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demxters · 2 years ago

Text

—LOVING YOU IS THE ANTIDOTE

frat!jake seresin x f!reader

dagger squad college!au

summary: you didn’t like jake seresin. you tolerated him. if you hadn’t befriended bradley bradshaw, you wouldn’t have given him the time of day. he was everything you weren’t. delta chi’s golden boy, popular, desirable, and a charmer. you did not like jake seresin. so why did it hurt when he didn’t want you?

wc: a monstrous 8.6k

warning(s): 18+, fem!reader, no y/n (reader goes by nickname ace), mentions of sex/hookups, alcohol and drinking, weed (briefly mentioned), self deprecating thoughts, jake is lowkey an asshole, and language

𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐃𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊, 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐑𝐄𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃!

Whoever said group projects got easier in college don’t know what they’re talking about. If anything, group projects were the bane of your existence—the reason why you considered dropping out every semester. Being in your third year, you were just barely surviving the group project epidemic. This semester, however, had you at your wits end. All because of a stupid assigned group project.

You had an affinity for being a perfectionist. You were all work and no play. While many of your peers thought it was infuriating, you saw it as your best feature. You got things done. You couldn’t say the same for everyone else. A stick in the mud, a hardass, whatever they chose to call you didn’t matter at the end of the day.

“I’m telling you Nat, they’re imbeciles. The entire time we were exchanging contact information, I thought my head was going to explode from the idiocy spewing from their mouths.” Sitting in the busy dining hall, you rant to your best friend Natasha Trace of the absolute horrors of group mates you’ve been given for this assignment.

You met Natasha at a student mixer in your first year of university. The two of you hit it off immediately from bonding over your tastes for cheesy romance novels and an overly concerning obsession for Dr. Pepper and Smarties. Since then, you two became thick as thieves and haven’t looked back since.

“Maybe you’re being a little too quick to judge,” Nat counters, playing on the remaining peas on her plate with her fork. “You haven’t even given ‘em a chance yet.” That was Natasha for you, ever the voice of reason for your dislike of any person who wasn’t the three you were friends with.

You roll your eyes and cross your arms across your chest with a pout. “If you met them, I bet you would be saying the exact same thing. Besides, they’re frat guys. Isn’t that reason to hate them enough?”

“Why didn’t you lead with that? What’re their names? We can get Mickey to stalk them on Instagram or something.” Her eyes light up at the idea. She doesn’t even give you the chance to answer as she pulls out her phone, no doubt to text Mickey if he could do her a favor.

Mickey Garcia was another one of those close friends of yours. You met him at a Halloween Party where he showed up dressed as Poe Dameron from the later Star Wars movies. Your affinity for Star Wars and a love for Oscar Isaac drew you to him, eventually earning him the affectionate nickname of Fanboy. You introduced him to Natasha and the rest was history.

You swat at her hand, silently telling her to drop her phone. “No. We are not stalking them on Instagram.”

The sound of her text tone going off makes you groan. “Too late. Mick already said he’d do it. So, what are their names?”

You shovel another spoonful of mashed potatoes into your mouth before begrudgingly responding. “Bradley and Jake.” Their names taste like acid in your mouth. So what if you were being a little too quick to judge? You’ve done enough group projects to know this would end up being yet another you would be doing all by yourself.

Natasha’s quiet as she types up their names and sends them back to Mickey. Barely five minutes passes when she receives a response back. “Is this them?” She shows you her screen and at this point, you’ve learned not to question how Mickey could have possibly found them in the sea of Jake and Bradleys that go to your university–let alone pick out the right ones. You nod and she laughs, scrolling through her phone before moving to the seat next to you. “What did I tell you? He found their Instagram, Twitter, and Tinder profiles! God bless, Mickey Garcia.”

You push your head against hers, curiosity killing all resolve you had of not caring. The two of you go through their Instagrams and tagged posts like you were reading the morning paper. There wasn’t anything too surprising about them. It was everything you would expect from a twenty something year old guy in a college fraternity. You hated to admit, however, that they were attractive. You were probably too irritated in class to pay attention to how good looking they are. But that doesn’t dismiss the fact that you were still dreading to work with the two.

“See?” You tell Natasha, motioning to the photo she has pulled up of Bradley on one of his fishing trips. “They are grade-A assholes. Everything about them screams douchebag.”

“You gotta admit, they’re hot,” she breathes and you smack her on the shoulder.

“Natasha Monica Trace!”

Nat shoves you back before shrugging. “What? Don’t you agree?”

“Of course I do, but may I remind you that looks do not equal brains.” You snatch the phone from her grasp and exit out of Instagram.

Nat places a gentle hand on the crook of your elbow, noticing the tension in your body. “Just give them a chance, babe. What’s the worst that could happen?”

_______

You didn’t think it was possible to be friends, let alone acquaintances with Delta Chi’s favorite heartbreakers. Three months and two parties later, you found yourself tolerating your fellow project partners. Then the impossible happened. Bradley Bradshaw and Jake Seresin proved your first impression of them wrong. Well, Bradley did. Jake was the preppy douchebag you suspected him to be. He sat back while Bradley and you pulled his weight. You hated him and his dimpled, Hollywood smile. You hated those lips that knew exactly what to say to get anyone in a three foot radius on their knees. Not to mention those annoyingly green eyes of his.

Once the project was complete you thought you’d never have to interact with them ever again. Oh, how wrong you were. If only you hadn’t offered up your apartment to complete the assignment. Then they wouldn’t have met Nat, Mickey, and Bob. They wouldn’t have invited them to their stupid frat party. You wouldn’t have been forced to see them outside of scheduled study time and your friends wouldn’t have fallen perfectly in line with theirs.

Though you will admit, they weren’t all bad. Surprisingly, you actually appreciated most of their company. Underneath Bradley’s frat boy personality, was a secretly brainy political science major and one of the sweetest people you’ve ever met. His other friends, both from Delta Chi, also became fast additions to your little group. Javy Machado and Reuben Fitch were charmers and they knew it. But they were kind and didn’t have an obnoxiously large ego that most frat boys had.

You loved them all, but you couldn’t stand Jake Seresin. No matter how badly he tried to get on your good side, you wouldn’t have it. You weren’t going to give him the satisfaction of being another person to fall victim to his charm.

“Well Ace, you’ve somehow managed to ruin the fun. Again,” Jake deadpans from where he sits across from you at the coffee table. He bet that you couldn’t beat him at a round of chess. You took that challenge and beat him in three rounds.

A smug smile overcomes your features as you get up from your criss-crossed position and do a little happy dance at Jake’s obvious disappointment. “Snooze, you lose, Hangman.”

He groans at the appointed nickname you gave him two weeks into knowing him. Jake had been bragging about his latest sexual escapades and Bradley said something along the lines of him leaving his catch of the day hanging, disappearing before morning. The nickname stuck and became universally used within your friend group.

You miss the slight upward tug of his lips when you turn around and head to the kitchen to grab another bottle of water.

Bob, who had been observing each match and quietly serving as referee, broke Jake out of his reverie. “You went easy on her.”

Jake avoids Bob’s inquisitive stare and focuses on the faded chessboard. “No I didn’t.”

“Yes you did,” he quips, matter of factly. “I’ve seen you play against Bradley. You’re better than that.”

“Well, maybe I didn’t want her to feel bad for losing,” He shrugs, nonchalantly.

“Or maybe you just like seeing her win.”

Jake chucks the pillow he was sitting on at Bob, quickly shutting him up with a squeak. You make your way back to the table, eyeing the two boys at their strange behavior. “You up for one more round, Seresin?”

He checks his watch. “Can’t. Have a thing with Sarah tonight.”

The information makes your heart drop just a little bit in your chest, but you regain your composure. You clear your throat and harden your features. “Oh. Have fun at your…thing.” He didn’t have to tell you it was a hookup for you to know it was a hookup. He had “things” every week, which is why you didn’t understand why this time hurt you just a little more.

The room is silent after Jake leaves with you washing the dishes while Bob sits and reads on the couch. You anxiously looked to the clock that was incessantly ticking away on the wall, desperate for Natasha to get home. You loved Bob, but right now you needed to have some girl talk.

You exasperatedly sigh, harshly wiping your palms on the dish rag on your shoulder.

Bob hums, silently questioning what the matter was.

“Did Nat say when she was coming home?” You throw the rag on the counter and plop yourself down beside him. “I tried texting her but she hasn’t responded.”

Bob thinks for a minute, then responds, “Nope.”

“Well how long is it gonna take her to run this damn errand?”

One thing about Bob: he was a shit liar. The tips of his ears immediately got red and his blue eyes never had the guts to meet those he was lying to.

“Bob…” You scoot closer to him, noticing the tell tale signs of his dishonesty.

“What?” His voice cracks and so does his last bit of dignity.

“When’s Natasha coming home?”

One look into your narrowed eyes is all it takes to have Bob breaking his resolve. “Alright, fine. She said she was going to be out past dinner.”

“Why?”

The frown on your face almost breaks his heart. “She–well…” He hated lying to you, especially when you looked at him like that. Your little pout and wide eyes had him cursing silently. “She went on a date.”

“Oh.” Your brows screw up in confusion. “Then why didn’t she just tell me?”

Bob cringes. “Don’t tell her I told you, otherwise she will kill me.”

You hold your pinky out to him with a small smile. He links his with yours and the two of you press a soft kiss to your fisted hands before pulling away.

“Alright, fine. She didn’t tell you because she’s going on a date with Javy,” he rushes out.

You blink, processing the information. You and Nat told each other everything. Why did she feel the need to hide this from you? You voice your thoughts out loud and Bob shakes his head.

“She thought you were gonna blow up at her for going out with him. You know, because he’s Jake’s best friend and all.” Bob watches you cautiously. Your temper was unpredictable sometimes. One second you would be fine and the next you would be blowing your top off. He wasn’t sure which side of you he was going to get this time.

A sniffle leaves you and you wipe at your nose with the back of your hand. “Why would I get mad at her for that?”

“Because you haven’t had the kindest of opinions towards women who date frat guys, especially Delta Chi ones.”

You vaguely recall that conversation. You had called those women “airheads who are addicted to sex.” But you didn’t mean it. You were drunk and bitter about the fact that you were in your third year of college and still single. Had you known Nat wanted to go out with Javy, you would’ve kept your big mouth shut. “But I like Javy,” is all you can say.

Bob nods. “Yeah, but you hate Jake.”

Your gaze snaps back to him. “So?”

“So, she thought going out with him was like… I don’t know. Fraternizing with the enemy?”

“But Javy’s my friend. I don’t care about how close he is to Hangman. He isn’t like him,” you huff. Pulling your knees to your chest, you take a deep breath. “If he makes her happy then…she should go out with him. I just wish she told me.”

Bob wraps his arm around you, tugging you so your head could rest on his shoulder. He knew there was more to this than you let on. But he let it slide, choosing to comfort you in your conflicted feelings. “When Nat gets home, you should tell her that.” “I will,” you murmur into the fabric of his sweatshirt.

He presses a soft kiss to the crown of your head. “Good.”

It’s at that moment that the apartment door swings open, revealing Mickey with Jake in tow. Your head snaps up and you see Jake standing there with his mouth agape.

Mickey nods at you and Bob in quick greeting before pointing a thumb at the man behind him. “Idiot forgot his jacket again. It’s a good thing he caught me in the parking lot.”

You laugh awkwardly, stiffening in Bob’s hold.

You feel his arm drop from around your shoulder as he clears his throat, looking away from Jake.

“Sorry,” Jake’s voice is rough and there’s a look in his eyes that you can’t quite place. “Didn’t mean to interrupt.”

Bob waves him off. “It’s all good. You weren’t interrupting anything. Right, Ace?”

You can only nod dumbly, still not taking your eyes off of Jake’s vibrant green.

Jake clicks his tongue to the roof of his mouth. “Alright. Well, thanks again for letting me in, Mick. I’ll um, catch you guys later I guess.” He steals one last look of you snugly wrapped up in Bob before rushing out the door with a small shake of his head.

Jake doesn’t speak to you for a week after that.

_______

The tune of Slow Ride hits your ears and you groan into your cup. Bradley looks at you in amusement from where you sit beside him on the stairs. The boys had decided to unwind from yet another stressful week with yet another Delta Chi party. You were pretty adamant on sitting this one out, mainly because you didn’t want to see Jake or his new conquest of the week. Things have been tense to say the least. The fact that you and Jake didn’t get along wasn’t new to the group, however as the days passed, your nonstop bickering eventually turned to tolerance for one another. Enough to almost say the two of you were even becoming friends.

Jake still annoyed you to your core but his company somehow managed to grow on you. Which is why his sudden radio silence upset you. It got to the point that you couldn’t even look at him without seeing red.

“This is stupid,” you grumble, taking another swig of the cheap beer in your cup. You hated these parties. Normally, your friends wouldn’t mind you opting out to stay home instead. However Nat had noticed how your sour mood progressed throughout the week and concluded that you needed to get out to places that weren’t the lecture halls. She begged you to come with her to the party Delta Chi was throwing this weekend. For me? she pleaded, knowing just how much you hated saying no to her. Now that you were here, you longed to be back in the confines of your apartment, snuggled under your covers with a cup of tea and Emily Henry to keep you company.

Instead, you found yourself crammed in a two story frat house that was filled to the brim with sweaty and intoxicated bodies. The music was too loud and the smell of alcohol and weed was sure to be stuck on your clothes by the night’s end. The only thing keeping you sane was Bradley’s company and you knew that as the night progressed, even he would soon disappear.

“You want me to take you home?” Bradley asks, leaning down to your ear so you can hear him.

You shake your head, pushing at his shoulder. “It’s fine. Besides, I have a feeling you’re gonna get lucky tonight, Bachelor.” You nod towards the blonde in the corner of the room whose eyes haven’t left Bradley since the two of you migrated to the staircase.

He was practically drooling under the dimmed lights as he followed your motions. Bradley sends the girl a smirk before looking at you wordlessly.

“Go,” you urge him with a laugh.

He lets out a breath, downing the rest of his drink and giving your knee a squeeze. “Thanks. I owe you!”

You playfully roll your eyes. “Yeah, whatever. Be safe!”

Bradley winks at you over his shoulder. “Always am!”

The small smile on your lips fades as you watch Bradley go and flirt with the pretty blonde. You were never the center of attention, never the type that anyone gave their time of day to. You were average. Plain boring. The constant reminder of that was there when you hung out with the boys. You loved them, but hearing the way they talked about other girls did take a stab at your self esteem. You used to make fun of them with Natasha but then she started dating Javy, and became one of those girls. And you don’t blame them, your best friend was gorgeous. Anyone with eyes could see that. You convinced yourself that you liked the lack of attention and isolation. But every now and then, you wished someone saw you and thought, Wow. Now that’s someone I want to be with.

You push yourself off the carpeted stairs, deciding to find Reuben or even Nat and Javy. The cup in your hand is empty anyways. Might as well get a refill while you’re at it. You can barely move through the sea of people that are packed into such a small space. People were grinding against each other left and right, making you want to hurl. You push your way through the kitchen, finally making it to the open patio where beer pong tournaments and sloppy make outs occurred. The cold, night air feels nice against your hot and sweaty skin. You close your eyes, leaning up against the wall and drown out the music and laughter around you. Peace. You just needed a moment of peace.

You’re too caught up in your own little bubble to notice the presence that saunters up beside you.

“What’s a pretty thing like you doing out here all alone?”

The voice startles you from your moment and your eyes snap open. A hand reaches up to your racing heart and you turn to meet the source of your sudden adrenaline rush. The man beside you is familiar, you’ve seen him once or twice on campus and at other Fraternity events the boys had invited you to. Not to mention, incredibly good looking as well.

He holds a hand up, almost like he was trying to calm a rattled horse and sheepishly smiles. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

You swallow, sharply exhaling and squeezing your plastic up in your hand to ground yourself. “It’s alright.” You avoid his gaze and nervously pick at the chapped skin of your lower lip.

“Billy Avalone,” he introduces himself with a confident grin. “I think I’ve seen you ‘round with Seresin and Bradshaw.”

You finally look up to meet his gaze and offer him a dry smile. You offer him an introduction of your own. “Nice to meet you.”

Billy ever so smoothly scoops up your free hand in his and places a soft kiss to the upside of your hand. Your cheeks heat up at his delicate touch and your knees almost buckle at the glimmer in his eyes. “Trust me, the pleasure is all mine.”

His manners make you chortle and you snort, pulling away from him to hide behind your smirk behind your palm.

Rather than drawing away from you, he finds himself intrigued and raises a brow at your amusement. “What?”

“Nothing, nothing,” you say in between laughter. You grasp your cup with both hands before looking at him with a much more genuine smile on your face. “It’s just… You are not what I expected from a Delta Chi.”

He nods knowingly, remembering your association with Jake and Bradley. “What can I say? I’m full of surprises.”

There was that ego you were looking for. But it doesn’t deter you like it normally would, in fact you find yourself leaning into him. “Oh yeah? Like what?” You shut your mouth immediately after that, quite surprised by your sudden burst of confidence.

Billy leans into you just as much, letting his hand brush against your forearm. It sends a shiver down your spine and goosebumps arise on your bare skin. “Nice try, but that’s to be revealed only if you agree to go on a date with me.”

There was no malice in his tone, no laughing idiots around to signify that anything about this was a joke. The look in Billy’s eyes was full of genuine hope and for the first time that night, you find yourself forgetting all about Jake Seresin and immerse yourself in the idea of Billy Avalone. He was charming and attractive. Lean, but broad enough for you to tell that underneath the jacket he wore was all muscle. You found it hard to believe that Billy had any interest in you and yet, here he was, asking you out on a date. Any other day, you would’ve taken a hard pass.You would’ve told him to move along and put his energy into another person who would consider saying yes. But then you think of Nat and Javy and just how utterly lonely you feel, deciding that Billy was worth the chance and the risk.

You open your mouth to respond, but stiffen at the feeling of warmth that encapsulates your back. You don’t need to turn to know exactly who it is. The familiar scent of laundry detergent and cinnamon washes over you and you resist the urge to fall into him.

“Billy,” Jake greets, his voice dropping an octave as he leans in closer to you. His chest just barely brushes against your back sending a new wave of warmth to your neck and cheeks.

“Hey, Jake.” Billy’s gaze flicks to Jake’s before he focuses his attention back on you, still eagerly waiting for your response.

Your breath hitches in your throat at the feeling of Jake’s hand on your lower back and you turn to look at him with furrowed brows. His usually well kept hair was stuffed under his backwards baseball cap and despite the chill of the night air he was in nothing but a t-shirt and jeans.

The air between the three of you is heavy as Billy tries to dismiss Jake’s presence. “So, what do you say about that date?” He smiles at you sweetly, rocking back and forth on his heels.

Before you can utter a response Jake steps in front of you and blocks you completely from Billy’s view. “Let’s get out of here, Ace.”

You can’t believe what you’re hearing. You scoff, balling your hand up in a fist to resist the urge to slap the back of Jake’s perfect head. “Excuse me? Seresin, will you knock it off?”

He ignores you, taking a step closer to Billy. Jake straightens his spine. “She’s off limits. Got it, Avalone?”

“Well, shit, Jake. If that’s your girl, why didn’t you just say so?” Billy gives you an apologetic look from over Jake’s shoulder.

Jake huffs, almost like an angry bull. “Off. Limits.”

You frown, adamantly shaking your head. “Wait, Billy. I am not his girl.”

“No, it’s alright. I’m sorry I even asked. I’ll see you around, I guess.” He knew better than to pick a fight with Jake Seresin. His defeated gaze darts to the floor before he makes his way back into the house.

Your chest is heaving as you watch Billy walk away. You don’t know whether you want to cry or scream more. You decide on the latter, not deeming Jake worthy of your tears.

Jake turns to face you, still smiling proudly to himself. His face slightly falls when he meets your eye. He knows well enough that you were not happy. “Ace?”

You push at his shoulders. “What the fuck, Hangman?”

He holds his hands up in surrender. “Hang on–”

The palm of your hands make contact with his broad shoulders once more. “Are you kidding me?” You shove him again but Jake’s hardened features don’t falter. “Who gave you the right? Someone was finally interested in me and you just had to drive them away. Your ego really couldn’t handle the fact that I was getting attention. Is that it?”

“Ace, wait.” He tries to reach for you but you slap his hand away.

“No, fuck you, Seresin. You can’t…” Your resolve breaks and the tears that sat on your lash line spill over. “You can’t just ignore me for a week only to talk to me after chasing away the one chance of a boyfriend I’ve got. That’s not fair.”

“You don’t understand. Billy isn’t good enough for you.”

“Yeah?” You look at him with tear stained cheeks. “Then humor me. Who is?”

Jake’s words get caught in his throat as he watches you wipe your tears away with the palm of your hand. He wanted to take your face in his hands and brush those tears away. But he knew you wouldn’t let him.

“That’s what I thought.” You brush past him, knocking his shoulder with your own. “I’m not like the other girls you mess around with. I know that. But that doesn’t mean I don’t deserve to feel wanted too.”

He calls after you, realizing just how horribly he screwed up. But you continue on back inside, probably trying to find Nat or Reuben to take you home. He knew that you weren’t like the other girls. You were different, you were better. You were everything he wanted and more. From the moment he met you, he was hooked. It scared him at first. You were the complete opposite from the girls he usually set his sights on. You were hard headed, independent, unafraid to call him out on his bullshit. You challenged him and he liked that. You weren’t shallow like everyone else and you made him feel seen.

He never thought a group project would lead him to you. You iced him out at first, and admittedly he knew he deserved that. Then he got to know you and he realized he never wanted to stop. Jake wanted to be the one on the receiving end of your jokes and the affection you gave to those close to you. He dropped his asshole attitude and made the effort to get you to see the real Jake Seresin. And it worked. He was doing so well to finally get you to let your guard down around him. Yet all that work, all that progress, went down the drain because he couldn’t keep his emotions in check.

By the time Jake caught up to you, you were dragging Natasha out the door with Javy on your tails. His heart dropped to his stomach and he wished he could turn back time to one week ago. Before he hurt you and made you cry.

_______

Your goal was to forget Jake Seresin ever existed. You threw yourself into your work, locking yourself in your room and spending more time in the library than your own apartment. Now that Nat was officially with Javy, the boys were around more often and you just weren’t ready to face him yet. It wasn’t fair to everyone else, you knew that. But it was easier for you to push them away. You turned back into that academic machine you were before Bradley and Jake forced you out of your shell. You didn’t party, didn’t go out, didn’t join the gang for movie night. Your new friends were your coursework. And when that ran out, you turned to your favorite show reruns for comfort.

You ignore the series of knocks on your door for the third time tonight. Natasha sighs in defeat, turning back to the group with a shake of her head. “I told you. She’s not coming.”

