#asked and answered 270

[away-ward]

i cannot for the life of me make a decision about this, so do you have any headcanons on opinions on what banks would've been like if she had gone to high school ?? what tropes or clichés she would've been closest to embodying ?? because we know em was a nerd, that winter struggled for the obvious reasons but ultimately was fine in hs and fairly normal, rika was decently popular but far from the cheerleader level... but banks, i can't place what she would've been like if she'd gone to high school. we know she's very smart, but i can't see her as someone holed up in a library. then, we can also probably deduce that if she had gone to high school, damon would've been crazy protective but i still can't really make a set decision on much else regarding how banks' storyline/personality would've gone if she did indeed attend Thunder Bay prep or some other high school, minus these small details.

i do think she & emory would've got on like a house on fire if she attended TBP as they would've been in the same grade and probably had similar opinions on high school hierarchy and the horsemen and general thunder bay weirdness and extravagancy. they would've dissed people so thoroughly and easily with their quips and banter, for sure.

Ohh I have thought about this.

It can go so many ways, because as same with Emory, the debate is "was she naturally someone different and the circumstances made her this way? Or is it that she survived the circumstances because this is who she is naturally?"

Did Banks do so well in Gabriel's house because that's who she is, or did being in that house make her that way. In Hideaway, she mentions that she never cut her long hair because it was the last part of "Nikova." Additionally, her struggle with Damon is wanting to be her own person and to experience things other teenagers - normal teenagers - experience. But if she were a normal teenager, would she still value those experiences, or would they be mundane and expected?

I chose to think High School AU Banks would fall somewhere in the middle. She'd still be a bit of a tom-boy, and a bit of a rebel. In my AUs, she still lives with Lucinda, but Damon wants her close, so Gabriel pays for her to attend TBP. She's smart, but not without effort. She's not afraid to get involved throw down if she sees something she doesn't like. She's careful, though, and never throws the first punch, so she can always claim self-defense. It's helpful that she's a bit of a sarcastic smart ass and naturally skilled at goading people.

In school, she'd appear to be generally nonchalant about stuff, but she actually has a lot of opinions. It comes as a surprise to the teachers, who were not expecting Damon Torrance's younger sister to be so... outspoken. And argumentative.

Having a bit more freedom, and hopefully a healthy relationship with her brother, she’d probably be known for fighting with Damon in the halls over how protective he is. Like, he can’t even let her project partner talk to her without going all big brother on her.

Seriously, get a life, dude. Maybe if you had as much confidence talking to your little dancer friend as you do telling me what to do, you’d actually have a girlfriend. Newsflash, bro, there are certain things I can’t and won’t do for you.

I don’t see her wanting to participate in any extracurricular activities, but with a school like Thunder Bay Prep, it would probably be expected. I can’t see her wanting to be on a team, so Girl’s Basketball probably isn’t a good match…

Oh. You know, with her being a bit of a sleuth in Hideaway and tailing Kai to get his routine, she’d probably make a good Yearbook photographer. Or maybe working on their school paper. Maybe something along those lines that keeps her out of the spotlight. Though, I don't know what Banks would want to do growing up. Maybe she does go into student government, wanting to make changes that actually make sense and benefit the students, instead of planting a tree as the senior gift for the fifth year in a row (do these people even know what they could do with this much money, or do they only know how to add when it's involving cases of beer and tits?). Maybe she does it because she's tired of seeing Chloe get everything and wanted to challenge her, and then sort of accidentally ended up class president.

Actually, I like that...Emory makes fun of her for it all the time.

Speaking of Emory, they are best friends. Both come from more humble backgrounds, which would naturally make them targets for bullies, but not this time. Because the whole school knows wherever Emory goes, Banks is close by. And wherever Banks is, Damon is close by. And wherever Damon is, the Horsemen are close by. Not to mention, Will is a horseman, and he’s always close to wherever Emory is…

Not that Banks and Em need them. They're pretty good with the tongue lashings, themselves.

Without a doubt, Banks goes to every single one of Emmy’s activities to show support. She hangs out when Emmy’s working on her projects, and helps when she needs a hand. They both have a crush on a Horseman, but they only talk (read: tease each other) about that when they can guarantee no one can hear them.

I headcanon Banks, Emmy, and Elle are a pretty solid trio. Emmy's smart and artsy, Elle's a soft-hearted romantic, always talking about dating but never taking her own advice, and Banks plays the rebel without a cause who loves her two friends.

Anyway, have some pics that would definitely be in Banks' friend's (so Emmy and Elle) camera roll.

that last one's from Banks of will and emmy. (i've never seen love, rosie, so I don't know context. but I know in a willemmy high school au that has yet to be written, this scene will happen)

Let me know what you think! Or if my headcanons helped inspire some of yours. This was really fun, thanks for the ask.

[fine-nephrit]

🥏 Where to find good XF fanfics

👽 On Tumblr

@lilydalexf has an encyclopedic knowledge of fics and continues to be an invaluable resource. You'll find a boatload of themed fic lists, individual rec posts and helpful answers to anon asks.

@txf-fic-chicks-blog seven years of almost daily recs, with well-written blurbs and a lot of fun, run by @kateyes224 and @piecesofscully. Look out for their themed days: "Casefile Monday", "Tumblr Tuesday", "Editor's Pick Wednesday", "Post-Ep/Missing Scene Thursday", "Novel Length Friday", "Smut Sunday", and the very cool "Because You Watched"

@msrlibrary a well-tagged library of MSR fics; each entry includes a short excerpt and a nicely chosen image from the show.

@201daysofxfiles a rewatch blog by fandom veteran @wendelah. Each episode in season 1-7 is paired with its own fic rec post.

@enigmaticxbee an aesthetically pleasing and neatly organized rewatch blog that is packed with great content, including excellent fic rec lists categorized by season, story type, trope, and more. Each episode guide sometimes features related fic recs.

@thatfragilecapricorn30 posts one fic rec every Friday, accompanied by a nice writeup.

@randomfoggytiger curates many fic rec lists sorted by often fun and creative categories.

@cecilysass has a google doc titled "fics I love", which is a fantastic fic list categorized by story type, complete with thoughtful blurbs. She's also shared two episode-related fic rec lists on Tumblr: here and here.

@pookie-mulder writes a monthly fic journal with good recs.

**self-promo plug** I post fic recs on my Tumblr blog @fine-nephrit under #nephrit's fic rec. Plus, I reblog others' fic recs that I come across!

👽 Rec Communities

XF Book Club: the best thing ever, an absolute gem that deserves to be preserved for posterity. During its run, 270 fics were recced and discussed in depth here. The community's intelligent and insightful comments on this blog are sometimes even more enjoyable to read than the fics themselves.

The Fic Filter (xf tag): well-curated selections with short blurbs.

Multifandom Het Recs (xf tag): a major rec site's xf section that offers nice "why this must be read" writeups. @het-reccers

Crack Van (xf tag): another major rec site with a big xf section, featuring endless recs and blurbs

Fancake (xf tag): another major rec community's xf section boasting an extensive thematic tagging system

👽 Personal Blogs

Emily Shore aka Naraht: meta essays, fanvid recs, fic recs—great stuff aplenty

Bad for the Fish aka Scarlet Baldy: fantastic fic list paired with highly enjoyable reviews and analyses of the fics she's read. @badforthefish

Ramblings of a Mind Untamed: reviews of a dozen or so classic fics

xxSKSxx XF Fanfic Recs: still active in 2024! @xxsksxxx

X-Libris: more of a fic library, this is the best place to download nicely-formatted ebooks of pre-AO3 oldies. What I love most is the incredibly detailed and extensive tagging system.

👽 Individual Rec Lists with good writeup

Character Manifesto - Dana Scully: a character analysis and 10 Scully-centric fic recs, categorized by "best of .." selections. Amazing format and choices!

Character Manifesto - Fox Mulder: same format as above for Spooky

bachlava's awesome fic rec essays, covering classic fics and slash fics

ShipRecced blog's classic MSR fics and newer MSR fics recs

luminary's 16-fic rec post

RivkaT recs fics and writers @rivkat

Anna Otto's favorite stories

Syntax6's rec list on her site, great rec list on Tumblr and FTF rec list @syntax6

👽 90s Old School Rec Sites

The Basement Office - Musea: a treasure trove of extensive fic lists with lovely written blurbs, recced by a group of talented writers from back in the day

The Other Side - Fanfic Recs from Beyond the Grave: a large collection of 'scary' or 'spooky' story recs with nice blurbs. Beautiful web design.

the Rookery - Favorite Authors: nice commentary on a list of classic fic writers

X-Files Fanfiction 101: an intro guide to fic categories and what to read for each

The Primal Screamers: a fun site run by a mailing list that hosts fic recs with blurbs, and a 'Coffee Talk' section full of delightful discussions of canon

Idealists Haven - Elemental Fanfic Archive: an archive with rec blurbs

Chronicle X: a large, well-organized archive with blurbs, plus a 'Can We Talk' discussion section of novel-length fics, plus a total of 46 author interviews. Simply incredible!

👽 Special Mention

The X-Files Lost and Found: a fic finder message board that is miraculously still very active today—How wonderful! Its FAQ page hosts a huge collection of well-categorized themed fic lists (not recs), including "Classics (or, Your Fanfic Education is Not Complete Until You've Read ...)".

Where do you find your next read? What did I miss? Reblog and share your favorites!

[sinofwriting]

Aftermath - Max Verstappen (I ❤️ MILFS)

Words: 270 Summary: A look into what happened after the news that dropped August 27th, 2024. (Part of the I ❤️ MILFS verse) Note(s): Officially a Williams and James Vowles hater.

Masterlist | Support Me! | I ❤️ MILFS verse

Article Text:

Logan Sargeant on What’s Next After Early End To F1 Season

In a shocking turn of events, Williams Racing announced on August 27th, that for the nine remaining races of the 2024 Formula 1 season, they would be replacing their driver Logan Sargeant. This being his second year in F1, having just completed his 36th race. It’s a confusing decision considering how his rookie season last year played out and even this season.

Logan Sargeant, the first American driver last year in thirty years to score points in F1, didn’t seem surprised by the decision.

“Williams gave me a chance to race, to drive, which is really what I wanted. There’s always been talks of me getting replaced, even last year after Miami.” Miami being not only his home race but where he got his first ever F1 points after finishing P8. “We saw the start of it this year in Australia after the car swap and it continued.”

Even after bringing up him scoring this season half as many points as his teammate, he gives a shrug and a small smile. “Still not surprising.”

When asked about his future plans, his smile grows a little wider. “There are some things in motion but who knows. Things change often.” The rumors of him staying on as a reserve driver for Williams are asked and he shakes his head. “No, at least not for longer than this year, where I will finish up my duties with them.” With four seats still open for next year in Formula 1 (Haas, Mercedes, RB, and Audi) the question is asked if one of those might be his next season. “Who knows.” Is the answer received.

[ellaa-writes]

konig and the reader are roommates; best friends with a slight attraction to each other. reader decides to go out clubbing with some girlfriends, showing off her tight dress to konig before leaving— which ultimately arouses him hardly ;))

konig let’s his dick get the best of him and goes through the readers pantie drawer (#pantiekink) and goes back to his room, jerking himself off to the reader’s panties.. and boom reader comes back early and catches him.

(show your post about writers block, though you could execute this idea perfectly)

So sorry this took so long to write. This ask was sent back in November. I got a little carried away while writing this. Love this prompt so much! Thank you for sending it in and hope you enjoy :) (not proofread) PART 2

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After a long week of writing essays, listening while your professors drone on and on and spending every waking second studying or working your part time job. Simply to say you were beat and exhausted. Wanting nothing more than to stay in, catch up on some z's and possible a few episodes of your new favourite show.

But atlas you received a last minute text from your BFF.

I'm picking you up at 8, better look cute.

Throwing yourself back on your bed, letting out a loud huff. Knowing damn well you won't be able to say no to her. A soft knock against the frame of the door brought your attention back to reality.

He was tall, brooding and all to yummy, as your friends say. Your roommate König stood in the doorway, taking up all the space. His head reaching right to the top of the frame.

"Hey, didn't here you come in." you said sitting up. You kicked your shoes off and began typing back your response.

"Got plans?" he inquired. Leaning into the frame, crossing his over his chest. Making every muscle tighten and bulge just how you like it.

"Hmm, Kate's dragging me to some bar most likely." you replied to him. "I better get ready now, knowing her she'll show up early." it wasn't a surprise that your friend group loved to show up at your place. They all loved to sit around and ogle your roommate.

After answering an ad in the university student paper, you found yourself being shown around a decently sized 2 bedroom apartment only a block away from campus. It was too good to be true and too good to pass up. The landlord explaining that the first room was already rented out. You didn't mind sharing with a male, he seemed more than tidy. And you needed away from the awful university dorm rooms.

First meeting König, that was one for the books. After hauling your belongings up the 3 flights of stairs. Of course the elevator would break the day your were moving in. Struggling to get the key in the door, only to be greeted by a 6'7 and 270 lbs man standing bare cheated in the kitchen. You damn nearly fell over. Needing a moment to catch your breath.

Kate went on and on for weeks about him. Telling you if you didn't make a move she will. You had to remind her she had a long term boyfriend and you were seeing someone at the time, which soon fizzled out.

"I don't understand why you never say no to her." he tried to rationalize. You pushed passed him on your way to the shared bathroom.

"It's better today yes than listen to her complain." you told him back. Shutting the door before he could say anymore.

You took a quick shower, making sure to shave every nook and cranny. Layering yourself in body butter and making sure to spritz extra perfume. You choose to leave your hair straight, and simple makeup.

Tapping your foot against the aged wood floor, having a hard time decided between a short tight black dress or to go more casual in shorts and a cute top.

"Go with the dress." König voice reached you from your door. Startling you out of your thought, causing you to drop the dress onto the floor. König walked right in, bending down to the floor and retrieving the skimpy black dress. Still on his knees he held it up for you to grab, his head was so close to your core which was now pulsing with desire. You cheeks were flushed as you snatched it out of his grasp.

"Thanks.." you said hesitantly, turning away from him. He left you in silence, closing the door on his way out. You pulled out matching pair of lace lingerie, the ones you buried deep in your dresser. A gift from Kate, you've never worn them so todays that day you do.

You took a deep breath before stepping out into the shared common area, König's attention was on the football (American soccer) game. The click of your heels drawing his attention away. You stood their, twirling your fingers around. Shrinking under his lustful gaze. König cleared his throat, adjusting himself in his pants.

"How do I look?" you asked bashfully, the heat of your blush rising up from chest and across your face. "You look...." he was lost for words, the way the dress hugged every curve. "You look beautiful." he stood from his seat, the fabric over his crotch pulling tight against his throbbing cock. He knew he shouldn't be having these thoughts about you.

But he couldn't help himself. From the moment he set eyes on you, he was entranced.

"Give me a little spin." he commanded. Taking two long strides, taking your hand into his and giving you a little twirl. The giggle that came out of your mouth went straight to his cock.

Bzzz BZZZZZZ

The apartment buzzer rang through the space, pulling yourself away you rushed to the com system. "I'll be right down." you yelled through it. Hearing a mixture of garble coming from the other end.

"I'll probably be home late, if not I might crash at Kate's. I'll try not to wake you." the words rushed out of you as you ran around grabbing the last minute items before shuffling out the door.

König didn't get a goodbye in, or a have fun. The pit of jealously boiling up in his stomach stopped him. He watched from the livingroom as you bundled into Kate's car, watching the tail lights disappear down the street. He turned his attention back to his football game. But he couldn't focus, the ache of his cock kept plaguing his thoughts.

Usually he reserved himself to either his or the shower. But he couldn't help himself, pulling out his throbbing cock. It was already hard as a rock, the tip angry and leaking just a bit. The first few strokes had him holding his breath. He needed more, abandoning his spot on the couch, dick exposed to the air. He found himself in your room. It was smaller than his, everything was messily thrown around. He made his way right to your panties drawer, digging in the back to find the black lace panties you hid.

He came back empty handed, the thought of you wearing them under the dress had his cock leaking down the front of his pants, making a mess. He settled on a satin pair, purple in color with a small rose in the front.

Seating himself back on the couch, panties wrapped tight around his member. Stroking himself with you panties, using his knuckles to muffle out his wonton moans. He was too focused on the duty at hand. He didn't hear the door unlocking and the soft click of your heals.

