#commander mills fluff

[mrs-gucci]

A Special Spot

anon

How about a sexy picnic with Mills out in the fall colors but make it spicy Thank you 🌹

I used @safarigirlsp's name "Nicholas/Nick" for Mills in this story, full credit to Shannon for making it up!

warnings. SMUT (18+ ONLY), doing sexy stuff outside, handjob, fingering.

word count: 1k

Autumn is such a beautiful time of year, with the leaves shedding their summer green and dusting the landscape with beautiful hues of red, orange, and brown.

You and Nick make the trek up to your special spot with a picnic blanket and basket in-tow. It’s not often that you get your beloved boyfriend for an entire long weekend, but his 4-week supply run got done early and he’s not jetting off again until early next week.

It’s hard to date someone who’s gone a lot, especially when he’s going on missions through space, which is notoriously unpredictable. But Nick is your guy, your person, and you love him enough to last a lifetime.

He chuckles when you start falling behind a bit, turning around to check on you.

“You alright back there, sweetheart?”

You huff and roll your eyes, unable to help a small smile. “Leave me alone. It’s not my fault you’re fitter and have longer legs than me.”

Nick smiles, then walks down to you. Before you can say anything, he bends down and picks you up swiftly, draping you over his shoulder. You giggle and squirm as he starts walking up the hill.

“Niiiick, you can’t carry me up there. I’m gonna break your shoulder and it’s already kinda broken from the dislocation.”

“That’s my other shoulder. You’re on my good one, so quit worrying about me and enjoy the ride.”

He hums with a smile as he walks you both through the wooded hillside and down into the little dip in the earth, where the hot springs await your arrival.

Once you get to the edge, Mills sets you down and puts the picnic blanket out on the grass while you grab the food. Both of you take a seat on the plush grass and you pour Nick and yourself a glass of wine.

You sigh, resting your head on his shoulder, the sounds of the forest and the running water nearby relaxing you.

“I love it when we come up here,” you hum, looking up at Nick. “It’s such a great escape from our real lives.”

He nods in agreement, looking down at you with a small smile. As the autumn breeze continues to flutter the edges of the blanket, you and Mills look out at the beautiful scenery and eat your food, talking about life and work and all that.

Once the food dwindles down, you look over at your boyfriend with a knowing smile.

“I know you’re supposed to wait thirty minutes after eating…”

Mills chuckles, then pulls his shirt up over his head. “Let’s go.”

You grin and quickly shed your clothes, leaving you in the bathing suit you picked out this morning. Nick pulls down his pants until he’s in his boxers, then immediately rushes towards you with his arms out.

He grabs you and picks you up bridal-style, walking both of you to the edge of the water. You try to hold on but you can’t even get a grip before he’s tossing you into the water, laughing as you screech.

“Niiiick!”

You resurface moments later and start splashing him with as much water as possible, and he jogs away to avoid the water.

“C’mere! You can't escape my wrath!” You say, running up the sand to jump on him, getting him super wet with your body.

He laughs and grabs your hips, pulling you in for a kiss. You press yourself close to him and both of you let out matching sighs, hands soon beginning to expore each other's bodies.

"Mm," he hums and gives your ass a squeeze. "Maybe it's best if we do wait a bit before going swimming. I think we can find something fun to do in the meantime."

Your lips pull up into a knowing smile. "I've got a few ideas..."

Nick gently pushes you back towards your towel higher up on the shore, and when you reach it, the two of you lay down side-by-side and resume your touching.

His large hands smooth over your breasts, your hips, and finally, down between your thighs. Yours smooth over his lower stomach and tease the waistband of his pants.

You slip your hand under the fabric of his boxers until your palm finds his hardening length, earning you a sharp breath from Mills. He quickly catches up to you, dipping his thick fingers beneath your bottoms, running them along your folds.

"Nick..." you whisper, kissing him again. "Mmm."

"You're already so wet, sweetheart. You want me that much--" Your hand suddenly gives him a firm pump, cutting his sentence off. "God."

The two of you start touching each other, exchanging various soft noises between kisses. You moan softly when he finally slips a finger inside of you, then adds another shortly after, grunting at the feeling of your walls clenching around his digits.

"Ah, fuck, Nick," you breathe, pumping him faster. "Your f-fingers are so big, baby. Feels so good."

His hips rut forward with each pump of your hand. "You're squeezing me tight, s-so fucking tight sweetheart. Mmhh, a little faster...yeah, fuck, like that..."

Your leg is starting to shake as you try to hold it up, and Nick notices your struggle, quickly helping you bring your leg to rest on his arm so he's now holding it up. Easy work for a man who has a manual labor job like his.

He moves his fingers swiftly and skillfully, managing to rub your clit as he fingers you, which unsurprisingly brings you to the edge rather quickly. Your hips grind against him and the sounds that fall from your lips get progressively louder.

Nick is close too, shaft throbbing as your hand strokes him quickly and keeps a firm hold around him. You definitely know what buttons to push and when in terms of pleasuring him.

"Nick, I-I...I'm gonna cum."

His lips work against yours as he quickens ever so slightly, providing exactly what you need to finally fall over the edge. You moan and sigh into his mouth, wave after wave of pleasure washing over you.

Seeing and feeling your orgasm sends him over the same edge seconds later, and he groans, gently biting your bottom lip as he paints your hand and wrist with his release.

