#but she never notes John wearing them

[belovedblabber]

It’s funny, John is never actually described as wearing the lyctor robes at any point but I think we’ve all just assumed that he would, to match his besties

[jenanigans1207]

What I wanted so badly was for Mary to learn about her boys from Cas. Like that night where Cas finds her when she can’t sleep and she expresses that she just doesn’t know anything about her sons since she missed so much?? All I wanted was for Cas to sit down with her at the table and just start telling her about them. Basic stuff at first: their favorite foods, their sleeping habits, the stuff he’s just observed by being their passenger for years.

And then I want him to say something totally Cas, like “Dean always wears more layers but that’s because his body naturally runs two degrees colder than Sam’s. But that’s normal for him and not indicative of any illness, so it’s nothing to worry about.”

And as they talk, it starts to get a little deeper, and Cas tells her more. He tells her about what she missed, about all the horrible things that happened to her sons and how they coped; how it changed them. And he tells her about Sam, he does, but really it ends up being all about Dean.

He’ll tell her about how Dean clenches his fists when he’s upset, even as he tries to keep his face impassive. About how Dean drums his fingers on the steering wheel when he’s anxious. He’ll tell her about Dean’s nightmares, about the ways he’s chosen to cope. He’ll tell her how to know when to approach Dean and when to give him space, how to gently acknowledge what he’s feeling without pushing him too far.

And with every word he says, Mary’s curious head tilt from when she’d seen them hug in reunion turns into a bone deep type of certainty. Because Cas is telling her things that only someone who paid special attention would notice. He’s telling her things that only someone very, very close to her son’s heart would know.

Cas will tell her the cliff notes of what they’ve been through; will tell her how the whole world looked to Dean and he rose to the occasion over and over again. He’ll tell her about Dean’s doubts in himself and then vehemently declare them as wrong and explain, at length, why. He will tell her about the people Dean has loved— the people who loved him like he was their own— and lost. He will tell her about Bobby, Ellen, Jody, Donna, and Charlie. He’ll tell her about Claire, too, and how Dean stepped up.

And the whole time, Mary will have this realization that oh, she may not have been around to guide and protect her sons, but there was always someone there to care for them and support them when they needed it. She will realize that she and John may have left them, but they were never alone.

But more than that, there was someone there for Dean. Someone picking Dean over and over again while Dean picked Sam, or the world, over himself. There was someone fighting for Dean when he wasn’t fighting for himself. There was someone who saw Dean, and loved him unconditionally.

Sitting across from her, at the asscrack of dawn, filling her in on all the things she missed was every mother’s dream: someone who loved her child with the kind of devotion that would break the world. And from the sounds of the stories she was being told, it did break the world. Someone whose love is entirely untainted and comes without any strings attached.

It’s so clear to her as she listens to Cas talk that Cas loves Dean with no expectations. That loving Dean is something he just does, like he doesn’t know how not to love Dean, like the possibility of not loving him never occurred to Cas. He loves Dean in a way that Mary knows can and will soothe Dean’s sharp edges and battered heart. He loves Dean in the kind of pure way that tells Mary that it will continue to endure and overcome everything without ever diminishing, even the littlest amount.

Mary, through tears, will tell Cas how she always told Dean that there were angels watching over him. And before Cas can make some comment about Dean being the Righteous Man and the interest of most of Heaven, she will place a hand over his and give him a motherly look that will convey all the things she’s not sure how to say— and the things she’s not sure Cas is ready to hear yet. And Cas will flush and look away, mumbling about how her son is very special to him.

And when she pulls him into a hug and murmurs thank yous into his shoulder, she will be comforted in the knowledge that her sons turned out to be wonderful men, and that they managed to stay together through everything. She will be comforted to know that no matter what happens, no matter her shortcomings as she tries to fill a role she never meant to leave, Sam will have Dean and Dean will have Cas.

And this time, when Cas tells her that she belongs here, she will believe him. And she will tell him that he belongs here, too.

And when Dean wakes up a few hours later and wanders in to find Mary and Cas still chatting over the table, he’ll be surprised— but pleased— to find Mary looking more at ease. He’ll be pleased when she gives him a warm hug and pats him on the cheek and tell him with all the sincerity that only a mother can muster that she’s glad that he met Castiel. And when Dean agrees, a little confused, Mary will just smile at him.

“I always said I’d like a third son.” She says, “so give him a reason to take our last name, won’t you?”

And Dean will splutter and turn fifteen shades of red as he steadfastly doesn’t look at Cas but mumbles something that suggests he’s not against the idea at all.

And Mary will laugh again and wink at an equally red Cas before heading towards the kitchen like “Cas said waffles are your favorite, so I hope you’re hungry!”

[lovelyjj]

Choices

jj maybank x kook!reader

request: Heyyyy I really love your works, I kindly request if you can please write a tumblr story of how JJ maybank likes both kook reader (Sarah’s cousin she introduced to the group and treasure hunt) and Kiara at the same time and he has to choose between the two and ends up choosing reader and Kiara moves on soon too

wc: 4.7k

a/n: I kinda changed the plot a little bit where Kiara and Sarah already worked out their differences. sorry this took forever!!

JJ watched her. He was captivated by her beauty. He watched as her long dark curls bounced as she walked. He admired her tan skin. He watched as she waited tables and rung up customers.

JJ was at the wreck while Kiara worked. He didn’t mind as he was mesmerized. Kiara didn’t seem to mind her visitor.

“Hey what are you doing here?” Kiara questioned.

“Just came to visit you,” JJ smiled.

“I’m working JJ.”

“I know I won’t bother you, promise.”

Kiara didn’t believe him when he said this however she still smiled and nodded back at him.

JJ stayed at the wreck for another hour before he decided to go home. When he got home he couldn’t stop thinking about Kiara. He thought about her smile and her laugh and her personality.

He loved hanging out with her even if it was to watch her work. JJ was confused as to how he can like someone so much.

——————

You never been to this so called Midsummers. Sarah has been raving about it to you for so long you grew tired of hearing about it. You and Sarah were currently getting ready for the party.

“Do you want me to do your eyeliner?” Sarah asked.

“Yes please,” you responded.

Sarah sat down in the seat in front of you and got busy.

“So are you excited for Midsummers?” you asked Sarah.

“Yeah I guess so, I’m just a little bummed because I don’t think John B will be there.”

“And John B is the guy your leaving Topper for?”

“Correct. Now hold still and close your eye.” Sarah demanded.

After a little while the both of you were ready for Midsummers. You were wearing a baby blue silk dress that matched Sarah’s white dress perfectly.

You arrived at the country club right on time and you were a bundle of nerves. You never been to Midsummers before and you were nervous because you didn’t know what it would be like.

Of course Sarah told you everything about it but still it didn’t ease your nerves. When you stepped out of the car you were met with a ton of people all dressed very nicely.

After Ward made his entrance and after a while of socializing you and Sarah made it to the dance floor.

Sarah was hiding behind her friend and sneaking some champagne.

You were on the dance floor living it up. When a mysterious blonde boy came up behind Sarah.

“JJ?” she questioned.

“yep” He spoke

“What?”

“I got a, uh, note from Vlad.” “Shh.”

“From Vlad?” Sarah confirmed.

“Yeah” JJ replied.

“Okay.”

“Read the note.” JJ said walking backwards.

Sarah read the note and ran off. You were confused by the whole interaction by brushed it off. You continued dancing.

After a while Sarah came back to find you.

“Hey listen we gotta go to Rixon’s Cove,” Sarah exclaimed.

“What why?” you asked.

“You’ll see,” she smirked.

Sarah grabbed your hand and led you away from the party and towards Rixon’s Cove. When you arrived you were met with a group of people.

They all turned towards you and you gave them all a smile.

“Hi guys, This is my cousin y/n,” Sarah announced.

“Hi, nice to meet you all,” you spoke.

“You can trust her,” Sarah put forth.

“Hi y/n, I’m John B.”

“I’ve herd a lot about you,” you giggled as Sarah’s cheeks warmed.

“Hi I’m Kiara,” she got up and shook your hand. You smiled at her.

“I’m Pope,” Pope said.

You turned your gaze to the only person who hasn’t introduced themselves.

JJ was frozen in place. He couldn’t believe his eyes. There you were in your shiny silky blue dress looking like a goddess. JJ didn’t believe in love at first sight until now.

“JJ,” Pope coughed.

“What oh right sorry, I’m JJ, JJ Maybank, pleasure to meet you.”

You thought JJ was cute and you wondered if he had a girlfriend, probably you thought.

“Now that we are all acquainted. I have some news,” John B announced.

“You ready for this?”

“Yeah,” Kiara responded.

“So, the gold never went down with the Royal Merchant,” John B continued.

“Oh, my god. Here we go again with this.” Pope voiced.

“No. All right, wait. Hear him out, all right?” JJ spoke.

“It’s been here the whole time. It’s on the island.” John B added.

“Are you serious?” Kiara questioned.

“Oh my god.” Kiara exclaimed.

“I’d like to voice my skepticism.” Pope said.

“I’m sure you would, Pope, but can I please present you with my evidence, sir?” John B asked.

“Proceed.” Pope responded.

“All right. So, in my backpack, I have a letter from Denmark Tanny.” John B went on.

“Who the hell’s that?” Kiara asked.

“Denmark Tanny was a slave that survived the Royal Merchant wreck. Check this out,” John B explained.

“What?” Kiara voiced.

John B handed her the letter. “Here you go.”

“Okay, slaves weren’t mentioned as crew members on the ship, but my dad, he found the complete manifest. That was his big discovery. So Tanny used the gold from the Merchant to buy his freedom.” John B discussed.

Kiara whistled and gave Pope the letter.

“After that, he bought his farm.” John B continued.

“Drumroll, please, because that farm is… Tannyhill Plantation.”

“Tannyhill?” Kiara questioned.

“Yeah. So, after that, he used his money to free even more slaves, and then he sold a shit-ton of rice, which pisses off all the white planters, and then they decide to lynch him.”

“So on the day they were coming to get him, he writes a letter to his son as a farewell, and in the last line of that letter, he leaves a coded message about where to find the gold.”

“Where?” Kiara whispered.

“Harvest the wheat in parcel nine, near the water. Except… there’s no wheat. You see, wheat is code for gold. Check this out. The gold is in parcel nine, near the water.” John B shared.

“Holy shit,” Pope exclaimed.

“All we need is an original survey map of the property, and we’ve found the gold.” John B cheered.

“Which I can get,” Sarah added.

“Okay, so this might have a small chance of being actually true.” Pope acknowledged.

“Dude it’s like King Tut,” Kiara suggested.

“I am a genius,” John B announced.

JJ got up and walked over to John B and embraced him.

“Hey, whoa! Hello! Fire! You’re near the fire. You’re gonna burn.” John B stated.

“I’m so proud of you right now.” JJ commented.

“Thank you. That’s really sweet of you,” John B expressed.

“Okay, so, guys. What’s the plan?” Pope asked.

“Good question,” John B stated.

“Well I can bring the map soon it should only take a second,” Sarah spoke.

“How much in gold are we talking?” you asked.

“400 million.” The pogues said together.

“Woah,” you stated shocked.

“Alright we can meet up later and get the map and go from there,” John B suggested.

After the meeting at Rixon’s Cove you all went home and thought about what was said. When you finally got home you couldn’t stop thinking about JJ. It’s like you were drawn to him.

There has been a few meetings about the gold and you were grateful to be apart of it and apart of the group. You felt like you finally found a group of friends.

Today you were going surfing to celebrate finding the gold. There was also gonna be a party at the boneyard but that was tomorrow.

Once you got to the beach you felt like you should mention you don’t know how to surf.

You voiced your concern about not knowing how to surf and JJ jumped up.

“I could teach you,” JJ exclaimed.

“Really? You’d do that for me?”

“Yeah of course.”

While the other pogues went to hit the water you and JJ stayed on the sand. JJ wanted to get to know you and he thought the perfect opportunity to do that was teaching you how to surf.

“Alright before we hit the water we must practice on the sand. First i’m gonna teach you about paddling.” JJ went on.

JJ proceeded to show you how to paddle. Then JJ showed you how to stand on the board and maintain your balance.

“We will get you in the water another day,” JJ started.

“Ok sounds good.”

You and JJ sat in the sand watching the others surf. JJ was so proud of you for learning so fast. Now was his chance to learn about you.

“So what do you like to do if you don’t surf?” JJ asked.

“Well I like to read and ride my bike.”

“Really? Ya know i have a dirt bike. I could take you on it sometime.” JJ hoped his invitation wasn’t too forward.

“Yeah that sound fun,” you exclaimed.

“Do you believe in soulmates?” JJ asked next.

You paused for an moment to think then you smiled and JJ just about died at the sight.

“I mean yeah, I think everyone has a person made for them and someone who completely understands you and loves you unconditionally is important to have.”

“I agree I believe there’s an intense connection where both people feel deeply drawn together as if the affair was somehow destined to be.”

JJ’s eyes were sparkling and you felt mesmerized.

“What’s your love language?” You asked.

“Hmm probably physical touch, which is funny,” JJ replied.

“Yeah mine too. Why is it funny?”

“I just didn’t expect it to be physical touch.”

“What's the best gift you've ever received, and why?” JJ asked.

“Umm probably concert tickets because it was Lana Del Rey and I love her a lot.”

“Really that’s so cool. Personally I love concerts.” JJ exclaimed.

“Yeah there the best,” you stated.

“What kind of music do you like?” JJ questioned.

“Um I listen to pop, indie pop, modern rock, indie folk and Hollywood.” you explained.

“That’s some good stuff right there,” JJ commented.

“Will I see you at the boneyard party tomorrow?” JJ asked.

“Yes you will,” you smiled.

After everyone was done surfing you all went to John Bs house. Everyone decided to just relax and watch movies.

—————

The boneyard parties are always fun. You had no idea because you’ve never been to one. Being a kook you never really branched out. Now you had a group of your friends that would be there.

You arrived with Sarah in a white sundress with yellow flowers on it. You were excited and nervous at the same time. The beach was buzzing with people. You were entranced by the energy of the people.

JJ was situated on a branch talking to Kiara.

“I haven’t seen you talk to any tourons lately,” Kiara stated.

“Yeah I’m growing tired of them. Their all the same,” JJ replied.

“JJ Maybank is passing up on sleeping with tourons, unheard of!” Kiara gasped in surprise.

Little did Kiara know that he liked her and didn’t see a point in filling his life with meaningless sex when all he really wanted was her.

Then JJ spotted you across the way and his whole face lit up. You looked hot. You were in a group of people with Sarah laughing at something someone said.

JJ wasn’t sure if he should approach you but he desperately wanted to hear your laugh.

You were mingling when you felt a tap on your shoulder. You turned around and were surprised to see JJ.

“You’re here!”

“I am,” you responded.

“Have you had something to drink,” JJ noticing your empty hands.

“No I haven’t.”

“Come on, let’s get you something to take the edge off.” JJ insisted.

JJ guided you to where the keg was. He poured you a drink and handed it to you. Then he proceeded to pour one for himself.

“You look nice,” JJ smiled.

You took a sip of your beer trying to hide your blush.

“Thank you,” you answered shyly.

“Do you want to go down to the water?” You asked JJ.

“Yeah sure,” JJ called.

The two of you made your way to the waves and you stuck your feet in the water. JJ was wearing boots so he just stepped near the water.

“Ya know I’ve always loved the water. I used to come down to the beach with Sarah. First we would watch for dolphins. Then we’d play in the waves til sunset. It was always so magical and fun we wouldn’t even care walking back wet.”

“That sounds perfect.” JJ commented.

“It was,” you smiled.

All of a sudden you got an idea. When the next wave came bringing in water that went up to your knees, you scooped up some water and flicked it towards JJ.

JJ scoffed but then he began to laugh and he said, “oh it’s on.”

JJ then proceeded to splash you and you splashed him back. This caused you to erupt in a fit of giggles.

JJ finally got to hear your laugh and it was music to his ears.

Soon the both of you were soaked and you were both smiling. Then horror struck you as you realized you were wearing white.

“Oh my god!” You shrieked and your hands flew up to cover your chest.

JJ tried to get the image out of his head he really tried but your dress stuck to you like glue and he could see the outline of your nipples pass your light blue bra.

He thought about what it be like to suck on them and he instantly felt ashamed.

You were panicking. But it could’ve been worse you could’ve not been wearing shorts underneath your dress. Thank god you did.

JJ quickly took off his shirt and gave it to you. “Here.”

You looked relieved and JJ smiled.

You took it from him and pulled the wet garment over your head. “Thanks.”

“Come on I know somewhere we can dry off,” JJ extended his hand out for you to take.

This gesture didn’t go unnoticed by you but you didn’t question it. You laced your fingers with JJ’s and made your way to the château.

“First I need another drink,” you stated.

“We’ve got beer at John B’s.” JJ whispered.

“Ok.”

Once you arrived at the château, JJ led you through the hall into his room. He took out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt along with a towel to dry off.

“Thank you JJ.”

After you changed in the bathroom JJ was already ready dressed in sweats and no shirt.

“You look good in my clothes,” JJ smirked.

You blushed and hoped it wasn’t noticed by JJ.

“You really think so?” you questioned.

“Yep,” JJ remarked.

You opened your arms signaling you wanted to give JJ a hug. JJ was surprised but he would certainly not pass up a hug from you.

You wrapped your arms around his neck and JJ circled his arms around the small of your back. JJ smelled your coconut shampoo and he declared it his new favorite smell.

You pulled away way to soon for JJ’s liking but he obliged none the less.

“Now you wanted another drink right?” JJ asked.

“Yeah.”

He walked over to the kitchen pulled open the fridge and took out a can of beer. Then he handed it to you. He also took one for himself.

“So do you want to watch a movie?” JJ asked.

“Sure.”

With a movie on the TV and the two of you sharing a blanket you both sipped your beers and watched the film.

After the movie was over you guys stayed up til 3am talking about anything and everything. When Sarah walked into the château she was surprised to see you cuddled up with JJ on the pull out couch.

You were facing JJ and he was facing you. You were tucked under his chin and his arms were around you.

Sarah decided not to disturb the two of you but she will definitely bring it up later.

The next day you were over at Sarah’s house.

“So what the hell is going on with you and JJ?” Sarah asked.

“What do you mean, nothing is happening between us.” you replied confused.

“Well I saw the two of you cuddling at John Bs. It was kinda cute.”

“Oh that.” you flushed. “We just fell asleep really late and it sorta just happened unconsciously.”

“Yeah right,” Sarah laughed.

“I’m being serious nothing is happening,” you frowned.

“But you want something to happen,” Sarah smirked.

“What? No I don’t, What makes you think that?”

“Well I think you like him because you hang out a lot,” Sarah reasoned.

“So.”

“So, jump his bones already.”

“Sarah!”

“What, come on I think you guys would be good together.” Sarah threw up her hands and tossed them back down.

“Well it’s not happening,” you crossed your arms.

——————

You guys lost the gold. Everyone was pissed beyond belief. Loosing the gold to ward impacted everyone. Everyone seemed to be down in the dumps. A few months later the fuss seemed to have died down.

In those few months you and JJ got closer. Your relationship blossomed.

Everyone was out on the boat except you. You were busy and missed out on the boat day.

The pogues were gliding through the water, wind in their hair. Sarah was sitting next to JJ when she noticed JJ staring longingly at Kiara.

When they arrived back at the château, Sarah pulled JJ aside.

“Listen I see the way you look at her.” Sarah spoke.

“Look at who,” JJ questioned.

“Kiara. It’s the same way you look at y/n.” Sarah responded.

“What are you implying.”