Reuben frowns. “Did you tell her Jake wasn’t coming with us?”

Everyone was aware of your complicated relationship with Jake. The small dance the two of you did was obvious to everyone but yourselves. It was only recently that Jake finally admitted why you’ve been hiding yourself away. If it weren’t for Javy holding her back, Natasha would’ve tore Jake to shreds.

“I did.” Natasha knew you and she knew you were embarrassed for lashing out at Jake the way you did. Hiding was the safest way to avoid facing yet another humiliating confrontation about your behavior.

You’ve never spoken to Nat directly about your insecurities, but she saw them in the little things you did. Not bothering to wear extravagant makeup or clothing, putting up a hard front, and pretending not to care. Deep down she knew you cared about how you were perceived. You did care whether or not people found you desirable. You wanted the cliche, movie romance. You wanted someone to sweep you off your feet, just like Westley in The Princess Bride.

Never, have you let those insecurities break your spirit. Until now. She has never seen you so small. She didn’t understand how Jake Seresin managed to knock you down with just one hit.

But it has been nearly two weeks since the party and Natasha was done with your groveling and self pity. You were going to get out of your room and you were going to have fun.

“Just give her a second,” Reuben whispers, having just a little bit of faith left in you.

It was as if you felt the little piece of hope Reuben had left for you because suddenly, the door of your room swings open and a breath of relief leaves both of your friends. You had decided to come out and join them after all. Nat had told you it was just a casual hangout amongst your friends, bar Bradley and Jake. You settled on changing into an oversized Naval Academy sweatshirt you had thrifted and an old pair of faded jeans.

Nat hadn’t seen you in anything other than pajama tees and sweatpants so to her, this was a big win.

Reuben smiles widely at your appearance before coming up to you and gathering you into his arms. “There you are.” His words and affection pulls an unexpected giggle out of you, soothing Reuben and Nat’s nerves. “How’ve you been, Ace?”

You shrug, shifting in his hold as he keeps an arm around you. “I could be better. But I guess I could be worse too.”

Natasha hooks your arm with hers, taking you from Reuben’s grasp. “You ready to go? Javy is waiting in the car with Bob and Mickey. I was thinking we could go to The Hard Deck using your car. You know, like old times.”

That brings a ghost of a smile to your face. The Hard Deck was a place of refuge for you and your group of friends, despite it being a Navy bar. You and Mickey found it by accident, stopping over at the nearest institution because he had to use the bathroom really badly on a drive back to campus. The bartender, Penny Benjamin, was sweet and treated you all like her own children. You haven’t seen her in awhile and just knew a visit to your spot was long overdue. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

The drive to the bar brings a bit of your old spark back. Natasha had the windows rolled down while the two of you belted out your favorite songs at the top of your lungs. She filled you in on all the things you missed from the past couple of weeks, strategically leaving out any anecdotes involving Jake. Though, Nat hasn’t seen him much since the party. It seemed as if he was taken over by the spirit of an old Delta Chi member. He was slumming it with the sorority girls and stayed out late partying with the other guys of his Frat. Bradley had tried to snap him out of it, but he reverted to his old ways. Back to before they met you.

Upon arriving at The Hard Deck you exchange a round of pleasantries with the rest of your friends who were glad to see you finally out of, as Mickey had called it, your “Bat Cave.” You volunteered to grab some drinks for the rest of the party while they settled in your usual booth in the back.

You returned to the table with beers for the guys, a club soda for Bob, a Mai Tai for Nat, and a lemonade for yourself. The night was spent full of laughter and warmth as you found yourself slipping back into your natural groove of things. Soon, your once dampened mood started to dissipate.

“I’m telling you, there’s something going on with Professor Mitchell and Penny,” Mickey slurs.

The group erupts into chaos then, one talking over the other and you can’t help but laugh as you lean into Mickey’s side. You missed this. You were so hard headed that in the process of blocking one person out, you put it upon everyone else. But you were here now and he wasn’t. That’s all that mattered to you.

Reuben is the one to calm the group down. “Alright, alright. You’re saying, P. Mitchell and Penny are… romantically involved. Where the hell did you get that idea?”

“DnD club meets here on Tuesdays and coincidentally so does Professor Mitchell,” he shrugs.

“Did you say DnD club?” Javy’s wheezing between breaths and Natasha has to slap him on the chest to get him to stop.

Mickey rolls his eyes. “I have a life outside of you guys, you know.”

“Yeah, but DnD club?”

“What’s wrong with DnD?” Bob chimes in, slightly offended.

Nat slaps him again. “Javy!”

“Right, sorry. Please, continue.”

“Actually, I don’t think I want to,” Mickey narrows his eyes at the man.

“Mick, he was joking. Please finish what you were saying.” You tap him affectionately on the shoulder with a gentle smile.

He attempts to continue his story when a smack to the tabletop catches all of you off guard. You tear your gaze from Mickey to be met with Bradley Bradshaw clad in one of his signature Hawaiian shirts as he leans against the table.

You give him a pained smile, knowing that where Bradley went, Jake wasn’t far behind.

“Good to see ya, Ace,” Bradley nods.

“You too, Brad,” you tell him softly. And you meant it.

The group falls uncharacteristically quiet and you feel Natasha give your knee tight squeeze.

“Didn’t know the gang was getting back together.” The familiar snark of the one person you didn’t want to see rings through your ears. Jake Seresin struts over with that stupidly cocky grin of his and unsurprisingly, another sorority girl on his arm.

No longer caring for pleasantries with the man, you roll your eyes. You hate to admit that it stung to see him with yet another woman. A small part of you hoped that maybe he’d show up empty handed and acknowledge your presence. That didn’t happen and it felt like a knife to the chest. What did you expect? Of course, nothing has changed since the last time you saw him. While you were feeling worse than ever about yourself, Jake had absolutely zero cares in the world. He only cared about himself, he always would.

Javy was the only one who had the stomach to greet him with a simple, “Hey.”

He chuckles, almost mockingly, as the girl on his arm tries to gain his attention and pull him to the bar. “Why weren’t we invited to the party?”

“Because no one wants you here, Bagman,” Natasha spits.

Jake brings a hand to his chest, acting hurt at her insinuation. “You wound me, Natasha.”

She gives him the finger in response.

“Now does everyone not want me here? Or is there a certain someone who doesn’t want me here?” He raises a brow and his bright green eyes land on you.

You avoid his gaze and you hear Bradley hiss Jake’s name.

“What? I’m just saying. It’s pretty obvious someone didn’t want me here and we all know who.” Jake doesn’t care that the girl who had been hanging off of him moments ago found someone else to play with, abandoning her post to flirt with another guy over at the pool tables. He had your attention and to him that was enough.

You feel a familiar sting behind your eyes, knowing damn well he was just toying with you at this point.

“Stop.” This time it’s Javy who speaks up, surprising Jake. ��If you only came over here to be a dick then I suggest you leave.”

The light mood from earlier has completely died and you know that once he leaves, nothing can bring it back.

“Ace.”

He calls you out directly this time and you can’t hold it in any longer. All the hurt and anger he caused bubbles up to the surface. Part of you wants to talk to him, clear the air up a bit and give him a chance to apologize. The other part of you, the more rational part, decides to ignore him entirely.

You quietly ask Natasha if you could pass and her and Javy get up to stand to the side to let you through. You purposely angle your body so your back is towards Jake, announcing that you were going to get another drink before heading in the direction of the bar.

Jake moves to follow you, only to be stopped by his best friend.

Javy grabs his wrist with a disapproving frown. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Let go, Javy,” he absent mindedly demands. His eyes never leave your figure as you make your way through the crowd.

“No. You’re being an asshole, man. What happened to the guy who was repeatedly texting me to make sure she was okay? I told you where we were because I thought you were going to apologize. Not do… whatever that was.” Disappointment shines in Javy’s deep brown eyes.

Bradley slides into the space where you once were, watching what was about to unfold with the rest of them.

“Wait a minute, you told him we were going here? Javy!” Natasha looks at her boyfriend in disbelief.

“I’m sorry! This idiot told me he wanted to make it up to her.” He gestures blindly to Jake who was running a hand through his already disheveled hair.

Natasha snorts. “Unbelievable,” she swears under her breath.

“Nat–” Jake starts, but she cuts him off in an instant.

“No. You stay away from her, got it? She’s had enough of your games, Seresin, and quite frankly so have I.”

“I messed up. I know I did. But please, please just give me a chance to explain.”

He takes Natasha’s silence as an unspoken truce. “I care about her. So much that it scares the shit out of me. I was gonna tell her, you know. Then I saw her with Bob and I realized that she could do so much better than me. So I did what I do best. I pushed her away.”

Bob flushes red at the mention of his name.

“What is there to say about myself other than that I’m your typical, college fuckboy? The thing is, I was fine with that reputation. I was good at doing things on my own. Then I met Ace and I realized she’s my antidote. That girl gave me tunnel vision. Suddenly, I’m looking at my future and I want to do more with my life than be known as a college heartbreaker. The one thing I know to be true is that I want to be better with her by my side.”

“Why should I believe you after the way you treated her?” Natasha’s gaze narrows, still not fully convinced.

He swallows harshly. “You have every right not to. I wouldn’t believe me either. But you’ve got to understand that I never realized just how much she really meant to me until I almost lost her.” There’s a look of defeat that crosses his features, and his head falls to his chest.

Nat’s hardened stare falters ever so slightly. “To Billy. But wait, I don’t understand. What about that girl you came in here with?”

“Oh, she’s here for free booze. I needed to get Ace’s attention somehow.”

She rolls her eyes. “You’re an idiot.”

Jake nods, regret shining in his eyes. “I know. Listen, I’m not good at relationships.”

“Trust me, we know,” Bradley mutters under his breath.

Jake shoots him a quick glare before continuing. “I don’t know how to do them. For Ace, I’ll learn. I would do anything for her. Look, I know I’ve made mistakes and I need to fix them before it’s too late.”

Natasha was conflicted. She looks at Javy who meets her gaze with a soft smile. Then to Reuben and Bradley. Finally, her eyes land once more on Jake. She found herself in the same dilemma she was in before she started dating Javy. Their reputation precedes them. You were the one to warn her of Delta Chi’s womanizer ways. Yet she still gave Javy a chance and it was the best decision she ever made. She knew deep down that these guys had good hearts. No matter how much she wanted to deny it, she knew Jake did too. He was kinder with you, softer. You always brushed him off but Nat saw the way he affected you. He made you happy and you deserved to be. If she could give Javy that chance, shouldn’t she extend it to Jake too?

She groans with her head in her hands. “Fine. Fine.”

Jake’s eyes light up, clearly expecting another rejection. “Really?”

“Yes. But I swear if you hurt her again, if you break her heart, I won’t hesitate to kill you.”

His stomach churns at the thought, knowing full well that she meant it. “Yes, ma’am,” he salutes.

“Now go get her before it’s too late.” In other words, Natasha had finally given him her blessing.

Jake’s dejected state is replaced with one of determination. He mouths an appreciative thank you, before setting his sights on you.

“Forget DnD club, I need to hang out with you guys more often because that was better than a Netflix drama,” Mickey babbles, making Bob smack him lightly on the back of his head.

With her arms crossed, Natasha stares out the window wistfully. “I just hope he can make things right.”

Wrapping his arms around Nat, Javy gives her a reassuring squeeze. “Don’t worry, he’s got this.”

_________

“Hey Pen, can you just tell Natasha to ride home with the boys? I think I’m going to head out.” You place a wad of cash on the bar top, signaling for her to close your tab.

The woman frowns, noticing the bothersome frown on your face. “You sure, sweetheart?”

Downing the last of your lemonade, you nod. “Thank you, for the advice and everything.”

“Of course. Hey, don’t be too hard on yourself, okay?”

A tight smile pulls at your lips in farewell. You push your way through the rowdy crowd, breathing deeply once you make it outside.

You curse under your breath. You didn’t know it was supposed to rain tonight. You eye your car in the distance, deciding whether to make the trek or go back inside until it stops. The sound of the door opening behind you catches your attention and your heart leaps out of your chest.

“Ace,” Jake Seresin calls out, desperately trying to reach you.

You throw all caution to the wind and run out into the pouring rain, too exhausted to deal with him right now.

His shoes squeak and splash through the puddles on the asphalt. Not caring that he was soaked to the bone, he runs after you. Jake calls out for you again but you continue on. For once, he doesn’t find himself admiring your stubborn attitude.

You throw a quick glance behind you, hoping to see that you’ve lost him, but Jake’s strides are longer than yours and he has closed more of the distance between you two than you thought. A shiver racks your form and your clothes are sticking uncomfortably to your skin. You find yourself regretting your decision but there’s no way you can take it back now. You shove your hand into your pocket, frantically pulling out your car keys once you make it to your car.

Jake sees you shiver as you try to unlock your car. You just barely get the driver’s side to open when he comes up behind you and presses the door shut. Your back is to his front and he pleads for you to turn around.

You hear him before you see him. You don’t want to turn around. You can’t. You know the second you look into his opalescent green eyes, your resolve will shatter. “Get off, Jake,” you demand impatiently.

“Please look at me, please.” The desperation of his voice startles you. Never, have you heard Jake Seresin say the word ‘please,’ and never have you heard him beg.

You’re shaking as you wrap your arms around yourself for warmth. You bite into your bottom lip to stop it from trembling. From the rain or from the tears that have started streaming down your cheeks, you are unsure.

“Ace,” he breathes.

His breath is hot against the skin of your neck soothing you from the cold. But still, you don’t budge.

Jake finds himself getting frustrated and he runs his hand through his damp hair, moving it away from his eyes. He can barely see your reflection in your car window, his vision blurred from the raindrops that cloud his vision. But the pale moonlight and dim streetlamp shows him enough to see that you feel just as hurt as he does, if not more. “Fine. You don’t have to look at me. I just need you to listen.”

You say nothing.

He exhales through his mouth as he recalls what he wants to say. “Remember when we first met and you asked me if I actually had a brain or if I just thought with my dick? That was the moment I knew you were unlike anyone else I’ve ever met. Usually, I’d have girls swooning over me left and right, but not you. You weren’t fazed by me in the slightest and that intrigued me. Everything about you intrigues me. Which is why I was so eager to get more out of you. I poked fun. I made jokes. I made sure that your attention was almost always on me because when it was, it gave me the best view of each and every thing you had to offer. Like the way you bite your bottom lip when you’re trying not to cry.”

Your breath hitches in your throat from his words, heart going faster than that goddamn roadrunner.

“Come on, Ace.”

How could you deny him when he spoke with so much conviction? You spin on your heel to face him. He’s soaked, just as you are, and yet you think he has never looked so beautiful. As you look at him, the ache in your chest doesn’t subside and you sniffle from the cold. “What do you want, Seresin?”

“I’m sorry,” he chokes out.

You look away from him. “I don’t need your pity.”

“Hey, I’m serious. I know I hurt you and I will never forgive myself for it.”

There’s a sincerity in his tone that throws you off. “Then why? If you feel so bad about it, why did you do it?”

“Because… Because I…” He’s nervous. Of all the times he has ever spoken to you, this is the one time he has felt this way.

Your patience is wearing thin so you shake your head and run a hand down your face. You were so tired of him holding out on you. “You know what? All I ever wanted was for you to look at me the same way you look at those other girls. Why wasn’t I good enough for you?” Once the floodgates opened, it was hard to get them locked up again.

You might as well have ripped his heart out of his chest instead of saying that. The effect it had on him would’ve been all the same. “Oh, baby,” he cups your face gently between his calloused hands and strokes his thumbs across the apples of your cheeks. The rain made it hard for him to tell which marks were tears and which were rainwater, but he treated them all the same. “Those girls have nothing on my Ace. You are more than enough. You are everything and I was too blind to see it until now.”

“What?” You whimper.

God, does he want to kiss that pout right off your face. “I don’t look at you the way I look at everyone else because I don’t want them the way I want you.”

“And how is that, Jake?”

That alone gives him a glimmer of hope. His heart skips a beat and his stomach erupts in butterflies.“You called me Jake,” he grins. “You never call me Jake.”

You scoff, not realizing the name slipped. “Answer the question.”

“I want every part of you. I want late nights and study sessions. I want to be the first one you call and the last one you text goodnight. The good, the bad, all of it. As long as it’s you.”

The honesty in his gaze makes you want to believe him. Because that’s all you ever wanted from him. So bad. But he has hurt you one too many times. You don’t think you’d be able to take it if he did one more time. “How do I know you won’t hurt me again?”

Jake takes the leap, resting his forehead on yours. When you don’t pull away, he confesses, “You don’t. But I will spend every day proving to you that I’m never going to make that mistake again.” He brushes some of your damp hair away from your face and admires how ethereal you look in this light. “One date, Ace. Let me make it up to you.”

You relish in his warmth, the aching hurt in your chest finally subsiding. The raging storm in your heart is finally calm. “One date. That’s all you’re getting.”

The smile that spreads across his face is the brightest you’ve ever seen. He no longer feels lost now that he has you. “That’s all I need, darling.”

For once, you believe him.

add yourself to my taglist!

tgm taglist (does not include ‘seasons’ tags): @joaquinwhorres @harrycherrylove @smoothdogsgirl

a/n: this was supposed to be short, yet here we are. i hope you enjoy frat!jake as much as i do <3 as usual, huge thanks to @briseisgone love u hun.

#jake hangman seresin #jake seresin x reader #hangman x reader #jake seresin x f!reader #jake seresin x you #jake seresin x y/n #hangman x you #hangman x y/n #hangman x f!reader #jake seresin oneshot #hangman oneshot #frat!jake seresin x reader #college!au #demxters writing

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abcd-adventures · 4 months ago

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Help...

My future SIL asked me to be a bridesmaid about a month ago. When I agreed, she promptly sent me a FIFTY QUESTION SURVEY which included questions about how much I'm willing to spend, what special skills I bring to the table (um...none??), which duties I'm willing to assume the day of the wedding (with a check box list), etc... (1) I don't actually know this woman that well, and (2) I don't remember being asked to do so many things for a wedding ever and it's only been a month since she asked and the wedding isn't until March. Like, I was my best friend's MOH and there weren't this many expectations... Yesterday, she sent the bridesmaid text chain a lengthy message with an invitation and itinerary for "brides day" at the wedding venue for Saturday. The venue is an hour away, the itinerary covered THREE HOURS... I already have plans that day and she has already been to the venue, like, five times. So, I was like, "Hope you guys have fun! I have plans that day!" She responded, "No worries, these happen once a month and you can come next time!" Sorry, what? I have an LCSW supervision group the first Saturday of every month...sooo I'm never going to pick going to "brides day" over that... I get texts and questions about this wedding all the effing time...there are going to be "planning meetings" closer to...like, I didn't realize I was signing up for all that.

So, my questions are: Am I just being a bitch? Is this normal? If it's not, what IS normal?

I'm not really a wedding person. My wedding was small, at a free chapel, on a Monday, and there was not really any planning involved at all other than going and buying a dress with my mom. One of my friends took pictures. Another friend brought a few bouquets of lilies for me and the other bridesmaids as her gift to me, and my FIL took our little group out to dinner after. My best friend did have a more traditional wedding, but I didn't have to do a ton other than some shower arrangements, bachelorette party prep, and buying a dress...the things that I was expecting to do as her MOH.

This woman is going to be my SIL, so I don't want to piss her off, but also I'm really freakin busy. And, I don't enjoy or have any skills around event planning/decorating/etc. What do I do!?

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richeeduvie · 8 months ago

Note

obsessed with baby not being allowed to come on their like 3 day business trips and it being such a drama and heartbreak

imagine them on the phone and roman finds out she’s going to some party stewy’s throwing back home, he’s threatening to commit one second and being degraded the next

'Roman. I love you.'

'...'

Roman's staring at the message and already feeling like death's on his skin.

'what'

'if you see anything on social media or in the press, it is nothing like what you would be thinking. Stewy is throwing a party. Not even anything stereotypically drug-prominent. It's professional and I'm inviinited.'

Baby's so nervous that it's like she had a stroke in the midst of her text.

Roman doesn't respond.

'Roman'

'Roman please do go overboard on a reaction. It's a professional event and if there are drugs, serious drugs, I won't do anything. You know that.'

Roman doesn't respond.

'Roman'

It's five minutes until Baby gets a photo sent to her. It's a knife on a dresser.

'slitting my wrists ttyl'

...Baby just sighs.

'Roman. Don't be a bitch about this. Suicide's dramatic.'

'I said ttyl fuck off.'

Roman's looking pissy and small when he phone begins to ring. And ring - he scratches his head. He's already whiny.

He picks up, breathing into the phone and pressing the tip of the knife into the dresser.

"Hi, you dirty fucking whore. You're a slut, you already picked out who you're gonna fuck at Stewy's gangbang or do you need to do a gutter-pill or two to do that."

"Roman-"

"It's a been three fucking days. I just hold no importance to you. I don't know why I believe your assurance. Every fucking time. I think I'd be ten times stronger as a male if I was a incel. Screw your vagina. Screw you!"

"...Keep it up and you will be. You can't fuck anybody else and no, I don't plan to fuck anyone myself but sometimes you push it, Roman."

Roman takes in a breath, raises a hurt brow.

"...Why the fuck would you say that?"

He sounds hurt. Baby, in her panic, took the degradation a bit to harshly. It's all fake, but she still shouldn't mention any idea of wanting someone else. Not with Roman. He takes nothing seriously, but nothing's a joke when it comes to her.

"I was joking, Roman. You're planning to slit your wrists, harshness is sensible."

"It's fucking bitchy. And hurtful. Fuck you."

Baby closes her eyes.

"I won't go. Okay? I'll call you tomorrow, we can screen-watch a movie."

Roman just wants to go home, not having you to press your hands into him, like you'll grab at the hot parts of his stomach makes him even more sick. But he'll fucking take it over you at Stewy's party. He doesn't care if you don't do anything. You just should be...waiting for him.

He waits for you. It's only fair, he doesn't think of doing anything outside of you other than work or something with his family. Jesus, Roman can't love you more than you love him, that's just ridiculous.

But if he outbids you in that sense, he can hold it over for you forever.

"Stay on call. Don't be a fucking bitch."

"Okay, Rome."

The best thing you can do is just keep yourself breathing into the phone, it's easy to not be a bitch when you're not saying anything for Roman to get at.

And Roman listens, knife pressing harder into the dresser as he relaxes on the bed. He presses harder remembering you want to go to Stewy's stupid fucking party.

But Roman chucks the knife across the room once you've settled with your breath.