You walked down the hall towards the shared living area, seeing König still on the couch. Pulling the straps of your heels off you let the loudly clank to the floor. You were a little iratated but also thankful that the night didn't go as planned.

König's head shot around, eyes wide in horror to seeing you standing behind him. If you didn't know better, it was like you caught him in the middle of something. The closer you got, you understood why.

Konig had your favourite pair of panties in his fist. His leaking tip poking out the top, as fast as it happened he through a pillow over his lap to block your view.

Stumbling backwards you rushed out some apologies. Babbling on about giving him some space.

König didn't want space at all, he wanted you. His hungry eyes watching has the hem of your dress rose up your thighs, just about exposing you ass. He stood quickly, following you into your room.

"I'm so sorry." you kept repeating. The heat of the embrassment flushed on your face. König stood there, cock out as he tried to get you to look at him.

"OMG!" you screamed, quickly averting your eyes. "Doll look at me." he tried to get you to face him but you couldn't. "Can you please put it away at least." he found your question amusing. "Why? Does it scare you?" he asked back. You scoffed at him, but deep down it did just a little.

Yes you've seen a handful of cocks before but none of them compared to König's.

"No." you said quietly.

"Why don't you touch it a bit, it won't bite." he took a small step towards you. Your stained panties still in his hand.

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LMFAO ok he got a little pervy at the end. I kinda want to make a part two now.

[thekidsarentalright]

‼️ Attention Fob Fan Reading This ‼️

A few weeks ago, I posted the fourth annual fob census asking you all to answer a bunch of evil questions regarding fall out boy, and after getting 1.3k (!!!!!) responses, the results are finally in (below the 'keep reading'). I wanted to quickly say thank you to everybody who participated in this, it's so fun to do every year and it makes me so happy to see so many others enjoy it too!! Without further adieu, here are the results:

Disclaimers: Quickly I just wanted to warn that this is a long post- it's worth reading, the results are very interesting! But it's also a lot to get through, be prepared for that! Secondly, tumblr loves to destroy image quality- click on the image to see it better!

Question 1:

For the first question, you were simply asked what era you became a fan. The top 3 results were, as shown: 1. Save Rock And Roll Era (345 Responses) 2. American Beauty/American Psycho Era (268 Responses) 3. During The Hiatus (132 Responses) Not much to say about this one, every year the results are very similar. Most interesting is that over 100 people have become a fan in the last year!

Question 2:

The second question asked you for your favorite era, and the results were, as shown: 1. So Much (For) Stardust Era (550 Responses) 2. Infinity On High Era (191 Responses) 3. Save Rock And Roll Era (170 Responses) The impact of the newest era is clearly seen in this question! Some could say it's recency bias, only time will tell, but regardless smfs era absolutely dominates as peoples favorite!

Question 3:

Question three asked what your favorite album was, and this was one where I was incredibly interested to see if so much (for) stardust shook things up that much... And as shown in the top responses, it did not! 1. Folie A Deux (550 Responses) 2. Infinity On High (270 Responses) 3. From Under The Cork Tree (153 Responses) Last year, the order of the results was exactly the same. As I believe it has been every year... Folie is unbeatable

Question 4:

The next question asked for you to objectively say which fob album is the best, to see if the responses between favorite and best differed, and as you can see, they did: 1. So Much (For) Stardust (457 Responses) 2. Folie A Deux (389 Responses) 3. Infinity On High (297 Responses) It's so interesting to me to see that so many people believe stardust to be fob's best album, but even then do not consider it to be their favorite.

Question 5:

Now that we've gotten the favorite/best albums out of the way, it's time for least favorite/worst, with these being your least favorite fob albums: 1. Take This To Your Grave (375 Responses) 2. American Beauty/American Psycho (371 Responses) 3. Mania (308 Responses) Most interesting about these results, to me, are how much the top three responses sweep in comparison to the rest. While for the last two questions, the results were more spread, these are much more unanimous.

Question 6:

Question six asked for the objective worst fob album, and you responded as so: 1. Take This To Your Grave (517 Responses) 2. Mania (347 Responses) 3. American Beauty/American Psycho (328 Responses) All I have to add here is that the responses are even More unanimous... Tttyg sweep ig! fdjsnf

Question 7:

Going away from albums, the next question asked for your favorite EP, and you all responded as such: 1. Lake Effect Kid (404 Responses) 2. My Heart Will Always Be The B-Side To My Tongue (374 Responses) 3. Pax AM Days (337 Responses) Last year, lake effect kid was second and my heart was first- always very interesting to see how things shift, even slightly!

Question 8:

The next question had you saying your favorite album cover art, and you all decided these are the best covers: 1. Infinity On High (664 Responses) 2. Folie A Deux (195 Responses) 3. From Under The Cork Tree (176 Responses) I was very interesting to see where smfs would land, with it falling in the bottom half, not disrupting the top three at all. However, folie moved up a spot, swapping with futct. Ioh reigns supreme though!

Question 9:

These results came out identical to last year, but here are the top first fob songs you all heard: 1. Sugar, We're Goin' Down (347 Responses) 2. My Songs Know (171 Responses) 3. Dance, Dance (134 Responses) 4. Thnks Fr Th Mmrs (132 Responses) 5. Centuries (91 Responses)

Question 10:

Question 10 asked for your favorite fob song, a very subjective question that garnered many different responses, these came out on top: 1. Headfirst Slide (105 Responses) 2. Disloyal Order (73 Responses) 3. Hum Hallelujah (69 Responses)(nice) 4. Ginasfs (65 Responses) 5. 27 (55 Responses) I have many thoughts about these results and don't want to ramble too much, but will say, most interesting: This is the first time disloyal order isn't first for this question. A big change, I think!

Question 11:

We know now your subjective fav songs, but what about objective best? You all said: 1. So Much (For) Stardust (244 Responses) 2. Headfirst Slide (136 Responses) 3. Love From The Other Side (83 Responses) 4. What A Catch, Donnie (70 Responses) 5. Hum Hallelujah = Disloyal Order (66 Responses) Once again, lots of thoughts! We have our first tie, both smfs the song and album sweeping, and disloyal order once again Not topping the list! Huge changes!

Question 12:

This question is always the one i get the most excited about each year. It's also the one that gets the most varied responses, but these came out in the top: 1. Sunshine Riptide (56 Responses) 2. "From Now On We Are Enemies" (49 Responses) 3. You're Crashing, But You're No Wave (47 Responses) 4. Rat A Tat (40 Responses) 5. It's Not A Side Effect = Heaven's Gate This question changed a lot from last year, with sunshine riptide moving up three spots, and rat a tat, it's not a side effect, and heaven's gate showing up when they didn't before!

Question 13:

With underrated songs come overrated ones, and you all said these were the most overrated: 1. Centuries (330 Responses) 2. Sugar, We're Goin' Down (96 Responses) 3. My Songs Know (87 Responses) 4. Bang The Doldrums (67 Responses) 5. Immortals (62 Responses) Most of note- Bang the doldrums is here, when it simultaneously was voted pretty highly as a favorite song!

Question 14:

This was the first time I asked the question of what your favorite fob cover is, and you all decided these are the best three: 1. Love Will Tear Us Apart (297 Responses) 2. Beat It (278 Responses) 3. I Wanna Dance With Somebody (224)

Question 15:

Asking which song has the best lyrics is another one of my favorites to see, and this year you all said: 1. Hum Hallelujah (172 Responses) 2. So Much (For) Stardust (75 Responses) 3. You're Crashing, But You're No Wave (72 Responses) 4. Ginasfs (70 Responses) 5. Disloyal Order (67 Responses) It's not surprise these results are very similar to best song, and it's very deserved! These songs are on top every year, save for smfs being newly one of their best written songs!

Question 16:

This question asked how many times you've seen fob live, and the results are as shown: 1. 1-3 Times (780 Responses) 2. Haven't Seem Them Live Yet (353 Responses) 3. 4-6 Times (138 Responses) 4. 7-9 Times (42 Responses) 5. 10+ Times (37 Responses) Last year, a majority of people said they hadn't seen them live, so it makes me really happy to see now, a majority has! And i hope those that haven't get to soon!

Question 17:

Continuing with the tour theme, specific to this year, I asked what your favorite medley song was, and you all said: 1. Spotlight (New Regrets) (272 Responses) 2. I've Got A Dark Alley (165 Responses) 3. What A Catch, Donnie (146 Responses) 4. WAMS (133 Responses) 5. Get Busy Living (117 Responses) Seeing spotlight sweep made me happy, as it genuinely was the craziest moment. All of these were crazy, and so special- seeing each medley song get so much love just shows it <3

Question 18:

Now continuing with tourdust questions, I asked for your fav 8 ball song, here were your top 5: 1. Pavlove (372 Responses) 2. Ginasfs (184 Responses) 3. Bang The Doldrums (144 Responses) 4. "From Now On We Are Enemies" (80 Responses) 5. 27 (69 Responses) Similarly to before, each of these was so crazy and special, it's great to see they all got love. Pavlove swept massively, tho, as deserved i think

Question 19:

I think it goes without saying that each band member is loved and very important, but we all have our #1 babygirl, and here's who you all said was yours: 1. Patrick (676 Responses) 2. Pete (402 Responses) 3. Joe (160 Responses) 4. Andy (112 Responses) All i have to say is... kill that thing patrick <3

Question 20:

Our next miscellaneous question asks for your fav music video, and this year you all said these were your favorites: 1. A Little Less Sixteen Candles (275 Responses) 2. Dance, Dance (109 Responses) 3. Hold Me Like A Grudge (89 Responses) 4. America's Suitehearts = Miss Missing You (74 Responses) 5. I Don't Care (67 Responses) I was curious to see if a stardust mv would make it in, and was glad to see grudge did! Otherwise, very similar results to last year. Old favs die hard i suppose <3

Question 21:

Here, I asked for your favorite band that isn't fob but is related/adjacent to fob, and you all said: 1. My Chemical Romance (576 Responses) 2. Paramore (302 Responses) 3. I Don't Know How But They Found Me (88 Responses) 4. Cobra Starship = Green Day (75 Responses) 5. Gym Class Heroes (58 Responses) Not much changed from last year, other than green day getting more love, which is interesting to see! (Also, wanted to note that i did forget to include panic!... however less than 10 people wrote them in as an 'other', so results were not affected by that oversight!)

Question 22:

These last questions are all this or that style ones, with our first pairing being disloyal order and hum hallelujah: 1. Disloyal Order (762 Responses) 2. Hum Hallelujah (588 Responses) Interestingly, last year this match-up was a solid tie. Clearly, opinions have changed to make disloyal order sweep!

Question 23:

Our second this or that pit snitches and talkers vs you're crashing: 1. You're Crashing (808 Responses) 2. Snitches And Talkers (542 Responses) These were the top two underrated songs last year, so it's interesting to see which one is truly preferred!

Question 24:

Our last this or that, and last question, put centuries and my songs head to head: 1. My Songs Know (977 Responses) 2. Centuries (373 Responses) All the commentary I will provide is saying: is centuries even overrated anymore with it getting destroyed like this.... fkjdsnfks

And with that, the 2024 fob census comes to a close! If you've read this far or, really, participated at all in this in any way, I want to say thank you again! and that I hope you had fun with it, and that these results were interesting to look through! Also, will throw out there, I worked very hard on this and would appreciate a rb if you read all the way through it! <3 If you have any questions about any data or questions, want to see more in depth results or commentary or analysis from me, feel free to shoot me an ask/dm! See you next year for year 5! :-3

[drmohammedibrahim]

After I written a post regarding to my journey for bought milk and diapers to my child Ibrahim and the price was not reasonably more than 140$... I decided today go to kan younis market (city in South Gaza) one of the big market before the war in whole Gaza strip to buy some clothes for my child with a knowledge there are no new clothes and most of the clothes are from bales (secondhand).  I have no problem if it is used.. The important thing is to find any clothes for my child because winter is starting to get tough... I went into all the stores that sell children's clothes, and there are 7 of them... I looked at most of the clothes inside them for sale in these stores. I rarely found exactly what I wanted, but I decided to buy... I took two pieces of these clothes and went to pay costs... Guess how much the saler asked for these two pieces.. The first piece asked for 140 shekels ($38), and the second piece cost 180 shekels ($49). Of course, I was shocked by these exorbitant prices, but the biggest shock was when I asked him why the second piece was much more expensive than the first piece... He told me because the second piece is almost new, not like the first, but for me they both look the same. I laughed and said to him, do you have another piece that is used a lot and is cheaper than this almost new one? He told me no, but it might be available after a week, but I don't know how much the prices will be... I was curious and asked the saler from where he gets these used clothes . He answered me that there are people who come and sell me these clothes because they don't have money to buy food . I asked him again, what if they have children? What will they do when they sell their children’s clothes? He told me it is enough for the child to have one or two pieces, and they sell the rest. After I heard that for a moment I keep silent and thinking of this world  why we? why gaza? why Palestinian people? why why why?... of course no one can answer? Then I back to my matter and asked him how much would you sell me the two pieces that I want.. Is there a discount? He said to me, I will give you both for 300 shekels ($83). Note: the real price before the war for these 2 pieces 30 shekels (8$) now ×10

In case ..., I only have 200 shekels ($55) in my pocket. I did not know what to do, should I buy or not... In the end, after deep thinking, I decided to buy the second piece... I felt so happy when I returned to my tent because I brought something for my child..

Note: Average income in the Gaza Strip before the war around 1000 shekels (270$). Now during the war no income at all

However, I wished that I had enough money to buy the second piece because I spent more than two and a half hours until I found what suited my request. I expected the money I had would be enough to buy clothes and buy some vegetables and groceries, but this is what happened, knowing that the price of vegetables and groceries is not much less than the price of the clothes. I will write about that soon.

Wait me for the second trip to buy some food.

Thank you all, my friends.

If you want to donate and contribute any amount even (5€) I will be so appreciate and thankful 🙏

Donation link here:

https://gofund.me/faf917c2

Love you all.

Vetted by

@90-ghost here

@gazavetters here (#137)

@reddeadconfessions2 @littlegermanboy @lightblueornaments @sayruq @666godsperfectidiot @rumblysugar07 @ashwantsafreepalestine @artisticstasis @finnicksbf @trashmammalshitblog @miniar @mutopians @faelyn42 @somerandomfollower-blog @somewhatvellum @godspersonalclown @sleepyleftistdemon @morbidmagnolia @heydreamchild @lesbianmaxevans @galactic-mermaid @autisticmusings @thedigitalbard @3amsnowman-blog @neptunerings @thatsonehellofabird @imjustheretotrytohelp @girlinafairytale @yakiattaki @loumandivorce @iloveinternetsafety @blackprinter @magic-can @venus-de-mil0-09 @mozzaroni-art @honey-stans @empressofthenorth @thedigitalbard @dlxxv-vetted-donations @maester-cressen @enby-berries @eggingtontoast @lucy-shining-star @cantsayidont @nonbinaryspacegoo @featheredcritter @snowballeclipse @wainwrightjakobshammerlock @applebunch

[kamii-2]

“you thought wrong”

this chapter has a teensy bit of angst in it, anyway all of the summaries for chapters are on the masterlist for this story

warning(s): cussing, angst, fluff

genre: angst & fluff

pairing(s): kk arnold x reader

“you thought wrong” masterlist

==================================

chapter 2: “you were right.”

==================================

when you woke up the next day it was 9:46 am, the first thing on your mind was kk. you tried hard to not think about her but damn it was hard as hell. you couldn’t help yourself.

symphony had texted you last night at around 3 in the morning asking if you wanted to go to a party, you obviously said yes and got out of bed to brush your teeth and eat breakfast. today was a lazy day so you had nothing to do until the party. you realized that symphony never told you what time the party was so you asked her and she said 6, it was still early in the morning so you decided to clean up your dorm. after you cleaned you took a short nap then after you watched tv. the whole time you were thinking about kk, you couldn’t get her out of your mind.

symphony texted you again at 4:30 saying she’s going to pick you up at 5:45, you replied with an ‘okay’ then got up off the couch to get ready. you took a shower then got out and found a cute outfit, a white tank top and a pink short, tight, skirt. you put on some mascara and lip gloss before grabbing your phone and wallet and putting on your white and pink air max 270’s. it was 5:40 so you just sat on your couch until symphony texted you she was outside.

you went out to the car and got in, greeting symphony with a hug. “so, i heard kk and her team are going too.” symphony informed you as she pulled out of the dorm parking lot. you smiled while thinking about kk and how you might be able to have an actual conversation with her tonight. “where even is the party?” you asked, symphony shrugged. “it’s a simple house party, i don’t know who’s it is though. i seen people posting about it on snapchat so i decided to go and take you with me as emotional support.” she answered, eyes not leaving the road.

