#at least he’s not a black woman am i right guys! /j

[osamucide]

genuinely i ask as a non-american why would anybody vote for trump? are they ignorant about the consequences or???? i saw a statistic the other day showing the majority of states with high percentages of educated people being blue and i kinda get it

genuinely i ask the same question as an american

more educated voters have always leaned left on average. gotta wonder why /j

[malice-death]

Murder Drones College/Human au Pt.3

The Cafe Setup/Strangers Meet.

Nathaniel enjoyed many things about his job at JcJenson’s (In Spaaace) Cafe.

He started working over two years ago, and hadn’t found any reason to leave.

Truth be told though, the cafe isn’t really on campus per-say, but since it was so close to Copper Nine University, located within the city of Copper 9, people just say it’s the campus’s cafe.

On the more important parts he worked hard to maintain a great record at his job, and he hoped to one day admit to his crush about his feelings.

Still he parked in the back, and got, while rain started to pour.

Having given his only umbrella to Cynthia, he just ran to the back door, since it lead to the locker room.

Once he inside he could hear the infamous arguing of J and V in the front, as he traded his jacket for his apron in his locker.

Walking to the front, he found J and V at their respective locations in the cafe, and hollering at each other.

Customers came and went, as they did orders, and while almost always Nathaniel ran the cash register with V.

Vanessa Cutters, was his long term childhood friend, who he had a crush on since forever, but has never done much about his feelings.

Humming along to the song that was playing, he turned his head towards V.

“Crazy weather today, am I right?”

V regarded him through squinted eyes, before shrugging.

“I guess, it didn’t really start until now though.”

Chuckling nervously Nathaniel rubbed the back of his head.

“Yeah you’re right. Hey do you happen to have a spare umbrella?”

V shook her head as she prepared another order.

“No, I happen to have left my spare back at my lodgings. Have you checked with J to see if you could borrow one of her several umbrellas?”

Jessica whipped her head around at the statement, stopping her assault on the older coffee machine.

“No one has earned the right to even touch my branded umbrellas, you can just suffer in the rain N!”

With a huff she returned to trying to fix the machine. It was a good thing that had two more coffee machines.

Sighing, he hadn’t wanted to get fully soaked, but at least he knew that Cynthia wouldn’t be soaked.

“Thanks anyway guys.”

The doors open to another customer, and he continued on with his work. Chatting with V, as she ranted about the unfairness of college exams.

————————————————————————

It was only when it came time for him to head to his class that he clocked out of work.

Jessica knew he would be back tomorrow like always, and with that he left to get to his class, the only problem was that his building was a hour’s walk from the cafe, but it was still pouring like crazy.

He debated taking his car, but remembered he would need to come back for his stuff from his locker anyway.

Rubbing his chin he took care of a few more orders, with V still working on cleaning up the tables.

It was only when he was wiping down the counters when a new person walked, and it almost seemed like she changed the whole atmosphere of the cafe.

Many patrons only snuck a glance, and than resumed to what they were doing.

The stranger was shorter than him, even shorter than V, but she gave off an aura of danger.

Nathaniel didn’t feel what everyone else was feeling, instead he gave his usual smile, and greeeted her.

“Hello miss, what can I get for you today?”

The woman just shrugged, that even looking at him, as she pulled out her wallet.

“Largest size of black coffee that you have.”

Nathaniel blinked at the statement, typing in the order.

“I’ll make that a large thank you, are you sure you don’t want anything with that miss?”

The woman looked at him, dark amethyst eyes peered up at him puzzlement.

“Yes, I’m quite certain with my order.”

Nathaniel nodded, as he totaled up her order.

“Alright that will be 8.24.”

The woman just pulled out a ten, and passed it to him.

“Keep the change.”

She moved out of the way for the next customer, but J took over for him as he went to make the order.

It had been a while since he made a simple black coffee, but that gave him an idea.

Once he wa done with the order he looked to see where the woman went, only to see her typing away on a laptop at one of the further back tables.

Smiling he walked over to her, and set down the coffee.

The woman muttered a thanks and went back to typing away.

It was only when he took two steps before he heard the annoyed cough of the woman behind.

Turning aroubd to see her glaring at him.

She held up the cup as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Why did you put cinnamon in my coffee?”

Nathaniel blinked before remembering what he had done, giving her a sheepish smile, scratching the back of his head.

“I had a random thought and wanted to see if it would taste good, I really hadn’t meant to put it in your coffee, but it’s what I drink sometimes when I’m studying.”

The woman frowned at the statement, taking another sip of the coffee.

Nathaniel tilted his head slightly.

“Do you like it?”

The woman shrugged, “Bite me” was all she said in response.

Nathaniel nodded, and than gestured to the window next to her.

“You wouldn’t happen to be staying for the next few hours right?”

The woman raised a single brow, but nodded.

“Yeah, just until the rain lets up, can’t really bike when it’s raining.”

Taking that as an opportunity he sat across from her.

“I’m Nathaniel by the way, but you can call me N if you need something easier to say.”

He gave her a false salute, in response though the woman just nodded, her mouth a thin line.

“I’m Uzi.”

She didn’t offer for a hand shake or anything, so he proceeded.

“I was wondering if you would allow me to use your umbrella?”

The woman, or Uzi just frowned deeper, but before Nathaniel could take back his words, she pulled out a purple umbrella with crows all over it.

She held it out to him, with a stern look.

“I’ll expect this back when the rain’s done.”

With that she placed it on his side of the table. He could sense that she was hesitant to pass the umbrella to him, but he gave her one more salute.

“I Nathaniel Sillious Wolfmoore, promise to return your umbrella the next time we meet in this cafe.”

He placed a hand over his heart to make sure that she knew how serious he was, he glanced at her to see her simply nod.

“I’ll hold you to it.” She said, a trace of a smile one her face.

He counted as a win, and rose to his feet.

“Alright, I’ll see you around Uzi.”

Uzi waved back, more confused if anything.

But with that he left, the rain still pouring endless, and it made Nathaniel glad that his and Cynthia apartment was on the second floor.

When he checked his phone for the time and saw that he was going to be close to being late he hastened his pace, making sure that the umbrella was aloft above him.

Still he’ll remember his promise.

Thank you for reading. See you in part three

[destinyc1020]

Confession for Sunday:

Not to be negative, but I can't stand some solo Tom fans on this website and on Twitter being so negative. Twitter, I've not gonna comment on because it's so deranged, so I've left it, but solo Tom blogs on here are so damn negative. I can understand their frustration being a fan of someone whose career it seems to always be tested by the critics and online public perception, but acting like his is in a bigger disadvantage than most actors, especially dei when his biggest roles are in Marvel, Uncharted and Cherry is crazy I'm sorry. My irritation is becaue I can tell one blog is run by a black woman its giving CC vibes no shade, and it's embarassing and sad to get angry or annoyed if he posts his Z on his ig account as opposed to his work. His play is in a few days, trust me he's more than fine!!!!

Like, he's been doing this for years,sorry. He was posting her even when they were just "mates," lol. Or get angry when fans of both post about him getting jacked and calling it "icky." When has it been icky to thirst over beefy Tom??? Do you understand this behaviour isn't exclusively to Tom. All yt celebs men get thirst after on even if they are very slim or super thick I'm sorry. Gatekeeping a public figure is crazy I'm sorry.

Like I understand being a Tom stan ain't for the weaK. Like, we've been through it, lol. The future castings he passed on, the wish for more career opportunities, stans of yt male celebs picking on him, especially ones who have been Z's costars, reading puff pieces against him in service of other actors have been rough, but I recently read that Tom doesn't care about articles about him much on Doms patreon, so I stopped caring tbh. English celebs generally go by the never complain, never explain motto when it comes to the media. Harry Styles uses it, too. I only care about what he tells us, not the other way round.

Like you guys want him to be something that he's not, and it's so tiring going round in circles. It's a silly comparison, but Tom Cruise is a questionable person who I feel is private despite knowing a lot him. Most ppl who work 9 to 5 don't care to read blogs or information about him. They see him in a good movie, they watch and have fun and go home. That's it. Tom isn't Cruise, thank god, but he mentions Christian Bale and Cillian Murphy as actors whose careers he wants to have, which is to do the work and retreat to his personal life. A lot of young actors want to do that now cause as a society, we know too much of each other.

Him not posting R+J was a bummer, but strategically, it's very smart because in this digital age, ppl want everything immediately.

Mystery builds hype. 101 marketing.

Anyways, that's my two cents.

Whew, okay…. Obviously something is going on in the fandom rn which I am not privy to, because I’m currently at work lol, because you’re like the second Anon that I’ve had in my inbox complaining about this today.

Is this all because Tom posted Z on his Instagram?? Geez people (antis) smh lol…. Get a grip! 🙄 Deal with it! Tom has a right to post his gf to his Instagram if that’s what he wants to do.

First of all, Twitter can be such a cesspool. ☹ I highly recommend not even paying much attention to what’s being said on Twitter, or, at the very least, not taking it SERIOUSLY.

Second…. I will have to agree with you somewhat on the topic of how some fans in Tom’s fandom behave. I almost feel like fans in Tom’s fandom don’t just allow him to just be? It really is sad imo. I actually have a bit of a theory as to why this is the case. This is just my personal theory, so of course, take this with a huge grain of salt… But I kind of feel like the reason why Tom is held at such a high standard (in his OWN fandom) is because most of his fans only became his fans due to Spiderman/Marvel/MCU hype. My guess is that not a lot of current Tom stans today knew or paid much attention to him PRIOR to Spiderman. So, a lot of Hollanders (Tom stans) probably were used to Tom “winning” right from the beginning right out of the gate.

Whereas, some of the stans of other popular wm fandoms (i.e. JE, Timothee Chalamet, Zac Efron, Dylan O’Brien, Ryan Gosling, Austin Butler, Bill Skarsgard, even Mike Faist, etc.) were probably fans of these guys back when they were not as well known, or when their careers weren’t as “hot” as they are currently. So, their fans are used to them being in a “struggle” position and have been patient, understanding, and open to a wider variety of “wins” and even “fails” for their male faves. They love them regardless….no matter what is going on.

But with Tom, because he gained most of his fans probably more so due to Spiderman/Marvel/MCU, I feel like his fans are/were used to him being the hot new “It Guy” right off the bat, and his stardom went CRAZY overnight, so they haven’t been there in the trenches when Tom was just an “unknown” actor. They didn’t love him before he was super hot and everywhere like he is today. So I think they don’t allow him the grace and understanding that a lot of other fandoms usually give their own faves.

Don’t get me wrong, some other fandoms do clown their faves too ROTFL! 🤣(Make no mistake about that lol) But I think Tom is held to such a higher standard because he started off as the “It Guy” , and so now, when his fans see other actors getting some addicted, or maybe “taking his spot” (maybe in their minds?) they get upset/angry/jealous/negative etc.

Idk, that’s my theory?🤷🏾‍♀️

For me, I’m the type of fan that’s just like how you described most people are with actors such as say Tom Cruise. While I always wish the best for my actor faves, at the end of the day, I know it’s not MY life, and I just want them to be happy. I go see a Tom Cruise movie, and I’m good! 😃 I’m not worrying about his career in the meantime, or worried if he hasn’t made a film in 3 years or whatever lol. I just take things as they come!

I think part of the reason why Tom’s fandom is so hard on him is because they have these crazy expectations on him because they see it as some type of “competition”, instead of just letting Tom BE.

I think that if you’re a TRUE fan of someone, you love them when they’re “down” and when they’re up. Don’t be a “fair-weather” fan in other words. It’s okay for an actor to have a “Down” period. This industry is very transient and challenging. It’s okay for an actor to “take a break”. It’s okay for an actor to have some hits and even some misses in their career! That’s NORMAL! Fans are way too hard on Tom imo.

I already gave my theory as to why that might be the case, but if you all have any other ideas/theories, by all means, let me know!

Re: Your Last Part about R&J…

Tom has posted about R&J a couple of times, no?? I’m sure he will post even MORE as the play gets underway. I even expect him to MAYBE do a video collage at some point showing the process. That would be super cool. 😊

[1-up-chump]

The day mk abandoned the kung fu death tournament high eastern fantsy aesthetic and then copied the Dcu/mcu aesthetic

Is the day mk fuckin died. It started with the cash grab crossover, then the dlc guest characters, and now this convoluted inconsistent assassination of characters.

Examples:

sin\del (was supposed to be manipulated by dark magiks from q=uan chi. Was never fuckin evil and never killed jerrod bc SH/AO KAH/N DID AND THATS SCREWING HIS CHARACTER OVER TOO all for some mommy dommy milf fantasy which is absolutely from a "hetcis man's" gaze dont fool yourself)

ku\ng la\o (turned him into a second banana cocky type and just keep killing him for shock value when before he kinda never got this treatment. He was is and always WILL be li/u kan/g's equal in skill and warriors heart)

ra\iden (a LITERAL GOD who was so strong he was only bound by the rules of mortal kombat and the elder gods and his soft spot for mortals and loyalty to protecting earthrealm, kind and wise. Turned into a supposed dEmi-GOd who was willing to use the realm that was his charge as a fucking bargaining chip to a man who's more untrustworthy than shan/g ts/ung, he's hardly around OR he's suddenly not as powerful until he remembers he can obliterate ppl with lightning, he's a cold hardass who's so alien to mortals emotions despite being around them longer and basically raising one like his own son)

li\u k\ang (turned into basically every shonen protagonist ever type levels of character development, gets fucked over in the romance department Although kit/ana has her fair share of problems with writing too, becomes a god in the most deus ex machina way possible and is so intrusive to kun/g la/o and his legacy to meddle with the great kung lao like some sort of savior bs)

sha\ng tsun\g before aftermath (having his whole ass character trashed to the side for some milf dominatrix fantasy in 9 is the only reason i fucking need here lbh)

son\ya (her whole character is stale and practically revolved around the fact she fucks and marries a dude she's so incompatible with just bc of "we need the original characters to make next gen characters we dont care if they're compatible lol" literally has an accidental pregnancy literally divorced jo/hny and then fucking dies, and then comes back anyways "but its the version fans like right oh btw shove in the fact that Son/ya's purpose is to malke cas/sie and thats it shes just mom character now but #gurlboss am i right plz buy game")

ja/x (gets traumatized to hell and back for very little payoff used as depression fetish exploitation, at least his tower ending is great despite the "#woke" bs, his daughter however has the most fucked ending to basically erase herself to make j/ax happy like???? Sonya literally has an avengers/justice league ass tower ending all peachy keen but the black woman cant have any happiness huh mmm sure ok yeah.)

Jacq/ui (honestly im not too into her character but when i heard about her tower ending it pissed me off so much and made me hate the writing even more like oh some characters get basically whatever they wanted no consequence but some characters are doomed to be fucked??? Like hello favoritism MUCH?!? -coughhanzosgodofwarripofftowerendingcough-)

with new characters added that have so much potential but poor execution (i mean seriously you wanna tell me ce/trion and kroni/ka actually killed the elder gods THE ELDER GODS AKA THE BIG POWERFUL DIVINE COUNSEL but have trouble with making rai/d/en and li/u fi/ght and kill each other??? Let alone try to kill one at a time??)

I do like some things like kolle/ctor and ge/rus and cet/rion like i like those characters but by god cetr/ion was wasted potential you cant drop her brother was fucking shinn/ok and then proceed to basically make her some weak errand girl who i feel in the end is making fun of the "divine feminine gaia" aesthetic like the writing wants her to be the bad guy but also sympathetic in the dumbest way possible and she sounds like someone on Twitter who just learned about the concept of "balance" and slaps buddha quotes incorrectly

Also i never cared for shin/nok until recently when i was like "hey wait no his concept kinda slaps actually"

At the end of the day we all have our opinions i guess. And mine is: mk new timeline is written by people who like superheroes movies when mk should be written by people who like kung fu movies

[schnees-and-schnugs]

Noooooo you can't hate RT's token group of POC consisting of White guy with Japanese surname, angry Black woman 1 and 2, Asian quiet monk stereotype 2 electric boogaloo and DogTM. They are totally developed and well-rounded characters and not caricatures. You are racist if you hate them. :( /j The writing with the Ace Ops and Harriet is so fucking weird, because they expect us to care about Harriet crying over Clover or whatever but at the same time spent the last two volumes shitting on him and telling us how much of bad bootlicker he is or whatever. RT wants us to hate Clover and James but love Harriet even though all of her actions have been because of her loyalty to them. It doesn't work. I'm supposed to care about that bitch? I don't.

I'm not touching the race stuff with a 10 ft poll because I'm not getting involved in that discourse but it makes me mad knowing that mkek somehow put more energy into badly fleshing out Harriet (and the rest of the ace ops) than they did in giving Weiss and Whitley anything resembling complex emotions in their subplot. after. Four. Volumes.

And it's a clear double standard where ironwoods disabilities (PTSD and physical) were used to demonize him to the point where he was no longer the character his fans even knew him as while Harriet gets off scott free- from doing exactly what we condemn ironwood for (a complete casual disregard for human life) - because of grief for a character we're not even supposed to like. Like seriously?

Ironwood losing his arm and getting this black grimm looking prosthetic is blantently him "losing his humanity" and is now irredeemable but Harriet also tries to murder a whole city of people and it's a whoopsie daisy oopsie!! She won't try to commit mass murder again now, she's learned how to properly express her emotions through friendship 🥺

Lmao why does a 14 year old (male) abuse victim have to do more in the narrative to be given the benefit of the doubt by the other characters and the audience than an unhinged (female) cop who was LITERALLY 2 inches away from actually murdering people. The only reason the bomb wasn't dropped was because of sheer. Freaking. Luck.

I'm convinced 95% of v8 was just a massive psychological study on how much writers can get away with through the sheer power of parasocial relationships and a fandom already primed to digest all the bullshit fed to them.

I really do hope they do better in v9 with a smaller already established cast because my god none of these new characters make me feel anything other than contempt. At least they did the HH right? Robyn was pretty present but the rest of them were fine characters while not hogging so much time to themselves.

But they'll probably introduce 10 more new characters in vacuo who am I kidding

[iguessweallcrazyithinktho]

𝑷𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂 𝒃𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔

chris x french actress reader. y/n is also in the main avengers cast and she is at the endgame paris premiere. chris can not stop staring at y/n and her beautiful black silk dress and pearl earings while she is speaking french for her interviews. later the internet goes crazy over chris crushing on u but little did they know u guys where already dating.

𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: 𝒇𝒍𝒖𝒇𝒇

𝑾𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈: 𝒏𝒐𝒏𝒆

𝑷𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈: 𝒄𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒂𝒃𝒔 𝒙 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓, 𝒄𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒂𝒃𝒔 𝒙 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒉 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓

𝑷𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒕 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕

𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆!

---

"do you think this dress is too much?" You asked as you looked at yourself in the mirror. You smoothed your hands over the silk material loving how it hugged your unique body. Chris came up behind you. "It's not too much. It's perfect." He leaned in and kissed your cheek before walking back to the hotels bathroom to finish getting ready.

You removed yourself from the mirror and took a seat on the chair. You started slipping on your high heels. "I'm just really nerves and I don't know why." You stood up once both heels were on and returned to the mirror. Chris came up behind you, he began to massage your shoulders to relax you.

"hey, you're going to be fine. I'm going to there with you the whole night. Don't worry." He looked at you through the mirror the whole time he said that. You smiled before turning around. You wrapped your arms around him. "Thank you mon amour. Should we get going now?" You asked pulling away to grab your phone and light coat. Chris hummed out a yes.