#inbox #hc's #drabble #dog and bone!au #succession fanfiction #roman roy x reader

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ladydorian05 · 8 months ago

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20 questions for fic writers

Thank you for tagging me @your-catfish-friend @made-ofmemories and I think @saybiwithme also tagged me, I'm not sure, I think I saw a notification... any ways, thank you for the tag!! :3

How many works do you have on ao3?

What's your total ao3 word count?

123,030

What fandoms do you write for?

Currently 9-1-1 and Stranger Things, more 9-1-1 than anything as of right now.

Top five fics by kudos:

Too busy being yours to fall for someone new (9-1-1)

Eddie's UNO Reverse (9-1-1)

When life tears you asunder, but you're not alone (Stranger Things)

Jonathan's girl (Stranger Things)

Kissing his Neck (The Mandalorian)

Do you respond to comments?

I do try to respond/answer every single one, but I do struggle on what else to say beside thank you for reading.

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

To this day, this one: Eparavur takisit - Apologise (The mandalorian) I do have another angsty one, but I haven't post it... yet.

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

So far, all but the one on the previous question have happy endings. If I have to pick... I'm really fond of this one A Christmas With You (We can be heroes (movie)) it's linked to a back then new friend so yeah.

Do you get hate on fics?

Thankfully, nope.

Do you write smut?

Well... I try.

Craziest crossover:

The only crossover I've ever written is an unfinished fic that's a crossover of The witcher and Skyrim... one day I shall finish it. The idea behind it is to make it a chose your own adventure kind of fic. You'll get a different ending depending on your choices, won't be anything crazy, just about two, maybe three endings and nothing so complicated since I'm not that great of a writer to pull off something more elaborated.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of and if you ever find my stuff outside of Tumblr or AO3, report it, that's definitely not me.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I don't think so, no one has asked for permission. Maybe one day I'll translate some of my fics to spanish since it's my first language.

Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Haha, yes! I've written more than one fic and have quite a few wips with the lovely @made-ofmemories I've had so much fun writing with her. I've loved so many of the stuff she's come up with. (We always end up with new wips whenever someone has and idea.)

All time favourite ship?

That'll be difficult, I have A LOT of ships and I just cycle through them. But right now, Buddie.

What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I may have more than one, they're old reader inserts that I'm not sure I'll finish since the flame for those characters is pretty low.

What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Descriptive text, I can see the stuff happening in my head as if it's a movie but I struggle so much to turn what's happening there into words. Even more so make it sound beautiful.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

For my fics, if I know the languageand the character(s) have also used the language, hell yes, you'll see some phrases. And on that note the only other language I know is my first language which is Spanish, so yeah. Not comfortable using a translator or dictionary for any other language.

First fandom you wrote in?

Like ever? I don't know, I started writing in middle school. oh! i just remembered! It was for an anime, Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch... and it was, it was really bad.

Favourite fic you've written?

I haven't posted it yet guys so ._.

No pressure tags!

@wikiangela @wildlife4life @thewolvesof1998 @hippolotamus @bidisasterevankinard @eddiebabygirldiaz @loserdiaz @crowleywasagryffindor @theotherbuckley @jesuisici33 @missmagooglie @daffi-990 @pirrusstuff @giddyupbuck @neverevan @exhuastedpigeon Anyone who wants to do it!

#tag game

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fiadorable · 9 months ago

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20 questions for fic writers

Thanks for the tag, @curator-on-ao3 🫶

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 46 works, but if you parse the three drabble collections and a ficlet collection it jumps up to 96.

2. What's your total Ao3 word count? 142,888

3. What fandoms do you write for? Star Trek Strange New Worlds, The Librarians, Once Upon a Tme, Star Trek Voyager, The X-Files (none on ao3), Harry Potter, and King & Maxwell

4. What are your top five fics by kudos? Where Flowers Bloom: The F*ck You Bouquet Once Upon a Time, SwanQueen, Rated T, 2.8k words Prom season is keeping Regina Mills, proprietor of Fairytale Flowers, busy, but when Emma Swan storms into her store one day with a unique request and a hidden connection, her day shifts from busy to odd to (dare she say it) hopeful.

revelation in the light of gray Star Trek Strange New Worlds, PikeUna, Rated G, 2.8k words Ensign Uhura stumbles into sickbay late one night and discovers something new about Captain Pike and Number One.

love is a ghost you can't control Star Trek Strange New Worlds, PikeUna, Rated T, 4.3k words One or two times Christopher Pike, uh, asked Una Chin-Riley about romance while they were both serving on the Antares. (This fic was inspired by and based on a scenario referenced in @curator-on-ao3's fic The Haze!)

Of Paperwork, Knots, and Warm Glowy Things, or, Roland Registers for Kindergarten Once Upon a Time, OutlawQueen, Rated G, 10.5k words Sometimes, Henry lets him sit on his bed with his old textbooks splayed open on his lap, the large tomes covering his legs as he runs his hands across the shiny paper, drinking in the bright pictures breaking up the dark columns of text. The older boy warned him he might not have hardbacked books like that until first grade, but Roland doesn't care. He's going to carry his own backpack and learn how to write and memorize all the names of all the bugs in this realm.

Trekalicious Drabbles Star Trek Strange New Worlds, PikeUna + La'an & Chapel + La'an & Una + Sir Adya/Z'ymria, Rated T, 2.1k words A collection of 100 word drabbles for the #Wednesday100 challenge

5. Do you respond to comments? I'm trying to! I'm very bad about doing it in a timely manner 🙈

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Oh, definitely the scorch. That piece is pure, distilled angst.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Of Paperwork, Knots, and Warm Glowy Things is pretty saccharine

8. Do you get hate on fics? Yeah, I attracted a few trolls with So Are We Alright Then?. Luckily they were no match for the almighty "delete comment" function. Most people are nice.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Eh? Kind of? Most of my stuff stays M or below.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? I've done one: an ending unforseen, which is a crossover between Strange New Worlds and Voyager. I threw Christopher Pike into the Delta Quadrant on Voyager so he could have a chat with Kathryn Janeway.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I know of

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope

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

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? I can't pick a favorite, but I will say that Mulder/Scully, fanon Janeway/Chakotay, OutlawQueen, and Pike/Una have all been formative ships that I've enjoyed watching/reading/writing for over the years.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? First Day (Once Upon a Time OQ). 1 chapter published as a one shot that was received so well I turned it into a novel-length fic that was never published (19 chapters, 8 alternate universes visited, 40k words written with barely the surface scratched). I love it. It's my white whale. I open it up and marvel at the audacity and ambition of my younger self every now and then.

16. What are your writing strengths? Characterization, dialogue. Sometimes I concentrate hard and pull off some nifty minimalist prose.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Details and self doubt.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I'm not bilingual, so if I did, I would 100% run it by a native speaker if someone was available to spot check.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Either Voyager or X-Files, I can't remember which

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? I love writing the drabbles, they're little puzzleboxes of happy.

tagging: @enterprise-come-in and @meddow with apologies if y'all've been there done that

#fic meme

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openingpandorasbox1 · 4 months ago

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DELETING PEOPLE OFF FACEBOOK (Part 4)

One day she wrote me a message in the group about her daughter and I wrote back within the week. She told me she was depressed because her daughter said something to her and that her boyfriend agreed with her. They said something negative about her. I wrote back and gave her support, I’m not sure what was said. At the end of my reply, I let her know what was happening in my life. Going through a difficult time, depression and my relative who I was close to was rushed to hospital and I’ve been visiting him in hospital every day. Even though I had a lot going on, I still took time to reply to her message because I knew she was depressed and needed a friend. In groups you can see if someone has read it, and Facebook indicated she had. She never replied.

Five months later, after not hearing from her she wrote me a message (under the last message I sent her). She never responded to anything that I wrote, nor cared. She’s always polite, it’s always ‘How are you, what have you been doing?’ it doesn’t matter what I write back because it will be ignored and it will be about what’s going on in her life.

She wrote a message, so I thought this time I won’t reply to her straight away and just got on with my life. A few days later she wrote back to enquire why I haven’t replied to her message after three days. She goes six months without acknowledging my existence and ignores my messages but she gets upset with me if I don’t reply to her straight away.

So, I replied, said hello, supported her with her problems as always. I didn’t hear from her since. That was in September 2016, 8 months ago. So thought ‘fuck it’ and I deleted the group. Occasionally she will send me a Happy Birthday message, but sometimes I don’t even get that.

I understand people are busy, but everyone does. I know people who are busy with their lives, but they still take time for the people they care about. They don’t go out of their way to ignore people on purpose.

Autumn was a good friend to me, when it comes to contacting me and spending time with me. She out of all the others. We would text, communicate online and LIKE each other’s posts and we had similar hobbies online. We both liked making pages, and into films etc. We liked people who interacted with us. Autumn had issues in other areas though, which caused problems.

Judy is online a lot, but she rarely posts and rarely posts about what’s going on in her life. She’s very mysterious. If something is wrong, she won’t tell anyone. She sort of goes in hiding when something is wrong. That’s how she handles problems. She LIKES and contacts me every blue moon, not all the time but every blue moon. I don’t mind that. We are both there for each other, not all the time but we are there.

I have a lot of Facebook friends who I’ve had on my Facebook for years. When I first joined Facebook, I added all these people with the same name as me, LOL. I don’t know why, but they seemed like nice people. I also added people from history groups and music groups. I like people who talk about things like music and cool things, so I’m always up for new friends who are into things that I’m also interested in. It’s hard to meet people like that in real life. I just love those people on Facebook who have time for you, who are there for you, and are just cool.

There are good people out there, and sometimes you only get a handful on Facebook. But I respect those people, and I care about them. I’m there for them and they are there for me. Not all the time, but enough. I don’t need attention 24/7. I’m happy with someone caring a few times a year, that means more to me than nothing.

#facebook #facebook friends #mark zuckerberg

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tvoje-malo-savrsenstvo · 1 year ago

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To him, who will never read this.

Today is 17th of July. One month has gone by.

I want to reach out to you through my words. There's so much I need to share. And there is so much more I want to hear from you, about your day, your job, your emotions, our puppies... just to hear you.

I have a urge to call you to share my accomplishments. I have lost 6.5kg. I passed three exams with grades of 8, 8, and 10. I have started personal training sessions and I feel great about it. I have reconnected with friends whom I had grown apart from, even though it was under these unfortunate circumstances. But they are there for me.

Also, I am attending psychotherapy, and it is benefiting me greatly. For now, I am going once a week because I feel the need to talk to someone outside of everything that is going on.

I talked to therapist about you and how badly I wanted to share all these things with you. I mentioned my intention to invite you on a coffee date. She was understanding but cautioned me that you may or may not accept, that you may say you don't have time or are unable to meet. She also mentioned that perhaps you are not yet ready, and reassured me that it's completely fine. I prepared myself for all these scenarios and sent you a message. I noticed that you read the message but didn't respond for several hours. Later that night, you replied and said that you will try to find some time for a coffee date. I was happy and informed you that I'm in the city for a few more days.

On Friday afternoon, you were out, spending time with your aunt's friend. Okay, maybe you had plans or he was helping you with something, or you just chose to hang out with him, i understand. But what hurt me the most is that you didn't respond to my messages at all.

I kept waiting on Saturday, hoping to hear from you, but still, nothing came.

And now, here I am, five days later, and you never texted me back...

I get it, you have a busy schedule and work hard, but... I don't know... I feel terrible. That day i felt so much... I felt anger, sadness, frustration. It's clear that you don't want to go out with me, and that's fine. I understand. But why did you give me false hope by saying you would try to find time for a coffee date ? Why lead me on like that ? I would have respected any response, even if it was a simple "no, I can't go." It's okay, everyone has their reasons.

But this... I didn't expect this....

You knew about my Tumblr from before, and how it was a safe haven for me. You even created an account there for me. When I feel overwhelmed and have the urge to reach out to you, to share my thoughts and feelings, I send you a private message there, on that account. I'm not sure if you even remember that you had it or have the login information anymore. But it brings me some comfort and peace when I write to you there, even if you're not on the other side, even if these messages are like whispers in the wind. It just feels easier for me that way...

On Thursday, I have a new meeting with my therapist, and I'm not sure how I'll be able to express myself. I feel like I might break down, overwhelmed by all these emotions. If only I had more money, I would see her every three days. I don't blame you for leaving, but I do blame you for not discussing it with me. It seems like you made that decision on your own (or at least I hope you did, without someone else influencing you).

It hurts me deeply. I feel shattered. I was shattered. But I'm slowly getting better. I'm actively working on myself. However, it would have been so much easier if you had stayed by my side and supported me... You went through depression, so you know exactly how it feels. You understand the struggle of facing it alone. But, well... you chose to walk away.

I don't know the true reason behind your decision to leave (only the one you shared with me, and I hope it's the real truth). The fact that you don't communicate with me, and when we do, you are so distant and cold, fills me with fear. I can't let myself think of the worst-case scenario because you, YOU, you were and still are my motivation. Even though you hurt me by leaving and leaving me to face this alone, you remain my motivation, my source of strength that keeps pushing me forward..

We have so many memories, spent so much time together, and shared countless moments and experiences. There's so much history between us. Everywhere I look, I see you...in every road, in every field, in every place..

I simply hope that God and fate are on our side and that we can find a way back to each other. I hope that what you said had genuine meaning and that perhaps, despite everything, we can still be together...

I love you, and i will always love you no matter what...

Your Ba...

#part three

#heartbroke #sad #relationship #love #boyfriend #sad thoughts #to him #who will never read this.#depression #the strugge is real #depressing thoughts #depressed #alone #loneliness #1808 #ba #my story 1808

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coldhardbinch · 2 years ago

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Woke up with some things on my mind yesterday and decided to write something Real for once 🙃

Church has always been my family business.

One of my earliest memories is giving my mother attitude while she pulled into the church parking lot. I’d spent the morning trying to convince her that I was too sick to go to church (I was not remotely ill) and she looked at me in the rear view and said, “You’re getting to that age where you don’t want to go to church.”

I don’t remember the whole lecture (I was probably about 3) but the gist of it was that this was not a feeling I was allowed to have. As the pastor’s kids, we were never supposed to be anything but thrilled to be at church. Nevermind that we were there more often than anyone, or that from the second we pulled into the parking lot, we were being scrutinized by the bitties and the deacons, so maybe we didn’t really feel all that welcome here. Them’s the brakes, kid. You’ll go to church, you’ll stay late, and you’ll enjoy it.

When I was a teenager trying to flake out on praise team practice, my father said to me, “The Bible says if you don’t use the gifts God gave you, He’ll take them away.” I went to practice and learned to sing simple songs about a simple faith. I could sing of Your love forever. My brother-in-law led us on his acoustic guitar every Sunday morning. My brother ran sound. My sister corralled her five children into church clothes, then the van. When she was late, I had a perfect view of the whisperers, the gossips, the Did You Notice crowd.

When I moved away from home, I comforted my parents by telling them there was a good Baptist church in my new neighborhood. I never went. When they asked, I lied. Sometimes, when I can get a Sunday off. Eventually, they stopped asking. I rarely called, anyway. I sang in the car, with my friends, in dive bars for karaoke and began to believe that maybe this was somehow my religion.

My sister and I came out to each other via text on the same night. She made a joke about leaving her husband and dating girls. The kind of joke I recognized. I texted back: “So, girls, huh?” and soon we were laughing. “Girls are so pretty!” “Who isn’t obsessed with boobs?”

She left her husband that year. My parents’ adjustment period took some time, some difficult conversations, some days where I was too mad at my mother to speak to her at all. On Thanksgiving, they held a big breakfast that included my ex-brother-in-law’s new wife, my sister’s new girlfriend, and her three kids. I video called in for moral support. My father made sure I was “there” before starting a little sermon about our family’s new normal. Change is hard but can be good, or something. I was out of practice, hadn’t heard him preach in years, tuned out a bit out of habit. Near the end, he turned to whoever was holding the phone showing my face, and credited me with helping to make these changes happen. I just kind of smiled, not sure how to respond. A response I've given him many times. Then everyone went back to their bacon.

That Christmas, I came home and came out of my own closet, to much less fanfare. Everyone kind of Knew, You Know.

I think about that Thanksgiving more and more as my siblings’ children grow up, become their own people. Be allowed to be their own person at all, rather than the Optics Approved Pastor’s Kid. They wear their hair and makeup in ways my parents would never have allowed us to, in defiance of gender norms and sometimes good sense. Openly read books, watch movies, listen to music that I remember having to smuggle past my parents. They go out to plays that have nothing to do with Christmas, Easter, or any part of the Bible. They go on out-of-state school trips, far from their parents’ watchful eyes, without a single religious official around to remind them that Jesus Died For Them.

I think of those little babies, now full-fledged People, running unsupervised through Disneyland. Out with their friends with no fear of being Caught Dressed Like This. Standing up to their dick of a youth pastor. Going away for college. Prioritizing themselves over the 24-hour family business that is being the pastor’s family. And my heart swells to bursting. There is so much in this world that I can’t shield them from, that I simply cannot change. But seeing them spared a few of the specific lonlinesses of my youth heals some part of me I’d forgotten was even broken.

And I think about that Thanksgiving, and all the lonely ones I spent away from family, knowing I would have felt lonlier with them. I think I may always be a bit of a stranger to my family. I think that’s how I prefer it. But I know that I made my family a little less lonely for the next generation. When I see my father’s eyes in my face and so many others, it no longer feels like the gaze of a vengeful god.

#she writes #prose #religious trauma hits different when it was literally your job

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chelleztjs18 · 2 years ago

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This One Is Mine Pt. 1 (N.R)

Billionaire Natasha Romanoff x Fem!Reader

Summary: As a billionaire and a successful business woman, Natasha has everything and lives her lavish life with her best friends. What will happen if Natasha wants you but Wanda gets in between?

Warning: Dark fic, 18+, bunch of sexual tensions, swearing words, drug use and alcohol consumptions. (Let me know if I miss anything)

A/N: Hello! I was gonna post this tomorrow as in the schedule but I'll be kinda busy tomorrow. So, why not post it a day early, right? Natasha and her friends wears the clothes that was shown in the cover except Wanda, she wears a dress with the same color. You don't have to listen to the songs in the fic while reading it but if you do, I hope it will make your reading experience more enjoyable. Happy reading! Here is the playlist for this series:

Series Masterlist || Main Masterlist

The moon shines up high, a cold breeze passes your legs that are fully exposed. The warmth of your short skirt only covers down to a little above your knee. If it’s not because your best friends Kate and MJ insist for you to come, you are probably home by now but you are in line with them to get into this one famous fancy night club called “Black Widow'' instead. You are not gonna lie, it is one of your favorite clubs to go to. You love the drinks, great dj not to mention the people who come here always look good. It’s not a secret that there are a lot of upper class people who love to party here. The club is always packed every time you come.

“I can’t believe that you didn’t even change your clothes before you came here. You looked like someone just came here straight from work.” Kate lets out her comment.

“Uh maybe because I came STRAIGHT from work, Kate. I could’ve gone home first to change my clothes if you didn’t text me every five minutes to hurry up.” You defend yourself with your reason. “Also, what’s wrong with the button up blouse and my mini skirt? I think it’s not that bad.” You added.

“I know. I know. I’m just excited. We are here to celebrate you. It’s your night. It would be more fun and more friends would come if you didn’t ask to keep it low-key.” Kate rolls her eyes playfully yet letting out her disappointment.

“Well, it’s okay. I don’t want it to make a big deal about it. I just want to celebrate it with you two. You two are my best friends and that’s enough for me.” You explain with a fake pout but genuinely meant every word.

“Awww, y/n, that’s really sweet. Don’t worry about what Kate just said. You look pretty and we understand. Thank you for doing this with us.” M.J responds in awe as she gives you a little hug and smiles at you and Kate.

“Yes, I’m glad I’m part of tonight’s fun. We love you. You know that?” The brown haired woman smiles and squeezes in another hug.

“Of course.” You answer as you check the time on your watch.

The night gets colder and the line is getting longer. The three of you have a great laugh and talk while waiting in line. The security lets some people in every time there are some people leaving the club.

The three of you are getting closer to your turn to get in and you get excited, especially Kate. She loves the place more than you do, hence the destination choice she made for the girls night out with you and M.J.

As soon as the security almost opens the way to let somes group of people ahead of you, someone talks to him through the COMM in his ears, and everything changes. He stops himself from letting people in.

“Sorry folks. VIP first.” He explains as he turns his back and focuses on who is coming. You hear overlapped voices of disappointment from the others in line including Kate’s and MJ’s.

“This is so unfair. How much longer we gotta wait. I wonder who’s coming. Oh maybe a celebrity? Look at those paparazzi.” MJ lets out her impatience followed by her wandering thoughts. “Or probably just another rich person, MJ. You know this place, always full of them..” You calmly respond as you playfully slap her arm with the back of your hand and patch a smirk at her.

Not too long after that, a shiny black limousine pulled up and parked in front of the club. The street light shines and reflects on some parts of the car. The windows are all dark as if it meant to avoid any attention to whoever is inside while on the road.

People start talking and wondering who it is gonna be. All eyes are on the limo as if it doesn’t matter for them anymore if they get into the club or not.

The paparazzi are all ready to snap pictures just like an army who are ready for what’s coming in front of them. They all know who’s in the luxury moving box of steel.

All the commotions really drag your attention and your gaze to the center of it. You hear people asking each other “Oh my God, who is it?” or “I heard that she’s coming tonight. It’s her birthday today.” and “Do you think she’s coming with the others? I really want to see all of them.”

With all those overlapping comments, your mind gets so curious. You look at the limo without even blinking. Who is she? Who is this woman they were talking about?

The door finally opens, you see a woman coming out of the limo. A super attractive red-haired woman wears bright red suits and pants with a black lapel that blends in perfectly with her loose satin shirt under it. All of those paired beautifully with her black clutch. Her black and silver necklace cooperates with her same color high heels to highlight her black and red vibes.

You are so intrigued by her. You don't know why your mind imagines your fingers raking through her short red hair, caressing it. You are stunned by her look until you hear Kate’s voice.

“OMG! That’s Natasha Romanoff! Damn, she looks so good! I hope her sister Yelena will be here too. I have a huge crush on her.” Kate comments in amazement.

“Natasha who? Her sister?” You look at Kate with furrowed eyebrows as you ask confusedly. “Seriously? You don’t know who Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova are? Okay, I’ll tell you more after this.” Kate’s hand squeezes your hand excitedly as she looks surprised but she gets distracted with more people who get out of the limo. You look at Vision offering his hand to help his wife, Wanda, to come out. Her twin brother, Pietro comes out next followed by Tony Stark.

“Oh wow, The Maximoff twins are here too with Vision and Tony stark. So the whole gang's here.” MJ’s comment leads your gaze to bounce between the rest of them.