“ooh, we should get ice cream before we go!” you suggested. “wait we should.” symphony agreed before finding the nearest ice cream place and going in. you two ordered your ice cream and sat down and ate. “the only reason i wanted us to get ice cream is because i don’t want us to be the first people there and look dumb.” you admitted, licking your ice cream. symphony laughed at this and continued to eat. when you were done you got back in the car and symphony continued to drive to your destination.

you guys arrived at 6:23 and the party was busy and loud, cars everywhere. symphony found a place to park a little bit of a walk from the house but not too far. when you guys got inside it smelt of alcohol and a hint of sweat. you and symphony went straight to the kitchen for a drink then to the dining room and sat down. people came and went from the dining room, a few greeting the two of you every now and then. you two talked about school and crushes and other life stories.

while you were telling symphony a story, kk came from somewhere in the house and sat in the chair next to you. “oh hey kk.” you stopped your story and greeted her, she smiled at you and replied with “hey y/n, how’s the party going for you?” “it’s lowkey a bit boring, me and symphony have been sitting here talking the whole time.” you replied honestly, symphony gasped, “wow so you’re calling me boring?” she held her hand to her heart and looked offended. “what? no!” you defended quickly, kk and symphony started to laugh.

“anyway, how’s it going for you kk?” you asked her, “it’s going good but talking to you has made it a lot better” she replied while looking you up and down, staring at you lips for a little while longer than anything, somehow you didn’t realize she did that. her comment made you smile and get a little flustered. “thank you.” you replied trying to hold composure.

it was obvious that the two liked eachother but you were both too dense to realize it. you two had been unintentionally flirting with the other for a good 30 minutes before kk left. you turned to symphony after kk left the room, “i actually don’t think i’ve met anybody stupider than you two. you both want the other but are too damn dense to notice, and you two somehow managed to accidentally flirt and STILL neither of you seem to realized you two were attracted to each other,”symphony lectured you while you just looked at her like she was dumb, “the amount of times she checked you out was actually outrageous, she stared at your lips more than your eyes. y/n shes clearly gay and obviously likes you, i seen it with my own eyes.” you had no words but after a few seconds you replied to her. “oh my God, symphony you don’t know that.” you defended kk, not knowing that soon you were going to find out some very interesting information. “you’re stupid.” symphony deadpanned.

“i’ll be back.” you told her as you stood up and walked to the bathroom to calm down. as you opened the door you seen kk and some random girl making out. you immediately slammed the door shut and walked right back down the stairs. the sight of her kissing another girl shattered your heart to pieces. you felt the tears well in your eyes as you went back to symphony.

“you were right.”

symphony stood up and took you outside. “what happened?” she asked when you two reached the car. “kk was in the bathroom with another girl, kissing her.” you cried out, reaching over the middle console to hug symphony in the drivers seat. “shh it’ll be okay. let’s go back to my dorm and watch some movies or something like that. sound good?” she suggested while running your back. you nodded your head and let go of her. she started the car and you two went back to the dorms, getting food before she dropped you off back at yours.

==================================

i’m actually so sorry for this taking so long to get out. i’ve been SUPER busy and i only write when i have free time, anyway i hope you enjoyed the 2nd chapter of “you were right” !! i hope you have a good day/night, love you 💋💋

[daily-kotlc-sentence]

BOOK: Keeper of the Lost Cities

CHAPTER: Two

(141/270)

The next second was a blur.

The car swerved right—missing Sophie by inches—then jumped the curb and sideswiped a streetlight. The heavy steel lantern cracked from its base and plummeted toward Sophie.

No!

It was her only thought as her instincts took over.

Her hand shot into the air, her mind pulling strength from somewhere deep in her gut and pushing it out through her fingertips. She felt the force collide with the falling lantern, gripping on like it was an extension of her arm.

As the dust settled she looked up, and gasped.

The bright blue lantern floated above her, somehow held up by her mind. It didn’t even feel heavy, though she was sure it weighed a ton.

“Put it down,” a familiar, accented voice warned, bringing her out of her trance.

She shrieked and dropped her arm without thinking. The streetlight hurtled toward them.

“Watch out!” Fitz shouted, yanking her out of the way a split second before the lantern crashed to the ground. The force of the impact knocked them over, and they tumbled to the sidewalk.

Fitz’s body broke her fall as she landed across his chest.

Time seemed to stop.

She stared into his eyes—eyes that were now stretched as wide as they could go—trying to sort through the flurry of thoughts and questions swirling around in her head to find something coherent.

“How did you do that?” he whispered.

“I have no idea.” She sat up, replaying the past few seconds in her mind. Nothing made sense.

“We need to get out of here,” Fitz warned, pointing to the driver, who was staring at them like he’d witnessed a miracle.

“He saw,” she gasped, feeling her chest tighten with panic.

Fitz pulled her to her feet as he got up. “Come on, let’s get out of sight.”

She was too overwhelmed to figure out a plan on her own, so she didn’t resist when he dragged her down the street.

“Which way?” he asked when they reached the first intersection.

She didn’t want to be alone with him, so she pointed north, toward the San Diego Zoo, where there was sure to be a crowd—even during a firestorm.

They took off running, though no one was following, and for the first time in her life, Sophie missed hearing thoughts. She had no idea what Fitz wanted—and it changed everything. Her mind ran through terrifying scenarios, most of which involved government agents throwing her into dark vans to run experiments on her. She watched the road, ready to bolt at the first sign of anything suspicious.

They reached the zoo’s massive parking lot, and Sophie relaxed when she saw people outside, milling around their cars. Nothing would happen with so many witnesses. She slowed her pace to a walk.

“What do you want?” she asked when she caught her breath.

“I’m here to help you, I promise.”

His voice sounded sincere. Didn’t make it easier to believe him, though.

“Why were you looking for me?” She tugged out a loose eyelash, more than a little afraid of the answer.

He opened his mouth, then hesitated. “I’m not sure if I’m supposed to tell you.”

“How am I supposed to trust you if you won’t answer my questions?”

He considered that for a second. “Okay, fine—but I don’t know much. My father sent me to find you. We’ve been looking for a specific girl your age, and I was supposed to observe and report back to him, like always. I wasn’t supposed to talk to you.” He frowned, like he was disappointed with himself. “I just couldn’t figure you out. You don’t make sense.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means you’re . . . different from what I expected. Your eyes really threw me off.”

“What’s wrong with my eyes?” She touched her eyelids, suddenly self-conscious.

“We all have blue eyes. So when I saw them, I figured we had the wrong girl again. But we didn’t.” He looked at her with something like awe. “You’re really one of us.”

She stopped and held up her hands.

“Whoa. Hang on. What do you mean, ‘one of us’?”

He glanced over his shoulder, frowning when he spotted a crowd of fanny-pack-wearing tourists within earshot. He pulled her toward a deserted corner of the parking lot, ducking behind a dark green minivan.

“Okay—there’s no easy way to explain this, so I’m just going to say it. We’re not human, Sophie.”

For a second she was too stunned to speak. Then a hysterical laugh escaped her lips. “Not human,” she repeated, shaking her head. “Riiiiiight.”

“Where are you going?” he asked as she moved toward the sidewalk.

“You’re insane—and I’m insane for trusting you.” She kicked the ground as she stomped away.

“I’m telling the truth,” he called. “Just think for a minute, Sophie.”

The last thing she wanted to do was listen to another word he said, but the plea in his voice made her stop and face him.

“Can humans do this?”

He closed his eyes, and vanished. He was only gone for a second, but it was enough to leave her reeling. She leaned against a car, feeling everything spin around her.

“But I can’t do that,” she argued, taking deep breaths to clear her head.

“You have no idea what you can do when you set your mind to it. Think of what you did with that pole a few minutes ago.”

He seemed so sure—and it almost made sense.

But how could that be?

And if she wasn’t human . . . what was she?

[bellamyroselia]

Probably one of the funniest Kid Icarus jokes I've ever come across had Pit asking if Santa was real, with Palutena's answer being "Not yet, (some Roman emperor who reigned between 80-270 CE) is still in charge" and I haven't been able to stop thinking of it ever since

[ryuichirou]

Replies

Some replies! Mostly about weird dicks and ehh having kids I guess…

characharing asked:

''Is Ruggie's grandma packing?'' OF COURSE SHE IS, ANON, GILF RIGHTS

Yesss!! POWERFUL GRANDMAS OF TWST!!

Anonymous asked:

Somtimes i feel like when I leave this blog for a few days, idia gains like, 270 new kinks

Exactly, now imagine how Idia feels. Every new day should feel like a holiday, but he sure is struggling lol

Anonymous asked:

Yesss, Riddle gets to savor all the exotic dicks whether he likes it or not as the Queen intended. Wonder which one he'll like the most? I feel like Deuce might also join in but probably by accident

I am a romantic at heart, so I would assume that Riddle’s favourite one would be the long, supple and slippery eel one. It just sounds right. 😌 It’s also probably the most unpredictable because it moves, and Riddle hates unpredictability, so we get a perfect match.

Deuce would definitely join in by accident, and he would probably feel kind of guilty for enjoying the exotic dick so much… maybe because of how much adrenalin and panic he felt when he experienced knotting for the first time, but his body reacts very strongly to Jack now. And experiencing one of the tweels would feel so weird that it would actually fry his brain for a couple of hours…

Che’nya should visit NRC more often. For no reason in particular, he just should.

Anonymous asked:

On the topic of parents, I was asking myself who would be the most likely to raise a kid together in canon in the future, and I think that if Kalim has kids he will definitely rope in Jamil, no matter the kind of relationship they have. His life would be even more at risk as the head of the Asim, so I can imagine he would try to get someone he can trust to become the legal guardian of his child/children in case something happens to him, and we all know that there is no one he trusts as much as Jamil. "And when I'll die you'll take care of them" "When!?". I don't know, it's just kind of funny to think about how even without Kalim, Jamil would still be stuck with the kalimlings (who probably don't even get along with da-, I mean, uncle Jamil)

Oh there is absolutely no chance for Jamil to get away from nurturing another Kalim, even if the first Kalim hires 10 nannies for the kid. For the sake of protection too.

“When I’ll die” lol so ready to kick the bucket and leave Jamil with kalimlings…what a word 😭 Jamil’s entire life is Kalim. Even if Kalim is gone, Kalim is still there. Maybe Kalim will do what his father did and leave 30+ kalimlings behind just so uncle Jamil doesn’t get lonely.

Anonymous asked:

out of the twst cast, who do you think would selfishly ~baby trap~ their partner? like tbh i don’t see floyd as the type, if anything a baby would make him fuck off lol

Yeah, a baby would absolutely make Floyd fuck off lol Which is ironic, because while I don’t see Riddle as someone who would necessarily do it, he gets pretty unexpectedly unhinged sometimes… I don’t see it, but I don’t not see it if that makes sense. It wouldn’t be a premeditated decision; it’s more like a crime of passion. If he manages to make a baby with magic somehow… the chances are super low, but considering how unstable Floyd can make him, never zero lol

To answer your question properly, I can’t think of many options to be honest, but two characters who came to mind first would be Malleus and Azul. My reasoning for Malleus: lay an egg => demand attention.

And Azul would do anything to tie a person to himself if he needs to; a baby would bring a lot of unnecessary expenses, but if nothing else works, putting a bunch of eggs inside his lover’s body is always an option. Wow, both of them are egg related…

We are talking about the boys here, but I feel like even if Azul was a lady, he wouldn’t want to get pregnant herself. The world would hear the most menacing “I’ve already paid the surrogate, Idia-san” ever.

Ortho could do it in a yandere scenario, I think. Sebek and Kalim are also suuuuper not likely, but somehow more likely than the rest of the boys.

[cursedvibes]

Hi Cursedvibes, just want to ask for your thoughts on Thepersonperson's JJK 268 - 270 dream theory, if you don't mind.

I don't know that blog's specific theory, haven't read the whole post and it has been a while since I skimmed it, but I assume it's pretty much the same thing everyone else bringing up the theory has been saying. I'm generally not a fan of the "it was all a dream" trope. Any variation of it I've seen has just felt cheap or killed emotional investment/tension. Didn't like the Infinite Tsukiyomi in Naruto and Gege copying it with the merger or Yuuji's domain doesn't make it better.

Even if this is a dream, I don't see a reason for why it is necessary then to waste a whole chapter on nonsense bickering and addressing fandom criticism. This being a dream doesn't change that Gege is rushing things and dragging them out in other places. Like, if you're gonna make a dream, at least make it interesting and not bore your readers out of their minds that they are basically hoping for all this to be fake, so it makes an iota of sense. Maybe it would be better if we knew there was more to build on the dream sequences, but there's only one chapter left and I don't think a potential Part 2 will make things more interesting.

One thing I'd like to mention also is that I think all this tamtam over Yuuji's appearing and disappearing fingers and Megumi's scars is really not that deep. The same thing has been happening all throughout the Shinjuku fight and Gege didn't comment on it every single time because it's a reoccurring issue that has been fixed in volume releases. I'm not surprised the same would happen with Megumi's scars, since he just got them and Gege isn't used yet to drawing them.

So in short, not a fan of the theory, hope it doesn't happen but honestly at this point I can't really bring myself to care. In one week we'll get the last and hopefully final chapter of jjk and know for certain anyway. I can't say after the last 5 chapters that I'm very curious about how the manga ends, I just want it to be over. Sorry, I can't really give more of an answer.

[ask-a-ghoul-kit]

Hello

I'm a ghoul kit. (More a teen for humans cause of my age)

252 years old (nearly grown up, cause ghouls are adults when they turn 270)

I have 3 elements: fire, water and quintessence

My mentors are Aether, Alpha, Omega, Rain and Dew. Sometimes Ifritt and Mist will join my lessons.

I will answer all questions

You can ask me NSWF questions

Pls do not trauma dump at me

I was accidentaly summond

I'm currently "employed" in the ministry as an "breathing emotional support plushia"

I usually hang out with the band ghouls

// writer is in his early 20s

[destinationtoast]

What is the most recent thing your cats have done to make you laugh? My three dogs were sniffing so forcefully because I cheated on them (pet and got drooled on by a bulldog) and their faces and intense sniffs were hilarious.

*Asks are for fun, no pressure to answer at all.

Oh, the fierce sniffs of betrayal!! XD

Bennet made me laugh last night by being bad at lying down. It had never occurred to me before she came into my life that this was a skill one could lack. But she'll periodically try to spoon with me in bed and fail. She'll pace back and forth; she'll look very intently at me, then at the bed, and at me, and at the bed; finally, she'll fling herself abruptly sideways toward her target spot on the bed. She'll usually land on her side in the right general area, but sometimes, she'll be 90 to 270 degrees off from the direction she intended, which is too much for her to overcome by wriggling into place. She'll stare at me in apparent surprise and confusion, occasionally while kicking me in the chest or lashing my nose with her tail, then get up and try again.

It took her several tries last night. 😂😂

[dyinglikenarcissus]

Chapter 4. Plans Change, People…

14k words

Warnings: 18+ only. This chapter in when the spice starts! Fingering, oral both male and female receiving

Like and reblog if you enjoy ☺️

You sit curled up on your couch. Jethro’s tucked next to your hip, while you edit some wedding dress shopping footage. You’d yet to fall in love with one but it was hard to fall when you didn’t know what to dress for. You and Steve have yet to set a date or a venue. More like you and Sam have yet to set a date or a venue. But you did decide on spring. Not too hot, not too cold. You just didn’t know where. Steve was ‘happy as long as I’m with you, little movie star’ and Sam and Bucky were absolutely no help at getting intel out of their best friend.

You scroll through yet another list of wedding venues in New York City when your hear a pulsing vibration.

“A ghost?” You ask Jethro but he just ignores you until you get up to investigate. He lets out an irritated chirp before curling up on the cushion you vacated.

You enter your bedroom and see Steve’s phone about to fall off the nightstand as it continues to buzz.

“Natasha?” You question seeing the red head pop up on the screen.