“Look all I’m saying is you need to choose between them or I will tell them everything.” Sarah’s words cutting like knives.

JJ was conflicted. He didn’t know what to do. He for sure didn’t want Sarah to tell you and Kiara everything. He liked both of you and he didn’t know how he was going to choose.

——————

The pogues were all outside the château chilling and drinking when you walked up to the action.

JJ immediately turned around and saw you. He was at a loss for words, you looked stunning and he felt something in his chest.

“Hey guys,” you started.

“Hi y/n!” John B responded.

Sarah gave you a wave and Kiara gave you a smile. Pope handed you a drink which you gladly accepted.

You sat down next to JJ and his heart fluttered. JJ seemed to always feel some type of way around you. These past months his feelings really grew stronger. He couldn’t help the floaty feeling he felt just by being in your presence.

“We were just talking about the fight at the bonfire.” John B announced.

“Oh yeah that was wild. I can’t believe that happened,” you stated.

“Really I thought it was pretty predictable.” Kiara reasoned.

Everyone laughed and continued to tell stories. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. You however thought JJ was unusually quiet.

Truth is JJ was at war with himself. He didn’t take what Sarah said lightly. He knew she would tell them everything if he didn’t make up his mind.

JJ laid awake at night wondering what to do. He just hoped he would come up with a solution soon.

—————

JJ didn’t know what he did to piss off his dad so badly. It must of been something really bad because his dad was fuming.

“You are a worthless piece of shit!” Luke shouted.

JJ tried to run away but Luke tackled him to the ground. Luke got on top of him and started to choke him. JJ tried to choke Luke back.

JJ used his knee to knee Luke in the side. JJ got up but Luke used his hand to grab a hold of his foot and tripped him. Luke started kicking JJ in the stomach and then pulled him up by his hair. There he held him against the wall and punched the living daylights out of him.

JJ and Luke burst through the screen door and JJ came out on top. He started beating up his dad and finally he said, “I ain’t scared of you anymore.”

—————

JJ was embarrassed. He didn’t want to be seen by any of his friends. He was all bruised up and he was hurting all over.

He slowly but surely made his way to the château, wincing with every step he took. Then he saw you laying in the hammock and he was scared of what you might think.

“Jayj,” you called.

He walked over to you and when he reached your spot you gasped. He was littered in bruises and it reminded you of Midsummers where his face was all beat up.

“What happened?” you asked very concerned.

JJ was hesitant with opening up to you. Not that he didn’t trust you he was just scared to be vulnerable. He also didn’t want your pity.

“Um it’s my dad,” JJ smiled weakly.

“JJ.” your voice broke.

In a haste you reached out and pulled JJ in a bone crushing hug. JJ winced causing you to pull back and apologize for hurting him.

“That son of a bitch, i’ll kill him.” You expressed angrily.

“No y/n don’t worry about it. This is not your battle.”

“Yes it is JJ. When it comes to you I’m always gonna fight for you.” you reasoned.

“I don’t deserve it or you.” JJ muttered.

“No what you don’t deserve is getting beaten by your own father.” You said sadly.

“I told you not to worry about it.” JJ responded.

“Well news flash JJ, I care about you a lot, and seeing you hurt breaks my heart.” Your voice wavering.

“Don’t be sad baby, I can’t stand to see you so sad.”

You cracked a small smile, and looked into his crystal blue eyes. You took ahold of his hand running your thumb over his knuckles.

Looking in to your eyes JJ realized something. He realized that it’s always been you. He thought back to Midsummers when he saw you for the first time in your dress. How you looked stunning and he fell in love right then and there.

He thought about all the times the two of you were together. All the lingering touches, the long nights filled with deep talks, all the fun you had together. He thought about how you cared about him and his well-being. He didn’t care that you were a kook at all.

JJ thought about all the times you were there for him. The times when you fell asleep cuddling. How you made him feel. You made his heart race and his palms sweat. You made him feel alive.

It was a no brainer he was picking you.

“I hate seeing you all bruised up, makes me wanna cry.” You responded.

“I’m ok, promise.”

“Come here,” JJ continued and outstretched his hand for you to take.

You gladly accepted his hand and he led you into the château. JJ made his way to his designated room and closed the door.

As soon as the door shut JJ slid his arms around your waist and engulfed you in a hug. Your arms wrapped around his neck and you buried your face in his shoulder.

After your hug of just holding each other, JJ placed his hand on your cheek.

“Can I kiss you?” JJ asked.

“Yes.”

JJ didn’t hesitate, he quickly placed his lips on yours. The kiss was tender and JJ felt sparks, like little mini fireworks were going off in his body. Soon the kiss got heated. You were excited to be kissing JJ. Your lips were capturing each other in a fiery kiss.

Your stomach started to get tingly and JJ felt blood rush through his veins. JJ was still cupping your cheek. Your hands were tangling in JJ’s hair.

JJ moved his hands to go under your shirt and you let out a small moan. JJ warm hands sent shockwaves through your skin. You went to take off you shirt, lifting the garment over your head. JJ eyed you in your bra for a moment than went back to kissing you.

You were stunning and your tits were spilling over your bra and JJ was practically drooling.

“I want this off,” you tugged on JJ’s shirt.

JJ lifted his shirt over his head and you gasped. His stomach was littered in bruises and you wished you never saw it.

Tears filled your eyes as you clamped a hand over your mouth.

“Don’t cry angel, please don’t cry,” JJ begged.

“I’m sorry it’s just I can’t stand to see you hurt or in pain. It makes me so sad and then I get this rage because you deserve so much more than what you were given,” you shared.

“I’m ok, I have you,” JJ smiled.

“JJ…”

“What? It’s fine,” JJ muttered.

“Get on the bed please,” you ordered.

JJ did what he was told and got on the bed. You moved to get on top of him. You were straddling his legs when you decided to kiss each one of his bruises on his stomach and ribs.

JJ let out a shaky breath as you kissed him. When you were done you looked up into his eyes and gave him a smile.

JJ flipped you over so that he was on top of you now.

“Let me make love to you please baby,” JJ requested.

“Ok J.”

So, JJ made you feel amazing and you had the best sex you ever had.

—————

You were on a mission. You were very upset and you needed to find JJ and sort this out. You marched up the steps of the château and found JJ on the couch.

“We need to talk, now.” You demanded.

“Ok let’s go to my room,” JJ replied.

Once you were in the privacy of JJ’s room you let it rip.

“I can’t believe you. How could I be so stupid,” you started.

“What are you talking about?” JJ asked.

“I’m talking about you liking me and Kiara at the same time!” you shouted.

“Oh that,” JJ cringed.

“Yeah that,” you raised your eyebrows at him.

“But I chose you!” JJ exclaimed.

Tears formed in your eyes but you refused to let them fall.

“That doesn’t change the fact you liked her while we were hanging out together.”

“I mean I was falling in love with you and you were thinking about some other girl,” you continued.

“Y/N, I’m so sorry but I want to be with you,” JJ apologized.

“i’ll never forgive you if you break my heart.”

“I won’t.”

“If we’re together and you suddenly decide you want to be with Kiara, I don’t know if I can handle that,” you reasoned.

“I promise I won’t leave you. You’re just gonna have to trust me”

“Jayj.”

“I’m serious y/n, I’m committed to you and I love you,” JJ choked out.

“I love you too,” you smiled weakly.

So, you decided to trust JJ and it was the best decision you ever made. He treated you right he loved you unconditionally and he made you happy.

Your heart did break when you found out from Sarah that JJ liked you and Kiara at the same time but he did choose you in the end. So you forgave him and never looked back.

————

Kiara has been waiting for JJ to make a move for a while now. She thought he would’ve asked her out by now.

When she found out from Sarah that you and JJ were together she was shocked. But she didn’t let that get her down. She dusted herself off and decided she should start dating.

Her and Pope have grown rather close and she wondered if Pope would ever go for her. She wanted to try her luck because nothing with JJ will ever happen.

She knew JJ liked her all this time and she waited for him but he never acted on his feelings. So Kiara decided to move on.

You and JJ loved each other a lot and throughout your relationship you both discovered new sides to yourself. A little while after you and JJ got together, Pope and Kiara got together. Everyone was happy.

[moongreenlight]

Mafia!Price is NOT your fucking aesthetic. A full comprehensive list as to why.

He cooka da pizza!

He goes to church every Sunday. A massive Roman Catholic Church downtown. Ancient building with floor-to-ceiling stained glass windows depicting the life and loss of Christ. Full two hour masses that he always wears a suit to. At first it starts as some last-ditch attempt to absolve him of his guilt, but then it became habit. 

And maybe it was his wife. Her parents were devout and just about keeled over when they found out their only daughter was married by a quick ceremony in the courthouse to a man they’d never met. Her mother was the worst, though it was to be expected. Likely didn’t know John had won his new bride when her husband didn’t have the funds left to pay off his debt. Fucking miracle she hadn’t yet done the math and realized his first child was born seven months later. He’d be persecuted to no end.

There was a target on his back since the wedding. Always put him in the hot seat on Sunday evening dinners while his wife was trying to wrangle their children into eating their vegetables. Drilled into him about work and life and why he always seemed too busy to prioritize “something worthwhile” in his life. Mother sets in on him like she’d been waiting for the opening all evening.

“So, John. Remind us what you do for work.” Accusatory. Glaring over her barely touched plate of roast at him.

“Contracting. Bit of this and that.” He fights the urge to roll his eyes, if only barely. 

“Hm. And what does that entail? Can’t keep you as busy as you swear you are.” She’s unabashed. Her husband doesn’t share the sentiment. He sighs into his glass of brandy and tries to catch her eye. 

“Don’t do much hands-on these days. Project management and bookkeeping for me now. Brought on a few guys to do the grunt. You remember from when we did your bathroom, I’m sure.” He doesn’t shy away from the challenge. Principled. 

“Boys would do well to have some structure. Bet they haven’t been in a church since they were baptized.” She ignores his parry and switches to what she really wants to talk about after looking over to her daughter who is all but force-feeding them florets of broccoli. Typical.

He finally wore down after a Christmas where the only gift he got from them was a deep brown leather-wrapped bible. Used. Split down the spine, dog-eared pages.  Like they’d stolen it from the shelf in the pew for the dolts who weren’t well-mannered enough to bring their own. 

From then, it had become a welcome escape from reality. Church in the morning. 8am service, because he was up before the sun anyway. Sipping coffee in the kitchen beforehand, pouring over a heavy binder with the title ‘family finance’ scrawled in his wife’s delicate handwriting across the front.

He could hear her wrestling with their two boys in the bathroom upstairs. Their indignant screeching clueing him in that he should probably get up and help, but he always tried to steal a few more moments to himself. Calm before the storm.

The boys have sour looks on their faces when they stomp down the stairs not five minutes later, though they’re nothing in comparison to their mother who’s only a few steps behind. They get the deep furrow in their brows from him, the bitter curl of their lips from her. 

“Glad you’re enjoying your slow start, John. Really.”

He should feel worse for not helping. Tries to lay her hackles back down by snapping the binder shut and pressing a chaste kiss to her temple. She barely pauses to accept it before pushing past to pack her purse. Four bibles, his ratty one, her perfectly white one with different colored sticky notes poking out the sides, and two smaller children's bibles that she’d shove in their laps for appearance sake. Snacks for the boys, and a flash of the handle of her small handgun- safetied and then shoved into the bottom of her tote.

“Should’ve shouted f’you needed help. Can’t hear a thing down here.” The boys snicker when he winks over at them. They’re outfitted in their Sunday best. Slacks with damp finger marks on the thighs from where she’d tried to smooth out wrinkles. Buttoned-down shirts that they were already tugging at the collars of. Hair gelled back, no doubt the reason for their griping earlier. 

She doesn’t find it nearly as funny as they do. Shoots him a nasty look over her shoulder before disappearing into the spare room to grab a pair of low heels. 

“We’re already late. If we have to sit in the back again, you’ll never hear the end of it.” It’s not an empty threat. They’d missed one service and some aunt had told her mother in passing. Took three months to get her to stop bringing it up.

“S’not even half seven. Takes fifteen minutes to get there.”

It’s supposed to mollify her, but it has the adverse effect. She looks ready to throw a shoe at him when she sits on the bottom stair to tug them on. He raises his hands in surrender.

“Easy.” 

Somehow all four of them make it to the car in one piece. He sends a message to Kyle before they leave telling him to save them a space toward the front to err on the side of caution.

[keikikait]

ᴄᴀʀᴏᴜꜱᴇʟ (ʀᴀꜰᴇ ᴄᴀᴍᴇʀᴏɴ x ꜰ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ)

this is part two. for part one, click here!

pairing: rafe cameron x f!reader, (not au, both are early to mid 20s)

word count: 5.4k

summary: you owe rafe that date, not that you really mind

warnings: enemies to lovers (pogue!reader x rafe), slightly jealous rafe, flirty rafe, sexual(?) tension, sugardaddy!rafe makes an appearance, rafe & reader argue

a note: this was supposed to be short.

please reblog and like, it means a lot! let me know what you think!

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You never hated your wardrobe more in your life. 

You tore through your closet trying to find something to wear, since Rafe told you to ‘dress to impress’. You couldn’t find much; your high school graduation dress that definitely didn’t fit right anymore, the miniskirt you wore to The Underworld, and an old pencil skirt you wore to a failed interview. You searched through your mother’s closet, too, but she was in the same boat as you. Her husband owned a bait shop, why would she have a fancy dress?

After anxiously checking your bank account, you decide to head onto the north side of Kildare to the only thrift shore in the Outer Banks. You spend hours searching, trying to decide between a dress and the classic skirt and tank top combo. You manage to find a cute blank tank top, tight enough to be flattering but not tight enough to be uncomfortable, choosing to wear the mini skirt you already had. The cashier takes your money, shoving the tank top into a branded paper bag, tossing your receipt in on top. You thank her and smile before heading out.

The evening sun hangs low in the sky after your hours-long shopping trip, although the solo bag in your hand didn’t feel like it was worth it. It was already quarter to six. You felt guilty as you made your way through the small street of stores and shops, having told John B and JJ that you were still feeling the effects of your hangover, and you were unable to hang out with them at The Chateau that night. They didn’t ask any questions, but you could feel their suspicion. You were normally always available to hang out. You had promised Rafe not to tell them, so you didn’t.

You barely slept the day before, spending the whole night thinking about him, scrolling through his Instagram and just admiring him. He pissed you off, he somehow managed to smash every single one of your buttons, yet you couldn’t get Rafe Cameron out of your head. Even when you propped yourself up on your pillows and slid a hand in between your thighs, Rafe was on your mind.

After arriving home, you get ready as quick as you can, touching up the makeup you already had on and getting dressed. You look yourself over in the mirror, fiddling with the hem of your skirt. You pull it a little lower on your hips, trying to cover your ass as much as possible. You put on a pair of sneakers before grabbing your keys and heading outside. The sun had begun to set over the horizon, a beautiful orange colour taking up the sky, and the moon rising. The air was warm and humid, and you could feel the damp sweat on your skin, making your tank top stick to your body. The walk to your father’s shop was never that long, but you felt like you were taking forever, your mind racing as you hurried along the path.

Rafe isn’t here yet, you don’t see his dirt bike or his truck. You lean against the wall, hoping that this wasn’t a big joke, a little prank Rafe and his friends were playing just to humiliate you. You stand waiting, a feeling of dread starting to bubble in your stomach. You knew Rafe was usually late, always making you wait for him, but you still felt anxious as the minutes ticked by. The sun was nearly gone, but there was no sign of Rafe. You could feel your breath coming out shaky, the dread turning into disappointment. Rafe’s words rang in your ears. 

’I’ll pick you up here.’

No way he would miss the opportunity to tease you, right?

You shield your eyes as bright headlights suddenly appear, a truck turning the corner and heading down the small path towards the shop. You let out a sigh, your shoulders rolling with relief. The truck pulled up in front of the shop, its headlights still on. Rafe’s face is illuminated in the orange light, a smug smirk spread across his lips. He watches through the closed window as your shoulders visibly relax, and he almost laughs. You looked so cute, so nervous and expecting to be stood up, like something out of a chick flick.

He turns the car off and gets out, holding the door open. Your stomach clenches when you see him. He’s so frustratingly gorgeous; wearing a dark green short-sleeved button up shirt with no undershirt underneath and a pair of beige 5" inch inseam shorts, exposing the muscles of his upper thighs. You look away, pursing your lips together slightly. You hated Rafe with every fibre of your being, but you had to admit that he was one of the few men on Kildare who could pull off a buzz cut.

He smirks, leaning against his truck as his eyes roam over your body. He noticed how you looked away, averting your gaze before you could let your eyes linger too long. “See something you like, sweetheart?” he teased, pushing himself up from his truck and walking towards you.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” You mumble, wrapping your arms over your stomach. “Are you ready to go?”

Rafe snickers at your response, his eyes flickering down to your covered stomach before returning to your face, a smirk still on his lips. “Yeah, let’s go. But wait,” he says, pausing before you could turn to leave. “I told you to dress to impress.”

You sigh, your head rolling slightly to the right. “This is all I could afford, Rafe. I couldn’t find anything else.”

“That doesn’t impress me,” he says, his eyes narrowing as he looks you up and down. “You look like a high schooler, no better than any other Pogue girl on this side of the Island.”

“Well, what do you want me to do?” You ask, dropping your arms to your side. “Go into debt to buy a dress? Steal it?”

Rafe’s smirk widens. “Or,” he leans forward slightly. “You could be a good girl and let me pick something else out for you. What do you think, sweetheart?”

Your stomach clenches again. You chew on the inside of your cheek, not liking the way that Rafe’s words were affecting you. “What’s the catch? I told you yesterday that I wasn’t going to sleep with you.”

He chuckles softly, leaning back from you. “I already told you there’s no catch.” He reaches a hand out to gently brush a strand of hair out of your face, his touch lingering as he brushes a thumb along your jawline. “You just have to wear whatever I want you to wear,” he whispers.

Your breath hitches, your heart starting to pound. Rafe had never been this touchy before, usually crying out when you got too close with your ‘Pogue germs’. It honestly takes you a few seconds to get your bearings and remember to respond. “W-what?”

“It’s a simple request, really,” he says, his fingers tracing a line along your jaw before moving his hand back down to his side. “You agree to wear something I want you to wear; something more appropriate than this little outfit,” he motions to your skirt. “And in return, I still keep my mouth shut about all your little shenanigans last night.”

Was this a trap? A scheme? A prank? 

You swallow hard before finally replying, “Okay.”

“Excellent,” he says, his smirk growing into a proud smile. It was cute to him, how easy it was to get you to agree to his schemes. His eyes sparkled with amusement as he looked you up and down one more time, taking in your appearance. “Come on,” he says, tilting his head to motion towards his waiting truck, “Let’s get out of here. I have the perfect place in mind.”

You shakily climb into the truck, settling into the seat. You buckle your seatbelt and look around the front of his truck. It was surprisingly clean, a half empty water bottle in one of the cupholders and a bottle of hand sanitiser in the other. A surfboard shaped air freshener hangs from his rearview mirror, along with a Polaroid of him and his youngest sister Wheezie. A bright red scrunchie is wrapped around his gearshift, almost as if someone was marking their property. Him.

You hadn’t heard of Rafe having a girlfriend. Maybe one of his hookups left it.

Rafe gets into the car, shifting around in his seat before glancing over at you. He buckles himself up, his eyes flicking from your skirt, up your body, and stopping at your face. “You look nervous, sweetheart,” he says as he starts the truck back up. “You never been on a date before or something? I know you didn’t date anyone at Kook Academy, but have you been single all this time?”