You know The Maximoff twins. Who doesn’t? They are the Sokovian siblings who inherit their parents’ fortune of Maximoff Co. but their business skill multiplies it. Not just that, people know them from their lavish lifestyle.

Vision, who used to be the British Royal family doctor and now the owner of many big hospitals in big states. He holds Wanda's hand as they slowly walk behind Natasha. You always adore them. To you, they are that power couple. It’s no secret that they have an open marriage and paparazzi often snap pictures of them with who they call “partner in fun”. In every snap, they are with a different person. Wanda and Vision always wear matching clothes, similar themes or at least whatever colors that compliments each other.

Of course, the brunette Wanda looks so alluring yet sophisticated. Her long sleeve burgundy red somewhat short dress with a slit exposing her thigh with a very low cut perfectly highlighted her cleavage. The dress wrapped her heavenly body perfectly. Wanda’s burgundy dress matches ideally with Vision’s shades of brown jacket and pants over his cream turtleneck.

Her brother Pietro, the ladies man,wears his black suit, spreading his charm. Clearly busy giving teaseful wink or smirks. Some girls are even lucky enough to get their hand kissed by him. From their excited reaction, you guess that they probably won’t wash their hands for a few days.

Then there is Tony Stark, the only heirs of Stark’s family wealth and company. It’s not a surprise to you that Tony’s fashion is a little more different than the others. This time he wore blue suits with black tie and pants. His gray shirts peeping out from under his jacket suit. Being eccentric he is, of course he wears different style athletic blue and black shoes and never forgets his glasses. In his defense, he once said in an interview that always wears sunglasses because of the camera flashes. But seeing he’s wearing the light blue shades right now that probably can’t really block the brightness of the flashes, it’s obviously only for fashion purposes instead. He gives a kiss on the cheek of one of the ladies who asks for a selfie with him shortly before he follows his friends into the club.

To your surprise, you caught Natasha and Wanda glance at you as they walked past in front of the line. Natasha’s glance makes your stomach somersault, instantly making your heart beat faster. Meanwhile, Wanda’s glance at you from head to toe and smirks make you feel like you are a prey, voluntarily.

“Wow, they all look so cool.” MJ doesn’t take her eyes off them until Nat and the rest get into the club. “Yeah but too bad, Yelena is not here.” Kate sighs in disappointment.

“Okay, I know the rest of them but who are Natasha and Yelena?” You ask curiously.

“She is a famous business woman. She is super rich, the CEO of Romanoff Inc. Her company is really big and goes international. She runs it with her sister Yelena. You know the twins and Tony Stark but you don’t know her? They are all best friends and hang out together. Their lifestyle is everybody’s dream.” Kate answers you in rambling.

“Well, Kate, you know me. I don’t really keep up with this whole famous people thing in social media. Work gets me really busy.” You respond to her rambling.

“That’s why you need this night! To have fun. Okay?” MJ tries to cheer you up. “Yeah, we will, After we finally get in.” You let out a sarcastic joke and made your best friends giggle.

_____

As soon as Natasha takes a seat on her VIP couch, she takes a sip of her favorite cocktails.Tell Me When To Go by E-40 plays loud in the club. Her eyes are analyzing her club tonight. She is happy with the new manager’s work. She loves how packed the club is, her eyes subconsciously look for you and her mind wonders if you are already inside or not.

“Happy birthday, darling.” Wanda gives a small kiss to both of Nat’s cheeks as she hands the redhead an envelope before she sits on Nat’s left side. Vision takes his spot next to his wife while Tony slouches next to Nat and Pietro sits side by side with his brother in law on the comfy large black and red U shaped couch. They always sit in the VIP spot that’s always reserved only for them. It has the best view of the club. They love it because practically they can see almost every spot in the club but still a little further from public and have some more privacy. Two dancing poles in front of each end of the couch.

The black table is perfectly set up like usual with bottles of expensive alcohol, ice buckets, snacks or everything they need and even their high end custom made bongs complete with their weed stash. Their favorite drinks and cocktails have been made prior to their arrival. Some bodyguards take a stand not too far from them. Pietro lit up his cigar right away. His eyes observe the surroundings. Excited with the crowd, especially the ladies. He blows out some smoke then takes a sip of his drinks.

“What’s this?” Nat takes the black envelopes as she asks and her green eyes meet with Wanda’s. “It’s your birthday gift from me, Vision and Pietro. Open it.” The brunette answers.

Nat quickly opens it and pulls a photo out of it. “A picture of a yacht?” She tilts her head in confusion.

“YOUR yacht. You sold yours a while ago and you have been too busy to get a new yacht. So we got you one.” Wanda answered excitedly. “Oh wow, thanks Wanda. Thank you boys.” Nat’s gaze flicks from Wanda, Vision then to Pietro as she shows them her gratitude.

“You are very welcomed, Nat. They berthed it next to ours right now. We didn't want to ruin the surprise for you if they brought it to your spot.” Vision explains then proceeds to light up the weed on the bong and inhale the smoke of it.

“You are welcomed, sestra! I picked the bigger size, so you can have a bigger party. Just don’t forget to invite us when you have a party.” Pietro answered jokingly. Wanda and Vision laugh at his jokes.

“Don’t worry, I won’t forget, Piet.” Nat smiles and shakes her head to his antics. “And now, it’s my turn. Happy birthday, Romanoff.” Tony hands her a small red box then smokes a weed joint on his other hand.

Nat opens it and finds a key in it. “This is the key to..?” She asks in a playful way. “Well, it’s just a small gift. Do you remember the winery you like in Sonoma? Not too far from it, I saw this nice property with a nice Spanish style house. It would be a nice getaway for you. I added a little touch. You know, a shooting range, and a spacious gym since you and your family love shooting guns and martial arts. Plus extra space for some of your precious car collections.” Tony casually describes his so-called small birthday gift.

“Oh wow, thank you Tony. All of you gave me these huge gifts. Now, I’m gonna have to give you better gifts on your birthdays.” Nat lets out her joke. The bass from the speakers starts to pound the air as the DJ plays Flip The Switch by Valentino Khan, Chris Lorenzo in line.

“Oh, you know what I like, Nat. If you find any interesting women, share them with me. Or let us have them after you, right, Vis?” Wanda answers her best friend in a teasing way and Vision agrees with an excited “Uh-huh.” in his nods then kisses Wanda’s cheeks.

“Well, just like Pietro said, just don’t forget to invite us if you are having a party.” Tony adds.

“Speaking of parties, I have another gift for our party tonight.” Pietro announced enthusiastically. “What’s that?” Nat turns her focus from the dance floor back to Pietro. “Well, I bought a bottle of old original Absinthe liquor. It’s so strong and it even can make you hallucinate a bit.” The Sokovian billionaire describes as he takes the bong from his brother in law to take his turn to smoke.

“Oh really? I have heard about it. Where is it now?” Nat pitches her question a little louder against the loudness of the music and people partying. “I told my assistant to send it here. Your bartender should be making some drinks for us with it by now.” Pietro smiles proudly about his surprise followed by some coughs out of him.

“Oh, which assistant? The one that Wanda fucked yesterday before the big important meeting with me and the board?” Nat smirks casually joking about what Wanda did. The brunette is really open with her best friends and brother including Vision about how high her sex drive is and how much she loves women. She knows her friends are okay with it, the downfall is they sometimes poke fun out of it just like Nat did. “Yeah, that one.” Pietro laughs.

“Oh, her? Yes, I did and she is really good. A really obedient assistant. She was so…let’s say, tight.” Wanda shares her short trip to yesterday’s memory of hers as she gently bites her lower lips then gives Nat a naughty smile.

Both Natasha’s index finger and thumb softly pinch Wanda’s chin so she can look at her forest green eyes that spark from the aggressive blinking spotlights following the beats for the music. “Oh, I know that, sweetheart. I know how she is.” Nat gives her response to the brunette next to her then wink at her.

The waitress brings a tray of cocktails that has the Absinthe that Pietro got for tonight. All of them cheer and take a big gulp of the green liquor.

Just like Pietro said about the Absinthe, they all start to get tipsy in a different way not to mention the effect from smoking the weed starts to kick in. Their body starts to relax more, but their throat still feels the warmth from what they drank and their heart starts to pump a little faster.

“Look what I’ve got! Look at these white beauties. Maximoffs, yours was really good last time but trust me, this one is even better.” Tony casually tosses a medium size bag of cocaine on the table. It’s more than enough for five of them to share all night long.

Wanda slowly blows the smoke from the burning weed that she inhaled. She hands the bong to Natasha for her turn shortly before she grabs the bag to check the white substance in it. “This looks good and if it hits good, give me the seller number, Stark.” Wanda's broad accent always shows up bolder whenever she gets drunk or high.

As Natasha is taking a hit, her eyes finally lock with the person she has been waiting for, you. She casually blows the smoke out, coughing a little as she watches you and your friends get to the bar.

_____

"Oh my god! Finally!" Kate tries her best holding herself not to jump in excitement as soon as the three of you get into the club.

You can feel the bass as if it punches your heart following the song beat. Some people bump into you when you are walking. The smells of alcohol, cigarette smokes and light marijuana fill the club. Your eyes keep trying to adjust with the light that keeps blinking in a random rhythm. The air feels sticky and warm from how many people are in there yet you also feel the cold breeze from the air conditioner that works really well.

You see two large screens on the high walls shining bright plays optical illusion video that match with the rhythm of the music. Few sexy female dancers dance on the dance pole and some of them dance inside giant bird cages. Some of them swing on the swing inside the cages like canary bird. People are dancing, jumping like crazy that you thought it was the effect of whatever they consume. You see some couples or maybe they just met there kissing in the darker part of the club like there is no tomorrow.

You and the girls walk to the bar right away. The bartender was about to greet you but he got a call. “Hey, Dimitri. Make them the same drinks you made us. Then give those three girls whatever they want, it’s on the house. Keep the drink flowing for them. Also tell Boris to tell the securities to let them do whatever they want as long as it's not dangerous.” Nat ordered from the other end of the line. “Yes, boss.” The blonde Russian bartender takes Nat’s order without any question.

Lose Control by Missy Elliot Ft, Ciara starts to play. You enjoy the vibe around you, the music makes you move your body a little unlike Kate, she literally starts dancing as she starts to sing the lyric

“Wow, this place is always a hit. Look at those beautiful people. I always love the DJ here. Look at Kate, she is not even drunk yet but already dancing like one of those dancers.” MJ looks around and comments on everything she sees including joking about Kate. “Well, you know how she is, MJ.” You laugh. Then you feel a tap on your shoulder and you turn around so do MJ and Kate as soon as they notice.

“Hi ladies. Ms. Romanoff ordered this for three of you. Don’t worry about what you order tonight. She will take care of your tab.” Dimitri informs the three of you with a smile and slides three green cocktails in front of you girls.

Kate and MJ gasp. “No, fucking way!! Ms. Romanoff, THE Ms. Romanoff?” MJ asks in such disbelief and you are more concerned about what’s in the drink.

“What’s this?” You asked. “It’s house special drink. Trust me, this is really good with a very expensive strong liquor called absinthe. You are lucky to be able to try this.” The blonde answers in a friendly manner.

“Oh, we are definitely drinking this. I've heard about that liquor. Thank you!” Kate quickly grabs her drink. You sweetly thank him and grab yours, so does MJ. “Well normally, I wouldn’t drink anything from—” You try to express your thoughts but Kate doesn’t even let you finish your words. “Girl! Are you crazy? It’s from Natasha Romanoff, you better drink that! Wow, this is awesome. I wonder where she is watching us from.” Kate looks around the club to find Nat but the crowd is blocking the view.

“This means she is interested in you because I saw how she glanced at you. Wanda was looking at you too.” MJ tells you and Kate as she drinks her drink.

“You did too? I thought I was hallucinating when I noticed that earlier.” You finally tell them what was on your mind as you drink the strong cocktail. “How awesome would it be if she is really interested in you??” The excitement from Kate’s tone was easily heard despite how loud the club was.

“There's no way she is interested in me.” You roll your eyes playfully. “That’s a bummer.” MJ plays along with the joke. “Why not? There's a chance that she does." Kate winks at you. “You are crazy.” You shake your head at Kate’s comment and giggle but it gets into your head a little bit. Who would say no to the charming Natasha Romanoff. The first time you saw her, your mind was already all over the place. You imagine you caress her hair in a certain position, so close to you, for crying out loud.

You and the girls hang out near the bar a little longer and drink three more of the same drink. The three of you underestimated the strength of the alcohol in it from how smooth it is. You thought that the bartender was right, the drink is strong. It hits you harder than you thought it would be.

You can feel yourself start to get drunk., not tipsy but drunk. You can see that Kate and MJ are in the same state as you. You hear the DJ starting to play Heads Will Roll - A-Trak Remix by Yeah Yeah Yeah now. People start to cheer from knowing what’s gonna play soon from the intro, including Kate and MJ.

“Y/n! I love this song!! Let’s go to the dance floor now!” Kate and MJ drunkenly pull you to get to the dance floor. The more the alcohol gets in your blood, the faster your heart beats. The louder people cheer and the song gets the more you want to move and you start to dance under the alcohol influence with your friends. The three of you laugh and dance. Your eyes start to search for Nat albeit how drunk you are now. Little do you know that she has been watching you this whole time.

She watches and analyzes you. She notices that every time a man tries to dance with you, you will quickly refuse or drag yourself away but you are comfortable dancing with any girls who approach you. The more she watches the way you dance and your smile, the more she is drawn to you. She wants you. For some reason, she sees that you are different from other girls she met.

While Pietro and Tony are busy enjoying a line or two of the expensive white powder, what a coincidence that Wanda is also eye-ing you. She recognizes that you are the cute one she saw in the line when she walked by. She is watching you sharply like a hawk. Just like Nat, the brunette wants you too. Her desire skyrockets just by watching how your body moves. Both Nat and Wanda are looking at you like you are their prey yet both of them don’t notice that they are looking at you at the same time.

Wanda lets out a little growl as she feels every inch of her crave you, and being high and drunk only makes her want you even more. “Vision, dear. I want her tonight.” Wanda demands without even letting her gaze off you as she points at you.

Before Vision gets the chance to respond to his wife's words, Nat interrupts. Stern was her tone when she said “No. This one is mine.” as she keeps looking at you. Pietro and Tony laugh a little at the unexpected small competition between the Russian and the Sokovian women.

Pt. 2

A/n: Welp, that's all for today. I hope you like it. Let me know what you think. Reblog, comment and input are always appreciated. Follow me for more! See you in next!

Cheerio!

Taglist: @madamevirgo @musicinourlips @unstable-sapphic-hoe @fanboy7794 @chloe7076 @b0mbdotc0m @trikruismybitch @ichala @californianwhiterabbit @silver-lotus @imfuckinggenius @sxfwap @chaekhan @daenerys713 @luvmcgrath @stupidsapphicsstuff @pattypavo @frvny @franfineashell @heyyoweveryone @ygtft-chen @yaaskasey @sweeet-likeeee-cinnamonn @paumxmff @dopeyouth @beaniejennie @ineedafinghug @idkwhatimwriting @lucydiibi @mainly-rebloging-fics-i-like @gloriousfoxruins @grxvitye @mcubreakdown101 @aos22 @wandanatstan @paulawand @yeeterthekeeper @femalehomosexual666 @snowdrop1026 @modernmonalisa @nothingisrealanyway @idamaemann @sweeterlust @royalityofmultifandom @playboysaleen @peabrain112 @gwhaley127 @harleyswanda @bodhi-j @darth-rain @cristin-rjd (Let me know if you want to be tagged)

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worksby-gabriella · 3 years ago

Text

Boyfriend

Pairing: Kate Bishop x Reader

Summary: Kate wants to be Y/N's new boyfriend girlfriend.

Warning: none?

Very light fem!reader

Inspired By: Boyfriend by Dove Cameron

“Babe! hurry up! We’re gonna be late again ‘cus of you!” Spencer calls from the lower level of his penthouse. his tone short and irritated.

“I’m going!” I yell back.

Me and Spencer have been dating for nine months. The first six were amazing, surprisingly. Spencer had made it known that he was not a relationship person but every time I stepped foot over his penthouse threshold every warning, anyone had ever given me about spencer was thrown out the door. I didn’t live with him, but I often spent the night over for days at a time and it always felt like he made sure to make this lavish penthouse feel like a sacred place for me.

These three months? I can’t help but describe it as bitter. I care about Spencer but that doesn’t mean loving him is easy these past few months. His words have gotten ugly with me, he’s short tempered, doesn’t take me seriously, he comes home late at night smelling like expensive perfume, when he knows I’ve been waiting for him. When his dad gets on him about taking his future seriously, he acts like a five-year-old and takes all his anger out on me. Right now, we’re heading to a networking gala for Eleanor Bishop, Spencer’s dad’s business partner. His dad thought it would only be right that I tag along since I work for Bishop Security and work for Eleanor as her assistant.

As I’m walking down the stairs Spencer looks me up and down and scoffs, “That’s what you’re wearing?”

“Yeah? Why?” I ask.

“It’s a little... lowsy, don’t you think? I mean my friends, and people from work are gonna be there.”

“Um, I can change if you want?”

“No, it’s fine we don’t want you wasting anymore time.”

We head downstairs to the lobby to meet the driver Spencer’s dad sent over and paid for. Shortly after we’ve gotten in the car his phone starts ringing.

“Dad? Yeah, we’re on our way right now. Wait- what? Why’s Kate going? She never goes. No. I don’t give a fuck dad. I’m not a kid anymore, you can’t make me say hi.”

My attentions perks up at Kate’s name. Kate’s going to be there? Thank god. Usually when she goes and I’m there and Spencer’s busy with... Spencer things she’ll find me and keep me company.

“k. bye.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Kate’s there. And my dad is making me say hello.”

“Kate’s there? Why?” I say questioning.

“Yeah. Why do you care?”

“I don’t.”

The silence is almost painful so I start up a civil conversation. “How long do you think we’ll be here?”

“God do you ever stop talking?! My head is pounding.”

“Right. Sorry.”

I take my phone out of my clutch pull up Kate’s contact, we don’t text much since we only see eachother when I’m working but we’ve texted a few short times.

Me: i heard your gonna be there tn?

Kate: Unfortunately, yeah

Me: oh ok

Kate: Why? You going?

Me: Yup, with Spencer.

Kate: ah Spencer, what a delight.

Me: He’s had a long week.

Kate: You give him to much credit.

After a couple minutes of me not responding due to me not knowing how to respond Kate sends a second text: Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you there. k?

Me: K

When we arrive at the gala Spencer’s dad meets us at the front.

“I still can’t believe you wore that.”

“Son. Not now.”

“Miss Y/N, you look beautiful tonight.”

“Thank you, James.”

“Well you two better get going, make sure to network Spencer, It is a networking event after all.”

After I’ve said hi to some of Spencer’s colleagues and friends Spencer starts looking around.

“Who’re you looking for?” I ask

“Kate. Dad will be on my ass if I don’t say hi.”

I start looking all around the ballroom as I see Kate already walking towards us in her black suit and hair up.

“There you are I’ve been waiting for you.” She says resting her hand on my waist,, not acknowledging Spencer.

“Hello, Kate.” I tell her my voice barley above a whisper as she pulls me in for a hug, her hand rubbing my back.

“Alright, Alright. Stop feeling up my girlfriend. Hello, Katie.” Spencer wraps a hand around my waist, acting like an animal trying to assert dominance.

Kate let’s go of me and takes stiff step back, “Spencer. Hi” She says with a tight lipped smile.

Spencer goes in to shake her hand but she just stares down at it and looks back up to his face, “My name is Kate.”

Kate looks down at Spencer’s hand and meets my eyes, quirking up an eyebrow, sticking her tongue to the side of her mouth and looking away before looking back at Spencer.

“Ha. Well, it was great seeing you, but I’ve got some people to talk to.” He unwraps his hand from my waist and starts to turn around.

“Wait, where are you going?” I question.

“Are you deaf? I said I was going to talk to people.”

“Who?”

Shaking his head, he looks back at me shrugging, “Who else? Some of us work real jobs, Y/N”

Kate’s watching our interaction and I couldn’t be more embarrassed than I am right now.

I sigh and look up at Kate as I sit down at the nearest table, “Sorry.”

“For what?”

“Spencer.” I say apologizing for his childish behavior.

“Well like you said, it’s been a long week.” Kate’s throwing my words back at me.

“Yeah. Long week.”

I hear her take a few steps closer to me, standing next to where I’m sitting. She hooks a finger under my chin, tilting my head up to grab my attention, “Hey”

“I need to go find my mom, but I’ll come find you later, yeah?”

“Yeah, okay.” I say nodding.

I haven’t seen Spencer since the last time he said he was going to talk to people at the gala, and I’m bored sitting here at the table. Kate said she was going to come find me but that was so long ago, and she still hasn’t shown so I pull out my phone and start scrolling through Instagram.

When I look up from my phone, I search the room with my eyes for Spencer seeing as it’s getting kind of late. I finally spot him and he’s in a corner with a blond. Both are holding a drink in their hand, and she’s laughing gripping his bicep as Spencer whispers something in her ear. I keep watching, unable to tear my eyes away from the scene, only hurting myself more. Seconds later Spencer locks eyes with me and disregards the fact that I just saw everything play out. He grabs the blonde woman’s hand and leads her down a hallway.

I look down at my phone, trying to play it off, trying to keep my cool so I don’t become a pathetic mess at this stupid gala, in front of everyone I work with.

I sense someone’s presence next to me and a musky scent of lavender and mahogany, knowing who it is I look up at her. I look up at Kate.

“Come on.” She tells me, already starting to walk, motioning for me to follow her.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll see, Y/N”

We reach a room towards the middle of the hallway and she opens the door for me, following right behind me, closing the door.

Looking around I notice it's a room with some shelves, a desk, and a fireplace. A study of some sort.

"Kate wha-"

Still facing the door she says, "Can you believe it? We're finally alone."

Turing around she looks me in my eyes and starts walking over to me, by the desk.

"No Spencer. Just me and you."

"Wha-" I try to get a word out.

Kate inches closer to me, standing directly in front of me, as I also move backward, closer to the front of the desk.

"He's dancing. You're alone. I came to find you. What are the chances, Y/N."

She moves even closer, who knew that was possible? I move backwards some more, making room for her. I'm practically sitting on the edge of the desk as she stands between my legs.

She glances back at the door as she stands close enough to emit some tension. I'm looking down not sure of what's going on but not being against it, as Kate looks down at me.

"Y/N?"

"Kate?"

I raise my eyes to her face, focusing on her mouth not having the courage to look her in the eyes yet.

"I swear, the universe must've read my mind. And what was I supposed to do? Not take my chance?"

