force slightly pushed you even closer to Taehyung, who was now leaving red marks on your neck. Jungkook’s tongue asked for permission to enter your mouth and you happily gave it access as your arms were now wrapped around his neck, your fingers on the back of head carefully pulling his hair which caused him to let out low groans from time to time.

“Were you this desperate for us, baby? What would you the others think if they saw you this hungry for us, hm? Such a naughty girl you are.” Taehyung’s voice filled the bedroom, yet your and Jungkook’s heavy breath was right behind once you two broke the kiss.

“Y/N, please stay home with us.” You heard Jungkook say as he caressed your cheek with his thumb, Taehyung’s breath still hitting your neck. You knew you should put up a fight, giving them this win would only make things worse later, yet you couldn’t help it. Jungkook’s eyes were staring at you as Taehyung’s hands held you tightly in place.

“Of course, Kookie.” You mumbled out as Taehyung started planting more kisses on your neck. That made you smile and giggle yet soon after, those giggles turned into quiet moans as Jungkook now pulled you closer to him into a more passionate kiss. You could hear Taehyung chuckle and a shirt being removed from behind you. This was the first time you had ever made out with someone and you had this weird feeling in your stomach. It was like you were nervous yet at the same time you weren’t. You wondered how many times both of them had done this before but at the same time you didn’t want to know. Were you any good at this? What if you’d disappoint them throughout any of this? As you got lost in your thoughts, Jungkook had stopped and stared at you. In his mind he wondered if you didn’t like it as much as he was liking it.

“Y/N? What’s wrong?” Jungkook’s voice held concern and at the sound of that, Taehyung stopped the magic he was doing on your neck.

“Sweetheart?”

With the both of them echoing their concern, you looked at them. Should you tell them? Or should you just hide it away? You usually never hid anything from them, so it shouldn’t start now, right?

“I…I’m scared. I can clearly see you’ve done this before, and I haven’t. What if you don’t like it? What if the others don’t like it? What if you I disappoint you or disgust you or something like that? What if you stop liking me? I’m just thinking of that. That’s it.” You said all in one breath, looking down at the ground after sitting down at the edge of your bed.

“Wow sweetheart calm down. You said what? Stop liking you? That’s impossible. You are perfect for us; all we’ve ever wanted. You don’t see how much Jungkookie there was enjoying it? I swear to God he was about to cum in his pants.” Taehyung said, laughing. At the sight, you smiled. Was Jungkook really liking it?

“I was not about to cum in my pants, Tae. Anyways, we love you cutie. How could we stop liking you after this? If anything, we like you even more now. Yes, we’ve done this before a couple of times. Not tag teaming a girl together, but even so you are the best of the best. You’re everything we want and whenever we did anything, you were the one in our minds.”

“Jungkookie is right. Whenever I did anything, you were the only one in my mind. And the others will love to know that you’re opening up to us in this way. They’ll be mad that it was with us and not them, but believe me, you will never disgust us or disappoint us. Never.”

You smiled at their words and got up. With your newfound confidence, you slammed your lips on Taehyung’s. His hands were quick to pull you close to him as he kissed you back. You smiled against his lips as you noticed Jungkook taking his shirt off as well. Jungkook took Taehyung’s early place behind you, pulling you down to sit on his lap on the bed as Taehyung towered the both of you now.

“God baby. You’re so beautiful. So so beautiful and all ours, right? Ours to keep forever.” Taehyung’s voice was low as he went down on his knees in front of you and started placing kisses on your bare legs.

“You see what you’ve done to Tae, cutie? You have him on his knees. Do you understand how much we love you now? We love you more than anything. When I saw you walk out of your bedroom today in my hoodie, you had me so weak. I just wanted to take you right there in front of the hyungs. I had to control myself so much.”

“Ah…you have me here now, Kookie.” You let out a moan as you felt Taehyung now kissing your thighs. Jungkook turned your face to the side, planting his lips on yours once again. The both males fought for your attention in different ways and your mind was going crazy with the amount of pleasure you could feel with just kisses. At the same time, you tensed up a bit as Taehyung started pulling the hoodie up. What was he going to do?

“May I, baby?” You heard Taehyung’s voice deep voice ask as he looked up to you. As both your tongue and Jungkook’s fought for dominance, you gave him a quick nod. You trusted these boys with everything. They’d been there for you since you were young. You couldn’t feel more comfortable than you already felt.

At your nod, Taehyung pushed your hoodie up and he now kissed your inner thighs. At each kiss, you shivered. Your thighs were at a room temperature, yet Taehyung’s mouth was warm. His wet kisses only made you crave for more. Jungkook noticed how his hoodie was now revealing more of your skin which only drove him crazier. He smirked as one of his hands found its way inside the hoodie, covering one of your breasts.

“Tae, her nipples are hard. She’s loving this.” He mumbled our before he attacked the other side of your neck, placing kisses of his own as he fondled your breast.

“Is that true, baby? You enjoying our attention? You have no idea how hard you have me. Let me pleasure you even more, baby. Let me and Jungkookie take care of you, okay?” Taehyung asked as he carefully removed your underwear and tossed it aside.

“Okay, Tae.” You said in between breaths as you kept your eyes closed, your head resting on Jungkook’s shoulder. Taehyung smirked and looked at your face before he eyed and Jungkook and nodded his head.

In a quick moment, Jungkook’s hands held your thighs, opening your legs as Taehyung now brought his tongue to your slit. At the warm feeling, you gasped as you looked down at the older male who now licked your slit while the younger male kept your legs wide open.

“Oh my god, Tae…”

“Feels good, doesn’t it? Look at how Tae is eating you out, Y/N. Look at how is tongue is hungrily licking your opening. Keep your legs open for us, cutie.” You heard Jungkook say as on of his hands now moved towards your pussy, his middle and index finger now connected to your clit, carefully rubbing it.

“Kookie!” You let out a louder moan as now Taehyung pushed his tongue inside of you. You couldn’t believe how good it actually felt, having both of them do their wonders on your body. Your mind was completely blank as you focused on the pleasure you were feeling. You knew you wouldn’t last long while both males had their hands on you so just five minutes later you could feel your body reaching its limit.

“Ah…It feels so…Tae, Kookie I’m close.”

You heard Jungkook’s low chuckle before he moved his fingers faster while Taehyung moved his tongue in and out of you even faster. It was your first time ever letting anyone touch you, but it was probably the best you’d ever felt. It wasn’t long until you arched your back and let out a loud moan.

“You taste so sweet, Y/N. I could have you to breakfast, lunch and dinner every single day, sweetheart.” You barely heard Taehyung as your heavy breathing as the feeling of climax clouded you.

Jungkook soon stopped his fingers, bringing them into his mouth. “You’re right, Tae. So damn sweet.”

You rested your whole body on Jungkook’s as you opened your eyes, a smile curling your lips. At the sight, both boys smiled widely. Not only were they happy that they made you feel so good, they smiled at the thought of how they’d tell their hyungs how they’d been the first ones to make your orgasm. That was a clear win for the maknae line. On the other hand, you were smiling because they’d been the first ones to touch you. You were happy it had been one of the seven guys you held so dearly. You wondered how things would be between all of you, but they promised you they wouldn’t stop liking you and that was enough for you. Or was it?

You were so lost in your world you didn’t realize you were now laying on the bed, Taehyung and Jungkook removing their pants and underwear. “Take care of us too, Y/N-ah.” You heard Jungkook say as he brought into your view his cock. It wasn’t crazy big, or crazy thick. Both his and Taehyung’s were what you’d say was average, yet the sight of them had your legs tremble. You carefully nodded your head as Jungkook brought his member now closer to your mouth and Taehyung held one of your hands and guided it to his own cock, wrapping it around it.

“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted this, sweetheart. How many times I imagined your hands around it instead of my own…” You heard Taehyung roughly as you opened your mouth, carefully taking Jungkook’s own cock into your mouth. You closed your eyes and carefully started bobbing your head up and down, moving your hand at the same rhythm. It wasn’t long until both Taehyung and Jungkook moaned and groaned, only making you want to do it more and better. You wanted to drive them over edge just like they did with you and it wasn’t long until the youngest male was moaning louder, rocking his hips against your mouth making you gag each time.

“Y/N-ah…ah…I’m going to cum if you don’t stop…” At the sound of that, you tried your best to keep going as the tears rolled down your cheeks. You weren’t going to stop now.

“Baby…fuck…keep going…” Taehyung groaned closing his eyes. You knew both were close and your suspicions were proved right when, without a warning, Jungkook shot inside your mouth, followed by Taehyung cumming allover your hand. You tried your best to swallow every last drop that tinted your mouth, yet the taste was more bitter than you were expecting.

“You swallowed it? Fuck baby…I was going to apologize but now I can’t. That was so hot.” Jungkook said from behind you, kissing your forehead before heading to the bathroom to grab a towel.

“Sweetheart, you just gave me the best orgasm ever. It was so fucking good. Thank you so much.” Taehyung smiled at you before pulling his underwear up. “I’ll go grab you a new hoodie, yeah? Or do you want to take a bath? Maybe eat? Drink something?” As Taehyung numbered all things he could do for you and Jungkook walked into the bedroom with a towel and fully clothed, you heard the front door opening.

“Angel, we’re back!”

 Preview Chapter 7

“We were gone for 3 hours”

“Is that cum dripping down her hand?”

“If this is going to work, then no more secrets.”

“I love you all so much.”

“My parents are calling…”

“Are you done whoring around?”

“You’re trying to take her from us? She’s fucking our so you two better fucking lay low. We won’t have any problems getting rid of you.”

[sidaksethi]

Iced Out

It was a very snowy day when I woke up that cold December morning. The news channels all said that the forecast was cloudy, with snow all day long, falling atop all our hopes of ever getting out or getting some sun. My view from the window was mostly of the road, which was barely discernible from the sidewalk which held that constantly glowing, orange street light. At most times I was occupied with work, being a stay at home Comic Artist had its perks but also it’s fair share of load. 

Most of my inspirations were derived from sketches or characters I made up for people I saw passing by on the street. Now I know what you must be thinking? Am I some kind of a creep who sits by the window to look at people? No, I’m the person who sees a face to sketch it, and weaves a story around them that I create. It makes me feel as if I have an illusion of control or some kind of better judgement to tell apart these characteristics about people. Often I look at certain kinds of clothes they’re wearing or conversations they’re having and although they’re inaudible to me, I wonder who they’re talking to, what kind of news are they receiving, are they the ones giving the news? But who would give out “news” while walking that hurriedly across the road? No, surely they must be on the receiving end of it. 

Now I know there is no way to ascertain that any of what I think is right because it isn’t, it stems completely from imagination or a fantastical view of the world the way I have seen it, r perhaps want to see it. “Everyone has a story,” I’ve heard for so long in my life that I’ve begun to believe in its truth. I draw out stories for these characters and then let them go from my memory just as easily as I’d let them in. The only times I wouldn’t forget a face was when it would capture my attention like no other, and I’d watch them walk into the distance, wishing on the inside a little bit, to become a part of their life, or for them to incorporate me into theirs. These occurrences are rare, however they do keep me warm for quite sometime, these made up interactions I make up for myself. 

A similar incident just happened the other day when I saw the most amazing fairy walk by. She walked ever so slowly as if every step she took in the freshly fallen snow was meant to create a new path for people to follow behind. She oozed an aura of gold and smiled as if the sun shone out bright instead of the real life gloomier and darker skies. I quickly began to draw up a very rough sketch of how she looked when she stopped in the middle of her tracks, and looked me directly in the eye. I stopped sketching. This had only happened only other time, when I was sketching this man I thought intrigued me. As it turned out, he was just really drugged out of it and was looking at a reflection of himself. I wondered the entire week what must have been going through his mind as he saw a glimpse of the man he believed himself to be. This girl, however, didn’t seem high to me, not in the least. What’s more, she was still smiling, and I had felt enough of these thoughts in my own head. 

Tired of imagining what was going on in her head and a little too curious to find out what it was, I tried waving and prepared my self to run downstairs as fast as possible. I hurriedly grabbed the first snow jacket I could find and rand down with all my will. She was still standing there, looking at my window, smiling, when I went up to her and said, “Hey.” She looked right at me, and I began to apologize to her for my peeping in a flustered manner. I explained to her that it was just me coming up with ideas for my comic strip and nothing more and in the middle of my explanation somewhere I noticed; her reaction was exactly the same sort of smiling as it had been from the window and I continued to tell myself that I’m probably just overthinking it and should head back inside as soon as possible. 

The snowfall had begun to increase, and having received no response from my mystery woman, not even as to a simple, “hello” or “it’s okay,” I mean not a single thing, I began to walk back into my building door, when I realized my key fob was in my apartment. I lived alone I couldn’t really call anyone either. I was just stuck outside in the freezing cold until the concierge either answered my desperate calls or a passerby from my apartment building took mercy on my story, believed I was a resident and let me in. I was just about this close to losing it when I saw from the corner of the eye, the girl, has begun to finally move and she was moving away towards the road. She kept walking until she was somewhere in the middle of it , and then looked my directly in the eye. I still remember that look because two seconds later, an SUV came out of nowhere and sent her body flying across the road. She started to bleed, heavily and I had absolutely no idea as to what I should have been doing, I was still in shock, thinking about how we were locked in a gaze when she’d gone about flying. After two minutes or so I collected myself and called 911. I told them our situation and address and then I ran to help out.  I couldn’t begin to comprehend what was going on, why was she so eerie? Was she going to be okay? Why didn’t the driver stop? And what was it about her story and mine intertwining in the way that it did for me to be on the exact spot that I was to help her out. I ran to her and shook her and her voice seemed weak, I told her to stay awake no matter what. The snow had begun to increase and it was gearing up all around us. I couldn’t feel my feet as they got buried in the snow and slowly did I realize that so did she, she was halfway under snow by the time I realized how badly it had begun to snow and how much I needed to  help and get her out of the snow. I held her by her hands and told her she was going to be alright. I tried to make her sit up and she coughed some blood. It was the most red in colour I’d ever seen sprayed across the sheet of white ever increasing snow. 

After five minutes or so I called 911 again, and they said that the ambulance had departed, I was beginning to get worried for this girl. She told me her name was Alaina and I found it quite nice. Nice name to match her nice face. Of course the current events weren’t nice but I was hoping they would soon be over. Five more minutes passed and nobody came, I knew I would have to scramble help from somewhere or the other, I had a feeling the ambulance would take too long. I reassured Alaina that I would be back in a heartbeat, I just had to check if maybe my concierge had arrived. That way I could get my car keys and drive her to the hospital like I bloody well would’ve had I had my keys. She nodded in agreement, her face turning a strange shade of blue and red. 