“Fuck off.” You say, crossing your arms over your stomach.

Rafe laughs at your response, shaking his head. “I never thought you’d be so sensitive about something like that,” he teases. The truck’s engine rumbles to life, the headlights coming on and blinding the dark of the night. He glances over at you one more before putting the truck in drive, slowly pulling away from the bait shop.

“I’ve been on a date before,” You say. “A few, actually. Not that it’s any of your business.”

“A few?” he repeats, glancing over at you again. “You don’t sound so sure about that. Must have been some forgettable dates, if you can’t remember exactly how many you’ve been on.”

You’re already regretting this. “Four dates. Again, none of your business.”

Rafe bites back a snort, raising his eyebrows as they lift with amusement. “Four dates. With Pogues, I assume?” he asks.

“Yeah, who else?” You ask, looking over at him. God, he looks so pretty in the sunlight.

“And how did those dates go?” he asks, making a left turn. He glances over at you before returning his gaze to the road.

“They went fine,” You say. “They were just dates, Rafe. I’m sure you go on them all the time.”

“They went fine?” he asks in a mocking tone, rolling his eyes. “Is that all you can say about them? Just fine? That’s what you get for going out with Pogue losers.” He glances over at you again, studying your expression before returning his attention to the road. “I’ve never been on any date that was just fine.”

Why is he telling you this? “Good for you.” You shift in the seat, looking out the window as you approach the bridge that leads to the mainland.

“I’m just saying. You’ve clearly been dating losers, like Maybank and John B,” Rafe says, feeling jealousy build up in his veins. He didn’t like the idea of you dating any of the Pogues, especially if your date was either JJ or John B. “Maybe if you didn’t spend your time with those asshole Pogues you would have fun.”

“Well, those asshole Pogues are my friends,” You say. “And I really don’t understand what JJ and John B have to do with this.”

Rafe sighs, deciding an argument isn’t worth it. He glances at you as you shift in your seat again, his eyes catching on the way your skirt pulls up with the movement, revealing the smooth skin of your thigh. Images of him biting your thigh flashed through his mind, and he cleared his throat, forcing himself to look away. His grip tightens on the wheel as he focuses on the road. “We’ll be there soon,” he says, his tone slightly stiff.

You nod, glancing over at him momentarily. He chews on his lip as he focuses on the road, shifting in his seat. His thighs spread out on the leather, and your heart leaps into your throat. You tear your eyes away before looking back out the window.

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You and Rafe drive in comfortable silence through the mainland. You haven’t been to the mainland since your high school graduation, and it seems like everything has changed. “So, what store are we going to?”

Rafe glances at you, his eyes flickering from the road to your face. “Why would I tell you and ruin the surprise?” he asks, a smirk on his lips. “Have some patience, sweetheart.”

You sigh, rolling your eyes. One second you were having a decent time, the next second he was opening his mouth. “Fine. Whatever. I trust you.”

He snickers as you respond, shaking his head. “Just relax. Let me treat you nicely, alright?”

“Alright,” You say. “I’m relaxed now.”

Rafe smirks at your response, shifting in his seat again. “Good,” he says. “Just a few more minutes, and you’ll be wondering why you ever doubted me.” 

You look back over at him, watching him as he drives. His fingers tap against the steering wheel, his rings shining in the sun. Your eyes travel down his face to his chest, admiring the way his collarbone sits prominently under his button up, his chain resting against his sun kissed skin. His arms flex slightly with every turn he makes, his rough, calloused hands gripping the steering wheel. You glance back down at the scrunchie, wondering who it belongs to. An ex, perhaps? A hookup? A girlfriend you don’t know about?

After a few minutes, Rafe makes another left turn, pulling into a large parking lot connected to a small, expensive-looking strip of shops. The parking lot was mostly vacant, so he pulled into a free space near a few other cars. He puts the truck in park and kills the engine, glancing over at you. He watches as you take in the surrounding area before looking back at him, a small smirk on his lips. “We’re here,” he says, his face lighting up with a sly smile. “And I can promise you this is going to be a lot more impressive than the last date you went on.”

You get out of the car, clutching your purse as you walk beside him, heading down the sidewalk.

Rafe walks beside you, his hand brushing against yours as you walk. He glances over at you as the sun hits your face, highlighting the different shades in your eyes, the warmth of it casting a nice glow on your skin. He shakes his head slightly before looking away again, trying to keep himself focused. Rafe stops for a moment outside of one of the stores, glancing over at you. “This is the place,” he says, nodding to a store nearby that had high class looking dresses through the windows.

Your eyebrows furrow as you look between him and the mannequins. “Rafe, I don’t know if I can afford this.”

Rafe rolls his eyes at your response, grabbing your hand and pulling you towards the store. “You’re being ridiculous,” he says. “Don’t even think about how much they cost, or what you can afford or whatever. I’m picking the dress and paying for it, remember?” He takes a step towards the door and holds it open for you. “Now, come on. I think I see something I like already.”

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Rafe truly plays dress up with you.

You follow him around the store, your hands itching to reach out for his again. After handing you dresses upon dresses, he sends you off to the changing room to model. He sits in one of the armchairs, spreading his legs wide, and your eyes glance at his thighs whenever you push the curtain aside. Rafe is picky, and he sends you back in to change almost every time.

You’ve tried on at least twelve dresses at this point, growing tired. You pick up the next one, carefully taking it off of the hanger before slipping it over your head, pulling it down. You smooth out the front before turning around to check yourself out. It’s a midi length milkmaid dress that hits you in the middle of your calf, a white linen with small yellow flowers embroidered all over it, with ruffled straps going across your shoulders and a drawstring on the bust. There’s a slit on the left side, running up to the top of your thigh.

You like it. But will he?

You draw the drawstring tighter, pushing your boobs together before stepping out from behind the curtain.  

Rafe glances up from his phone as you step out from the changing room, a smirk immediately growing across his face. He slips his phone into his pocket before letting his gaze roam over you, his jaw visibly tensing when he looks over your thighs. “Turn around for me, sweetheart,” he says, his voice low.

You turn around slowly, looking over your shoulder at him. “You like?”

Rafe eyes you up as you turn, the view from behind just as good as the view from the front. He bites back a groan, his eyes travelling up your back. “I like a lot,” he says, his voice still husky. He glances up, meeting your gaze as he stands from the armchair. “Come here.”

Confused, you step closer.

Rafe reaches out when you do, one hand grabbing your waist and pulling you forward until you're pressed against him. His other hand lifts, gently touching the material of the skirt. “I like the flowers,” he says, his voice barely above a whisper. His thumb brushes along the material, feeling how smooth it was, before his hand moves up your side, his touch leaving goosebumps in its wake.

“Y-Yeah, me too.” You stammer.

Rafe glances up at your face, watching your reaction before glancing back down. His hand slowly moves across your side, his thumb brushing along your ribs, stopping just underneath your breast. “I like the colour, too. It’s pretty.”

Your breathing is shaky. His hands feel so rough and warm against your skin. “Is this the one?”

Rafe smirks slightly at your reaction, his fingers tracing an agonisingly slow shape on your rib cage, his nails slightly scratching. “This is the one. You okay with it?”

You nod. You’re more than okay with this dress.

He smirks at your nod, his eyes flickering up to you again. “Good,” he says softly, his voice still as deep as ever. “Then it’s yours.” His hand moves along your hip, resting against your belly as he turns his attention to the tag. “It’s only $210.”

What? Panic streaks across your face. “Rafe, are you sure it isn’t too much?”

Rafe laughs at your reaction, his smirk widening. “It’s fine, sweetheart. I wouldn’t offer to buy it if I couldn’t afford it,” You start to fuss over the price and Rafe rolls his eyes, reaching up and ripping the tag off of the dress. “Well, would you look at that, I have to pay for it now.”

“Rafe!” You whine.

“Don’t worry about it,” Rafe says. “I got it, $210 is nothing to me. Bring your clothes up, and I’ll get a bag for them, you can just keep the dress on.”

“Rafe--” You go to protest, but he’s already walking up to the counter, tag in hand. You give up, heading back into the dressing room to grab your other clothes. You head up to the counter, sliding your clothes into the empty shopping bag as Rafe swipes his card. 

Rafe tucks his card back into the wallet before taking the bag, crumpling up the receipt with his other hand and shoving it into his pockets. “Come on,” he says. “Let’s go.” You follow him out of the shop, heading back to his truck. The truck beeps as it unlocks, and he opens the door, setting the bag down in the floorboards under your seat. He shuts the door and locks it before joining you, walking down the street, expecting you to follow him. 

You catch up with him, fidgeting with your hands. “Thanks, Rafe. For the dress.”

Rafe glances at you as he walks. “Don’t mention it,” he says, his voice almost gentle. “It’s good to treat a girl sometimes.”

You blush a little, pushing your hair out of your face. “So, where to now?”

“Patience,” he says, smirking again. “It’s a surprise.” He leads you down the street, your hands brushing together as you walk. You stop at a crosswalk, and you go to press the button when Rafe stops you. You look at him confused as he looks down the street both ways before grabbing your hand, running across the street. You barely process the fact that you’re holding hands by the time you make it safely across the street. He doesn’t let go at first, even after making it across the street, but he finally lets go, running his hand over his buzzed head. A warmth spreads through your belly, but you push it aside. You wouldn’t ever admit to liking to feel his hand in yours. Not in a million years.

Rafe lets go of your hand once you make it to the other side, shoving both of his hands into his pockets. There’s the smallest hint of a smirk on his lips when he glances at you, like he’s thinking of something but trying to keep himself contained. “Come on, got somethin’ to show you.” You walk down the street before finally seeing what he had planned next, an amusement park on the pier.

You’re excited. Really excited. You haven’t been to an amusement park in years, and you can’t hide your smile as you drag Rafe towards the entrance. “Hey, slow the hell down,” Rafe says, laughing as you drag him towards the amusement park. The smile on his face is genuine, you being excited makes him feel happy for some unknown reason. He begrudgingly lets go of your hand as you make it to the entrance, walking in step with you now, his hands still shoved in his pockets. He pays for your tickets, much to your dismay, before leading you through the gates. The park is pretty crowded, couples and families milling around. “Which one first?”

“Uh, the carousel,” You say. “Duh.”

Rafe snickers at your response, shaking his head. “Of course you would pick the most boring one first,” he says, his tone almost fond. He turns towards it, taking a step forward, but he stops when he realises you aren’t following him anymore. He glances back at you, raising an eyebrow. “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s go.”

“It’s not boring.” You say, defending the ride.

“It’s a carousel,” he says, rolling his eyes. “It goes in a circle. How’s that not boring?”

You huff. “You’ll see,” you grab his hand, tugging him behind you as you head to the carousel. Rafe chuckles as you take the lead, allowing you to drag him along despite his protests. He keeps his hands stuffed in his pockets the whole way, the feeling of your fingers wrapped around his sending sparks dancing across his skin, a sensation he doesn’t not like. You wait in a short line before climbing onto the carousel. You sit down on a baby pink horse, pulling your dress up to sit comfortably. Rafe stands next to you, holding onto the bar. “Are you gonna sit down?”

Rafe watches you adjust, his eyes lingering on your dress as it hikes up your thighs. He looks at the animals, a smirk slowly spreading wide across his face as he realises how childish they are. “Hell no,” he says. “I’m not getting on one of these kiddie rides--”

The carousel suddenly lurches, sending Rafe stumbling backwards. You burst out laughing, reaching down to extend a hand, speaking between laughs. “Are you okay?”

Rafe glances up at you as he grabs your hand, hauling himself up with a scowl on his face. “Fuck you,” he says, scowling as he stands next to you again. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t do anything,” You say between laughs. “I think that was karma for calling the ride boring.” 

Rafe watched as you laughed, his expression softening. There was something about you, something about the way your eyes crinkled when you laughed, something about the way your hair was shining in the carousel light. His chest tightens, his fingers flexing slightly. The ride starts to turn, moving at a slow pace. The horse you’re sitting on moves up and down.

You notice Rafe’s continued gaze. “Why are you staring at me?”

It takes him a moment to respond, his eyes not leaving yours for another second before they flicker away, his gaze still soft. “What, staring at a pretty girl is a crime now?”

Your head tilts, your heart fluttering. You smile softly. “Pretty?”

“Yeah,” Rafe murmurs. “Real pretty.”

You blush, looking down. “Thanks.”

The light from the carousel is shining down upon you, the pink of your horse glowing with the movement of the ride. Rafe’s attention moves to your bare thighs, the material of your dress riding up with the movement of the horse, exposing more of your skin. His jaw clenches slightly before he drags his gaze away, forcing his eyes to return to your face. His fingers flex, wanting to reach out and touch you, but he holds back. “No problem.”

The carousel comes to a stop, and you stand up, stepping off of the platform.

Rafe stands as well, shoving his hands into his pockets as he follows you closely. He glances down at your legs again as you climb down, taking note of how the skirt hugs your ass while you walk. He looks at your face again before he speaks. “What’s next?”

“Up to you.” You say. Rafe takes a look around the pier, licking his bottom lip. 

Your phone vibrates in your purse, and you unzip it, pulling your phone out. He looks back at you, his eyebrows furrowing. “Who’s calling you?”

“JJ,” You sigh. “Been texting me all evening.”

Rafe scoffs as soon you mention JJ, rolling his eyes. “Why is he blowing up your phone anyway?”

“Because I’m here with you instead of being with him and John B.” You say.

“Thought I told you not to tell them we were together.” he says, his voice getting quiet.

“I didn’t,” You say. “I told them I was busy, but I didn’t give any specifics.”

“So why is he blowing up your phone?” Rafe asks, his hands still in his pockets. He looks annoyed, his chest slightly puffed out.

“I don’t know.” You say, declining JJ’s call.

“Are you and him like…” Rafe pauses, not really wanting to ask, scared of your answer. “Dating, or something?”

“No,” You say, putting your phone back into your purse. “He’s my friend.”

“Your friend that you fuck.” Rafe says bluntly.

Was he really doing this? “Yes, my friend that I fuck, Rafe,” You say. “My friend that I let cum in my mouth. Why do you even care?”

Rafe’s expression hardens, the muscle in his jaw ticking as he clenches his teeth. He looks irritated, upset even. He shakes his head, letting out a humorless chuckle. “Never mind.” He looks around the park for a moment, searching for the nearest ride. “Come on, let’s get on something less childish than a carousel.”

“No,” You grab his hand. “We’re not done talking.”

“Not done talking about what?” he asks, his voice still irritated. “About your little ‘friend’, the one who blows up your phone like you’re his girlfriend?”

“Why do you care if JJ and I fuck or not?” You ask, keeping a grip on his hand.

“I don’t care if you two fuck,” he lies, his jaw still clenched. “That’s not what I’m pissed about.”

“Then what are you pissed about?” You ask.

“I’m pissed because you’re still hanging around a bunch of loser Pogues while you should be here with me.” He answers, his eyes meeting yours, his jaw still set hard.

“I am here with you.” You say, your tone softening.

“Yeah, right now you are,” he mutters. “I doubt this is gonna last. Not if you keep wasting your time with those guys, at least.”

“What do you mean?” You ask.

Rafe looks away, running a hand over the nape of his neck. “You’re always hanging out with them,” he says. “You’re never with me, I never get to hang out with you. But somehow you’re always available for them.”

“Rafe, it’s not like we’re exactly friends.” You say, letting go of his hand. 

“Why not?” he asks, his eyes meeting your face again. “We could be if you wanted to. No one’s stopping you from hanging out with me just as much as you hang out with them.”

“Don’t you hate me?” You ask. “You bullied me and chased me out of Kildare Academy, remember? My dad spent all that money to get me accepted, but I had to go to Kildare County High with the rest of them after that, and my parents never let me live it down. I’m a Pogue, Rafe, so I’m like 90% sure you hate me.”

Rafe goes silent for a moment, his expression softening as he considers your words. “That was years ago,” he says, his tone softening as well. “Things were different then. I was younger, stupid, I was an idiot.”

“And you’re suddenly different now?” You ask.

“Yeah, I’m different now.” He answers. His voice is soft, a tone you haven’t heard that often, if at all, coming from Rafe. “I grew up. Started to see things differently.”

“Congrats on finally discovering empathy years after everyone else did,” You sigh, looking away for a second before looking back at him. “I can’t forget the way you treated me, Rafe.”

“Yeah, that’s fair,” Rafe mutters, his eyes flickering across your face, taking in your expression. “Look, I know a lot happened when we were in school, but I was a dumbass then, okay? What I did to you was messed up, I know that. But I’m different now. Haven’t you been…” He looks like a kicked puppy, worried. “Haven’t you been having a nice time tonight?”

You nod slightly, your voice soft. “Yeah, I’ve been having a nice time, Rafe.”

He lets out a soft breath of relief at your nod, his chest loosening. He glances down at where he’s shoved his hands in his pockets again, avoiding your eyes. “Good,” he murmurs. “I just… I don’t want you to think I’m the same person I was back then.” He looks back up at you, his eyes meeting yours. “I’m not.” He lets out a soft scoff. “I swear. I’m…better now, I guess.”

You sigh, stepping closer to him. “Do you really wanna be friends?”

Rafe’s heart skips a beat as you take a step closer to him, the proximity making his breath catch in his chest. He nods, swallowing a lump in his throat. He wasn’t expecting to pour his heart out to you that night, even the idea of spilling to you was nerve-wracking for him. “Yeah,” he murmurs. “Yeah, I do.”

“Just friends?” You ask quietly. “Nothing…nothing more?”

Rafe’s heart nearly beats out of his chest at your question. He looks down at you, considering his answer, his eyes flickering across your face as he thinks. Would friends really describe the way he felt about you? The thought of you just being a friend doesn’t sit well in his stomach, doesn’t feel right. He reaches up, carefully tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. “Not just friends,” he whispers.

You step closer, your chests nearly touching. “I wanna be more than just friends, too.”

Rafe’s breath catches in his throat as you step closer to him, the feeling of the air crackling between you and him driving him crazy. He swallows, nodding slightly, his fingers slowly moving down your neck, thumb brushing against your pulse. “Good,” he murmurs. “Because I really, really wanna kiss you right now, sweet girl.”

“Oh, god, please do.” You breathe out.

Rafe can’t help the shiver that runs down his spine at your soft voice whispering those words, that pleading tone that drives him crazy. He doesn’t hesitate to act, his thumb pressing against your pulse as he pulls you closer. His other hand rests on your hip, sliding around to the small of your back as he leans down and presses his lips against yours finally, his heart beating faster than it ever has before.

He has you in the palm of his hand.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧

★taglist: @ietss, @momoewn, @blairsblg (italics means i couldn’t tag you!)

[theonewiththefanfics]

The Layers of Thomas Shelby - Frozen Fear (one-shot)

Synopsis: Fear was an emotion Tommy elicited in others. He never thought he'd feel it himself. Not like that. Never like that... 

Pairing: Tommy Shelby x fem!Reader

Genre: angst, slight fluff

Warnings: graphic descriptions of blood, injuries, kidnapping, swearing, death not sticking to canon whatsoever :)

Word count: 3028

Fear was something Thomas Shelby was intimately acquainted with. He elicited it and made others tremble to their very core with just a glance or a whisper of his name from someone else’s lips. Fear was as much a shadow in his life, as his daughter who followed him around wherever she could.

But fear was also what he felt in that exact moment as he stared at the bloodied napkin on his table, the silver locket he’d gifted Y/N when their child had turned one inside it, a simple note of “For Angel” attached to it.