“Hello?” You answer slowly.

Theres a pause on the other end of the line. “Where’s Steve?” A women’s voice asks.

“Um, he doesn’t have his phone right now,” you explain. No one’s ever called him while you were babysitting it. It made you wonder if the only people with the number were you, Bucky, and Sam. “You should call his work phone if you need to talk to him.”

There’s another pause. “You’re the girl?”

“The-“

“Hold on, I want to see you.” The FaceTime alert makes the phone start vibrating again. You answer not really knowing what to do.

“Hello?” You repeat as Natasha appears on the screen. She’s just as gorgeous as she is in the photos.

“Hey,” she smiles. A little part of you melts. You think you’re in love. “I’ve been meaning to track you down.”

“Track me…?”

“I’m Natasha. Steve’s friend. Nice to finally meet you.”

“He told you about me?” You ask, a little taken aback.

“He doesn't shut up about you. I think the entire east coast knows America’s most eligible bachelor found his new best girl.” You smile at the knowledge and glance away from the screen. “Tell me about yourself.”

“Um, I’m a social media influencer. I have 2 million followers-“

“You live in Anaheim, 1801 East Katella Ave, apartment 270. You drive a Lincoln Corsair, born in Silicon Valley to a tech mogul mother and an absentee father, graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in psychology. You applied to a med school but they didn’t think you were well rounded enough. So you started an Instagram, then a TiktTok, moved to LA and now we’re here. I know all that. Tell me something Rogers doesn’t know.”

You blink at the woman. You instantly understand why Steve keeps her at a distance.

“I-I don’t know. I drool when I sleep? I’m prone to yeast infections? I have a weird leg to body ratio? What doesn’t he know?”

She gives you a smug little smile. “You don’t have much of a relationship history outside of your friend group so you don’t date much. He seems to be doing whatever he can to keep you happy. And you seem happy…you’re falling for him?”

You cringe back from your phone then remember she can see you. “Aw, you are! Cute! Anyway, you seem fun. We should do coffee. Are you still getting Panera at 7:45 tonight? Maybe I’ll meet you there.” Oh my God. She even knew about your Panera runs!

“Who are you?” You breathe.

“Yeah, we’re gonna be good friends,” she grins. “I’ll talk to you later.” She waves to the camera and you drop the phone on your bed.

“Steve,” you whisper. You grab your own phone and send him a text message as fast as your thumbs will type.

He’s taking far too long to respond for how your heart is racing.

Then your phone vibrates with a call. “Steve! Natasha-called-and-she-knew-all-this-stuff-about-me-and-she’s-going-to-meet-me-at-Panera! I’m so scared!”

“Star,” Steve chuckles. “Relax. That’s just Nat being Nat. She’s in Venezuela. She’s not going to ambush you at Panera.”

“Why does she know so much about me?” You whine.

“She deals in intel. After the whole Sausalito thing, I needed some solid information on you.”

“You did a background check on me?” You accuse.

“I got far more than background. I know Natasha is…a lot but she’s good people. Don’t let her get in your head.”

“And I thought she was so pretty,” you whimper.

Steve just laughs at your statement and makes a comment on the other side of the phone that you don’t catch.

“I have to go, little star. I’ll text you tonight?”

“Okay,” you sigh trying to calm yourself down.

“Be good for me?”

“Okay,” you can’t help but smile at his request. “I miss you.”

“Miss you, too. Bye, little star.”

“Bye.”

You release a deep sigh and try to relax your shoulders. You were in a whole new world now. Steve’s world. You were beginning to realize you had a lot to learn here.

You get a text message from Natasha later that night saying that Steve said she can’t play with you anymore. You laugh at how disappointed she seemed.

I hope we can meet for that coffee someday you message back.

I’ll be at the wedding she assures you.

You sigh and go back to your voice over for an archery session with Kate. You notice a lot of comments asking about wedding updates and Steve. Blah! “Guess I have to drop some kind of couples content,” you mutter to Jethro. You are over wedding dress shopping and you were sick of this one sided venue fight.

Hmm…maybe…

You know everything about everyone. Where would Steve get married?

A read notification pops up immediately but Natasha doesn’t respond. Maybe she doesn’t feel like talking…

Your phone pings about an hour later.

There’s this old cathedral in his childhood neighborhood in Brooklyn

She sends the link to it on Google. Oh? Oh!

This is gorgeous! Why didn’t he mention it? It’s like a slice of Europe in New York! You can already imagine a cathedral train and the sun hitting the stained glass windows painting the church in beautiful colors. It’s perfect!

I love it! Thank you! You quickly reply

Don’t mention it

And to think you were terrified of her this afternoon.

You quickly forward the suggestion to Steve as your renewed interest has you thinking back to the dresses you tried on and what most fit the space.

How did you find out about this place? Steve responds a few minutes later.

Natasha

I guess she is good for something

You giggle at his comment

One thing down, a million more to go

I’m sorry I’m not much help with all of this. It’s a little hard to think about doing it all again

Oh? You frown slightly at his statement. Getting married again, even if it is all for show, must be so triggering. You didn’t even consider his side of things.

You’re a terrible fake fiancée.

I’ll handle it you assure him. It’ll be perfect

I trust you

The next day, the venue is booked, you choose colors and flowers. Kamala helped you choose cake flavors and Kahhori chose the bridesmaids dresses and a suit for Kate.

“You really don’t mind if the colors are burgundy and navy?” You ask Steve while you scroll through wedding bouquets that match the theme on Pinterest. “It’s not too…ugh?”

“What does that mean, star?” Steve chuckles. He voice sounds so deep and groggy, you just want to hear him talk more.

“Like, I don’t know, clashing?”

“It’ll be dark,” he yawns.

“Well, if it’s, like, mixed with greenery and white flowers. And I’ll be in white. Have you decided what color you’re wearing yet?”

“Have you decided what dress you’re getting yet?” He counters.

“Touché, Mr. Rogers. The groom is supposed to be surprised.”

“Don’t like surprises,” he mumbles.

“Are you falling asleep on me, old man?”

He hums softly and you hear the sheets rustling. “Maybe,” he grunts.

“Alright. Go to sleep.”

“I wish you were here.” His words make you smile and makes something stir in the pit of your stomach. You feel so loved when his says things like that. You shouldn’t but it sounds so right.

“I wish I was there, too. I miss your kisses.”

“My kisses?” He chuckles.

“Yeah, you always kiss my head and it makes me feel so warm and comfy.”

“Stop being so fucking cute.” You hear the smile in his voice before he yawns again.

“Go to sleep,” you repeat.

“Yes ma’am.”

“Goodnight.”

“‘Night, little star.”

You sigh softly and drop your phone on the bed. When did you fall so in love with him?

Natasha even knew it but she seems to know everything so that doesn’t really count.

Did he love you, too? He seems to like you, at least. The way he slept cocooning you, and the way he’d always makes sure you and Jethro were comfortable, and the the way he’d call you his ‘little star’. All of it said he was in love with you. He didn’t say it though. Probably because of this ridiculous situation that set you two up. He probably doesn’t want you to feel trapped. You certainly did before but you don’t anymore.

You want to be with him.

You feel like you’ve gotten closer to him in these couple of months you’ve been apart than in the entire time you were together. Every morning he’d wish you a good morning and he asks about your day every night. You really like that. He sends you flowers every Friday. You love that. After you decided on wedding colors, he sent a bouquet of burgundy roses and navy irises. Then he did something you absolutely did not expect. Jethro’s birthday was kind of a personal holiday for you. All of your friends knew and you normally had a whole weekend long party. You watched all of his favorite movies and he got all his favorite treats and tuna. You made him home made dole whips, got balloon bouquets. And the finale was a trip to the cat playground. It was in LA so it was an hour drive and he hates being in the car that long but it’s so worth it to watch him have the time of his life with the other cats. It was just a little local place and you brought treats for the other cats and little party hats for the ones that will wear them. But when you walked in, the facility was completely decorated from top to bottom with balloons, banners, streamers. There were gourmet cat treats adorning a table. There were even party favors full of toys and treats for all the other cats coming to the party.

“Did I miss something?” You ask the owner. You’d been coming here for years and you got to know the woman pretty well.

“A Steve Rogers sent a party planner to set all this up,” she smiles. “He said it’s for the Jethro’s birthday.”

“He did all of this?” You whisper. It almost brings you to tears as you watch the other cat parents filter in and ask what the occasion is just for you hand them a party favor and thank them for coming to Jethro’s party. It was the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for you.

God, you really love this man.

He does so much for you, you just wish you could repay him.

“I have the best fiancé in the world! As you all know, it was baby Jethro’s birthday this week! I have a five year old, y'all! We went to Kitty Land in LA for his usual kitty play time and look at what Steve did! Handmade cat treats, party favors, and look at this balloon arch! It’s been so hard doing the long distance thing but he makes it easier with such sweet gestures like this. Look at these little guys! And Jethro made a new friend!”

You sigh as you scroll through the pictures of the party after you finished posting the TikTok.

You wish you could’ve shared the moment with Steve.

“You ready for dinner, little man?” You ask Jethro as he slinks out of your room, stretching along the way. He lets out a positive meow and you scratch his head.

“Dinner time, it’s dinner time,” you sing softly.

The door bell rings just as you stand up sending your cat scattering.

Friday evening around 6? Must be flowers.

You skip over to the door and open it without looking through the peep hole.

Once the door is open though, you quickly slam it back shut at the sight.

Those are not flowers.

A shoe catches in the frame stopping you from locking your unwanted visitors out.

“Ma’am, we’re with the federal bureau of investigations. We just have a couple of questions for you.” The man sounds very nice but you know better than to listen to anything they say. You’ve seen enough movies.

You pull the door back but only slightly, barely wider than the man’s foot.

“Can we come in?” There’s two of them: one woman in a black suit and the man asking the questions.

You quickly shake your head no.

“Then we’ll talk out here. Do you know Steve Rogers?”

“He’s my fiancé.”

“How about Brock Rumlow?”

You search you mind for the name but you’ve never heard it before. You shake your head again.

“Were you in New York August 18th?”

“What’s this about?” You ask.

“We’re investigating a murder, ma’am. Just answer the question.”

You swallow loudly. “I-I don’t feel comfortable with this. I want a lawyer or something.”

“You’re not detained. We’re not forcing you to say anything,” the woman sighs.

“I was in New York, but I don’t know that name. I’m sorry.”

“Alright, if you can think of anything, here’s my card.” The man passes you a white card with an official looking seal on it.

“We’ll be in touch,” the woman sighs.

You just nod and take the card before securely locking the door. You take a deep breath and lean back against the door.

What just happened? Who were those people? You turn the card over in your hand

Agent Phil Coulson.

Your breaths start to shake as you attempt to think.

“Steve,” you whisper.

You run to your phone left abandoned on the couch and quickly dial his number.

“Little star,” he greets far too cheerfully for the situation. “What-“

“Steve! The FBI just came to my house and they asked me if I knew you and-“

“Stop.” There’s that harsh voice that you hadn’t heard since you first met him. Your jaw clicks shut at the word. You almost shrink back at his tone but he keeps talking. “Pack your stuff. I’m sending the plane. Don’t talk to anyone. Don’t answer the door unless I tell you to.”

“Steve,” you whimper. “What’s-“

“Stop talking. Pack your stuff.”

“Okay,” you whisper.

“I’ll see you soon.”

You nod then remember he can’t see you. “Okay.” The phone call ends abruptly with you still holding the phone up to your ear.

“Okay,” you whisper. Jethro chirps at you from under the couch before rubbing against your leg.

“Okay,” you repeat once move. “Dinner. Then packing, okay?”

Thirty minutes later Steve sends you an ETA for the plane. You had about five hours to pack up yourself and your cat and maybe take a little nap but honestly, you were far too wired to rest. So you busy yourself with packing and once you’re done with that, you busy yourself with cleaning. You’ve finished sweeping and you at least cleaned the bathrooms before your phone starts vibrating.

Sam’s outside Steve messages.

You stand on an upside down trash can and look through the peep hole, learning your lesson. There he is, waiting outside for you.

You quickly unlock the door.

“Come here, girl,” he bids and you quickly fall into his arms. “It’s okay. We’re gonna get you home,” Sam promises. Home. Steve’s home. “You ready?” You nod and a driver comes in to collect your luggage. You tote Jethro and your computer bag and follow Sam downstairs.

Once you’re on the plane, the two of you sit in palatable silence. You try to distract yourself by keeping Jethro entertained but it’s his bed time and he’s not having anything to do with you. He just wants to sleep but he can’t relax in the strange environment.

You turn to Sam and a book rests on his lap as he’s fallen asleep, too.

You should try to sleep too but the day reels back in your mind over and over. Ugh!

You let out a soft groan and fall over in the seat next to you. Just a couple more hours of this.

Bucky meets you at the airport and he’s just as quiet as Sam.

Something told you Steve told them not to talk to you. You sit in the back seat and stare at the backs of Sam and Bucky’s heads.

“Can we talk at all?” You finally ask as the city comes into view outside of your window.

“I’m sorry, princess. Steve wants you fresh when you get to him,” Sam states sadly.

“Fresh?”

“It means he doesn’t want any outside influences. We can’t talk to you,” Bucky sighs.

“Not even you two?”

“Not even us,” Sam reiterates. You sigh and slump down in you seat. “We’re almost there.”

The world finally becomes familiar as you pull up to the building with Steve’s penthouse. But you don’t go down to the garage. Instead, Steve steps out of the building, his long trench coat billowing in the wind as steps up to the car. You can’t help but greet him happily, falling into his arms.

“Steve, I don’t kno-“ but he just shushes you gently. He holds you against him and runs his hand down your head to tangle his fingers in your locs.

“Not now. We’re going to go somewhere we can talk.” You just nod. You feel a bit more relaxed in Steve’s arms but everything is reaching a boiling point. Steve’s hand runs up and down your shoulders as he presses kisses to your temple.

Sam takes Jethro upstairs and returns relatively quickly before you all continue on through the city.

Bucky stops the car in front of a bumping club. Men and women stream in and out in skimpy dresses and fitted dress shirts.

“We’re going to talk here?” You question skeptically.

“It’s quiet,” Steve smirks down at you and you can’t help but give him a disbelieving laugh. You were dressed for anything but the club. Maybe for a Target run or the gym in your leggings and cropped sweater. You were also mentally prepared for anything but the club. Maybe an anxiety attack or a therapy session. “Come on, little star,” Steve bids and opens the door on his side. A bouncer exits the building and wordlessly escorts your group through a side door. Steve’s hand finds your lower back as he leads you through the dark halls. You don’t pay much attention to your surroundings. You can just hear a thumping beat and multiple sets of footsteps.

The bouncer opens a red velvet padded door which leads to a private room. A waitress quickly follows after him and takes the men’s orders. You request some water. You don’t feel like partying or being here in general. You just want to go home.

Steve’s home.

You take a sip of your water that’s placed in your hands to try to calm your nerves. It doesn’t help.

Once the waitress leaves, Steve’s pulls you into his lap on one of the plush couches that surrounds the room.

“Alright. Talk.” You take a deep breath to finally spill out everything that’s been on your mind. “Slowly,” Steve adds knowing you’ll spit it all out in one breath if you can.

You smile at his words and go over the entire incident in as much detail as you can remember. You hand Steve the card the agent left you. He looks it over. “That’s everything?” You nod. Steve hands the card to Bucky. “Don’t kill anyone. Just make sure they stay away from her,” he instructs the brunet as he leaves the room.

“Wha-“ you breathe at Steve’s command.

“Sammy, go with him. Make sure he doesn’t get out of control.”

“Out of con-“

“Little star,” Steve sighs, gipping your chin to make you face him.

“We came all the way here just for this two minute conversation?” You question before he can say anything else. “We could have talked at home.”

He sighs, looking outwardly frustrated by your outburst. He just holds your chin a little tighter, impeding any further speech from you. “Listen.” His voice takes on that dangerous growl that makes you want to shy away from him. “You don’t say another word about this. Not to me. Not to Sam. Not to Bucky. Not even to yourself. No one. Understand?” His hold on you loosens enough for you to nod.

The moment he releases you you ask, “Why did they come to my house?”

“What about ‘don’t talk about it ever again’ didn’t you understand?” Steve asks with a small smirk.

“But I have so many questions,” you whine.

“I understand. But I don’t want you any deeper in this than you already are.”