It was just my luck and hers that I found my concierge by the buildings entrance waiting to let me in. I ran inside and fetched for my keys as I heard the ambulance sirens pull into my lane. I ran to the window, glad that help was finally here. I looked on out for a minute and then realized they probably can’t see Alaina, sitting on the road, that is if she’s still sitting. I felt the blood rise to my face as I ran down with all my will onto to the road. 

As I flung my building door open and ran outside onto the street, all I could see was blood, and the ambulance, crashed into the car Alaina had been sitting up against. Help came in time, but the snow made sure that it was no match for whatever I’d just seen. 

[alexboehm55144]

Alex Final Wars 2: Dark Alex, Chapter 26 - Respite

Haida and Retsuko were on shore leave, holding paws and taking a stroll down one of the many coastal paths in Zootopia. The reminders of the war were still on their minds, the thoughts of a spy network in the city, and the fact that the wreckage of Chinese and American ships sat just off the coast.

But these thoughts were secondary, the pair were just having fun together, enjoying some ice cream they had bought from a shop.

Retsuko had gotten ice cream with liquor in it, saying she needed it to relieve some stress and unwind.

Haida had gotten coffee-flavored ice cream, and his red panda girlfriend chuckled when the hyena ordered it, citing that his favorite drink was canned coffee.

“What would you like to do?” Retsuko asked, “when this is all over?”

“Well, I think I’ll keep my current job. I assume we are still needed.”

“I agree. It’s the best job I’ve ever had. Of course in my last job, I met you.”

Haida blushes a bit & scratched the back of his head, which was something he did when embarrassed.

The pair found a bench to sit on and stared out at the harbor. Sea birds flew overhead and hunted fish in the water. Engineering crews worked on the wreckage of ships and aircraft in the bay, planning to tow them out to sea to become artificial reefs.

“What else?” Retsuko asked, “I know it might be hard to think about your whole life.”

The hyena was quiet for a moment, prompting Retsuko to speak.

“Don’t feel like you have to answer.”

The hyena’s mind raced. He didn’t know much about what he wanted to do in the far future of his life.

“Well... I don't know everything I'm going to do in my life....”

The hyena struggled with his words, but seeing the beautiful red panda in front of him, he was able to find what he wanted to say.

“....but I do know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

A slight gasp escaped Retsuko's lips, as Haida took Retsuko's paw in his own. It felt cold and slightly wet, as she had been holding the ice cream in that hand. But the hyena didn't care, he enjoyed the red panda's touch.

Retsuko looked at Haida's hand and thought to herself. She loved him, and every time the pair was together she was enjoying herself. If the hyena wanted to spend their lives together, then that meant every day of her life would be enjoyable and happy.

“I’d also like to spend the rest of my life with you.”

The red panda stood up on the bench to get closer to the hyena and gently put a kiss on his lips.

Haida blushed and was stunned for a moment. However, he had gotten more comfortable around Retsuko, & was able to regain his composure quickly.

“Come on, let’s go find a karaoke bar around here.”

The red panda smiled, her hyena knew what she liked.

000

ZIA HQ had been targeted by the Chinese during the first invasion, but since then it had been repaired. Bullet holes in concrete had been filled, and shattered glass panes had been replaced. Some ZIA personnel had gotten killed during both assaults on the city, but the agency had since been supplemented with recruits.

Jack and Skye were currently in their shared office, a rabbit & foxed size room with a window that faced out onto a stone pathway outside the building. 2 desks with computers were set up, along with some file cabinets and a few other random bits of furniture. On the wall sat a large conspiracy board with pictures, maps, and sticky notes. It did include the Dark Heroes, and information on the Chinese.

Skye was just returning from a lion run fast food restaurant named burger pride, while Jack had stayed in the office and worked on some things

“How was your training session earlier?” Skye asked, setting a brown paper bag & a drink down on her mate’s desk.

“It was good, although it would have been more fun if you were there.” Jack flirted.

“Ha! Although your accuracy would suffer since you’d just be staring at me all the time. I know you do that.”

“Is it that obvious?!”

Skye laughed, and opened the bag on her desk, taking out a burger covered in aluminum foil, and unwrapping it to reveal the delicious meal. Jack did the same, quickly biting into the burger.

“Is this plant-based?” The rabbit asked, seeing that the wrapping foil had a small green sticker with a plant on it.

Skye nodded.

“The menu said it was a plant-based substitute, perfect for prey creatures.” The fox paused to take another bite of her burger and chew. “Mine is real meat.”

She pointed to a small red sticker that showed an icon of a steak. The burger was made from unevolved cows and provided all the proteins that a carnivore needed in their diet.

Jack took a sip of the Pawpsi cola in his cup, & pondered what the real meat burger tasted like. He stood up from his desk and went over to Skye.

“Let me take a bite of yours.”

“What?”

“I want to see what yours tastes like.”

“Go away,” Skye said playfully, holding her burger up & out of reach.

But Jack just hopped up and swiped the food out of her paw before taking a large bite.

“Mmm... can’t taste the difference. The plant substitute is a very close approximation.”

“Well if you get to taste mine, then I get to taste yours.”

She plucked Jack’s burger from his paw and bit into it.

“Yeah your right, I can’t even tell it’s plant-based.”

“I still want it back.”

The pair playfully tried to reclaim their food from each other, eventually succeeding and laughing at their immaturity.

“I love you,” Skye said with a full mouth.

Her bunny responded, his mouth also full.

“I love you too.”

000

“We’re getting some weird looks,” Eris said, her and Laval walking down a street, through the meadowlands area of Zootopia.

“Toothdee told me this area was mostly inhabited by prey animals. I guess that could explain the weird looks.”

“Or they’ve just never seen an evolved eagle before,” Eris said.

“I don’t know, I’m getting some stares too.”

The pair had wanted to get out and explore more of Zootopia, and toothdee had recommended the meadowlands to them as somewhere to visit. Their current location was comprised of small stone buildings that were overgrown with plants. Not a result of neglect, but instead just attempts to incorporate civilization with nature. Prey animals such as goats walked the streets. While most were too busy to care about Laval and Eris, others found it appropriate to give them weird glances. Fortunately, the 2 would not have to be the subject of awkward looks for much longer, as they left the street and turned onto a trail through a grove of trees. The ground turned from pavement to dirt, and the leaves stretched overhead.

“You notice how lions here have a different style of mane than those in Chima?” Eris said.

“I have, I wonder if it’s a cultural thing or something. Just a different style of mane wearing.”

“Don’t forget Kion wears his in a mohawk.”

“Oh yeah, true. The lions here remind me of my dad. Maybe because his mane is kinda similar to theirs, in that it has more hair.”

Laval paused and then spoke again.

“I wonder what my dad is doing in Chima right now. I miss him.”

Seeing that Laval was feeling a bit sad, Eris reached down and gripped Laval’s hand with her own, making the lion brush a bit and causing a slight smile to cross his face.

“He’s proud of you.” The eagle said. “Think of all you’ve done for Chima and the world.”

There was another pause as Laval thought for a moment, and the smile stayed on his face.

“Thank you.”

The pair reached a large hill, next to a stone cliff, with a view looking out on rolling fields of grass and rivers that stretched as far as the eye could see. The sky was darkened by clouds from an approaching storm, and the wind blew through the grass, causing patterns that looked like waves.

Laval took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the fresh and damp air. Eris stretched her wings, took a running start, and took into the sky. She soared high above the grass and rivers, gazing at the magnificence of nature. The eagle dove down and flew low above the river, looking at her reflection on the water. She reached her hand into the river and created a trail of water as she continued to fly along.

“I wish I had wings,” Laval said to himself, watching Eris dance across the sky.

The eagle soon returned after a few moments, landing next to her lion.

“Do you have to show off, wing girl?” Laval asked playfully.

The pair sat together, looking out at the rolling grass hills, the wavy rivers, and the turbulent sky. It wasn’t sunny or particularly colorful but was pretty in its own way.

“Ok, what’s a prettier view?” Eris asked “this or the view from Spiral mountain.”

“Hmmm... Spiral mountain,” Laval answered. “Of course, nothing is as pretty as you.”

The eagle blushed and covered her face with a wing.

“Do you miss home?” The lion asked, still thinking about his father.

“Yes, I do. But we’ve left our home behind before, to do some good somewhere else.”

“True, plus we have some of the best of friends with us, and plenty of battles to test our skills.”

“See, things aren’t so bad.”

There was a loud clap of thunder, causing both Laval and Eris to look up to the dark skies above.

Raindrops began to pelt down, making the pair groan as the raindrops started to hit. Eris brought her wings up as shields to cover the pair, protecting them from being drenched.

“Let’s get out of here,” Eris said, and the two retreated to the safety of a dry area.

000

“Sure, I got 4 tickets to the Gazelle concert tonight,” Nick said. “What’s it to you?”

He and JayJay were currently alone in a hallway on the typhoon, & Nick had 4 tickets sticking out of his back pocket.

“I want 2 of them,” JayJay said

“Why?” “I want to have a good time with Alex. That’s all you need to know.”

“I don’t know if a concert is his thing, he’s a real introvert.”

The wolf groaned and shook her head.

“Just, name your price for 2 tickets.”

“Well, do you have anything you think I could use?”

A smirk crossed JayJay’s face. She excused herself and told Nick to wait, before leaving him in the hallway. A few minutes later she returned with 2 quivers, one in each hand, each filled with arrows. The wolf proudly held them up, a smile on her muzzle.

“I already have one of those,” Nick said

JayJay rolled her eyes and tilted the quivers so Nick could see the projectiles inside. He took an arrow out of one of them & examined it. At the head, the arrow didn’t widen before tapering to a point. The diameter of the shaft tapered to a point that looked like the head of a bullet.

“Bullet point arrows,” Nick said. “Impressive.”

JayJay nodded towards the other quiver, and the fox put the bullet point arrow back in its quiver & turned to the second one. Removing an arrow from this quiver, he saw that it had a very wide head that was jagged, and designed to inflict as much damage as possible. The arrow itself was also finely crafted, and extremely sharp.

“Death arrows,” Nick said, examining the object. “Expensive, but very finely made.”

“You can have one quiver.” JayJay said, “in return for 2 of those gazelle tickets.”

The fox rubbed his chin & thought for a moment.

“Death arrows”

Nick reached into his back pocket and produced 2 of the tickets. He passed them to JayJay, took the quiver of death arrows, and slung it over his shoulder.

“Front row, Judy and I will be there as well.”

The wolf looked at the tickets to make sure they were genuine, before thanking her ally & walking away. She was giddy with joy and practically jumped in the air as she went down the hallway.

“A pleasure doing business with you.” The fox said, looking at the quiver of death arrows.

JayJay immediately searched for her mate and discovered him in Toothdee’s cabin, the two were playing some game on their computers.

The wolf knocked on the wall, alerting the 2 to her presence.

“Alex, could I see you for a moment.”

The Heroes captain joined the wolf outside in the hall, noting that JayJay had a large smile on her face & was radiating excitement.

“What is it?”

“I have 2 tickets for the gazelle concert tonight, and I was wondering if you’d like to go with me.”

“I don’t know, large crowds aren’t my thing.”

“Please, I’d like to do something special with you, and I’ve told you how much I love dancing.” The Heroes leader thought for a moment, looking at JayJay’s face. She was smiling widely and her eyes were bright. The captain sighed and gave in, he couldn’t resist that adorable look of excitement.

“Ok, fine. If it would make you happy.”

“Yes!” JayJay said, pumping her fist in the air, before giving the human the ticket. “Ok, it’s in a couple of hours, come get me an hour before the show.”

“Will do,” Alex said, looking over the ticket, and returning to Toothdee.

000

A few hours later, it was not Alex who went and got JayJay, but rather JayJay who went and got Alex. She was very excited, and couldn’t wait any longer.

The pair caught a train to the stadium where Gazelle was singing and made small talk as they navigated through the crowd of mammals headed into the building. Out of either affection or not wanting to get separated, the Heroes captain took his mate’s paw in his hand. The female wolf smiled and leaned against the human’s shoulder. As the pair made their way into the stadium, they heard a familiar sound from behind them.

“Well, look who it is.”

Alex and JayJay turned to see Nick and Judy, walking up in the line behind them. The 2 had arms around each other, and both were dressed in casual, light fitting clothes. Even Nick, who usually only wore Hawaiian shirts.

“Alex? Didn’t think you’d be here,” Judy said.

“Well, someone wanted to do something special and fun with me.”

JayJay smiled happily at the comment.

“Aww, is it ok if we join you?”

“By all means.”

The 2 pairs merged into 1 group, but both couples still held onto each other as they continued to walk.

“Thank you for doing this.” Captain Boehm said, turning to the wolf on his shoulder.

“It’s my pleasure,” JayJay responded.

“Say, where did you get the tickets?”

JayJay pointed to Nick, who smiled slyly and played it cool.

“Ah, there we go. That explains everything.”

The arena was circular, with a circular platform at the center that the performer stood on. The platform was surrounded by water, both as a decorative measure, and a security measure. On the walls of the arena were dozens of small open windows, either so people inside could see out, or just part of an interesting design.

The group of four mammals found their spaces, which were in a pit, slightly below the platform where the performer stood. There were many other mammals all around them, but the spots were premium seating, or rather, standing.

After a few minutes, the arena darkened, and everyone grew silent. Water fountains activated, and lights turned on, as the figure of a female Gazelle in a glittering red dress came on stage, lifted onto the central platform by a small elevator in the stage.

“Hello, Zootopia!”

The crowd erupted into cheers, as the pop star began her first song.

Soon the melody picked up, and the 4 young heroes started to happily dance along. Dancing was much like combat, a beautiful display of movement and actions, perfectly in sync.

Just like when they were walking into the building, Judy and Nick danced together, while JayJay and Alex did the same.

The blue wolf was totally in her element, spinning and moving rapidly. The color and speed impressing her 3 companions.

Judy also pushed Nick along, silently prompting him to dance. The fox obliged and smiled slyly whenever he was encouraged to dance.

The 2 boys were not really as into the dancing at the girls, but they were still having fun, which was the most important thing.

All of a sudden, the lovely sound of the music was overpowered by a much louder noise, one that was like gas and sound moving extremely fast. Even Gazelle stopped singing and looked up to the top of the stadium, to see a large ball of fire engulfing part of the arena.

000000000

Sorry it took a while to get this chapter out. Blame my college work. Though I hope everyone still enjoys reading this!

[elmidol]

Error: Program Not Found - Nine

Summary:  You are in charge of programming the droids that work most closely with both General Hux and Kylo Ren. Unbeknownst to you, each of these two men have it in their heads that your relationship extends beyond the workplace. This causes things to escalate quickly when your two apparently secret boyfriends compare notes on their respective partner who is far too similar for their liking.