Sadie was tight asleep on his chest when he’d received the damned box. Y/N had taken her to Ada’s so she could have the day to herself, get her body pampered, do up her hair and maybe spend a bit of money on some new shoes or a winter coat as a birthday present from him. If she’d asked, Tommy would’ve bought her the Eifel tower, and she’d bloody well deserve it. Valentine's was coming up, after all.

He was so proud of her. Despite the certain things that’d happened, he wouldn’t want anyone else to share a life with. She’d picked up the broken pieces Grace had left his heart in and mended it with gold. But gold didn’t matter at that moment when he didn’t know where she was. Where her body was.

When Frances had brought in the box that’d been left by the doorstep, Sadie had been softly snoring on his shoulder for the better part of an hour while he ran tired blue eyes over the logs of the previous week.

He thanked her, his voice a whisper to not stir his toddler, before cautiously examining the square. When he opened it, Tommy swore his heart stopped beating. Or he wished it did. Because it wasn’t like that time when Grace’s boyfriend had taken Y/N, or like that time she’d gotten mugged behind a shop. No. This time, he knew she was dead, and he wished he was too.

It took all of his self-control to ring up his brothers and tell them to get to Arrow House right that second. It took all of his restraint not to shout or scream, the only thing tethering him to earth and sanity his pride and joy asleep in his arms.

When Arthur and John got to his home office, Tommy simply threw them the note, his eyes trained on the small oval locket, thumb tracing the inscription upon it, smearing blood more and more over his own hands.

“Find her.” Those were the only words he uttered.

For a brief second, he’d glanced up and saw terror rush through the eyes of his brothers; he knew how much the two loved his wife, they loved her like they loved Ada and Polly, so without a second to spare, they ran back out, no doubt to gather every Blinder and search every nook and cranny while he clutched the brown-haired girl to his chest, the silver locket clutched in his other palm.

He wasn’t a religious man, didn’t even necessarily believe what his gipsy ancestors did or even his aunt Pol, but at that moment he turned his head to the ceiling and prayed to whoever might listen, old gods and new, Norse and Greek and Slavic – anyone that would hear his pleas.

Tommy thought back to every time Y/N had smiled at him, had laughed and filled his world with light. He even thought back to all those insane moments where he felt like his jaw would snap with how hard he’d been clenching it because of some stupid thing she’d done. He wished he’d appreciated those moments more because when two hours later Arthur came back to the house, the coat his wife had been wearing that morning in his hands, soaked and dripping freezing water onto the Turkish carpet, Tommy knew she was gone.

***

Her whole world consisted of cold, nothing else. It was the only thing she could feel, taste and sense. Was there anything to sense? Y/N didn’t know. She didn’t even fully believe her legs were still attached to her body, but somehow she was making her way across the field.

Time had become a concept she couldn’t comprehend, and the only thing that showed it had passed was the ever-changing position of the moon - her only companion through the long journey.

She had stopped shaking a while back, which it didn’t take her being a genius to know meant trouble if she didn’t find a way to get warm, but even that didn’t matter. Nothing but getting home did. If she had to die, she wanted to do it there, not somewhere in a ditch let alone beneath the frozen surface of the lake where Luka Changretta had dumped her.

He thought she’d been dead. He’d slit her throat, but not before ripping off the beautiful little necklace Tommy had gifted her.

“So he has something to remember you by,” the Italian mobster had given her a mocking smile before taking a knife from his side and slicing it across her neck.

The pain had been blinding, knocking all sense of reality out of her mind. She knew it would be the end. When her body lifted above the chair she’d been tied to, when her back greeted plush leather seats, her blood staining them forever. She knew she would die sooner or later. Then sweet blackness greeted her.

But death was a lot more painful than what it’d been described to be like in all the books she'd read and edited, especially the wound in her throat. Her breaths were white-hot knives dragging down her oesophagus and her lungs were on fire with each shallow take of air.

Through a haze, Y/N heard Italian being spoken before two rough hands grabbed her by the ankles and dragged her out of the car.

Her body hit the frozen ground with a thud, and it took every bit of remaining brainpower not to whimper from the pain. The winter air stung every piece of her body inside and out, caressing her with icy nails.

Slowly her mind was coming to, the cold sobering her up, but when someone took her wrists and another took her by the ankles, setting her flying, it was the frozen surface of the lake she cracked through that awoke her completely.

Y/E/C eyes flew open, murky depths of the water greeting her while every nerve and cell in her got shocked. Instinct told her to swim up, get a breath, and get out of the water before it pulled her under, but with the mightiness of a Norse goddess, Y/N suppressed all that and allowed the lake to gently pull her down, and her mind finally started to understand what’d happened.

They thought she was dead and decided to throw her body in some lake, probably hoping it would freeze over before she floated to the top and would remain that way until the very spring, prolonging the pain for her family.

The thought of her family grieving her was the only thing keeping Y/N from not trashing below the still surface. Instead, she slowly slipped her arms out from the coat and let it move to the top, while she sunk lower and lower.

Soon enough her feet touched the slimy earth below, which is when she once more opened her eyes and glanced up. There wasn’t really anything to see, apart from the light of the moon streaming in through the broken place where her body had been thrown and two retreating headlights.

Y/N waited two more seconds her whole being in shock and begging to get out and away from the cold when she pushed upwards and broke the surface. She gulped the air down in greedy takes, not caring about her split neck or the trembling of her body - at that moment all she cared for was air.

Her teeth were chattering so hard she pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth, afraid it might get caught between them and she’d bite it off. Swishing her head around, she looked if the ice had broken anywhere else. Out. She needed to get out. And to whatever god had taken pity on her after everything, underneath a small makeshift pier where kids would come and fish, the ice had cracked right to the very edge.

She knew every second spent in the water was a second closer to hypothermia, so as quick as her frozen limbs would allow, she swam to the land. It was a hand’s stretch away when another pair of headlights came into view. Y/N cursed and instead of getting out of the lake, she ducked underneath the wooden planks, pressing a palm to her mouth, so whoever it was wouldn’t notice the air steaming up in the air from her mouth.

Her ears were ringing, so Y/N couldn’t hear whatever the men were talking about, only see how they fished out her coat and took it with them. They left another minute later, and she swore at whoever it was for costing it to her. Home. She needed to get home and fast, but she couldn’t be seen, couldn’t let Changretta know he’d half-assed her murder and she’d survived. He wouldn’t do so again, so Y/N waited another bone-chilling minute, checking if any car passed by again.

And then she got out, her dress clinging to her body, hair against her face, matted with seaweeds and blood, one heel of her boot snapped off – a wraith come to life and ready to haunt.

The first step was agonising, and Y/N collapsed underneath her weight, needles piercing her feet. Her knees bruised and scraped raw against the stony earth as did her hands, but she welcomed the pain, let it ground her, and used it to remind herself – pain meant she was alive. No pain would be the real problem.

Y/N wrapped her hands around her body, digging her nails into her biceps, each step an arduous labour. Small pebbles cut the soles of her feet; she’d lost her shoes somewhere along the way; her bones ached from the very inside and each breath was a task, the wound in her neck, although scabbed over, split with every small movement, small streams of blood trickling down and staining her white dress.

Lights were visible in the distance, even as her vision blurred more and more, the small bright dots becoming stretched-out beams before everything tilted and she was staring up at the sky.

The stars were magnificent, she thought. You couldn’t really see them shine like that in the city. Even with Arrow House being further away from the centre, the beauty of it didn’t compare to that of the open field.

Her mind went back to Tommy, to how they met, how they used to bicker about every single thing and to that first morning she’d woken up beside him and instead of finding his pillow cold, a strong arm had been wrapped around the middle, his nose hidden in her hair.

Neither mentioned it a few hours later at breakfast, but it’d been the day things slowly had started to shift. Then she’d gotten shot, and the switch had completely been flipped. All those glances they’d shared, the soft smiles and tiny touches were no longer hidden, but out on full display. His hand now always gravitated to touch any part of her, they fell asleep facing one another, most times Y/N using Tommy’s chest as a pillow. And then someone else came along and used his chest as a pillow, his heartbeat as a lullaby and his eyes as the ocean to pull them in and never let go.

She’d been scared to become a mom, but even with that, she’d never seen Tommy so absolutely terrified. When Y/N had gone into labour, she thought he would pass out, but he swallowed the fear and stayed with her. Despite Ada being adamantly against a man being present during “women’s business”, she’d threatened to break her neck if she so much as looked at Tommy, Polly snorting beside her.

“He put me in this position, and by God, he will be here,” Y/N had sneered at her sister-in-law before a contraption rippled through her body and she almost crushed her husband’s hand.

But then the pain went away and a small wriggling person was placed on her chest. She’d never seen Tommy fully break down before that.

“Huh,” Ada had shrugged. “So he does have a heart.”

She’d promptly received a smack from Polly and Y/N for that comment, but Tommy had chuckled.

“No, I don’t.” He’d leaned in and pressed a kiss to his wife’s temple. “These two stole it a long time ago.”

After that day, it wasn’t uncommon to find Tommy either in his office or even in their bed with Sadie sound asleep on his chest. She just about melted each time.

But now all that stared back at her was the cloudless winter sky. Y/N wanted to sob at the thought she’d never see Tommy’s blue eyes anymore or fix the way Sadie’s curls framed her face, but every little movement was agonising, so she just laid there, staring at the cosmos and waiting for that black void to get her.

***

When Y/N came to she was confused as to why there was so much yelling when being dead, why her head was pounding and her body was racked by violent shivers.

“You undressed my fucking wife!” A deep voice boomed from somewhere very far away it seemed while at the same time, the noise echoed in her skull, rattling her brain.

“Oh, would you have liked me to have left her in that frozen fucking dress?” A deep, gruff one replied. “She was already hypothermic, but by all means, you’d rather no one saw her in her knickers than be alive.”

“Shut your fucking mouth, Solomons!”

That name being said snapped her eyes open, which was a big fucking mistake, as even the warm light from a candle by the bed and from the fireplace was enough to make Y/N feel like she was looking directly at the sun and burning her retinas.

Another horrible shiver went through her frame, her teeth chattering nonstop. Pins and needles were running all over her skin and Y/N curled up in a ball as if trying to not let any of the heat she’d managed to get back escape, but that only made her feel more pain, a groan escaping her mouth. That small noise was enough though for the door to be busted open and for two men – one lean and tall, the other a burly, beard-covered menace to rush inside.

Tommy was by her in an instant, a careful palm placed on her cheek.

“Don’t try to talk,” his own voice was that of a whisper. “The wound’s pretty rough.”

If it didn’t feel like it’d hurt like hell, Y/N would’ve just rolled her eyes, but all she could do was squeeze them shut as shivers went through her body. When Tommy saw that, he was instantly on his feet, going for the fireplace and adding more logs to the dwindling flames.

When he turned around, Y/N had slid her shaking hand from underneath the duvet and extended it to him, a silent plea for him to come back.

It didn’t take much more than that for Tommy to take off his jacket and suit, not caring about the company in the room, his trousers following until he was in his breeches, sliding into the bed, wrapping her frozen body with his own warmth.

A groan escaped her mouth, as she clung to him, Tommy releasing a string of expletives when sensing just how cold Y/N actually was.

“Bloody hell, woman,” he muttered, pressing a kiss to her forehead and tucking her face into the crook of his neck.

Gently, he intertwined her legs with his, and his fingers went to card through her matted strands, the motion more so calming him down, than her.

He’d put their daughter in bed after calling for Polly to come, with the thought Y/N was dead, his whole being a numb void. He’d thought the only time he’d ever get to see her again was after her body was found, that was if it’d be in a recognisable condition, so he’d take her frozen feet against his calves, her cold lips against his chest and stiff fingers digging painfully in his sides, as long as it meant she was alive.

At some point, after Alfie and Tommy exchanged words, Solomons left, and they spent the whole night and early morning like that, tangled in one another until Y/N was no longer cold or more appropriately would snap her tongue off if she so much as opened her mouth. She still couldn’t speak despite how Alfie had cleaned and stitched the wound in her neck, but she could write.

Alfie had brought a pen and paper upon Tommy’s request so they could communicate and the first and only word she scribbled was “home”.

“We’ll go home soon,” Tommy promised. “Arthur’s just… taking care of a few things.”

To that Y/N just nodded; she didn’t need any more explanations.

She took the pencil again and flipped to a new page. “Alfie has shitty sheets.”

Tommy chuckled, tightening the grip he had around Y/N’s waist. “He does, doesn’t he? You’d think the fucker could afford silk by now. Did he even change them before he put you in the bed?”

She just smiled and nuzzled closer to Tommy pressing her no longer cold nose to his chest and breathing in his scent, as he cradled her nape.

Y/N could hear the rapid thuds of his heart. When he'd first joined her in the bed, it'd been racing like one of his horses, stuttering and trying to find a beat, but now it was a steady song, matching her own.

No longer were they afraid.

Tags (crossed out wouldn’t take): 

Everything tags: @palaiasaurus64​ @supernaturalbaesduh @thatawkwardlittlefangirl @sea040561​ @staryeyedgirl​ @deathbyarabbit​ @m-a-t-91​ @maladaptive-ninja-returns​ @averyrogers83​ @in-the-end-im-still-trash @gallifreyansass​ @dewy-biitch​ @avxgers​ @unlikelygalaxygiver​ @magicwithaknife​ @ollyoxenfrees​ @bnhvrdy​ @tvwhoresblog​ @thatkindofgurl​ @sj-thefan​ @lestersglitterglue​ @im-squished​ @strangersstranger​

Thomas Shelby tags: @datewithgianni​ @captivatedbycillianmurphy​ @screemqueen​ @mrsmalfoyshelby​ @theamuz​ @lyarr24​

A/N: sooo, it's been a while, hasn't it? Just wanted to drop something for the upcoming Valentines :)

P.S. hope you liked this :)

P.S.S. please don’t plagiarise my work and repost it/ translate it on other platforms (wattpad etc). re-blogs are very welcome

[dixonsbrat]

𖥔 𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐄: 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐓𝐖𝐎 𖥔

summary ; rafe begins to push you away when he realises the true nature of his feelings towards you

pairing ; rafe cameron x pogue!fem!reader

notes ; this series will contain mature themes, such as : p in v sex, fingering, oral sex (f and m receiving), swearing, physical altercations, potential nightmares and anxiety, arguments, drinking and drugs. if i forgot any please let me know.

do not transfer, translate or share my work to any other sites.

the sun beats down on your skin as you walk along the jagged footpath, the only sounds being that of the marsh in the distance and your dial tone ringing out in your ear for what felt like the millionth time that afternoon. you knew you shouldn’t, but you didn’t want to stop calling until the other side of the line was finally answered, and had you not been standing out the front of the chateau, you probably would have. 

instead, you lock the screen and shove it deep into your pocket before heading around the back of the house. the sound of your phone calls going unanswered now replaced by the sweet chime of your friends’ laughter, immediately taking the edge off from the rough morning you had already had. 

“there she is!” jj hollers, making your presence known among the group — well, the boys anyway — he had his feet kicked up on an old crate as he nestled a beer bottle in his left hand. “we were beginning to think you’d ditched us for them kooks after all.” he laughs; a joke he liked to continuously tell. 

“please, i would never do that to you, jj,” you wink, pushing open the outer wire door of the patio. “i see you three bounced back nicely after last night.” 

you take in their appearances and besides the fact that they were wearing the same clothes, there was no physical evidence in their features of the fun they’d had the night before. even jj, who was usually downing the greasiest food he could find, was seemingly… fine. 

“you know it, baby!” john b says, a smirk splayed across his lips. 

“we have kie, and those weird green drinks she makes, to thank.” pope raises his brows your way. 

even with that knowledge, it amazed you how fine they all seemed after the previous night’s bonfire, considering how much more they had to drink than you, while you were still dealing with a slight pounding in your head. it was just adding more fuel to the fire that pogues knew how to party better than anyone. 

jj offers you a sip of his beer as you sink into the sofa beside him, letting your head fall to rest on his shoulders and he instinctively pats your thigh with comfort. with the morning you had, getting a little buzzed with your friends seemed like the perfect way to get your mind off of everything. 

after what had happened last night, you didn’t expect things to take such a turn, and for the worst. not only had you spent the night with rafe — in more ways than one — but you had woken up alone in his bed without so much as a text from him. you knew staying with him was only going to stir something up between the two of you, but you never expected complete radio silence. 

it was stupid, really, of you to think that things with rafe could ever change, and yet, you still held onto the hope that he just had somewhere to be. regardless, rafe never would’ve left without saying something or returning one of your calls or texts, and now you had a nagging feeling in the pit of your stomach that something deeper was going on. 

“i’m telling you, it was a girl.” sarah exclaims as she and kie push through the front door, laughing and sharing the same dumbstruck expressions as they join the rest of you. 

kie shakes her head, scrunching up her nose with disgust, “there’s no way. there’s absolutely no way anyone would - ew!”

piquing john b’s interest, he reaches for sarah and pulls her into his lap, “what’s ‘ew’?” he mimics.

the two girls look to one another with disturbance in their eyes. whatever it was, it seemed big enough to have the blonde questioning whether or not she should share it, which definitely grabbed your attention, and ultimately she decided to spill. 

“so, last night after i got home… i went to see if wheezie was awake, and when i was leaving her room, we heard rafe… with a girl.”

your blood runs cold the second the words leave sarah’s mouth and you almost choke on jj’s drink — you knew it was you that she had heard. 

the thought of your friends finding out about what you had really been up to all those nights you said you had to leave before curfew, or where you’d disappear for hours at a time, when you were really with rafe cameron suddenly floods your mind. your skin begins to crawl, an untraceable itch burning at your skin as an overwhelming shadow of dread looms above. 

“what? like talking?” pope queries, not understanding what was so scandalising about it. 

“no, dummy,” kie scoffs, shaking her head once again, this time with a lazy smile. 

sarah screws her face up, snickering lightly, but clearly puzzled by her new discovery, “i’ve never seen rafe bring someone home before; topper and kelce barely ever come over. i mean, he’s literally always walking around with a stick up his ass saying he doesn’t need the distraction of being in a relationship.”

jj leans forward, his curiosity getting the better of him, and wiggling his brows, he asks, “do you know who she was? was she hot?”

you bite down on your lip, waiting for sarah to answer the question. each and every fleeting second feeling like a million as the anticipation builds inside your stomach. you felt like you were going to be sick as you hang onto every syllable like your life depended on it.

“i had to go do some last-minute shopping with rose and wheezie, and whoever she was, she was gone by the time we got back.” 

an inaudible sigh of relief escapes you — especially when you recall how stressful it was having to sneak out of the cameron’s house without getting caught — but not just for your sake; for rafe too. you weren’t sure how ward would react knowing his son was also seeing a pogue; sarah and john b were enough, this would just push him over the edge. 

not that rafe deserved you trying to look out for him after leaving you so abruptly this morning. 

it was like he had fallen off the face of the earth… your earth.

“well, whoever she is, she clearly has no standards or any respect for herself if she’s getting caught up with the likes of him,” kie says, raising her brows in a way that lets you know she’s being honest. 

you knew you shouldn’t have let her words get to you, being that she had a burning hated for the cameron boy, but the fact that she didn’t know it was you who sarah had inadvertently heard last night only meant that she was speaking the truth, and in all honesty, that made it hurt a million times more. 

you were aware that maintaining a secret ‘non-relationship’ with rafe was never going to be easy. between the constant lying and excuses you had to give your friends, the sneaking around behind their backs, plus rafe’s unpredictable behaviour sometimes. it was already a lot to deal with. the last thing you needed was to have your friends talk about you, and degrade you, unknowingly or not.