“You said that before and I still don’t understand! What are you hiding from me?”

The second the words leave your mouth, the padded door to the private room opens.

“They told me you had a reservation but I didn’t believe it until my security told me you were actually here. What do I owe the pleasure of having the Star Spangled Man grace my humble club?”

Your eyes widened impossibly at the man who steps through the door. This can’t be happening.

“We came for some quiet. Apparently that’s hard to find here, too,” Steve sighs. His grip on your waist tightens as you almost start to buzz with excitement. His hold on you seems to be the only thing holding you down.

“A little rendezvous with your new pet? You can’t do that at home, Rogers?”

“Quiet is a scarce commodity these days,” Steve counters. You start to practically vibrate in his lap before Steve finally spares you a glance. “Let me introduce you to my fiancée.” Steve taps your ass so you’ll stand up. He opens his mouth to introduce you but you’re already on your feet shaking the man’s hand erratically.

“You’re Loki Laufyson! Oh my gosh! I’m such a huge fan! I loved you in Ragnarok and The Dark World and I’ve seen all of your plays! Can you sign my phone? Can you sign my face? Can you tell me to kneel?”

Loki smirks at your words. “I think we can arrange-“

“No,” Steve grips you forearm and pulls you back to his chest. “You will not be kneeling for anyone.” That rough tone comes out in Steve that has you submitting against him. “One picture.”

“Do I get to choose the pose?” Loki asks. So much suggestion leaks into his voice that you nod excitedly until you see Steve’s face. Those daggers are back in full force. You quickly start shanking your head. “Fine. Something innocent that the future hubby approves of,” Loki sighs and holds open his arms for a selfie. You quickly snap a few photos. You didn’t expect him to be so tall in real life.

“If you ever want to be a little naughty, you know where to find me,” Loki adds quietly just before releasing you. You practically bounce on your toes back to Steve, giggles falling from your lips the entire way.

“If you’re done harassing my fiancée, I have a quick question for you. You had a run in with the feds. Do you know an Agent Coulson?”

“Nasty little bugger,” Loki grimaces. “Why? Is he on the hit list? It would really help me out if he was.”

“Afraid not,” Steve states shutting down the man. “He’s got a female partner. You know her?”

“How badly do you want to know, Mr. America?”

Steve crosses his arms over his broad chest as he thinks. “I got some new stuff from Venezuela. Just sourced it a few weeks ago.” Venezuela? A few weeks ago? “Really hard shit. We’re calling it tesseract.”

“Tesseract? Such a fucking pretentious name,” Loki chuckles.

“Yeah, well, fentanyl was taken.”

“Is it any good?”

“Got people dropping like flies left and right. I’ll send you a sample.”

“I don’t have much for a sample,” Loki goads.

“I don’t have much for junkie has beens either.”

Loki scowls at the blond. “Maria.”

“Maria what?”

“Like I said, I don’t have much for a sample.”

Your eyes ping pong back and forth between the two men as they negotiate.

“This is fucking powerful stuff. You don’t even know if you like it yet,” Steve counters with a small smirk.

“If I don’t, I know my brother will.”

“Fine. Tesseract and two dose of the serum.”

“Now we’re talking, Mr. Rogers,” Loki smirks. “Her last name is Hill.”

“Maria Hill?” Steve repeats earning a nod from the actor. Steve types something into his phone before focusing back on the man. “Pleasure doing business with you, Loki.”

“Leaving so soon?” Loki frowns.

Steve just grabs your coat and places it over your shoulders before picking up his own. “I’m a busy man. I’ll have your end dropped off tonight. Don’t use in all in one place.”

Loki scoffs as Steve leads you through the door and back out to his waiting car. He holds the the front passenger door for you before he drives away.

“I didn’t think he used hard drugs,” you whisper more to yourself than to Steve.

“Little star, you’d be surprised,” Steve sighs.

“He just seems so genuine in his movies and in interviews.”

“They say don’t meet your heroes.” Sound advice apparently.

“What about his brother?”

“Those two were my best customers when I was selling. Now they have to beg me for shit.” This is the most Steve has ever revealed about his seedy past.

“I met Thor a few years ago. He was so sweet,” you muse.

“Probably high as a kite,” Steve chuckles. “All you have to do is meet their sister and you’ll have the whole set.”

“They have a sister?”

“She’s their manager. They don’t talk about her much. She’s a bit of a tyrant.”

“They probably need that to stay in line.”

Steve smirks. “Probably. Are you hungry at all. Do you want me to stop and get you something?” You shake your head feeling more tired than hungry. Having all of that off your chest and on Steve’s strong shoulders felt like you lost 15 pounds. You finally feel like you can breathe. You open your mouth once more to ask him about it but his hand on your thigh reminds you not to.

Instead, you slip your hand under his so your fingers are interlocked. He brings the back of your hand to his lips to press a kiss there.

“We’re going to have to move the wedding up,” Steve mutters. “As soon as possible.”

“What? But-“ He grips your hand uncomfortably tight, making your voice die on your lips. “Okay,” you whisper simply. There’s no fighting this. Just go with it. “To when?”

“Next week.”

“Next week? There’s no time to get anything done in a week!”

“We’ll still have your big dream wedding but I need it to say you’re my wife on paper.”

You intake a sharp breath. Time to start thinking with your rational head. That’s what he’s doing. He’s trying to keep the two of you out of some kind of trouble…

“We can just elope. Make the big wedding a vow renewal in a couple of years. We’re just so in love, we can’t wait?”

“You’re the influencer. Is that what’s in now?”

“Big elaborate weddings are definitely out to save money for houses and trips,” you shrug. It wasn’t like that was an issue for Steve. But it will make you look much more relatable.

You’re drooping by the time you reach home. Steve can barely keep you awake long enough for the elevator ride.

You let out a yawn and break away from him to go to your room. You barely have enough energy to flop onto the bed.

Steve follows behind you to watch the whole thing play out as Jethro scrambles away just in time to miss your leg.

“That tired?” He chuckles. He picks you up and arranges the bed so you can be under the blankets. “Get some sleep, little star,” he bids and presses a kiss to your forehead.

You gasp awake. It’s far too hot and you need to pee and your arm is numb and you just fell from a 40 story building…

Ok, maybe that last one was just part of a dream.

You stumble out of bed anyway, trying to avoid your cat who has managed to make a bed between your scissored legs.

He gives you a questioning chirp despite your best efforts to avoid him.

“It’s okay. Go back to sleep,” you whisper and scratch the kitten’s head before rushing off to the bathroom. You barely managed to notice the sky outside is still pitch black. You wonder what time it is as you wash your hands and ponder returning to bed. You kind of want to take a shower…

6am on a Saturday? Blah! You need to go back to sleep on principle.

You opt for a quick shower but as you slide back into the enormous bed Steve got you and stare out the floor to ceiling windows as the sky slowly gets brighter.

Maybe you should go see what Steve was up to…

He’s probably asleep. You should leave him alone, you think as you tiptoe down the hall. His door is cracked open so you don’t even need to knock. You peak through and see his sleeping form still curled in his bed.

Of course he’s still asleep…

…

He wouldn’t mind if you joined him, would he?

You’d slept together before but that was after he invited you to his bed. So that was a forever invitation, right?

Before you finish rationalizing, your feet are already carrying you to his bed.

Your mind was back to reeling about everything that was going on. You just didn’t want to be alone.

You perch on the edge of the bed and watch for any signs of distress but he just keeps sleeping soundly. Snoring lightly as his arms curl over one of his pillows. He looks amazingly peaceful. You wish he could look like this while he’s awake.

You shouldn’t bother him…

You stand up and walk over to the other side of the bed. You notice a pair of glasses on his nightstand in the pale sunlight. You didn’t know he wore glasses. You pull back the blankets behind him and slide into the bed. God, he’s warm! The whole bed is a nice and cozy temperature so unlike your own where you move a fraction and you’re suddenly freezing.

You inch closer to him waiting for his breathing to sputter and for him to wake up. But he doesn’t. You finally reach his warm body and snuggle against him.

Mmmmm. Perfect. Your arms wrap around his torso and you fall asleep almost instantly.

You blink awake to the sound of running water and a clean smell. You let out a soft moan. You aren’t ready to get up. You turn over and snuggle back into the pillows.

Steve must be up and he already discovered you so why bother going now?

Well, maybe you should give him some space to get ready…

But you’re so comfy!

You pull the plush blankets up to your chin and start to doze off again. You vaguely hear the water turn off and resolve to waking up. You prop yourself up on one arm and rub your eyes with the other.

You let out a soft moan and yawn and stretch. When you open your eyes, you blearily see a figure. A very tall, muscular, and very naked figure.

Steve stares back at you for a moment with a towel in his wet hair.

There’s a pregnant silence between you as you watch each other. Your eyes can’t help but wonder down his naked body before snapping back up to his face.

The action seems to break whatever spell is over the two of you.

“Shit,” Steve hisses and drops his towel to his waist.

“Sorry!” You squeak at the same time and avert your gaze to the bed under you.

“No, no! I should’ve known you’d be awake.”

“No, I invaded your space without permission,” you quickly counter.

There’s a brief silence after your statement. “You don’t need permission to sleep with me.”

“I don’t?” You whisper and hazard a glance up at him.

He secures his towel around his waist and looks back up at you. “Never, little star.”

You watch each other for a moment now that he’s covered. Well, relatively covered. “I guess we’re even now,” you smile.

“I guess so,” Steve smirks and approaches the bed. “Is everything okay? Why are you in here anyway?”

“Um,” you sigh as he sits on the bed. “I guess, I just, I didn’t want to be alone,” you mutter.

“I get that.” Steve cups your face and directs your gaze back up at him. “Whatever I can do to help.” You nod. “It was nice to wake up next to someone,” Steve smiles.

“I really did miss you while I was home,” you admit.

“I missed you too.” He leans over and presses a kiss to your forehead. Then your cheek. Then your lips. Something flutters deep inside you and you smile against him.

“What are you so happy about?” Steve hums.

You just shake your head and grin. “You’re not going to tell me?”

“Nope,” you giggle and press another kiss to his lips.

“I think I know a way to get it out of you,” he grins and presses you down against the bed for an onslaught of kisses. You moan against his mouth as he finds his way on top of you, his elbows framing your face and his knees finding their way between your spread legs.

His kisses start to let up slightly as you chase his lips.

“Will you tell me now?” He mutters just breaths away from your lips. Your hands bend up against your chest, not really knowing what to do with them. He seems to notice and grips your hand to press a kiss to your palm.

“Maybe,” you smile.

“Maybe?” He repeats. “What do you want, my beautiful star? Cars? Houses? Power? You can have whatever you want.”

“I don’t want any of that,” you whisper.

“What do you want?”

“Just you,” you smile.

“You have me, star.” He presses one last kiss to your lips before flipping over on his back, taking you with him. You let out a silent gasp as you’re suddenly flipped over. Your hands land on his toned bare chest. Your skin flushes and you suddenly feel unbearably hot. “Now tell me what you think is is funny.”

“I-it doesn’t seem all that funny anymore,” you whisper.

“Oh no. You’re not getting away with it that easily.” His hands run down to your hips, holding you in place. Pinning you there under his ocean gaze.

“I just-it’s just you seem to enjoy my company more than Sam and Bucky’s.”

“Oh, I definitely do,” Steve grins. “I can’t do this with them,” he laughs.

“I mean, you could,” you giggle. “I don’t know how much they’d like it, though.”

“If I try, I need you there to back me up.” His laugh is so nice. It feels like it’s been far too long since you heard it.

You bend down and press another kiss to his lips. His hands travel further down over the curve of your ass. He squeezes you making squirm against him but he just spanks you in response. You smile against him and your kisses focus on sucking his bottom lip before trailing to his jaw.

“Hmm someone’s getting bold,” Steve groans as you nip just under his ear. “Where’d a virgin learn that?”

“You’ve seen my porn history,” you remind him.

“Fuck,” he moans and his body arches against yours and you feel exactly what you’re doing to him.

Your lips travel to the center of his throat just before you hear someone clear their throat.

“Sorry if we’re interrupting.” You hear the smile in Sam’s voice without even looking at him. Your face heats impossibly and you bury yourself in Steve’s chest.

Steve just groans tossing his head back into the pillows “You two are the absolute worst!”

“It’s not like you were going to fuck her,” Bucky laughs, leaning against one of the bed posts. “We figured you’d want to know we handled the little princess’s stalker problem.”

“Good. You did your fucking jobs. You want an award or something?” Steve mutters, exasperated. His tone makes you giggle as you peek out at the two men.

“Thank you, guys,” you offer in Steve’s lack of appreciation.

“You’re very welcome,” Sam grins.

“Don’t encourage them,” Steve warns softly. “We’re moving the wedding to next week.”

“Oh, because you two are so in love?” Bucky mocks before making a gagging face.

“That’s exactly it, actually.” You notice the blush on Steve’s face as he says the words. “At least that’s what we’re telling people.”

“Wait! Are you pregnant?” Sam asks, concern suddenly overcoming his features.

“No!” Both you and Steve cry at the same time. Why do people keep asking that?

“Up,” Steve sighs and taps your ass. You attempt to roll off of him as gracefully as possible.

“Shit, Stevie. If she wasn’t pregnant, you were ready to pump a baby into her,” Bucky laughs at Steve’s very evident hard on as he rolls out of bed and walks into the closet.

“Shut up!” Steve barks as he disappears through the double doors.

“We are really sorry for interrupting,” Bucky smirks but his words sound sincere.

“It’s fine. We probably needed to stop anyway,” you whisper.

“What are you two up to today besides not making me an uncle?” Sam asks sliding into one of the chairs surrounding the bedroom’s fire place.

“We just woke up. We haven’t really discussed anything. Maybe I’ll go try to find a dress or something for the ceremony…”

Bucky frowns at your statement. “You two should enjoy your weekend. Go see a movie or something.”

“Loki’s starring in a broadway show right now. I know how much you love him,” Sam suggests. You smile but shake your head. You’re a little conflicted about your love for him right now.

They do have a point though. You two hadn’t been on a proper date in over a month.

“Where are some good date spots?”

“You can do an escape room?” Sam shrugs.

“Stevie will end up breaking something,” Bucky laughs. “He likes to go dancing.” You quickly shake your head at that. You don’t like clubs or bars or anywhere dancing would normally be.

“Maybe a movie would be fun,” you smile.

“What do you like? Action? Horror? Romance?” Bucky asks with a lifted brow as he scrolls through his phone.

“What scary movies are playing?”

“Scarlet Witch: what will a mother do to get back her children?” Bucky quotes. “They’re saying it’s pretty scary. Maybe you can get Steve to hold your hand,” He goads. “7:30? 8:45?”

“Why are you two still here?” Steve asks walking out of the closet in much more clothes. A pair of grey slacks and a black polo cover up his perfect body.

“We’re planning you a date,” Sam grins.

“I can’t today. I have a couple of meetings,” Steve sighs.

“Bullshit,” Sam frowns. “I know all your meetings.”

“I can do things without you two,” Steve mutters.

“No need to be hostile,” Bucky sighs. “We’re just trying to make sure your girl doesn’t feel neglected.”

Steve looks down at you, still wrapped up in his sheets but you can just stare at a loose thread of Egyptian cotton.

“We’ll do something tonight,” Steve sighs.

You grin up at him. “7:30?”

“7:30.” He leans over in the bed and presses a kiss to your head. “If you go somewhere, take one of them with you.” You nod.

“Take care of her,” he instructs his friends.

You watch him as he leaves the bedroom and hear the front door close behind him.

“Where the fuck is he going?” Bucky barks at Sam.

“He’s got a lot going on,” Sam sighs. “Give him some space.”

“He’s so fucking dramatic.” You nod in agreement to Bucky’s statement. “What could he possibly be doing without us?”

You watch the two men for a moment before opening your mouth. “Probably jacking off.”

Bucky gives you a pointed look before bursting into laughter.

“That was a good one,” Sam agrees with a light chuckle. You think you’ve hung out with them enough for them to accept you into their fold. You feel pride at actually making them laugh.

“Since he’s gone, do you want to go shopping with me?” You smile up at the two.

A couple hours later, the three of you stop by Starbucks for breakfast than it’s off to Bergdorf for last minute dress shopping. You figured you can just get something off the rack for this last minute wedding. The judge won’t care if you’re not wearing a one of a kind designer gown. As long as you look good in it.