Read on AO3 

“What a grand 

and beautiful force 

the immense 

and wildly underappreciated 

power of 

human touch.” 

-Atticus

 Nine: Contact

 The guilt that you felt was not solely due to the misunderstanding that had occurred; that is to say, you held Kylo Ren responsible for misconstruing whatever situation he had that had led him to believe that you were dating. You had not wanted to fluster or embarrass him though. The man did not socialize as many others did. Given that a misunderstanding had occurred, you felt that you should have been more prepared that the ‘blame’ would fall on you. Being ill-prepared during the conversation and thus the result of him stomping away had left you wishing that you had rehearsed mentally prior to his arrival. Now you would have to approach him yet again, although first you wanted to work through more of specific past encounters so that you would be more mindful of your own behavior.

 For the time being, you read a chapter of the text on droid engineering and finished the basic work on the project for Captain Phasma’s stormtroopers. You would have to make several alterations to the version that you would submit for the Knights of Ren. The plan that you had made was to do this an hour before bed, directly before your self-appointed wind-down period. TeeArr would first show you the observations that he had recorded, and you wanted a break before that occurred. The MSE series droid remained damaged, both with the dent from Kylo Ren’s boot and with whatever error was causing it to crash into people and things. All the same, you had decided to power it back on and had it follow you in the direction of your quarters. Already it had hit into your leg twice. The first bump had been light, barely noticeable. The second was going to bruise and had resulted in you swearing. It had also knocked you over, and a nearby officer had paused in his work to help you back to your feet.

 All you wanted to do was bury your face in a pillow, scream, maybe cry, and take a nap. You were doubtful that you would fall asleep even if you tried. Plus it was likely to mess with your sleep schedule, which was already altered due to the stress of what had occurred. Paranoia that more First Order personnel would connect the gossip to you was not helping.

 You stepped out of the way of the mouse droid, which would have hit your ankle, and scowled at it. This was the first time that you could say you understood why someone--in this case, Kylo Ren--would kick a droid. The difference was that you would not. Awareness that faulty programming was not the droid’s fault prevented you from taking out any of your frustrations on it for the damage it had already done to your body. You tracked its movements. The droid swerved towards the left, crashing into a wall, and righted itself. Better the wall than another person. Such as the technician that had stopped walking and watched the MSE droid with visible confusion. She asked if you wanted her to take care of the issue, to which you responded by shaking your head and mouthing a no. You were not in a talkative mood. The headache that had threatened you earlier was returning with greater force.

 The next technician to cross the droid’s path was not so lucky. Rounding a corner, they did not realize that the droid would swerve towards them. You watched with a pained expression as the man pitched forward and rolled into a sloppy somersault that ended with him on his back. The droid continued on, heading in the direction of your quarters. All witnesses were quick to shuffle out of its path. You walked over to the downed technician and offered your hand. He brushed it away, albeit gently and politely, and hoisted himself up. He swayed in place for a moment, his hand going to the back of his head, which had bumped the ground. There was no blood that you or he could see. There would, however, be an egg.

 “A trip to medbay would be best. Would you like me to escort you?” There was no way that you were not going to offer. The droid would enter your quarters and power down. Or else someone would catch it. Kriff, you thought, you hoped that it did not trip anyone else. This was an offer that he did not turn down, although he had hesitated in accepting. You attributed this up to him being embarrassed. Not that there was any need for him to be. He had done nothing wrong.

 The two of you walked to medbay with no incident aside from you having to help steer him towards a wall to steady himself. You winced whenever this occurred. The likelihood of a concussion existed, and a new sense of guilt nagged at you. Perhaps you should have repaired the droid before leaving the room. Carrying it had been out of the question. It was heavier, a testament to Kylo Ren’s strength. A physician was available immediately. This left you free to take your leave, which you promptly did and at last made it to your quarters where the culprit of the injury was waiting for you in its powered down state.

 Would you make it through the work week without killing anyone? That was left to be seen.

 You kicked off your shoes, used the side of your foot to nudge them out of the way, and squatted in front of the droid. It was quite the troublemaker. You sent a final order to TeeArr, this one for him to bring some medication for your headache on his way, and then started to work on the mouse droid. It ate up roughly a quarter of an hour, however you located the issue. One wrong character was all it took in its programming to have its sensors off. It had two blindspots that should not have existed since that one character rendered the entire section unusable. The droid’s system therefore ignored it completely. You wrapped up your work two minutes after TeeArr arrived. The protocol droid stood to your right and watched you.

 Sniffing, you looked up at TeeArr to discover that along with the medication he had brought you a cup of tea that was still steaming. “Is this one actually mine this time?” you asked teasingly.

 “Yes,” TeeArr said without a trace of hurt. “It is not tarine tea either.” You could feel the smile breaking out across your face. General Hux would not have found this amusing, would have considered it to be backtalk. As for Kylo Ren, it would have varied depending on his mood. As far as why you were thinking about them, you did know but strongly wished you that had not.

 You accepted the two items from TeeArr, tossed the pills into your mouth, and took a drink of the tea. Winced as it burned your tongue, though it was not hot enough to leave lingering damage. You moved over to your bed, where you sat whilst instructing TeeArr to upload the recordings he had taken to your holopad. He connected with the unit without argument. This had not been the first time that he had carried out such a task. He proved time and again that he was reliable no matter how sassy he could be. You began to play the recording after TeeArr disconnected. Wincing, you lowered the volume. The medicine would not kick in for another five to fifteen minutes, and even then you did not know just how effective it would prove to be.

 “They speak with the stormtroopers more than the officers,” TeeArr commented. You blinked prior to knitting your eyebrows towards one another. With a quick keystroke you rewound the recording and started the section again. Your droid had not been wrong. It was an observation that you were ashamed you had not made yourself without TeeArr’s prompting. You crossed your arms and chewed on your bottom lip. What should you do with such information?

 This was a problem with being a contracted worker rather than having enlisted in the First Order itself. Your views did not always align with theirs and sometimes there was nothing that you could do. Stormtroopers were not ranked as being as important as officers despite the fact that it was stormtroopers that were on the frontlines. This was one of the reasons that you wanted to properly propose the new droids so that they were approved. Like you, the stormtroopers would be allowed to have contact with a droid that genuinely cared for them. It would learn about them. Part of it would be programming, yes, however clearly it would be a lot more nurturing than the humans that the stormtroopers encountered.

 You tilted back your head and heaved out a sigh. The medical droids paid equal attention to the stormtroopers and officers on the recordings. It was only the humans that harbored any biases. This was one reason that you often found yourself enjoying droid company more than that of your organic peers. You remembered Kylo Ren commenting something similar along those lines one of the times that you had been assigned to work on a project for the Knights of Ren. It was the first and one of the only times that you had felt cheeky in his presence while asking if he found you so disagreeable while offering a grin.

 A grin that might have been flirtatious if someone did not know you very well. You felt your stomach execute a sort of flip as you were launched into a string of memories. You replayed in your head how your interactions with Kylo Ren had indeed changed following that moment. The increased sense of ease you would feel despite his sour moods would have potentially added to the misconception that you had been flirting with him. All you had been attempting to do had been to break the ice, so to speak, with a man that you would be working alongside on several droid projects given that he utilized them in training and for his Knights.

 Racing to meet with Kylo Ren for confirmation of your suspicions would worsen things for the both of you. Furthermore you wanted to run through the recording and make your first draft of notes for the project based on your observations. Already the bias stood out, although you would have to take care for how you presented that. If you could word things in a way that did not specify where the bias lay, it might not be negative. There was a chance that, unless someone dissected every portion, they would believe that you were speaking of bias based on mood or the relationships between officer and physician as opposed to the reality of the situation. This was a game of politics in your line of work that occasionally brought you stress, however you had grown accustomed to its existence and how to maneuver through such situations.

 “Did you run into any issues today, TeeArr?” you asked as you restarted a portion of the recording to elaborate on behavior from the medical droid in your notes. Its attitude was very clinical, which was fine in medbay yet from a physical therapy standpoint might well be off putting or even discouraging. Coddling the officers and stormtroopers would not be something that the First Order would be interested in, so you would find a balance where that was concerned. By contrast, the less personable mannerisms might well do for the anti-procrastination droids.

 TeeArr turned his head to consider you. “No. Why did you bring the droid to your quarters?” Your attention flicked briefly to the mouse droid then returned to your work. Droids were known to display behavior equivalent to the human emotion of jealousy. TeeArr had not been one to do so to the extent that it was ever a concern. In the past you dealt with other droids that had damaged the object of their envy. “Was it because of your headache?”

 Ah. You appreciated the concern that TeeArr displayed for you. You looked directly at him, offering him your full attention as you would an organic. “That was part of it. I needed a change of scenery.” You brought the cup of tea to your mouth to take a sip of it. Paused as the warm liquid rolled over your tongue then you took a larger gulp of the beverage. The medication was working so that your headache had lessened into a dull throb that periodically presented itself when you started to stress. You set your hands on your shoulders and dug your fingers into the muscles, massaging out some knots that you felt pop under your ministrations.

 Later you would need to observe the mouse droid after powering it back on in order to ensure that you had properly fixed the error. You were almost certain that you had. It was better to be safe than sorry, and already an officer had been sent to medbay so you were following this more firmly. You considered the dent on the droid. That was only cosmetic as far as you could tell, but it would need repairing regardless. Once you were assured that the droid functioned properly, you would pass it on to maintenance to buffer out the dent.

 On that note, you found yourself sighing as the urge to speak with the one responsible for the dent again presented itself. It would be only too easy for you to shove the issue aside. Easy except for the headache, that dull throbbing worsening with each passing second. With a quick order for TeeArr to remain in your quarters, you rose from the bed and tugged your shoes on. There were two locations that you would check. If you failed to find him in either of those, you would return to your quarters, bury your face in your pillow, and scream.

 One location that you would not check no matter how much you wished to speak with him was Kylo Ren’s quarters. That would invite another layer to the awkwardness that presently existed between the two of you. It was too intimate. The first spot that you headed for was one of the viewports that you had learned in your first month of working for the First Order that Kylo Ren sometimes stood by. He contemplated space, perhaps, or else found the area quiet given its low traffic. Upon arriving there, you noticed that it was just as empty as ever. The other thing to catch your eye was the mouse droid shaped dent on one of the trash bins. Now you knew where he had been earlier when the droid had fetched him. You allowed yourself to hope that this meant he would be in the other location you were inclined to search.

 His ability to wield the Force separated Kylo Ren’s training needs from the officers and stormtroopers of the First Order. Though each individual could benefit from meditation, the form that Kylo Ren often utilized required a room that was built to withstand that power. It was an expense that Supreme Leader Snoke had been more than willing to cover. As for General Hux’s view on the matter, you did not know for certain however you strongly believed that he was less than thrilled. Which made perfect sense to you given the fact that Kylo Ren had destroyed and damaged First Order property during fits of rage. It was something that you did not look fondly upon either, namely after he had damaged TeeArr.

 The hallways had an increased level of traffic between the two areas that thinned when you neared one or the other. Where this was common for the section that you had just left, it generally occurred in the second only when Kylo Ren was utilizing the room. You smiled to yourself at your luck and moved closer. There was an elliptical shaped window that stretched roughly half a meter in length. The lights were off in the room despite the indication on the control panel by the door showing that it was occupied. To interrupt the man would be a risk. You paused by the window not far from the door and squinted in an attempt to locate his silhouette.

 Your leg muscles jumped at the sound of the door sliding open. You looked at it, found that Kylo Ren was not walking out, and determined that he had noticed you standing there. This was an invitation that you did feel comfortable accepting, albeit with the addition of you turning on the lights when you entered. The sigh that met your ears was not distorted by a vocoder. You ran your gaze along his face. He had such distinct features, his lips and nose among them, however you had a tendency to look at his eyes or else, when his hair shifted out of the way, his ears. This time you looked at each of those for less than a second before dropping your attention to his bare torso. That was enough proof that his body was as solid as it looked even when he was dressed. The muscles bespoke of his training.

 “You aren’t here to stare at me.” His voice was calm, indifferent. There was a lack of humor that caused you pause. You had been walking closer to him, enough that the door had closed behind you, and now you wondered if you should not have remained in the doorway. Kylo Ren had failed to rise from his position on the floor, where he sat cross legged with his hands resting on his knees. He raked his eyes from your toes up to your face. “You can come closer.”

 You decided to again accept the offer he extended you. When you were within two feet of him, you lowered into a similar sitting position. “It was when I asked if you enjoyed my company. Right?” His lips parted for the briefest of seconds but if he said anything it would have been a single syllable and it was one that you did not hear. Kylo Ren closed his eyes. You waited, frowning a few seconds later when he did not reopen them. “While those in the First Order fear you, that fear will not stop them from talking about me because of this misunderstanding. This is not something I would ever have wanted.”

 Here he did reopen his eyes. You drank in their brown color, how fierce they were. Fierce but not in a cruel or angry way. There was an underlying softness that you interpreted as his understanding where you were coming from and accepting that you had not intentionally embarrassed him.

 “After realizing that others do not interact with you as I did...as I do, I mean, I should have approached you or reevaluated the impact that could have.” As you spoke, you realized that you meant the words. You could accept responsibility for your actions while acknowledging the fact that General Hux and Kylo Ren were guilty of their own parts.

 “Should I put on a shirt?” That, on the other hand, threw you for a loop. “You keep looking at my body.” You had not realized it. Now that he pointed it out, though, you were doing it more frequently. Sithspawn, you were frustrated with yourself and with that tendency organics had when a behavior was highlighted.

 His hands shifted off of his knees and wrapped around your upper arms by your shoulders. You did not shrink from his touch. Staying perfectly still, you lowered your eyelids to stare at those plump lips, which drew nearer and nearer to yours. Let your eyes close as his mouth met yours. You turned your head, returning the kiss. Felt the warmth of his skin on your fingers as you traced his stomach. The muscles were firm, not yielding so willingly under your touch. You kissed him again. Trailed one hand upwards over his chest and to the back of his neck. For all the stars in the sky, you could not say what had compelled you to kiss him back as you were. That did not eliminate the sense that this was right, that you were drawn to him in this moment. Having worked days on end with durasteel, with wires, with computer programming, there was something so raw and pure about the flesh you touched. You scooted up onto your knees in unison with him, your chest pressed against his.

 Kylo Ren ran a hand along your ass then squeezed the area, albeit not too harshly. You gave a light groan at the pleasure that shot through you. Broke away from the next kiss to breathe. His lips were on yours again, his tongue toying with yours.