“don’t you think you’re being a little harsh?” the words slip from the tip of your tongue, and everyone turns your way in unison. “i’m just saying, we shouldn’t be judging someone by who they sleep with, nor should we automatically assume that they have no respect for themselves based on that fact, and that fact alone.”

“or maybe she doesn’t know how horrible he is.” the brunette scoffs. 

“or maybe it’s strictly physical?” jj adds, nodding his head with approval. 

sighing, you continue, “i’m serious, guys. i get that rafe is literally the last person we should be ‘nice’ to but that doesn’t mean that this girl deserves to be outed just because of him.”

there’s a small silence among the six of you but you’re not entirely sure if that’s a good or bad thing. who knows what was going through their heads, or if you had accidentally said too much. 

“since when did you care so much about rafe?” kie asks, an accusatory tone to her words. 

“i don’t. i just-” you pause for a moment, trying to keep your nerves from completely overthrowing you. you could see that the hatred they held for the boy you cared so deeply for was simply too strong to bypass your reasoning as you take a look around. they had every right to feel the way they did, rafe had been awful to them, but unfortunately, they didn’t know him like you did. “-just… forget it”

with a defeated smile, you take another sip from jj’s drink as the conversation continues around you. you tried to drown it all out by focusing on the water in the marsh or the wind chimes that hung in the corner, but despite your best efforts, you kept being brought back to the topic at hand. if not by your friends, then by your own mind. 

the rest of the afternoon remained that way: with your friends participating in conversations and indulging themselves with multiple ‘juice boxes’ while you slipped in and out of focus, making sure to add something here and there to not throw off any suspicion. you were sort of relieved when you had to go home, only to remember the unbearable night that awaited.

knowing now what you did, you knew your friends were going to be keeping an extra cautious eye on rafe tonight, which meant any plans or ideas you had about trying to talk to him had just flown out the window - you needed to get his attention somehow. 

*

it’s not long before the sound of low music is filling your ears as you hesitantly make your way through the large and busy entrance of the island club. tonight’s event was already in full swing — you weren’t even entirely sure what it was for, probably raising money for something unimportant, like another golf course. 

everywhere you looked you were greeted by kooks, all of whom barely looked your way, and if they did, it was for reasons they wouldn’t care to admit aloud. your family may fit in well at the club, but you on the other hand, did not, and they were careless about hiding that fact.

you knew what they thought, all the judgement they held for you. it was no different to the looks you’d get at the boneyard. though the hostility never came from the pogues, and the torons were oblivious to it all.

that aside, you’d still been forced to attend your fair share of these events, and while you assumed they would get easier, you were always left feeling uneasy about it all; having to pretend you were something you so very clearly weren’t just for the sake of appearances, and all while having to endure meaningless stories about the kooks with their multiple vacation houses and extravagant lifestyles. 

it was truly a nightmare. 

all you wanted was to find your friends, some alcohol, and a quiet place to sit, or alternatively; rafe.

nothing quite settled your nervous heart at these events like rafe’s reassuring gaze from across the room. he knew you hated it —  the fake kindness, the judgement, having to get dressed up just to be perceived by people that didn’t, and would never, truly know you — though you weren’t entirely sure how he would react to seeing you right now. 

“excuse me miss, we seem to have misplaced our friend, you haven’t seen her have you?” a familiar voice catches you off guard and when you turn, both kie and pope are standing there grinning from ear to ear. 

you pull the two of them into a hug as relief washes over you, “oh, thank god. i was worried i’d actually have to talk to these people.” you say just as an older couple passes by, their noses upturned at your remark. 

“i don’t know, i think you’d manage dressed like that,” kie reaches to poke you in the stomach but you playfully slap her hand away, and the three of you fall into a small peal of comforting laughter. 

while kie’s comments had upset you earlier that day, you were just glad to not be alone for the time being. even if it meant enduring whatever other comments you had coming your way. 

“yeah. it seems you’ve made quite the impression,” pope says and you follow his eyes to a group of guys staring your way from the corner of the room. 

you knew your dress was a little out there and while the comments were flattering — while also making you slightly uncomfortable by the way you were being looked upon — a bittersweet taste filled your mouth because, truthfully, there were only one person’s eyes you wanted to be on you. 

“while i object to the fact that they’re ogling at you like a piece of meat…” kie looks their way, causing them to look away, and then back at you. “i do have to admit… you look hot.”

you knew it was just the dress, and not you, per say, that was giving you so much attention. it was backless and draped down to your ankles, flourishing at the bottom as it split down the thigh. the only thing keeping it in place were the two thin spaghetti straps that crisscrossed over your shoulders, letting the material dip just above the small of your back. it was a deep blue satin material; a colour rafe had once complimented you in. 

you liked the dress, but you liked the idea of it ending up on rafe's bedroom floor more.

and yet, now when you thought about the night that could’ve been, you were suddenly feeling very naked and aware of the eyes that were on you. staring at you in ways that only rafe ever had. 

kie seems to notice the quick change in your demeanour when you wrap your arms around yourself, and begins pushing pope towards the exit, “come on, let's go find sarah before she crosses back over to the dark side.”

as the three of you begin to approach the doors that lead out to the patio, the sound of ward cameron’s voice could be heard lingering in from outside. you, however, pay him no mind. the last thing you wanted was to listen to the man who was the sole reason for you having to hide your ‘non-relationship’ with rafe — if you could even call it that now. 

with one foot out the door, you stop when kie turns back to make a snarky comment; one that falls on deaf ears when a loud burst of laughter consumes your attention. annoyed, you instinctively look up at the group of guys that had planted themselves just outside the door, taking in a few familiar faces when you see topper and kelce are there, and standing between them is the most familiar of all. the one you had been longing to see. 

there he was; looking as handsome as ever in a suit he had personally picked out, no doubt. the deep blue was almost an exact match to the dress you were wearing, reflecting against the sapphire in his eyes a little too perfectly, and in that moment, it was as if time stood still as your gaze fell upon each other. 

a surge of panic courses through you and your mind flurries with the realisation of just how badly you wanted whatever was going on with him to stop so that you could finally wrap yourself up in his arms again. you hadn’t realised it until then just how attached you had grown to that feeling, but mostly, you hadn’t realised just how scared you were of even the thought of losing him. 

especially when he wasn’t ever really yours to begin with. 

the breath in your throat hitches as his eyes trail your body, taking in the dress you so clearly wore for him, and his eyes soften for a moment before his jaw tightens and he looks away. he didn’t dare give you another second of his time as he scopes his surroundings, cradling the glass in his hand as he pretends he was actually interested in any of this bullshit — in anything, as long as it wasn’t you. 

“hey, you coming?” pope’s voice pulls you back to reality after noticing you had stopped following behind them. you nod, giving him some excuse about your shoe getting caught under your dress, and he offers you his arm as you pretend to fix the non-existing problem before walking away. 

kie is the first to spot sarah in the middle of the crowded space, stuck in a conversation with an older lady as her father's voice practically consumes anyone in a 10’ft radius, and the three of you wave her over. dismissing the woman, she sneaks away from the crowd, but not before checking her surroundings and making sure that her father wasn’t looking her way. 

“oh, my god,” she groans, shaking her head as she gives you a hug. “it’s been an hour and i have spoken to like thirty different people - you guys look stunning, by the way.”

“as do you,” kie tilts her head toward the blonde, grabbing her by the hands and pulling her towards a seat off to the side and a little ways away from the main area of the club. “so, how’s the whole ‘mystery girl’ thing coming along?”

sighing, sarah frumps herself further down into the wooden seat, watching as the rest of the party unfolded before you all, “it’s pretty much a bust. he hasn’t spoken to anyone expect topper, kelce, and a few of the others guys, and the girls… he just brushes them all off.”

confused, your mind flitters with a million thoughts, all racing around your mind trying to get to the same destination. it was clear they were talking about rafe; did they know? no. they couldn’t. how could they know?

“wait, what are you guys talking about?” you ask, but your question, and the panic in your voice is cut by the sound of jj and john b calling out to the four of you from behind, making a spectacle of themselves as they sneak through the back fields of the club. 

your friends all laugh as the two boys join you, showing off the suits they had no doubt stolen from jj’s cousin, or something, but even among the commotion, kie and sarah’s words kept ringing around in your head;  your friends were actively trying to seek you out. 

how could you have been so careless? 

you were more than aware that rafe lived in the same house as one of your friends, whether she found out directly or through wheezie, you knew you needed to be more than careful. now, you were on the brink of your friends finding out that you’re the one that’s been sleeping with the one guy they hated the most and there was nothing you could do about it. 

you needed to stop seeing rafe, at least until things cooled down, but you needed to let him know what was going on. you needed to tell him your friends were aware of him sleeping with someone and you needed to take extra precaution. that’s if he even wanted to keep seeing you because with the way he was acting, you weren’t so sure. 

“well, well, well, look at you,” jj smirks in your direction, grabbing a hold of your hand and making you do a twirl, “looking all kook-like. now, why don’t you get all dressed up like this for us, huh?”

you give the blond a playful shove, trying to brush off the comment, but the guilt that had been gnawing at you all day decides to make a reappearance. it’s sharp claws crawling up your chest and into your throat, making it all the harder to breathe. you try to push it aside, shove it back down and not let it get to you, but seeing your friends and knowing they would disown you if they knew the truth was more than enough to have you on edge. 

everything you were bearing was beginning to take it’s toll; knowing your friends were suspicious and that they would shun you from ever talking to them again if they found out and now seeing how fine rafe seemed after last night, as if it had never happened. 

perhaps this was all some sort of premeditated idea and he was just looking for one last rendezvous before ending things? you didn’t want to admit it, but you wouldn’t put it past him either. 

“i’ll - uh - i’ll be back. i just need to use the bathroom,” you gesture back to the club, it’s bright light illuminating it’s surroundings but faded where it came to you and your friends. you don’t give any of them time to answer before you’re scampering off, not wanting kie or sarah to offer to come along. 

inside, you could see people mingling and enjoying their night — self-indulgent vultures, or not — but where rafe and the others stood only moments ago was now empty. no sign of the boy in blue anywhere. 

weaving your way through the gathered crowd, you eventually make it back inside and take note of how less busy it was. the groups mingling in the hall had dispersed leaving it clear now as they all trickled outside or into the surrounding rooms. 

“aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” topper comes into view, practically stopping you in your tracks before leaning back to take in your dress. 

“oh, hey topper,” your words come out a little shaken, mostly just from being caught off guard.

“y’know, for someone who denies themself of all this, you sure know how to look the part.” he waves his arms out, and your eyes instinctively follow when you catch sight of rafe in the room across from you.

though, this time he wasn’t alone. standing next to him was a short blonde in a bright pink dress, her full attention on him as she spoke, but he looked like he’d rather be anywhere else. his eyes flitting around the room until he spots you too, and you quickly return back to topper. 

you let out a small fake laugh and shake your head. you weren’t sure what to say to his comment. 

“no. seriously. you look - you look great, though,” he smiles, and for a second you could’ve sworn there was a flirtatious hint in his tone. 

“thanks, top,” you extend your arm and give him a friendly nudge at the same time you see rafe dismiss the girl he was talking to and begin to walk your way.

your heart starts to thud so loudly in your chest that you were sure it was visible to the naked eye. you could hear it thrumming in your ears as your stomach tries to crawl up your throat with nerves. but when you expect him to stop and maybe say something, even just to topper, he keeps walking. 

he strides right past you and topper, and heads to the staircase just behind you both, but as he turns to ascend them, bypassing the ribbon gate that was clearly there to keep everyone downstairs, he looks right at you. his eyes piercing blue as he all but stares into your soul. 

this was your chance.

you needed to get him alone and he so much as provided you with the perfect opportunity to do so. this was your chance to tell rafe about your friends, but to also confront and demand he tells you what was going on with him. 

“y/n?” topper says your name, pulling you back to the conversation at hand. 

you blink, “sorry, what did you say?”

“no, it’s okay,” he tries to laugh off the fact that you had vagued out on him. “i was just asking if you wanted to-”

“i’m really sorry,” you cut him off. “hold that thought. i have to quickly use the bathroom, but i’ll be right back.” you get your words out hastily, barely giving him a moment to comprehend before you were once again rushing off. 

topper stands there stunned as you too bypass the ribbon gate, rapidly scanning your surroundings to make sure no one was looking. the last thing you wanted was to get caught with rafe. it was risky, extremely risky, but you were desperate for answers and it seemed that this was the only way you were going to get them. 

softening your footsteps, you check all of the rooms before reaching the men’s change room. it was a daring move but again, you were desperate. taking in a deep breath, you slowly push the door open as the faint smell of lingering deodorant and cologne fills your senses. 

lockers lined either side of the room, apart from where the door to the showers was, and in the middle was a line of bench seats, decorated with a large plant in the middle. at the very end was a small window nook with a chair, and leaning against the window stood rafe. 

his back was to you, watching the crowd below, as he throws back the rest of his drink and lets out a heavy sigh. his shoulders rise and fall with the breath, making your own feel faint in comparison. you swallow the ball that had formed in your throat and open your mouth to speak, only to have him beat you to it. 

“you shouldn’t be here.”

[princessmaybank]

I Love You So Fucking Much

Pairings: Sweet!JJ x BestFriend!Fem!Reader

Warnings: MDNI, 18+, Fluff, Pussy Whipped!JJ, Surprise Kiss, Mention of Heavy Petting, Oral (Fem. receiving, short lived), p in v, no protection, cliffhanger, not really edited, etc.

Summary: The guys have been teasing JJ about his crush all day.

Authors Note: My first fic in a while! It's a little short, let me know if you want a part 2! I hope you like it!

JJ's POV:

Pope and John B apparently woke up and chose to torture me today. All day we've been with the girls and they wouldn't stop crackin' jokes. Basically I like my best friend and the guys pressured me into telling them that information a few days ago. I haven't seen her since before I told them, and I guess the guys just got really excited and wanna be dicks. Can't say I wouldn't do the same to one of them.

We were hangin' out in front of the fire at the chateau. I was in a fold up chair in between Pope and Sarah. John B was obviously directly next to Sarah and Kie and Y/N were on the other side of the fire. I couldn't stop staring at Y/N. She is gorgeous, her eyes lit up in front of the fire. "Got a lil drool there." Pope teases and reaches for my face, causing me to back up and slap his hand. Everyone noticed me slap him and was staring. "Why'd you hit Pope?" Sarah asked.

"Because it's funny." Is the best I could come up with. Everyone went back to their conversations but I saw John B whispering to Sarah out of the corner of my eye. Next thing I know Sarah turned to me and gasped, of course he fuckin' told the blabbermouth. I glare at her and whisper 'don't' , hopefully she listens.

Pope noticed the events and giggled to himself. "I don't see why you're so scared." Once again I was the center of attention. Kie finally pipes up. "JJ Maybank is scared of something? Never." Everyone giggled, exchanging nods.

Even though the topic changed many times I was still the focus of the night. The guys, and now Sarah, have still been teasing the whole time.

"I'm gonna go grab another beer, anyone want one?" Y/N asked the group as she stood up. Everyone gave her a nod or a 'yes'. "Wasn't expecting everyone, can someone help me?" She smiled with that small laugh that makes her cheeks go pink. She looked so perfect, the fire made her eyes twinkle.

"JJ would love to help you Y/N." Pope said before anyone could offer. "Yeah JJ go help our dear friend Y/N." John B said with a smug look on his face. Y/N shook off JB's weird look as I got up and followed behind her.

She was bent over in the fridge handing beers to me, not looking back. My teeth involuntarily bit my bottom lip as I stared at her ass. She was wearing shorts but she might as well be naked with the way I'm gawking at her.

I didn't notice she had stood up and turned around until a hand waved in front of my face. "Hey there, anybody home?" She giggles. Fuck that laugh was gorgeous. "oh uhm yeah sorry-" I apologized. She giggled again. "What were you so fixated on?" "Uhm- nothing..it's not really important.." I said while grabbing the beers and heading to the door. She shrugged it off as we just went outside.

When we made it back, apparently Kie played musical chairs because she was in my seat now. Leaving the two across from everyone open. We passed out the beers and I begged Kie to give me my seat back but she only smirked at me and waved me off. So everyone knows now, fuckin' great.

"Just come sit with me Jay- I don't bite." She smiled, patting the chair next to her. "What if he wants you to..." Pope muttered almost too loud. "What?" She asked, looking confused. I shook my head telling her not to worry about it and I took my seat next to her.

Everyone on the other side of the fire is having a conversation- well Pope and Kie are, Sarah and JB are sucking each other's faces off. Y/N and I just kinda sat in uncomfortable silence for a little bit before she spoke up. "Why have the guys been teasing you all day?" I was not prepared for this question so the truth just kinda came out. "Oh- uh they found out I uh like this girl and now they won't leave me alone about it." I said not looking into her eyes. "Awe I wanna know!" She said, full of excitement. I shook my head 'no' very vigorously, not uttering a word. Everyone was looking at us again. "Oh please! I love love! I won't tell her Jayj!" She smiled and grabbed my hand for reassurance but I couldn't focus. "Yeah, c'mon Jayj! She won't tell her!" John B chimed in teasingly. My cheeks were heating up as everyone, including her, looked at me. Her hand was still on mine.

"I need to take a leak." I sprung up out of my seat and announced to the others. Everyone just shrugged as I walked towards the house. I headed to the bathroom and actually did have to piss when I got there, so I guess it wasn't a full blown lie.

When I was done I washed up and calmed down. I stared in the mirror at my bright red cheeks. How did she have this effect on me?

When my emotions were finally under control I went to walk out of the bathroom, but I was met face to face with the goddess herself. "Are you okay Jayj? You've been gone a little while." She sounded so concerned and the way she calls me that nickname makes me wanna bust in my pants right here and now.

"Uhm yeah, just a little overheated from the fire." I shrug trying not to let her fluster me. She crossed her arms like she didn't believe a word I said. "You're acting really weird tonight Jayj...did I do something wrong?" The look on her face made me upset, she looked sad. "Of course not.." I rush to say. "I told you the guys have been messing with me about my crush all day, it's upsetting me.." That also wasn't a full blown lie. I was upset over the things they were saying, but only because they were saying everything in front of said crush.

"Wanna talk about it?" She whispered softly, her eyes begged. I just nodded before motioning to the guest bedroom so I could talk about it with her privately. I sat down on the bed and when she got in the room, she shut and locked the door. I was instantly hard but I knew that's not where this was going. Y/N found her spot next to me and faced her body towards me. I stayed on the edge of the bed, not looking at her but I really really wanted to.

I felt a hand creep onto my thigh. "It's okay if you don't wan-" I cut her off by turning and kissing her. Surprisingly she kissed me back. I'm not sure where this confidence came from, but I'm running with it. Neither of us stopped this kiss until she needed some air. When our lips parted, her face was laced with shock.

"I-I'm sorry- I shouldn't ha-" I started tripping over my words before she cut me off. "I liked it." She said, still filled with shock, which made me happy inside but I wasn't sure where to go from here.

We sat in silence for about a minute before she straddled me and took my lips with hers again. She laid me down, deepening the kiss as she very carefully and slowly rocked her hips on mine. She was so scared to move her hips that I almost didn't feel it against me. I moved mine more harshly against hers to show her it was okay.

After about 30 seconds of heavy petting, I was tearing her clothes off. We had switched positions now and she looked perfect. I was standing in front of her only in my shorts and boxers while she laid there naked. I couldn't help my eyes from wandering all over her body, which unfortunately made her freeze and hide her body. I moved her arms away trying to slowly soothe her. "You're gorgeous.." I smile at her. Before she could say anything I massaged her perfect tits and then got on my knees in front of her.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked. She gave a shy smile before eagerly nodding to me. "I wanna hear a 'yes', Y/N." It came out more stern than intended. "Ye-yes Jayj.." She stuttered. She fucking stuttered. Knowing that I'm the man getting her flustered and ready, is fueling my confidence. I just want to please her in this moment.