"okay, Allons-y." You walked to the door, Chris right behind you. You were about to open the door but Chris stopped you. "Wait, can I get a kiss before we go?"

You chuckled as you turned around. "Yes you may." You gave him a little but passionate kiss. When you pulled away Chris hummed. "I think I want to stay and kiss a little more."

You chuckled, "well then let's go before that happens."

---

You and Chris arrived together to the venue. Before getting out, Chris gave you one last kiss before you both had to act like you weren't a couple.

As you exited the car, the crowd interrupted. You keep a straight face as you walked up to the carpet. You striked some poses by yourself before scarlett, robert, and both chris' join you. When you were done, you went to do some interviews. Chris was right beside you doing an interview.

"salut, y/n, comment vas-tu?" (Hi, y/n how are you). You smiled at the petite interview. "Je suis génial. C'est agréable d'être de retour en France." (I'm great. It's nice to be back in france.) The interviewer chuckled before she asked you questions before your beautiful outfit.

Chris tried his best to focus on his interviewer, but you were such a stunning woman, he couldn't. He loved when you spoke your native language; somehow you just glow up when speaking it which he loved.

He manged to get through it without any questions but they noticed his smirk and hungry eyes on you the whole time.

While watching the movie Chris hand was on your thighs. It was pitch black so no one could see. Every now and then you would look over at Chris. His mouth was open, his eyes glued to the screen. He was very engrossed in the movie. It stayed like that until the movie ended.

After there was a party but instead of going you decided to go back to the hotel. Chris stayed.

When you entered the hotel you took off your heels. When your feet were bare you let out a sigh. You then stripped out of your dress, took out your pearls before plopping yourself on the bed.

You took out your phone beginning to scroll through Twitter. The top trending thing was how Chris was looking at you. Quickly you sat up going through it. It was pictures of the way he was staring at you, and comments.

The way he's looking at her

I'll kill to be y/n rn

Chris is so in love with her

You weren't going to lie it was hot.

You decided to text Chris about it.

You

Chris, you're trending on Twitter because you couldn't keep your eyes off of me 😉😏

Chris pulled his phone out of his pocket. He opened it seeing your text. When he did he quickly went to Twitter and sure enough he was trending.

He shook his head at being caught. He quickly shot you a text.

I'm very hard at hiding it. Well at least they don't know we're together.

You looked back at your phone, laughing at chris' text.

You

Yes, but next time keep your eyes to yourself Mr.

Chris ❤️

Yes ma'am

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

@chris-butt @patzammit @bval-1 @raveviolet @mrsbbarnesrogers-reading @enn-j @london-dreamer71 @harrysthiccthighss @captainamerica-is-bae @la-cey @weirdowithnobeardo @lovepeacefood @baby-i-am-fireproof @denisemarieangelina @evans713 @smyfmj @thereisa8ella @rororo06 @keiva1000 @ughitsnic @adriannajackson123 @marvelnaturalock @notyourtypicalrose @dummiesshort @onetwo3000 @hhiggs @katiew1973 @andreasworlsboring101 @skepticnovak @funfickgirl22 @hxnesthxneybee @henrythickcavill @melchills-j @franchesca-791 @moonlacebeam

[laurenairay]

Found You - J. Oleksiak

Summary: You thought you’d finally found the perfect guy – were you right?

Word count: 12k

Warnings: super cute fluff, some angst

A/N: So the wonderful @whatishockey inspired me to write a full story of this Big Rig blurb I wrote in my Valentine’s Day list. Without her encouragement and sweet words this wouldn’t be in existence - so thank you! This one is for you 💖 The scenes in the blurb are referenced but not repeated in this fic, so do feel free to read the blurb too!

Also tagging: @danglesnipecelly @texanstarslove @itsbadgerbadgermushroom​ @chicagoblackhawkslover96 @princessphilly @denis-scorianov @broadstbroskis @thebookofmags​ @shelbsatans​ @antoineroussel​​

*

It was only meant to be one night. One night in a bar. One night of fun and dancing. One night of passion. A one night stand.

You’d been out on a girl’s night, cocktails in a local bar, when you’d spotted him across the room. Not just because of how tall and broad he was, head and shoulders above everyone else, but…because of his smile.

That big confident beautiful smile made your breath hitch in your throat, and the moment that he locked eyes on you and turned the full force of that smile in your direction, you knew you were done for. That smile stayed on his face as he walked over to you, slow smooth and confident, because he knew exactly what effect he was having.

What had surprised you was that it wasn’t just quick conversation and back to his. It wasn’t just a drink each and then leaving. He danced with you, had several drinks with you, talked with you for hours. It didn’t feel like a usual hook-up from a bar – it felt different. He made you feel special.

You didn’t know until the next morning that he didn’t usually ask a one night stand to stay over. You didn’t know until the next morning that he’d never made a hook-up breakfast before. You didn’t know until the next morning that he thought meeting you was special too.

That’s when everything changed. Instead of the one night you had meant it to be, Jamie had asked for your number, asked you out on a date the very next night. One date turned into two, into three, until it was a month in. A month of incredible sex and amazing dates and a wonderful guy. You knew it was happening so fast, but you were already falling for him. How could you not? You spent every spare moment thinking about him, about seeing him again, even if it was nothing official yet.

Never had anyone treated you like this before. So special, so important. Never had anyone put such a smile on your face, got your stomach filling with butterflies, made you feel so giddy. This guy was different – Jamie was someone worth pursuing something real with.

You could only hope he felt the same way.

*

Jamie couldn’t wipe the smile off his face as he ended his Valentine’s Day phone call. Going on a roadtrip two days before Valentine’s Day had really thrown off his original plans. Jamie had initially thought of taking you out on a romantic candlelit dinner, showering you with gifts and taking his time bringing you pleasure over and over again back home, but thanks to hockey he wasn’t able to, as much as it frustrated him. Pavs had seen his frustration easily, had suggested surprising you with something to remind you that he was still thinking of you, even when he wasn’t there – and Jamie had taken him up on that with the giant bouquet delivered to your office as well as the follow-up phone call tonight.

He definitely hadn’t planned on defining his relationship with you over the phone, but the fact that you agreed to be his officially? Even if you wanted to hear it in person too? Mindblowing. Like there was any way he was going to change his mind about this – he hadn’t lied at all when he talked to you. He couldn’t stop thinking about you, to the point where a lot of the guys on the team were teasing him, but he didn’t care.

This feeling, this hopeful wonderful feeling that you gave him whenever you smiled his way – it was everything. That someone like you would even give him the time of day when he could never guarantee being there by your side (ie. Valentine’s Day absence) made him feel like the luckiest guy in the world. Call it sappy, call it head over heels, call it whatever, he didn’t care. Being with you made all of it worth it.

He couldn’t wait to ask you in person, to take you out to dinner and call you his girlfriend. Just the thought of it put a stupid smile on his face.

And the stupid smile was still there when he left his room a little later to meet the team for dinner.

“What’s got you grinning like an idiot?”

Well that was fast. Jamie snapped out of his thoughts, rolling his eyes at Tyler’s words, Dickie, Bish and Pavs all behind him.

“Nothing,” Jamie shrugged, although he knew that the smile on his face hadn’t dimmed at all, and wasn’t exactly helping his case.

“Uh huh,” Bish snorted, making Jamie blush slightly.

“Anything to do with…hmm, the woman you’ve been seeing for a month now?” Pavs teased.

Damn it.

“Yeah, alright, you win. I was just on the phone with her,” Jamie admitted.

“You snuck in phone sex before dinner?” Dickie asked, surprised.

Jamie just punched him in the arm, rolling his eyes as the others laughed.

“No, I finally asked her to be my girl,” Jamie retorted.

Oh, wait, there was the smile again. Oh well.

“Officially?” Pavs asked, a big smile on his face too.

“Yeah, man, officially,” Jamie nodded, grinning.

Even saying those words felt amazing. Finally. Finally.

“About time,” Dickie snickered.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” Jamie mused.

“You know his moon eyes are only going to get worse now though,” Tyler teased, “it’s bad enough with that stupid smile on his face,”

“Oh man, yeah, he was already enough of a big soft sap before,” Bish nodded, smirking slightly.

“I am right here you know,” Jamie said, rolling his eyes, although his smile still hadn’t lessened.

How could his smile change? This was the happiest he’d been in a long time.

“Well I think it’s great that you asked her,” Pavs mused, nudging Tyler with his shoulder.

Tyler nudged him back, sticking his tongue out.

“Thanks,” Jamie said warmly, “I know it’s only been a month but she’s special,”

“Booooo,”

Jamie laughed at the chorus around him, shaking his head. Okay so maybe he was a bit of a sap. But you were worth it, he knew that much. And he didn’t care what anyone else thought about it.

“What are we booing?”

Jamie looked over at the voice, smiling at the sight of his Captain.

“Big Rig caught feelings,” Dickie teased.

“Ugh, feelings,” Benn groaned, although Jamie could see the laughter in his eyes, “can’t have that,”

Jamie just rolled his eyes, laughing. “Can we talk about something other than my love life?”

“I vote yes!” Tyler said loudly, winking at Jamie, “where are you paying for dinner, Cap?”

Well at least that fuelled a discussion loud enough to get the attention off him. Now all Jamie needed to do was think of somewhere to take you out for dinner when he got home…

*

It was another week before Jamie arrived back from his roadtrip. The two of you still spoke on the phone every night, still messaged throughout the day, but knowing that he’d asked you to be his girlfriend? And that he’d agreed to ask you again in person, even just to sooth your own anxiety? Well that changed everything.

You were now Jamie Oleksiak’s girlfriend. Hah. Even just saying it to yourself put the silliest smile on your face. And you couldn’t wait to see him again.

Jamie had arranged for the two of you to meet at the restaurant, having made reservations, and then you’d agreed to go over to his after to stay the night. Apparently this was what he had intended to do for Valentine’s Day, to take you out like this – better late than never, right?

So all dressed up in your favourite little black dress and classy stilettos, you met Jamie outside a fancy-looking Italian restaurant. He was already waiting when your uber pulled up, and the smile he greeted you with made your heartbeat race. Wow, he really does look handsome all dressed up in a clean-cut suit.

“Hey, you look incredible,” he said in greeting.

He leant down to pressing his lips to yours before you could answer, kissing you slowly and sweetly in a way that made you clutch at the lapels of his suit jacket. Wow. Then he pulled away with a slightly dazed smile, and you knew you must look exactly the same.

“You look pretty damn good yourself,” was all you could say.

Jamie just grinned. “Shall we?” he asked, tilting his head towards the restaurant.

You just tucked your hand into the crook of his arm and nodded.

The two of you walked inside, your breath hitching in your throat at the sophisticated décor, trying not to feel out of place as Jamie gave his name for the reservation. He must’ve felt you freeze because he leant down to press a kiss to the top of your head, winking with a cheeky smile, making you giggle and smile back. Jamie wanted you here with him - that was all that mattered.

In no time at all, the two of you were lead to your table, Jamie ordering wine before the waiter left you in peace for a moment.

“So now that I’ve got you here in person…”

You felt your cheeks warming as he trailed off, that beautiful smile of his making your heart beat a little faster. Well he wasted no time at all.

“Yes, Jamie?” you said, trying to be as calm as possible.

“Obviously I haven’t changed my mind. I was never going to change my mind. Will you be my girlfriend?” he asked.

Your breath hitched in your throat, his blunt question affecting you just like it did when he’d asked you over the phone, and it was all you could do to nod. “Yeah of course I will, Jamie. My answer hasn’t changed either,”

Jamie laughed softly, almost as if he was relieved, making your chest fill with a little anxiety. Was he really that worried?

“You didn’t think I would change my mind, did you?” you asked, frowning slightly.

Jamie’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “No, not really. I just…I really like you so I was just filled with so much hope?” he offered.

You couldn’t help but laugh, nudging your foot against his.

“I really like you too,” you said, a little shyly.

“Well that’s good. Because I bought you something,” he said, grinning.

What?

Jamie bit his bottom lip before reaching into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulling out a box. A pale blue box branding that you actually recognised – Tiffany’s.

Why would he…

“Here, I saw these and thought of you,” Jamie said sweetly, “Happy belated Valentine’s Day,”

You inhaled sharply as he passed you the box, unable to do anything but stay silent as you opened it. Inside were the most beautiful square diamond earrings you had ever seen, perfectly cut and polished. Fuck, these must’ve been so much money. Why did he spend that on you? Why would he…why? You swallowed heavily, looking back up at him. Jamie seemed to freeze at the trepidation on your face.

“Is something wrong?” he asked nervously.

“I…why did you buy me something so expensive? I don’t need…”

You trailed off, glancing back down at the beautiful earrings before letting out a shaky breath.

“Jamie, why?” was all you could say.

His tongue darted out to wet his bottom lip, and he sighed. “I really did just see these earrings and think how nice they would look on you, and that maybe you would like them? It may sound stupid, but I like buying things for the people I care about. Like, I fought so hard to work my way onto the team, still fight for a permanent place every day, and the fact that things are finally becoming more settled for me means that I have money I never had before,”

You opened your mouth but quickly shut it with a click, the look on Jamie’s face telling you he wasn’t finished.

“It’s not about showing off my money though. Everything that I’ve worked for means that I can spend money on things I never would’ve been able to otherwise. I like being able to treat the most important people in my life. You’re one of those people now. And I know that you don’t need expensive things, which is why I wanted to buy these earrings in the first place. You would never ask – you would never assume you were entitled to them, as the girlfriend of an NHL player. You just like me for me, and I wanted to show you how much that means to me. It’s, like, my love language or whatever. Seggy made me do a quiz,”

You couldn’t help but laugh, hand rising up to cover your smile afterwards. Of all the things to break the emotional moment. “Seggy made you do a quiz?”

Jamie blushed furiously, but nodded. “The love language thing fits too, how I like to show affection. He said I needed to know how to treat you right, how to show you how I feel. So you would never doubt it, even when I’m not there,”

You bit your bottom lip, glancing down at the gift once more.

“I don’t doubt it,” you said softly.

When you looked back up at him, Jamie had the biggest smile on his face, making your stomach fill with butterflies.

“So do you like them?” he asked hopefully.

“Yeah, of course I do Jamie. Just…this love language thing, it doesn’t mean gifts like this all the time, y’know? It’s just as meaningful to me to bring me, like, eggs when I run out or a cute pair of socks or whatever,”

Because as much as Jamie wanted to spend his money on you, he really didn’t need to. Expensive jewellery, as incredibly beautiful as it is and as astounded as you were that he’d even seen them and thought of you, wasn’t something you could use all the time. It could be a balance, right?

“I’ll bear that in mind,” Jamie grinned, “That doesn’t mean I won’t buy something for you if I see it though,”

You bit your bottom lip to hide the smile that threatened to spread across your face. Such a ridiculous man. Shutting the box in your hand, you slipped it carefully into your handbag for safekeeping.

“I still can’t believe you bought me Tiffany’s earrings. I’ll save them for special occasions? They’re so beautiful, Jamie,” you said, voice filled with wonder, even to your ears.

“Like I said, I saw them and thought of you,” Jamie shrugged, although his smile showed you just how pleased he was with that.

You felt your cheeks warm up at the compliment, a smile spreading across your own lips. “Shall we look at the menus before the waiter comes back?” you asked, trying to get the attention of yourself.

Jamie laughed, just nodding. “That’s probably a good idea,”

You picked up the menu, hiding the smile on your face that had now turned stupid, even more so as Jamie nudged your foot with his again. If this was just him asking you to be his girlfriend? Well, you couldn’t wait to see where your relationship went next.

*

You thought the little things Jamie did would stop now that you were official, now that he wasn’t trying to woo you anymore.

But if anything, his romantic nature only increased.

Even in only the space of a few days, the few days he had off with light training before his next home game, he delivered another bouquet of flowers to your workplace (making you the envy of your bank of desks) as well as meeting you for lunch every day. You knew it couldn’t last, couldn’t keep up like this (even just because of the fact that he would go on a roadtrip again soon enough), so you were soaking it all in while you could.

There was nothing wrong with enjoying the ‘honeymoon period’ of your relationship, right?

And it wasn’t just flowers and lunches – it was the little things too. Officially being his girlfriend seemed to take a door off its hinges in terms of affection from Jamie. He would give you a gentle kiss on the forehead in passing. He would kiss you on the cheek when you were sitting in his arms watching tv. He gave your hand a little squeeze whenever your hands were clasped, fingers linked while you were walking down the street.

It was all of these little romantic affectionate things that made your heart beat a little faster, your stomach fill with butterflies, your cheeks ache with a smile. He was so so sweet – surely this would last?

You could only hope.

*

Tonight was a big night. Well, perhaps not for some, but for you? Huge.

Tonight you were going to a game for the first time as Jamie’s girlfriend. You were going to be sitting with the other spouses and partners. While you were excited, of course, you were also so nervous. Who wouldn’t be? This was a big step. This was public. You were going to be sitting with Jamie’s surname on your jersey, identifying you as his. And that was a lot.

But he was so excited to see you at a game, to see him play when you were official, and there was no way you could say no. This was just nerves, that’s all. You could get over a few nerves for him, right?

So after putting on a cute pair of boots with your comfiest jeans and a warm long-sleeved top, you slipped on the Oleksiak jersey Jamie had given you, biting your bottom lip when you saw his name across your back. When you saw how much you liked it.

Yeah, maybe you could get used to this.

Hair loosely curled and make-up applied to perfection, you walked into the arena with the pass that Jamie gave you, smiling nervously as you made your way to your seat. The sheer size of the arena never failed to amaze you – the vast white spread of the ice vs the roar of the crowd was always a little overwhelming, which didn’t help your nerves. But you tried to focus on that rush of excitement for gametime, the underlying buzz you could already feel from the fans – that’s what kept your feet moving forward step by step. It wasn’t long before you spotted the names Bishop, Cogliano, Pavelski…

“Hey, you made it! Tyler said you were coming to support Riggy today,”

Tyler? Oh Seguin, of course, duh.

“Yeah Jamie gave Tyler my number, he was pretty enthusiastic about welcoming me to the team,” you said, smiling.

The beautiful blonde rolled her eyes fondly. “Yeah that sounds like Tyler,”

You just giggled, earning another smile.

“Come on, I’ll introduce you to everybody before warm-ups start,” she said, “I have no doubt that Riggy will take up all your attention as soon as he gets on the ice,”

Your cheeks flared with heat as she winked…but her teasing set you at ease. She was welcoming you like you already belonged, like you were already seamlessly part of the group – was that Jamie’s doing? Did he ask them to be nice to you? No…even if he did, that didn’t mean she had to be genuine about it. Deep breaths, you could do this.

“Come on!” she grinned, beckoning you forward.

You grinned back at her, letting her lead you towards the other women. There were a lot of faces, a lot of beautiful glamorous faces to put names to, but by the time you’d been introduced to everyone and guided into a seat, warm-ups started. Without even meaning to, you immediately started searching for Jamie’s familiar body, knowing you’d at least be able to identify him that way, head and shoulders above everyone else as always.

“Aww look at Riggy searching for you,”

You bit your lip to hide your smile at Andrea Bishop’s words, just waving as Jamie finally spotted you. When he waved back, his whole face lighting up, the other spouses and partners aww’d and cooed, making you laugh. You didn’t hesitate to blow Jamie a kiss, which he pretended to catch and press into his heart, making you laugh again at the cheesiness of the action. Jamie just winked at you before skating off to make some passes, your nerves finally settling.

“Oh wow, Tyler was right, you two really are sugary sweet,”

Oops, guilty.

“Yeah he is so head over heels, it’s so cute. There’s no way Riggy isn’t going to be showing off, playing like a beast tonight,”

You just laughed, shrugging.