"Kate, I still have no clue what you're talking about." I state taking a big gulp.

She grabs my hand and hooks her finger under my chin, forcing me to look her in the eyes, just as she did earlier. She moves a piece of hair out of my face and grabs my wrist, turning it over to trace the palm of hand.

"You know you deserve better than that right?"

"I-"

"I mean what was he doing over there when he could’ve been with you, looking like this."

"What do you mean, Kate?"

"You and Spencer. You used to always be so happy with him and now... you seem kinda miserable. You come to work, and you go into your office, and you keep checking your phone to see if he's texted or called. And he doesn't. You get on the phone with him asking him to lunch on your break and you get off the phone with tears streaming down your face. You call your friends and talk to them about it, I heard how he treats you. You come in super early, looking next to dead because you were awake all night waiting up for him. He treats you like a piece of property that can be altered to his convenience at any moment"

"I'm not saying any of that is true, Kate, but how do you know all this?" I ask.

"You think I 've been coming to work just because I wanted to? I hate it there. I come in because I know you're there. You think I'm not utterly mesmerized by your every move to not watch you all day?"

"I don't know what to say."

Kate looks up from my palm, and puts it on my lap, "Then let me do the talking."

I make eye contact as I say, "Okay." Barely above a whisper.

Kate inches even closer, pulling me into her and goes to my ear, "If I were your boyfriend, I never would've left you alone at that table, I wouldn't even have looked the way of another women if it were you at my side, and I know sure as fuck I wouldn't have left you alone for someone else to drag you into a study all alone."

I can still feel her lips barely touching my ear as I ask, "What're you saying, Kate."

"What I'm saying is-"

Kate gives a quick kiss to my ear, "is that I could be a better boyfriend."

She moves right below my ear, and kisses me again, "a better girlfriend."

She goes lower and gives me another kiss, "I could do everything he was never able to do."

Kate moves to the base of neck and starts placing multiple kisses on my skin, hardly giving in, " I want to steal you from him, Y/N"

I suck in a breath as she continues, " I would treat you right, better even. We would both benefit from this and deep down you know it."

She starts kissing back up my neck, " I don't mean to tell you twice, but sweetheart he will never be able to satisfy you, in more ways than one, that is."

She looks up, and looks me in the eye, "If I could give you some advice, I would leave with me tonight, Y/N."

I find myself agreeing with very word Kate is whispering into my ear and give her a nod.

"I'm sorry I didn't catch that, what?"

"Yes. I said Yes." My breathing is uneven due to Kate's shenanigans.

She presses a kiss to the corner of my mouth, pats the outside my thigh and hands me her hand to help me off the desk.

"What about Spencer, Kate?"

"Forget about Spencer. We'll just walk out, hopefully the asshole will get the memo. I don't want hear his name ever again."

So, that's what we do, Kate has her hand wrapped all the way around my waist as we walk to the doors, ignoring the stares.

We hear fast footsteps feet away from us, “Y/N!" We hear Spencer yell.

"Don't turn around." Kate tells me, she throws him the finger, still looking straight forward, exiting.

#kate bishop x female reader #kate bishop x y/n #kate x yelena #kate bishop x reader #marvel #steve rogers fic #bucky fic #hawkeye #clint barton #clint barton x reader #lgbtq #lgbtlove #lgbt representation #boyfriend #dove cameron #kate bishop #kate bishop smut #kate bishop fluff #kate bishop angst

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alyswritings · 3 years ago

Text

Tooth Fairy

Request: Hi could you please do a JJ maybank x daughter, where y/n just lost her tooth and is exited about it but JJ is occupied on his phone so he tell her without thinking that he’s going to give her money later and she confused on why would he give her money and sad that the tooth fairy doesn’t exist. Also I love your writing please continue like this <33 Inspiration from the movie: Grown ups 1 51:20 minutes

JJ Maybank x daughter!reader

Summary: JJ accidentally spills a secret.

Warnings: none really

a/n: thank you for the request! i love grown ups so much, it's one of my comfort movies. hope you all enjoy!

(gif not mine)

JJ, Kie, and Pope sit in the living room of the chateau as they're on the phone with Sarah and planning a surprise birthday party for John B. Y/N is in the room her and JJ sleep in when they spend the night and she's watching a movie on Kie's phone.

"Daddy!" The three teens hear a young voice yell and glance as Y/N runs into the room. Kie asks Sarah to repeat what she said, not hearing her over the child. "Daddy, I lost my tooth!" She says, though JJ is telling Sarah something.

"Daddy, I lost my tooth." Y/N repeats.

"Yeah, hang on, honey." JJ dismisses her.

"My tooth fell out!" She exclaims, wanting the usual excitement she gets from him like when she lost her past five teeth.

"Hang on, Y/N/N." JJ says.

"Y/N, just give him a minute." Pope softly tells her.

"But my tooth fell out." She says. "Daddy, it fell out."

"Yeah, okay, great, we're busy, princess, so just go put it under your pillow and I'll slip some cash in there later." JJ says. "Sarah, listen, yo, I really think he--"

"Huh?" Y/N asks, looking at her father confused by his last statement to her. JJ lets out a frustrated sigh.

"Y/N, I will put money in there la--" JJ suddenly freezes as he realizes what he said. Kie and Pope share wide eyed looks.

"Uh... I'll call you guys later." Sarah says before hanging up.

"There's no tooth fairy?" Y/N pouts, her eyes shining with tears.

"No. No, baby--" JJ tries, but she runs off to the room, the door shutting behind her. "Fuck." He whispers, burying his face in his hands.

"I'll go check on her." Kie says, getting up from the couch and going to the room. She knocks on the door, slowly opening it, to find her niece crying and curled up in a ball on the bed.

"Hey, sweet girl." Kie softly greets, shutting the door behind her. Y/N doesn't respond and Kie sits in front of her on the bed. "How you doing?"

"There's no tooth fairy?" Y/N asks, sniffling.

"I think that's a talk you should have with your dad, honey." Kie tells her.

"Why can't you tell me?" Y/N asks.

"Cause he's your parent. He should tell you the truth." Kie says. "I just came in here to hug you."

Y/N uncurls herself and moves closer to Kie, accepting her aunt's tight and warm hug. They're sitting like that for a little while when there's a soft knock on the door followed it being opened and JJ appearing.

"I will text Sarah and see what's happening." Kie says. She kisses Y/N on the head before getting up, sending a stern look to JJ to not screw up again as she leaves the room, shutting the door behind her.

"Hey, princess." JJ softly greets. Y/N lays down on her stomach, her cheek on the pillow. JJ lets out a quiet huff as he sits next to the bed and faces her. He puts a hand on her back and rubs it, putting his chin on the bed so his face is near hers.

"There isn't a tooth fairy?" Y/N asks.

"No, no, no, no. There is-- there is definitely a tooth fairy." JJ tells her.

"Then why are you putting money under my pillow?" Y/N asks.

"Well, it's... well, you know how Santa has elves?" He asks and Y/N nods. "See, the parents are kind of like elves. The tooth fairy can't go around every night and collect everybody's teeth. That's way too many houses, he'd never get time to rest."

"So with each family, their parent is the tooth fairy. I'm the tooth fairy for you. Your friend Jamie, her mom is the tooth fairy for her. When your aunts and uncles have kids one day, they'll be the tooth fairy for their children."

"So it's always you giving me money?" Y/N asks.

"Yeah." JJ nods.

"Why not just give it to me when I lose my tooth?" Y/N questions.

"Because you get all excited in the morning which I love. It's tooth fairy tradition -- the kid wakes up to money. It's not as magical when you just get handed cash right then and there. It's better to wake up to it."

"Santa's real, right?" Y/N asks.

"100%." JJ nods. "So is the Easter Bunny."

Y/N smiles and she sits up, hugging JJ around his neck. JJ lets out a deep exhale, hugging her back out of relief that he didn't completely wreck her childhood.

Taglist: @glxwingrxse @venomsvl

#jj maybank #jj maybank x daughter reader #jj maybank x daughter!reader #outer banks #outer banks jj #obx #obx jj

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erodasfishtacos · 4 years ago

Text

Not Your Charity Case

prompt: Harry is a frat boy - who doesn’t need sympathy from anyone. He makes Y/N feel a sense of home when they’re together. But is Harry just like every stereotypical frat boy?

word count: 6.2k

warnings: minor violence, language, deaf!harry, smutttt

other: when Harry is talking to Y/N or any other characters - it is to be noted that he is signing. When Y/N talks to Harry - she is also always signing

Let me know if you’d want to see anything else from this verse:)

+++

You were rushed - you really shouldn’t stop at the local coffee shop for a sugary, delicious mocha chip frappuccino.

Despite what people say, professors are much more lax and carefree in college.

It was about two weeks into the new semester, - your third here- and the seasons were changing - becoming autumn.

Chilled breezes, falling leaves, and vivid colors of nature made you happy.

When you arrive in line, there are two people ahead of you. A girl currently in front of the cashier and a tall male with a red and black flannel on behind her- typing away on his phone.

When she moves to the left, the broad man steps forward. His snapback facing backwards, brown curls dancing around his neck. You can’t help but notice how tall and lean he is, shoulders broad and straight.

You definitely haven’t seen him before on campus. You’d remember.

From what you can see, he shows the young girl behind the counter the screen of his phone without saying anything at all.

The raven-haired girl’s face pinches in annoyance. “We don’t accept orders like that. You need to tell me what you want.”

You’re a little surprised by both the rude cashier but also the man who doesn’t respond right away.

He attempts to show her his phone again but she shakes her head - annoyed.

You become interested in the situation when I watch him sign, a few gestures before pointing to his ears. In the most obvious form of saying “I can’t hear.”

The clueless girl gives him a blank look, “Listen, there’s a line. I don’t have time for this.”

You hoped you weren’t overstepping your boundaries when you slide up next to him, tapping him on his shoulder to get his attention.

It is a bit startling how gorgeous the boy is. He was tanned with bright green-eyes and a defined jawline that was currently clenched in frustration.

You sign, “What are you trying to order?”

He studies you for a second with hesitance before his long slim fingers begin to move, slowly as if he thinks you may be inexperienced in the form of language.

He replies, “Large coffee with a little cream and two sugars.”

You squeeze in front of him, “It is not only rude but illegal to not serve based on disabilities. Refusing an order from a deaf person isn’t moral or acceptable.”

The girl has enough decency to mumble an apology and turned bright pink, “Sorry, he doesn’t look deaf. “You roll your eyes - how can you tell that someone is deaf based on solely appearance? This girls a fucking idiot, you think.

You repeat his order to her, along with yours - sliding your debit card towards her and give her your name for the order.

The man trails behind you to the small waiting area. “Thank you,” he signs simply. You nod and return the pleasantry. The. hand him his steaming hot coffee.

“Thank you again. I’m going to be late to class, so I have to go,” he tells me, seeming a little out of place signing with a stranger.

“Go ahead, I’ll see you around.” It was the first time in a long time you’ve signed to anyone outside your family.

+++

Sipping your drink as you are only five minutes late and the class hasn’t even started yet. The man you just helped was sat in the back of the classroom, unloading his laptop.

With a little bravery, you wriggle your way through and plop into the wooden chair easily. Letting your backpack fall to the ground. Curly looks over at you with a frown, he signs, “Why are you sitting next to me?”

You blush, “I don’t know? Thought it’d be good to have someone to talk to.”

His hands are tense as he replies, “I’m not a charity case, so you can leave me alone.”

“Never said you were,” you huff when you tell him. Not appreciating how rude he was being. Signing had its own tones and expressions so to speak. For example, when someone is happy their signs and movements are different than when they’re sad or frustrated.

Harry seems to be the latter. You wrestle out your laptop to the PowerPoint that was going to be discussed today in class. You noticed Harry stared very intently at the professor to read his lips and expression.

You was surprised he didn’t have an interpreter with him but you’re sure he got special accommodations elsewhere. Even though that was absolutely none of your business.

His shoulders are tensed and he makes sure your arms don’t brush like you have cooties for the entire two hours. The nameless boy is up and out of his seat as soon as the professor shuts off the projector and turns on the lights - signaling class to be over.

Well fuck him then.

***

You don’t make the mistake to sit next him again. But that doesn’t mean you could ogle his strong muscular back and big hands.

It wasn’t your place to care but you felt twinges in your tummy when you noticed him struggling to keep up with the fast-speed class on certain days.

You were in the large, rustic library that smelled of old books and damp wallpaper. It was dead silent as people furiously studied or worked on papers due.

As you paced the shelves, you could not find the book you needed for your American Literature class. Fuck the Dewey Decimal System.

Part-time uni students probably just stuffed returned books in any open space they saw fit. But you need this book in particular, a discussion board post due by midnight and it was currently eight-thirty. They had ran out of copies at the on-campus bookstore.

After a valiant effort, you trudge up to the checkout counter. A little sign reads, “ring me if no ones here!”

You impatiently ring the silver bell. But no one comes. You give whoever is working a minute or two but nothing. Another ring it is.

Silence. No one. Of fucking course, luck is not on your side tonight.

You dramatically clunk your head onto the high counter top in front of you - groaning at the fact you may fail the assignment.

A tentative pat on your shoulder makes you snap your head up. To see the boy you’ve been constantly avoiding standing behind the checkout desk.

“Are you okay?” He asks. He had a name-tag on - Harry. He honestly looked a bit out of place. Harry appeared to be a frat boy. He was still had a boyish air about him but an intensity that was unmatchable.

He didn’t look like he would work in the library. He looked like...well he looked like he would be a beer pong referee or something.

You couldn’t see below his torso but he had a plain black snapback on and a vintage Elton John concert tee. A cross necklace dangling over the worn shirt.

You smile, embarrassed, but reply, “Just being dramatic. I can’t find a book and I was waiting here.”

There’s mirth in his eyes when he points to the bell,”Did you ring the bell?”

Your brows furrow, “I did.”

“Well I can’t hear it, I’m deaf,” he deadpans with a straight face and a dry sense of humor.

You roll your eyes, laughing nervously, “I didn’t know you were working!”

“What do you need?”

He helps you locate the book in two minutes flat before checking you out and you rushing home to finish the homework.

You felt bad ignoring your little sister’s FaceTime calls but you promised to call her back tomorrow.

***

Though once again, you hadn’t interacted with Harry since last week - you constantly found yourself studying his stoic profile or fast moving fingers.

You would never befriend Harry because you feel bad for him - like he presumed. You enjoyed American Sign Language and it actually made you feel back at home.

You’re little sister was born completely deaf. She was much younger than you - eight years old. Fifteen years apart to be exact. You learned the language along with her and your parents.

When you were at home and your sister was there - you guys tried to only sign so she didn’t feel left out. So Harry felt like home - a little despite his completely off-putting demeanor. It made you a little bit more persistent than with any other frat boy.

***

The bulletin board in your advisor’s office caught your eyes. None of the little tabs ripped off in interest.

‘Student with ASL experience and above a 3.5 GPA needed for tutoring sessions - twice weekly. $16 dollars an hour.’

After your meeting, you tugged the little scrap of paper off and tuck it into your pocket. You couldn’t know for sure if it was Harry but you didn’t know of any other deaf students in the program.

You say ‘fuck it’ and type out an email to the advisor of academic affairs and accommodations to throw your hat in the ring.

***

You don’t hear back for three days - nearly forgetting about it in the mean time. Your eyes scan quickly over the email to grant you the position. They include contact information for no other than Harry Styles.

After psyching yourself out a little and a few paces across your kitchen tiles - you text him.

Hey! I’m your new assigned tutor. Would you like to set up a time and place? As well as what kind of help you’re looking for.

The reply text comes shortly after

Hello, thank you very much. I am just in need of hearing ears. I am deaf and have a hard time keeping up with the my professor. I have begun recording the lectures in hope that you can sign then to me.

Sure thing. That won’t be a problem!

I live in Alpha Sigma on 3rd street. I have my own room. I’d rather not have the tutoring session in public. However, if that makes you uncomfortable - we can figure something out.

You take a minute to debate. You understand why this would be a task too loud for the library and why he’d want privacy. You didn’t feel like I’d be uncomfortable with him.

I saw twice a week so does Tuesday and Thursday at seven work?

Sounds great. Thank you again x

Did he know it was me? Was he expecting it to me?

***

He was definitely not expecting you. You automatically knew that by the way his friendly smile dissipated into a frown when he opened the door for you.

You attempted to look nice today without trying too hard. A loose crop top with the university’s name, a pair of tight black leggings, bulky white socks bunched at your ankles, and white sneakers. Very 80’s.

You try to keep your composure, “Hi Harry, I’m going to be your tutor.”

He slowly nods at you, huffing out a breathe of irritation before inviting you into the frat house.

You’d only been here once or twice for a party so you had no idea what the house actually looked like when there weren’t bodies and booze everywhere.

He’s walking you past a group of boys playing FIFA on the flatscreen in the living room, white claws open everywhere.

“Y/N! Hey babe!” You look over to see Niall - one of your good friends from your part-time job at the bookstore - trotting over to you guys.

The blonde pulls you into an overexcited hug. He reminded you of a cuddly, soft puppy dog most of the time.

“Are you Harry’s little tutor?” Niall coos, leaning over to pinch Harry’s cheek.

Harry- who was observing the conversation, focusing in on our lips, immediately bats his friend away. A small scowl forming on his face.

It automatically turns into a playful brawl where Niall tugs Harry into headlock. But he has no strength on the brunette.

Harry turns out of it quickly and pushes Niall to the ground. He straddles his stomach and begins to jokingly pinch and slap at him.

Niall hisses, “Ouch! You motherfucker! Big oaf!”

Then you don’t know why you find this endearing but Niall signs the word, “uncle” a few times to signal he’s accepted his lost.

The fact that they wrestle so much that Niall learned to sign how to give up made you giggle more than it should.

Harry crawls off of him, running a hand through his messy curls, his face a little flushed.

“I’ll talk to you later!” You tell Niall as your trailing behind Harry up a flight of stairs.

His room is extremely neat. A fluffy navy comfort decorated his bed with a few photos of flowers and nature on his wall. A tidy desk tucked away in the corner that had all of his school work loaded on top of it.

He chooses to sit in his desk chair, motioning for you to perch on his bed. You look at him expectantly when he pulls out the tape recorder and sets it on the surface.

He pulls his laptop into his lap and begins signing, “I need you to transcribe the lecture for me so I can follow it. We can skip through the bits where he is rambling or off topic.”

You nod, letting him know to begin whenever he’s ready. He presses the side button and the recording starts but it super unclear and garbled.

“Did you record this from your seat?” You ask, the professors words nearly inaudible and fuzzy.

“Yes.”

“You need to bring it to the front of the room. Ask Dr. Morrison to lay it on his desk before class. I can’t hear anything but static and mumbles,” You tell him.

He laughs and shakes his head. His movements rough and angry, “Of course its fucked up. I get you as my tutor and then the recorder is shit.”

You glare at him, offended as you haven’t done anything to this boy. “Excuse me? I’ve literally been trying to help since I’ve meet you. What is your fucking issue?”

“I’m not a charity case! I don’t need you to feel bad for me. I’m not helpless! You’re probably just a silly little girl who took ASL in high school because it was cool and trendy. Go back to focusing on psych.”

“Fuck you, Harry,” Your gestures getting sharper and your face sour, “You know nothing about me so don’t act like you do. I don’t feel bad for you or think that you’re helpless.” You put up a hand and tell him to not talk.

“I was just being nice because I thought you were handsome and at first, seemed friendly. It turns out you’re just like every douchebag frat boy I’ve met. What a disappointment,” You chuckle, swinging your bag on your shoulder and storm out of the room without another look.

***

The cafe was jammed packed - it was Waffle Wednesday. You had said waffles in your tray and were about to plop down on a stool when you hear your name being called.

“C’mere, come sit with us!” He hollers over the commotion of the crowd. Niall.

You’re about to decline when some dude slips behind you and snags the stool. Shit.

A bit unwillingly you slide into the booth next to Niall, cracking open your sparkling water. “Mates, this is Y/N, we work at the store together and she’s Harry’s tutor,” he tells them. “Y/N, this is Liam and Louis.”

“Hello,” you try your best to come off as friendly even though you can feel Harry’s glare on the side of your face. You ended up falling to easy conversation with the boys. Niall has a very limited ASL vocabulary but tries.

The boys are also trying to talk slower and more pronounced so Harry can watch and understand. A couple of times he taps Niall on the wrist to repeat what was going on.

Your phone begins buzzing and you apologize for the interruption. It’s your little sister, Mazie, FaceTiming.

You answer the phone with a frown, signing “Aren’t you suppose to be in school?”

Mazie looks upset, eyes a little watery. She gestures back, “I left early. I’m sick.”

“Are you really sick or where you getting bullied again?” You asks her.

Your sister hesitates before sniffling, “You already know. I hate my school.”

Mazie has had other children bully her for her disability since she started preschool and it as still happening in fourth grade.

“What can I do to help?” You frown, never wanting to see your baby sister cry.

You chat for a few minutes to help her calm down. When the phone call ends, you don’t realize that all the boys were watching you in interest. Harry in particular, keeps his focus on you with a wrinkled forehead.

“My sister’s deaf,” You tell them. The whole time you’ve been sitting with them you’ve been signing and verbally speaking to help everyone be able to be included in the conversation.

“That’s sick!” Louis says, smacking Harry’s arm. “Just like our lad Harry.”

Harry grumbles when Louis shakes him a little. It seems like the boys loved to physically interact with Harry which was endearing.

Harry allows him to for a moment before he flicks his cheek hard and laughs when Louis flinches. The conversation goes back to normal.

***

Harry jogs up to you after your group shares farewells and a few punches. You pointedly ignore him as you trek to the class you two have together so it’s not like he can’t walk this way too.

“Please, wait,” Harry asks. He walks in front of you.

“What do you want?” You huff, keeping my glare firm and directed alley at him.

“I’m sorry. I made the wrong assumption.”

“You made a lot of wrong assumptions. The fact that you think of me so lowly is sad. I’ve been nothing but nice,” You try not to focus on his large palms that curve over the caps of your shoulders.

“I’m not very trusting of people.”

You snort rather unattractively, “No kidding”

“Can we please start over?” He asks, stepping back to give you space. He didn’t realize how close he’d been standing to you until your hair wisps across his nose.

“One more chance, Styles.”

Harry lays a hand on your upper arm and squeeze lightly before signing the simple gesture of ‘thank you.’

***

It turns out Harry is very handsy and physically affectionate. It wasn’t creepy though or something that ever made you feel uncomfortable.

You were still tutoring him but you hung around the frat with Harry nearly everyday. The days you just wanted to lay in bed resulted in a grumpy FaceTime from Harry.