Her eyes followed my motions as I peppered kisses on the insides of her thighs. I couldn't stop staring into her beautiful, sparkling eyes. They had a hold on me and wouldn't let go. As I got closer to her heat, she made it quite clear that that is where she needed me most. I lightly placed kisses up and down, reaching from her dripping wet hole to her swollen clit. A moan escaped her lips as she stared into my eyes. I couldn't keep teasing I needed her now. I gave her a few good minutes of sucking and licking while reaching to fondle her tits. I would have continued but I heard a soft voice say-

"JJ please fuck me..."

That's all I needed to hear. I pulled my shorts and boxers down and gave myself a few slow strokes. Her eyes landed on my dick and went wide. Her jaw dropped and she kept staring. "It will fit." I chuckled knowing that's what she was worried about.

My hands reached for her cheeks to pull her closer into a soft, passionate kiss. I climbed on top of her, never breaking our kiss and lined myself up with her entrance. Y/N wrapped her arms around my neck as I pushed myself into her slowly which resulted in her pulling her mouth away from mine to let out a moan. I smirked and pulled her lips back to mine as I began to thrust inside her at an easy pace.

"Fuck Jay, you feel so good..." She said under her breath. I watched as her eyes and head rolled back with her pretty little mouth wide open, making the most beautiful sounds. "Keep your eyes on me pretty girl." I said pulling her gaze back to me by her chin with my first finger.

"D-don't call me that.. I'll cum" She said with a light laugh causing me to giggle a little. I hid my face in the nape of her neck because I felt embarrassed and also flustered. The way we were able to laugh and not feel pressured felt amazing. This felt natural. I started giving her neck small kisses before I found her sweet spot, I sucked on it until it was a deep red and purple. The moans I was responsible for slipping from her mouth were music to my ears.

When my eyes met hers again, I swear they were telling me that she felt the same way I did. That little sparkle from before seemed to only grow brighter. This is the most intimate I've ever been in my life, and I'm happy it's with her.

"I'm almost there Jayj..." She whined into my ear. My hips sped up and I pushed her knees to her chest so I'm able to pound deeper into her. "Fuck please don't stop, please." Her eyes were pleading with me. "I don't plan on it baby..." I rolled my eyes to the back of my head, half due to pleasure, the other half because I can't believe I just called her baby. But she smiled. She actually smiled.

I held myself back from kissing her anymore. I don't know if she liked me back or if this was a one time thing. I'm already beating myself up for doing this before taking her out first. But like I said before...it felt right, natural even.

My thrusts started getting faster and sloppier. The orgasm creeping up on me took all control of my body. Her legs fell to my sides as my hands held her waist and I pulled her close. Our eyes danced between each other's lips and gaze before we sealed the deal. My hips didn't stop their motions, and I knew she was about to bust by the way her sounds were getting muffled by our kiss. I nodded letting her know I was ready as well.

Next thing I knew, she pulled her lips away from mine to moan my name, then I felt her cum leaking out onto my dick. She was so beautifully undone beneath me. When it was my turn to release, I was a moaning mess. My load shot into her, the sounds we were making tangled together to make the most amazing music I've ever heard.

My head found its way to her ear as my arms wrapped around her torso. As I rode out our highs, I made one of the biggest mistakes you could make when having 'casual' sex. I didn't realize it until I pulled my head back and saw her eyes.

I can't believe I said it..

"I love you so fucking much..."

[w0rm-3nthus14st]

i love kidswap designs heres strilonde swap

in case my handwriting is just that unreadable (plus some extra notes i didnt write):

dave lalonde - seer of time - hair is better cared for, so it's more curly! - wears heart shades before john gives him the stiller ones - his t-shirt symbol remains unscratched, since there's no strifing with bro.. - i realize i never decided on his weapon, perhaps an umbrella or something? according to some sources, theyre effective impaling instruments... rose strider - knight of light - she slicks her hair with gel, like dirk would - she wears an ironically defaced squiddle shirt - the ink of the eyes bleed post-grimdark, just cause i think itd be neat to have her shirt symbol change like dave's does originally - she dual wields kaiken at first instead of needles, which are short japanese swords, since bro is a weeb nerd!! i do have some ideas for jade and john being swapped, not sure whether or not i'll draw them though.. we will wait and see.

[poppyflower-22]

Wild Wild West Proposal

Summary: Lando finally proposes to his barrel racing girl in the place they first met.

Side note: Properly spelling errors. I'm Australian so if some slang doesn't make sense google it. Short one.

Wild Wild West

Masterlist

Being in love is something Lando never thought he would feel again after his past relationship failed over and over again. But he swore to anyone that listened that Y/n was the woman for him.

Thats why he stood to the side of the bar watching her dance with Lilly and having fun. The same bar that they had met in one year ago.

Lando could feel the ring in his pocket, having put it in his pocket before they made their way to the bar. Oscar stood next to him also watching the girls but also watching Lando.

He had known what was going to happen, Lando having told him and asking him to go ring shopping with him. Oscar was happy for his cousin. Happy that she was finding love.

"Nervous mate?" Oscar asked Lando.

Lando shot him a nervous smile. "Sort of. I have a feeling she'll say yes." He answered his friend.

Oscar laughed. "She would be a fool to say no." The two laughed together before looking back at their partners that were line dancing with the other town people.

"Have you two talked more about the move?" Oscar asked sipping from his beer.

Y/n had moved into his Monaco apartment after only three months of dating. It was different for the girl who was used to space and the fresh Australian county air but she wouldn't have it have any other way. And plus, she visited all the time.

But recently they have been talking about moving and actually buying a house together. They just don't known where though.

What Y/n didn't know though was Lando had been looking secretly at houses.

"Yeah. We want to but it's just were."

"Do you not want to move from Monaco or just not to Australia?" Oscar questioned.

Lando signed taking a sip of his beer. "I want whatever will make her happy." He looked at Y/n as she swayed to the song with Lilly, laughing with her.

Oscar looked at the love on his friend face and he knew that Lando would move to Australia just for her. "Well, whatever you chose just make sure you have enough room for all your trophies and belt buckles." Oscar joked making Lando laugh.

In their Monaco apartment when Y/n moved in she had so many trophies and belt buckles that the spare room just become an adcement room.

"Well, I did put a down payment on a house. Here in Australia." Lando confessed making Oscar look wide eyed.

"Wow." Oscar breathed out.

Lando nodded. "Yeah. It's her surprise after the proposal." He gained from ear to ear.

Oscar shook his head with a smile. His friend was so wiped for his cousin.

Y/n moved with Lilly to their partners. Y/n wrapped her arms around his neck making him grin. "Hey cowboy." She smirked. Lando was wearing a black dress shirt, black cowboy hat and she had managed to get him into some boots and wranglers.

"Hey cowgirl."

Their lips pressed together for a kiss that was interrupted by Oscar groaning by the display of affection from his cousin and friend. "Please not in front of me."

Lilly hit him on the chest, "Stop it there in love." Oscar held his hands up in mock offence making all four them laugh.

"Well, if our affection is so disturbing for you, well take this outside." Lando shot back leading Y/n outside with a hand on her back.

"Have fun." Oscar called out shooting Lando a wink and Lilly shooting him a thumbs up. Knowing what he was about to do.

Oscar and Lilly looked over at John and nodded. He knew what he had to do to make it even better.

Lando giggled as Y/n ran out through the flower field behind the bar. The moon was shining bright making it not hard for them to see each other. And plus, the lights from the bar were pretty bright.

Y/n grinned and called out, "Catch me if you can." She teased.

"Oh, this girl." Lando smiled before taking of and chasing her. There laughs made John lift his head from where he was setting up the fireworks and smile.

Lando had caught Y/n around the waist making her shriek in laughter. He placed her down and turned her around to face him and placed a delicate kiss on her lips.

"I love you." he whispered looking into her eyes.

"And I love you." She whispered back before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him deeper.

Lando broke the kiss as Y/n pouted, "As much as I want to kiss you and much, much more I don't want to it in the field in the middle of the night almost."

"Weve done much worse out here." She teased with a smile.

Lando shook his head with his owns mile, "Yeah that's true but there something I need to do first."

Y/n frowned, "Okay?" She frowned even further when he backed up from her.

He sighed and reached for her hand. They both could hear the song 'Mr. red, white and blue' playing. Lando didn't get down on one knee not just yet.

"God I'm nervous." He laughed nervously. He looked right at her and smiled. "I remember when I first saw you. I thought you were the most beautiful person in my life. Like God was sending me an angle. That night and every night since then had been the best I could Evey wish. You have seen my bad and good sides and still stuck around, I don't think I will ever love another person in my lifetime or the next more then you Y/n." He smiled with tears in his eyes.

Y/n sniffled making Lando wipe the tear away with his thumb. "Don't cry."

"Can't help it." She whispered. She smiled at him. She had a knowing on what was coming. And she was ready. But she would let him bear his heart out for her first.

Lando smiled softly. "I knew from the moment you moved in with me I would want to marry you and want my life around you." Lando took one step back and then got on one knee making Y/n gasp. "Will you Y/n Piastri make me the happiest man in every lifetime and marry me?"

"Yes." Y/n trembled out making him smile so big. he quickly put the ring on her finger and kissed her just as fireworks went off. They both looked up at the sky and saw all kinds of colors in the fireworks. They held each other as the fresh air tickled their skin.

Y/n Laughed through her tears as Lando smiled back down at her and kissed her again. A kiss of passion and love. It couldn't all be put in a kiss. But God did he try.

Cheering made them look over and saw most of the people form the bar looking at them.

"Wow!" Oscar yelled out. Possibly drunk already in that short time.

Y/n giggled and leaned on Lando's chest. "I love you so much." She told him. And she would continue telling him. She admired the ring, it was a simple proposal ring noting big but not small.

Lando tilted her head up to look at him. "Not as much as me." He told her before placing a kiss on her lips as the fireworks went off around them.

As the fireworks go of above them while they kiss. They both knew that they were it for each other. No one would ever compare to the love they had for each other. It was unique and that was the best kind of love.

It was a picture-perfect proposal for them. It wasn't the kind where you do big things and spend so much money. It was something between them both. Something that they would forever cherish more than money.

"Also, I brought us a house in Australia."

"You what!?"

End.

@toldyouitwasamelodrama

[probably-writing-x]

I’ll love you in the morning

Rafe Cameron x Reader

Summary: Being in a relationship with Rafe meant arguments were a regular occurrence, a day didn’t feel normal without one. But the thing with you and Rafe - you never went to bed angry at each other

Warnings: Cursing, jealous rafe, fluffy as heckkkkk

Author’s Note: Been binge watching OBX for the thousandth time so it only felt right to write about it now :) Please send me any requests you might have, there is a masterlist on my page of everything else I have written for before, but am happy to take requests for anything and I’ll see what I can do x Have a lovely day angels <3

Not my gif

You weren’t sure why he was mad at you, but it seemed to radiate in the space between you. It was obvious in the tension in his shoulders, the way his eyes wouldn’t meet yours, the way his jaw clenched when he heard someone mention your name. It was midsummers tonight, and he’d invited you as his date - making you one of the only Pogues here. The two of you had been dating for a little under a year, and your anniversary was coming up in a few weeks. He’d hated you at first, he just knew you as John B’s sister, a Pogue through and through, and that was enough in itself for him to have a bad opinion of you. But, a year ago, you’d both got drunk at one of the parties on the beach, and he’d argued with you over which can of beer was his, and then you’d woken up the following morning next to him on the beach. Though, when you’d gone to leave, he’d asked you to stay. And that seemed to be the basis of the start of your relationship - Rafe asking you to stay. And you’d agreed.

“Hey (Y/N),” It’s Sarah that walks over to you, looking seemingly fed up of the Kook atmosphere already.

“Hey,” You try to smile back, pulling your eyes away from Rafe.

“Everything okay?” She frowns, standing beside you at the bar.

“Your brother,” You roll your eyes, resting your chin on your hands in front of you.

“When isn’t he the problem?” She laughs, “What’s he done this time?”

“I don’t think he’s done anything, I think he’s mad at me but I don’t know what I’ve done,” You shake your head, “He won’t even look at me.”

Before you can say anything else, JJ and Kie come over to the two of you, JJ dressed in his full server outfit - convincing everyone but you guys that he might actually work here. You’d been friends with JJ since he’d met John B and you spent basically all of your life with him.

“Please tell me this will be over soon,” Kie groans, shifting the material of her silk dress over her torso, “I hate this.”

You were wearing a dark green dress that Rafe had picked out of the three options you found in Sarah’s closet of unworn clothes. It hugged your figure and sat perfectly around your chest, flowing down in silk over your shoes.

“I don’t recognise you when you look like this (Y/N),” JJ points out, taking your drink and finishing the rest of it, “Very… kook.”

You roll your eyes and hit at his chest, “Grow up JJ, I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’ve seen you in proper clothes ever.”

He grabs your hand when you push him and pulls you in as if he’s about to twist your arm. But an all too familiar voice cuts between you.

“Hey, waiter,” Rafe shouts, “My drink’s looking close to empty, get me another.”

JJ drops your arm and looks at Rafe with a clenched jaw, “Get it yourself.”

“I don’t think you want to talk like that to me here,” Rafe lets out a laugh, the kind that comes from deep in his chest, “These are my people, not yours.”

“Rafe stop it,” You sigh, trying to step between him and JJ before this escalates further.

“So why don’t you get the fuck out of here, and leave my people, and my girlfriend, alone?” Rafe’s words are cold, calculated, separate from so much of what you knew of your boyfriend.

You push JJ back and stand between the two of them, turning your body to look directly at Rafe, but his eyeline falls above you and looks over at JJ still, “Rafe, leave it out.”

He doesn’t look at you, walking away with that tension in his shoulders that didn’t seem to leave.

“For fuck’s sake,” You mutter under your breath, “I’m sorry JJ.”

He laughs, dragging a hand through his hair, “Come on (Y/N) we all know you’re the only Pogue he doesn’t hate, that’s not going to change.”

You take a deep breath and look towards the direction that Rafe had just stormed out to, “I’ve got to go, I’ll see you guys later, okay?”

“Let us know if you need anything (Y/N),” Sarah calls out from behind you, the only one of any of them that was somewhat close to being able to understand Rafe.

~~~

You know he’s back at the house, and you’re thankful he’s thought enough to not lock the door behind him. It’s dark in the mansion and it’s eerie when you’re alone like this. You follow the steps upstairs towards his room, relieved when you catch the sight of the light on.

“Rafe?”

“Get out (Y/N), go back to the party,” His voice is cold, harsh.

“Rafe what the fuck have I done?”

“Nothing, just go back.”

He still won’t look at you.

“Nothing? You won’t talk to me, won’t touch me, won’t look at me, you haven’t since we got to that fucking party. You asked me to go and then spend the whole night ignoring me? What the fuck is this?” You’re raising your voice without thinking about it, the anger fuelling the fire in your veins.

“Just leave it (Y/N), I’m fine,” He tugs off the tie from around his neck, “I’ll talk to you later.”

“So that’s what this is now? We don’t even fight it out?” You scoff, “I’m not doing this with you Rafe. I’m not having you make me feel like shit all night, ignore me completely, embarrass me in front of my friends, and then tell me you’ll ‘talk to me later’.”

You try to stop your lips from wobbling, stop your hands from trembling, stop your burning desire to fall into his arms.

“(Y/N), don’t act like you don’t see how people look at you,” He shakes his head.

“No, fuck you, Rafe,” You shake your head, letting the tears bubble in your eyes, “You want to talk about people looking at me? Maybe people were looking at me because you were ignoring me all night!”

“You fucking love it, it’s like all eyes on you, and you don’t do anything to stop it!”

“Are you kidding me? Are you taking the fucking piss Rafe?” You’re fully yelling now, “Who do you think you are? No, who do you think I am?”

He’s quiet.

“I’m not dealing with this,” There are tears spilling over your cheeks now, staining them with the running of your mascara, “If you think I love other people looking at me so much, maybe I should go to one of them, because they certainly wouldn’t spend an entire night ignoring me.”

“(Y/N)!” He calls, watching as you turn on your heel to walk back out of the house.

As you’re just reaching the front door, his scream rips through the house, enough to make you flinch. Your heart is forcing you to go back, but you defy it, closing the front door behind you and walking back out into the dark.

~~~

You’re not sure how long you’ve been down by the beach, listening to the repetitions of waves over the sand, the hum of Midsummers still going on behind you, the silence that always remains after a fight.

In all of the arguments you’d had, it never ended with you storming out. You’d argue, and yell, and disagree, until eventually you didn’t. You would meet in the middle, admitting when you were wrong, and explaining when you knew you were right. But it worked both ways and, that was the thing, it always worked. You’d be mad at each other until he told you he loved you and you told him you’d love him tomorrow, he’d laugh and know that you meant it, that you’d always forgive him.

Today felt different. Rafe felt like he was arguing with himself whilst he was arguing with you, and you weren’t going to listen to him accuse you of things he knew you’d never do.

You pull your knees up to your chest and wrap your arms around yourself as the chill starts to pick up a little over the beach, sending a shiver through your skin.

That’s when you hear him, stumbling steps over the sand until eventually they stop beside you.

“Can I sit?”

You take a deep breath and nod, still looking out over the water to avoid falling into the gaze of his eyes. Rafe takes a seat in the space beside you, so close that his arm brushes yours. Without a second thought, he pulls the suit jacket from around him and wraps it over your shoulders, his hands lingering there for a moment. You instinctively pull the material around you, breathing in the scent of his his aftershave that clung to the lapels.

“I’m sorry, (Y/N),” He sighs, and you’re sure you can hear a tremble in his voice, “I didn’t mean what I said back there. I’m not saying I didn’t think it, but I shouldn’t have said it the way I did.”

“Why did you think that though, Rafe?” You shake your head, still not looking at him directly.

“It’s not because of you. It’s everyone else. I see the way they look at you, it’s like as soon as you’re there, they all look at you like prey,” He clenches his jaw, “And I hate it, and then I see them and I think why isn’t it them that you’re with.”

“Is that why you started on JJ?”

“I shouldn’t have done that, I know,” He nods, “I’ll apologise to him.”

You can’t help but laugh, “No you won’t.”

He laughs too, and for a moment that’s all there is.

“I don’t want to lose this (Y/N), but the more I think of that, the more I convince myself that I am going to lose it, and that terrifies me,” He drags a hand through his hair, “I get if you’re still mad at me, I’ll walk you home if you don’t want to stay.”

You take in a deep breath and exhale, moving your head to rest on his shoulder, “The problem is, Rafe, I’m the only one that can put up with you.”

As if he is worried you’ll slip away, he wraps an arm around your waist and grips you tightly, his head turning to breath in the scent of your hair, “I love you, (Y/N).”

You hum in response, nuzzling your head into his neck more, “I’ll love you in the morning.”

He kisses the top of your hair, once, twice, three times, letting his lips linger on the third, “Do you want to go back to mine?”

“No.”

You can feel the panic coarse through him, like he’s worried this time is still different than the rest, that he’d be going to bed alone thinking of everything he shouldn’t have said.

“I want to stay here,” You mumble, snuggling into the warmth he seemed to radiate, reaching your arms around him.