“I can’t wait,” you grinned.

A chorus of cheers sounded from the women around you, making your stomach fill with butterflies. Somehow, with Jamie’s name across your shoulders and the smiles of the women around you, you felt like you belonged. Was it really that easy?

*

Weeks came and went. Games were won and lost. Jamie stayed the ever-sweet gentleman. You slowly relaxed into your new relationship. It felt like you were floating on a cloud, living in a dream…and if was a dream, you sure as hell didn’t want to wake up.

Every day he found a way to make you smile, to laugh, to count your lucky stars, and even your family was getting excited about this relationship. Jamie was…everything. He made it clear that he only wanted the best for you, even to the point of making your Instagram account private due to some unsavoury comments from ‘fans’. And it didn’t even matter whether you were in his fancy apartment or your not-so-fancy apartment – he made every moment one that you treasured.

It sounds sappy, it sounds dumb, it sounds too good to be true, you knew that. But you didn’t care. This was the happiest you’d ever been, and if it was too good to last like this then you were going to embrace and enjoy every single minute of it.

Tonight you were out at a bar with Jamie and his friends, all dolled up for Joel Kiviranta’s birthday, and you just knew that tonight was going to be one to remember.

“Happy birthday Kivi!!”

The birthday boy grinned at the loud cheers, accepting rough pats on the back and hair ruffles as he made his way to the large booth that the Captain had organised, the other Finns walking behind him. The bar was huge – dark lights but classy tables and booths – and while it was busy it wasn’t heaving with people. The music was just loud enough and the booths were spread out enough that you had enough privacy from the next group of people. It was the perfect place to celebrate Jamie’s friend’s birthday. You just grinned from where you were sitting on Jamie’s lap, enjoying the feeling of his arms wrapped around you, especially so publicly. All of this still felt so new, even after nearly 3 months in – but being surrounded by this much love, this huge family feeling…well, it was quickly becoming addictive. Who wouldn’t want to be in the middle of all of this?

“Captain buys the first round!”

The man in question rolled his eyes with a grin at Tyler’s loud declaration, dragging Bish up to the bar to help him too.

“Ready to let loose tonight?” Jamie murmured in your ear.

“Sounds like fun to me,” you grinned, turning your body to face him slightly.

Jamie grinned back, pecking your lips with a gentle kiss, before continuing his conversation with Dickie on his left, making you laugh and turn to Tyler on your right.

“Here’s to a good night!” Tyler smirked.

A good night indeed.

One drink turned to two, which turned to five, which turned to you needing to go to the bathroom pretty badly. You were still in the group booth, but rather than sitting on Jamie’s lap you were sitting next to him, some space having been made after some of the team went off to dance.

“Hey, let me past?” you said to Jamie, where he was blocking the exit of the booth.

“Where are you going?” he frowned.

You rolled your eyes fondly. “To the bathroom, and no you can’t come with,”

Jamie blushed fiercely but quickly stood up to let you out, making you laugh. As he sat back down, you leant down to press a slow sweet kiss to his lips, unable to stop yourself from smiling as Jamie’s hands clutched at your hips. He groaned at the whistles and jeers that sounded around you, making you laugh again, but you pecked one last kiss to his lips before standing up properly.

“Don’t miss me too much,” you teased, stepping away from him

“Hate to see you go, love to watch you leave!” he called back, earning loud laughter from the group.

You laughed loudly too, shaking your head, blowing him a kiss before you navigated your way across the bar to the bathrooms in the back. Thankfully it was empty, leaving you to do your business in peace. But just as you were pulling your underwear back up, the door crashed open, and two girls entered. From what you could hear, with their giggling and stumbling, they were well past drunk, so you sighed and sat down on the closed toilet seat, preferring to wait until they were gone to leave and wash your hands. Zero drama, please and thank you.

You tuned out as they started talking, Girl 1’s nasally voice loud and abrasive with Girl 2’s giggle already irritating…until you heard them start talking about the Stars. Then you couldn’t stop yourself from listening.

“…yeah it’s one of their birthdays. One of the Finns I think? I don’t know. Or care,” Girl 1 said.

Lovely. A big fan then.

“I don’t know, I reckon he wouldn’t mind a birthday treat,” Girl 2 laughed. You could only imagine the grin on her face, given the giggles from Girl 1.

“It’s such a shame that Big Rig looks out of commission though,” Girl 2 sighed.

Out of commission? Charming.

Then the other girl snickered, and you had no doubt she was rolling her eyes.

“So what? It’s not like this one is going to be around very long. He never commits to a steady girl,” her nasal voice said indifferently.

What?

You swallowed heavily, a pit of nausea filling your stomach. She was just making things up, right?

“I don’t know, this one’s already been around longer than usual,” Girl 2 said.

Girl 1, nasty nasal, just giggled. “Then obviously she’ll be out on her ear soon. She’s nothing special anyway. Trust me, Big Rig’s never committed before, and that isn’t going to change now,”

Oh fuck. You clasped a shaky hand over your mouth to hide the whimper that threatened to spill out. She was lying right? She had to be lying. Fuck, fuck why were you still listening to this?

“Come on, let’s go get some guys to buy us shots,” Girl 1 said.

The two of them walked out of the bathroom, but their smug words rang around your head, and it was all you could do to take a shaky breath, tears filling your eyes. The nausea only got worse, bile rising in your throat, but you took shaky breath after shaky breath until it settled again.

He never commits.

She’ll be out soon.

She’s nothing special.

That isn’t going to change.

Oh fuck. You choked out a sob before shaking your head, running a shaky hand through your hair. No, no you couldn’t stay around here knowing that’s what people thought of you. You couldn’t bear the stares and the smirks and the snickering. Not tonight, not now, not in front of the whole team and their better halves. Jamie…he wouldn’t, right? He wouldn’t act like that?

But what if they were right?

No, no, they had to be wrong. But still…what if?

What the hell were you meant to think? Whatever it was, you couldn’t decide here, couldn’t decide now. You had to go, that was the only way to preserve at least a little bit of your dignity. Fuck.

Yeah, leaving, collecting your thoughts, taking a step back, that was the way to handle this. Not to make a scene – that really wasn’t your style. Jamie…

Fuck, Jamie.

Jamie would just have to deal with it tonight. You didn’t want to say something you’d regret, that was for sure. So with a deep breath and a brief close of your eyes for confidence, you left your bathroom stall, washing your hands and quickly reapplying your lipstick in the mirror as armour. Yes, leaving was the best idea. At least for tonight.

The nausea returned as you walked back over to the group booth, and you knew that Jamie wasn’t the only one that noticed the unease on your face.

“Hey, what’s up?” he frowned.

“I don’t feel that great, so I’m going to head home,” you said softly, just loud enough to be heard over the music.

With that, you grabbed your jacket and walked away, not waiting for an answer. You sure as hell didn’t want to give anyone a chance to convince you to stay. But within seconds Jamie was by your side, his own jacket in his hand.

“Hey, wait up,” he said, smiling as he rested a hand on your shoulder.

Damn it.

“Stay, Jamie,” you said shortly, stopping in your tracks and turning round to face him.

“What?” he said, confused, “if you don’t feel well then I want to make sure you get home okay,”

“I don’t want you to come with me,” you snapped.

The hurt that spread across Jamie’s face made you feel sick all over again, but for different reasons. Oh fuck. That…that wasn’t what you meant at all. Where did that come from? Damn it.

“Um, I…”

“Just go back to your friends, J,” you sighed, interrupting, “I want to be alone right now,”

“Okay,” he said quietly, shoulders slumped in defeat, “Let me know when you get home?”

You just nodded, offering a weak smile before you turned and walked out towards the exit. Pulling your phone out of your bag, you quickly ordered an uber, thankful there was a car only 4 minutes away. At least something was going right tonight.

“I saw you and Riggy, you know,”

You flinched at the sound of Tyler’s voice as he stepped up next to you but stayed silent, not wanting to get into it. Not with him. Tyler just sighed.

“Obviously I don’t know what happened or what was said, but seeing you look that angry, and then Riggy looking so upset, only for you to walk out looking just as upset? I couldn’t just let you leave like that without checking you’re okay,” Tyler said softly.

Maybe he should’ve just let it go. But you knew Tyler well enough to know that he wasn’t going to drop this, not easily.

“It’s nothing,” you murmured.

Tyler just hmm’d. You laughed weakly, running a hand through your hair. Of all the time for him to be particularly insightful.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” you sighed.

Tyler smiled sadly at the defeat in your voice but nodded. At least he wasn’t going to push you for a proper answer. At least he was letting you leave with a little bit of dignity.

“Let me know when you get home safe? I’ll let you know when Riggy’s home safe too. He’s already downed a few shots so I don’t think he’s going to be in a good shape,” he said quietly.

It was all you could do to nod, wrapping your arms around yourself. Jamie was lucky to have such a good friend. With another sad smile, Tyler pulled you into a hug, not letting go until your uber pulled up to the curb. He gave your shoulder one last squeeze before stepping backwards, and you shut the door in silence, desperately trying not to break down just yet. The uber driver seemed to sense your mood, pulling away with nothing more than a gruff hello, and you just rested your head against the glass as you noticed Tyler still watching you.

You could only hope that he didn’t notice the tears trickling down your cheeks.

*

What a terrible night.

You still weren’t entirely sure if leaving had been the best idea…but you did know that the words those girls said still haunted you. Of course, you’d barely slept, their horrible comments swirling around in your brain, not made any better by the increasingly incoherent pleading texts that Jamie had sent you, as well as the confirmation from Tyler that he’d personally dropped Jamie off at his apartment because he was far too drunk to get home by himself.

You didn’t want to dwell on what had happened. But you also didn’t want to admit how much your insecurities played into their words. You couldn’t bear the thought of any of it being even remotely true – and you also couldn’t bear the thought of seeing Jamie look so hurt again.

So what the hell were you meant to do?

It was stupidly early when you dragged yourself out of bed, knowing full well that sleep wasn’t coming. You hadn’t bothered showering, hair a mess and eyes a little pandary where you’d only half-heartedly removed your make-up last night – coffee was the only thing you were focused on. Sweet sweet coffee, the only thing that was going to get to moving today.

But as you poured your first cup, the buzzer for your front door went, so you went to the intercom with a frown.

“Hello?” you asked hesitantly.

“Hey, it’s me. Can I come up?”

Jamie. Oh wow. What was he doing here at this time? You didn’t answer him, just bit your bottom lip as you pressed the buzzer to let him into the apartment building. There was no point in getting dressed or putting on make-up – he knew full well what you looked like at this time of day so he could deal with it. Well, that, and there was no time to do much anyway. All you did was scrub a little at the stubborn mascara, ensuring you looked a little less tragic and tear-streaked. By the time he was knocking on your front door, anxious butterflies had filled your stomach, but you let him in anyway, taking in his dishevelled appearance, wearing sweatpants and a tshirt that you knew he only wore when he was planning on lying around at home. So why was he wearing them out now?

“Thanks for letting me in,” Jamie murmured, closing the front door behind him.

“Why wouldn’t I?” you frowned.

Jamie winced, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “I wasn’t sure where we stood after last night,”

“Jamie…”

You trailed off, sighing, the nausea and frustration and desperation of last night flooding your body all over again. Jamie swallowed heavily, taking a step closer towards you, but you couldn’t produce any more words.

 “I didn’t want this to linger and fester, whatever it is. Whatever happened that set you off last night, whatever it was, I just…I wanted to make sure you were okay,” Jamie said sadly.

Any lingering anger or frustration you had fizzled away, and your shoulders slumped in defeat. Jamie frowned as your face crumpled, immediately stepping those final steps forward to pull you into his arms. That was all it took to make you start crying again, awful harrowing sobs into his chest, and Jamie cursed under his breath before holding you tighter, hand rubbing your back soothingly. It was like all the emotions that had hit you full force last night were resurging again now, full blast and agonising, and it was all you could do to bury your face into his tshirt, clutching at the material at the small of his back like an anchor.

You were lost, drowning in the hurt and misery you felt from those nasty words, and Jamie was the only thing keeping your head above water.

Eventually, somehow, your sobs softened down to sniffles, Jamie releasing his hold on you a little.

“Why don’t you take a shower, and then we can talk?” he said softly.

You just nodded miserably, bottom lip still trembling as Jamie gently guided you to the bathroom. You were exhausted – mentally and physically drained – and the only thing you really wanted to do was sleep. But Jamie was right, the two of you needed to talk. He turned on the shower for you, helping you out of your pyjamas, an oversized tshirt and short shorts, nothing sexual about his motions in the slightest. He just wanted to help, as he always did. Sweet gentle giant.

“I’ll be outside when you’re ready,” he murmured.

You mustered up a smile and nodded, letting him leave the bathroom before your smile dropped. You let the hot water pour down over your face and body, washing away the angst, the drama, the frustration, the sorrow. Things would get better, right? You’d get through this, right?

By the time you got out of the shower you felt a little less emotionally shaky, but still physically tired. It wasn’t like you could turn Jamie away now though. There was nothing else for it – you had to get back out there and face him. Luckily you’d left your dressing gown in the bathroom, so after drying yourself off and wrapping your hair in a towel, you threw on the dressing gown and headed into your bedroom…where Jamie was lounging on the bed, legs kicked up and back propped up by pillows.

“Don’t you look comfy,” you mused.

The smile he sent you in return, that beautiful big smile, made your stomach fizzle with butterflies.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, reaching a hand out towards you.

You instinctively took his offered hand in your own, smiling as he squeezed your fingers gently.

“Been better, been worse,” you shrugged, not wanting to lie.

Jamie’s smile dimmed to a frown. Here it goes…

“What happened last night? Everything was fine – or at least I thought it was?” he asked, confused.

Straight to it then.

“I don’t think you’re going to like it,” you hesitated.

Jamie’s squeezed your hand again, tugging to gently closer to him, until he could rest a hand on your waist.

“I just want to know what upset you so that I can make sure it doesn’t happen again in the future,” Jamie said earnestly, eyes wide and face serious.

Well damn. You sighed, taking a step backwards, earning a frown until you flipped your head upside down to quickly rough-dry your hair, making Jamie laugh softly. You flipped it back with a shrug and a small smile, dropping the damp towel to the floor – if you were going to bare your heart then you wanted to feel a little less ridiculous than with a towel wrapped on your head.

“It was nothing to do with you. Well, not directly? I was in the bathroom, about to exit the stall to wash my hands when these two girls came in. I stayed sitting in the stall because they sounded really drunk – loud and giggling and stumbling – and I didn’t think anything of it until they mentioned the Stars. So I continued to stay in the stall, and that’s when they started talking about you,”

“About me?” Jamie asked, confused.

You bit your lip briefly but nodded.

“Yeah, about you. How you never commit to any girl, to any relationship. How I’ll be out the door soon. How I’m nothing special. How you’d never change just because you’re with me for the moment,”

Jamie’s jaw dropped and he opened his mouth…but you shook your head, needing to finish.

“Everything they said hit me in my insecurities, Jamie. They made me feel like shit and start doubting everything, and I just needed to leave because I didn’t want to face anyone. And before I said something to you that I would regret. Then I went ahead and hurt you anyway, which only made me feel worse,”

There it was.

“Baby, you’ve got to know that nothing they said is true,” Jamie said gruffly, eyes shining.

Right.

“So you’ve been in a committed relationship before?” you snapped back.

You knew he hadn’t. You already knew that. So why did he say it?

“Well, no, that part’s true,” Jamie winced.

“Is that why you send me flowers, buy me gifts, shower me with compliments? Is that what you do? What you’ve done with all those other girls?”

As soon as those words left your mouth, you regretted saying them – but it was too late. Jamie’s jaw dropped, hurt flashing across his face just like last night, before he shook his head firmly. “No, I haven’t done any of that with any other girl,”

“You haven’t?” you asked dryly, folding your arms over your chest.

“No!” he insisted, “They were never worth it. Yeah, I used to sleep around a little. I’m not ashamed of that. It was fun and easy and I didn’t want the commitment when I was trying to cement a place for myself up on the team. But then I met you, and that all changed,”

You swallowed heavily, looking away from him as your eyes pricked with tears. You wanted to believe. You wanted to believe him so much. By looking away, you missed the way Jamie’s forehead creased with a hurt expression again, but you didn’t miss it as he stood up and moved to stand in front of you, so you had no choice but to look up at him.

“I know it sounds like I’m just saying these things, but it’s true. You can ask any of the guys. I’ve never felt like this before for any woman. I’ve never acted this way around another woman. You are so special to me – and I don’t want to go back to that life I had before I met you. This relationship we have is serious to me, and I don’t want to lose that because some jealous catty girls made you feel insecure about what we have between us,”

You couldn’t help but whimper at his soft words, chin quivering as you fought not to cry again, one hand coming up to cover your mouth. Jamie made a distressed noise, guiding you to sit down on the bed and kneeling down in front of you so you could see the anguish on his face too.

“I don’t know what else to do or say for you to believe me. I care about you so much, and I know that my track record doesn’t exactly help me out here, but you’re different. What we have is different. Please believe me,” Jamie said desperately.

The devastation in his voice filled your stomach with lead. He really was pouring his whole heart into this, wasn’t he? And what reason did you have not to believe him? Were you really going to throw away the best relationship you’d ever had just because of some gossipy girls in the bathroom of a bar?

“Okay,” you whispered.

“Okay?” he asked hopefully.

You swallowed heavily but nodded. “Okay, I believe you. I really want to believe you. So I’m going to try not to let my insecurity get the better of me,” you said, trying to sound as confident as you could.

The sheer relief on Jamie’s face made your heart beat a little faster. He leant his forehead against yours briefly, just long enough to inhale slowly, before he leant back, smiling the biggest smile you’ve ever seen, to which you could do nothing but smile back at him.

“I’m going to prove to you how much you mean to me,” Jamie said firmly.

“Jamie, no, I don’t need-”

“But maybe I do. Need to prove it, that is,” he interrupted, eyes wide but serious, “Maybe I need to do this for me,”

You bit your bottom lip but nodded. If that’s what he needs?

“Just don’t go crazy?” you winced.

Jamie laughed softly, but shook his head. “I won’t, I promise,”

Well that was something at least. He moved to sit next to you on the bed, hand lacing with yours again.

“Do you want to nap? Even just for another hour or so?” he said softly.

“Oh god, more than anything,” you groaned, nodding.

Jamie laughed, that beautiful smile back on his face, as he reached one arm back to tug his tshirt over his head. He stood up, pausing briefly, before he shoved his sweatpants to the ground, revealing himself to be wearing no underwear at all. He sat back down, eyes hesitant, cock soft against his thigh, completely bare and vulnerable to you, before he reached for your dressing gown sash. You stayed silent as he tugged it open, only moving to help him slip it off your body, leaving you just as bare as him. He smiled at you, ducking his head to give you the gentlest of kisses, before guiding the two of you under the covers.

“You’re everything to me, baby,” he murmured, hand rising to cup your face.

Your heart swelled with warmth and your eyes filled with tears, making Jamie frown until you captured his lips with a kiss, trying to pour your emotions into the embrace as your hands clutched at his shoulders.

“Hey, hey, ssh, it’s okay. We’re okay,” he mumbled between kisses.

You pulled away from him, inhaling shakily as you nodded.

“Hold me while we sleep?” you asked hopefully.

“Of course,” he said softly, smiling sweetly.

That smile was all you needed to reassure you as you turned over, letting him press his chest to your back and wrap his arms around you from behind. As you closed your eyes and relaxed, you felt him press soft absent-minded kisses to your neck, drifting off in the warmth of his hold.