 “Am I misunderstanding the situation?” he asked, teasing you, speaking against your mouth so that his warm breath crawled along your lips.

 You felt your eyelashes fluttering. Were aware that this close proximity had been mutual. “I don’t even understand the situation,” you admitted. Kylo Ren released a grunt of acknowledgement. His hand trailed up and down your neck, thumb caressing your skin. You slipped one of your hands between your face and his to press your fingers against your mouth. Kylo Ren kissed your knuckles. Those eyes were heated now. Not with anger; you did not know how you felt, were trying to wrap your head around what was happening. His hunger was palpable. “I have a headache.” He looked at your forehead as if he could see the pain and discomfort that was once more making itself known to you. His hold on you loosened.

 This was a part of Kylo Ren’s personality and character that you had discovered early on you respected. He was very aware of his body and its needs, and he appeared to respect those who worked to understand themselves as well. This included mentally as well as physically.

 You extricated yourself from him without causing any offense. Leaving the room was not a necessity. Kylo Ren returned to his previous sitting position, and you, after scooting backwards an extra foot, mirrored him. The phantom sensation of his lips on yours prompted you suck your lips into your mouth and run your tongue along them.

 Was it really so bad that he had misconstrued your behavior to the extent that he had when you yourself were now unsure of what you wanted? It was not quite such an easy question. Compounding that issue was the addition of General Hux doing the same. You conjured up his face in your mind’s eye. Recalled his tongue running along the rim of his thermos, and now thought of kissing him as you had kissed Kylo Ren. You turned your hand so that its side obscured your mouth from Kylo Ren’s view. He was watching you closely. Could he read your thoughts without extending his hand towards your head? Could you be projecting them? Or maybe, just maybe, everything was written on your face clear as day.

 “I have to get back to work,” you said, shooting up to your feet. This was too much for you, and you were not ashamed to admit that. “I…” You paused while thinking of how best to word things so as to not offend him. “I do not know if I am programmed for this.” Maybe not the best phrasing. You knew what you meant. Kylo Ren, on the other hand, furrowed his brow. You gestured towards him with both of your hands. “That was very nice, sir, however I have several projects that need my attention. A proposal to make as well.”

 “I propose that you come closer.” He tilted back his head a fraction, jutting his chin forward and making it very clear his meaning. Your eyes danced along those lips. You shuddered at the recent memory of how soft they were. Soft yet so firm, so in control. So demanding.

 You ran your hands along your shirt at your sides. Felt yourself clenching your jaw now that you had been placed in a position to reject him. This was not what you had wanted. It was serving as a means of adding more confusion and tension. The throbbing was becoming a pounding. Maker, your headache nearly disappeared on a conscious level when he had been kissing you. Kylo Ren stood. You eyed his chest and stomach. You had not wanted to look him in the eye. This was hardly an improvement. When he reached for you this time, it was again with both hands but he did not grab hold of your arms. He rested his hands on either side of your head and swiped his thumbs along your eyes, directly underneath them and following your sinuses outwards. His thumbs jumped, set again near the bridge of your nose, repeated the path. You closed your eyes and let him touch you.

 General Hux had offered you the lotion to help ease your discomfort from a situation he had placed you in. Kylo Ren was now doing the same. How could you reject him? It would be hypocritical, right? Not exactly. Not now that you were aware of their affections.

 Kylo Ren used his middle and ring fingers to rub circles on your temple. His hands traveled towards the back of your neck. You felt yourself relaxing more and more with his touch. The tension was ebbing even if it was not disappearing completely.

 “We aren’t programmed so differently, you and I,” he said as he pulled away. Your eyes snapped back open. Kylo Ren turned around, his back to you, and walked in the direction of where he had left his shirt and outer robes along with his helmet. He began to dress. It was as though he was there alone.

 That was a kindness rather than a cruelty. It allowed you to leave, but not before you offered him a very weak, croaked out, “Thank you.” You did not turn off the light as you exited the room and headed for your quarters.

[sad-sweet-cowboah]

Buckle Bunny Bonanza

Summary: Arthur is a barrel racing trainer in which Michelle and Allie are his students and also secretly in a poly relationship. A scuffle at a rodeo leads to some fun in the trailer.

Authors Notes: Collab fic with @horsegirl1h ! This started with a conversation about how both Allie and Michelle would be barrel racers in a modern AU. Somehow this fanfic formed out of that discussion.

Tags/warnings: polyamorous relationship, D/s tones, smut, some violence, sexual tension

The late evening sun cast long shadows across the outdoor arena. The fairgrounds were alive with others wandering around with their horses or turning in their trailers for the night.

Allie could feel the burn in her torso and down her legs from what felt like her hundredth practice run. She brought her mare to a stop after crossing the timer. Her eyes locked to the two beings who stood at the end of the arena. One of them walked up.

"That was good, but still a couple seconds off your last run," Arthur said as he studied her frustrated expression. "C'mon, you both need a break." Arthur nodded towards the direction of the horse trailer. Allie hopped down, Arthur's hand on the small of her back as she landed.

He walked Allie to the trailer and stood beside her as she began unsaddling the horse, the mare nudging Arthur to give her attention. Arthur chuckled and scratched the mare’s forehead before looking to Allie.

"Don't stress yourself, you're doin’ good."

As Allie finished untacking her horse, Michelle had sidled up to the both of them. A small smile crossed her lips, reaching over to pat Allie’s shoulder. “Hey, just breathe. You’ve placed multiple times before, you can do it again.”

“Just gotta control those jitters, sweetheart.” Arthur added as he offered the mare a treat, in which she gladly took. “Get some rest tonight, we’ll be up bright n’ early for the show.”

Allie sighed softly. "I think I'll turn in early then so I have a clear head in the morning." A relieved smile came across her face and she kissed each of them on the cheek before stepping into the living quarters of the trailer.

*****

The morning sun shone bright with the promise of a gorgeous day. The arena grounds were riddled with horses, riders, and spectators alike. With hundreds of participants meant a little bit of down time for the three of them after taking care of the morning chores.

They’d scarfed down a quick meal after making sure the horses got theirs. As they wandered out into the open, Michelle and Allie took a look at their surroundings.

"Now there's a couple girls here that are gonna give us a run for our money, so just keep your heads in the game." The girls listened intently as Arthur spoke. Other competitors had been wandering around the trailers, on and off horseback alike.

Allie looked past Arthur with a scowl on her face. "Apparently a run for our money for something else."

Arthur turned to see who Allie was giving a death glare to, and his eyes rested on another girl a few yards away.

She was beautiful; no doubt about that. Her bejeweled Wrangler jeans hugged her hips a little too tightly, outlining the curve of her waist. Her tank top sat low and the obvious push-up bra stood out against the thin fabric. Blonde hair pulled up in a high ponytail, soft curls spilling across her back. It was a "buckle bunny", who also happened to be one of the other competitors. However the way her eyes pulled toward Arthur, observing him as if he were a five star meal, set Allie’s teeth on edge.

Arthur took care not to meet her gaze, turning to give Allie a subtle but reassuring smile. “She can stare all she wants,” he whispered. “It ain’t gonna get past that. For now, just focus on outrunnin’ her.”

Allie nodded but Michelle tugged on her arm to keep Allie's temper in check. “I know, I wanna swipe that look off her face too. But Arthur’s right; we gotta focus.” Michelle said.

“Right,” Arthur said with a nod. “We can’t practice poor sportsmanship by throwin’ punches. Prove yourselves like champions.”

Michelle gave a smirk. “Can’t promise nothin’ if they try touching you, though. Then it’s fair game.”

He only shook his head accompanied with a slight eye roll. “Behave, alright? It ain’t gonna come to that.”

Allie couldn't help but mirror Michelle's smirk. "I'll do my best to behave, but I can't say I don't agree with her."

Arthur chuckled at Allie’s comment. “You two are somethin’ special, ya know?”

“Just count yourself lucky you got two women who are more than willing to throw some hands in your honor!” Michelle joked, and then glanced over at Allie. “Anyway, I ‘spose we should be tacking up now, huh? Almost time for us.”

"Yeah, maybe I'll outrun you this time." Allie laughed as she nudged Michelle playfully with her elbow, earning an amused smirk from Arthur.

"Alright you two, I'll see you both after you run. I'll be watchin' from the usual spot."

“Yes, sir.” Michelle said, offering him the two-fingered salute he favored himself. She wrapped her arm around Allie’s shoulders, fresh determination overcoming her as the two headed to their horses.

It didn’t take long for them to tack up and change into their show gear. The warm up arena was bustling with dozens of other riders, attempting to warm up their horses in the crowd.

Michelle has always been used to this; having grown up on horseback and began racing at a young age. A novice would be intimidated by this setting, yet she felt right at home. Her gaze swept over the crowd to find a decent spot for warm-ups, eventually spotting a nearly untouched corner. She turned to Allie and gestured toward the spot, urging her gelding to trot forward once a path opened up.

Allie followed not far behind and trotted alongside her for a bit. She took in the scene around her, adrenaline coursing through her. She lived for the rush she felt coming down the alley and the feeling of her and her mare becoming one as a team is something she couldn't describe.

Her mare knew the routine and she was already becoming excitable. Allie cantered in circles, switching the direction every couple of times. She slowed her down to a walk after a bit, falling back into place beside Michelle.

Allie loved watching Michelle run. Sure, she loved the feeling of running herself, but when she watched Michelle she was mesmerized. Although she'd grown up on horseback as well, both Michelle and Arthur had taught her quite a bit and she'd only improved from it.

Once the horses were nice and warmed up, the girls waited patiently while the others took their runs one by one. It was tough competition, the top times only mere milliseconds apart. Michelle was up next, and that familiar feel of adrenaline began to sear through her system.

Michelle approached the alleyway, a calm expression on her face while her gelding pranced with controlled power underneath her, head up and ears forward. Once his feet passed the gate, she pushed her hands forward. With an explosive start, her horse rocketed into the arena. Wind whipped past her as she approached the first barrel, turning it with ease before launching toward the second.

All the while, she heard Arthur shouting from the sidelines, encouraging her to run faster.

With the remaining two cleared without an issue, the run back home was her favorite. Everything has been a complete blur as her steed carried her across the arena at what felt like breakneck speed. As she crossed the timer and slowed him down, the high from the run lingered.

Clean run, beautiful turns. Her time was easily matched with the others. Michelle shot a smirk as some of the competitors looked on with jealousy flashing in their eyes. Passing them by, she returned to Allie’s side.

Allie could hardly contain her excitement as Michelle came back over next to her. 

"That was amazing! I hope mine goes that smooth." She uttered breathlessly as the next rider made her way down the alleyway. Allie watched with bated breath as her nervousness started creeping in.

What Allie thought to be over all too soon, the rider crossed the timer and Allie got into position, giving Michelle an anxious smile. She repeated Arthur and Michelle's words in her head from the past couple days and let out a breath.

Her mare was more than ready, dancing and tossing her head a bit waiting for Allie’s cue. Moving past the gate, Allie moved her hands and the mare surged forward. She could feel the adrenaline run through her as she focused on the first barrel. 

They went around the first two effortlessly, Allies eyes now trained on the third. She could hear Arthur's encouragement from the sidelines as she turned around the third and ran for home, her mare giving it her all.

Shaking from excitement, adrenaline and nervousness all at the same time, she made her way back over to Michelle and listened for her time, stroking her mare’s neck.

To Michelle’s surprise, Allie’s time was incredibly close to her’s with just milliseconds in separation. This made her smile, knowing how far Allie had come after coming to train with her, and under Arthur’s wing. She flashed Allie a thumbs up, giving her a wide grin. “Hey that was awesome! I think you might’ve even placed in one of the divisions!” she complimented, moving her gelding along the side of the mare to calm their still-hot temperaments.

Allies face lit up with both surprise and excitement as she took in Michelle's words. "That would be so awesome. I'm sure Arthur will be happy about that." 

*****

Back at the trailer, Allie and Michelle talked excitedly about the outcome of their runs and how well they did while they untacked their horses. Arthur stood closeby, loading the saddles and bridles back into the trailer. As Allie started grooming her mare, she caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye. 

The girl from earlier that day had apparently decided she would try her luck by coming up to Arthur and getting too close for comfort. Michelle noticed Allie had suddenly stopped grooming and followed her line of sight where Arthur was standing.

“Easy now,” Michelle warned. “Arthur’s a big boy, he can handle himself.” though she kept her eyes on the pair like a predator. One wrong move and she’d have two cats to scrap with.

The blonde girl’s eyes swiveled toward Allie and Michelle for a brief second. It was as if she knew her actions were irritating them. She was giggling obnoxiously, angling her body toward him as she smiled and batted her fake eyelashes at him. Arthur seemed to be taken by the conversation, but from the way he stood made it obvious that he wasn’t interested. That however didn’t stop her from reaching out and placing her hand on his chest. He leaned away from her touch slightly, stepping backward and folding his arms.

Needless to say, the bitch stepped in tune with him, keeping the gap between them as small as possible. Arthur definitely seemed a little uncomfortable now; holding his hand out to try and dismiss her attempts to lure him. A sickenly sweet smile crossed her lips as she draped her hand across his exposed forearm.

An audible growl rumbled from Michelle’s throat. This bitch was crossing the line. Before her brain could even think, her feet moved forward and Allie was right alongside her.

“C’mon now, cowboy,” the bunny said in a sickenly alluring tone as they approached her. “Lemme show ya how a real cowgirl can treat ya.”

“No,” Arthur said sternly. He caught the eye of the others and shot them a quiet warning glance. “I ain’t interested.”

Allie caught Arthur's glance but by this point she couldn't hold herself back. She stomped up to the girl, mere inches from her face. "What part of he's not interested that you do not understand?" She clenched her fists at her side, her nails digging into her palms.

That smile returned to the bunny's face as she folded her arms, looking them both up and down with scrutiny. "And what are you? His keeper?" she challenged.

Allie saw red at her words and shoved the girl back. Michelle stood rigid, arms tensing in case something else were to happen.

As the other girl stumbled to regain her balance, a hot glare on her face for a moment before a smirk crossed her lips. “What’s wrong? You angry that you’re not as pretty as me?”

“Allie. Michelle. Back. Down.” Arthur hissed underneath his breath, placing his hands on each of their shoulders.

“Are you that insecure about yourself that you have to hit on someone who ain’t interested?” Michelle growled, ignoring Arthur’s words and folding her arms to glower at the bunny. “Back off, bitch. You’re not wanted.”

“Insecure?” she laughed in a disgustingly haughty tone. “Please. Look in a mirror. Y’all have a fine piece of a man for your trainer, probably cause you can’t find one yourselves!”