You found a dress you like but it’s just okay. You’re not really in love with it. And you refuse to compromise on this. You’ve made enough compromises…

And there’s plenty more shops to go!

“I’m tired of this,” Bucky grumbles as you peruse the racks of Bloomingdale’s.

“You can go sit,” you suggest.

“I’m tired of sitting!”

“This is only the second store,” you argue.

“How many stores are we supposed to go to?”

“Steve said one of you has to stay with me so suck it up,” you counter before sticking your tongue out at him.

“How about this one?” Sam asks, holding up a floor length silk gown.

“Too bedroom,” you frown.

“Don’t they have people to do this for you?” Bucky sighs, crossing his arms.

“They do, but shopping is therapeutic.”

“For who?” He barks.

You let out a defeated sigh as you finish looking through the evening gown section.

“Saks?” You ask Sam. He’s all in on this shopping trip and you love it. Maybe you should’ve left Bucky at home.

“Let’s do it,” he grins.

“Ugh!” Bucky groans.

You pass by the lingerie section on your way out of the store. A thought can’t help but come to mind.

“Hey,” you brooch the two men as you file into the town car waiting outside. “So, um, you guys know Steve better than anyone.”

“I guess,” Bucky sighs.

“I don’t think he’s told you this but I’m a virgin.”

“You’re a what?” Sam chokes on his coffee. Bucky’s eyes just widen at you and you start talking before either of them can say anything else.

“I know! You said something today and I realized he didn’t tell you which was really sweet of him to keep my personal business to himself but I need your help with something.” The words fumble out of your mouth in quick succession. You’re trying to do better so you make sure to pause between each word so they can understand you.

“You want us to break you in before the wedding night?” Bucky jokes earning a punch in the arm from Sam.

“How can we help, princess?”

“Um, I-I want to get something to wear for the wedding night,” you whisper as two sets of eyes watch you intently. “But I don’t really know what he’ll like…”

“I’m suddenly not tired anymore,” Bucky smirks.

“Cool it,” Sam scolds. “You’re sure you want us with you? Isn’t this kind of a friend thing?”

“My friends haven’t even met Steve. They won’t be much help. Like, what if I pick out a bunch of lacy frilly things and he’s more of a leather and chains guy?”

Bucky inhales sharply at your words and gives you a once over and that tells you he wants to say something wildly inappropriate but Sam rescues you.

“Honestly, you could wear a paper bag and he’d love it but of course we’ll help.”

You step into the nearest lingerie store and suddenly feel completely overwhelmed. There’s a lot of colors and textures and exposed skin to process.

“Hi! Welcome in!” An associate greets. “Let me know if you need anything.” You’re grateful that they seem to leave you up to your own devices while Bucky and Sam spilt up across the store.

You see something frilly and pink and immediately walk up to it. Cute. But definitely not sexy. Maybe Steve likes cute…

You think back to how he had you pinned under him and was about to make you his in every way. No, he probably doesn’t like cute…

You pick it up anyway. No harm in trying it on.

You’ve only found the one outfit when the sales lady steps up to you.

“Shopping for a special occasion?”

“Um, my wedding night,” you whisper.

“Oh! That is special! Which one’s the lucky guy?” She asks gesturing to the two men that followed you in.

“Neither. They’re my fiancé’s best friends.”

“Oh?” The looks of utter confusion on her face makes you laugh. “I know. We’re a little unconventional. I mean, we aren’t swingers or anything! I just figured I’d get a male perspective.”

She just hums and looks down at the set you’re holding. “What do you like?”

“Well, I’ve never really shopped for anything like this,” you admit.

“But I’m sure you’ve thought about it? You have to be comfortable, first and foremost.”

You nod. “Well, I like rainbows and hearts and pink. Maybe pastel purple. Girly stuff,” you shrug.

“I’ll take that and start a fitting room for you. And we’ll walk over to our softer things.” You nod and follow the woman to the corner of the store Sam and Bucky completely avoided.

“I like this section,” you smile.

“Have fun,” the associate bids and goes to help your companions.

Twenty minutes later you’re standing in the fitting area with your assigned associate, Jen. She lets out a deep sigh. “Alright, these are James’s picks,” she points at a cluster of dark leather and straps that intimidates you to no end. “These are Sam’s.” This group is just as dark but much more tame and full of lace. “And these are yours,” you couple of picks are the brightest part of the room right now. “Should we narrow it down before trying on.” You nod adamantly.

By the time you’re done, there’s about eight sets left. You’ve already decided you’ll probably get one from each pile. Now it was just a matter of picking which ones.

“I’ll go put these back. Let me know if you need any help.”

Then you’re left alone. You can hear Sam and Bucky chatting about nothing in particular in the sitting area outside of the dressing rooms. Maybe this is the part where you need some female guidance.

There was always FaceTime.

You try on the first few colorful ones you chose just to warm yourself up.

Maybe yellow looked really good on you. You turn and try to see your back side. You like it! One for the yes pile!

You like the first pink one you found too!

Okay. Maybe this would be easier than you thought.

Maybe not.

You hold up one of Bucky’s choices and Jen explained it to you very thoroughly before she left but you keep getting your leg tangled in the strap meant for the arm? Or maybe it goes around the back? This thing should really come with instructions…

“Hey, guys! Can you get Jen?”

“You need help?” Sam asks.

“Yes! But not from you two!”

“Oh, come on! We can help!” Bucky jokes.

“I’ll get her,” Sam sighs, ignoring his friend.

“Hey,” the woman knocks and you open the door.

“I know you told me how to do this but I think I’m stuck,” you laugh opening the door.

She giggles at your predicament. “Alright. We got this,” she assures you.

Once it’s on, you’re kind of shocked at how much you like it.

“Okay. I need, like, written instructions on how to put this on,” you insist as you turn in the mirror to get all of the angles.

“You like it?” Jen asked happily.

“I do! I think I found my freaky side,” you giggle.

“Oh, you already had a freaky side, princess,” Sam calls. You can’t help but laugh remembering he’s probably seen your porn history too.

You leave the store with two large shopping.

“Thank you, guys! This was fun!” You smile as you wait for the car.

Bucky just shrugs and sighs. “Steve better give me a detailed play by play when you wear that stuff for him.” You laugh at his statement and glance around the area. You’re near the fabric district here and there’s a fabric store across the street but that isn’t what catches your attention.

“That’s it,” you breathe.

You step out into the street just to get stopped by Sam before the car pulls up.

“Hey! Are you trying to kill yourself?” You don’t bother responding. You just point at the shop. “Okay. But we’re using the crosswalk,” Sam laughs tugging you along.

“It’s perfect!” You smile at the dress in the window. It’s looked like it was made of silk or satin but it was structured yet flowy, with a full skirt and train that looked just informal enough for a elopement but formal enough to know that it’s for a special occasion.

“It’s a dress,” Bucky grunts.

“Buck, we’ve been to three stores and she hated everything. I think this is important,” Sam rationalizes but you’re already half way in the building, phone out to capture whatever is about to happen because it’s bound to make good content.

You walk straight up to the counter to a brunette woman. “Hi, um, weird question, is that dress in the window for sale?”

“I’m sorry-“ she starts but the giant brunet behind you interrupts her.

“Name your price,” Bucky requests. “Ten grand? Fifteen? Rent around here must be crazy,” he goads.

The woman looks up at him then back at you.

“I’m sorry but that dress is just a display. It’s not finished.”

“Oh,” you frown. “Who designed it? Do they work here?”

“Actually,” she smiles, “he does. I’ll go get him.”

She disappears from the counter and into a back room.

She returns with a teenager stumbling behind her. He can’t be older than 16.

His gaze jumps between you and the two men behind you in confusion. “H-hi! Did you guys need help with something?”

“Did you design that dress?” You ask pointing at the window.

“Uh, yeah. It was just a project. Something to put out for fall…”

“Can you make me one?”

“Wha-“

“I’m getting married next week and I’ve looked all over LA and New York and this is the first dress I’ve fallen in love with,” you blurt out.

“We’ll pay whatever you want,” Sam states.

“Um, let me, uh, just consult with my aunt real quick.”

“Do it, Peter,” she smiles the second the words leave his lips.

“Alright. Let’s do it,” he grins.

“Is it okay if I film this?” You smile.

You’re measured and draped and pinned and hemmed and a mock up is made right there on the spot.

The shop keeper collects a bundle of white fabrics for you to choose from and you pick a bright white silk taffeta that looks amazing contrasting against your dark skin. You’re so in love already.

“Give me a couple of days and we’ll do the first fitting. Then it will just take me a day to make corrections.” You nod happily at your designer’s words. Sam give his aunt the down payment and you file back out into the street.

You let out the most content sigh you can muster since this whole ordeal started months ago.

-

“Guys it’s getting really real,” you sigh to your camera while doing your makeup. “Something came up and we decided to elope. We’re getting married sometime next week.” You already called Kate, Kamala, and Kahhori and told them the news. They complained for a moment about bridesmaids things and bridal showers but you explained to just wear something nice within the color range and Steve will pay for their last minute flights and lodging.

“We’re going to have a small ceremony, probably at the courthouse, with close friends. I finally found the dress today! You’ll have to wait for the wedding to see it but it’s perfect. Steve suggested doing a big thing in couple of years for our vow renewal but I think I like the idea of something small. We’re just ready to be one. And no, I’m not pregnant!” You laugh. “Anyway it’s probably our last date night as boyfriend and girlfriend. See you all at the alter,” you grin and end the video just as you hear the front door open.

His footsteps approach your room first and you look up happily.

“There’s my little movie star,” Steve smiles. He leans against the bathroom door and watches you go back to your makeup.

“How did your meetings go?”

He lets out a world weary sigh. “I’d rather not think about that.” You nod wanting to be his peace. “What are we wearing tonight?”

“I put some options out on your bed,” you instruct but he doesn’t leave. He just steps further into the room. He stoops over your seated form and wraps his long arms around your shoulders.

“Do I have time for a nap?”

“We have to leave in about an hour so I think so.” You smile at his reflection in your vanity mirror before picking up his hand and placing a kiss to the back of it. You notice his knuckles are bruised and raw.

“Steve, you want me to wrap this up for you?”

You’re already attempting to stand up but you realize you don’t even know where the bandages are.

“Oh?” He opens his eyes and examines his hand. “I guess I didn’t realize how messed up I got,” he chuckles.

You smile back at him and let him lead you to the first aid kit in his bathroom. You’re surprised you don’t ask him what happened. You wonder but you know the answer. He can’t tell you, he doesn’t want to get you involved, it’s best if you don’t know, blah blah blah. Why bother asking anymore?

The two of you settle on his bed while you assess the wound.

“Does it hurt?” You question while applying alcohol to the split skin.

“Not when you do it,” he grins making you giggle.

“There. All better.” You kiss both of his freshly bandaged hands.

“You’re the best,” Steve smiles.

“Get some rest. I don’t want you snoring during the movie.” You press a kiss to his forehead and move to get up but he grabs your hand.

He pulls you down into one of his breath stealing kisses making you smile.

You pull away slowly, glancing into his blue eyes.

“Stay?” He asks softly.

“I have to finish getting ready.”

“Please.”

You can’t say no to that. You curl around his large body and press another kiss to his lips. His hands run across your back, holding you close as he falls back into his bed. You smother your face into his neck and chest as he tangles his fingers in your locs. His breathing calms pretty quickly and it starts to lull you into a sense of comfort as well. You close your eyes.

Just for a few minutes…

You wake up and blink into the darkness. Steve’s weight rests partially on top of you. That groggy feeling that comes on when you fall asleep with the sun out and wake up and it’s pitch black starts to settle over you. You were supposed to wake up for something…

Oh shit! The movie! You tense up to sit up but find yourself hopelessly pinned under you fiancé. You probably missed it anyway.

You settle back down. Even Jethro is curled into your other side. You aren’t going anywhere.

You turn your head wondering if Steve has a clock in his room. You’re within arms reach of his nightstand and you remember he put his phone there before you sat down.

Your hand slaps across the wood searching for the little rectangle.

11:43? Ugh!

You guys need to find some food before everything closes.

“Steve,” you call and shake his shoulder. “Steve, are you hungry?”

He groans and holds you a little tighter, dragging you further under him.

“Steve,” you giggle. “You’re crushing me.”

“Good. It’ll keep you in my bed,” he mumbles. You laugh again and try to wiggle out from under him. “You’re too hot,” you whine.

He yawns and rolls off of you. “You’re pretty sexy yourself,” he mutters. You roll over and crawl up his chest. “Did we miss the movie?” You nod and give an affirmative hum. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how tired I was.”

“It’s okay. I was pretty beat, too. But we should probably get some food.”

“Ugh,” he groans again and drops his arm back over you. “What do you want? What time is it?”

“Almost midnight.”

“Shit! We slept all evening!”

“Yeah, we did,” you laugh.

“I’m sorry, little star! I owe you a date.”

“I just wanted to spend time with you.”

“You’re spending all kind of time with me.” His fingers strum across your back making you smile.

“It’s just like adults to spend their time together sleeping.”

“What are we supposed to do? Go to Coney Island?”

“Well, we went to Disneyland.”

Steve chuckles and finally sits up dragging you along with him.

“What’s open this late?” He muses and grabs his phone. “IHOP? Dennys? Taco Bell?”

“My stomach can’t handle Taco Bell,” you laugh.

“You’re getting old,” Steve jokes in the light of his phone.

“Let’s go to IHOP!”

You change and jump into one of Steve’s cars for a short drive down the street. You opt for a booth in the corner hoping for some quiet but group of teenagers is sat a couple tables away from you dashing that dream.

Steve rolls his eyes as they talk loudly about the Aston Martin in the parking lot.

“Do you get that a lot when leave the house?” You ask quietly.

“How often do people see luxury cars at ihop?”

You just smile and point at the sugary pancake options. “Do you want to share one?”

“The Cinnamon Toast Crunch one!”

“Anything you want, star.” The waitress takes your orders before disappearing again.

“I was thinking we can do the wedding at my house in the Hamptons. Friday? Saturday?”

“You have a house in the Hamptons? Where don’t you have a house? Is the weather that close to the water nice right now? Who’s officiating?”

“All these fucking questions,” Steve chuckles. “You know I don’t know shit about these houses. It’ll be a little chilly but not coat weather. Sweater weather I guess.”

“I love that song,” you interrupt.

“Never heard of it. Natasha said she’s ordained and she’ll do it.”

“That’s nice of her. At least it won’t be a stranger. Probably Saturday. We can do, like, an early afternoon ceremony then brunch.”

“I’ll let the planner know.”

“You didn’t tell me there’s a planner,” you blanch.

“You didn’t tell me what you did with Sam and Bucky all day,” he counters playfully.

“Oh? I found the dress! It’ll be ready hopefully by Wednesday.”

“Good,” Steve smiles. “What else did you do?” He asks pointedly and you know one of them talked.

“Um, we went to a lingerie store to…get something for the wedding night,” you whisper.

Steve smirks at your words and leans back in his seat, crossing his arms. “You don’t have to get all dolled up for me. I like what I see.”

You giggle and glance away. “I just want it to be special.”

“You’re going to let me have you?”

“You’re going to be my husband,” you rationalize.

He regards you for a moment before slipping from his side of the booth to join you on yours.

He curls over you and presses a kiss to your lips.

“It would be an honor.” You lift yourself up to kiss him back.

“I don’t just pass my virginity out to anyone. You better know what you’re doing.”

He smirks at that then asks you a question that feels completely out of left field. “Do you want kids?”

“I-wha-?”

“I know you’re not on birth control. But I had a vasectomy almost 20 years ago and I have no intention on reversing it for no reason. So, do you want kids?” His brow lifts. In that quiet booth, the two of you start to plan your future.

“Do you want kids?” You counter, looking up at him through your lashes.

“I do. I’d love it if you’d make me some. But not yet. I think we need to practice this marriage thing for a bit.”

You nod in agreement. The two of you are silent for a moment before you look back up at him. “Who told you?”

“Oh, you know it was Buck,” Steve chuckles. “He’s pissed off I didn’t tell him you were a virgin.”

“It’s such a big deal to him. I still masturbate. It’s not like I’m untainted,” you laugh.