*

Jamie sighed at the number of cars already at the training rink as he parked his car. He knew that his heavier-than-usual drinking at Kivi’s birthday two nights ago had raised some eyebrows, especially from the teammates who’d seen you leave early. Of course he was happier knowing that things were okay between the two of you again, but he didn’t relish the thought of explaining to anyone why you’d left, but if he knew his team (and he did, too well)

How people could be so cruel was beyond him.

He avoided meeting anyone’s eyes as he walked through the corridor maze to the locker room, just nodding at the few people getting changed when he dropped his bag on the floor. He could hear more people entering the room from wherever they’d been in the rink before he got there, but it wasn’t until Jamie was about to put his skates on that he heard someone clearing their throat next to him.

“Hey Riggy, got a minute?”

Jamie looked up at the sound of Tyler’s voice, raising an eyebrow as he noticed his Captain watching, along with Bish, Dickie and Pavs. Great.

“Sure,” Jamie said simply.

Tyler beamed at him and started walking out of the room, making Jamie sigh as he followed him into an empty trainer’s room. As soon as the door was closed, Jamie folded his arms over his chest, staring his teammate down.

“Is this an ordered interrogation?” Jamie asked bluntly.

Tyler just grinned, unperturbed. “Well it was either me by myself or a group intervention,” he shrugged.

Oof, no thank you. That would’ve been all kinds of awkward. Tyler laughed at the grimace on Jamie’s face, nudging Jamie with his shoulder until Jamie unfolded his arms. Tyler jerked his chin at a chair, indicating wordlessly for Jamie to sit down, so he did so, Tyler following his lead and sitting down too.

“You know we care about you,” Tyler started.

“Aww jeez Seggy,” Jamie groaned, interrupting.

Tyler just laughed, kicking out a foot at Jamie, toes lightly tapping his shin.

“I’m serious, man! You’re not normally a heavy drinker like that and we’re worried. I mean, I know that it had something to do with you and your girl, but she said she didn’t want to talk about it while I waited for her uber with her,”

“Thank you for making sure she was okay, by the way,” Jamie said, swallowing heavily.

Because he sure as hell hadn’t been able to himself.

“Yeah of course, Riggy. I care about her too, she’s a good person,” Tyler shrugged, smiling.

Jamie smiled back, appreciating Tyler’s candid caring nature even more.

“Are the two of you okay?” Tyler asked softly.

Jamie nodded, although he felt his smile dimming a little at the memory of how emotional yesterday had been.

“We spent yesterday talking, on and off. I went over really early in the morning to confront her. Not in an aggressive way, but like, to make sure she was okay and to ask her what happened? Well, she essentially had a breakdown and eventually told me why she left, and after we napped for a few hours, we just spent the day watching mindless tv in between talking more,” Jamie explained.

Tyler let out a sigh of relief, nodding, making Jamie smile slightly. The fact that his teammate cared so much about his relationship meant so much, especially with how close Tyler had grown with you in only a few months. To have that kind of support was so important to him – the team was like a second family, so it meant a lot to Jamie that they’d welcomed you with open arms.

“What happened? If you don’t mind me asking,” Tyler asked.

Jamie sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

He never commits.

She’ll be out soon.

She’s nothing special.

That isn’t going to change.

“She was in the bathroom and overheard some puck bunnies talking about how I never commit to a relationship and how she was nothing special so I’d be ending our relationship soon enough. How I would never change,” Jamie muttered.

Tyler groaned, wincing. “Shit, I can see why she was so upset,”

Jamie just nodded, frowning. “I understand why she left, really I do. But I just don’t know what I can do to help her. People are always going to talk, that’s a downside of a relationship like this. But I just…I like her so much. And I hate that she felt so insecure yesterday, especially since I think she’s incredible,”

“Look…I haven’t known her long, and especially not like you do, but what I do know, I get it. I can see why she would be anxious,” Tyler admitted.

“Why? How?” Jamie frowned.

How could you not see how amazing he thought you were?

“It may be a couple of months down the line for the two of you, but it’s still new too. New enough. And you did play around a little – not that there’s anything wrong with that, you were always clear in letting those girls know you didn’t want anything serious. Just like you’ve been clear with her how much she means to you. This is the first time she’s had something so direct in person. It’s just…cut her a little slack,” Tyler reminded him.

Jamie felt his heart sink but nodded. Tyler was right. Of course he was right. Just because it felt like it had been years already…it was still new. Wonderful and incredible and heartstopping, but new.

“I know, of course I will. I told her I’m going to prove to her how much she means to me, but I just don’t know how,” Jamie said seriously.

Tyler laughed, shaking his head. “You and your love language man,”

Jamie blushed but shrugged. He wasn’t ashamed of how much he enjoyed being able to buy gifts to show his affection – because it wasn’t just empty gestures. Whenever he bought something, it was out of love, and every little gift meant something to him.

“All I can say is combine what you love with what she loves. Can’t hurt to have a balance,” Tyler said, shrugging.

Then he laughed at the exasperated look on Jamie’s face.

“Don’t make things complicated. Stick with the classics, Riggy. You can’t go wrong with the classics,” Tyler grinned.

“Yeah, alright you make a good point,” Jamie conceded, nodding.

A fancy dinner? A fancy dinner in a fancy restaurant could work, right? Somewhere special, where he could show you how special you were���

“Alright I can see the cogs are turning. We’d better get back to practice though, before Cap comes after us himself,” Tyler mused.

Jamie grimaced, making Tyler cackle as he stood up. He accepted the wordless hug from Tyler without hesitation though, thumping him once on the back before the two of them left the room. He could only hope to get through practice smoothly – he had plans to sweep you off your feet to make.

*

From: Tyler

So I heard from a little birdie that Riggy is taking you out to The French Room tonight?

~

The French Room. Hah. When Jamie had told you he had reservations three days after your long heart to heart, your jaw had dropped. One of the top rated dining places in Downtown Dallas?! And he had reservations?! You were so glad he’d given you forewarning though, because it meant you were able to dress up to match the venue. This wasn’t just something you could guess for.

Because somewhere this opulent needed something a little fancier than usual.

Luckily, a couple of weeks back after that first game you attended as Jamie’s girlfriend, some of the spouses and partners had taken you out for a girls’ afternoon, a boozy lunch with shopping afterwards, and they’d convinced you to buy a gorgeous pale blue long-sleeved knee-length lace dress, much fancier than you would usually buy, just in case. Just in case was the occasion tonight.

Jamie’s jaw had even dropped when he picked you up, eyes roving over your body, so you’d take it as a win.

Walking into the restaurant had your heart beating so fast – even the ceilings, arched and grand as they were, took your breath away. Jamie just watched you with a smile, hand gentle on your back as the two of you were guided to your secluded table. Jamie gave the waiter your wine order before you’d even sat down, making you laugh softly at the pleased look on his face.

“Someone’s prepared,” you teased.

“Someone’s worth preparing for,” he shot back, winking.

Your cheeks flushed with heat, only making Jamie smile wider.

“You’re so beautiful,” Jamie murmured, eyes staring straight into your soul.

“Jamie!” you giggled, one hand covering your face in embarrassment.

He laughed, reaching over the table to tug your hand away from your face, linking your fingers with his as he rested your joined hands on the table.

“I mean it. Everyone’s jealous that I’m with the most beautiful woman in the room,” Jamie said simply.

“Oh you smooth talker,” you mused, cheeks still warm.

“I’m going to keep saying it until you believe me,” he shrugged, laughter in his eyes.

“Your wine?”

Saved by the bell. Or well, the waiter.

“A toast?” Jamie said, picking up his glass when the waiter had left you once more.

“Toast to what?” you asked, smiling as you picked up your wine glass too.

“A toast to us,” he said smoothly, “a toast to us and all there is to come,”

You bit your bottom lip to stop the stupid grin threatening to spread across your face, but could do nothing about the butterflies that filled your stomach. The warmth in his eyes as your glasses clinked together made your heartbeat pick up as always, and then there was that beautiful genuine smile…how could you have any chance of surviving that? This was everything you needed after that awful evening – just you and him and a special evening together. What more could you ask for?

Then his smile faded into the most serious expression you’d ever seen him wear, and you swallowed heavily, heart beating fast for all different reasons now.

“I know you have your reservations, your insecurities about us, especially after the other night. All I can do is try to remind you just how much I adore you, how important you are to me. I know you don’t need fancy gifts or extravagant dinners all the time, but tonight…tonight feels special to me,” Jamie said.

“It feels special to me too, Jamie,” you replied, a little hesitant, “But…”

“No buts. Unless it’s your butt,” Jamie mused.

You couldn’t help but laugh softly at his cheesy words, the nervous tension breaking a little, although you still felt a little trepidation as Jamie’s tongue darted out to wet his bottom lip. He only did that when he was nervous…

What did he have to be nervous about?

It was when he pulled a red box out of his pocket and passed it across the table to you that you got your answer.

Cartier. Holy shit.

“Jamie…”

You trailed off helplessly, only able to stare at the box in shock.

“Please, will you open it?” Jamie asked softly.

You bit your bottom lip but nodded, opening the lid with a shaky hand.

Inside was a delicate chain bracelet connecting to three overlapping rings, each a different colour of gold – rose gold, yellow gold and white gold. It was beautiful. The most beautiful thing anyone had ever given you. And Jamie had given it to you?

He cleared his throat, making you look back up at him.

“It’s called the sweet trinity. There was a whole blurb about it online, but, uh, from what I remember, the pink stands for love, yellow for fidelity and white for friendship. When I saw that, it makes so much sense to me - they are intertwined because you can’t have one without the other. Which is exactly how I feel about you,”

Your breath caught in your throat, your eyes pricking with tears and your mouth going dry. Holy shit. Holy shit.

Jamie saw the overwhelmed expression on your face and leaned forward, hand reaching out to hold yours, bringing your attention back to him.

“I saw the bracelet before the…event the other night. You can ask Tyler, I was with him. He teased me about being head over heels for you already. When I walked past that same Cartier store again today, I just followed my gut and went inside again – and there it was, still sitting on the cushion on display. It felt like fate,” Jamie said softly.

You inhaled sharply, looking down at the beautiful piece of jewellery again. Never had anyone bought you anything like this, never. And you didn’t want to know how much it cost – you could only imagine. For him to buy you something like this?

“I don’t know what to say,” you murmured, looking back up at him with wide eyes.

“Say you’ll wear it?” Jamie asked hopefully.

You laughed a little helplessly, cutting yourself off by biting your bottom lip. How could you ever turn down something that beautiful, when Jamie had thought about it just for you? When he’d gone back, followed his instincts, and still come to the same conclusion?

“Yeah, of course I will,” you nodded, smiling widely.

The answering smile that Jamie gave you filled your stomach with butterflies.

“Now?” he asked.

You just squeezed the hand that he was already holding, smile going a little shy as you flipped it over. “Will you help me put it on?”

Jamie inhaled sharply at the thin delicate skin of your wrist but nodded. “Yeah, yeah, if you want me to,”

You watched intently as he carefully took the bracelet out of the box, and your cheeks warmed at how gently he moved your wrist with his large hands, turning it just so to get the clasp done up properly. As the cool metal hit your skin, Jamie’s eyes widened, shifting a little darker as his tongue darted out to wet his bottom lip. Interesting.

“That looks amazing on you,” he murmured.

Huh. He really does like it.

You gently trailed a finger over the delicate chain, over the thin skin of your wrist, and Jamie inhaled sharply, making you grin. Maybe Tyler wasn’t wrong about this love language thing after all. Maybe it was exactly what Jamie needed.

“Maybe we should look at the menu?” you suggested, tilting your head slightly.

Jamie narrowed his eyes slightly at the teasing lilt in your voice, but smiled slowly, knowing that the obvious desire in his eyes made you squirm in the best way.

“Yes, good idea. The night has only just began after all,” Jamie smirked.

Well now there was a thought.

*

You woke up in Jamie’s bed the next morning with an ache between your thighs, early morning light peeking through the curtains, lengthening your body out in a luxurious stretch. Jamie was completely knocked out still beside you, and you couldn’t help but bury your face in your pillow to muffle your happy squeal. Last night had been amazing – not just because of the incredible gift Jamie had given you, but because of the feelings behind it. Jamie had shown his heart to you, and you had accepted it entirely. Anxiety and insecurity would never fully go away, but he had more than proven to you that he was committed to your relationship.

How could you be happier? Not only that but the food had been outstanding – Jamie’s eyes constantly flicking down to the jewellery on your wrist - and when the two of you had eventually returned back to Jamie’s home, well…he’d brought you to new heights over and over again, until you’d both collapsed in a blissful heap.

Things could only go up from here, right?

It was when you reached for your phone on the bedside table that you spotted the bracelet in its box again. Biting your lip, you snapped a quick picture and send it to Tyler, the previous night’s conversation above it.

~

From: Tyler

Whew that is a pretty little gift there.

I can’t believe he went back and bought it.

~

To: Tyler

Yeah he said that he’d seen it with you and you’d teased him about it.

~

Not that you had doubted Jamie at all, but it made your stomach fill with butterflies to see Tyler confirm his story without you even asking. Jamie was a man of his word – you could appreciate that.

Again, within seconds, Tyler responded.

~

From: Tyler

When do I not tease him?

The man is nuts about you, you know that.

~

His words put a smile on your face, and you glanced over your shoulder to the sleeping man in question beside you.

~

To: Tyler

Yeah I do know. I’m a lucky girl.

~

From: Tyler

Just as much as he is a lucky guy.

~

You snorted, shaking your head. Ridiculous man.

“What’s so funny?”

You jumped slightly at the rumbling voice beside you and put your phone down before rolling over to face your boyfriend.

“Oh nothing, it’s just Tyler,” you shrugged, propping your head up with your hand.

Jamie rolled his eyes fondly. “It is far too early for you to be texting Seggy when you should be snuggling up with me,”

“Oh should I?” you mused.

Jamie growled playfully, scooping his arms around you to tug you towards him, making you shriek and burst out laughing.

“You’re such a caveman,” you giggled, batting at his chest but making exactly zero moves to escape from his hold.

“If you’re naked in my bed, you shouldn’t be thinking of another man,” Jamie pouted.

And as much as you could tell he was joking, there was also a thread of vulnerability in his voice that made you pause for a moment, before smiling softly.

“For one, Tyler doesn’t know that I’m naked in your bed. I mean, I’m sure he can guess, but he doesn’t know. And two, I sent him a photo of the bracelet because we were talking about the date yesterday, and I wanted to tell him how wonderful you are,” you said simply.

Jamie bit his bottom lip, but he was unable to hide the grin that spread across his face. He pulled you even closer together, bare bodies fully pressed up against each other now, allowing you to thread your leg between his thick thighs where you were lying on your side facing him. It was…intimate without being intimate. It was perfect.

“Tell him how wonderful I am, hmm?” Jamie murmured, hand sliding around your waist.

You gasped softly as that large hand settled lightly on your ass, but you grinned.

“Mmhmm, and how lucky I am,”

“I’m the lucky one,” Jamie grinned back.

“That’s what Tyler said,” you nodded.

“Enough talking about Tyler,” Jamie grumbled, squeezing your ass firmly.

A desperate noise escaped your throat, a wave of heat rushing through your body at the claiming action, Jamie’s eyes going dark.

“Don’t stop,” you said, a little breathlessly.

Jamie groaned as if he couldn’t help himself, before he captured your mouth in a kiss.

*

The buzzer sounded and that was it.

That was the end of the Stars season.

Your heart felt like it was cracking, breaking right in two. Jamie had fought so hard throughout the months of the playoffs, given his blood, sweat, & tears in his desperation to win the cup. Hell, the whole team had. Another year, another chance slipping through their fingers. You couldn’t help but shed tears alongside the other spouses and partners and families in the box, all of you knowing how much this had meant to the men in your lives.

But now it was over, and you had to be there to help them pick up the pieces, to recover, and to come back even stronger. Like there was anywhere else you’d rather be.

The wait for Jamie to be able to leave was excruciating. All you wanted to do was to hold him in your arms, but he (and the rest of the team) had to go through media questions as well as their own team debrief, and by the time Jamie eventually appeared he looked exhausted.

Like, drained to the bone exhausted.

Without a word, Jamie passed you his car keys, linking your hands together as you left the arena. Jamie stayed silent the whole way home, during the drive and even after you’d walked in his front door, to the point where you couldn’t hide your worry on your face. What could you do here? How could you help him?

Jamie saw the concern on your face and just pressed a kiss to your forehead, before tugging you gently up the stairs to his bedroom. Silence. All silence. Deafening all-consuming silence that you had no idea what to do with but it was clear that this was all that your boyfriend could handle right now. So you would roll with it, give him what he needed, just be there for him. That part was easy at least.

He stayed silent as he stripped out of his clothes, staying in his underwear, so you followed his lead, thankful for the grateful smile he sent you. It was definitely a new feeling trying to read someone without any verbal prompts, but just the fact that you could tell what Jamie needed after only 6 months without him telling you felt good, like you were doing the right thing.

Jamie guided you into bed with him, waiting until you were settled on your back before he rolled mostly on top of you and buried his face into your neck.

Oh.

Oh Jamie.

You slid your arms around him, one hand rising to play with his messy curls, and you felt him let out a shaky breath, bringing tears to your eyes. This strong wonderful man was barely clinging to his composure and he trusted you to see him so vulnerable? That broke your heart all over again.

Time passed slowly, like wading through molasses, filled only with your fingers stroking Jamie’s curls and his shaky breathing, everything fading out until your world consisted of only the two of you. He needed you. He needed you. He needed you. And there was nowhere you would rather be.

Eventually, Jamie pressed a kiss to your neck, and lifted his head up to look at you.

“Thank you,” he murmured.

“What for?” you mused, cupping his bearded face with one hand.

“For being you. For supporting me. For making this suck less. Take your pick,” Jamie shrugged.

You laughed softly but curled your head down slightly to kiss him, just a soft slow kiss, before pulling away again. He still looked tired. Just so done with everything. And if you could help with that, even a little bit, then of course you were going to.

“I’m here for you, whatever you need,” was all you said.

“Hold me a little bit longer?” he asked hopefully.

As if you were going to say no to that. Instead of answering, you just pressed his head back down into your neck, earning a huffed laugh against your skin as well as a gentle kiss to the sensitive skin. You could feel his body relaxing finally, melting into yours, and you let your body do the same, the emotions of the day finally catching up with you. Just as you were starting to drift off, you felt Jamie kiss your neck again.

“I don’t really know what tomorrow is going to be like. Probably awful. But I’m glad I get to do it with you by my side,”

This man. This big beautiful tender-hearted man. How did he not realise how devastating he was to your heart?

“I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to be right here with you, as long as you want me,” you said softly, willing your voice not to crack.

Jamie hummed softly, pressing another kiss to your neck, before he buried his face back down. You cradled his head with your hand, squeezing the arm you had around his waist that little bit tighter. If he needed you to shield him from the world, to protect his head and his heart, then you absolutely would. He had always been there as a rock when you needed him, and there was nothing that could stop you from being the rock he needed in return now.

You didn’t know what this summer would bring, but you knew you would be right there by his side. The two of you had found each other out of nowhere, and there was no way you were losing him now. Jamie had your heart, just like you had his, and you couldn’t imagine your future without him. It had been a beautiful 6 months together – bring on tomorrow, and every day after that.