Arthur’s grip tightened on them, as if trying to physically hold them back from lashing out. “I think you need to go,” he said in a firm tone. “You ain’t welcome here.”

The bunny rolled her eyes, yet offered a sultry smile, dipping her head slightly to give him a sensual look. “Offer’s still up, cowboy. C’mon and ditch these losers, if ya wanna know how high society cowgirls like to play.”

And at that moment, Michelle’s entire body sprung forward in a flail of fists. It almost would have taken Allie by surprise had she not almost went after the girl herself. Her instinct told her to listen to Arthur's warning, but her anger was beginning to control her and she knew she'd probably pay for it later. Arthur shouted Michelle’s name, only to have it fall upon deaf ears as the spicy Latina whaled on the other girl. Her fists connected with flesh over and over.

Allie watched as punches went flying, grabbing the girl from behind trying to pry her apart from Michelle's unforgiving swings. Allie shoved the bunny back, knocking her on her ass. "Maybe you'll listen next time? Or do I need to give you one of mine for good measure?" she countered.

With her perfectly made-up face now swollen, inflamed spots soon turning purple with bruising. The bunny wiped a drop of blood from the corner of her mouth. She shot a glower of deep hatred at Michelle, who only had a prideful smirk on her face. “You absolute bitch!” she snarled, scrambling to stand up. “You messed up my face!”

“We’ll mess up more if you don’t high-tail it outta here,” Michelle growled. “I will count to three, bitch. One.”

As Michelle held up one finger, emphasizing it with power in her voice, the bunny only scowled.

“Two.”

“Fine, ain’t worth my time anyway.” she huffed, turning on her heel and storming away.

Michelle watched her leave, the scowl on her face remained. She cracked her knuckles, knowing they’ll most likely be sore later on. “Hijo de perra,” she sighed. “Wasn’t expecting a fight this weekend.” She turned to look at Allie and Arthur, expecting to see a look of anger or disappointment on his face. He instead had his eyebrows slightly raised, staring at the both of them in a look of wonder.

“Um, Arthur?”

"That sure was...somethin'." Arthur chuckled as he looked at them both, stepping closer to them and lowering his voice. "Why don't you two meet me back at the trailer when you get yourselves together?" Allie could only nod in response, taken by surprise at Arthur's reaction.

Michelle definitely was not expecting that reaction. The adrenaline and anger from the fight had died down to confusion. She looked at Allie’s equally confused expression and shrugged, trying to think of what was in store for them.

After getting the horses groomed and back into their stalls, the girls approached the trailer with slight apprehension about what was going to happen. Arthur didn’t seem angry, but he left them without much else of a clue.

They entered the living quarters and saw Arthur sitting at the dining table. He smiled at them as they stepped in, standing up to meet them halfway.

“What’s up, Arthur?” Michelle asked. “Sorry I started that fight…”

Arthur however, still had a smile on his face. “It’s alright, sweetheart.” He peered at them with half-lidded eyes. He reached to gently caress Michelle’s cheek. “Now, y’all know I don’t condone violence. Any other event and I woulda yelled at ya for it.”

Michelle stared at him in confusion. “Why didn’t you?”

His eyes turned dark, the smile slowly turning into a smirk. He peered over at Allie, lifting his other hand to caress her cheek. “You jumped in n’ defended me. I coulda handled it myself without throwin’ punches. But seein’ you both, all riled up for me, that was sexy.”

Allie couldn't help but to lean into his touch, sending a shiver down her spine. "You know how we are over you." She leered back into his eyes, swallowing hard at the dark gaze she found there. She felt heat rise to her cheeks and she became flushed at the realization of what was on Arthur's mind.

“‘Course I do, that makes it even better,” he chuckled. He drew Allie in for a kiss before passing over to Michelle. “So how ‘bout we blow off that steam?”

Michelle’s eyes widened, glancing over at Allie and then to Arthur. Excitement began to build within her. “Here? Now?”

Arthur nodded, his hand moving from Michelle’s cheek to her waist, drawing her in close. “I’ll try n’ keep you girls quiet, but I can’t promise nothin’.”

Heat brushed Michelle’s cheeks at that statement, but the ever-growing need that slowly filled her was beginning to take over. She leaned on Arthur as he drew Allie in too, his hands wandering down to their asses to selfishly cop a feel.

“My girls…” he murmured, enjoying the feel of them in his hands, earning a squeak and giggle. “Undress, please.”

As if a switch had turned on, both Allie and Michelle obeyed, stepping back to shed their clothing one by one. Arthur’s watchful eyes were on them, drinking in the sight of their now nude bodies, both beautiful and unique in their own ways. It wasn’t the first time they were his personal girls at the same time, and it certainly won’t be the last.

Arthur looked at Allie, smiling at her as he gestured for her to come close. She swaggered over into his arms, meeting his lips for a deep kiss. Threading her hands into his hair, she moaned as she nibbled his bottom lip. She could feel the tension from just minutes ago begin to melt away.

Keeping well into the kiss, Arthur’s eyes swiveled to stare at Michelle. His gesture was slight but easily understood. She approached him and unbuckled his jeans, sliding them down to reveal what lay waiting underneath. He was only half-hard, yet with Michelle’s mouth eagerly taking him, it didn’t take him long to become completely erect.

His hand stroked Michelle’s hair, while the other explored Allie’s delicious curves. Rough fingers feather-light against her soft skin, tracing patterns against the swell of her hips. He squeezed her ass once more before sliding down to her lower lips, discovering the welcoming moisture.

“Wet for me already?” He asked, his voice slightly disjointed from his own pleasure. “Ain’t you eager?"

Allie flushed at his statement and bit her lip before responding, her voice husky. "Doesn't take much coming from you." She rolled her hips on his hand, eager to get relief from the ache between her legs.

He chuckled. “Oh I know, sweetheart.” He teased her slowly, working his fingers along her center, sliding against the sensitive bundle of nerves. Arthur watched Allie’s face contort with the pleasure he gave. “Both my girls...doin’ so well already.” He praised, his chest rumbling with a deep groan. His other hand had a grip on Michelle’s hair, guiding himself further into her mouth.

His fingers began to explore Allie’s inner walls, curling them to hit those spots he knew so well. The moan she elicited was like music to his ears. Another moment passed before he pulled out, staunching her whine of protest with a soft kiss. He released Michelle as well, stepping back from her inviting mouth. Peering at both of them with a mischievous gleam, he gestured to the bed, where it sat in the neck of the trailer. “Climb on, both of ya.”

They didn’t have to be told twice. Allie and Michelle scooted themselves up and on the bed, facing him with expectant and eager looks on their faces.

“Allie, eat Michelle out, would ya?” He asked politely as if it were the most nonchalant question in the world.

Allie smirked as she looked at Michelle with an eager glint in her eyes. She moved to put her hands on Michelle's knees and spread them apart, laying between her legs. She ran her hands down the outside of Michelle's thighs, while kissing her way down to her core.

Michelle’s body trembled underneath Allie’s touch. Leaning back as Allie made her way down, a soft moan escaping her lips as a tongue slid through her folds. Her head rested against the pillows, letting herself melt into the slowly growing pleasure from her core. Allie hit her nerves with practiced precision, building another and louder moan.

Arthur watched, eyeing his two girls with a nearly predatory gaze. After a few moments he climbed onto the bed with them, taking position behind Allie. His hands smoothed against her back. His fingers found their way to its prize again, briefly testing before prompting her to kneel up. She did so, bending herself into his touch like a cat in heat. His rock-hard cock rested against the divide of her ass, sliding it up and down sensually before sliding himself right in to his root.

The three of them were in-sync, Michelle’s body arcing while Allie’s tongue moved faster, Allie trying to focus while Arthur fucked her slowly from behind. Michelle’s hands smoothed through Allie’s hair, whispering a praise of how wonderful her tongue felt. Her eyes swiveled up to meet Arthur’s lustful gaze, mirroring the smile that crossed his face.

He leaned over, kissing up Allie’s neck and nibbling on the shell of her ear. “Ya like takin’ my cock with a face full of pussy?” he growled, etching his marks across her back.

Allie could only let out a lewd moan as a response, gripping Michelle's hip as one hand came down to tease her entrance while her tongue still worked against the other girl’s clit. Allie watched Michelle's expression as she slid two fingers inside her, moaning against her when she felt her slick on her fingers. She picked up the pace with her hand, curling her fingers ever so slightly.

Michelle’s entire body twitched and writhed within Allie’s grip, trying hard not to buck her hips into Allie’s face. She uttered a swear, her hands digging into the bedsheets. “Oh, God…” she moaned, her voice trembling. “More, please.”

“Make her cum, Allie.” Arthur instructed, his voice low and breathless while he continued to fuck Allie, gradually increasing his speed. His hand reached around to fondle her tits, squeezing and tweaking her nipples, sending a deep shudder across Allie’s body. She didn’t object, moving her fingers and tongue faster and faster, chasing for Michelle’s pleasure.

Michelle was close now, tilting her head back to sing out another moan. “Fuck, I’m gonna cum!” she mewled, pressing herself slightly closer to Allie’s mouth. Within seconds her climax hit, a burning explosion that radiated across her abdomen and through her limbs. As the intensity ebbed away, her body fell limp, her chest heaving slightly with attempts to catch her breath.

“Good girls.” Arthur praised, reaching his hand to caress Michelle’s waist briefly before focusing on Allie once again. He began to thrust harder into her, using both hands to play with her breasts. “Your turn, darlin’. Lemme hear it from ya.”

"Oh, fuck." Her mewls turned into loud moans, gripping the sheets as she arched her chest further into Arthur's hands while she pushed back against him, taking him deeper.

Arthur growled as Allie pushed him deeper within her, and his hands gripped her tightly, driving himself faster into her. He was relentless with his pursuit of her peak. “C’mon, sweetheart,” he grunted. “Give me your pleasure.”

Allie's lewd moans filled the walls of the trailer as her orgasm surged through her body. She cried out his name as her walls clenched around him, breathless whimpers leaving her as she slowly came down from her high.

Arthur pushed himself deeply as Allie released her orgasm, milking her of every last drop before slowly pulling out. His arms wrapped tightly around her, pulling her upright and cupping her face to pull her into a deep kiss, enjoying the taste of Michelle in her mouth. He held it for a long moment before releasing her. “That’s my girl,” he rumbled, rubbing his thumb on her chin. “Now…”

He lay down onto the bed, smiling over at Michelle and caressing her face. “Ride me, my lil’ cowgirl.” he growled to her, running his thumb over her lips, to which she trapped in her mouth and pulled her lips off with a pop. She wordlessly followed his instruction, straddling him and hovering over his length, gripping the base and guiding him inside her, soon seating herself comfortably on top of him.

A soft moan escaped Michelle’s lips as she began to grind on him, her hips rounding in a smooth motion. Arthur’s hands gripped her hips, letting out a low groan when he looked over at Allie, gesturing for her to come over.

“Sit on my face, darlin’.”

Allie obliged, bracing her hands on the wall in front of her as she straddled him. Still sensitive from earlier, she let out a gasp when his tongue found her clit, throwing her head back and rolling her hips slightly against him. "Oh...god, Arthur." She whined, already trying to pace herself from reaching her peak again, wanting to draw it out as long as she could until Michelle and Arthur came. 

Arthur gripped Allie’s thighs hard while he ate her like a delicious meal. The pleasure rolled in tandem with all three of them. The bed squeaked while Michelle rode Arthur as if he were a bucking bronco. Her high moans mixed with low groans and Allie’s whines, carrying through the trailer.

Michelle reached forward to rake her nails down Allie’s back, adding to the marks left earlier by Arthur. She gripped on Allie’s shoulders for more leverage, sliding her inner walls fervently against Arthur’s thick length. Her mouth landed on the back of Allie’s neck, sucking and nibbling at the skin. Her one hand reached around to play with Allie’s nipples.

“Let us feel you cum again,” Michelle whispered breathlessly, squeezing the hardened flesh between her fingers. “But ask him before you do.” Just as Michelle said that, Arthur freed his hand to slide a finger along Allie’s slit, toying once again with her entrance before letting her walls engulf it.

The plethora of sensations made Allie writhe and moan even more. She arched her chest into Michelle's touch as Allie's thrusting of her hips became erratic. "Arthur I'm...so close..." 

Her whines and mewls became louder as she became closer to reaching her peak.

"Can I cum, Arthur? Please.." She bit her lip to distract herself as she waited on his answer.

Arthur’s relentless pursuit of Allie’s pleasure did not let up. He hummed to her in approval, running his fingers along her thigh in approval. His tongue worked harder against her clit, throwing her into orgasm at full force. The trailer was filled with the song of Allie’s climax as it overtook her body for a third time. Arthur drew out the last waves as his tongue and fingers worked the last of their magic on her. He teased her slightly, and her hips bucked in oversensitivity.

His mouth left Allie’s folds, peering up at her with an amused smile on his face. “Easy, girl. Take a break.” he rumbled, smoothing his hands on her hips as she trembled on top of him. Michelle released Allie and allowed her to get off. Allie leaned up against the wall, breathless and hot, for recovery.

With his hands free, Arthur’s attention turned to Michelle once again. His hands grabbed her hips, thrusting up hard into her while she rode him strong. Michelle threw her head back to moan beautifully and shout a swear to the heavens. She rolled and ground her hips sensually like a dancer.

“F-Fuck, Arthur...I’m gonna cum again!” she whined, her fingers finding purchase on his chest. Arthur sat up immediately, wrapping his arms around her and drawing her into a deep kiss. Her mewls were drowned by his eager mouth, her body trembling in his grip while her own climax washed over her like a tidal wave.

Once it ebbed away, Arthur removed Michelle from his lap and laid her onto her back. He smirked down at her, reaching for her legs to rest them on his shoulders. His thoroughly soaked length prodded at her entrance, teasing out a small moan from her before allowing her to engulf him once again.

He took a deep breath, thrusting slowly and deeply within her, dragging along her G-spot. As Michelle gave a moan akin to a pornstar, he looked over at Allie and smiled at her. “I’m gettin’ close,” he started breathlessly, “I need ya both on your knees when I say.”

Allie gave him a smirk, an eager glint in her eyes as she waited for his instruction. She lazily ran her hands over her body as she kept her eyes locked with Arthur's, casually letting a hand wander over to Michelle's chest to play with her nipples.

Michelle was a moaning mess beneath Arthur’s solid body. She shuddered when Allie began to play with her nipples. She could only look up at him while he fucked her mercilessly, her mouth open to form nearly incoherent swears. Arthur smiled down at her, drowning her moan out with a deep kiss while he increased his pace, pistoning into her with relentless pursuit of his own climax.