Rafe laughs and it rumbles through his chest against you, pulling you as close to him as he can get you to be.

~~~

The following morning, you wake up to the sun. Rafe’s jacket is still draped over you, your head resting on the rise and fall of his chest. Your legs are tangled in his, and his arms are gripping you tighter than ever, his eyes still shut.

You reach up and press a kiss to his jaw, the closest to his lips that you can reach from this angle. He looks so peaceful when he sleeps, so innocent compared to what everyone else thought they knew of Rafe - because nobody else got to see him like this, like you did.

He hums against your touch, his body waking up before his eyes have the strength to open. When he can just about muster the strength, he pokes one eye open to look at you, stretching one arm away from you and tucking it under his head, “Do you love me now?”

You laugh, kissing his jaw three more times, “I do.”

[lululandd]

not even fate;

pairing: simon ‘ghost’ riley x f!reader

word count: 784

warning: fluff? ish? ghost is a coward :3

note: funny thing; i met a dude that reminds me of ghost at the airport and we got onto the same plane and i got seated behind him while this fic was in the works jddhhssjj

summary: ghost wouldn’t even think of making a move on a civilian, even after fate (and his friends) pushed them together more than once.

He saw her hand hover by his bicep in his peripheral before feeling a light tap after. She was pointing at her phone, showing him a google map direction that has the track they’re waiting on. Why on God’s bloody earth would she approach a 6’3 fellow in all black—complete with a black facemask and a matching black wool cap—to ask for directions, he would never understand.

“Hi, sorry, is this the right track?” She meekly asked, if he had less honed senses he would’ve asked her to speak up, but he could hear her just fine over the hustle and bustle of the train station. He noted her neatly brushed and slightly curled hair, the makeup on her face, and the clothes she was wearing.

Would.

He nodded, “Right platform too.” He pointed at the sign a little way away.

Ghost had always scoffed at true crime for describing someone’s smile as ‘lighting up a room’ but that’s what’s he’s seeing right now. With big beautiful doe eyes to complete the set. If he was still fully Simon Riley he would’ve chatted her up, but sadly, he’s no longer.

The woman thanked him as she waited a little bit behind him. Had he known at that point in time how things would go, that night he would’ve turned the other way and go the fuck home. But he didn’t, so he stayed.

He met up with Soap and Gaz at a pizza bar—that in their opinion served undeniably the best pizza and also offered unlimited drinks—which they visited almost everytime on leave. Price was occupied with family activities and said would join them later on, which they knew largely meant he would be skipping this outing.

Noting the man sitting alone next to them checking his phone every few seconds made him thought he got stood up, until the girl from earlier showed up, looking sheepish as she made her way. Her gaze moved over to Ghost, so she waved at him, with a surprised look mixed with recognition. He nodded at her and of course Johnny immediately gassed him.

“Ooooo, who’s that el tee?” He started, nudging his upperarm with his shoulder, “Lass’ mad cute.”

“Don’t know.”

“Tae fock ya mean ya dinnae ken?” His voice a half whisper as she sat down. “She waved at yah.”

“English, Mactavish.”

“The. Fuck. You. Mean. You. Don’t. Know. She. Waved. At. You.”

“Mistook me for someone else, probably.”

“Ya nodded back.” He prodded.

“Didn’t want to be rude.”

“Ah piss off, ya shitebag.” Johnny barked, harmlessly.

Ghost couldn’t help but overhear their conversation, which drove him mad. He kept talking about himself while she just kept nodding and asking more questions, and not single time had he asked something about her. Even when the poor girl did find time to slip in information about herself—which he thought was interesting—he found a way to swerve the conversation back to himself again.

The night went slowly, with soap ordering more pizzas while upping their drinks from pints to shots, and the girl’s date still going on and on and on about himself. Ghost was glad she excused herself and politely denied a second date. He had to make sure he went the opposite way she was going before paying full attention to his friends again. Price showed up abhorrently late, clothes faintly smelling of baby powder and shit, and in his tipsy stupor Soap mentioned the girl from earlier.

“He nodded, cap! Tae da hen!”

John nodded solemnly at Soap’s ramblings and nursed his single drink, not opting for the unlimited drinks. Price had confided in him on his ongoing argument with his wife about his obsession with work, and Ghost listened intently as he took mental notes.

That would never happen to him. He couldn’t relate as he would never let anyone get close to even have such an argument.

He saw her again as he got to the station, a bag of fish and chips in hand. And as he was about to walk a little bit farther so they wouldn’t be in the same wagon, his phone buzzed three times in a row to reveal texts from Soap.

TALK

TO

HER

He froze for a moment and looked around to see where this menace of a Scot could be.

Y R U LOOKING FER ME

HENS RIGHT THERE

💀🖕

Soap’s laugh was loud enough that it could be heard from where he stood, which subsequently made the girl turn around. He saw her scan the room for a little bit before her gaze landed and she smiled, making toasting motions at him with a battered fish.

Ah, fuck.

[sunshinepanic]

Unexpected

Pairing: Rafe Cameron X Reader

Brief JJ Maybank X Reader

Summary: Reader has been in love with her childhood best friend JJ for as long as she can remember, but when he crushes her heart she finds comfort in the last place she expects.

Chapter Warning: JJ is kind of a douche, Angst, fluff. 

Not beta read we die like men

WC: 1,547

Note: I have never written OBX before and I absolutely adore both JJ and Rafe but Rafe has me in a chokehold at the moment and I can’t get him out of my head. 

OBX Masterlist - Series Masterlist

Your fingers carded through long blond hair. You were pressed firmly against the wall of your bedroom as strong hands gripped your hips. Your breath knocked out of you by JJ’s heated kisses while your head was spinning. You had dreamed of this moment for so long, never letting yourself hope that your childhood best friend would return your feelings. Just as your hips moved of their own volition and made contact with his, JJ ripped away from you as if he had been burned. Panic settles in your stomach as you look at him with wide eyes. Breathing heavily, JJ shakes his head. “I’m sorry. (Y/N/N) I shouldn’t have done that.” Your heart plummets as you try to reassure him that you want this. “It’s fine, JJ. I’m more than okay with this.” He looks at you with sadness in his eyes. “It’s not that. I can’t do this with you. I’m not ready for a relationship, I’m sorry.”

As you blink away the dream of the events that transpired a few days ago, you pull yourself out of bed and get dressed in a pair of cut-off jean shorts and a cropped band tee. Trying to push the thoughts of JJ out of your head you grab your skateboard and head off towards the chateau to meet up with your friends.

You grew up with JJ and John B; they were your best friends, and the chateau was like a second home to you. You were a very tactile person, enjoying physical affection and comfort from your friends, so it wasn’t unusual for you to curl up in bed with John B and Sarah, snuggle with Pope or Kie, or take naps with JJ. It’s just how you have always been, but since the kiss, you have pulled away from any physical affection with JJ, feeling like you were making him uncomfortable. As you showed up to the chateau, John B and Sarah were down by the water. As they saw you approaching, they started towards you. You made your way up the steps, and as you headed into the house, you heard John B yell at you to wait and Sarah yell Y/N, but it was too late. You had already walked through the door, and you could hear JJ and a girl giggling in his room. Dread filled you at the idea of having to see whatever turon he had decided to hook up with, but as you turned to leave, the bedroom door opened, and Kie walked out wearing one of JJ’s shirts and nothing else, with JJ behind her, leaving kisses on her neck, causing her to giggle. They were so wrapped up in each other that neither of them noticed your presence.

Nausea bubbled in your throat as you turned and slammed back out the front door just as John B and Sarah made it to the porch. You shoved past them, mumbling that you had to go.  But before you could get far, John B grabbed your hand, pulling you back into a hug. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled into your hair. You shrugged. “Who he hooks up with is none of my business.” John B looked at you with sad eyes as he told you, “It’s not a hookup. They’re dating.” You could swear you physically felt your heart crack as you nodded your head and pulled away from John B. With a sad smile at Sarah, you turned away and yelled that you would see them later as you took off down the road on your board.

You wandered around for most of the day, trying to wrap your head around what had happened. John B and Sarah knew about the kiss with JJ because you confided in them when they asked why you seemed to be avoiding him. John B also knew that you had been in love with JJ for as long as he could remember, but JJ seemed oblivious up until he kissed you. Yes, you had the occasional hook up here and there but you never had a boyfriend or anything remotely close to a relationship. You knew it was pointless considering your feelings toward your best friend so you chose to stay single. As you made your way to your favorite spot on the beach, hidden back in the cliffs, you were so wrapped up in your own thoughts that you didn’t notice that someone was already there, sitting by a crackling fire.

You heard a pop from the fire, and it startled you into looking up and making eye contact with the last person you expected to see sitting by the fire. Rafe Cameron sat staring back at you with a smirk plastered on his face. You stammered, “Shit Rafe! You scared the crap out of me. I’m sorry; I didn’t realize anybody was here. I’ll just go.” As you turned to leave, Rafe called out to you. “Wait! You can stay. I’m just hanging out here. You don’t have to leave.”

Rafe had had plenty of run-ins with your friend group over the years, and it was no secret that he and the boys clashed at every turn, but he had never been mean to you in any way. In fact, the only thing he ever did was call you Sunshine for some reason unbeknownst to you. You always figured he just did it to irritate you.

Tentatively, you made your way over to the fire and sat down, wrapping your arms around your legs and staring into the flames. Rafe observed you for a few minutes before he broke the silence. “What’s wrong? You seem upset.” You whipped your head up, locking eyes with his crystal blue gaze. “Why do you think something is wrong?” He chuckled, shaking his head like you were exasperating. “When you came in here, you were so distracted by your own thoughts that you didn’t even notice I was here. You look like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders, and you are hiding out in the cliffs.” After staring at him for a few moments and struggling to piece your thoughts together, you scoffed. “I could say the same thing about you. You’re down here hiding in the cliffs all by yourself too.” Rafe smiled, and it made your breath catch for a moment. “You’re right. I’m down here because I don’t want to be around anyone. Your turn.” You gaped at him for a moment before you turned back to the fire. You could tell he wasn’t being completely honest but it really wasn’t any of your business. “It’s nothing, just stupid boy drama.” Rafe gazed at you thoughtfully before he responded. “So what did JJ do now?” Your head snapped towards him so fast that you could swear you heard a crack. “Who said anything about JJ?” Rafe arched his one eyebrow and scoffed at you. “Come on, Sunshine, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know you have a thing for that idiot.” You stared at him as you struggled to form a sentence. Finally sighing in defeat. “He kissed me the other day but said we couldn’t be together because he wasn’t ready for a relationship, and then today I found out he is now dating Kie. So apparently he is ready for a relationship; he just doesn’t want me.” After sitting in silence for a few minutes, Rafe scoffed, “I knew he was a fucking idiot.” The response startled a laugh out of you, which caused Rafe to chuckle. You swatted at him, “Watch it; that’s still my friend you’re talking about.” Rafe dodged your hand as he laughed. "No, but for real, that’s fucked up, and he is a moron.”

The two of you fell into a comfortable silence for a while. Eventually, easy conversation started to flow, and before you knew it, the sun had set and there was a chill in the night air. Rafe noticed you shiver slightly and quickly pulled his black hoodie off and handed it to you. “Oh no, I’m ok.” You tried to deny it, but Rafe just looked at you, smiling. “You are literally shivering; just take the god damn hoodie.” You relented sliding the hoodie on. You didn’t realize how cold you actually were until the warmth leftover from his body enveloped you and his woodsy scent filled your lungs. You thanked him, and your easy conversation continued. Eventually, you were lying down on your back by the fire. Rafe was seated looking down at you while you guys asked each other random questions like, What’s your favorite color? Rafe’s is blue, and yours is (Y/F/C). What’s your favorite animal? Rafes is a tiger, and yours is (Y/F/A). Rafe had just gotten done justifying why he thought Top Gun Maverick was a great movie, and he couldn’t believe you hadn’t seen it when he turned to look at you and noticed you were on your side sleeping. He tried gently shaking you awake, but you didn’t show any signs of waking up. He decided he would let you rest for a little while, then wake you up so you could head home, but the sound of the ocean and your light breathing lulled him to sleep.

Next

[darylas]

Chapter 1 - Blue Skies

John "Bucky" Egan x singer!fem!reader ♫ next ♫ ao3

When Bucky hears his favorite song begin to play, he does not expect to see a new Red Cross volunteer walk up to the microphone.

1.6k words

Warnings: Language, Alcohol

Disclaimer: Most of the characters mentioned are based on the dramatic portrayal featured in the Masters of the Air limited series, not the actual historical figures they represent.

A/N: This was my first time writing in several years! It's short and the pacing is interesting, but gosh darn it I had fun writing this. Special shoutout to @blurredcolour for inspiring me to pick up the pen. Go read their work, it's fantastic.

Bucky sat cross-legged in a chair next to Buck, not-so-slowly nursing his second whiskey. Men and women danced in the center of the officers club as the military band played an obviously well-rehearsed rendition of Glenn Miller’s A String of Pearls. Bucky tapped two fingers on his knee in time to the beat while he watched the dancers. He had already spent three songs dancing with three different women and was now taking a break to sit and enjoy his best friend’s company.

“That girl you were dancing with before, she was pretty,” said Buck before taking a sip of his coke. “She works in the Clubmobile, right?”

“Yeah, Helen. Good dancer, too.” Bucky spotted her on the other side of the room, chatting with Tatty Spaatz. 

Buck took another sip as he watched the band play. “Got a letter from Marge today.”

“She dump you yet?”

“Not if I read the letter right.” Buck smiled and looked down. After a moment, he looked back at Bucky. “She said Peggy was not too happy she hasn’t gotten a letter from you.”

Bucky responded with a puzzled look. “We went on one date. A double date. I swear I didn’t give her any ideas that she’d be expecting mail from me. Buck, I swear. I don’t play like that.” 

Buck gave a soft exhale through his nose. “I know you don’t. I was just passing along the message.” A String of Pearls began to come to a close. “Not sure why it’d be such a bad idea to write her, though.”

“Aww, c’mon, Buck, I’m trying to have a nice evening here.” Bucky’s eyes lit up as the band initiated the next song, loud trumpets and melodic saxophones blaring out the snappy intro to Blue Skies. He broke into a grin. “Now we’re talkin’.”

Buck and at least three other men couldn’t hold in their groans as they too heard the familiar notes. They knew exactly what this song did to Bucky, especially after a few drinks. 

Bucky leaned over to address one of the protestors, Major Jack Kidd. “It’s my song! It needs vocals! You can’t expect me to just sit here in silence.”

“I think you’re gonna have to, John,” said Buck. “Looks like your act’s been booted.” 

Bucky whipped his head around to look at the makeshift stage where the band was playing. He watched in disbelief as a woman wearing a Red Cross uniform strolled up to the microphone in front of the band and began to sing.

Blue skies smiling at me

Nothing but blue skies do I see

Several of the men whooped and whistled appreciatively, and Bucky saw you smile and wink at the crowd as you continued to sing. Every note was sung with confidence and precision, and you continued to smile brightly as you got to the chorus. Everyone in the room seemed to be under the spell of your voice and stage presence.

Never saw the sun shining so bright

Never saw things going so right

Noticing the days hurrying by

When you’re in love, my how they fly

Buck hadn’t realized how right he’d been. Bucky had gone completely silent.

He rubbed the lower half of his face to cover his growing smile. He hoped you’d glance his way but so far no luck. He found himself in a strange quandary as he was torn between closing his eyes to listen to your voice and keeping them open to stare at your face. He wasn't sure if it was the whisky, the humidity of the packed room, your performance, or a strange combination of all three, but he was beginning to feel dizzy.

Far too soon for his liking, the song ended, with you hitting the final high note right on the head. The crowd applauded as you stepped back and gestured to the band behind you in appreciation. You stepped back up to the microphone.

“Thank you very much. Let’s hear it one more time for our Air Force Band! Aren’t they wonderful?” The crowd cheered, Buck and Bucky clapping along with them. “While I’m up here, I just wanted to remind you all that this Saturday, the Red Cross will be hosting bingo night in the Aeroclub at 1900. I don’t want to spoil anything but I will tell you that we’ve got some pretty terrific prizes for the winners. Thank you again, ladies and gentlemen.” 

As you departed the stage, several men in the crowd let out cries of disappointment. The band director spoke into the microphone, “Don’t worry, ladies and gents, she’ll be back! Now if you feel so inclined, grab a partner and get back on the dance floor!” He signaled the band to start playing a new song with a count of "one, two, three, four.”

Bucky slapped both hands on his thighs and stood. He quickly downed the rest of his whisky, put down the glass, and straightened his tie. “I do believe I feel so inclined,” he said to Buck. 

“Yeah, I figured you might,” replied Buck with a smirk. 

As Bucky made his way toward where you were seated with another Red Cross Girl, he smirked as he noticed that other officers who had the same idea begrudgingly backed off. As Buck was known to say, rank had its privileges. When you looked up, Bucky greeted you with his most charming grin. “Quite the performance up there; you do autographs?”

You looked at his hands and quirked your brow. “I don’t see anything to sign.” 

Bucky looked down at his hands as well and flipped them over a couple of times. “Damn, you’re right.” He looked back at you. “How ‘bout a dance instead, then?” 

You smiled politely at him. “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I don’t dance.” You motioned to the girl sitting next to you. “Rachel here is a marvelous dancer, though.” 

“Oh, I know.” Bucky nodded at Rachel. “How ya doin’, Rach?” 

With a mischievous smile and her chin resting on her fist, the blonde replied, "I'm just swell, Bucky." 

He smiled back at her. “That’s great.” He looked back at you skeptically. “You sure? I promise to keep you on your feet, Miss…”

You gave him your name then said, “I’m sure. Enjoy the rest of your evening, Major, and don’t forget about bingo night on Saturday.”

Bucky stuck his hands in his pockets and pressed his lips together, nodding. “Right, right. Bingo night. Alright then, I’ll see you around.” He began to walk away then turned back around. “I don’t know if the band said anything to you, but Blue Skies is sorta my signature song. S’okay, though. You did alright. Little different than my rendition, but you sounded great.” 

You gave him that same damn polite smile that he couldn’t decipher and said, “Glad you liked it.”

Bucky nodded once and headed back to his seat. He cleared his dry throat after sitting down next to Buck. After picking up his whisky glass, he frowned upon realizing that it was empty. Buck looked over at him. “What happened?”

“Turns out she’s more your type. Said she doesn’t dance.” 

“What’s ‘a matter, Bucky?” He turned to see Blakely and Douglass grinning at him. “The jazz cat have claws?” Both burst out laughing at the terrible joke. Bucky bit the inside of his cheek and gave them an exasperated look.

Buck smiled good-naturedly and clapped him on the back. “Had to happen sometime, pal. Maybe getting shot down for once will help fix that king-size ego of yours,” he joked. 

“I didn’t get shot down, she said she didn’t dance.” Bucky pulled on one of his sleeves. “There’s a difference.” Once again, he began tapping two fingers against his knee to the music, trying his damndest not to look at you.

��════ ♫ ═════

Later in the evening, Bucky, Buck, and Curt Biddick were all standing at the bar. Curt and Bucky were animatedly discussing the Yankees for what had to be the hundredth time, leaving poor Buck to his coke and people-watching for a few minutes. 

Bucky saw his friend look quizzically at the dance floor then quickly avert his eyes and take a long sip. Bucky looked back in the same direction and immediately saw what Buck had been hoping he wouldn’t. At the far edge of the dance floor, you were dancing with Lt. “Bubbles” Payne, smiling and laughing. 

“I’m telling you, DiMaggio would never…what the hell are you looking at?” Curt, who was more than a little drunk, turned around and saw you and Bubbles. “That the girl who was singing earlier? The one that gave you the brush-off? I thought you said she didn’t dance. I guess she meant she doesn’t dance with-” He was cut off by Buck smacking him on the arm. “What?”