[jjmaydank]

Balance

summary: The group thought that after JJ got a girlfriend, she’d balance him out and drain some of his over energetic and sometimes reckless personality. However, you indulge in his antics just as much as he does. 

a/n: This came to me after listening to Queen of Disaster by Lana on repeat enjoy! Masterlist coming soon. 

cw: drinking, innuendos, and weed mention. 

‘No’ you mouth to JJ from across the room. He doesn’t say anything, instead takes a sip of his beer and lifts his eyebrows suggestively. He’s been eyeing the door for the past two minutes. 

You’d love to go back to your car or your place with him but you didn’t want to have the whole gang to know you guys skipped out to mack. 

“Y/N and I are leaving now” JJ announces standing up and reaching for your hand.

“Seriously you guys?” Pope says with annoyance. 

“No we’re not” you say, giving him a look that screams ‘stop’. He responds with a look that says ‘make me’. He steps closer to you, towering over you as you sit. He makes it so hard not to give in. 

Taking his hand and getting up, “We’re gonna go take a walk on the beach before heading home” you say trying to sound convincing. The group eyes you and JJ suspiciously but don’t press you guys further. Just as you think you’ve made it out of the clear, JJ speaks up again as you hold his hand pulling him out the door, 

“That’s code for we’ve gonna go f-“ he’s abruptly cut off by your hand covering his mouth. 

“That’s enough” you say with wide eyes.

“Even if we were it’s definitely not happening anymore tonight” you release your hand from his mouth and watch his expression turn into a defeated look. you wave for the both of you and immediately drag him out of the door. 

“are you serious about us not having sex tonight?” JJ finally speaks up again. You sigh and “no, it’s just the gang doesn’t need to know our business dude”. 

Unaware of how the group can still hear you guys from inside the house. 

-

Stumbling drunk as the party had begun to die down. If you were going to drink might as well do it to get wasted, you weren’t some grown adult woman who enjoyed the taste of wine. 

It would probably be embarrassing tomorrow to face Kie, Pope, and John B but at least you’d wake up next to JJ. 

‘Fuck’, you thought, ‘where’s JJ?” Your hands instinctively reach out to your sides for his familiar hand.

“Take me to J please. JJ. JJ Maybank. My boyfriend” in your head you sounded way more put together than how you actually sounded. Kie understood you though, “sit tight and I’ll go find him okay?” She said placing a hand on your shoulder as if to make sure you were going to stay seated. “No” you said standing up too quickly and stumbling to the side because grasping at kie’s arm. “Take me- take me with you” you plead, your red glossy eyes staring into hers. She sighed and put your arm around her shoulders and her other arm holding you by the waistline making you walk as straight as you could. you stumbled into John B’s place and almost tripped on the porch. 

As soon as you get inside though, you’re stumbling again and this time you actually break away from Kie’s grasp and fall to the side. The armrest of the couch breaks your fall but not before smashing against your forehead hard.

“Fuck” you yell out, voice muffled as your face is pressed against the floor. “Shit” is all Kie says before rushing to your side and pulling you up. The commotion in the living room draws the attention of John B and JJ who has been searching for a lighter in JJ’s unofficial room. They appear from out of the room and find you still on the floor but slowly getting up with Kie’s help. JJ immediately at your side and inspects you for any cuts of scratches. 

“Hey” you smile after sitting up enough to lean against the couch. “Was looking for you” you say using the palm of your hand to rub your temple where the couch had impacted you. John B and Kie have stood up and jumped into action by this point, going into the kitchen to grab an ice pack.

You stop rubbing your forehead and look up at JJ before pouting and asking “can you kiss it better?”. “Of course baby” he says planting a gentle kiss on your temple. “Anywhere else?” He quicks with a smirk on his face. You nod and point a finger at your right cheek. He shakes his head and kisses your cheek, and then pulls away again. This time you point to your lips and lean forward, he happily obliges. It was meant to be a quick peck but you immediately lean into him and rest your hands in his t-shirt, bunching up the material in your fist making sure you can hold him as close as possible as you kiss him passionately. He begins to move his hand from your shoulder down to your waist before John B enters the room again, 

“Guys come on” he says and JJ pulls away from you. He’s smiling sheepishly as John B hands him an ice pack for your injury. 

“Can’t resist” you say, directing it at Kie and John B with a smile on your face.

“We know” they say in unison. 

-

You’re finishing up grabbing lunch with Kie and heading back to her parked car. She’d been telling you about this surfer girl she had met over the weekend that really piqued her interested. You were happy for her, everyone seemed to be finding their significant other and you were just waiting for Pope to meet someone now. 

As Kie began to describe what she and the girl talked about, your phone rang and you politely held up a finger in her direction and answered, “hey JJ what’s up?”. “What are you doing right now?” He asked, you could hear some shuffling before you heard him lay onto a mattress. “I’m with Kie, everything good?” “Yeah just wondering if you wanted to-“ JJ was cut off as your phone slipped out of your hand and onto the floor of Kie’s car. “Wait babe repeat that I dropped you” you yelled so that he could hear you as you reached for your phone. “I was just calling to see if you wanted to have phone sex” he replied casually. You must have accidentally pressed the speaker when it fell and now you frantically moved in order to grab your phone. 

“Fuck JJ you were on speaker” you spoke into the phone and looked over to find Kie trying her best to suppress her laugh. You could feel your face heat up and you debated on what to say next before deciding, “call me in two hours” and hanging up. 

“Kinda wish I hadn’t heard that” Kie finally speaks up. You remove your head from your hands and look at her, “i really had no idea he was going to say that”.

- 

“All I’m saying is that robbing rich people isn’t wrong, it's like restoring balance,” JJ argues, removing his snapback to put it back on, backwards this time. 

“It’s too dangerous” Kie tries to explain, Pope and John B already agreeing with her. 

“Eh I don’t know, it could be fun?” You side with JJ. The day had been unfulfilling, you all could use an adventure. “You’re dating JJ, obviously you’re going to choose him” Pope says, gesturing between you and JJ. You scoff, “I am my own person, my opinion doesn’t rely on him” you reply. 

“Look how about this? We just check the place out, don’t do anything until we know it's risk-free?” you reason. The group doesn’t speak up and seem to be weighing the decision, you take this opportunity to glance at JJ and wink at him. 

“Fine, but only to check the place out” John B says with reluctance, tossing the keys to JJ. He catches them with ease as everyone begins to trickle out the door. 

“Shotgun” you call out, siding your sunglasses on as you make your way towards the passenger door. 

“No, no, no” Kie says, walking at your pace to try to beat you to the door. “Woah what why!” you reply speeding up to pass her. “Because anytime you two are up front, you’re just making eyes at each other and we have to listen to your music” Pope says getting settled in. “He's right” John B states and then shrugs. 

“You guys kiss at every red light, it's boring” Kie says fake gagging. 

“Oh I’m sorry, next time we’ll french to switch things up” You say, turning around to face Kie, Pope, and John B. All groaning, you turn around and reach to intertwine your hand with JJ’s. 

-

“When JJ isn’t here, it's my responsibility to look good and be reckless” You state before downing 3 vodka shots in a row. 

“He didn’t leave, he just went inside to grab more ice” John B says trying to stop you from taking a fourth shot. You swat his hand away but in the process slip the shot on the sand. “Fuck someone pour me another one before he gets back” you pout and look to your friends. 

“Before who gets back?” You hear from behind and see JJ waiting for your response. 

“Nobody. Did you find what you needed?” you say quickly attempting to change the topic. Although you had just taken the shots, your body begins to feel warm. It was the beer you had pre-gamed with mixing along with the vodka. “Nah I think I lost it” he says walking towards you. 

“I have one in my bag” you point him towards the direction of the bag, and allow him to search through your belongings. Finally, he fishes out a lighter. “When did you start smoking?” Pope questions. 

“I don’t” you simply state, taking a huge swing of the drink JJ had given you to hold. “I carry it for when JJ forgets or loses his” you say again, handing JJ back his cup. 

“Aw that’s kinda romantic” Kie says, the blunt she had split with a few others finally starting to take effect on her. 

“Yep, I’m the responsible one” you declare with a smile plastered on your face and the alcohol in your system causing you to slouch against JJ’s shoulder for support. 

“Says the one two drinks away from blacking out” JJ teases, swiping back the drink you had somehow taken out of his hand again. “You’re just afraid to drink like me, because you don’t want to admit I have a higher tolerance” you argue, lifting your head to face his and squinting your eyes towards him in a challenging manner. 

“Is that so?” he questions. “Yes” you say.

“Oh you’re on” He says, downing what was left of the cup and reaching to pour himself a shot. 

“Great we’re gonna have two passed out people we have to carry home” Kie sighs. 

a/n: Thanks for reading! I will post more soon, I have about 3 prompts waiting to be written in my notes app. 

[angelliev]

Halloween Special!🎃  Okay, Mista JJ💋

Summary: JJ & Aria make their own Halloween movie.

Warnings: Smut! Language! Intense Role-play  JJ exploding our ovaries with this GIF^

A/N: Hey guys! Happy Halloween to all of you cool boos and ghouls. I know I haven't been here for a while now. It’s been busy and chaotic these past few months with school, work, and moving. I’m still writing the Lover Boy series though, so tune in. This is a little flashback (Halloween Special), still part of the series though. I know I’ve said this more than a thousand times, but thank you for your support with the likes, comments and especially the reblogs. Words can’t even begin to describe how much I appreciate you guys! Stay safe out there my lovies, and stay spooky. Muhahaha.

"Trick or Treat!” The miniature voices hollered at John B’s front porch. The boys, all dressed up of course, happily handed the kids candy. JJ didn't hold back as he gave each of them handfuls. It’s a good thing a bough a shitload of candy bags with me. However, I think the parents think otherwise when they watched the candy fall into the children's bags. “Happy Halloween guys! Dope costumes by the way!” The kids smile and high five JJ. The pogues had decided on dressing up as DC Comic Characters. Pope is dressed as Batman, pairing with Kie who was pulling off a sexy Catwoman suit. Sarah shined bright in her Wonder Woman outfit with John B who is going as Superman. I decided to dress up as my favorite supervillain, Harley Quinn from Suicide Squad. I couldn't help but prance around giddily in the Quinn’s boots, wearing the Daddy’s Little monster shirt, the Property of The Joker jacket, Puddin choker, temporary tattoos, hair in pigtails in red and blue, sexy fishnets, and the seductive sparkly shorts. Both Kie and Sarah knew I was in for it when I walked out in the outfit. I was surprised JJ didn't take me right there on John B’s couch when I strutted out. Instead he licked his lips that were curled into a smirk and eyed me with those luscious blue eyes. He wasn't the only once aroused. My eyes couldn't rip away from the gold chain on his neck, and the temporary tattoos that littered his body. His white button up, had a few loose buttons, exposing his chest that I wanted to nip at so bad. He was even pulling off the green hair. 

The trick or treaters began to finally die down. A Halloween movie played outside, all of us were seated in lawn chairs. The pogues continued to talk away in an excited conversation about the movie when an idea popped in my head. I take out my phone and open up my messages. My fingers began to type away on the keypad, my bottom lip caught in between my teeth. I look up at JJ one last time before hitting send. I act fast by hitting record on the screen. His phone dings, resulting in him taking it out and opening up the message. He sips his beer as he reads the explicit text, making him choke on the alcohol. “You good?” Asked a concerned Pope. “Yea, just swallowed more than I thought.” (Michael Scott That's What She Said) I smirk before getting up and walking away, making sure to add an extra sway to my hips, knowing that JJ’s lustful predator eyes were watching, my panties already starting to pool. 

Aria lays on the bed, smoke passing through her lips, waiting patiently for her boyfriend to come, camera in hand recording as the weed relaxes her body. Like clockwork, JJ enters the room hastily, a smirk plastered on his face, and his eyes a shade darker. “I missed ya Mista J.” I say trying my best to perfect the voice. JJ just chuckles darkly. “What’s with the camera?” He asked bewildered. “Thought we make a movie puddin’. I know you like movies.” The statement seemed to excite him. I bet the hot blood is always rushing down south. “That I do babygirl. You're a naughty little girl though. Sending me such a dirty sext in front of my friends.” “What text would you be referring to?” I played dumb. “Maybe this will jog your memory?” He holds the phone up to the screen, displaying the provocative text. 

“Hey Mista J. Why don’t you rev up your Harley by filling her up with your hot puddin?”

Before I could even respond, JJ took the camera from my grasp, and pushing my hand down his pants, where it’s met with the naked bulge. “This what you want your daddy to fill your sweet little pussy up with?” If I wasn't already drenched before, I sure am now. “Yes, please daddy.”  

“That’s a good girl. Let’s warm you up first.” He places the camera before opening up the sock drawer taking out the gun. He makes sure to unload it, checking it multiple times. “Put those pretty lips to good use will ya?” The barrel of the gun ghosted 👻 my red painted lips smiling. “Okay Mista J.” I look up into the camera with such innocent eyes before wrapping said lips around the barrel. JJ slowly maneuvers the weapon in and out of my mouth, lubricating it. “Such pretty lips you've got. Can't wait to have them wrapped around my cock. You love milking your daddy's cock dry with that mouth don't ya?” I simply nod and hum. I could feel the juices begin to drip down my leg as my pussy throbs. The gun is snatched away from my lips, leaving me empty. 

“Go on babygirl. Show your daddy some love.” He encourages, as I unzip his pants, wasting no time pull down his boxers. His cock springs free, the cool air in the room. “K puddin’.” Those were the last words that left my mouth before my luscious lips slid down his rock hard shaft. I could feel each vein on my tongue as he throbbed in my mouth. A relieved sigh passed his lips when he was welcomed by the warmth his babygirl provided him. His hips rolled in sync, one hand on my head, while the other was making sure the camera was capturing every single detail of himself thrusting into the girl’s mouth. A smile was plastered on his face, when he looked down to see his babygirl gagging on his dick, which hit the back of her throat as she took all of him in, precious inch by inch. “Such a good job babe. I'm so close. Keep that mouth opened wide, I’m about to give you some of that hot puddin’ you asked for.” The eyes watered while he continued to deep throat my mouth, and I loved every single second of it. Watching his lustful beat red face as his breaths grew rapid. 

“Fuck! Damn! Shit!” His hips finally came to halt, his balls touching chin, and the tip of my nose met his base. A ginormous load of his hot cum pooled into my mouth and rushed down my throat, overflowing and dripping down my chin along with my tears that streamed down my cheeks. 

“Swallow.” He commanded before slipping his cock out through my now swollen lips. I gladly swallowed the creamy cum, savoring the taste as it slid down my throat. “Open wide.” I proudly display my tongue out flat to him as he catches his breath. “That’s a good girl. You deserve a reward.” His thumb presses against my lip before motioning me to stand up. “Clothes off. On the bed. Now.” He demands sinisterly, causing a spark of excitement and anticipation to ignite. I waste no time to strip away from the costume, leaving me completely naked in front of the camera. I crawl onto the bed, making sure that my ass was in full view. JJ’s hand collides with one of my ass cheeks, erupting a loud smack across the room, making me giggle and yelp. I flip myself over on the bed, legs spread wide revealing my aching pussy that glistened in the light. JJ whistled and brought the camera close up. “Mm, look at this pussy. It’s just aching and throbbing for me, just begging me to plunge into it. But first I want to taste you babygirl. After all, you deserve it. You’ve been such a good girl for daddy.” His hot breath fans my pussy for only a few seconds before pulling away and making me whimper. 

He places the camera down once more and digs through his drawers until he finds what he’s looking for, that being a pair of Harley Quinn fuzzy hand cuffs. I bought in the store the other day as a gag gift, looks like we’ll finally be using it. He quickly cuffs my wrist to the bed restraining me, before placing a sweet loving kiss on my lips. “I love you, my sweet Harley Quinn.” He whispers against my swollen lips. “I love you too Mista J.” He flashed a genuine smile, before blinding me with his black bandana that was tied in the back. 

Once again, I could feel his hot breath fan my heat, making me antsy. But once again, he came to halt. “The fuck is this?” He asked genuinely confused, as was  I. It was then I remembered about the large quartz that was nestled deep within my precious flower, which was now probably barely staying intact. JJ dips his ring cladded fingers, scooping out the mysterious object, earning a whimper. JJ held the large rosy pink egg shaped object in his now juice covered fingers that glistened along with her pussy. “It’s a yoni egg.” She stated. 

(Wtf is a yoni egg you ask? Long story short, it’s a crystal carved into the shape of an egg, typically rose quartz or jade, and is placed in the girl's honey pot. There’s a lot of health benefits it provides that I'm not going to take the time explaining so...just look it up. You can find it on Etsy. Anyways, back to the story!) 

He simply hums, before licking the juices off the yoni egg and his fingers. “Did you miss daddy's cock so much that you filled yourself up with this?” My head nods furiously. “Yes! I miss you so much. Please daddy, I need you!” I begged. He silences me with a finger on my lip. “Patience babygirl. I’ll make sure to give a proper fucking. But for now, I wanna taste you.” He silenced me once more by stuffing my drenched panties in my mouth. “We don't want our friends hearing us, at least not yet.” I don't need the blindfold to know that he’s smirking. I’m caught off guard when I feel a sudden foreign object invade my walls and his hot tongue placed on my sensitive clit. My delightful moans are muffed by my own panties, that I taste myself on. My whole body squirms underneath him as he continues his sweet sexual torture on me. I then realized that it was the gun that my walls were clenching around as it moved in and out of me. I could already feel the knot form within me, tempted to unravel, but Mista J had other plans for his Harley Quinn. 

He stopped just before I was about cum, much to my dismay. JJ positions the camera to face both of them, unbinding the girl from the bed and removing her gag, before flipping her over. With no warning, he plunges himself into me, making me scream. My velvet pussy swallows each inch of his girthy cock with my silk like juices. Giving me no time to adjust, he takes a hold of my hips with both of his hands before pounding away. His skin slapped loudly against mine with each rough inevitable thrust. I knew that my pornographic moans shook the whole chateau, like our movement was shaking the whole bed, due to the animalistic thrusts, making the headboard pound against the wall. “That’s right baby. Don’t you dare hold back those moans. I want the everyone to know who's fucking you good. I want them to know that the Joker and Harley Quinn run the Outer Banks baby. 

All of it was too much. I couldn't find the words to tell him that I was about to cum, but I was already consumed by the euphoric sensation that washed over me like waves. My mind went completely blank, my ears began to rang. I didn't even hear JJ moan out load as he reached his climax, I could only feel his seed filling me up and gushing out my pink pussy. 

“Don't fall asleep on me now babygirl. We’re making a movie, and we’re only 12 minutes in. We still have about an hour left and I’m looking forward to fucking you senseless.” I just smile lustfully, ready for a round two.

“Okay Mista J.”

[zeppelin-and-unicorns]

Black Peonies preview

A/N: This is the first chapter of the J/H soulmate AU fanfic I’ve been working on for a really long time. I do not plan on posting it on AO3 or ff.net for now, because I have yet to finish writing the last couple of chapters.

That being said, I hope you enjoy this sneak peek.

Trigger Warning: Explicit child abuse

Chapter one:

January, 1970

Steven Hyde walked through the dark streets of Point Place alone. Mr. Forman’s brother from Chicago got hurt, and the whole Forman clan went to see him for the weekend, which means that Hyde had nowhere to go.

He stayed with Kelso and Donna for a big chunk of the day, but Bob doesn’t like when Donna has boys over after it was dark out, so he and Kelso had to take off.

He walked Kelso to his home, because Hyde was not in a hurry to get to his own house. It was a Saturday, and Edna tends to go a little crazy on Saturdays, that’s why he would often sleep over at the Forman’s.