A few more moments passed before Arthur suddenly pulled out, hand around his cock. “Now girls,” He ordered, stepping down from the bed ledge. “Mouths open.”

Michelle rolled over immediately, lightly landing on her feet on the floor below. Allie followed suit, both of them kneeling down in front of him in a hasty retreat. They waited patiently, staring up at their master while he pumped his length. His half lidded gaze soon contorted as he reached his peak, releasing hot streaks of his spend onto their awaiting tongues. He stopped rubbing as they swallowed dutifully.

Arthur breathed heavily, the last of his seed dripping from his softening cock. He gazed down at the two of them, a lazy smile crossing his lips. “Mind cleanin’ me up?”

Just as he said that, Allie and Michelle leaned forward to carefully run their tongues along the glistening skin of his length. He twitched as one of them caressed his sensitive head, cleaning him of the pearl that remained. Once their job was done, they rose to their feet, though their legs were trembling.

Arthur gave a small smirk at how the girls struggled to keep upright. He opened his arms and drew them in, giving each one a deep kiss. Locked in a few silent minutes of passion, he pulled back. “You did wonderful girls, as always.”

Michelle gave a smirk of her own in response. “As per usual, Mr. Morgan. We don’t disappoint.”

Allie mirrored Michelle's smirk and chuckled softly. "The shower might be small, but I'm taking one if anyone wants to join." She winked at the both of them before strutting off to the shower stall, a sway in her hips as she went.

Arthur watched her go with hungry eyes, though he knew it would be a fruitless effort. “If that shower were big ‘nough for all three o’ us, I wouldn’t be lettin’ you girls go til tomorrow.”

---

Ima subtly tag @verai-marcel for the idea of the silly ass title.

[shit-she-wrote]

Genre: Fantasy

Summary: The hero loses to the villain. There was nothing he could have done, and, if he listened for a second, he could realize that maybe he hasn’t been fighting the real villain after all.

Word count: 1973

Content warning: n/a

Author’s note: inspired by this tumblr post and later expanded ^.^ hope you enjoy it!! (and, if you can, I would be eternally grateful if you could buy me a coffee!)

New Gods

a short story

The Old Gods could not save the world from destruction.

They fought with all their might, and after defeat, they simply shrugged when the world was burning after a battle for leadership, and they scurried away so they would not be a part of a clean, leaving it all to me.

And who am I, you ask? I am Destruction.

At least, that is what they call me, the people whose gods I chased away because it seemed fitting to them because it sounded far more fearful than Kullah. Therefore, I am Destruction, the leader of all lands, the one who put out the godly fires, aimed to kill me, with floods that saved many but that also destroyed their homes. I am King, although no one dares to call me that, for the missing Old Gods would detest it. I am Chaos, I am Misery. It is what they had been told before the battle, the people, and what even I believe to be the truth by now.

You see, I was only a child when it all started. I was chosen for a mission by the Gods, to bring harmony among the people, and everyone treated me, since the ripe age of twelve, as the child of prophecy I was. It made me reckless, as you might believe, drunk on power and angry when suddenly life passed me by and I desired revenge on those who took away my childhood for their own laziness.

And suddenly, Kullah, Great Kullah, The Chosen One, Brave and Powerful Savior, became The Betrayer of Gods, Fearsome Kullah, Destruction. It is quite funny how quickly people start treating you differently when you grow up to think with your own head.

None of that matters to me, however, for I am still on the route to fulfilling my destiny. I am only taking a different path, where I do not blindly bow down to the will of others, and rather decide on people's benefits on my own. It is a long-term process, especially most of my people hate me, but I am a fair ruler and I am striving for a better future that I, as a half-god, know how to achieve better than Old Gods, who have never laid their feet to the land in order to learn what a better future means to people.

Despite their defeat against me, the Old Gods are not sleeping. In fact, they have planned a way to bring me down once and for all, to get rid of me and reclaim what once was theirs. And so, I am standing in the middle of a large burned-down field, a reflection of me in the past standing before me. A half-god, I knew immediately from the fire in his eyes, a powerful soul, chosen by the Gods to defeat me and bring back the long-forgotten past.

However, I see no hero in front of me. There could never be one in this boy, who has barely grown in a permanent set of teeth. He is no older than I was when I was called upon by the Old Gods, not even far enough into his teen years to be anywhere near being close to adulthood.

"Cowards!" I scream at the sky at the top of my lungs, a distinguished fury in my eyes. "Cowards! You hear me? Each and every one of you is a coward! How dare you send a child to fight your battles! Have you no shame? You already ruined me, and now you are on your way to ruin another one. Come down and kill me, bastards, if you want. Do it yourselves! I will not let you put murder on this kid's conscience."

"Don't call me a kid!" The boy yells, his childish petulance visible on his frowning face. "I am strong enough to take you! I have trained-"

"Oh, yes?" I ask, my voice quieter, turning to him. "You think you are enough?"

He says nothing, gulping once his eyes met mine directly. I have such an effect on people, rendering them speechless with a glance. My appearance is not to blame, oh no; it is what they see behind it that frightens them. The fires of my soul, burning up the rules the gods had set down, creating chaos within myself and glowing brightly through my eyes. They think I will contaminate them, too, that my freedom will be their downfall. However, I never would force my own opinions on others. I am unlike the Old Gods in that way, too.

I pitied the child. I truly did. Up until that moment he has at least pretended to be brave and has been, perhaps, convinced that he truly could take me down, to stop Destruction in its core. Now, he is doubting himself at last.

This is your savior, I think bitterly. Fuck, you weren't even able to find a good actor for the role.

In a menacing impulse, I swing my hand at him from afar, let him be struck down by lighting I have conjured up in the sky. He falls down but remains alive, conscious even. The Old Gods at least prepared him a little. Maybe they put a protection spell on him, maybe they gifted him with their own divine powers. None of it matters, though. One strike and he is down, defeated, barely able to rise up to his knees.

He looks at me and there is a flash of something in his eyes. I see smoke and lightning and fire in them, just barely. he raises a hand towards me as I stride forward, bares his teeth as I stop before him.

"You cannot harm me," I say matter-of-factly. "It was unfair of them to make you believe you can."

"I have been chosen to end you," he grits out, angry tears and tears of sorrow gathering in his eyes. "I am-"

"You are young," I say and kneel down next to him. "You are naive enough to believe them. This is why they chose you. To fight their own battles when they care not about what happens down here even a little bit. We are nothing but entertainment."

I see he is bleeding – a scratched forearm from the fall. Feeling slightly guilty, I reach out for him to see the wound, but he pulls back, creating a new distance between us.

"Let me see that. I want to help."

"I don't want your help."

"No." I sigh. "You only want to fight me."

Dropping back, I sit down on the ground as well, respecting the space between us.

"I used to be like you, you know. Before all this," I tell him and for the first time, he looks at me with something other than anger. It barely lasts a moment, though, and then he is back to his glaring.

"You're lying."

"Not in the least," I say, a smile on my face feeling like coming home. I haven't smiled in such a long time. "I know my own kind when I see them. Demigod, am I right? The son of one of the higher-ranking ones, otherwise you would never even be considered for something like this."

He neither agrees with my guess nor denies it, but his face softens and that is good enough response to me.

"People will sing epics about you, kid, just as they used to sing them about me," I say. "Kullah the Bringer of Peace, Kullah the Brave and Powerful and Kind, and every other adjective they thought to add to my name. I was the one everyone built their hopes into, I was considered almost a god myself. Because I was the messenger of the Old Gods, and I did their dirty work here, on the land they would never set a foot upon. But the truth is, I was no one. Yes, I fought those monsters, yes, I built that monument, yes, I helped create a city or two, yes, I followed the Gods' plan all along. When it came to being myself, my personal desires and dreams of the future, nothing was there except some image of puppet controlled by the Gods for all eternity. So I decided to do something about it. I marched myself up to their divine palace and I wreaked havoc with the very powers they had gifted me. It was the day I lost my name and my reputation. And now, I am a villain, and you are the new puppet marching in here thinking you can kill this monster."

"I am no puppet!" the boy snarls at me. I chuckle.

"No," I agree. "Hopefully, you aren't. What is your name, by the way?"

"Kethan," he mumbles it out unlike any true hero ever would. I remember crying my name out with joy, announcing myself proudly, ignorant of the fact that no one actually cared for it. At least Kethan knows his place already, or maybe he hasn't built up enough pride to be arrogant yet.

"Kethan," I repeat, offering yet another smile in hopes of appearing more approachable. We are on the same side, after all. "What have they told you about me? What have you come here to do?"

"To destroy you." He spits the words out with such hatred that it makes my blood boil. I look up to the sky and hope they see me glaring at them. Who abuses the ignorance of youth to poison it with malice, and calls themselves good after?

"And what have you come to destroy?" I ask, turning my attention back to the boy before I lose myself in some empty yelling at the sky again.

"You are Kullah, Betrayer of Gods." He says my name boldly as if to show me he isn't afraid of it. As if that would intimidate me. As if I ever wanted anyone to fear my name. "I have come to destroy your ministrations upon this side of our world, to take back what you have stolen from the Gods. I have come to take back what is rightfully theirs and what you have destroyed."

"Destroyed?" I laugh. It's that word, destruction, that keeps getting used as the sole weapon against me. "Look around, boy. What destruction lies upon my land?"

He does look around, over the edge of the castle grounds. The village beneath it is flourishing. The clouds make the scene more beautiful instead of gloomy, bringing out the vivid green in the wind-swept grass, upon which white cattle rest and whiter sheep are prancing around like snowflakes. People are working on wheat fields, children are playing. To me, and my people, this is paradise. Freedom.

"But ... I ..."

"You imagined barren lands and muddy rivers." I smile, standing up.

"No life such as this can exist in the world anymore! Not until you're gone!" Kethan protests, scrambling to his feet and pointing wildly. "This- this is an illusion!"

"Is it? Or did the Old Gods find it easier to say I am responsible for your misery when they are too lazy to take care of you?"

Lost in doubt, Kethan looks back to his side of the land. Barren, dusty, wretched. I know who he is thinking about; his mother, waiting for him to return. His friends, each living a worse life than the other. His father, who has never been present until it suited him.

"If my people denounce the Old Gods," he says, so quietly the even the Old Gods can't hear him, "can we come and live with you?"

Again, he makes me smile. People really will sing epics about him and he is going to deserve them much more than me. Kethan, the Bringer of Peace. Kethan, the Brave and Powerful and Kind.

Kethan, Denouncer of the Old Gods.

[shes-an-oddbird]

Christmas at River’s End Mall

Summary -  A Christmas AU in which everyone navigates their seasonal jobs, relationships and Christmas spirit, or lack there of, through woven together tales inspired by holiday prompts.

Chapter 9 - Christmas Parade

Summary - While at the annual Christmas parade, Mack and Elena discuss Hope getting older and Mack steps into help when when one of the parade floats breaks down.

Prompt - Christmas Parade Relationship - Mackelena POV - Daniel

Mack wonders if they should have brought chairs with them. Unless there was snow on the ground, they’ve always just watched the parade from the curb with a blanket folded up underneath them and another one pulled around them for warmth. But considering they invited Elena to join them, maybe a chair would have been nice to offer her.

“Dad I don’t see her!”

“Calm down Sparkplug, I just texted her a minute ago.”

“Well, that’s all some of us need.” His heart does a skip at the sound of her voice behind them. Her hands land on his shoulders, her long hair and festive red scarf falling over his shoulder and she leans down to say hello.

“Yoyo, you made it!”

“Of course, the parade is a tradition right?”

Hope nods. They have a few minutes before the parade arrives, although he thinks he can hear the first of the sirens that lead the parade in the distance. The parade, which sets up in the mall parking lot, would makes its way down the main road just outside the mall and then head down towards the small downtown area. They always stayed close by the start so they could head inside after for more activities.

Elena sets her own blanket on the ground next to theirs, sitting close although there wasn’t much other option as the street became more and more crowded. As they wait for the parade to come around the corner they talk about work and weather and other mundane topics.

“So what are we up to after the parade?”

“We’re going to go see the drones, dad finally decided on the right one which is the same one I wanted from the start.” Hope turns her eyes back on him. “Do you think Fitz will be there?”

“I’m sure he will be kid, he’s probably starting to think you’re after his job you ask him so many questions.”

“CANDY!” Several kids scream in excitement as a float from the public library drifts by and the riders dressed as reindeer toss candy canes and chocolate kisses from the sleigh. Hope and the other kids surge forward to collect them.

“I have to buy that damn drone today, I’m afraid if we go back again without buying anything their going to think we’re casing the place.”

“I’m sure they’re used to it, kids are obsessed with those gadget demonstrations.”

“That’s true and half the time we don’t even go in, she just talks with Fitz, the guy who demos them, goes well beyond what I know about them.” Elena looks at him curiously. “What?”

“Nothing.” She shakes her head but she’s grinning like she knows something he  doesn’t.

“What, tell me.”

Still looking far too amused she gives in. “It’s just, it sounds like Hope has a crush on him.”

“What?” Mack laughs. “That’s ridiculous.”

“Is it?”

“Oh come on, she’s only eleven, she’s not old enough to be having crushes yet.” Was she? No she was just a kid, it was ridiculous.

“Oh please, what do you know about it?” Elena laughing now at his utter disbelief.. “I was eleven when I had my first crush, and that was well after all my friends started too.”

“That’s just not like Hope, she still thinks all the boys in her class are stupid.”

She just shrugs. “Maybe that’s part of it, look I bet Hope is the smartest kid in her class right?”

“In the whole grade, maybe the whole school.” He answers proudly.

“Exactly and all her friends are starting to get crushes on these boys who are probably so boring to her, she starts to feel left out.”

That was reasonably to assume but he still only agrees with a hesitant, “I guess.”

“Then she meets Fitz, and Daisy’s told me about him, a brilliant engineer, someone who can have a conversation on her level who’s also nice to her and let’s her test all these drones and gadgets she’s preoccupied with.”

“But he’s– “

She cuts him off. “But he’s what, a grown up, you never had a crush on a teacher before?”

“Alright, I get it.” Mack contemplates this new revelation. When exactly had Hope gotten old enough to have crushes. Was he supposed to do anything about it. He had promised they would go there to get the drone after the parade. “Should I take her back there?”

“I don’t see why not, if you don’t and she finds out why she might think she’s done something wrong,” Elena advises. “But maybe give Fitz a heads up, it’s hard having your first crush at eleven but having your first heartbreak at eleven is ten times worse.”

Mack nods, making a mental note to pull Fitz aside and explain. Then he looks back at Elena a little in awe. “How did you get so good with kids?”

“I’m not, but I was a little girl once, it’s a tough life.”