Steve takes a sharp inhale and clears his throat before answering. “Guys are just into that sort of thing, star. They think they can mold you into what they want. But you know what you like, huh?” He mutters so close to you ear a shiver goes down your spine.

“D-do you like that? That I’m a virgin?”

He hums in thought as his hand around your waist grips your side before dropping down to your hip. “I don’t like that I’ll have to be gentle with you,” he frowns. “I’m a little rough in the bedroom. But,” he sighs, “I’ve never been with a virgin. It will be fun to learn with you.”

“Y-you can be rough,” you whisper.

“No. I want you to enjoy your first time. It’s gotta be good or you’ll hate sex. I don’t want you telling me you have a headache or you’re on your period five weeks in a row because you don’t like how it feels. We have to figure each other out.”

He stops talking as your food is brought out. Steve starts cutting up his omelette but you just stare at your French toast.

“Should we start?”

“Start what?” Steve asks around around a mouthful.

“Start ‘figuring each other out’? So it won’t be so…awkward?”

“I’ve been fucking trying but every time I do my dumbass friends walk in.” You burst into laughter at his statement and how true it is.

“You managed to find some of the most fantastic cockblocks,” you manage between giggles.

“Some of the best in the business,” Steve agrees with a chuckle.

“Were they like that with Peggy?”

“Oh, they were the fucking worst! I don’t know how they knew every time we were trying to have sex. They’d call. They’d knock. Buck always just let himself in. He didn’t even feel bad about it.” You smile at him reminiscing about his late wife. It’s sweet. “And when Nat was in town, forget about it. We just went to bed fully clothed every night because she may just be doing laundry or cooking in our house the next morning. It was like they had a tracker on me.”

“They just love you.”

“My wife loved me, too!” He argues making you giggle.

“Okay, they just have keys to the house, right? Do they have keys to the bedrooms? We’ll lock the bedroom door.”

“Then they’ll just bang on the door.”

“Loud music! Or we can wear headphones with noise cancellation!”

“This is so much work to have sex,” Steve groans a little too loudly garnering the attention of the teenagers.

“Oh my God,” you laugh and hide your face in his cable knit.

“You kids got a problem?” He barks at them only making you laugh harder.

“Stop!” You cry, tugging lightly on his sweater. He just chuckles at your embarrassment.

“Eat your food so I can take you home and fuck your brains out,” Steve adds just as loudly to make sure the kids overhear it.

“I’m going to kill you!” You laugh as tears start to fill your eyes.

“Good luck with that, star.”

Steve drapes his arms over your shoulders as you step back into the house. He bends down to press a kiss to your temple and holds his nose there, nuzzling against you.

“You wanna take a shower with me?”

You almost whip out of his hold you turn so fast.

His expression quickly turns to amusement. “Too soon?”

You nod immediately as your face heats with a blush.

“Alright. Go get ready for bed and I’ll come find you.” He pulls you in for another forehead kiss before branching off to his bedroom.

You watch him as he walks away. This man is about to be your husband. He’s gorgeous. He’s kind. He’s surprisingly gentle. And you can’t even bring yourself to shower with him?

“Wait!” You call grabbing his hand. He hums, turning back around to face you. “Just showering, right? Like we aren’t going to do that until Saturday?”

Steve smiles and nods. “Just showering.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Okay, I’ll shower with you,” you spell out with a light laugh at how ridiculous you feel like you sound.

He just smirks at you an pulls you into him to hold your hand properly.

He surprises you and takes you to your room. Well, you guess it makes sense. All of your toiletries are in there.

He turns on you once you reach the end of your bed.

“I’m going to take your clothes off,” he tells and sits on the end of your bed.

“Oh! N-no! I can take them off myself.”

He shakes his head and pulls you between his legs. “I’m taking off your clothes.”

“Are you sure? We can just meet in the shower…”

He shakes his head again and plays with the hem of your sweater. “I want to take off your clothes.”

“…want to?” You question, letting your hands fall to his shoulders.

“I want to,” he repeats pulling you into a soft kiss.

“Okay,” you whisper after pulling away.

“Okay.”

He lifts the hem of your shirt that he’s been toying with up and over your head.

He inhales sharply once you’re left in your bra and leggings. “Shit,” he breathes. “I forgot how gorgeous you were under all of these clothes.” You giggle and move your arms to cover your chest. “Aht!” He scolds, pulling your arms away. “Don’t you dare hide yourself from me.” You smile and place your hands back on his shoulders. He presses your leggings down your hips and he helps you step out of them. “Fucking perfect,” he sighs.

He pulls you closer to him. “Can I touch you here?” He ask, tucking his finger in the little strap between the cups of your bra and pulling you even closer. His face is breaths from your cleavage. You bite your lip and nod. “Can I hear you say it?”

“Yes,” you whisper.

“Yes…?” He asks pointedly with a lifted brow.

“Yes, you can touch my boobs?”

“Good girl.” A soft whine escapes your lips at his praise. He hums positively. “New kink unlocked?” He smirks and presses a kiss to one of your breast. You take a sharp intake. “Has anyone ever touched you here?” You shake your head. He presses another open mouth kiss to your breast. “Didn’t I tell you I want to hear that sweet little voice?”

“No, no one’s ever touched me there.”

You don’t even notice his hands moving until your bra falls away. You move your hands to catch it but his hands stop you once again. “You want to be my good girl, don’t you?” He asks.

You start to nod before thinking better of it. “I want to be your good girl.”

“Good.” His teeth graze the skin just below your nipple and you let out a shuttering breath. His hands slide down your body and tuck into your thong.

Oh?

He slides the piece of cloths down your legs and releases them to fall to the floor. Then his hands grip your ass. You gasp at his tight grip and then his lips wrap around one of you nipples.

Oh God!

“Little star?” He asks making your brain come back to him, back to your bedroom, back to earth. Your eyes flutter open and you meet his blue gaze. His hand presses against your lower stomach while he looks up at you. “Can I touch you here?”

“Yes, please. You can touch my pussy. You can touch me everywhere,” you whimper.

He chuckles softly and lets his hand slide down to your slit.

“How do you masturbate, little star? Do you play with your clit?” He presses into the bundle of nerves that makes your knees so weak that you fall into his hold. He catches you so easily that you wonder if he did it on purpose. “Or do you like something a little deeper?” His fingers slide further into your body making you whine. They brush against the front of your insides with the precession of an expert. You’ve never explored that deep. It was a place for tampons and menstrual cups. A place you didn’t explore unless you had to. It was a little scary to you but he wasn’t scared at all. He almost seemed excited for some reason. It felt strange which is why you stayed away from sex. You were about to let him know that you preferred your clit to be played with-

“Oh god!” You choke.

“There it is,” Steve chuckles. He lifts you up so easily and lays you across the bed. He lays next to you just massaging that spot making your writhe against him. You want him to stop but your mouth begs for more. You’ve never felt more out of control of your own body. You grip his arm trying to push him away but your hips lift closer to him. You pant for air as your body arches against the bed.

“Nggh,” you whine, and attempt to smother your face in the bedding.

“Let it out, little star. Use your words.”

“Too much!” You gasp.

“Nah. You can take it.”

“Ste-please!”

“It’s okay. It’s just me. You can do it,” he encourages.

He’s doing something to you your vibrator could never. It’s never felt like this. You’ve never felt like this.

Then he presses against your clit.

“Ah! Ahh!” You gasp as your core contracts in a powerful orgasm.

But he doesn’t stop.

And your body doesn’t stop.

“Aaaa! Fuuuuu!” You cry as you feel yourself cum, a stream of liquid pouring out of you. You attempt to quickly get up to clean up the mess but Steve holds you down, pressing against your clit and that spot inside of you. “Buhuhu-“ you gesture to your core.

“The maid will deal with it,” Steve reasons. “Relax. Breathe.” You let out a heavy breath and let the orgasm continue to wash over you. “There you go. Good girl.” You whine and wiggle your hips against his hold. “My good girl. My little star.” You whimper and try to relax your tense body as the after shocks pulse through you. You take a few deep breaths and Steve finally releases you. He pulls you into a kiss, pressing himself over you.

You let out a heavy moan when he pulls away.

Steve chuckles and kisses you again. “Was that good?”

You take a deep breath and sigh it out. “Yeah. That was really good,” you smile before covering your face with your hands. “Fuck. That was amazing,” you laugh.

“Amazing, huh?” Steve laughs.

“Yeah,” you giggle.

He presses another kiss to your lips before his hand runs down your body to land on your stomach.

“I think I’ve gotten you nice and dirty. Time for a shower?” You nod and let out yawn and stretch. “Did I wear you out?”

You giggle and roll into a seated position just to give him a goofy, little grin. “I can do that all day.” He chuckles and lifts you into his arms to walk you both to the bathroom.

He places you on the counter. “Brush your teeth and do all that shit girls do.” He kisses your forehead and leaves the room. You imagine he went to brush his own teeth.

You quickly set about your nightly routine, chiefly aware of just how naked you are. Sure, you go naked all the time in your own home. But this was not your home. This was a space where far too many people had access to.

Maybe you just need to discuss that with Steve and have him set some boundaries. Yeah, boundaries are good.

You finish washing your face when your fiancé returns.

Very naked.

“Oh!” You squeak and look away.

Steve just laughs and wraps his arms around you, pulling him back against his very naked body.

“Get used to it, star,” he chuckles. He presses another kiss to your temple and steps away to turn on the shower. This was all so bizarre. It was out of the norm enough to live with him but now you were getting used to seeing him naked.

You just watch him for a moment, trying to get over the strangeness of it all.

“You’re beautiful,” you finally mutter when he meets your gaze.

He lifts an amused brow at you. “You think so?”

You nod. “Like, I can tell you really take care of yourself.” He hums in response before holding his hand out for you. You press yourself away from the counter and finally approach him. He steps into the open shower area.

“Hot enough?” You hold out your hand before turning up the heat. “I forgot what it was like showering with a woman. You guys like to boil.” You giggle but can’t help but agree with him. You wrap up your locs to the top of your head and tuck them into a shower cap before finally joining him.

He’s hard.

Not like porn star hard but you’ve seen him not hard and this was not it. Half mast, maybe.

He tucks his fingers under your chin and pulls you into a gentle kiss.

“Are you like that because of me?” You ask glancing at his member.

“What do you think?” He smirks. “All that moaning and whining coming from that pretty little mouth while having that gorgeous body pinned under me. What man wouldn’t get hard?”

You smile sheepishly, feeling guilty for his state.

But you’re supposed to be figuring each other out, right?

“Can I help?”

“There’s a lot of ways you can help. How do you want to help?”

“I mean, I’ve seen stuff,” you whisper as the water hits your body. “What do you like?”

“What do you want to try?”

“Um…” you squirm under his scrutiny. “Can I just, um, start with my hand? Is that, like, a beginner level?” You laugh nervously at your own question.

“We can start however you want.” He takes your hand and pulls you closer to him so you’re almost chest to chest. “Firm grip, okay? It’s not going to feel like anything if you’re just limp wristing it.” You giggle at his words and finally wrap your hand around his penis. Steve bites back a soft groan at your touch.

“This is the first one I’ve ever touched,” you admit softly.

“That might be a good thing. I can teach you exactly how I like to be touched.” Steve’s hand wraps around yours and he grips your fingers a little tighter around him. “Nice tight grip,” he mutters. You watch his hand intently for his instructions but your eyes can’t help but wander to dick that you’re holding. It’s pretty thick. Your fingers don’t surround the entire thing.

He moves your hand up and down the shaft just a little faster than what you would’ve done on your own.

“That’s it. Just like that,” Steve groans and falls back against the tiled wall. He releases your hand to pull you closer so your body presses against his once more, skin against skin as your chest meets his. His hands run up your ass before settling low on your hips.

You follow his instructions carefully before trying something you’ve seen and read about so many times. Your thumb swipes over his swollen head and he let out a shuddering breath making you light up.

“Is it sensitive there?” You ask innocently. You genuinely want to know as you go back to squeezing.

“A little,” he grunts.

“Am I doing a good job?”

“You’re a fucking pro, star,” he chuckles softly, finally meeting your gaze.

“I have a good teacher,” you smile and stand on your toes to kiss him.

He groans loudly after you pull away and halts your hand.

“Do you want to try something else?”

“Like what?” You whisper. Your curiosity must be plastered all over your face.

He smirks down at you and nods his head slightly to the stone shower bench. “Sit.” You glance at the ledge that up until now you’ve just used for shaving. You know what he’s going to ask. You’ve seen it. Your eyes look back at him wide with disbelief.

“It won’t fit,” you state simply like that will stop him.

“It doesn’t have to fit. That’s what those cute little hands are for.”

You follow his instructions and sit back on the shower seat and he stands between your legs.

“Start slow. Just use your tongue. Like its candy.”

You nod and grip him again at this new angle. You lean closer and open your mouth to give him a kitten lick. A salty tang hits your tongue that’s unlike anything you’ve ever tasted. It’s not exactly bad. You lick again before finally filling your mouth with his tip.

“Don’t forget the rest,” Steve coaches. You remember your hands as you squeeze along his shaft, stroking him as you suck experimentally. “That’s perfect,” Steve sigh. His hand finds your jaw and coaches you to take on a little more. His hand massages your throat and you try to appease him. Before you know it, your lips are halfway down his shaft and his cock is touching the back of your mouth.

“Good girl. My good little star. So fucking perfect for me,” Steve moans. Part of you glows with pride at his praise and you just want to please him. You feel him jump in your hands and he swells slightly.

“Fuck,” he groans and grips your throat a little tighter. “Gonna cum.” You hold on to him, not letting up with either your mouth or your hands. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuuuuu,” he sighs and spills into your waiting mouth. You gasp in surprise and pull away just for more to spirt out over your face and chest.

You get that taste of him again. It’s not really bad. It’s different. You swipe what lingers on your chest with your fingers and suck it off.

You kind of like it.

You glance up to see Steve watching you like a predator as you suck his essence off of your fingers.

“I’m sorry. Did you not like it?”

“I fucking loved it, star,” he growls making you want to cower away but you can’t help but lean in closer. “We have to wait until the wedding?” You nod and lick at his tip again as a little bead of cum bubbles out while he watches you. “Shit,” he curses and pulls you up so you’re standing against him. “Let’s get you cleaned up. I don’t know how much longer I can be good.” You giggle at his words and finally take a shower.

Once you’re clean, dried, and lotioned, you cuddle against Steve in your bed. Jethro curls up next to you as usual while the two of you talk quietly.

“You’re sure we can’t wear clothes?” You question, making sure the sheets covered your chest.

Steve hums positively while he covers his face with his arm and lets out a loud yawn.

“You need get used to this,” he explains simply. “We’re being intimate.” You curl over him, wrapping your leg over his hips. He holds it in place with the hand that was over his face and massages your thigh.

You finally let your hands explore his body as well. “You have really big pecs,” you smile touching the skin there. He chuckles softly and tickles behind your knee making you giggle and press his arm away.

“That was a weird compliment.”

“I don’t know if it’s a compliment. You have bigger boobs than mine.”

“Let me see.” He pulls you up so you’re sitting straddled on his stomach. All of the blankets fall away but you don’t have time to feel exposed as Steve cups your breasts in his palms. He scrutinizes them for a moment. “You’re definitely bigger,” he finally decides.

“Barely. I’ve always thought they were too small. I kind of want a boob job,” you admit.

He glances from your chest to your face. “I think they’re perfect. But if you want your boobs done, you just have to ask.”

You smile at his offer. “You like them?”

He takes a deep breath and bends his knees so you can lean back against them. “I love them. I think if they were bigger, they wouldn’t fit your body.”

“It’s just something I’ve thought about since I was younger,” you sigh. “What about you? Any changes you want?”

“Well, you said I was beautiful. I guess I’m good,” Steve laughs making you giggle.

“You don’t have any insecurities?”

“Of course I do. I’m still human. I’m not perfect.”

“You seem perfect. Like a Ken doll.”

“Is that what you think?” You nod. “I used to weigh less than you,”

“No way!”

He nods and pulls at your hands so you’re lying against his chest.

He’s held you like this before but with no clothes, it no longer seemed so innocent…

“I still have all kind of health issues. Asthma, a heart murmur, I can barely fucking see without my contacts. Remind me to take them out before I fall asleep. I thought if I made the outside better, it would fix the inside. The inside still sucks.”

You hold him a little tighter at the new information.

“Do they have scoliosis Ken?” He asks and you smile.