He was lucky Bob and Midge made them snacks too, because Edna rarely buys any food for the weekends. She tends to spend the little money they have on booze and drugs.

He spent as much time as possible walking around, trying to avoid going home to Edna, but there wasn’t much he could do, it was very cold outside, and he didn’t have a nice jacket to keep him warm, he needed to go home. It was trashy, but at least there was heat. He hoped Edna would be passed out by now, but he doubted, it was still early.

The minute he reached his block, he sighed. He could already hear the sounds of beer bottles clinking and the voices of his mom’s stoner friends, she definitely was not asleep, crap.

Someone threw a beer bottle at his direction, and the glass shattered all over the shitty pavement. He glanced at the direction the bottle came from, and saw his mother’s laughing figure sitting on the porch. Fucking fantastic.

“Home already, kiddo?” She asked, slurring with her words and blowing the smoke from the cigarette in her hand.

“It’s cold” He shrugged, and tried to get inside the house before his mother would start with her usual drunken ramblings, that usually ended up with her blaming him for her shitty life.

His mother grabbed his arm to stop him and he sighed in frustration.

“You couldn’t have stayed with your friend today?” She asked bitterly

“He’s outta town with his folks” He answered, hoping she would drop it and let him go to his room.

“It wasn’t enough for you to ruin my career, now you have to ruin my weekend too?” She said, puffing out another cloud of smoke

“Believe me, I wouldn’t be here if I had somewhere else to go” Hyde answered 

“Aren’t you a smartass?” Edna taunted him, and laughed slyly.

“I want to go inside, it’s cold” Hyde said simply, if he learned something from all of his 11 miserable years with Edna, is that there was no use in arguing with her.

“I know something that will warm you up in a second” She slurred out and laughed, forcefully grabbing his right hand on her bony fingers and putting out her cigarette on his skin.

He felt his skin burning and tried to pull his hand off her tight grip, the pain brought tears into his eyes and it was almost unbearable. But she held on tighter, pressing the burnt stub onto his skin as she laughed.

"Tears?" Edna mocked at the sight of Hyde's teary eyes "Aren't you supposed to be a tough guy?"

He held himself back. He wanted to tell her to fuck off so badly, but he knew better. If he did, he would have to spend the night wandering the streets, and he wasn't in the mood to freeze to death.

She flicked the bud onto the snow, and finally let go of his hand. The pain didn't go away though, in fact, it got worse. He thanked a God he wasn't so sure he believed in for making Wisconsin winters so cold. He would be able to hide the burn by wearing gloves and ease the pain by shoving his hand onto the snow that probably accumulated by his bedroom's dingy window.

Hyde glanced one last time at his stoned and drunk pathetic excuse of a mother and headed inside the house, holding his right hand on his left one.

Sometimes he wished the soulmate thing wasn't real. He doesn't like the thought of an innocent girl suffering all the pain his mother puts him through.

But he knew better, the universe never cared about his wishes, otherwise he would have a different mother. He just hoped that the girl who had the bad luck of being his soulmate had a strong support system or whatever, because his shitty reality isn't changing anytime soon.

Meanwhile, in Point Place's community theater…

10 year old Jackie anxiously tried to peek through the closed blinds, today was probably one of the most exciting days of her life, she was about to play on her first piano recital ever! She was trying her hardest to not be nervous, because she’s a Burkhart, and Burkhart’s excel on absolutely everything they do – according to her mother. She practiced every day for hours, she wanted to be perfect, because both of her parents promised they’d watch her play today.

“Miss Burkhart, it’s almost time, are you ready?”

“Yes I am, Mrs. Crawford! I have my sheet here with me – even though I don’t need it, just as a precaution” Jackie said excitedly, and her music teacher smiled

“You’re going to do great, Jackie” She said with a small smile “Go wait over there, you’re up next” 

Jackie nodded and went to wait where her teacher indicated. Her heart was beating so fast, and she couldn’t keep the smile off her face. She couldn’t wait to be praised by her parents.

They already missed her dance recital, and neither of them were there when she won the trophy for “Prettiest Ballerina”, but they promised they would attend her piano recital, that’s why she decided she would play one of the hardest songs, so she could impress them.

She knew none of her colleagues had the ability to play this song; most of them were playing “Fur Elise” or “Ode to Joy”. She wanted to be the best, so she chose “Clair de Lune” by Debussy, one of her father’s favorites songs. He likes to listen to it when he’s smoking his cigars, so she made sure to learn just to make him proud.

When she heard Mrs. Crawford calling her name, she’d put on her stage smile, the one her mother taught her so long ago. When she entered the stage, she glanced at the audience, trying to find the familiar faces of her parents. She didn’t see either of them, and she had to repress the urge to cry.

They bailed on her, again. They promised they would make it!

She took a deep breath and saw Martina’s familiar face. She was giving her a sad smile, and Jackie sighed. She likes Martina, but she would never fill the hole left by her mother. It’s not like Martina wants to be there anyways, she only went because she’s paid to do so.

Jackie quickly forced a smile and went to sit at the piano bench. If her parents didn’t want to be there, that’s their loss. There was a good amount of LOPP’s mothers there, she hoped they would tell her mother later how she played beautifully, and her mother better feel bad.

She stretched her fingers the way Mrs. Crawford taught her, and placed the music sheet on its proper place. The second her fingers touched the piano keys, she felt herself relaxing a bit, and when she started to play, she genuinely smiled. The first couple of minutes of the song went smoothly, some people even clapped when she mastered the transition from the slow part of the song to the slightly faster one.

Then she stopped playing, and not because the song was over.

Out of nowhere, she felt a blinding pain on her hand. She whimpered in pain and held her right hand with her left one, tears involuntarily falling from her eyes.

Mrs. Crawford quickly ran to see what was going on with her best student, and she sighed when she saw a black peony forming on the girl’s hand. 

“It’s burning, Mrs. Crawford” Jackie cried, and the older woman placed her hand on her shoulder.

“I know honey, you know what that means, right?” She said, and Jackie nodded.

That means that her soulmate was hurting. Again.

Last week Jackie got a new flower on her shoulder, and the week before that, she felt like someone was slapping her on her face.

Thank God that bruises on the face don’t leave flower marks, otherwise people would see her as a freak, because she feels like she’s being slapped or punched on at least once a week.

Mrs. Crawford guided her out of the stage, and made her sit on a small bench near the dressing rooms. Jackie carefully rubbed her hand, the pain was starting to subside a little, the black peony marking the exact place where it was hurting.

“Do you want to go back and start again, Jackie?” The woman gently asked, and Jackie shook her head.

All she wanted to do was go back home and pray for her soulmate to get the help he needs. She doesn’t know why he gets hurt so often, but she wanted it to stop. For both of their sakes.

[domesticblisss]

On the Second Floor

Jay White x Female Reader Rating: Mature (Minors DNI) Word Count: 1495 Warnings: Smut. Alcohol mention, PiV, oral (male receiving), mild degradation (a little name calling), (very, very) slight dom/sub undertones, public sex. Summary: Jay White takes an instant liking to the reader. A/N: First time writing anyone outside Timperium, hope it’s good. Also, I’m sorry in advance lmao.

You would think that after three months of moving to and living in Tokyo I would have gotten to know its nightlife and truth is, I haven’t. And it is not because I don’t want but I have been so tired that my friday nights consists of drinking plum wine while eating a TV dinner and falling asleep before 10pm. 

I have decided to change that this week and as of right now, I am dressed in the tightest and shortest dress I could find in my closet on my way to a club I can’t even remember the name of, but I trust Aika’s and Chie’s choices. 

Aika, Chie and I met on the magazine we work for, they were the first people to approach me, and we hit off instantly. 

“Can’t believe we finally got you to leave the house!” Aika exclaimed excitedly. 

“Well, I had to eventually. Can’t be living in such a beautiful country and just stay locked inside forever.”

“Trust me, you’re going to love this place.” Chie added, with a mysterious tone in her voice. 

There was a line to get inside when we arrived, with at least 20 people ahead of us. After a 10-minute wait, a black SUV stops right by our side, and five men come out from it. Tall, big, scary looking, handsome men. 

One of them stands out to me. He is the last one to get out of the car, tall, muscular, long black hair in a half bun and a beard. The beard is... a choice, but it makes him look very hot. 

He is not one bit sly when he looks at me, makes sure to stop right in front of me, looks me up and down and gives me the smallest smile, one that if I wasn’t paying enough attention, I would have missed it. 

He and his entourage make their way to the entrance of the club, he fist-bumps the bouncer and gets in without any trouble. 

Not three minutes later, the hostess comes up to us, asking to follow her and takes us inside. She sits us in a booth and says “Welcome, girls! All your orders are already paid for the night, feel free to ask for whatever you desire. Mr. White sends his regards.” she winks at me and leaves. 

“Mr. White?” I ask Aika and Chie, both of them with surprised looks on their faces. 

“Jay White? The leader of Bullet Cl–“ Aika is interrupted. 

“The rat looking dude that was eye fucking you outside.”

“Chie!”

“What? He was eye fucking her.”

“You know that is not what I meant.” Aika reprimanded her. “Anyway, do you know how lucky you are??? He comes here every single week, stays on the VIP lounge right there” she slyly points to a glass box room on the upper floor, directly in front of us, with a privileged view to our booth, “he never talks to anyone, he never leaves his booth. He comes here and stays there while his friends have their fun. Do you have any idea how many women has tried their way with him, and he doesn’t give a slight nod? Do you know how many women would kill to be where you are?” Aika looked at me excitedly. 

“Lucky me I guess.”

Chie was about to start talking again when a waitress arrived with a bottle of Dom Perignon. 

“A gift from Mr. White.” the bubbly waiters said as she set the bottle of champagne down and handed me a card. 

I thanked her and opened the card. 

“C’mon, what does it say?” Chie asked. 

“Meet me at the lounge in 10. They’ll let you in. -J”

“You’re going.” It was Aika’s turn now. 

“I guess?”

“No, I’m not asking, I’m telling you, you are going.”

“Fine! I am.” I finished my glass of champagne and went to the bathroom to retouch my make-up. 

Those few minutes I spent alone were enough to make my head go into overdrive. From the little I have heard from this guy, he seems to be on the verge of a breakdown. All I have ever heard was that he is rough, violent, and vicious, and apparently that was enough for my brain to stop working and for the rest of my body to act on its own will. 

It happened just like he said it would happen. I got the door of his lounge and the security guards let me in without questions. 

“Princess! You actually came!” he said, coming to greet me and took my hands in his. “I’m Jay and these are my friends, Gedo, Kenta, Tama and Chase.” they either nodded or waved at me. 

“Nice to meet you.”

“Well, introductions are over, and they are going to give us some privacy. Go on, lads.” he waited for the four of them to leave to keep going. “I gave you my name, but you never told me yours, princess.”

“Amy.” I lied. 

“Something tells me this is not your real name.”

“Well, it’s the one you’re getting.” I smiled sweetly at him. 

“Feisty! I like that!”

“What do you want from me, Mr. White?”

“Mr. White... you really know how to get a man to his knees, don’t you princess?” he said, his face so close to mine, his grey eyes boring into mine and a smirk on his slips, all while he gently caressed my hair. “I brought you here because I want you. I need to have you.” he whispered the last part in my ear. 

“And why should I do this?”

“Because I’m the champion, princess! Because I always get what I want.”

“I need something else.” I teased him. 

“Well, it really looks like you need get some and I am going to ruin you for every other man and woman that comes into your life.”

My body betrayed me, and I kissed him. A hard, teeth clashing, lip biting kiss. Jay is rough, heavy handed and loses no time in taking my dress off. 

“You’re perfect, aren’t you princess?” he said, taking his pants and underwear off in one swift move and sat down on the leather couch in the middle of the room. His length was already semi hard, precum leaking from it. 

“Beg, princess.” 

“Could I please suck your cock, Mr. White?”

“I need something better, princess.”

“Please, let me suck your cock, Mr. White. I need it.” I made sure to use my best pouty lips begging face. 

“There you go, princess. Go on. It’s all yours.”

His cock was big, long with an average girth. I licked a stripe from his balls to the tip, gathering saliva and spitting on it before swallowing what I could from him, my hands working on what I could take in. He took his hands to my hair, holding it into a ponytail and started moving his hips, surprisingly slow, making sure I wouldn’t gag. He pulled me off when he started to feel his orgasm coming, a long drool line still connecting us, to which he made the show of collecting and rubbing on my lips and left cheek. 

“You really are perfect, aren’t you, princess? I can’t finish this without you getting what you deserve. Get up!” he took my hand and guided me to the glass wall that secured his booth from the rest of the club. 

He pressed me against it, making a show of pulling my bra down and slowing getting his right hand inside of my panties. 

“Oh, you like being watched, don’t you?” I nodded. “Look, look how wet you are. My princess is a dirty little slut, isn’t she?”

I could only nod, moaning because of how his nimble fingers were touching my clit. He shoved my panties aside and slowly inserted himself, lifting my right leg so he could position himself better. He wasn’t as slow and soft as he was when he was face fucking me, his thrusts were deep, fast and rough, the fingers on my bundle of nerves following the same rhythm. 

“Jay, fuck. Please don’t stop.”

He turned me to him, snaking my legs around his waist. I held tight to his gold chain. 

“Jay, I’m–“

“I’m right there too princess, let go.”

3, 2, 1

My vision turned white, body trembling, all I could hear was his groans as he bit my shoulder and I felt both of mine and his arousal run down my legs. 

His maniacal laughter started, holding me tighter to him and helping me sit back down on the couch. 

“Do you want some water, princess?”

“Mhm.”

“You know,” he started as he made his way to the minibar “I actually liked it better when you called me Jay.”

“Okay, Jay.” I smiled at him, taking the water bottle from his hands. 

“So, next week, same place, same time?”

“Sure, of course.” I panted. 

Yeah, I was completely ruined.

[anarchyduck]

Peas in a Pod

Day 20 Alt Prompt: De-Aged 

(posted it on AO3 yesterday, forgot to post it here oops) AO3

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

“So let me get this straight,” - Tony massages his temple in effort to soothe his growing headache - “There was a wizard.”

“Yeah,” Ned nods. “And he was shooting off fireballs, like real fireballs, and it was awesome and kinda scary and-”

“Ned. Ned. Find the shortcut to the point. Because nothing explains” - Tony gestures towards the couch - “that.” 

Ned blushes with embarrassment and nods . “Right! Sorry, sir. So, uhm, Pete was fighting the wizard guy and he was doing really good! Was totally kicking his ass! And then the wizard like, shot him with some kind of purplish black energy ray stuff? Like it shot right out of his hands. Then the wizard was gone and Pete was… like this.” 

Tony eyes the kid on the couch. Same curly brown hair. Same doe brown eyes. It’s everything else that’s wrong. Peter is sixteen, a teenager, and this kid looks like he’s no more than five years old. 

As for Peter, well, he looks content watching videos on Ned’s phone. Some children’s cartoon about dogs or something, Tony didn’t quite catch it. But the kid likes it and he isn’t crying anymore so Tony counts that as a win. Judging from the confused state the kid was in upon arrival, it’s safe to assume Peter’s memories are wiped. Or, rather, memories of his life in the present day which is a problem in and of itself.  

“So,” Ned’s drawl catches his attention. “What are we going to do?”

Tony raises an eyebrow. “We?” he shakes his head. “No, no, you are going home.” 

“What about Peter?” 

Yeah Stark, what about Peter? 

“He’ll go with his aunt.” Tony says simply. Easy enough solution. 

“You mean you can’t like, fix him?” Ned asks. “What if he ends up staying like this forever?” 

Tony waves off the teen’s concerns. “He won’t.” he assures. “Whatever the wizard guy hit him with will probably wear off in a couple hours. Easy peasy.” After all, the kid couldn’t stay like this forever, could he? That is just absurd. 

----------

The effects don’t wear off. 

Two hours later and Peter is still a child. Ned is gone, reluctantly dragged out by Happy who also delivered clothes that fit the kid better so he’s no longer swimming in the Doctor Who shirt Tony assumed belonged to one of the boys. During that time, Tony contacts May to fill her in on what’s going on. The woman is stuck at work (“We’re incredibly short staffed today, it’s ridiculous.”) and unable to leave before her shift is over. 

It leaves Tony in charge of the kid which, while normally wouldn’t be an issue, he suddenly finds himself out of his depth. Teenagers, he can handle. No problem. They could be reasoned with. But small children? 

“Mr. Tony?” 

Tony jumps, spinning on hell with his hand pressed firmly against his heart. “Holy shit!” he gasps.

Peter flinches back, eyes wide and looking as startled as Tony feels. Then his bottom lip begins to quiver. 

“No no, don’t cry.” Tony says in a rush. “I didn’t mean to scare you, kid. You snuck up on me. Ought to put a bell on you someday.” 

That earns him a giggle which washes away the rising guilt. “Uncle Ben says that too.” Peter says. “Says I’m really good at sneaking.” 

“You are good at sneaking.” Tony affirms. “What are you doing down here anyway? Thought you were watching TV?” Least that’s where Tony left him. Kid was content with watching the cartoon with the dogs and he figured he could get some work done tracking down the wizard guy. 

“I was, but it’s over now.” Peter says dismissively, his eyes already wandering the workshop. Then he actually begins to wander. Tony watches him, contemplating on whether it’s a good idea to let a four year old wander his workshop. It isn’t exactly kid proof and if he knows anything about kids (which is very limited) it’s they like to touch everything. And put things in their mouths. 

“What’s that?” Peter asks and Tony leans to the side to look past the monitors and equipment to see what the boy is pointing at. 

“Oh that’s DUM-E.” 

The robot chirps in response, clicking it’s claw as it peers curiously at the boy. Tony takes a couple steps towards them, immediately thinking Peter might fear the robot. Much to his relief, the boy’s mouth is agape with wonder and eyes equally wide. 

“Wow!” he gasps. “Hi DUM-E. I’m Peter.” Peter reaches up to pet DUM-E’s extended arm, giggling as the robot chirps at him. “So is he a robot?”

“Yep. I made him.” 

“You made him?” Peter gives him the same look of wonder and amazement. “Wow. Are there other stuff you’ve made?” 

“I’ve made a lot of stuff.”

And so Tony gives the kid a proper tour of the workshop. Like his older self, Peter is sharp minded and incredibly smart. He asks questions Tony doesn’t think a four year old would know to ask and hangs onto every word Tony says. When he introduces Peter to FRIDAY, the kid is so ecstatic he can’t sit still. It warms his heart to know Peter keeps that same excitement as he aged. 

After the tour, Tony brings him into the kitchen to feed him a late lunch. The kid sits on the kitchen counter next to him, watching Tony’s every move. PB&J sandwiches are the easiest thing he can fix and turns out to be the kid’s favorite.

“So you’re a superhero?” Peter asks curiously. 

“Sometimes.” Tony replies as he spreads the peanut butter onto the bread. 

“Like Batman?” 

“Kiddo, I am way cooler and richer than Batman.”

Peter giggles and Tony thinks it might be the cutest goddamn thing he’s heard all day.

“My daddy is like you.” the kid says suddenly.

“Oh yeah? How so?” Tony asks, finding himself equally curious. He knows through his early research into Peter Parker that the boy’s parents are deceased. Father worked for OsCorp, mother worked for some type of law firm. Aside from the atrocious choice of working at OsCorp, both of them seemed relatively normal. 

“Because he makes stuff. B-But not robots like you do. He makes other stuff and-and he white wears a coat and he helps people.” Peter gives a long, wistful sigh then and adds, “I want my daddy and mommy.” 

Tony freezes, butter knife stuck in the jar of jelly. Quite suddenly he remembers something else about Peter’s parents. 