She’s so pleased with herself. That was one of the first things he realized about her that he really liked; she was confident. Determined and straight forward.

And now they’re exceptionally close together. Forced into each other’s personal space as kids return to the sidewalk, arms full of treats. He blinks and she’s closer again, leaning in towards him.

There’s a deafening screech and they snap apart. The parade has rolled to a stop and a horrible grinding noise is emitting from the truck hauling the River’s End High School’s float. It rolls to a stop and cuts off. The crowd around them chatters in concern while the students frantically dismount the float and the truck bed.

“What’s going on?” One girl yells from the float.

“The truck must have stalled.” Another answers.

“Flint, what’s going on up there!”

The skinny young boy driving the truck leans out the window and shouts back at them. “It won’t turn back on.”

“Gabe, I thought your brother fixed up this thing.” A girl with white-blonde hair storms around the float, frustration evident as she addresses a boy still sitting in the bed of the truck.

“He had the guys at the shop take a look at it.”

“Well can you fix it?”

“Yeah Ruby, let me just jump right down from here and look under the hood.” The boy snapped back sarcastically.

The boy driving the truck jumps out and runs around to the front to lift the hood. “Yeah, I don’t exactly know what I’m looking for here.”

“This is going well.” Elena whispers to him as he watches them concerned.

“Old model, bad engine, probably something one of the kids picked up for cheap.” Maybe it was the mechanic in him but he was already assessing everything wrong with the truck. Even if it hadn’t stalled making it to the end of the parade would be a Christmas miracle.

“Dad, do you think you can help them?” Hopes asks.

“I haven’t got my tools, not sure there is much I could do.”

“I don’t think it could hurt.” Elena says, her eyes wide a the boy at the hood yanks his arm back as it crashes down. He’s joined by a girl with lots of dark curly hair and they open the hood again, steading it on the support.

“Alright.” He pushes himself off the ground “before someone loses a hand.”

Mack jogs out into the parade chaos. He has to clear a path through the crowd of students now converging at the front of the truck.

“This truck belong to one of you?” He shouts.

“It’s mine sir.” The girl with the dark curly hair speaks up.

“You have this problem before?” He asks. A glance over the engine and its not as bad as he anticipated, it’d clearly already had some decent work done on it but unfortunately it doesn’t show any obvious cause to the problem.

“Yes, but someone was supposed to have it checked out for me.” She glares at the boy now wheeling his way towards them.

“Shut it Tess, I’m trying to get Robbie on the phone.”

Mack tries hard not to groan. He’s so not ready for Hope to be on the verge of her teenage years.

He needs to check the radiator and fuel but its too hot to reach for anything with his bare hands. “Have any of you got an old rag or t-shirt?”

“There’s probably one in the truck.”

“Grab if for me, what about a flashlight.”

“I’ve got my phone.” Flint grabs the phone from his pocket and holds it out over the engine.

“Thanks kid.”

“Here.” The girl hands him a stained t-shirt. He manages to get the cap off the radiator but it doesn’t appear to be the issue.

“Was there any odds smells when you were driving?”

Flint shakes his head. “No, I don’t think so.”

Alright, that rules out a few possibilities.

“No, Robbie its fine, someone else is here already,” Gabe listened for a second, nodding along unimpressed before holding the phone out to him. “He wants to talk to you.”

Mack begrudgingly accepts the phone. “This is Mack.”

“Hey,” a voice with an accent like the boy’s greets him shortly, “the truck stalls on inclines and my brother won’t tell me where you are.”

That explains a lot. “They didn’t make it far, we’re on the main road outside the mall.”

“Dammit, my crew was supposed to fix the problem.”

“No worries, I think it’ll start again, its been down for a few minutes, doesn’t seem to have any other issues unless it’s the extra weight.”

“Give it a try, if they can get off that hill the parade levels out, should make it to the end.” Mack nods at Flint who jumps back in the truck.

“Easy.” He calls. Flint starts the engine which, after a long moment, stubbornly springs to life and relief washes over the students. “Alright its going.”

Robbie sighs. “I’ll get a backup truck over there just in case, first I gotta go fire somebody.” Mack chuckles, he doesn’t know this Robbie fellow, but he thinks they’d probably get along.

“I’ll follow along behind them down the hill.”

“Appreciate that.” Mack hands the phone back to Gabe.

“Alright everyone back on board, if you can make it down the hill you should be in the clear.” If there wasn’t a damn marching band in front of them, they could just throw it in neutral and roll. It takes everyone a minute to get back in place so he hurries over to Elena and Hope who are still watching from the curb.

“Everything alright?”

“Should be fine but I’m going to follow them for a bit make sure they don’t get stuck again.” Mack explains. “Do you mind hanging here with Hope?”

“Can’t we walk with you?” Hope asks.

“She can ride with us if she wants.” Tess, the curly haired girl offers. Hope’s eyes light up and she looks pleadingly up at him. Personally, he doesn’t want her anywhere near that truck but at two miles an hour she’d probably be safe.

“Alright, let’s go.” Mack lifts Hope up onto the float. Tess takes her hand and backs her away from the edge.

“Let’s go Flint!” Gabe shouts and the other boy waves his hand out the window. They being to roll and the crowd bursts into applause.

“You saved the day.” Elena nudges his shoulder as they begin to walk along side the float.

“I didn’t really have to do anything.”

“Well, you get credit for trying, I didn’t see anyone else run out there to help, just heard a bunch of moaning and complaining.”

“Yeah well, they’re good kids, but now all I can think about is how that’s going to be Hope in a few years.”

“Don’t worry about that, she’ll be just fine, she’s got an excellent role model to look up to.” She nudges his arm again, this time slipping her hand into his as they walk.

[heloisedaphnebrightmore]

You will be mine - Chapter 1. Something in him [Park Jimin x Reader]

Title: You will be mine - Chapter 1. Something in him ➔ Chapter 2. Here! Pairing: Park Jimin x Female!Reader Published: 25 June, 2020 Author: Heloise Daphne Brightmore

You will be mine Masterlist | Masterlists 

Being a teenager in Seoul, South Korea is hard. You are constantly studying to a point where you even dream with your textbooks or your rather annoying teachers. Then there is the discrimination. If you don't look pretty enough for their liking, or you lack a certain sense of style, which is of course decided by those kids whose parents have more money than you could imagine, you don't even have to worry, they will surely make you realise their dislike towards you. Addition to it, if you are a foreigner in a Korean high school, they will try to force you to be the school's play toy. Although, it only happens if you let them.

Of course as a foreign citizen living and studying in Korea I have had my fair share of problems, but I've never been the kind of girl who runs to the corner to cry, feeling sorry for herself. I've always stood up for myself and never let their insults get to me. It is a hard task. When people treat you bad, it will certainly have an impact on you. However it does take inner power to get you to stand up against them, which I am lucky enough to be able to do.

While living in Seoul, I didn't just experience the negative treats of the city. I was fortunate enough to make some good, loyal friends, who stood by my side. It's only been six months since I have moved to this completely new country, but I've already experienced bullying, have been sent to the principal's office and got suspended for a week.

There is a certain amount of harassment a person can take and I happened to get fed up on that particular day. Everyone has a limit and you physically are unable to stop yourself from reaching it. It's like when you pour water into a glass, the glass will not be able to stop you, but you can only pour until the top or it will end up streaming down the side.

On that day I felt the same. I couldn't control myself anymore, my mind went blank, my whole body was shaking out of anger. My fists were so tight, my knuckles turned white from the force. I felt my nails painfully ripping into the skin of my palm while letting some of the droplets of my blood escape. I could even hear the drops landing on the floor, if I really wanted to, while my bully was still venting her frustration on me. I didn't care that she was attacking me, I didn't care when she made up stories about me. I was already immune to their constant attention. At some point I even joked about that they must have had a crush on me for always trying to get my attention.

But the last straw was when one of their filthy mouth mentioned my friends in a rather disgusting gossip of theirs. I lost control. Just like that. I didn't plan it, I didn't expect it. I was watching myself as if I was a bystander. I have never hit anyone before, but my fist went on its own until it painfully met her face. A strong, sharp feeling shot through my fist, rushing up to my wrist, sending a numb sensation to my arm. Oh but it was worth it, alright.

The girl was lying on the grey tiled floor, dramatically screaming in pain, tears running down her doll-like face, ruining her carefully created make up. She acted as if I had hit her numerous times. I did get carried away, I would have never disputed that, but there was certainly no blood anywhere and I didn't even consider my little swing a powerful one. But she just kept screaming bloody murder, until the principal appeared with a horrified expression across his old, wrinkled face. He dragged me by my upper arm, straight to his office and suspended me for assault without even trying to listen to my side of the story. If I wasn't fuming enough already, that certainly helped me to reach my limits, but I kept in control this time.

I have lived through worse and although it did leave a sour taste in my mouth, I tried to get past these memories.

After my suspension, when I finally returned to school, I just wanted to get back to the normal cycle. Everyone would want that. Just study, have fun with friends and ignore those who try to destroy your carefully protected cycle.

But it came crumbling down right in front of me, as if they pulled the rug out from under me when I first saw him, running his fingers through his already messy hair as he passed me on the corridor. His presence radiated strength and confidence, capturing not just my eyes, but also my mind. My brain felt simply numb and I was incapable of thinking of anything but that certain person. Even trying to mutter an incoherent sentence felt like a lost attempt and that was not hard to do so.

I walked through the school's entrance door with my friend on the side, and would have minded my own business, just as I originally planed to do so. But boy, was I wrong to expect an uneventful day. My eardrums fought hard against a group of girls, each trying to scream louder than the other. I was uncertain of what caused such a behaviour, but I was certainly interested to see it for myself. I walked closer to the circle trying to look over the girls, tilting my head to have a clearer view in between the constantly moving heads, jumping bodies and impatiently stomping feet.

Then it hit me. He had such a powerful aura, I felt my breath involuntarily hitch at the sight of him. He walked through the corridor as if he owned the place and I was certain that he was not the only one thinking that way. I heaved a sigh as he turned to walk out of the building and he passed me, almost bumping into me followed by his friends. His dark eyes met mine and I felt as if he was capable of seeing through me. A shiver decided to run down my spine, as my concentration shifted to his parted lips, which were dominated by a slightly pink colour. The colour, I felt my cheeks turning into.

He was wearing his school uniform, which was supposed to look baggy and undesirable on each and every student, but his muscles were clearly visible through the thin, white material, showing it off to the curious eyes. I was incapable of taking my eyes off him and I was still following his path with my gaze when he has already exited the building, leaving me craving for more.

"Y/N?" My friend was poking my shoulder impatiently, but I somehow wasn't interested in what she had planned to say to me. My mind was still wandering over the presence of the boy. Although I didn't know him just yet, I was certain that I was about to. "Seriously, Y/N?" My friend tried again, this time successfully capturing my attention. I looked at her big brown eyes, which seemed rather unhappy with my ignorant behaviour.

"Who was he?" I asked nodding my head towards the direction the mystery boy left.

"Wait, are you being serious?" She frowned in confusion, making me feel less confident for some reason as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. She heaved a sigh as if she was about to tell me something I was supposed to already know. Even her sigh sounded rather annoyed. "He is Park Jimin. You must have heard about the group of boys who seemed to cause trouble for a while. Well, he is one of the members. They are quite popular amongst the female students. Even some of the male pupils, if you ask me." She grinned.

"He seems interesting." I blurted it out. Even I was surprised at my own words.

"You've never even spoken to him. You've just met him for the first time." She looked at me in disbelief.

"You are right, Yojin. I know that. And believe me, I feel like a bloody idiot. But there is something... just something in him." I looked at her with determination in my gaze. I knew she thought I was insane and that was probably the kindest adjective she has used internally.

"I'm assuming there is something you want to do... about this." She spoke, knowing me too well.

"Well, I am certainly interested in him, so logically speaking, I should get to know him." I shrugged with a tiny smile appearing in the corner of my lips.

"Let me make this clear. These boys have a very bad reputation. Which I do not say we have to believe, they could certainly be just rumours, but maybe... just maybe, they could be true and in that case you should rather just sit tight and do nothing." She tried to convince me, but I just chuckled at her weak attempt. I knew first hand what it was to be the centre of a story, I didn't even know existed.

"Anything else?" I grinned at her as I threw my arm around her shoulder and gently started pushing her towards the class room.

"Y/N, you don't get it. Even if they are not as bad as the rumours say, the girls gawking over them are cruel people, who will find the most disgusting ways to get rid of you, if you even decide to take a step toward one of their boys." She spoke, looking up at me as a deep frown sat across her brows. I didn't dispute that the girls definitely seemed a bit off, a bit maybe over the top, but girls are just girls. What could be the worst to happen...

"I love you, Yojin, but let's be honest. You know me. I am not one to back down just because of some minor obstacles. I completely understand your worry, but there is just something in him. I would like to get to know him." A reassuring smile spread across my face. "So will you be helping me, or will I be doing it on my own?" I asked with a cheeky smile, knowing she always loved my playful side. She let out a deep sigh before opening her mouth to answer.

"Fine... But if anything goes wrong, you leave them alone, am I clear?" She asked in such a motherly tone, I just laughed softly and nodded in agreement.

Notes: If you enjoyed it, don’t forget to like the chapter. Thank you :)

[writtenbyandria]

KIRA+DOMINIC — 03

It wasn’t often that Kira Mosley ventured out of the quieted comforts of Nassau County without adult supervision.

There were times where, after much pleading with her parents for permission, she’d commute into the Manhattan with a few of her classmates.

Those instances, however, were far and few between.

Unlike those previous occurrences of wandering aimlessly through Central Park until sunset or perusing the liveness taking place at Times Square before embarking on the tedious quest to find somewhere to eat, Kira commuted without her usual group of friends to keep her company throughout the prolonged commute. Rather than resorting to hearing the latest gossip pertaining to whose crush was smitten with who, she commuted to Queens by her lonesome and busied herself with listening to the playlist she spent a majority of her morning curating.

The randomly selected sounds of nineties R&B floated through her headphones throughout the entire duration of her train ride and settled her never ending case of nerves as gathered her belongings and exited the train.

As she hurried up the steps of the 169th Street Subway Station, her stare roamed up the length of the individual sporting a familiar reserved grin. His hands had been stuffed into his pockets.

Before uttering a meek ‘hello’ the moment she raced up the last step, Dominic simply removed her earbuds and toyed with the ends of her cornrows.

“I was startin’ to think you weren’t gonna show.”

“I told you I was.”

Dominic shrugged, “You don’t really know me from nowhere.”

“I know you well enough.” Kira murmured. The fullness of his lips contorted into a blatant smirk that disappeared all within a matter of seconds. “And you still came to see if I’d come.”