Harry once stated during a tutoring session, “It is easier for me to show how I’m feeling with touch than words. If I ever make you uncomfortable - please tell me and I will stop.”

You smile slyly at his words that sounded more like a question, asking if he can touch you. “I guess I’ll let you feel me up every now in again.”

He giggles and looks down wolfishly - like an entertaining thought is dancing around in his mind.

You tuck your finger under his chin to gaze at you. “In all seriousness, I give you my consent to show your feelings with physical touch. I trust you and know you won’t do anything to make me uncomfortable.”

The curly-haired brunette smiles happily, his hand cupping the side of your neck and brushing over your pulse point.

He hadn’t touched you here before and it seems like it was his first goal to do so once he got permission. You can’t help but take in a deep gasp of air. You prayed he didn’t notice but by the small lift of his lips he did.

The simple touch made a flame of arousal swirl in your lower stomach. You felt like you were about to start sweating.

“Anyways,” You clear your throat and snatch back up the recorder. It now had better quality after Harry listened to you about placement.

***

The frat house was ridiculously full of drunk college students. Everybody on the dance floor was sweaty and sticky with a variety of different substances.

Niall had invited you - so you were searching about for him. Pushing through the crowd and nobody was able to hear you say ‘excuse me.’

You finally found fresh air in the backyard where beer pong and cornhole were set up. Niall was tossing his ball across the table, trying to splash in Liam’s red solo cups.

Harry was sitting on a cushioned patio chair, watching the game commence. Maybe he was a beer pong referee after all.

He looked so fucking good tonight. He had a yellow snapback taming his curls - backwards of course. A black Rage Against the Machine shirt and his signature black skinny jeans. **

You made eye contact and were about to wave when a girl plopped down in the seat across from him.

Awkwardly you turn away, greeting the other boys and taking a seat in a lawn chair to watch them start their third round of the game.

Your eyes keep darting over to Harry who is staring blankly at the girl. She starts stroking his biceps and tracing across the tattoos like they belong to her.

Harry is attempting to let her know he’s not interested. His signs uselessly as she’s staring at his lips and not hands.

You’re moving before you know it, without another thought, you squeeze in between the two - separating them. You dramatically slide into his lap, funnily enough one strong arm wrapping happily around your middle.

The pretty blonde pouts out her lips, “Is he your boyfriend?”

Before you’re able to reply, Harry signs the obvious signal for ‘yes’ to the girl. Then rudely makes the shooing gesture. She’s up with a huff and stomping back towards the house.

Harry turns you sideways on his lap so that you two can see each other’s hands, “You saved me.”

“You’re just such a stud, have to protect you,” You joke - but not really.

He raising his eyebrows and smiles, “You were jealous.” It was a statement not a question.

You blush wildly, avoiding eye contact which you know he hates. He hates anytime you cut off ways of communication.

Harry taps your lips until you look up at him, “it’s really fucking sexy when you are.” A perk of sign language. He could dirty talk just about anywhere and mostly no one would ever know.

His thumb drags on your full bottom lip, signing clumsily with one hand so you had to use context clues to piece it together “Don’t think I forgot when you called me handsome a few months ago.”

“I don’t remember, doesn’t sound like me,” You boldly lie, snickering and nipping at the top of his thumb

His eyes become a shade darker when your teeth meet his skin. He presses his thumb further in until it’s in-between your teeth. The moment is broken when Niall screams, “Styles! You’re up next!”

You and Harry become separated after you spent nearly two hours watching all these drunk boys play beer pong. Harry was ridiculously good at the game and only had to drink two cups from the table.

You had wandered back into the house where the party had died down. There were only a handful of stragglers left but mostly just the fraternity brothers and their close friends.

With a fresh alcoholic seltzer in your hand - you didn’t trust open bottles at parties like this - you gaze at Harry through the back window.

Harry was being jumped by Liam and Niall. He was snarling playfully as Liam toppled them all over into the grass. Niall tries to stand up but Harry’s hand wraps around his ankle and makes him fall right back on his bum with a girlish squeal.

Niall leans over to give Harry a wet-willy but Liam manages to throw a plastic cup directly at Niall’s forehead. Harry and the other boys dissolve in childish giggles. Faces red from laughter and liquor. You feel a smile painted fondly on your lips from watching them.

“Hey, Y/N right?” A voice interrupts from behind.

You spin to face a guy you barely recognize from a previous class you shared. You smile nonetheless, “Hi...”

“Jake, Jake from Social Constructs and Society last semester.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right,” You smile and allow him to talk your ear off because you struggle to say ‘no.’ He was fine, nothing special, typical business major who thought he was hot shit because his daddy owned a golf course he wanted to take you to.

It was a normal conversation until his voice gets lower as if he’s trying to be more seductive, “Want to head to a room with me?” He nods towards the staircase.

You chuckle in disbelief at his bold and forward question. “No thank you, I’m good.” You really had eyes for one person right now and he was currently cussing out Niall in sign language in the backyard before tackling him once again to the ground.

“C’mon, I can really show you a good time,” He persuades persistently, stepping into your space - causing your nervousness to spike.

“I said - no thank you,”You bite out, starting to feel scared when he blocks your way out of the kitchen and presses himself against you and the counter.

“You’re really something gorgeous, you know?” He asks, ignoring my struggles to get away from him.

“Stop touching me!” You scream, hoping Niall or one of the boys would hear your wail. He puts a hand up to your mouth to muffle you but that only results in you biting him.

“Fucking bitch!” He cries out, pulling his hand back and winding up to either punch or slap you right in the face. You prepare for the impact.

Then in a blink off an eye, it becomes a blur, a muscular figure is crashing into Jake with full force and knocking him straight into the linoleum floor with a loud crash.

It’s Harry. Broad shoulders and thick but lean tattooed biceps. He’s standing over the harasser and drops on top of him. It shouldn’t look as graceful and tactful as it does.

You’d never seen anything like this from Harry before. Once you really got to know him - he was a gentle giant who liked romantic comedies, soft blankets, and vanilla cupcakes with rainbow sprinkles.

Harry’s fist is repeatedly connecting with the dark-haired boy’s jaw with full force. The only noise is from Jake as Harry is dead silent but his eyes zeroed in on the target.

When blood begins gushing from the man’s nose - Niall and Liam decide it times to physically pull Harry up. Harry had a slight red mark on his jaw when Jake had managed one punch before being defeated quickly.

Harry signs to Niall, “Tell him.”

Niall places his foot on the dude’s chest to keep him down, “My mate wants to let you know if you touch her again we’re not going to pull him off and he’ll gladly beat you to a fucking pulp.”

Jake groans, clutching his nose to stop the bleeding, “Fuckin’ asshole.”

You were still blown away as you watch Harry’s heaving chest as he glares down at the boy. His fist clenched and knuckle bloody and swollen. Harry’s attention turns towards you. His furious expression melts into worry. You can read his face so clearly. He’s afraid he’s scared you off.

It was hard to believe you had this drop dead gorgeous frat boy defending you past midnight on a Friday night. A boy who didn’t need to hear but just to see you needed help to step in.

All your desires and lusts after the man in front of you burst like a rubber-band and the urge to have him felt uncontrollable. “Take me upstairs,” you demand quickly, arousal creeping up your spine.

He doesn’t understand you’re extremely turned on. Instead he looks like a kicked dog who’s about to get in trouble again.

Nevertheless, he takes your hand and maneuvers out of the kitchen and up the stairs until his bedroom door is closed.

Harry lips are turned down unhappily as he begins, “I’m sorry, love. I...” he pauses a moment before continuing. “I just wanted to make sure you were safe. I hope you don’t think less of me.”

You look him dead in the eye and sign, “Kiss me.”

He blinks slowly at you like he just hallucinate the gestures.

So you repeat your motions, slow and with intent, “Kiss me, touch me, do something.” No more time is wasted as he is stepping in front of you and cupping your face in his hands.

Without any hesitation now, he pressing a bruising kiss to your lips - taking your bottom one between his and sucking.

Your hands are immediately tugging at the hem of his vintage shirt, pulling apart to bring it over his head. Dark ink decorates his torso, for some reason something you weren’t expecting. A butterfly on his abdomen, two fern branches, tattoos on his side.

Harry chuckles, “This is new to me.”

Your eyes go wide and you sign, “You’re a virgin?”

Harry snorts and rolls his eyes before telling you, “God no. I mean I’ve never been able to really communicate during sex.”

Then before You can speak, he cuts in a bit frantically, “I’ve always gotten consent - not like that. I mean-“ You cut him off with a kiss - knowing he would never do anything you didn’t want.

You wanted everything from him.

“If you’d believe it, I like a bit of dirty talk when I fuck - but no one understands what I’m saying,” He tries to crack a joke but for some reason seems insecure and nervous.

“Hey,” You take his chin so he shyly meets your eye, “I can’t wait to hear it - you’ve already made me so wet.” His eyes light up like a kid on Christmas.

“You’re such a good girl,” he signs before tugging off your shirt and instantly finding your lips again. His hands are skillful as they unclasp your bra without any struggle and tosses it.

You tugs a bit as his hair to show your enjoyment as his tongue finds your nipple - lapping before taking it between his teeth. As good as it feels, you want him to feel even better.

You push him back until he’s sitting in the edge of the bed, legs spread and hands behind him on either side holding him up. Jaw clenched with arousal and restraint.

He’s pressed against the zipper of his jeans. And all you wanted to do was see him in all of his glory. You’re quick to undo the button and determined to get the finicky zipper down as well.

His fingers come beneath your chin until you’re looking at his sparkling eyes, a look of lust made his lids a little droopier and his mouth slack from heavy-breathing.

“Are you sure you want to? You don’t have to - I want to eat your pussy either way, pet,” He signs, leaning in for a slow, wet kiss.

You sign back with a pout, “Shut the fuck up.” He huffs out a laugh, letting go of your chin and wrapping a hand in your hair to keep it out of your face.

As soon as he’s helping you wriggle his briefs and jeans down his narrow hips, you’re met with the prettiest cock you’ve ever seen.

When you make eye contact with Harry, he raises a eyebrow and grins cockily, “Is it nice enough for your liking, love?”

You nod breathlessly - wasting no more time before ducking down to take him to your mouth, a slight burning in your throat from how big he is.

His hands keep ahold of your hair, thumbs pressed against your temples as you bob down his length with sloppy, warm licks.

Harry’s moaning as you pop off to kiss and suck at the underside of him, hands coming to cup and roll his balls. It is a few moments later when he taps your cheek to get your attention, one hand leaving his hair to sign that he’s close.

Your mouth speeds up, wanting to give him all the pleasure you could. Your hand coming to stroke at what couldn’t fit in your mouth, pumping quickly.

Before you know it, Harry’s rutting his hips upwards and coming with a long, deep moan from the rumbles of his chest. He’s pulling you up into his lap, pressing appreciative kisses to your cheeks and jawline.

Big hands palming at your breasts before slipping down into your leggings, brushing softly over your mound.

You whine and hitch forward to grind against his palm as soon as he cups you. He smiles widely at your desperation, pressing the heel of his palm harder against you to create more pressure.

You were already so wet and turned on that it wasn’t going to take much. The ball of your climax was burning low in your tummy. However, you wanted him to taste you like he said he would.

You sign, “I’m close. Please, I want your mouth on me.”

With that, he’s flipping you until you’re laid out on the bed. His hands tugging off your leggings and underwear with no further ado. “Holy shit,” He gestures, gazing all over your body and not stopping on one spot for too long.

“What?” You ask, fishing for the compliments you know he’s about to shower you in.

“You’ve got such a pretty pussy,” he signs, dimples popping in his cheeks and a curious finger traces your entrance before dipping in.

You lightly kick at his stomach, “Get on me.” He pouts, crooking his finger against your spot before pulling it out. Fucking tease.

Then his face is disappearing between your spread thighs and a strong lick is delivered from your clit all the way down to your bum.

Since he can’t hear you, you grabs handfuls off his hair. Tugging at the roots, scratching your nails into his scalp to let him know how good he is. So fucking good.

When you accidentally buck your hips hard against his mouth, you curse and run a apologetic hand through the locks. He doesn’t look up at you but lift a hand and signs, “Again.”

You absolutely whine, begging to ride him with determination - climax on the brink. He hums causing vibrations on the sensitive nerves. With that, your hips are meeting his tongue and you’re coming. His face dampening with your release - happy as a clam when he pops back up.

You can’t remember the sign for condom, so you sign, “Protection?” Harry understands right away, rustling through the drawer until he finds a stray packets, “It’s been awhile.”

“Same,” You gestures - watching as he slides it down his length and crawls overtop of you. He was pink and swollen - having to be a bit sensitive from just coming a little while ago.

“Ready, love?” He asks, pressing soft kisses to your jawline. You nod, reaching down to guide him in.

And you weren’t lying, it had been a while and he was big. The stretch wasn’t uncomfortable, just a lot. But his wet, open-mouth kisses made you stay grounded.

Harry’s moans were absolutely obscene as he slide all the way in before stopping to give you a moment. His arms strong, holding himself over you. The cold metal of his necklaces brushing against your tight nipples.

When you have him the okay, he begin giving you deep, hard strokes on each thrust. His noises so loud they had to be able to hear them downstairs. They were deep and low - rumbling in his chest with pleasure.

Then his hand is coming to your throat. For a wild moment you thought he was going to choke you but instead he rest it lightly, palm flat.

It takes you a moment - then it hits you.

Holy fuck. He is feeling the vibrations of your moans - erupting from your vocal cords. Feeling out the movement from your throat so he can feel how much you’re enjoying it.

You should be embarrassed but you can’t find it in you when you come again right on the spot. His fingertips nudging into the skin to feel the intensity as it wracks through you.

When you’re done riding out your orgasm, he reaches for the headboard behind you with his other hand, gripping it tightly as he begins to pound in with all his strength.

The bedframe is hitting the wall so loud that the whole house must be able to hear it. Hitting with every directed thrust until his mouth is dropping down into a long, timbred moan and he’s coming.

---

Later, when the two are you have settled for the night in the warmth of his bed. Harry seems a little nervous, once again. It takes him a moment to meet your eyes and brushes a strand of hair off your forehead.

“What is it?” You ask, tucked into his side. His body so solid and comforting.

“It’s corny,” Harry frowns, eyebrows furrowing as his eyes flash across your face.

“Tell me,” You insist, bringing his hand to your lips to kiss his fingertips.

“I feel like you were made for me. Like...we were meant to be together,” Harry signs, hesitant to share his thoughts. But it doesn’t scare you away. You can’t help but agree.

“I think so too,” You reply before pressing another kiss to his puffy pink lips.

3K notes · View notes

miekasa · 3 years ago

Note

mie….could we please get college au eren headcanons👉🏽👈🏽

Of course. I’m always thinking about his big head anyway <33 might as well put it good use.

One thing he learned in college is how to make his hyperfocus/fixation episodes work for him; that’s why he schedules all his classes as close together as possible. He’d rather have class back to back for 5 hours, than have it spread out with hours in between lectures, because that increases his changes of cutting.

You can always tell when he’s in class and/or what class he’s in by how much he responds to your messages. If he doesn’t text back at all, he’s in a class that hard or one he enjoys, or both. But if he’s sending you iMessage games, then you know he’s in his elective that he couldn’t care else about (and is probably cheating in someway somehow lmfao).

He usually puts his phone on dnd when he’s in a class that’s important, but you’re in his favorite contacts, so your messages always ring through. What if it’s an emergency and you need him for something? Advanced Roots of Human Biology can wait.

Some days there are one or two our breaks between his lectures, that’s just how the scheduling works out. When that happens, he usually sneaks into one of your lectures, or goes to your place to take a nap. Your roommates have become accustomed to him, honestly they’ve been considering giving him a key.

Once, he didn’t realize that your lecture was basically a seminar, with you, the prof and maybe six other students. He still stayed lmao, and the prof was so amazed by his dedication, that she didn’t even mind. Occasionally, you’ll catch the two of them talking after lecture. It’s pretty cute the way she’s adopted him into the class even tho he’s not on the roster.

You... have to show him where the library is lmfao. He genuinely has not stepped foot in one until you bring him to one. He likes it tho lmao once he gets used to it.

Speaking of which, do not give him standard directions to find your classes on campus because all you’ll get is, “Babe, I’m gonna keep it real with you, I’ve never heard of the ‘West Quad’ a day in my life. What building are you near.”

He usually comes to see you in the library after all his lectures are done for the day. Sometimes he does homework, sometimes he’s just fucking around on his computer, sometimes he’s just bothering you. When you have to leave to go to class, he stays behind to watch your stuff so you don’t have to pack everything up and come back.

Very protective when it comes to keeping your seat for you. No, you cannot take that chair to your table you good for nothing freshman; it’s reserved for you.

He’ll drag you out of the library if you’ve been cooped up all day, tho. Eren will use his height and his strength against you to get you up. Placates you with kisses when he sees your angry expression, and promises to buy you food.

He takes your backpack for you when you’re walking together,m. His backpack is frustratingly light all the time, even during midterms. You swear all he’s got in there is a pencil and some flashcards.

If you have night classes, he sticks around to walk you home after, especially in the winter when it gets dark faster. If he’s not already on campus, he’ll walk/drive back to meet you; he just doesn’t like you going home alone. Even if your friend/roommate is in the class with you, Eren will walk or drive the both of you home for his own sanity.

He plays sports, so he usually has practice most evenings, but he’ll find a way to make time. If practice was particularly brutal, he’ll probably crash at your place.

He loves it when you come to meet him after practice. His whole face lights up and he waves obnoxiously, before he gathers up his stuff and all but sprints towards you. You get a cold water bottle to the face, or a bit of water splashed on you usually, which he takes immense amusement in.

He knows it’s not possible for you to make it to all of his games, and usually it doesn’t bother him much; you’ve got your own life, and work to worry about. All he asks is that you wear his jersey, or any item of his sports apparel/merch on game day (he’s partial to hoodies).

By the time junior year rolls around, he’s not all that interested in attending parties that aren’t hosted by your friends; so, unless it’s at Connie, Jean, or Reiner and Bertholdt’s place, Eren will usually decline. Even team parties, he’s not crazy about unless it’s to celebrate a championship or something. He’d much rather celebrate with you.

He does get excited about hosting parties though, and he and Jean become pretty damn good co-hosts. They don’t throw ragers, and that’s probably why Eren likes it so much. It’s usually your friend group and a couple plus ones, some good music, games, weed, and take-out.

He’ll buy you coffee whenever you ask for it. The first time, he just orders something plain, not really knowing the difference between anything; but give it two or three tries, and he’ll get it perfect. He becomes so good that he can order you something new/different and you’ll love it.

That’s kind of the start of his own coffee addiction, and more often than not, when he buys you a cup, he’s on his second or third of the day himself. The flavor has really grown on him, okay.

He much prefers your apartment, but on occasion, he’ll ask you to come to his. You’ve been studying for so long, a change of environment should do you good, he claims. He’s a fucking liar tho because that’s all Eren Talk for “I do genuinely want you to come over, but my plans are to coerce you out of doing your assignments and doing me instead.”

Lmfao he adds you on Apple Watch Rings just so you can see him close his rings every day and laugh at you. Even if yours get closed by virtue of walking around campus or working out or whatever, his numbers are stupidly high because he fucking has practice at least 4 days of the week.

Of course when you’re running on a soccer field for 2 hours every day, you close your Move Ring five times, Eren. Leave the rest of us alone.

He buys you guys matching accessories for your keychains. It’s something pretty cute, and slightly random, but it reminded him of you. It also serves as a reminder to himself to take his fucking keys with him when he leaves his house.

He sleeps like a fucking rock, so do not let him fall asleep in the library. Waking him up is a mission, and he’s never happy to be woken up. He looks kinda cute tho.

He schedules dates for you and his friends. Usually by accident, but hear me out. Sometimes he’ll make plans with Armin, then forget that he has class or a test or something; so his solution is to text you, “hey, i forgot min and i were supposed to go some aquarium tomorrow but i have a midterm so here’s the pdf of my ticket, go with him for me, thanks babe love u” then, boop, you and Armin have an aquarium date Friday evening.

The same thing happens with Mikasa, though, she usually catches the scheduling conflict before Eren does, and invites you out herself. You and Mikasa hang out quite a bit anyway, so it comes to the point where she tells you when she’s gonna hang out with Eren, so you can make yourself free for when he inevitably remember he has a game that day.

Mikasa is most amazed that you’ve put up with Eren this long lmao. You’ve certainly lessened her Eren & Armin babysitting hours, and for that she’s eternally grateful. Also, she’s just happy to have another close friend. She loves Eren and Armin, but they’re not the most social beings, and she was literally their only friend besides the other for all their childhood PLEASE she’s so happy you’re around.

It’s Mikasa, however, who babysits you and Eren whenever you both get too drunk. Says you guys are two peas in a pod (affectionate<2)

If you tell Eren something important that happened, like an internship you got, or a good grade in a class, or something, he usually relays that information to his mom pls. He texts her every day, and if she doesn’t ask for an update on you first, he gives her one.

Carla calls you sometimes, too. At least once every few weeks, just to check on you herself. She really likes you for Eren, and is grateful someone is willing to put up with her hotheaded son.

Eren’s always using your fucking chapstick. Always. You know he has his own, so why he needs to use yours is beyond you. Finds time to make some dumbass comment about how it’s an “indirect kiss” every time he uses it too. Like bro, we’re dating, and have had many direct kisses why are you like this.

He posts on Instagram every few weeks or so, but you’re on his story every few days. Usually, it’s just a video of you minding your business and doing your work while Eren slowly zooms in before making some loud noise to surprise you, all so he can get your reaction on video and laugh at it. He’s annoying.

He’s a bit of a copycat when it comes to the products you use. He’ll buy the same brand of pens as you (for that matter, all of his school supplies mirror yours because what does he know about the difference between A4 and A5 notebooks?), put a little hand sanitizer on his backpack like yours (and a lotion, too, for good measure), he even copies your Starbucks order until he finds one he likes for himself. It’s one of his love languages <3

If you’re wondering where your eyelash curler went, Eren stole it to try it on himself, hurt himself, vowed to never use it again, went back because he wanted to “do it right and not give up,” liked the results when he didn’t pinch his eyelid, and now it’s his.

That being said, stop trying to put your Fenty lipgloss on him, it’s never going to happen. Eye makeup, maybe, only if you sit in his lap and he can have his hands on your ass while you do it.

What he does love is letting you do his skincare. He will set aside dedicated skincare nights, he adores it. Easily one of his favorite things ever.

You have his wallet. Not because he’s your sugar daddy or anything (although, if you want something, he’d definitely let you use his card to get it; and even if you bought something without asking, he wouldn’t think twice about it), but because he put it in your bag once and never took it out.