They both died in a plane crash. 

When Peter was four years old.

The man internally panics, mind going blank on what to do, what to say because what can you say? 

“Mr. Tony?” Peter’s little voice draws him from his internal crisis. He tilts his head, looking at him curiously and, dare Tony say it, concern. “Are you okay?” 

“Yeah.” Tony sniffs and finishes up the kid’s sandwich. “Yeah, totally fine kiddo. A-OK. So you want this cut up?”

“Yes.” Peter replies, apparently moved on from the incident. Yet, as Tony puts the knife to bread in order to cut, the kid shouts, “No! No no, not like that! You have’ta make the X.” 

“Huh?” Tony looks a little helplessly from the kid to the bread.

“The X!” Peter leans over and traces an X on the sandwich. “Like that!” 

Tony cuts it up according to the kid’s desire and it’s only then that he sees what the kid means. “Yeah, guess it does look like an X when you cut it, huh? Well, here you go kiddo. Eat up.” He slides the plate to the boy’s side. 

Peter takes a large bite and hums with approval as he chews. “‘Ood yob!” he says around his mouthful. It’s the additional thumbs up that makes Tony chuckle. He grabs a juice box from the fridge for the kid, something teenage Peter would have rolled his eyes and grumbled about. Toddler Peter says a polite ‘thank you’ and picks it up with fingers covered in grape jelly. 

He decides to capture the moment for May and pulls out his phone. “Heads up, kiddo.” he says and takes a picture. Peter is caught in a half smile, peanut butter smeared on the corner of his mouth. There’s a glob of jelly on his shirt that’s run down the image of Thor’s hammer. 

“I wanna see! I wanna see!” Peter instantly demands. 

Tony moves to stand next to him and flips the phone for the kid to see the picture. Peter grins and immediately reaches for the phone. “Uh uh, sticky fingers.” Tony says, which gets the kid giggling about being called ‘sticky fingers’. He moves the phone out of reach and sends the image off to May. 

“So,” Tony says. “What do you want to do after lunch? TV? Go play with DUM-E? Whatever that wannabe Merlin did to you took away your powers, or maybe just suppressed them. Maybe we ought to run some tests to figure that out.” 

On second thought, maybe not. Teenager Peter detests needles; he imagines little Peter hates them just as much. 

“DUM-E!” Peter says excitedly. 

“You’re going to spoil that bot, kid.” 

---

“Thank you so much, Happy.” May says as she steps into the Tower’s elevator. “You really didn’t have to pick me up. I could have drove.”

Happy directs FRIDAY to take them to the penthouse then shakes his head. “It’s no problem.” he says. “Boss wanted to make sure you got here quickly and with that guy who attacked Peter still running around-”

“Right.” May sighs. “Well, guess he could have done worse things than turn Peter younger. At least him and Tony seem to be hitting it off.” She smiles fondly as she recalls the image Tony sent her. She only hopes Peter has been good while they wait for her.

“Yeah, well, the kid’s grown on him.” 

“I feel a little jealous, honestly.” May admits. “Peter was so cute when he was little.” 

The elevator comes to a stop, the doors slide open to the entrance of the penthouse. It’s oddly quiet inside and the lights are dimmed. “Tony?” Happy calls out as he and May walk through the foyer into the living room. 

It looks like a tornado hit it. There are papers thrown about with childish drawings covering them. A sheet covers the kitchen table which has been pulled away from the dining area and there are mini marshmallows covering the floor with some sticking to the large windows that overlook the city. A device that looks like a mini catapult sits on top of the table next to a pile of marshmallows and markers. 

May follows the chaos, finding the TV on with the Incredibles playing on a low volume and both Tony and Peter fast asleep on the couch. Peter is still a toddler in every way May remembers, sleeping with his head on Tony’s chest. There are stickers on their faces and she spots marker smears not only on Peter’s arm but also on the hand that’s resting on Peter’s back. 

“Did you find-” Happy starts, quietened as May shushes him. He comes to her side, expression softening at the sight. “Least they kept each other busy.” he remarks. 

May nods in agreement as she pulls out her phone to take a quick picture of the two. “Like two peas in a pod.” 

[everybodyscupoftea]

the hangover part II

frat jj x reader

got a part 2 of the hangover requested and i figured it could be real fun

also jj would most definitely be a baby when hungover, don’t @ me

warnings: drinking, cursing

One of JJ’s frat brothers called you one afternoon right as you were getting off work to tell you that JJ had blacked out around 3 a.m. and had yet to wake up. Which, to be honest, you were tired from work and didn’t really want to deal with whiny, clingy, hungover JJ.

Stopping at your apartment, you mixed a bottle of BCAA’s and grabbed JJ’s favorite hoodie from your closet. When you got to the Sigma house, it was silent, which was unusual for this late in the day, and you were a little concerned when the door was unlocked.

As soon as you stepped inside the house, you understood. It positively reeked of alcohol and the amount of empty cans all over the floor was astounding, even compared to their normal parties. And for some inexplicable reason, they were all stuck together.

You found a garbage bag and cleared out the living area before going to the kitchen to start up a pot of coffee. While that made, you walked upstairs to check on JJ. Unsure of what you were going to find, you pushed open the door. Thankfully, it wasn’t too unusual.

JJ was fully starfished on the bed, one arm hanging off, and snoring, mouth wide open. It was so unattractive, but you couldn’t help but be endeared toward this man had somehow taken up a significant amount of space in your heart. 

You walked around close to his head and squatted down near it, running a hand through his hair. He stirred a little, pressing his head into your hand, groaning lowly.

“J, baby, you okay?”

“Hmm,” his eyelashes fluttered and he started shifting.

“Wake up, sweetheart, you gotta get up and get some food in you.”

“I can’t walk, baby, I’ve got polio,” he slurred out, eyes barely opened as he squinted at you.

You snorted, “Yeah, I’m sure you do.”

JJ sighed and rolled over onto his back, rubbing his eyes, “Fuck, my head is killing me.”

“How’s your stomach?” you asked, standing in case you needed to make a dash for his garbage can.

“Growling. Forgot to eat last night.”

You kicked your shoes off and crawled into the bed, letting him put his head in your lap. JJ hummed in contentment as you started scratching his scalp and playing with his hair.

“What all did you get up to last night?”

“Competition, one of the guys watched Paper Towns with his girl last week and got the idea of a beer can sword. Every can we drank we glued together and once all the packs were gone, we fought with them.”

You pressed the welt on his neck, “So that’s what this is from, huh?”

“Ouch, woman, that hurts,” he whined, pulling away from your touch.

Resuming playing with his hair, you asked, “Well, did you at least win?”

“Who do you think I am?” he responded with a scoff.”

Laughing, you reached over to the nightstand and grabbed the shaker cup. He scrunched his nose, “Nooo. You have nasty flavors.”

“Okay, so that’s why you regularly drink two scoops after the gym?”

He crossed his arms, “I have no other option.”

“Well, it’s the freedom ice ones, I know you like that one.”

With a loud, dramatic, drawn out sigh, JJ pushed himself up. He begrudgingly took the cup and started drinking. Both of you knew he’d feel better once he drank them and started to re-hydrate, but he was a baby when hungover and for some reason was determined to fight you on it.

It took him over an hour to get them down, complaining the whole time. 

“How many scoops did you put in here, this shit is potent.”

And, “You don’t have to watch me the whole time, I’m not a child.”

To which you replied, “I beg to differ because I distinctly remember you pouring some down the drain last time when I went to go get you some coffee.”

He pouted and took another sip. When he finally did finish, you were able to coax him out of the bed with the promise of breakfast and coffee. You could tell it was going to be one of those slow hangover days where he wouldn’t want to move much, content to stay in one spot all day.

Leading him to the bathroom, you brushed out his bedhead while he slowly brushed his teeth. He leaned into your careful hands, humming every so often when it felt good.

When you finished, he spit and sloppily wiped his mouth, totally missing a streak of toothpaste on his chin. You grabbed the towel and gently rubbed it off before rewarding him with a good morning kiss.

Before he could deepen it, you pulled away and grabbed his hand, “Let’s get some food in you, huh bub?”

JJ followed you wordlessly down the stairs and into the kitchen where he clumsily climbed onto a bar stool. You poured a bowl of cereal and popped some toast in.

“Mix?” he asked, resting his chin in the palm of his hand, blinking heavily.

“The only cereal you have is a froot loops, frosted flakes mix. I’m not entirely sure who decided this would be a good idea, but that’s what you’re getting.”

He nodded and you poured two cups of coffee, fixing them both with oat milk (your addition to the frat house fridge) and a little sugar. You slid him the bowl of cereal after adding milk and grabbed the two pieces of toast to butter. 

JJ took a sip of the coffee and left his head in one hand, leaning fully onto it while he ate. You climbed onto the stool next to him and linked one of your arms through the crook of the one he was balancing on, leaning into his side, to eat your toast.

It was nice, the natural light filtering in through the kitchen windows and the silent house. JJ was rarely this quiet and still, always fiddling with something or bouncing his knee, but the leftover alcohol in his blood slowed down everything and pretty much stilled all of his normally hyper movements.

When both of you finished eating, you put the mugs and bowl into the sink, making a mental note to do the dishes later before you left. JJ stood, clumsily, and wandered into the living room where he collapsed onto the couch and shut his eyes.

You joined him, laying in front of him, and he looped an arm around your torso, burying his face into the back of your neck. His fingers twisted into your t-shirt, and you removed them, lacing yours through them instead.

JJ hummed, again, before asking, “Wanna watch some Netflix?”

“Sure.”

He reached up and grabbed the remote from the arm of the couch to hand to you to pick something to watch. As you scrolled through, he tangled your legs together and pressed impossibly closer. You sighed, “Stay still, J.”

“Netflix and chill?” he leered, eyes half closed, behind you.

You rolled your eyes, “Yeah, okay, you let me know if you can even get it up, bub.”

He halfheartedly rolled his hips forward, “I can always get it up for you, baby.”

Pinching the skin on the back of his hand to stop him, you told him, half jokingly, “Come on, be a good boy and watch the show.”

JJ tickled your stomach for a few seconds before settling in, “Yes ma’am.”

After one episode, his breathing evened out, and he snored lightly into your neck, just like you knew he would. You leaned back into his body heat, a nap sounded great.

***

tagging: @girlsru1eboysdroo1​ @socialwriter​ @diverdcwn​ @stfukie​ @peypip​ @simpin4jj​

[themanicgalaxy]

SPN 7X4 Defending Your Life

I'm making an exception today, because I've figured out QUITE a bit about my own stress response

oh right the monster Dean killed

also to recap: my period has every sign of starting(including cramps) but nothing, I've been horribly nauseous all day, I feel a hunger response when I'm DEFINITELY not hungry(stress eating and it's the only thing that makes the nausea subside) and headache(altho that could be the lack of sleep). Also emotions all over the place(Crying, happy, very on the hat etc)

and the WORST part is I can NEVER tell until I have physical reactions. I can NEVER TELL WHAT MY EMOTIONS ARE WHAT DOES THAT MEAN I THOUGHT I WAS PERFECTLY OK OR NOT FEELING ANYTHING

ooo chase scene

gHOST CAR

ooo good segway into intro

that cut coping mechanism does NOT seem like it's healthy

mONSTER OF THE WEEK

oh COME ON HERE's THE LYING

the visuals are cool

"license to kill"

no come on sam that was a good one.

"dead and sober, dead and crappy" no Dean, please, you need to figure that out

ah yes tortured soul

FL OW ER SH O P

that was suspicious

oh

it's just because she's dead and dead at 10

oh

the CAr

"makes you wonder if the guy who was drunk ran her over" *drinks beer*

O H H H H H HSIDOFAHPAS

GHOST RIDER

at least I know they're nerds, whoever wrote this

is it manifesting their guilty conscience

aw but the dog is so fluffy

*lies down, bounces back up again* lmaooo

Dean is Tired

didn't they DEAL With a ghost car?

it's people that kept going?

DEAN IS RUNNING ON SO MUCH EMPTY AHAHAHA

A H CUZ HE DIDN'T SLEEP BECAUSE THE GIRL HE KILLED

that took me as second

"If I ate apples" DEAN

also they're really doing license plate shots above how Cool the Impala is shots now, lil thing

"you won't even believe me" ahaha

...courtroom?

fUCKING NEAL'S TAVERNNNN

we kind of specialize in crazy ahaaha

"except that's complete crap"

"everyone judges all day long"

He just..takes punishment?

ahahah N O P E GREY AREA

no this is way more watchable

SA M SOUNDS SO TIRED AHAHA

*whispers* "stay put"

he DOES look good though

ok fine just gonna tune out the flirting

they ARE both pretty

is it that guy

the creepy guy in the shadows

how much is in scotch I have no idea

ah the red, what people were clawing

THAT'S NOT HOW OSIRIS WORKS but fine ok let's go

THAT'S NOT

ok fine

"it hones in on people who feel guilty, N OW WHO DOES THAT SOUND LIKE TO YOU" oh boy literally both of them got it that was hilarious

this does seem like he's talking himself into a role

the salt...might not work for osiris

shit she really is pretty

AH RED SAND ok ok yeah I see it ok

a h egyptian shit

ALL YOU NOTICED WERE THE SYMBOLS LMAOOO

THAT DOOR SLIDE WAS SO FUNNY

He's cool though, I like the pagan shit

"Sam, you're not a lawyer" "yes I was pre law" "pre"

"good one" "I saw that on the good wife"

THIS IS HILARIOUS

J O

oh no

the mining itself sucks but this concept is good

took his breathing away?

It reads a bit as excusing them for everything

She backs them up at least?

I miss her

see here's the thing, it kinda reads like they're out of ideas, but like...it's a good concept

ah so the stuff at the beginning was them showing their guilt

I like how he just says "them's the breaks"

yeah like Dean is ever gonna believe he's innocent

"dog food" oh they so desperately wanna say dog shit

"they want to be judged" echoes Dean

SAM IS TALKING COMPLETELY OUT OF HIS ASS

HE'S GETTING HIM OUT OF HIS GUILT COMPLEX OH THANK GOD FINALLY

"that it just...blows"

no one, including Dean, ever questions it, so the grief stews

oh

he does actually have some way with words

Dean please tell the truth

mate I get the impulse but still

dammit

ahaha Temporary but Long Temporary

"make sure it's a sharp piece" lmaoo

man I miss Jo

ah here we go

sam: u h

JOOOO

"you deserve better" on both ends

Dean Eldest Daughter Syndrome

"hunters are never kids, I never was"

he does Internalize things

that's why we kin

90% crap

"i get rid of that what then" "you really wanna die not knowing" HOLY SHIT

HOLYSHIT OH MY GOD OH MYGOD

ah the gas stove

"he's making me do this" oH NO

"just kind of faded...maybe a little bit happier"

hell was Sam's slate? huh

"I kind of feel good, Dean" I am glad he's happy, I don't know if I agree with the message

1. SAMMM. Dean was acting off the shits, so he had to step up and exasperatedly handle everything, and piece stuff together. Like mans is actually quite smart and quite resourceful when he has to be, and it's nice seeing that. It's also fun FINALLY seeing him lighthearted again, even if I don't like how.

2. Dean's guilt complex. Man internalizes a lot of things, and while they BARELY make sense(thin veneer, easily cracked) he hides it enough so that no one asks(and he represses so he certainly doesn't), and he can continue feeling guilty. Now here's the thing. He feels guilty, Sam doesn't, the middle ground is where they should be(taking responsibility) and they like...never do it.

3. monster of the week. No but having monsters switch to grey instead of black and white, and having Dean comment on it is SO good, because he's like...that Masculine Parody/Ideal depending on who's writing him, and like he was written to be the hero. any gray was always overridden by that. But with kripke gone, they start actually doing grey, and there's nothing simple anymore. Like I like with how off the shits it got, they still kept the theme of "it's more grey now" but like kinda for real(where Dean and Osiris said the same thing). ALSO, I think it would be useful as a scale back. I know they'll not do it because EVEN BIGGER DBZ LAZER is fun, but I think having more monsters of the week by choice and not "oh god we have runtime" would be really good, because that's where this storyline SHINES! it's got a lot of characters, a lot of lore, and a lot of issues to pick through, a monster of the week is WAY more effective than a longer story, and would help the scaling back issue.

4. pontificating about the season/why it's easier to watch. Like is this season as good/vibey? probably not really, but honestly I can actually stand watching it. Like it's very cringe in places but also, it doesn't hurt me or make me feel uncomfortable as kripke stuff does. It matches the vibe of "after work/school show" perfectly for what it is.

5. the vibes/Osiris. I like the idea of osiris and going to the bars, and the courtroom and the RED! SAND!! I got that one. But I'd also like to say that Dean saying the SAME thing that osiris said was like...he's not villainized, but I think they're trying to make him slowly grow as a character. It's like sympathy/he sucks kinda/we like him for him a sa character and I think that was really neat.

also barkeep lady pretty holy hell

6. it felt a little bit like excusing tho. Like if Sam is the good one, then it felt like excusing them of the harm they cause people. I want them to change their behavior! not beat themselves up over it or think it's fine cuz he went to hell because of it!

I'm so glad Sam is happy again but N O

7. J O. the "no autonomy, he's making me do this," the being able to see through things(and no longer hungering for something that she doesn't really know) (like...she wants SOMETHING, has it crawling under her skin but doesn't know what, and that's gone when she's dead) and that whole thing where she asked Dean if he wanted to die as a persona. Oh my god.

8. Dean persona. Yeah the whole thing where he had to convince himself to be a womanizer, the "I"m 90% crap line" OH MY GODD THAT HIT. That man is also a persona. maybe a commentary on american masculinity in general, maybe not. Also, eldest daughter syndrome, he internalizes everything and everything is his responsibility("I didn't get a childhood")

I feel like you can also make an argument how trauma makes you the extreme of something(uncaring for smol sam, internalizing for Eldest Dean), and it breaks your ability to do what you need to(empathetically do your fucking job and not be pieces of shit).

I see why this show was so popular amongst mentally ill people(myself included) holy christ

[yodawgiherd]

Indecent Proposal

>>>Read on AO3<<<

Rating: T/M

Random thoughts go booom hahaha Another worthless drabble of mine....

Parties, now that was never Mikasa’s thing. High school ones were pain and college ones were not that much better. She would prefer to read a good book or something, but social standards demanded that she shows up to at least some. And Mikasa managed to survive them all, the crowning one surely being the party where she met Armin and Eren for the first time.

Unfortunately, her new boyfriend (damn that word felt weird) couldn’t make it to this one, because as a medical student he was quite literally swamped with schoolwork. But Armin did go, so Mikasa tagged along with Sasha, hoping to find at least some fun. And honestly, it was okay. The music was nice, the food (as Sasha claimed) was fine, and the drinks were plenty. Mikasa enjoyed herself – they played beer pong where she and Armin totally bodied the other pair, buzzed from the game she even danced to the music, swaying in rhythm. To top it off, she took part in a game of truth and dare and ended up kissing Sasha, to the great enjoyment of every male in attendance.

Even now, sitting on a couch and resting her legs because strutting around in her heavy boots was taxing,  a half-empty drink in her hand, Mikasa was enjoying this. Sasha was sprawled on the floor in a food-induced coma, Armin drank too much and was out cold in the bathroom. The party was ending, slowly but surely, people were leaving either alone or in pairs, and Mikasa was just thinking about waking her friends up when an unfamiliar figure sat down next to her.

“Hey there,” the guy said, “Liking the party?”

“Yeah, It’s fine, a bit dying though.”