“...Yeah,” was all he bothered to say. For some reason, his meekness intrigued Kira. Not because of his sudden tamed behavior was appealing in any way, but because she could see that her arrival to the borough was appreciated. It was almost as if the slight gesture was extraordinary.

Remarkable, even.

“Your people know that you’re out here...with me?” Dominic asked as they waited for the opportunity to cross at the intersection.

“No,” she quickly admitted and later revealed that she used her friend Autumn to cover up her actual whereabouts.

“I’on want you getting in trouble ‘cause of me.”

“I won’t.” Kira said with certainty. With her mother currently vacating with old friends from her alma mater and her father stationed at one of the three hospitals within the county that he happened to have affiliations with, Kira was sure she’d dodge facing any trouble from her parents.

Without saying anything else about her parents or the plausible what-ifs that would ultimately land her in a heap of trouble, Dominic guided Kira across the congested intersection of 169th Street and Hillside Avenue.

She smiled inwardly when he took her hand in his.

Though the stint of hand-holding lasted all of but two minutes due to him luring her into a pizzeria, Kira couldn’t disregard the elation momentarily flooding her.

“For what it’s worth, I’d like to remind you that I was honest with you the moment your mother and I found out about this whole fixer upper nonsense. I said you were in over your head then. And, sweetheart, I’m afraid my stance on it still hasn't changed.”

Huffing, Jackson Mosley pulled his daughter into an embrace in which they separated quicker than expected.

The unfavorable news of her failing to put the foreclosed townhome back on the market was a tough pill to swallow for the fifty-six year old man, apparently.

They shuffled from his parked Land Rover Sport that idled the decent-sized driveway, and up the back steps; the path paved evenly with asphalt was about the only task Kira didn’t seek out to reconstruct. She did, however, plan to have contractors completely gut out the kitchen and bathrooms strictly for remodeling renovations. She also wanted the flooring to be taken up and replaced with brand-spanking-new wooden planks.

Using the duplicate set of house keys she had made a month ago, Kira entered the home and groaned from the displeasing stale stench wafting into her nose.

“What’s wrong with your apartment? Are they increasing the rent?”

“No. Nothing’s wrong with the apartment.” Kira muttered. She trudged through the foyer and headed straight for the dated kitchen simply just to look out towards the expansive yard space. At the sliding glass door, her father joined her. “It’s just that...I don’t know. I think I’m beginning to hate living there. Well, it isn’t so much as I think. I know I’m beginning to hate living there.” Kira admitted. “Gosh. I can’t even believe I’m saying this…”

Years ago -- when enduring the expected slump in freelance journalism and conceptualizing ideas for her own forthcoming blog-site -- Kira would have never imagined she’d eventually grow tired of Brooklyn and actually miss the quieted comforts of the suburbs.

She fled to college not only to earn her degree, but to also be catapulted into a new environment. While studying at Howard University she vowed to never move back to Nassau County indefinitely and made sure to occupy all of her summer breaks with internships that required her to frequent places far from her hometown. Kira had made strides in straying far from Hempstead and established residency in Brooklyn right after graduation to make sure she never had to dwell there too long during. Aside from the holidays where her mother would have to beg her to stay for days at a time, or a massive gatherings (that tended to occur far and few between as of late), Kira hardly dwelled there and regarded herself as a proud Brooklyn transplant who tended to stay within the borough.

In her early twenties, she had fallen in love with everything Brooklyn had to offer; the convenience and close proximity trumped every other amenity.

Her best writing happened in Brooklyn.

Her best years were in Brooklyn.

Some of her more memorable sexual encounters happened to be with Brooklynites.

Kira couldn’t believe it was even possible to loathe Brooklyn as much as she had within the last two years. The neighborhood of Williamsburg had become too crowded for her liking.

Sadly, neither the restaurants, bars, lounges, nor the generous coffee shop barista who gave her fresh pastries due to her being a faithful subscriber were not enough to keep Kira residing there any longer.

Now, in an ironic twist of fate, Kira sought out to move back to Nassau County in a timely fashion.

Among the homes she came across while perusing several online real estate sites, was a foreclosed property in Long Island’s town of Oyster Bay. It reminded Kira of her childhood home in Hempstead although the properties differed greatly in acreage.

“Do you really need all this space?” Jackson asked.

“Yes. The space would be a benefit.” Kira defended. No matter how persistent Jackson Mosley was about putting the three-bedroom home back on the market, Kira was certain she’d make use of the space.

He father heaved a hardly audible sigh and ran his hand over his face. “What I’m saying is that having all this square footage may be a bit overwhelming. Realistically speaking, Kira, you are a single woman with no children. What on Earth do you need with all of this space? You’d be better off looking for another apartment.”

“Whether I want the space or intend to utilize every square foot is subjective, daddy.” Kira replied sternly, crossing her arms over her chest. “It was a steal. I purchased this home considerably way cheaper than what the homeowners in this area purchased theirs for.” She further noted. “I’m gonna fix this up and use as much or as little space as I please. It’s mine.”

A contemptuous grin etched across her father’s expression, and faltered the moment he advanced towards the old-fashioned kitchen peninsula. The counter space was made of a material Kira couldn’t bear to look at for too long, due to the previous owner’s poor choice of granite that conflicted with the cherry wood cabinets.

“Have you even made the attempt to contact the contractors your mother referred you to?”

“Yes, and I chose not to give those assholes --”

“Kira,” Jackson warned, “watch your mouth.”

She glanced at her father over her shoulder. “Sorry. It slipped out.”

“Now what were you saying about the contractors? And mind your language this time.”

“They were pulling my leg about requesting a quote for a kitchen and bathroom remodel. It’s safe to say I won’t be using them.”

“Kira if you can’t even find the proper contractors to help you make this place liveable, then perhaps you need to put it back on the market like I’ve advised.”

“I’m not doing that. But I will be looking for a contractor this week. I’ll make sure of it.” Kira insisted, catching her father’s blatant eye-roll as he ambled back towards the front of the home. “You don’t believe that I have any intention of finding suitable contractors, do you?”

Rather than sparing his only daughter of having to hear the harsh admission by allowing a prolonged silence to loom over them, Jackson Mosley simply confirmed Kira’s preconceived suspicion by uttering, “No, I don’t.”

“Well,” she took a step, “if you don’t have faith in me to actually find someone for the job, you must have no faith in me at all.”

Adjusting the strap to the crossbody bag onto her frame, Kira made a beeline for the door and muttered to her father that she had no intention to head back her parents’ home after locking up. Almost immediately, she felt immense regret for opting to commute to Long Island by way of public transportation on account of her having to solely rely on her father.

“Take me back to the transit station, please.”

Back in Brooklyn, Kira busied herself with composing drafted reviews of complimentary cosmetics and hair products she picked up from an expo she attended the previous week.

The event specifically curated to gain exposure for black-owned beauty start-ups provided Kira with new content to publish onto her site. Typically, she uploaded the drafted posts throughout the approaching week in an effort to keep maintain her quota of visitor traffic to her blog. The frequent postings not only fed her loyal audience, but also provided her with a substantial amount of monthly revenue from advertisements and contracted branding partnerships.

While thoroughly delving into personal pros and cons she experienced while using a manuka honey leave-in conditioner one of the business owners provided her with, Kira halted in typing another word onto the document and retreated back to the list of contractor companies the web browser’s search engine had provided.

As she skimmed the lengthy list in search of a company that were either within close proximity of the home in Oyster Bay or advertising their willingness to commute to other towns within the state limits, her apartment door opened; a pair of keys jingled as the individual padded down the narrow hallway.

Besides herself, only two people were provided with a set of keys into the private dwelling. Not even her parents were equipped with manufactured duplicates.

“Autumn?” Kira called out, forming the presumption that her childhood friend and infrequent roomie had decided to pop up without calling in advance.

Teeth smackings emitted from Kira the moment her eyes settled on the short crop of coarse curls belonging to her brother Lawrence.

“Shoes --,” Kira chided, “-- remove them.”

Huffing her brother four years her junior turned swiftly on the soles of his bulky basketball sneakers and retreated back down the dimly lit hallway.

“You could’ve called.”

“Didn’t think I needed to. You know, since I got the keys and all.”

Instead of plopping onto the dull grey couch positioned against the adjacent wall, Lawrence raced into the kitchen, failing to wash his hands before rummaging through the refrigerator. When he returned, vegetable lo mein was served on one of the marble plateware she hardly put to use. Her fingers drummed along the wireless keyboard paired to her iMac.

By then, Lawrence sauntered towards the couch and reclaimed his usual seat on the couch’s far left; his feet propped atop the mirrored coffee table riddled with books and flea market knick knacks.

“Any progress on the new place?”

“No, not yet. I’m still in the process of looking for contractors.”

“You’ve been saying you were looking into contractors since before you took your trip. You’re making the task harder than what it needs to be.”

“I know. I’ve been a bit sidetracked this since I’ve gotten back.”

“Back from Long Island, or back from L.A.?”

“L.A.,” Kira retorted and mussed with her hair. “If I didn’t have to go and check on the property, I would’ve slept the entire day away. I’ve been back for two days, and I’m still I’m a bit jet lagged.”

“Shit. I forgot to ask. How’d the meeting go?”

“Fairly well, considering that all my terms are going to be contractually upheld.”

The trip in which she traveled strictly to negotiate the preliminary stipulations to her pending collaborative venture left Kira jet-lagged, but more so afflicted with procrastination. Well before making the trip to Los Angeles, company bigwigs -- a duo consisting of a marketing strategist and a branding consultant -- were ardent on gaining consumership with women of color. In the wake of teasing the release of a new formulated foundation produced in a broad range of shades, the renown cosmetic company’s marketing specialist specifically sought out to acquire black beauty bloggers and other online beauty content creators to assist in advertising the brand’s forthcoming fall release.

Kira’s site traffic and faithful readership coupled with her previous ventures with a cosmetic startups and well-known brands were three components that happened to land Kira on the strategist’s radar. Over brunch, at some pretentious eatery, the twenty-seven year old pressed for the rather extensive amount of money she sought out to obtain for the collaborative venture. And by dinner the following evening, Kira was mulling over a newly drawn up, non-binding contract that had already been both faxed and emailed to her lawyer.

Given the approval from the lawyer she kept on retainer, Kira happily signed the contract, and prematurely relished in acquiring the approaching lump sum by overindulging in drinks.

And, of course, Omari Grant.

At the mere thought of the retired quarterback and their tryst in his hotel room, Kira shuddered and rubbed her neck.

“I’ll have a number to a contractor by tomorrow. Mark my words.”

“Ai’ight,” Lawrence expressed with great doubt, “I’ma hold you to it.”

Kira’s eyes narrowed, “Hold me to it?”

“For whatever reason, you’re prolonging the process. If you aren’t one-hundred percent invested in this whole remodeling project, then you shouldn’t even be bothered. Either get the ball rollin’ on hiring contractors for the renovations or put the shit back on the market.”

“Alright. That’s enough. I can’t take any more of you lecturing me on what I need to do. You sound like dad.” Kira rushed out. She resumed with perusing the list of established general contracting companies.

At random, she selected Johnson & Parsons Home Improvement. As stated on their website, The New York-based contracting firm offered services throughout the listed cities, including the town in which the foreclosed property was located. “Dad’s fine, by the way. Just in case you were wondering.”

Kira averted her eyes from the desktop’s massive screen and peered over at Lawrence.

The sudden disinterest in the conversation as it pertained to their father was aparrent in his deadpan expression.

“He asked about you this afternoon.”

Her eyes rolled instinctively when recollecting the awkward drive to the train station. Jackson Mosley simply couldn’t take the hint to keep the conversation to a minimum.

Instead of commuting in silence, he turned on the radio, hoping that the songs playing from the Hip-Hop and R&B station would lure Kira out of her momentary irritation. But when that was proven to be unsuccessful the middle-aged man followed the stint of humming along to the catchy instrumentals from yesteryear by asking about Lawrence.

“He’s fine.” She remembered tersely retorting, later mentioned the creative strides her brother was making, as of late.

For some reason, Kira hoped that Lawrence would have perked up the moment that tidbit of information swept past her lips. Sadly, to no avail, her younger brother sported the same look of indifference he often had whenever the topic of conversation reverted to Jackson Mosley.

A deafening silence loomed over them subsequent to Lawrence sticking a fork in the cold helping of leftover takeout. In that discomforting lull, Kira could feel the harbored resentment radiating from her younger brother as he remained silent; the marbled plateware balanced atop the couch’s broad armrest. Lawrence mussed with the hairs sprouting from his chin.

“Call him, Lawrence.”

The agonizing contempt evaded him.

His pursed lips gave way to a smirk of sudden amusement. Laughter escaped him soon afterward.

“What’s so funny?” Kira queried.

“Nothing.”

“No. Tell me. I wanna know.”

“Nothing,” Lawrence fixed his lips to say again before releasing an exasperated sigh, “It’s just funny how you’re advising me to speak to him when you’ve been on the outs with him before, too.” Lawrence spat prior to grasping the fork and stuffing his mouth with noodles. He ate with gusto and hadn’t thought to stop until the plate was bare. “I can recall a time where you and dear old dad weren’t on the best of terms.” Lawrence recounted. “You and mom weren’t so amicable back then, either. In fact, I could vividly remember you went nearly a whole semester without speaking to them.”

“I was a freshman in college --

“ -- I know you not about to cop out with that excuse again.”

“It’s not an excuse.”

“It’s a bullshit excuse. It always was.” Lawrence insisted. “You’re gonna hold onto that, aren’t you? Will you ever be honest and say that you still had that chip on your shoulder from senior year. So much so that you insisted on staying with Autumn and her family during winter break.”

Silence pervaded the room, prompting Lawrence to sigh inwardly.

“I guess not.” He muttered. “Sometimes I believe you only interact with him now because I choose not to. Dad could hardly stomach the fact that you and him were estranged all that time. I couldn’t even imagine how crushed that man would be if both of his children decided to steer clear of having any interaction with him at the same time.”

It wasn’t until Kira jotted down the number to Johnson & Parsons Home Improvement on a nearby post-it note that he muttered, “he should’ve made a better attempt at being a father.”

Lawrence’s statement hung in the air, prompting Kira’s shoulders to visibly contract as she set the ballpoint pen down beside the mouse and it’s respected stark white mousepad; the tension pervading the living room was thick and also somber the longer Kira continued to ponder on not only her underlying grievances with her father, but her brother’s as well.

The children of Jackson Mosley idled within the confines of Kira’s Williamsburg apartment, failing to utter anything to each other.

The weight of their father’s disastrous approach to parenting evident as time progressed.