When you tried to give it back, he just shook his head and told you to keep it, “I have my ID in my phone case anyway, and you’re less likely to lose it. Plus I put all my cards on Apple Pay, so I’m good.”

When you do make it to a game of his, he’s all over you when it’s over. Not in a cocky athlete boyfriend kind of way; in a very sleepy boyfriend kind of way. He’s usually got ice on at least one part of his body, and he’s got half his body weight on you as you walk to the car.

By the time you guys get back to your place, he’s practically sleep walking. The only thing on his mind is taking a hot shower to soothe his muscles, and heading to bed. The aftermath of game days aren’t all that bad though, because even if you didn’t show, you’re always there to kiss him when he’s home and massage his shoulders, and cuddle him to sleep; and that’s his favorite part.

#anonymous #hes so fucking cute hes my fucking BOYFRIENDDDDDDDDD #eren x reader #aot x reader #eren jaeger x reader #aot imagines #eren fluff #eren smut

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halothenthehorns · 2 years ago

Text

Chapter 16: A GOD BUYS US CHEESEBURGERS

"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?" Alex asked seriously.

"Depends on the god," Thalia shrugged.

Percy responded just as seriously, "and the cheeseburger."

"He has a thing against those plant ones," Thalia stage whispered.

"Those black-bean ones aren't bad," he protested, "they're just a lie!"

"Moving on," Will chuckled.

The next afternoon, June 14, seven days before the solstice, our train rolled into Denver. We hadn't eaten since the night before in the dining car, somewhere in Kansas. We hadn't taken a shower since Half-Blood Hill, and I was sure that was obvious.

"Poor Grover, I wonder if you smelt as bad as monsters by then," Will laughed.

"Let's hope he doesn't start throwing tin cans at us if so," Percy nodded.

"Let's try to contact Chiron," Annabeth said. "I want to tell him about your talk with the river spirit."

"We can't use phones, right?"

"I'm not talking about phones."

"Um, demigods still need to text with a phone, right?" Magnus asked, he'd believe almost anything at this point.

"Yes, you're about to see what those drachmas were for," was all Thalia would answer.

We wandered through downtown for about half an hour, though I wasn't sure what Annabeth was looking for. The air was dry and hot, which felt weird after the humidity of St. Louis. Everywhere we turned, the Rocky Mountains seemed to be staring at me, like a tidal wave about to crash into the city.

"I imagine people from out of town feel just as claustrophobic being in New York surrounded by buildings," Magnus said sympathetically.

'This realm is so strange, having a billion different types of cities that are barely held together and have little in common,' Hearth signed.

Magnus froze as he looked at him, for the first time wondering just how different his 'realm' was.

Finally we found an empty do-it-yourself car wash. We veered toward the stall farthest from the street, keeping our eyes open for patrol cars. We were three adolescents hanging out at a car wash without a car; any cop worth his doughnuts would figure we were up to no good.

Will was fascinated at this idea, kids had a tendency to loiter and play and laugh wherever they fancied in the most randomest of places, but he was the only one naïve enough to think some cop wouldn't instantly accuse them of being drug dealers or something. Jason had no specific memories, of course, but he had a feeling he'd had a few unpleasant interactions with mortals and their idea of authority. Each of them had experience being chased off by the cops for some reason.

"What exactly are we doing?" I asked, as Grover took out the spray gun.

"It's seventy-five cents," he grumbled. "I've only got two quarters left. Annabeth?"

"Don't look at me," she said. "The dining car wiped me out."

I fished out my last bit of change and passed Grover a quarter, which left me two nickels and one drachma from Medusa's place.

"Excellent," Grover said. "We could do it with a spray bottle, of course, but the connection isn't as good, and my arm gets tired of pumping."

'How does this continue to get stranger every chapter?' Magnus asked. 'I keep expecting sentences like that to stop being weird.'

'You're not alone this time' Hearth assured, but he was more than excited to find out, he'd never want to leave if they kept talking about how they use magic.

"What are you talking about?"

He fed in the quarters and set the knob to FINE MIST. "I-M'ing."

"Instant messaging?"

"Iris-messaging," Annabeth corrected. "The rainbow goddess Iris carries messages for the gods. If you know how to ask, and she's not too busy, she'll do the same for half-bloods."

The look of wonderment on many of their faces made Thalia feel like a proud parent showing off her world, her eyes lingered on Jason more than Percy as he grinned and looked from the book to the empty room as if hoping a rainbow would appear now so he could give it a try.

"You summon the goddess with a spray gun?"

"Well when you put it like that it sounds ridiculous," Nico rolled his eyes.

"Says the guy who communicates all of his messages through silent stares," Will sighed, he was so hard to read. He'd known Nico for years and was still trying to pick apart any details he could to try and get to really know him. It helped nothing he'd never spent longer than a month at camp before he vanished, randomly reappearing and then repeat.

Nico answered him, with a stare. His lips were stiff, he seemed unpleased, but there was a bend in the quirk of an eyebrow as he also seemed to be wondering something too, before turning back away.

Grover pointed the nozzle in the air and water hissed out in a thick white mist. "Unless you know an easier way to make a rainbow."

Sure enough, late afternoon light filtered through the vapor and broke into colors.

Annabeth held her palm out to me. "Drachma, please."

I handed it over.

She raised the coin over her head. "O goddess, accept our offering."

She threw the drachma into the rainbow. It disappeared in a golden shimmer.

"Half-Blood Hill," Annabeth requested.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then I was looking through the mist at strawberry fields, and the Long Island Sound in the distance. We seemed to be on the porch of the Big House. Standing with his back to us at the railing was a sandy haired guy in shorts and an orange tank top. He was holding a bronze sword and seemed to be staring intently at something down in the meadow.

"Luke!" I called.

"How, nice," Thalia caught herself from saying convenient at the last second. She scolded herself for being paranoid, Annabeth hadn't been specific enough and Luke didn't have his fingers in everything!

What gods had been on who's side at this time though? Here she was, lying to Percy even if it was for a good reason, had the same thing been on Luke's mind, had he convinced himself they'd understand when it came out?

"Thalia," Percy asked quietly, "did you need that break?"

She gave him a weak smile. Percy wasn't dumb, he knew he didn't have the whole story and he already seemed to know Luke was connected somehow. She was nothing like Luke, she wasn't manipulating anybody. "No," she assured, "just hoping he's not up there to put out a fire or something, that could get awkward." She lightly fibbed and tried to laugh off.

Will smiled and played along, "oh, like the time Connor and Travis tried to build a bridge out in the forest for extra obstacles, ugh that was a disaster."

The others laughed and demanded details while Thalia smiled and said, "thanks though."

He turned, eyes wide. I could swear he was standing three feet in front of me through a screen of mist, except I could only see the part of him that appeared in the rainbow.

"Percy!" His scarred face broke into a grin. "Is that Annabeth, too? Thank the gods! Are you guys okay?"

"We're ... uh ... fine," Annabeth stammered. She was madly straightening her dirty T-shirt, trying to comb the loose hair out of her face.

Percy glowered and decided he might not like Luke as much as his first impression had led him to believe. Stupid, sandy-haired, swordsman...

"We thought-Chiron-I mean-"

"He's down at the cabins." Luke's smile faded. "We're having some issues with the campers. Listen, is everything cool with you? Is Grover all right?"

"I'm right here," Grover called. He held the nozzle out to one side and stepped into Luke's line of vision. "What kind of issues?"

Just then a big Lincoln Continental pulled into the car wash with its stereo turned to maximum hip-hop.

As the car slid into the next stall, the bass from the subwoofers vibrated so much, it shook the pavement.

"Chiron had to-what's that noise?" Luke yelled.

"I'll take care of it.'" Annabeth yelled back, looking very relieved to have an excuse to get out of sight. "Grover, come on!"

"What?" Grover said. "But-"

"Give Percy the nozzle and come on!" she ordered.

Grover muttered something about girls being harder to understand than the Oracle of Delphi, then he handed me the spray gun and followed Annabeth.

I readjusted the hose so I could keep the rainbow going and still see Luke.

"Chiron had to break up a fight," Luke shouted to me over the music. "Things are pretty tense here, Percy. Word leaked out about the Zeus-Poseidon standoff. We're still not sure how, probably the same scumbag who summoned the hellhound.

"It's nice we can all agree on some things," Will said cheerfully, so nobody but Thalia was quite sure why Nico tried so hard to suppress a laugh.

Now the campers are starting to take sides. It's shaping up like the Trojan War all over again. Aphrodite, Ares, and Apollo are backing Poseidon, more or less. Athena is backing Zeus."

Nobody was laughing much now, the uncomfortable notion of the gods going to war with each other, the idea still a little to radical for some to wrap their heads around at all, and caused to many bad memories in those that recently had been in battle.

I shuddered to think that Clarisse's cabin would ever be on my dad's side for anything. In the next stall, I heard Annabeth and some guy arguing with each other, then the music's volume decreased drastically.

"I would pay all the Drachmas to sit in on that conversation instead," Percy said enthusiastically as he imagined her little stature telling someone like that off.

"If we could pick and chose what this book showed already we'd be at war with each other," Jason sighed.

"So what's your status?" Luke asked me. "Chiron will be sorry he missed you."

I told him pretty much everything, including my dreams. It felt so good to see him, to feel like I was back at camp even for a few minutes, that I didn't realize how long I had talked until the beeper went off on the spray machine, and I realized I only had one more minute before the water shut off.

"I wish I could be there," Luke told me.

Nico scowled as he thought for himself, 'Poor thing having to stay and sow dissent in the background.'

"We can't help much from here, I'm afraid, but listen ... it had to be Hades who took the master bolt. He was there at Olympus at the winter solstice.

"So was everybody apparently!" Jason scoffed this still seemed the only real evidence.

I was chaperoning a field trip and we saw him."

"But Chiron said the gods can't take each other's magic items directly."

"That's true," Luke said, looking troubled.

"Did he just hope nobody would notice that little plot hole?" Will grumbled.

"Still ... Hades has the helm of darkness. How could anybody else sneak into the throne room and steal the master bolt? You'd have to be invisible."

"Is he accusing Annabeth of something?" Magnus demanded in the closest thing to outrage any of them had yet seen.

"If he is then he's a bigger scumbag than whoever started all of this," Alex agreed with a scowl. She hadn't been very taken with the know-it-all girl, but Annabeth had been instrumentally helpful to a boy she clearly didn't like and obviously worshiped Luke more than her own mother. What a horrible thing to imply about someone he should know better of!

We were both silent, until Luke seemed to realize what he'd said.

"Oh, hey," he protested. "I didn't mean Annabeth. She and I have known each other forever. She would never ... I mean, she's like a little sister to me."

The Norse kids looked soothed at least, while Jason was still compiling it all in his head, of everyone who had been mentioned and even unnamed people who hadn't. He didn't really think it was Annabeth either, she'd done nothing to sabotage the quest though she'd had ample opportunity. To much was still unknown to him, the timing of it all bothered him more than anything. Where was the motive to steal that bolt now?

I wondered if Annabeth would like that description.

"Let's just say it's a good thing she didn't hear it," Thalia muttered.

In the stall next to us, the music stopped completely. A man screamed in terror, car doors slammed, and the Lincoln peeled out of the car wash.

"Random question, of no consequence I'm sure," Alex began pleasantly, "has she ever drawn that knife on a mortal?"

"I reserve the right not to answer that," Thalia grinned.

'And here I was thinking Grover's shoe had 'accidentally' come off,' Hearth grinned.

"You'd better go see what that was," Luke said. "Listen, are you wearing the flying shoes? I'll feel better if I know they've done you some good."

"Oh ... uh, yeah!" I tried not to sound like a guilty liar. "Yeah, they've come in handy."

"Better than tripping you up," Nico said sardonically.

"Really?" He grinned. "They fit and everything?"

The water shut off. The mist started to evaporate.

"Well, take care of yourself out there in Denver," Luke called, his voice getting fainter, "and tell Grover it'll be better this time! Nobody will get turned into a pine tree if he just-"

But the mist was gone, and Luke's image faded to nothing.

"I think I'm relieved," Magnus admitted, "I didn't feel like that was going to be helpful advice." Even if he hadn't done it on purpose, Luke had just annoyed him by even accidentally implying anything about Annabeth. Those shoes would have to save somebodies life to make up for it now.

I was alone in a wet, empty car wash stall.

Annabeth and Grover came around the corner, laughing, but stopped when they saw my face.

Annabeth's smile faded. "What happened, Percy? What did Luke say?"

"Not much," I lied, my stomach feeling as empty as a Big Three cabin.

"How is it every time I talk to him I feel worse," Percy said sourly, he felt like a jerk for even saying it, Luke had been nothing but helpful, but some part of him felt just the smallest relief he'd said it aloud even if Thalia called him one.

'Good intuition,' Thalia kept to herself. "I think I'll blame Grover, nobody's blamed anything on him yet," she instead laughed off.

"Right, yeah, that must be it," Percy smiled back. "Maybe he got in my head he's the only one allowed to give me advice."

"Come on, let's find some dinner."

A few minutes later, we were sitting at a booth in a gleaming chrome diner. All around us, families were eating burgers and drinking malts and sodas.

Finally the waitress came over. She raised her eyebrow skeptically. "Well?"

I said, "We, um, want to order dinner."

"You kids have money to pay for it?"

Grover's lower lip quivered. I was afraid he would start bleating, or worse, start eating the linoleum.

"Charge people to watch, hell, you could make a mint if you let people start daring him to eat anything and payout big," Alex nodded.

"Maybe save that for plan B," Jason cautioned.

"Speaking of bets though," Magnus reminded, "they're in a burger joint! Final calls now for which god's going to show up and buy them a cheeseburger!"

"I think the only good option at this point is Pan there to scold us all," Percy sighed, "otherwise, this probably won't go well."

Annabeth looked ready to pass out from hunger.

I was trying to think up a sob story for the waitress when a rumble shook the whole building; a motorcycle the size of a baby elephant had pulled up to the curb.

All conversation in the diner stopped. The motorcycle's headlight glared red. Its gas tank had flames painted on it, and a shotgun holster riveted to either side, complete with shotguns. The seat was leather-but leather that looked like ... well, Caucasian human skin.

'Why do I get the feeling this guy isn't there to talk about healthy plant-based alternatives?' Hearth frowned.

'You never know, he could have a garden at home,' Magnus replied without hope.

'That he buries bodies in!' Hearth protested.

The guy on the bike would've made pro wrestlers run for Mama. He was dressed in a red muscle shirt and black jeans and a black leather duster, with a hunting knife strapped to his thigh. He wore red wraparound shades, and he had the cruelest, most brutal face I'd ever seen- handsome, I guess, but wicked-with an oily black crew cut and cheeks that were scarred from many, many fights. The weird thing was, I felt like I'd seen his face somewhere before.

As he walked into the diner, a hot, dry wind blew through the place. All the people rose, as if they were hypnotized, but the biker waved his hand dismissively and they all sat down again. Everybody went back to their conversations.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Will sighed as he awkwardly gestured to the book, "a god you will not question is a god." They'd only gotten a glimmer with Dionysius, Ares was going to be a real glimpse into the Olympians.

The waitress blinked, as if somebody had just pressed the rewind button on her brain. She asked us again, "You kids have money to pay for it?"

The biker said, "It's on me." He slid into our booth, which was way too small for him, and crowded Annabeth against the window.

He looked up at the waitress, who was gaping at him, and said, "Are you still here?"

"They didn't order anything," Alex scowled. She wasn't even there and she was already annoyed with this guy!

He pointed at her, and she stiffened. She turned as if she'd been spun around, then marched back toward the kitchen.

The biker looked at me. I couldn't see his eyes behind the red shades, but bad feelings started boiling in my stomach. Anger, resentment, bitterness. I wanted to hit a wall. I wanted to pick a fight with somebody. Who did this guy think he was?

"I'm guessing, not the god of cheeseburgers," Jason frowned. An idea was chafing at the edge of his mind, Percy's impertinence to a god of such importance, yet this seemed like nobody he'd ever want to worship.

He gave me a wicked grin. "So you're old Seaweed's kid, huh?"

I should've been surprised, or scared, but instead I felt like I was looking at my stepdad, Gabe. I wanted to rip this guy's head off. "What's it to you?"

Even Percy's own friends were watching him in concern why he still had his own head for mouthing off to a god like this! How had he survived this meeting, let alone to his own age?

Annabeth's eyes flashed me a warning. "Percy, this is-"

The biker raised his hand.

"S'okay," he said. "I don't mind a little attitude. Long as you remember who's the boss. You know who I am, little cousin?"

Then it struck me why this guy looked familiar. He had the same vicious sneer as some of the kids at Camp Half-Blood, the ones from cabin five.

"You're Clarisse's dad," I said. "Ares, god of war."

They were all expecting it this time and still saw Jason spasm with frustration. Not right...they stole and distorted...destroyed-

Jason calmed himself with several deep breaths. Whatever Mars- err- Ares was to him was rooted to deep in his mind to get any clear idea on. He wanted, needed to get this horrible confusion out of his system, but the intense burning feeling for how this god was being shown to him was so backwards it only made his frustration at these constant lies grow and he retreated into his seat, scowling at nothing and refusing to look at anyone until the book continued.

Ares grinned and took off his shades. Where his eyes should've been, there was only fire, empty sockets glowing with miniature nuclear explosions. "That's right, punk. I heard you broke Clarisse's spear."

"She was asking for it."

This, in Nico's mind, finally trumped his very first time seeing Percy be the bravest person on the planet. He really never flinched from a single fight! Medusa, he suddenly remembered, the Chimera... and now he felt disoriented at how, unsteady he suddenly felt, sitting down even. Ugh, no wonder everyone thought he was a nutjob.

"Probably. That's cool. I don't fight my kids' fights, you know? What I'm here for, I heard you were in town. I got a little proposition for you."

"Oh this will not go well," Alex said instantly, she'd never take a god asking her for anything, and this one was already as despicable in pleasure as Loki for how entitled he clearly was, waltzing in and interrupting their quest for his own problems!

The waitress came back with heaping trays of food; cheeseburgers, fries, onion rings, and chocolate shakes.

Ares handed her a few gold drachmas.

She looked nervously at the coins. "But, these aren't..."

Ares pulled out his huge knife and started cleaning his fingernails. "Problem, sweetheart?"

The waitress swallowed, then left with the gold.

"You can't do that," I told Ares. "You can't just threaten people with a knife."

Ares laughed. "Are you kidding? I love this country. Best place since Sparta. Don't you carry a weapon, punk? You should. Dangerous world out there. Which brings me to my proposition. I need you to do me a favor."

"What favor could I do for a god?"

'Steal something,' Hearth nervously reminded.

"Something a god doesn't have time to do himself. It's nothing much. I left my shield at an abandoned water park here in town. I was going on a little ... date with my girlfriend. We were interrupted. I left my shield behind. I want you to fetch it for me."

"Why don't you go back and get it yourself?"

The fire in his eye sockets glowed a little hotter.

"Why don't I turn you into a prairie dog and run you over with my Harley? Because I don't feel like it. A god is giving you an opportunity to prove yourself, Percy Jackson. Will you prove yourself a coward?" He leaned forward. "Or maybe you only fight when there's a river to dive into, so your daddy can protect you."

"A classic case of instigating, what a bully," even mercifully not being in the presence of him now, Percy could well remember the feeling he'd spent half his life under the influence of, between Gabe and the rich private-school pricks.

I wanted to punch this guy, but somehow, I knew he was waiting for that. Ares's power was causing my anger. He'd love it if I attacked. I didn't want to give him the satisfaction.

"A perfect way to overcome anger issues," Alex approved. "You must have had some good counselors."

"Some were better than others," Percy agreed.

"We're not interested," I said. "We've already got a quest."

Ares's fiery eyes made me see things I didn't want to see-blood and smoke and corpses on the battlefield. "I know all about your quest, punk. When that item was first stolen, Zeus sent his best out looking for it: Apollo, Athena, Artemis, and me, naturally. If I couldn't sniff out a weapon that powerful..." He licked his lips, as if the very thought of the master bolt made him hungry. "Well ... if I couldn't find it, you got no hope. Nevertheless, I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. Your dad and I go way back. After all, I'm the one who told him my suspicions about old Corpse Breath."

Nico glowered at the book and for the first time wondered how a god would react to stygian iron being shoved up their-

"And Poseidon believed him!" Will rolled his eyes. "This guy? Man Perce, I'm sorry if this is the best advice your dad had on the situation."

"Honestly, me too," Percy nodded.

Nico was tapping the pommel of his sword and smiling at the two instead now, even if he would still like to test the theory eventually.

"You told him Hades stole the bolt?"

"Sure. Framing somebody to start a war. Oldest trick in the book.

"So he's admitting it could be a frame-up," Magnus said, "please tell me he wasn't the only one offering up solutions."

"Wasn't there," Thalia reminded, "but I can't imagine it went very well regardless."

I recognized it immediately. In a way, you got me to thank for your little quest."

"Thanks," I grumbled.

"Hey, I'm a generous guy. Just do my little job, and I'll help you on your way. I'll arrange a ride west for you and your friends."

"We're doing fine on our own."

"Lies and deceit," Alex shook her head, "but I can't blame you."

"Yeah, right. No money. No wheels. No clue what you're up against. Help me out, and maybe I'll tell you something you need to know. Something about your mom."

"My mom?"

He grinned. "That got your attention. The water park is a mile west on Delancy. You can't miss it. Look for the Tunnel of Love ride."

"What interrupted your date?" I asked. "Something scare you off?"

Ares bared his teeth, but I'd seen his threatening look before on Clarisse. There was something false about it, almost like he was nervous.

'What could he have been sent off to do that makes a god of war nervous?' Hearth demanded.

'I should be asking you that so you can lie and say it's no big deal,' Magnus reminded.

"You're lucky you met me, punk, and not one of the other Olympians. They're not as forgiving of rudeness as I am. I'll meet you back here when you're done. Don't disappoint me."

After that I must have fainted, or fallen into a trance, because when I opened my eyes again, Ares was gone. I might've thought the conversation had been a dream, but Annabeth and Grover's expressions told me otherwise.

"Not good," Grover said. "Ares sought you out, Percy. This is not good."

I stared out the window. The motorcycle had disappeared.

Did Ares really know something about my mom, or was he just playing with me?

"He wouldn't lie about something so important," Jason muttered and was still scowling at nothing as if the god were still lodged in his temple, creating an angry new pulse point sprouting right out of his head.

"You and me must have very different interactions with this guy then," Percy shrugged, he hadn't believed a word out of Ares's mouth.

Now that he was gone, all the anger had drained out of me. I realized Ares must love to mess with people's emotions. That was his power, cranking up the passions so badly, they clouded your ability to think.