He smirked, his eyes roving all over her body. Mikasa was not dressed provocatively in any way, and compared to the other party-goers she was definitely on the modest scale – her outfit was the usual long black top and skirt combo, black tights, and her trademark leather boots. Choker, necklaces, earrings, piercings, and rings on her fingers, Mikasa was in her comfort clothing, but apparently it was still attractive enough to be hit on. She might have been drunk, but his next words made that quite clear.

“It pains me to see such a beautiful girl on her own... Want some company?”

Mikasa almost told him to fuck off, her usual defense system, but then a thought popped up in her head. She had a brand new reason not to let herself be fucked randomly at a party.

“I have a boyfriend.”, she said sweetly, her black lips curled into a smile.

She, in her naivety, thought that it would be enough. Bzzz, wrong.

“Well, he’s not here now, is he?”, the guy shuffled closer, “But I am…”

Now that they were up close and personal, he studied her face more intently, obviously enjoying what he saw.

“Damn but you are so beautiful,”, he reached out, his hand coming dangerously close to Mikasa’s cheek, “Can I just…”

Too close. Too fucking close. Quick as a viper, Mikasa caught his hand before it could reach her skin, twisting it away. The entranced look quickly changed into one of surprise and pain when she kept pulling until he was forced from the couch and down to his knees.

“Don’t touch me.”, she whispered in that quiet voice that Sasha claimed sent shivers down her spine.

“Hey! Easy there!”, surprised that she subdued him so quickly, he tried to free his hand but to no avail, “I didn’t mean anything by it!”

Remembering that the last time she broke a boy’s hand for touching her caused all kinds of trouble, and also realizing that it was way out of line, Mikasa let go. He shook his hand, grimaced at the pain, and stood up, looking at her with a new measure of respect, a bit of fear sprinkled in.

“I’m sorry, okay? It’s not like I wanted to hurt you…”

He was right, of course, this was a college party, people came here to touch each other. But just the thought made Mikasa sick to her stomach, even more vile now when she was dating someone. She was… claimed? Was that a word?

In her defense, she told him so, and yet he still tried going for her, so Mikasa offered no apologies on her part. Instead, she frowned at the guy, showing that this exchange was over. Luckily for him, he understood.

“Fine, have it your way.”, he turned and left, but Mikasa caught what left his lips when he shook his wrist, “Freakishly strong…”

Suddenly not enjoying the party that much anymore, Mikasa woke Sasha up and collected the shitfaced Armin from the bathroom. As she was helping him down the stairs, she saw the guy who approached her currently engaged with another girl. Mikasa’s refusal did nothing to shake him because he was going to town. Their lips were glued together while one of her legs was wrapped around his waist, his hand sliding up the exposed thigh and under her dress. Ignoring the scene, she pushed past with Armin on her shoulder and Sasha behind, so she didn’t see the smug look he threw at her back.

After parking Sasha in their dorm room, she helped Armin walk through the silent campus to his. Letting herself in with the blond’s keys she took off his shoes and deposited him to the bed, looking over her friend. He looked fine, even passed out, so Mikasa marked her escort mission as complete. But just as she was about to leave and head back to her and Sasha’s place, her eyes wandered to the closed door of Eren’s room. It was late, so one could assume that he was sleeping, most likely exhausted from school.

Still… she wanted to see him.

It was most definitely caused by the party – the alcohol made her bold and all the groping and kissing she saw made Mikasa crave some for herself. She and Eren were still at the beginning of their relationship, a bit over two weeks since their short breakup, and after that outburst he respected her boundaries perfectly, even more than before. And yet her feet carried Mikasa to his door, opening it and slipping inside, silent as a ghost.

It was dark, but from the moonlight she could recognize Eren’s body on the bed, motionless peaceful mass. That was bound the change because the dorm bed was not big and when Mikasa slipped under the covers she had to rest half of her body on his chest, otherwise she would fall. Tucked beneath his chin, arms wrapped around the expanding and collapsing chest, she felt him slowly stir into wakefulness. Eren’s nostrils flared as he took a deep breath, his dreams invaded by Mikasa’s pleasant scent. Soon after his eyes fluttered open and now he was gazing down at her body, pressed so closely against his. Okay, he thought to himself, that’s one thing to wake up to.

“Mikasa?”, he tried carefully, unsure what to make of this.

Honestly, he was scared shitless that Mikasa might regret this in the morning and leave him again, that short period of not having her in his life was not enjoyable at all. He had to defuse the situation carefully.

“Yeeees?”, she drawled from beneath him, her voice uncharacteristically sultry.

“What are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing?”

Pulling back to get a good look at her face, Eren took in the ruddy cheeks and shiny eyes, his brain finally remembering that she was at a party.

“You’re drunk.”

“I think so.”, she confessed, “Why are you asking?”

“Just making sure. Now let me repeat, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at your dorm?”

“I don’t want to, I want to be here with you.”, her hands slid over his chest, coming up to cup Eren’s head, “What do you want us to do?”

God damn it this was hard. He wanted her, with every part of his being, he wanted her so much. Mikasa was quite literally the most beautiful woman he ever saw and having her here in the bed with him, so freely offering herself, was a trial by fire.

But.

She was not thinking straight. She was drunk. They would both regret this in the morning. No, he would not betray her trust like this. He was not a monster.

“Look, you are intoxicated, so let’s not do something we would be sorry about.”, he stroked her cheek gently, “Okay?”

Mikasa took a shuddering breath, blinked a few times, and then it finally seemed to click for her. Her sexy expression got replaced by an embarrassed one, cheeks growing even redder.

“Sorry I…”, she began, but Eren didn’t mean to torment her.

“You can sleep here if you want.”, he offered.

Seeing her nod, he smiled.

“Let me help you out of the clothes,”, realizing what he said, his ears grew red to match hers, “J-Just so you are comfortable, of course.”

With a switch that turned on the light, Eren made Mikasa sit on the bed as he unzipped her skirt, helping her slide that fabric down her hips. After that his hands went to her tights, and despite their conversation Mikasa found herself enjoying his gentle touches. Closing her eyes and biting her bottom lip, she imagined what it would be if Eren’s hands weren’t careful but rough, if he yanked that offending fabric away in a heat of passion instead of this. Her mind filled with the images from the party, she would like to know how Eren’s hands would feel on her skin if he touched her there and…

“You okay?”, came his voice, making her eyes open, “You looked spaced out a second.”

“I’m fine, good.”, she stood up abruptly, now dressed only in her shirt and panties, “Need to use the bathroom first.”

Once there Mikasa made sure to remove her make-up as much as she could, as Eren would probably not appreciate having his bedding stained by dark colors. Taking out her earrings and necklaces, she cluttered them to a bowl alongside the rings. Finally, she unclasped her bra and choker and looked at herself in the mirror, the pale reflection staring back.  The pink dusting was still present on her cheeks, and Mikasa blushed even harder when she realized that she almost made a huge mistake. Her intimacy was still an unbreached territory and having a shot at it while being drunk was not something she wanted. So after coming back and crawling into the bed with Eren, she made sure to kiss him softly, murmuring a quick thank you.

He just chuckled, stroking her hip gently. And here, tucked into his body, Mikasa fell asleep happily.

Parties, now that was never Mikasa’s thing. High school ones sucked, college ones weren’t much better but hey, she met her fiancé at one of them. Now, a full-fledged adult, Mikasa was still required to attend some, because her job simply came with that.

It was customary to have a celebration when they wrapped a photoshoot, and because she was the leading girl for this collection it would be an insult not to show up. Unfortunately, Eren was busy with hospital work, so after toying with the idea of inviting Levi as her plus one Mikasa took Sasha. The girl was ecstatic, very quickly wheeling her way to the food table and getting busy there.

Watching her with a faint smile, Mikasa had to admit that she was growing fond of parties lately. The ones she had with her friends at the Third Wheel were amazing, and she thoroughly enjoyed them all. But this, being thrown into an unknown environment, was something else altogether. Sure, she knew some people here. She knew Kiyomi, Dot, and the girls she worked with, but that was still a small number compared to everyone. Hizuru was a big company, and when it threw a party it was an equally grand one.

So here she was, stuffed into a black strapless dress and those pretty high heels that Eren got for her. To annoy her boss Mikasa took her time and painted her face with the usual black makeup, even picked a choker to adorn her neck. It didn’t sit well with the overall vibe, but she liked it, too bad.

Her moment of observing wild Sasha Braus in its natural habitat was interrupted when a voice spoke up behind her.

“That’s an impressive tattoo you have.”

Oh, did she get noticed by a fellow tattoo enthusiast? Excited for a second she turned but her fantasy was quickly debunked when the man’s eyes immediately dipped into her cleavage. Nevermind.

“Why thank you.”, she replied with the sweetest smile she could muster, “It's a matching one with my fiancé.”

Mikasa put a special emphasis on that word, hoping that he will take the hint. And, once again, was left disappointed.

“Well, he’s not here now, is he?”

And he stepped closer, entering Mikasa’s safe space. She could tell him off, use her usual ice voice, but no, she was feeling extra bitchy tonight. Maybe it was because of the party, maybe because this asshole used the exact same words as that one from years back, but Mikasa was ready to play with him. She was tipsy, but alcohol didn’t make her more open to advances, it did the exact opposite. When drunk, Mikasa got even more territorial than usual.

“All right, fine, I’m game.”, she leaned forward with feigned interest, making his eyes slide down to her chest, “What do you have for me?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you want me to cheat on my fiancé right? So why should I? What do you offer?”

“Oh baby, you have no idea.”, luckily for him he didn’t touch her, but his voice dropped low into a heated whisper, “I can make you feel so good that you will be screaming my name. And that boyfriend of yours? He will never know….”

“How?”

“How what?”

“How will you make me scream your name?”, she met his confused gaze with her unimpressed one, “Elaborate, please.”

“Uh… I mean…. I can do you really, really good and…”

“So that’s it? Simple sex?”

“I’d have no objection if you sucked me off first,”, his cocky smile was annoying and she could almost physically feel her woman parts locking, “If you are into that.”

If she was into that? Ooh, he had no idea what Mikasa is into. And it was high time to let him know.

“That’s a tempting offer, but I have a better one.”, she was the one whispering now, “What If I fucked you instead?”

He blinked a few times, eyes widening.

“What are you talking about?”

“I have a few toys that I like using, so why don’t we go and give them a spin.”, Mikasa was devouring him with her gaze now, “And that’s not all I offer. If you take me well enough, like the little bitch you are, I will let you worship me with your mouth. How is that?”

The man stumbled backward, shaking his head violently.

“N-No… I Don’t… I…”

Mikasa’s gaze was cool as she regarded him.

“What? Can’t talk? Then bark, dog.”

That was enough to give him the voice back.

“God, you’re crazy. I’m out of here.”

And he was indeed gone, passing Sasha who was just wheeling herself back with a tray full of food.

“Who was that?”, she asked, mouth full of pastry.

“No one.”, Mikasa reached over, grabbing a treat herself, “No one important.”

Fine, so even these parties like these could be fun.

Eren was still awake when Mikasa came home, waiting for her. It wouldn’t be fair to say that he had trouble sleeping alone, but he strongly preferred having her in the bed with him. What he didn’t know was that sleeping was not very high on Mikasa’s agenda, and when he stood up to say hi he was very quickly planted back on the couch with his goth girlfriend viciously attacking his mouth.

“How was the party?”, he managed to ask between the kisses, a feat worthy of respect.

“Fine.”, she responded, fingers tugging at his shirt.

Soon it was gone and she was free to splay her fingers on the warm naked skin.

“Are we doing something that we will both regret in the morning?”

“You bet.”, she giggled, and then her mouth was busy with kissing again.

And it went on and on until Eren was naked but Mikasa was still fully clothed, yet when he tried tugging the zipper of her dress down she denied him. She flipped them over, pushing Eren until he was standing in front of the couch with a raised eyebrow. All Mikasa offered was a single word.

“Kneel.”

He did so immediately, frowning a bit when he realized how quickly his body obeyed. Pleased by that, Mikasa put her legs on his shoulders, continuing in her instructions.

“Take off my panties, but nothing else. And use your mouth to do it.”

Eren did so, completely under her spell. Reaching over, Mikasa tangled her fingers in his hair.

“Do you want to worship me?”

His answer was immediate and automatic at this point.

“Yes please.”

A smirk on her black lips.

“Good boy.”

Lightly she pushed and he went more than willingly, head disappearing beneath the hem of her dress. And when his mouth truly went to work and Mikasa’s lips dropped open in a moan, her mind had a last coherent thought.

There was no way she would ever trade this guy for someone else.

[shaymcsudonim]

Black Clover as a Deconstruction of the Shonen Heroes Journey

(Readmore break isn’t working for me. Will try to fix later. Press J to skip.)

So, most people have noticed this pattern in Black Clover...

...and, to be fair, so did I, when I first started watching. 

I saw the first five or six episodes, went, ‘tHiS iS wIzArD nArUtO,’ then didn’t watch any more for months, until I finally got bored enough to watch the rest for laughs. 

And then, of course, I got blown away by the genuine bonds of affection and respect between the characters.

(also, I eventually got used to Asta’s yelling, so that helped).

But, until you put in the time investment, you don’t put the dots together that Black Clover is actually a deconstruction of the Shonen Manga Heroes Journey. 

You can see pieces of it in Patri and the Cult of Personality he that built in the Eye of the Midnight Sun. 

Though, admittedly, it’s less obvious in Fana, Rhya, and Vetto, who are all blinded by grief to the point where they’ve all but lost any compassion they originally possessed. 

Indeed, the entire point of them in the first arc is that they’ve been traumatized enough to invert their personalities completely.

No, this extreme devotion to a single figurehead was best demonstrated in the three main humans in the Eye of the Midnight Sun: Sally, Valtos, and Rades. 

The three of them demonstrated fanatical loyalty to Patri: Valtos because he saved him, Sally because he allows her to pursue her passions, and Rades I’m pretty sure it was just because Patri gave him the opportunity to use his magic freely. 

This ‘cult of personality’ tactic, of course, is one very often employed by Shonen Protagonists, because it’s much easier than showing the character development necessary to turn an enemy into a genuine ally. 

And, while I was committed to seeing the show through unless it got really stupid, there was also a sense. of, ‘oh, now the darkness starts’ when Patri sacrificed his three human followers to further his own plans. That this cold-blooded sacrifice was a part of the plan all along. 

Honestly, I think the first place I truly started to have faith in Tabata’s writing was when Rades resurrected himself, Valtos, and Sally. The pieces had all been there from the start. We all knew that his magic was zombie magic. 

But It was also patently obvious that those three were sacrificed to demonstrate Patri’s assholeish nature to the audience, and reduce the number of characters, making the logistics of the upcoming fights simpler. So, while I wasn’t happy about the gratuitous death, I had accepted it.

But then Rades said, ‘no, I am the hero of my own story, and my story is about revenge,’ and I cannot tell you how wide I smiled. It wasn’t just Rades saying that, it was Tabata saying that he values his side characters, even the minor 1st arc villains. 

Then there’s the Zogratis siblings, the fact that they’re siblings, in the truest sense of the word. They fight together, they rule together, they’re more than capable of executing a multi-pronged attack which must have required extensive planning and teamwork. Even Zenon, the coldest of the three, goes to check on Dante, and saves him from the Black Bulls. 

Though we’ve yet to get the full picture, they even seem to have good relationships with their devils. Zenon’s a brick wall, of course, but Dante and Lucifero clearly talk to each other, and Megicula and Vanica openly express affection for one another. From what we’ve seen so far, the Zogratis siblings seem to, at the bare minimum, respect each other and the devils that they host. 

They’re still blood knights who would cause the apocalypse for the sake of finding strong opponents, yeah, but wanting ‘to fight strong opponents and help my friends’ has been the primary motive of many an anime protagonist. It just usually gets tempered by common sense and/or compassion.

So, with the major villains at least, they exemplify many of the virtues often given to anime protagonists. Not to say that they don’t have flaws, but their flaws are not those of the typical villain.

In contrast, many of the Heroes in Black Clover possess attributes normally seen in villains. 

Consider the Black Bulls: Asta, the Freak of Nature; Noelle the Unfavorite Noble Child; Magna, the Thug; Luck, the Blood Knight; Gauche, the Sexual Deviant; Vanessa, the Drunk; Finral, the Womanizer; Grey, the Shapeshifter; Charmy, the Glutton; Gordon, the Creepy Guy; Zora, the Avenger; Henry the Vampire. 

(Also Nacht, the Summoner, though the jury’s still out on him)

Asta’s comrades are all people who easily could have been villains, whether through their powers, their personalities, or simply their trauma.

But they weren’t. And this is at least partly due to another aspect of the series that I admire. 

Everyone is special.

[ID: Emmet from the Lego Move next to a quote reading, “You don’t have to be the bad guy. You are the most TALENTED, most INTERESTING, and most EXTRAORDINARY person in the universe. AND YOU ARE CAPABLE OF AMAZING THINGS. because you are the Special. And so am I. And so is everyone. The prophecy is made up, but it’s also true. It’s about all of us. Right now, it’s about you. And you can still change everything.” end ID]

That is to say, the villains aren’t the only ones to have aspects attributed to the typical shonen protagonist. And neither is Asta, as it turns out. He gets determination, resilience, and compassion, of course, but he’s far from the only one. 

In fact, his journey is made far easier by the ‘compassionate protagonists’ who came before him.

Starting as far back as we can in the timeline, we’re left with the Clover Nobles and their xenocide against the elves. Evil, tragic, and it should have never happened. Not to mention, it allowed the Nobles to hoard resources in the form of stolen mana, which they then passed on to their descendants. 

But, even after the worst had happened, Nero and Lumiere’s sacrifices eventually led to Zagred’s downfall. (And to the survival of one of Licht and Tetia’s children.)

Then, centuries later, came Zara Ideale. A man who worked tirelessly as the first commoner wizard cop, only to be killed by his elitist comrades in the purple orcas.

This could have led his son, Zora Ideale, down a dark path, but instead he devoted his life to protecting the citizens of the kingdom from the same corrupt magic knights that got his father killed.  

And that’s without even mentioning how when Julius Novachrono became Wizard King, he reformed the merit recognition system to mitigate the amount of harm the noble magic knights could do to their commoner comrades’ careers, to prevent what happened to Zara from happening to others. In the present day, multiple magic knight captains (Yami and Jack) are commoners, as are many of the magic knights in general. 

Not to mention Yami, in particular, formed a squad out of outcasts, to provide the support system that he never had as a young man. 

And all of this happened before the main character has even started on his heroes journey.

I could say a lot more words about how this demonstrates Tabata’s recognition of the fact that many of the problems with the Homestuck Quadrant Kingdoms are systemic, and that they won’t be solved with only a few good people working against them, which is why Asta still has a lot to do in his own quest to be Wizard King. 

...but really, what I wanted to do was say that, after reading the 267 leaks, it doesn’t surprise me one bit that AMD may be a better person than previously implied by the manga.

(heck, they did the same thing with Zora, when he was introduced).

Even though AMD seems motivated by a need for vengeance, is undeniably prone to fits of blackout rage, appears altogether too interested in possessing Asta’s body, and these are, indeed, traits that fit more with the aesthetic of a villain... I’m pretty sure AMD’s got the traumatic backstory of a true anime protagonist.

As I’ve said before, simply having an aspect typically attributed to a hero does not automatically mean AMD will be a fully heroic character. But, as was mentioned before, he also has a lot of common villainous traits.

And in Black Clover, a character with a villain archetype will more often than not side with and/or join the Black Bulls.