“Tell me something else,” you request.

He takes a deep breath and you notice just how out of sync his heartbeat is as you press your ear to his chest. “This is really shitty,” he warns.

“Lay it on me.”

“Um, okay.” He’s never sounded so unsure of himself like that. “This is something no one knows. Not even Buck.” You perk up at his words. “I’ve only been with one other woman since Peggy died. It was technically her niece. She’s my age! Maybe your age. Whatever! She’s an adult,” he quickly disclaims before you can call the cops. He takes another deep breath. “And…I met her at Peggy’s funeral.”

“What the fuck?” You bark at the man, shooting up quickly.

“I know. It was so shitty. That’s why I’ve never told anyone that. Ever,” Steve confides.

“And you never should!” You cry and smack his chest lightly. “Shit! I’m sorry,” you immediately recoil at hitting him knowing how fragile he is under all that muscle.

“It’s okay,” he laughs. “I deserve it. I just want you to know I’m not perfect.”

“Well, you keep ruining that image with each word,” you pout, and lay back down against his chest.

“Your turn,” Steve sighs, running his fingers through your locs.

You think back through your life for a moment. “Um, I’ve only been in one relationship. It was while I was in college. It was my first serious relationship but he just got out of a relationship with a girl that cheated on him.” Steve hums in understanding as his grip on you tightens. “He kept, like, projecting her onto me, suspecting me of cheating, questioning everything I did. I didn’t really want to do anything with him after a few dates but he couldn’t catch a hint. Then he slept over once and he tried to-“ Steve's grip on you becomes deafening.

“Steve, I can’t breathe,” you wheeze.

“Oh, shit! I’m sorry, star,” he releases you quickly but you don’t want to be released while you recount this moment. You want to be held down. You want to be tethered.

“Wait, don’t let go,” you whisper.

“If the next words out of your mouth are that he forced himself on you, I can’t guarantee what I’ll do with my hands,” he admits.

“I mean, I stopped it before anything happened but it kind of turned me off of dating. I just put my head down. Focused on school and my friends.”

“I just need a name, star. It’ll be like he never existed.”

“He was young and dumb. We both were.”

“That’s not an excuse,” Steve says flatly.

You just hum. You haven’t shared that with anyone either. “Can I tell you something?” You say after a moment and sit up again on his chest. “You were so gentle and patient with me that you restored my trust. And you didn’t even know any of my past. So, thank you.”

“I hope you’re not giving yourself to me because I was the first guy to be nice to you,” he smirks, reaching up to cup your face with his hand.

“No, of course not,” you smile. “I know this isn’t an ideal situation for either of us, but I want you to come home and be happy to see me. To confide in me. Unwind with me. Be like a normal couple.”

He pulls you down into a soft kiss. “I’m already happy to come home to you.” You giggle softly. “The rest of it will come with time.” He lets out a heavy yawn.

Time. It’s always time with him.

“You need to go take out your contacts,” you remind him and roll off of his chest.

He hums in agreement and slides out of the bed. “Don’t go anywhere,” he warns and yawns again. You can’t help but watch his butt as he walks off.

He’s got a cute butt.

You snuggle into your bed, taking up the spot he warmed up to stave off the cold. You start to doze off when you feel the bed dip and Steve wrap his arms around you. You drape your arm over his shoulder and snuggle into his chest.

“Goodnight, Steve,” you mutter.

“‘Night, my little star.”

Chapter 3 | Master List | Chapter 5

[sixty-silver-wishes]

dashboard sim 2 but it’s all caligari

🧠holstenwall-asylum-official Follow

I SWEAR I’M GOING TO KILL THE FUCKING TOWN CLERK HE FUCKING TOLD ME TO FUCKING WAIT WHEN I ASKED FOR A PERMIT FOR THE FAIR

🧠holstenwall-asylum-official Follow

oops wrong sideblog

🔎angrydetective Follow

IS ANYONE ELSE SEEING THIS

#francis speaks #HE AND NONE OTHER IS CALIGARI

(30 Notes)

😴sleepycesare Follow

bis zum morgengrauen

🥀yourbestfriendalan Follow

OP WHAT DOES THIS MEAN

😴sleepycesare Follow

🥀yourbestfriendalan Follow

OP?????

(97 Notes)

👑queenjane Follow

👑queenjane Follow

so uh.

bad news for everyone who voted alan

(483 Notes)

🎪Carnage-Carnival Follow

ifkwnbdi828489???!! . z… iwowkndj 882@ 🤡🤐😴👎👎👎👎📦📦📦📦📦📦📦😱ikfnekoslb 🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪…………………….. bbhskalbri ??!2929)48HELPjejowkwnwkodihwbk72828

🎪Carnage-Carnival Follow

sorry. my somnambulist got ahold of the keyboard again

(1,992 Notes)

👑queenjane Follow

haven’t seen my dad for a while. kinda nervous ngl he should be home by now. gonna go see if everything is ok

🎪Carnage-Carnival Follow

hey I have something to show you

👑queenjane Follow

update. everything is not ok

#WHAT THE **** WAS IN THAT BOX #sorry my parents wont let me swear

(24 Notes)

🔎angrydetective Follow

had a crush on my friend and there was a murderer going around so I sat outside this suspicious carnival guy’s tent all night to make sure he and his sideshow freak he keeps in a box weren’t up to anything weird. then my friend gets KIDNAPPED and says it was the freak that did it. but I was watching him LITERALLY ALL NIGHT so I told her it couldn’t have been him. and then she got mad at me?? even though I have EVIDENCE ???

AITA

🔎angrydetective Follow

update so uh. turns out she was right. but then when I went to propose she said “we queens are not permitted to answer the call of our hearts” wtf does that even mean

#posting this from an asylum cell btw #francis speaks

(20 Notes)

🎪Carnage-Carnival Follow

DU MUSST CALIGARI WERDEN DU MUSST CALIGARI WERDEN DU MUSST CALIGARI WERDEN DU MUSST CALIGARI WERDEN DU MUSST CALIGARI WERDEN DU MUSST CALIGARI WERDEN DU MUSST CALIGARI WERDEN DU MUSST CALIGARI WERDEN DU MUSST CALIGARI WERDEN DU MUSST CALIGARI WERDEN DU MUSST CALIGARI WERDEN DU MUSST CALIGARI WERDEN DU MUSST CALIGARI WERDEN DU MUSST CALIGARI WERDEN DU MUSST CALIGARI WERDEN DU MUSST CALIGARI WERDEN

(42 Notes)

🎪Carnage-Carnival Follow

girl dinner

🔎angrydetective Follow

damn you live like this

(270 Notes)

[bratshaws]

through the hourglass 313.brb x oc

a/n: another shorty but hope yall like it!(comments and reblogs are super welcome and encouraged!)

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: none uwu

goodness gracious (pls read this one to know more what this fic is about!!)

chapter

1/

/267/268/269/270/271/272/273/274/275/276/277/278/279/280/281/282/283/284/285/286/287/288/289/290/291/292/293/294/295/296/297/298/299/300/301

/302/303/304/305/306/307/308/309/310/311

(pls let me know if you want to be added to the taglist! )

taglist: @mirandastuckinthe80s @roosterschanelslut @wiipes @lcahwriter @novastories @gretagerwigsmuse @frenchtoastix @lizzie-rdj @fanboyluvr @atarmychick007 @comebacktoearthpls

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-

She knows she should wait when he’s free,she knows it, but she couldn’t wait especially after what happened??? After Miranda? She chews her lower lip as she looks down at his contact number on her phone, gardening gloves have been tossed aside as she walks back inside.

She was surprised her fuming hadn’t woken Shells or the kids up.

After a moment of internal debate, Beatrice made a decision. She couldn't wait. She needed to hear Rooster's voice, to share the strange occurrences that had unfolded in his absence. Pulling her phone closer, she took a deep breath and pressed the call button.

The phone rang a few times before Rooster answered, his voice groggy from the late hour. "Bea? Everything okay?"

“Hey…I know it’s late out there,sorry for waking you…”

“No,hey,” he grunts and the bed creaks as he sits up, “Don’t apologize gorgeous. You know I love hearing your voice especially when I’m deployed.”

Beatrice smiled, the warmth in Rooster's voice providing a comforting embrace, even across the miles that separated them. "I just... I needed to talk to you. Something happened, and I couldn't wait."

Rooster's tone shifted to alertness. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Beatrice hesitated for a moment, contemplating how to relay the events without causing unnecessary worry. "Miranda came over today. It was... strange, Rooster. She was saying things, trying to create tension or something again. I don't know what her game is…"

“ What did she say?"

Beatrice recounted the encounter, detailing Miranda's cryptic comments with detail, and Rooster listened attentively, remaining silent so his wife could let everything out without being interrupted.

When Beatrice finished, Rooster let out a heavy sigh. "Damn. I wish I was there, Bea. I don't like the sound of this. What did she want?"

"I have no idea," Beatrice admitted, frustration creeping into her voice. "It felt like she was trying to get under my skin, questioning your abilities as a pilot. It was bizarre, Rooster."

Rooster's tone shifted, a mix of annoyance and concern. "Questioning my abilities? What does she have to do with that?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. It's like she's trying to stir up trouble again… I don’t know, is…well,is Mark bothering you guys too?”

A pause.

“You…could say that,gorgeous.”

"What's happening with Mark, Rooster?" Beatrice asked, her voice laced with worry.

"...I can’t say over a call baby" Rooster explained. "Too risky.”

“Are you all safe? Right now?”

"Yeah, we're safe for now. Just dealing with some internal issues. I'll fill you I can,I promise.”

Beatrice exhaled a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Okay. Just...be careful, Rooster. I don't like the sound of all this."

"Me neither,gorgeous…we’ll be okay," Rooster reassured her “I promise. We can handle…whatever this is.”

Beatrice nodded, even though Rooster couldn't see her. "I know. But it doesn't make it any easier when you're so far away."

"I know,gorgeous…did Miranda…said anything else?”

"Nothing else."

Rooster's voice softened. "I see… Shells is there with you, right?"

"Yeah, Shells has spending some time," Beatrice acknowledged, a small smile touching her lips. "But it's just... I don't want anything jeopardizing the peace we have at home, especially with you away on a mission."

"I know baby. I wish I could do more. Just remember, we're a team, no matter the distance. If anything feels off, trust your instincts, okay?"

"I will, Rooster. Always." she sighs, “I should probably let you go back to sleep.”

Rooster's voice held a comforting note. "I'm not going back to sleep until I know you're okay. Talk to me, Bea. What else is on your mind?"

Beatrice hesitated for a moment, debating whether to share the weight that had settled on her heart. "I just miss you, Rooster. And with all this happening, it feels like the world is a bit shaky."

"I miss you too, Bea. More than you can imagine. But we need to weather this storm, and then I promise I'll come back to you."

Tears welled up in Beatrice's eyes, the longing for Rooster magnified by the distance between them. "I know, Rooster. I just... I worry. About you, about us, about everything."

Rooster's voice softened, "We'll get through this, baby. I'll make it back to you. Just keep our home fires burning, okay?"

"I will," Beatrice whispered, a sniffle escaping her. "I love you, Rooster."

"I love you too, gorgeous. Now, get some rest. We'll talk soon."

After exchanging a few more words, Beatrice reluctantly ended the call. The weight of the conversation lingered in the air, a mix of concern, love, and the underlying uncertainty of the situation. She wiped away a tear, took a deep breath, and dropped her head on top of her folded arms as she rested on the kitchen table.

Jolene whined under her, her huge head plopping on Bea’s thigh as her paw landed on the human’s knee.

Beatrice absentmindedly ran her fingers through Jolene's fur, finding solace in the comforting presence of her loyal companion. As she sat there, Beatrice's mind danced between the happenings of the day.The encounter with Miranda left a lingering unease, like when you swallow bitter medicine. She couldn't shake the feeling that something ominous lurked beneath the surface, something she couldn't quite grasp.

But why?

Why?

Why were Miranda and Mark so obsessed with them? This has been happening for so long she couldn’t even figure out a fair reason to.

"You doing okay, Bea?" Shells finally broke the quietude.

“Ah!’ Bea jumped, turning around to see Shells standing by the kitchen door, holding the twins to her chest while Nicole wobbled over to her mother. Bea sighed, picking Nicole up and standing to check on the other two, “Sorry,I…didn’t hear you.”

Shells grinned, gently rocking the twins in her arms. "No worries, Bea. You looked lost in thought. Everything okay?"

Beatrice sighed, her gaze drifting towards the window as if seeking answers in the starlit sky. "I just had a chat with Rooster. Miranda's visit today... it's been lingering on my mind. I can't shake this feeling of unease."

“...Miranda was here?”

“Oh,oh yeah you…were all asleep on the couch…you didn’t hear me by the door?”

Shells shook her head, a perplexed expression on her face. "No, I must've been out like a light. What happened with Miranda?"

Beatrice recounted the encounter with Miranda,  and Shells listened attentively, her brow furrowing as she processed the information.

"That's weird," Shells commented, her eyes narrowing in thought. "But…considering everything,I’m not surprised.”

Beatrice shrugged, her eyes reflecting the weariness that had settled into her bones. "I wish I knew what she wanted, Shells. Rooster mentioned some internal issues in the squadron, and now this with Miranda"

Shells gently rocked the twins, a thoughtful look on her face. "Maybe we should beat her up."

“Shells!”

“Beat er up!” Nicole giggled, throwing her little fists up.

“No-Shells,please don’t mention violence in front of my kids.”

Shells chuckled, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Alright, alright. No violence in front of the kids. We'll just have to outsmart her. Maybe throw her off with kindness or confuse her with some gardening trivia."

Beatrice rolled her eyes, but a small smile played on her lips. "I appreciate the sentiment, Shells, but I just want things to settle down. Between Rooster being away, the breach, and now Miranda's mysterious antics, its a lot."

Shells nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's a lot to handle. But if Miranda wants to play games, she'll soon find out she picked the wrong opponents."

The twins, sensing the shift in energy, began to squirm in Shells' arms. Aurora reached out towards Beatrice, her tiny fingers trying to grasp onto her mother's hair.

"Looks like they want you, Bea," Shells chuckled, carefully passing the twins back to their mother as Bea but Nicole down. "I'll make some coffee. We might need it for our plotting against Miranda."

Beatrice cradled the twins in her arms, planting a soft kiss on each of their foreheads. "Thanks, Shells. I’d like that."

"Any word from Rooster?" Shells asked, as she marched over to the coffee maker, letting Bea handle the babies for a little while.

“I called him a few minutes ago."

“Yeah?”

“What did he say?”

“That I should listen to my gut if something feels off,” Bea smiles softly as she places the twins down on their bouncers a bit before preparing herself to feed them while Nicole walked over to her high chair, waiting to be settled.

Shells looked at her from the coffee maker,smirking a bit, “Well he doesn’t have to worry about that,does he? Gut feeling is our specialty.”

“It is?”

“I mean,I had a gut feeling you and Rooster would end up together, and surprise to no one, I was right!”

"Yeah, well, your gut feeling about Rooster and me was probably the only one that worked out."

Shells returned to the living room with two steaming mugs of coffee, handing one to Beatrice before taking a seat across from her. "True, I might not be the best fortune teller, but I make a killer cup of coffee. So spill, what's the plan, Bea?"

Beatrice puts Nicole on her high chair and then tilts her head ‘Plan?”

Shells took a thoughtful sip of her coffee, her eyes locking onto Beatrice's. "You know, for dealing with Miranda. What's our strategy? Besides not beating her up, of course."

"I'm not sure, Shells. If she wants drama, let's not give it to her."

Shells leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs. "Ignoring her works for so long. Then what?"

Beatrice sighed, the weight of the situation settling back onto her shoulders. "I don't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing she's getting to us. Let's focus on our own circle.But for now, let's not let Miranda's games distract us."

“Hmmm…”

“I know you hate that idea.”

“You are absolutely right.” Shells says, “I hate it.“I’m just sayin’ we need to be proactive.” 

“I know…”

“Yeah..” Shells pulls out her phone, “Good thing I called Aunt Penny then! She can give us some advice,” if she noticed Bea’s wide eyed look she ignored it and kept on talking “You know she can help us out.’

“Shells.”

“And Mav.” oh God. “He can help us too!”

“Shells….”

“Yeah,we have this in the bag!” Shells laughs, “Anyway,coffee,right?”