"It's probably some kind of trick," I said. "Forget Ares. Let's just go."

"We can't," Annabeth said. "Look, I hate Ares as much as anybody, but you don't ignore the gods unless you want serious bad fortune.

"As opposed to all the good fortune they've been getting?" Alex protested.

"This is all pretty standard quest activity, believe it or not," Will sadly informed. "Ares could still make it worse."

"And this is the optimist speaking," Thalia sighed.

He wasn't kidding about turning you into a rodent."

I looked down at my cheeseburger, which suddenly didn't seem so appetizing. "Why does he need us?"

"Maybe it's a problem that requires brains," Annabeth said. "Ares has strength. That's all he has. Even strength has to bow to wisdom sometimes."

"No matter how the wind howls, the mountain cannot bow to it," Alex assented to that.

"Quoting Disney movies to help your case is a cheap shot," Percy sighed even if he didn't disagree with either of them.

Magnus was smiling tentatively at her and finally had an actual, coherent question he wanted to ask, maybe something resembling a conversation he could start about some of her other favorites, but she was already reading again and this really wasn't the time.

"But this water park ... he acted almost scared. What would make a war god run away like that?"

Annabeth and Grover glanced nervously at each other.

Annabeth said, "I'm afraid we'll have to find out."

"I officially hate it when they look at each other!" Percy groaned.

Nico gave a soft laugh that no matter how much Percy said otherwise, he'd be leading the charge there and was probably about to perform some other history-making stunt. It was a water park, how could he do any wrong in there?

The sun was sinking behind the mountains by the time we found the water park. Judging from the sign, it once had been called WATERLAND, but now some of the letters were smashed out, so it read WAT R A D.

The main gate was padlocked and topped with barbed wire. Inside, huge dry waterslides and tubes and pipes curled everywhere, leading to empty pools. Old tickets and advertisements fluttered around the asphalt. With night coming on, the place looked sad and creepy.

"There's a horror movie waiting to happen," Nico sounded curious about checking it out, he'd never been to one and loathed the idea of a crowded area, this seemed like a good middle ground.

"I'll go with you if you promise not to push me down one," Will sighed.

Nico gave him a bizarre look and Will flushed, wondering if he was being pushy and should just leave him alone. If he didn't want company and preferred to be alone then who was he to judge.

"Um, okay," Nico nodded but was still watching him like he was waiting for a trick of his own. Will was that nice to everybody, he reminded himself, he's not just taking pity on you.

"If Ares brings his girlfriend here for a date," I said, staring up at the barbed wire, "I'd hate to see what she looks like."

"Percy," Annabeth warned. "Be more respectful."

"Why? I thought you hated Ares."

"He's still a god. And his girlfriend is very temperamental."

"You don't want to insult her looks," Grover added.

"Who is she? Echidna?"

"Gah!" Thalia looked revolted at the idea, "can you imagine the monster baby they'd have! Artemis would have to hunt that with her special bow!"

"No, Aphrodite," Grover said, a little dreamily. "Goddess of love."

Jason finally exhaled like he'd been unnecessarily trying to hold his breath. Venus, his mind easily supplied, and Mars were off canoodling around Vulcan. Yes, that made sense, not everything had been lost to time by those-

The vicious thought ended there as he frowned at Thalia and all of the Greek kids, commanding his mind to pay attention and stop wandering off.

"I thought she was married to somebody," I said. "Hephaestus."

"What's your point?" he asked.

"Oh." I suddenly felt the need to change the subject.

"Isn't there a goddess of marriage? Magnus asked in fascination. "That one with a flamingo-" Hearth finger spelled something, "sorry, peacock. Yet the gods still skip around on each other?"

"They have multiple mortal lovers, they aren't any more faithful to their immortal lovers," Will shrugged.

"So how do we get in?"

"Maia!" Grover's shoes sprouted wings.

He flew over the fence, did an unintended somersault in midair, then stumbled to a landing on the opposite side. He dusted off his jeans, as if he'd planned the whole thing. "You guys coming?"

"Well now he's just showing off," Percy chuckled at his friend doing it with such confidence. This was the same kid who'd teared up in class if Nancy Bobofit looked at him for to long. Who knew all it took to gain a little confidence was some flying shoes and hitting Medusa with a stick. He really owed Luke a thanks when he got back, he reminded himself, and must just be feeling jealous about Annabeth's obvious crush.

Annabeth and I had to climb the old-fashioned way, holding down the barbed wire for each other as we crawled over the top.

"And she said you two couldn't get along," Alex approved, "I've never heard of a better team-building exercise."

Magnus bit his tongue to stop the ludicrous statement he'd help her through barbed wire before she threatened to strangle him with her garrote.

The shadows grew long as we walked through the park, checking out the attractions. There was Ankle Biter Island, Head Over Wedgie, and Dude, Where's My Swimsuit?

"I don't even know where to start," Jason was right back to being inquisitively curious and clearly mapping the whole place out in his head once more.

"I do," Thalia grinned at once as she imagined all the fun of that place. The hunters deserved a vacation when she got back too, and she was sure she could throw a few literal snapping turtles and alligators in to appease Artemis it wouldn't all be relaxing in the lazy river.

No monsters came to get us. Nothing made the slightest noise.

We found a souvenir shop that had been left open. Merchandise still lined the shelves: snow globes, pencils, postcards,

'Isn't a snow globe of a water park just the least bit weird?' Hearth frowned.

"That's what you found weird about all of this!" Magnus didn't even sign that he was so exasperated while his friend just shrugged.

and racks of-

"Clothes," Annabeth said. "Fresh clothes."

"Yeah," I said. "But you can't just-"

"Watch me."

She snatched an entire row of stuff of the racks and disappeared into the changing room. A few minutes later she came out in Waterland flower-print shorts, a big red Waterland T-shirt, and commemorative Waterland surf shoes. A Waterland backpack was slung over her shoulder, obviously stuffed with more goodies.

"What the heck." Grover shrugged. Soon, all three of us were decked out like walking advertisements for the defunct theme park.

"I'm sure that'll throw the police off if they catch up," Will tried his level best to say with a straight face.

"I know I'd hesitate if someone threw one of those flipflops at me," Nico wasn't even bothering to try the same and was snickering mirthlessly picturing Percy in an outfit like that, yet somehow he still looked so regal and perfect in the outlandish getup- he stopped so abruptly it should have been concerning as he straightened back up and only Will was still frowning at him for how spastic the poor guy kept acting over the lightest of topics.

We continued searching for the Tunnel of Love. I got the feeling that the whole park was holding its breath. "So Ares and Aphrodite," I said, to keep my mind off the growing dark, "they have a thing going?"

"That's old gossip, Percy," Annabeth told me. "Three-thousand-year-old gossip."

"What about Aphrodite's husband?"

"Well, you know," she said. "Hephaestus. The black-smith. He was crippled when he was a baby, thrown off Mount Olympus by Zeus.

Magnus spluttered in protest at such a horrible mental image, more concerned than anything this seemed casual news to everyone except his own friend who was now fidgeting with the ends of his scarf once more and seemed as distressed as him.

So he isn't exactly handsome. Clever with his hands, and all, but Aphrodite isn't into brains and talent, you know?"

"She likes bikers."

"Whatever."

"Hephaestus knows?"

"Oh sure," Annabeth said. "He caught them together once. I mean, literally caught them, in a golden net, and invited all the gods to come and laugh at them. Hephaestus is always trying to embarrass them. That's why they meet in out-of-the-way places, like ..."

She stopped, looking straight ahead. "Like that."

In front of us was an empty pool that would've been awesome for skateboarding. It was at least fifty yards across and shaped like a bowl.

Around the rim, a dozen bronze statues of Cupid stood guard with wings spread and bows ready to fire.

On the opposite side from us, a tunnel opened up, probably where the water flowed into when the pool was full. The sign above it read, THRILL RIDE O' LOVE: THIS IS NOT YOUR PARENTS' TUNNEL OF LOVE!

Grover crept toward the edge. "Guys, look."

Marooned at the bottom of the pool was a pink-and-white two-seater boat with a canopy over the top and little hearts painted all over it. In the left seat, glinting in the fading light, was Ares's shield, a polished circle of bronze.

"This is too easy," I said.

"Why do I have an even worse feeling than one page ago now?" Thalia sighed.

"Good instincts," Percy groaned, he didn't need his gut to tell him he should smack his own head for saying such a thing!

"So we just walk down there and get it?"

Annabeth ran her fingers along the base of the nearest Cupid statue.

"There's a Greek letter carved here," she said. "Eta. I wonder ..."

"Grover," I said, "you smell any monsters?"

He sniffed the wind. "Nothing."

"Nothing like, in-the-Arch-and-you-didn't-smell-Echidna nothing, or really nothing?"

Grover looked hurt. "I told you, that was underground."

"Okay, I'm sorry." I took a deep breath. "I'm going down there."

"I'll go with you." Grover didn't sound too enthusiastic, but I got the feeling he was trying to make up for what had happened in St. Louis.

"No," I told him. "I want you to stay up top with the flying shoes. You're the Red Baron, a flying ace, remember? I'll be counting on you for backup, in case something goes wrong."

Grover puffed up his chest a little. "Sure. But what could go wrong?"

"I'm going to knock both of your heads together," Alex joined in on how not helpful that advice was.

"Hey, he has horns!" Percy protested.

"And you keep telling us to stop tempting the fates," Magnus backed her up.

Percy just crossed his arms but sighed in defeat.

"I don't know. Just a feeling. Annabeth, come with me-"

"Are you kidding?" She looked at me as if I'd just dropped from the moon. Her cheeks were bright red.

"What's the problem now?" I demanded.

"Me, go with you to the ... the 'Thrill Ride of Love'? How embarrassing is that? What if somebody saw me?"

"Somebody, like?" Jason asked dubiously.

"All of Olympus apparently," Thalia chuckled.

"Who's going to see you?" But my face was burning now, too. Leave it to a girl to make everything complicated. "Fine," I told her. "I'll do it myself." But when I started down the side of the pool, she followed me, muttering about how boys always messed things up.

"I take it back," Will was shaking with laughter now, "I want a copy of this book framed, let the god's wrath reign on me!"

"Me and her will sign it and everything," Percy said with no regrets as he gave his empty hand a squeeze where he wished her fingers were. He thought for the first time how lucky he was, getting to fall in love twice.

We reached the boat. The shield was propped on one seat, and next to it was a lady's silk scarf. I tried to imagine Ares and Aphrodite here, a couple of gods meeting in a junked-out amusement-park ride. Why?

Then I noticed something I hadn't seen from up top: mirrors all the way around the rim of the pool, facing this spot. We could see ourselves no matter which direction we looked. That must be it. While Ares and Aphrodite were smooching with each other they could look at their favorite people: themselves.

Que eight collective snorts of amusement around the room, finally something they could all agree on.

I picked up the scarf. It shimmered pink, and the perfume was indescribable, rose, or mountain laurel. Something good. I smiled, a little dreamy, and was about to rub the scarf against my cheek when Annabeth ripped it out of my hand and stuffed it in her pocket. "Oh, no you don't. Stay away from that love magic."

'How much do you think she knows about love magic?' Hearth asked with extreme interest.

'Enough I'd be worried about the next thing she gave Percy,' he chuckled back.

"What?"

"Just get the shield, Seaweed Brain, and let's get out of here."

The moment I touched the shield, I knew we were in trouble. My hand broke through something that had been connecting it to the dashboard. A cobweb, I thought, but then I looked at a strand of it on my palm and saw it was some kind of metal filament, so fine it was almost invisible. A trip wire.

"Wait," Annabeth said.

"Too late."

"There's another Greek letter on the side of the boat, another Eta. This is a trap."

"You guys are getting slightly better with every catastrophe," Thalia sighed, "now you know it's a trap right before it's sprung rather than figuring it out during it happening!"

"I've always taken whatever improvement I can," Percy shrugged.

Noise erupted all around us, of a million gears grinding, as if the whole pool were turning into one giant machine.

Grover yelled, "Guys!"

Up on the rim, the Cupid statues were drawing their bows into firing position. Before I could suggest taking cover, they shot, but not at us. They fired at each other, across the rim of the pool. Silky cables trailed from the arrows, arcing over the pool and anchoring where they landed to form a huge golden asterisk. Then smaller metallic threads started weaving together magically between the main strands, making a net.

"We have to get out," I said.

"And I thought Annabeth was the smart one," Will smirked.

"Duh!" Annabeth said.

"So that's why she's the smart one," Alex cackled.

I grabbed the shield and we ran, but going up the slope of the pool was not as easy as going down.

"Come on!" Grover shouted.

He was trying to hold open a section of the net for us, but wherever he touched it, the golden threads started to wrap around his hands.

The Cupids' heads popped open. Out came video cameras. Spotlights rose up all around the pool, blinding us with illumination, and a loudspeaker voice boomed: "Live to Olympus in one minute ... Fifty-nine seconds, fifty-eight ..."

"Hephaestus!" Annabeth screamed. "I'm so stupid.' Eta is H.' He made this trap to catch his wife with Ares. Now we're going to be broadcast live to Olympus and look like absolute fools!"

"If that is the worst thing that happens I'd call it a good day," Will shrugged, it at least explained Ares's part in all this.

Jason wasn't so sure he agreed, he shifted uneasily at the idea of being the laughing stock of onlookers. Mars shouldn't be put into that kind of position either.

We'd almost made it to the rim when the row of mirrors opened like hatches and thousands of tiny metallic ... things poured out.

Annabeth screamed.

Thalia cussed in ancient greek and Magnus jumped free of his seat in pure concern to run to her now and help even before he heard the problem. Percy's empty hand was now clenched into a fist as he watched Alex's every twitch of the lips like he was trying to read for her.

It was an army of wind-up creepy-crawlies: bronze-gear bodies, spindly legs, little pincer mouths, all scuttling toward us in a wave of clacking, whirring metal.

"Spiders!" Annabeth said.

Everybody else was wincing now as they understood. The poor girl clearly had a thing against arachnids and should not be subjected to them spontaneously popping up.

"Sp-sp-aaaah!"

I'd never seen her like this before. She fell backward in terror and almost got overwhelmed by the spider robots before I pulled her up and dragged her back toward the boat.

The things were coming out from all around the rim now, millions of them, flooding toward the center of the pool, completely surrounding us. I told myself they probably weren't programmed to kill, just corral us and bite us and make us look stupid. Then again, this was a trap meant for gods. And we weren't gods.

"Percy for the win of astute observations this chapter," Thalia groaned, no wonder her sister had never mentioned this particular adventure, she had no clue how they'd gotten out of this one and was resisting the urge to start smacking Percy to get on it if he wasn't wringing his hands with so much worry, she was getting concerned he'd start flinging the ocean about- wait. They were in a water park!

Annabeth and I climbed into the boat. I started kicking away the spiders as they swarmed aboard. I yelled at Annabeth to help me, but she was too paralyzed to do much more than scream.

Alex hadn't hesitated to see the scrutinizing look Thalia was giving her friend or much of anything, she was reading with complete concentration even over Magnus's burning gaze. At least now she knew a Halloween prank she would never pull on Annabeth.

"Thirty, twenty-nine," called the loudspeaker.

The spiders started spitting out strands of metal thread, trying to tie us down. The strands were easy enough to break at first, but there were so many of them, and the spiders just kept coming. I kicked one away from Annabeth's leg and its pincers took a chunk out of my new surf shoe.

Grover hovered above the pool in his flying sneakers, trying to pull the net loose, but it wouldn't budge.

Think, I told myself. Think.

The Tunnel of Love entrance was under the net. We could use it as an exit, except that it was blocked by a million robot spiders.

"Fifteen, fourteen," the loudspeaker called.

Water, I thought. Where does the ride's water come from?

Then I saw them: huge water pipes behind the mirrors, where the spiders had come from. And up above the net, next to one of the Cupids, a glass-windowed booth that must be the controller's station.

"Grover!" I yelled. "Get into that booth! Find the 'on' switch!"

"But-"

"Do it!" It was a crazy hope, but it was our only chance. The spiders were all over the prow of the boat now. Annabeth was screaming her head off. I had to get us out of there.

Grover was in the controller's booth now, slamming away at the buttons.

"Five, four-"

Grover looked up at me hopelessly, raising his hands. He was letting me know that he'd pushed every button, but still nothing was happening.

I closed my eyes and thought about waves, rushing water, the Mississippi River. I felt a familiar tug in my gut. I tried to imagine that I was dragging the ocean all the way to Denver.

"Two, one, zero!"

Water exploded out of the pipes.

"I've never had a book give an actual countdown for me before, usually I'm just doing that in my head," Jason sighed in relief.

"It's not over yet," Magnus cautiously lowered himself back into his seat even as he kept scrutinizing the book, he wanted to hear of his cousin back to chastising Percy or something to know she was okay after that sort of panic attack, very early childhood memories of her screaming like that over a spider in the park had convinced his mom early on not to take them outside to play much when she was over.

It roared into the pool, sweeping away the spiders. I pulled Annabeth into the seat next to me and fastened her seat belt just as the tidal wave slammed into our boat, over the top, whisking the spiders away and dousing us completely, but not capsizing us. The boat turned, lifted in the flood, and spun in circles around the whirlpool.

The water was full of short-circuiting spiders, some of them smashing against the pool's concrete wall with such force they burst.

Spotlights glared down at us. The Cupid-cams were rolling, live to Olympus.

But I could only concentrate on controlling the boat. I willed it to ride the current, to keep away from the wall. Maybe it was my imagination, but the boat seemed to respond. At least, it didn't break into a million pieces. We spun around one last time, the water level now almost high enough to shred us against the metal net. Then the boat's nose turned toward the tunnel and we rocketed through into the darkness.

Thalia managed a genuine laugh again at least as she imagined Annabeth blushing scarlet to chase away her pale face, this scene playing out for all of them to watch. She and Percy got that Thrill Ride of Love after all.

Annabeth and I held tight, both of us screaming as the boat shot curls and hugged corners and took forty-five-degree plunges past pictures of Romeo and Juliet and a bunch of other Valentine's Day stuff.

"That honestly sounds like the best tunnel of love ride ever," Will chuckled.

"I'd be happy to send anybody else crazy enough down there," Percy promised, "but please don't be getting ideas of putting this in camp."

"Where's your fun side gone Perce!" Will couldn't stop grinning at him.

"Safe in Denver," Percy reminded.

Then we were out of the tunnel, the night air whistling through our hair as the boat barreled straight toward the exit.

If the ride had been in working order, we would've sailed off a ramp between the golden Gates of Love and splashed down safely in the exit pool. But there was a problem. The Gates of Love were chained.

Two boats that had been washed out of the tunnel before us were now piled against the barricade, one submerged, the other cracked in half.

"Unfasten your seat belt," I yelled to Annabeth.

"Are you crazy?"

"Unless you want to get smashed to death." I strapped Ares's shield to my arm. "We're going to have to jump for it." My idea was simple and insane.

"I really wish that wasn't such a common thing with you," Jason muttered. They were only on the first book and this guy seemed to be made up of nothing but crazy ideas and killer monsters on his tail.

As the boat struck, we would use its force like a springboard to jump the gate. I'd heard of people surviving car crashes that way, getting thrown thirty or forty feet away from an accident. With luck, we would land in the pool.

Annabeth seemed to understand. She gripped my hand as the gates got closer.

"On my mark," I said.

"No! On my mark!"

"What?"

"Simple physics!" she yelled. "Force times the trajectory angle-"

"Fine.'" I shouted. "On your mark!"

"Look at you two cooperating, this is obviously destiny," Magnus sighed and relaxed back in his seat in pure relief again she was definitely okay.

She hesitated ... hesitated ... then yelled, "Now!"

Crack!

Annabeth was right.

"I take it back, I get to blackout some passages before Annabeth signs this," Percy theatrically sighed.

"Not a chance," Will's smirk increased.

If we'd jumped when I thought we should've, we would've crashed into the gates.

She got us maximum lift.

Unfortunately, that was a little more than we needed. Our boat smashed into the pileup and we were thrown into the air, straight over the gates, over the pool, and down toward solid asphalt.

Nico was enthralled by hearing of all this. Even in Annabeth's wisdom, her mistakes meant just as many mess-ups. Percy hadn't the perfect solution and saved the day single-handed, he had no doubts who was about to swoop in and save them. He swallowed as he watched his idol lounge back comfortably in his seat now, adjusting finally to the disorienting feeling of his pedestal getting some cracks in it. That Percy was just, normal.

Something grabbed me from behind.

Annabeth yelled, "Ouch!"

Grover!

In midair, he had grabbed me by the shirt, and Annabeth by the arm, and was trying to pull us out of a crash landing, but Annabeth and I had all the momentum.

"You're too heavy!" Grover said. "We're going down!"

We spiraled toward the ground, Grover doing his best to slow the fall.

We smashed into a photo-board, Grover's head going straight into the hole where tourists would put their faces, pretending to be Noo-Noo the Friendly Whale. Annabeth and I tumbled to the ground, banged up but alive. Ares's shield was still on my arm.

Once we caught our breath, Annabeth and I got Grover out of the photo-board and thanked him for saving our lives. I looked back at the Thrill Ride of Love. The water was subsiding. Our boat had been smashed to pieces against the gates.

A hundred yards away, at the entrance pool, the Cupids were still filming. The statues had swiveled so that their cameras were trained straight on us, the spotlights in our faces.

"Show's over!" I yelled. "Thank you! Good night!"

The Cupids turned back to their original positions. The lights shut off. The park went quiet and dark again, except for the gentle trickle of water into the Thrill Ride of Love's exit pool. I wondered if Olympus had gone to a commercial break, or if our ratings had been any good.

"Number one I'm positive, you'll have a dozen seasons in no time," Alex nodded seriously.

"Action, adventure, comedy, even a stupid love triangle, you'll be raking in the views," Will mocked along.

"Who's in the triangle?" Nico looked at him oddly, the back of his neck feeling unreasonably hot, oh gods, was he that obvious? Just because Percy was normal didn't mean he had a chance against a ship that had long since sailed.

"You don't think Grover's got a shot with either of them?" Will gave him an exaggerated mock pout, "I was rooting for it!"

"Moving on," Thalia cut in with an exasperated laugh.

I hated being teased. I hated being tricked. And I had plenty of experience handling bullies who liked to do that stuff to me. I hefted the shield on my arm and turned to my friends. "We need to have a little talk with Ares."

"It won't stay little for long," Alex said with confidence, imagining the yelling Percy could hopefully get out of his system as she passed the book along to him.

#PJO #Percy Jackson #reading the books #fanfiction #Will solace #Nico di Angelo #Thalia Grace #Jason Grace #Hearthstone #Magnus Chase #alex fierro #fierrochase #Solanglo

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