Bucky was still watching you with your arms around Bubbles, laughing at something else he said. Bubbles. He was a great guy, but what about him made you change your mind about dancing? Or was dancing not the problem at all?

Curt, unaware of Bucky’s worsening mood, casually slung his arm over his shoulders. “Hey, c’mon, don’t feel bad. I’ll dance with you, Bucky. C’mere, they’re playing our song.” 

Bucky shoved the drunk lieutenant off of him and smiled bitterly. “Yeah, cause spinning and shaking is exactly what your body needs right now, Curt.” 

He felt Buck nudge his shoulder. “You’ll get your chance, John. C’mon, I’m beat. Let’s head to the barracks.” 

As they began the walk back and the music behind them faded, Curt appeared deep in thought. Eventually, he said, very seriously, “Maybe she likes his mustache better than yours.” Buck coughed to cover a laugh. 

Bucky rolled his eyes. He didn’t care that you had rejected him. Not even a little.

He wouldn’t spare you a second thought. No sir.

And he absolutely did not hear you singing Blue Skies over and over in his head as he lay in bed that night.

—

♫ next ♫

[whenmemorydies]

The Claw, The Scrunchie and The Prayer Card

What - or who - do the hair claw, the scrunchie and the prayer card that appear in season 3 represent? I think I know, and no its not Claire or Mikey. Join me for an unhinged trawl through all 3 seasons of The Bear (with screenshots cos you know I love me some evidence).

A few weeks ago, @vacationship posed a fascinating question about the hair claw seen in Carmy's apartment in 3x01 Tomorrow:

This question branched off into many lovely and thought-provoking discussions including this post from @thoughtfulchaos773 about the significance of hair accessories and this post from @moodyeucalyptus on Catholicism and miracles. Both posts refer to another memento that we are shown in Carmy's apartment, a scrunchie, which we see at the end of 3x09 Apologies:

A particular theory that intrigued me was that the hair claw from 3x01 morphed into the scrunchie we see at the end of 3x09, as one of the many sleights of hand/instances of legerdemain in season 3, potentially indicative of a softening of Carmy's self-loathing and/or guilt (contrasting the hardness and teeth of the hair claw with the gentle grip of the scrunchie). I think the assumption behind this theory was that the hair claw was associated with Claire (in fact we see the hair claw in 3x01 sandwiched between scenes of Claire at home looking forlorn in bed and then later at work in the hospital) and the scrunchie being associated with Sydney as she's often seen wearing scrunchies throughout the series.

I was so intrigued by the sleight of hand theory that I went on a very ill-advised search throughout all three seasons to find these hair accessories (ill advised because it took ages and it meant sitting through every Claire scene in this show lol) I did not find either the exact hair claw or scrunchie (womp) but I did find the characters who'd be most likely to wear these items. Notably, Claire never wears a hair claw or a scrunchie throughout the show.

So who does?

Hair claw: Natalie

(Note: Tiffany is seen wearing a hair claw once in 3x09 Apologies but I think this is just a coincidence. There's no reason for Tiffany's hair claw to be in Carmy's apartment so I'm going to disregard this possibility here. If anyone has a reason why I shouldn't though, let me know!)

Scrunchie: Sydney

Now Carmy's personal interior design style is probably best described as...utilitarian? If that? The man has nails in his walls that have nothing hanging on them. He's got storage boxes strewn around his living space. There's the occasional bottle of painkillers and Pepto and a bundle of hanging herbs drying in his kitchen. And of course, his chef's whites and a large pile of culinary texts and cookbooks. Oh yes and denim in his oven. Other than this, we are not shown much of anything in Carmy's apartment that could be said to be overtly personal to him. Which is why the hair claw and scrunchie stand out. We've never seen Carmy wear a hair claw or scrunchie so their presence in his apartment is significant.

Similarly, there's one more memento we are shown in Carmy's apartment that is distinct from the rest of his belongings. This is the prayer card that Carmy pulls out of his suit jacket pocket and places with the scrunchie at the end of 3x09:

In the discourse of the show, this particular prayer card is often associated with Michael, as its presumed that this is the card that was available for mourners to take at his funeral. We also see it during the show edited next to images of Michael or of his last note to Carmy, reinforcing the association.

Note: I've previously misidentified the figure on this prayer card as St John the Apostle (apologies, I saw the lamb and the staff and assumed it was St John! I'm also not a practising Christian - my knowledge of the religion has been obtained entirely passively because...well I live in the West and my history is enmeshed with the history of European Christian colonisation of the majority of the world including the part where my family's historically from. Soz.). The image on this prayer card is actually "Fresco of Jesus as Good Shepherd" by Josef Kastner.

Prayer card: Richie

BUT...after going through the last three seasons again (much easier to do this time around lol), I've come to the conclusion that the prayer card is actually Carmy's memento of Richie, not Michael. This is primarily because prior to 3x09, whenever we are shown this card in the show, it appears either with, near or when someone is talking about Richie. Lets take a look...

So we first see the card in The Beef in 1x01 before shots of Mikey's body in the morgue and of the back of his head as he's cooking: these are memories Carmy is having while Richie is telling a story to The Beef staff and as Carmy finds his prized chef's knife on the floor of the kitchen.

We see the prayer card next in 1x02 Hands during a nightmare that Carmy is having that features a voiceover from Joel McHale's psychotic Chef Fields. Notably, the sequence of images where we see the card is as follows:

The next time we see the prayer card is in 2x01 Beef to the left of Carmy's head on the wall, when Sydney is telling Carmy that Richie does not have an appropriate certification because...he's Richie.

Later in the same episode we see the card again, after Richie tapes up Michael's Fenway poster (that Sydney had previously fallen through):

The prayer card is immediately followed by a shot of Mikey's last note to Carmy:

The next time we see the prayer card is throughout 2x07 Forks, the most Richie-centric episode of the series. This is because we find out that Richie keeps a copy of the card on his bathroom mirror, so he sees it everyday:

Given the above (i.e. the strong physical and visual association between the prayer card and Richie throughout the show), I believe the card represents Richie for Carmy.

So why would Carmy have a prayer card as a memento representing Richie and not an actual personal item of his brother from another mother/"cousin", like it appears he does for Nat and Syd?

I think this is because Carmy’s connection to both Natalie and Sydney is direct. The former is his sister, the latter his soulmate (I'm not arguing re: Sydney, check my metas if you want to fight). It makes sense that the trinkets he has of them would belong directly to them.

But Carmy's connection to Richie is not direct. Richie is cousin to Carmy because he was best friend to Mikey first. Carmy’s relationship to Richie has always been mediated through his relationship with Mikey. In life, Richie would only be in Carmy's orbit because of his proximity to Carmy's brother. In death, Richie and Carmy have been thrown together because of the restaurant that Mikey left to Carmy but where Richie works. As a result of that forced employer/employee relationship, they're also forced to navigate their grief and mourning for Mikey in close proximity. In this context, it makes sense that the memento Carmy has for Richie is emblematic of Mikey, and is also representative of that shared sorrow between the two of them due to Mikey's passing.

So why does Carmy have these mementos in his apartment?

I'm not entirely sure what the answer to this question is, but my hunch is that these mementos represent the three surviving relationships in this show that are the most important to Carmy but that have all been severed to some extent by the end of season 3.

Carmy's nosedive into Michelin Mode, his psychological spiral triggered by grief, his past traumatic work experiences, his family history, his entitlement borne out of his racialisation and socialisation (among other things) all of this has coalesced into Carmy pushing away those closest to him. He's slipping into that pattern of behaviour he described at Al-Anon in 1x08 Braciole where he cut people out of his life. Carmy doesn't recognise this though because physically, these people are around him all the time. He doesn't realise that you can be physically present but emotionally and mentally AWOL. I mean, the man isn't even physically present for his sister after Natalie gives birth to her daughter, Carmy's niece. He has some explaining and making amends to do! And hopefully we see this next season.

Its likely that the framing of the hair claw and the scrunchie on the show (via suggestive editing) has been a sleight of hand/legerdemain: to get us thinking their presence only has to do with Sydcarmy/Claire. And as I've discussed, the prayer card is widely associated with Mikey. I reckon this is also a sleight of hand too, for the reasons I noted above. Storer and co got us focusing on the romance and dead brother tropes while they continue to push the theme of chosen family home. By the end of season 3, the hair claw, scrunchie and prayer card appear as reminders to Carmy (and us) that he needs to fix his relationships with Nat, Syd and Richie, and that the loss of them is haunting him as well.

And so next season, Carmy needs to move through and past this:

And fight like hell for this:

After all, this show is about love in all its forms, but above all, its about the love we fight for, the love we choose.

Alright chef,

Tagging: @vacationship @moodyeucalyptus @currymanganese @thoughtfulchaos773 @brokenwinebox @espumado @tvfantic87 in case you're interested but keen to hear from whomever wants to discuss!

[dragon-kazansky]

When the raven calls

Morpheus x Female Reader

You, his raven, die protecting Jessamy while rescuing the Dream Lord. When Morpheus returns to his realm, he mourns your loss, only to find a stranger waiting for him in his throne room. The stranger claims to be you, now in human form. He doesn't understand, but his raven will always watch over him.

{Masterlist}

{Previous Chapter} - {Next Chapter}

Notes: This chapter is very episode heavy to begin with.

Chapter Six - Two left feet

☆☆☆

"You have to wake up."

Dream's head rests in your lap as you gently hold him close to you. The ruby had weakened him and now it was gone along with that man.

Your concerns lay with the passed out king in your lap.

"Dream... Please wake up." You plea quietly. You would be lying if you said you weren't frightened. You felt useless, unable to help him. You've never felt anything worse.

You refuse to leave his side.

After a few hours, he wakes. He opens his eyes to find himself looking up at you. You smile in relief when you see those beautiful eyes of his.

You did not just think that...

"You're awake!"

Morpheus slowly pushes himself up into a seated position and looks around. "The ruby?"

"Gone. There was a man. He came and took it. He didn't see us, though."

Morpheus looks at you. You had stayed by his side and looked after him. You had no idea how much that meant to him. He looks like he's about to say something, but then he stops himself. He rises to his feet and holds out a hand to you.

"You're still human."

You take his hand and let him pull you up to your feet. "Yeah..."

"Allow me." He takes some sand from his pouch and blows it at you. You look down to find yourself wearing some clothes now. You look back at him.

"Thank you."

You remove his coat and pass it back. He seems reluctant to take it, but he puts it back on.

"I can find the ruby. It has been altered, but I'll be able to find it. Come." Morpheus leads the way out of the storage unit.

You have no idea just how much time had passed while inside there. It took a while for Morpheus to wake again. You can tell he knows more of his power is gone. He is weakened.

You find yourself outside a diner. The place was in disarray. Something had clearly happened here. Morpheus glances at you and then steps inside. You follow him quietly.

People lay dead in the middle of the room.

You stand by the door as Morpheus approaches the man sitting at the counter alone.

"Hello." The man sighs. "I'm John. I'm glad you're here. The power has gone out. So there's no TV, and no one left to talk to."

"What is it you think you're doing?" Morpheus asks.

"Saving the world from its lies."

"The ruby wasn't made for that."

John gasps softly. "Oh, you're the Sandman. My mother was right. She said you'd be coming for it."

"You must return it to me so that I can repair the damage you have done." Morpheus tells him.

"I'm not giving it back to you, it's mine."

"It is harming you, John, and your world."

"It's revealing the truth," John says softly. "This is the truth of mankind."

"No. You're wrong. This is the truth of mankind."

Morpheus shows John how these people he killed lived their lives. What they did. What they dreamed about. How they lived. He took all of that away from them.

Kate dreames of running away where no one could find her.

Garry dreams of proving his father wrong.

Bette dreams of creating something that would matter to people.

You feel sorry for all these people. Their hope had been taken from them.

"The ruby is hurting you, John." Morpheus says to him. "It has too much of my power within it. It stole more when I tried to use it."

"Then perhaps if I use it to steal the rest of your powers, I will be the King of Dreams." John says.

You frown. There is only one King of Dream. Your King of Dreams. Morpheus. No one else can have that title.

"If you would rob a Dream lord of his power, you shall do so in his realm. In dreams."

Just like that, John is in the Dreaming. You have returned to the palace with Morpheus. However, now you find yourself as a raven again.

"Damn it," you mutter. Just as you were getting used to having thumbs.

While John chases his past through dreams. Morpheus prepares to deal with him. You land on the throne and wait.

John comes to the throne room and looks at you sitting on the throne.

"Is this your palace... Dream Lord? Is this your throne... King of Lies? Well, it's mine now!"

John raises the ruby in his hand. The palace begins to crumble. You fly away.

"Are you watching? Can you see me?" The palace continues to burn away. "Using your own powers to burn away your lies."

"You must stop." Morpheus appears with his helmet on. "It is not too late to save yourself."

"Oh, you think it's me that needs saving?" John says.

"Your father stole the ruby from me and cursed you with it."

"You mean he blessed me with it." John raises the ruby up again. "Your reign ended when my father captured you. Your kingdom is my birthright."

John is killing Morpheus with the ruby.

"Your power resides within me."

Morpheus falls to the ground, curled up, unable to fight back.

"How does it feel to know I hold your life in my hands?" John asks.

"You're hurting the dreamers," Morpheus says, grunting in pain.

You can not go to him. Morpheus has made it so. He didn't want you hurt at the hands of John Burgess.

"Well, it's time they woke up! Your life and your lies end now."

John crushes the ruby.

Everything around him is gone.

He did it. He killed the Sandman, or so he believes.

"Thank you, John."

John looks up to find himself looking up at the Dream Lord. He is standing on his palm, feeling so small compared to this Dream Lord.

"But I killed you."

Morpheus speaks. "You destroyed the ruby and released the power inside it. I would never have thought of that. I'd forgotten just how much of myself I had placed in the jewel."

"Are you going to kill me?" John asks.

"I could. Perhaps I will. But the dream stone was not made for mortals. And it came to you through no fault of your own. So, no, John. I will not kill you."

☆☆☆

You sit on the steps to the throne and wait. The Dreaming had been mended, back to its original states. Morpheus now had all his power back to fix it. You were just waiting for his return after dealing with John Burgess.

Jessamy and Matthew came flying to sit with you.

"What happened?" Jessamy asks.

"A lot. There is too much to explain, but you will be glad to know our king is back to his full power again."

Jessamy looks pleased.

"And the ruby?" Matthew asks.

"Gone. Destroyed, but the power within it returned to Lord Morpheus. The kingdom can heal again."

The doors open, and you look up and see Morpheus walking in with Lucienne behind him. You would smile if it was possible.

"You're safe," he says, looking at you.

"Thanks to you."

"And you're a raven again."

"Yeah... I was just getting used to being human too." You chuckles.

Morpheus kneels down so he is eye level with you. He kneels for no one, so this surprises you. "Perhaps I can help with your predicament."

"How?" You ask, stepping a little closer to him.

"This is the Dreaming, I am the Lord of Dreams. You were created by me. I should, at the very least, be able to help you control your ability to change."

"You'll help me?"

"I can not explain how you are able to switch between both forms, but I shall definitely try and assist in any way I can. Imagine how useful it would be to go between raven and person."

"I would like that very much."

He gives you the tiniest of smiles. "Come. We shall start right away. Lucienne, the kingdom, is returning back to its former glory. I assume Dreams and Nightmare may start to return."

Lucienne bows her head. "Yes, my lord."

Morpheus begins to exit the throne room, and you take flight, following behind him. You are filled with a newfound excitement at what potential lies ahead.

"You don't mind that I can turn into a human?" You ask, flying alongside him.

"Why should I mind it?"

"I don't know. I was your raven for so long."

"You still are," he says.

"Would I still be useful to you in human form?"

"Why wouldn't you be?"

"I don't know..." You sigh. "Just... I'd prefer to stay a raven if I'm only useful to you like this."

Morpheus stops walking and looks at you. "You will always be useful to me. No matter what form you took."

You look at him silently.

Morpheus continues walking, and you catch up. He has created a space for you to learn how to go between raven and human.

You land on the ground in front of him.

"What do you feel when you transform?" He asks.

"It's strange. Before, I only changed when I went between the waking world and the Dreaming. I stopped doing that because it was strange... and I didn't know what to do with myself. Lucienne helped me get used to being a human when I returned here. Then, when Lucifer changed me, it felt... wrong. It was probably because it was a forced change. I had gotten used to being a raven again, so being human felt weird to me suddenly."

Morpheus hums softly in thought.

"You need to tap into that power within you that changes you. Control it. Master it. Then you can come and go as you like."

"But... how?"

Morpheus walks around you. When you turn to look at him, you find a big black cat looking up at you.

"That's not helping. You're the Dream Lord. You can do as you wish. I was never supposed to be able to do any of this."

"You'll learn." Morpheus turns back into himself. "Think of what you want to be and will it to happen."

You sigh and close your eyes, thinking about your human form. You open them and find yourself still a raven. You groan and try again. Still nothing.

"I can't do it."

Morpheus looks at you. You look at him.

"Don't force it. Feel it. You can do this. I believe in you."

You take a deep breath, or as big a breath as a raven can take, and focus. You think about how it felt when he held you in Hell. How he supported you and looked after you. You think about how if felt standing on wobbly legs the first time. How it felt to reach out and grab Lucienne's hand when she helped you. You think about how it would feel to hold Dream's hand in yours, fingers interlocking. You wonder what it would be like to be human again.

You open your eyes and find yourself no longer looking up at him as a raven. You're standing on human feet. You smile.

"See?" He chuckles.

"I did it?"

"You did it."

You grin with excitement.

"Now, back to a raven." He says.

You use the same process as you did before. You think about how your feathers feel. The wind in your wings. How it feels to fly and land. You think about how you look up at Morpheus when you stand beside him as a raven. How it feels to land on his shoulder. How easy it is for you to go back and forth between realms.

You feel yourself gliding. You flap your wings and land carefully.

You're a raven again.

"You can do it." Morpheus says proudly.

"It feels easy some how."

"It is when you know how. You have to feel it. That's how you make it easy. Now, again."

You spend the next few hours going back and forth between raven and human. You'll fly around the room, landing on his shoulder and other things as a raven. You'll hop, skip, dance, and jump as a human, finding you feet easily.

Morpheus smiles and encourages you every time you transform. He's proud of what you have become.

He's happy to have you at his side again.

He's excited that you have a human form.

You spin and smile, happy that you seem to be getting the grasp of things now. There seems to be so much more freedom for you now. No longer will you have to worry about being either form.

"I think you have the hang of it now."

You turn and look at Morpheus. You've decided to settle on your human form for now. "Yes. Thank you. I'm grateful." You bow your head.

"There is no need for that," he tells you.

You smile and look at him. "You have no idea how happy I am."

"No?" He smiles softly, amused.

"Well, maybe you do. I'm very excited." You look down at your human body. "I can be myself, and be this new version of me."

"I like both versions of you."

You can't help yourself. You smile and hug him quickly. He is startled by your sudden action, but he places one arm around you. He accepts the hug.

You realise what you have done and pull away quickly.

"Sorry. I'm sorry..."

He chuckles softly. "Don't apologise."

You now feel embarrassed and decide you've done enough damage for one day. You think about your raven form and take flight. Yo decide to flee for now.

Morpheus watches you fly away.

He rests one hand on his chest. It had been a long time since he last felt the flutter of his heart like this.

He hopes it won't be the last time, either.

☆☆☆

@missdreamofendless - @kpopgirlbtssvt - @sitkafay - @snowsatsu - @ladyofdreaming - @thoughtsfromlayla - @modest-irish-goddess -