You two continue to kiss as you come down from your highs, then pull apart slowly. Nick looks into your eyes, smiling softly.

"I love you, more than words can express."

You lean in and kiss him again.

"I love you too, Nick."

****

sextember taglist: @rynwritesstuff @safarigirlsp @babbushka @mrs-zimmerman

[ladyzimmerman]

Come Back To Me

Pairing: Commander Mills x Fem!reader

Words count: 926

Warnings: a little angst, a lot of fluff

According to station control, he would be gone for 3 months. He sighed as he looked over the manifest, his anxiety only tempered by your body heat next to him. He has been on missions far longer then this one, but this is different. He has you now. Someone he could lose if everything didn’t go completely to plan.

As he lets you sleep for a few more minutes he reminisces. He first saw you during his first week stationed here. He could tell you were a spitfire. You were arguing with a tech, a tablet in one hand and a decoder in the other. Clearly you were in charge and not happy.

He waited calmly, watching the tech leave. He had then cautiously approached you, feigning a question about his ship's propulsion system. He hoped the interaction didn’t end with a tablet to the face. He was surprised to meet soft eyes and a warm smile.

After your first encounter, he continued to visit you in the hanger after meetings. You guys would talk about everything and anything. He found out your name then. You graduated from the academy five years ago and have been stationed here for the last three years. He also found out your favorite food was pasta and you couldn’t stand techno music. You were perfect in his eyes.

You actually asked him out first. You guys had your first date at the M Diner just off base. He knew he was already head of heels for you and you had confessed to him over drinks that you had a crush on him. That you were obsessed with his tender eyes, smooth full lips and his goatee. He remembers kissing you right then and there. You had your first of many nights that night. You moved into his bunker three months later and were married a year after that.

When he found out his mission assignment he was less then pleased. He didn’t want to be away from you, you guys had only been married for six months. You soothed him that night with talk of honor and duty in your sweet voice. You guys made a plan for you to record transmissions and upload them with the scheduled updates. Normal communication would be impossible otherwise.

He promised you when he returned you guys would take scheduled leave. Go see all the planets you grew up dreaming about. He was secretly saving up for a new star cruiser to surprise you with. Perfect for the two of you.

His tablet beeped at him, bringing him back. 10 minutes until he had to board. He places the tablet down and wraps his arms around you. His sweet angel. He squeezes you slightly and nuzzles his face into your neck. Placing soft kisses there as you start to stir. "Baby?" You murmured. "What time is it?" “0540” he says, placing a kiss on your shoulder, putting your taste and soft skin to memory.

You turn in his arms and run your hands through his hair. “Ok” you say softly. He kisses your forehead, then your nose then your lips. “I love you darling.” "I love you too baby" you whisper against his lips. “It’s so early yet… do you really have to go now?” you ask as you rub your eyes. You are so sweet. He breathes your scent in, scanning your face, committing it to memory for those lonely nights. “I’m sorry, babe. Duty calls.”

“Okay” you sigh as you attempt to extract yourself. He holds on tight. “Will you see me off?” he says with a smirk. He immediately chuckles at the huff and single eyebrow raise. He squeezes you one more time as he swings his legs off the bed. He feels your calloused yet soft hands rub along his back. "Go get ready, and we can head down together”. He nods as he tares his eyes away from you as he walks into the bathroom.

He continues to feel uncertain as he finishes with his uniform. He knows he is more then qualified for this mission. He can do this. But they always carry a risk. He tries to put that aside and enjoy the time he has with you now.

You guys walk onto the lift outside of your bunker. He turns you to him as he takes in your angelic features. You place your hand in his and smile. "You will do great Commander" you say in your fakest professional tone. He snorts. "I know babe, I know I just will miss you so much" he says as he cups your face. "I will miss you too. Please come back to me" you reply as you cover his hand.

"Always"

He kisses you, hoping it tells you everything he can not at this moment. The lift stops with a ping. You separate as the doors open. He continues to hold your hand as you walk to the docking bay. “Commander Mills” the docking bay tech says with a nod. “Officer Mills” he nods to you. You nod back. The tech activates the door control panel and stands at attention. “Be safe” you say as you squeeze his hand one more time.

“I will and I love you, Y/N. I will always love you” he says, kissing your forehead. He steps forward into the door. He turns his head one more time to see you with tears in your eyes and your hand over your heart. He can and will do this. For you. His sweet angel.

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

Credits to my dearest @srorgana1 ❤️

[kylosjuul]

Kylo Ren NSFW Alphabet (reupload)

a/n: i posted this last year and here it is again! if ur expecting kylo to be a dom don’t read this. Also, this is AFAB!reader.

——

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Kylo has never had anybody to cherish like this, to hold. So you best believe after sex, he’s planting soft kisses across your face and lips trying to show how lucky he feels to have you; that you gave this gift of intimacy to him. It’s all soft touches and cuddles (fight me on this). He looks at you with a sense of longing, to have this feeling forever. He’ll hold your hand over his heart while you fall asleep on his chest, for it only beats for you.

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Everything about your body has Kylo red in the face, but he finds his eyes trailing to your thighs and your ass often. Your uniform clings to them tightly, and he feels guilty about how quick his blood pools to his thighs, constantly readjusting his leather pants when you bend down or “accidentally” brush against him.

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Okay, listen. Kylo has never had any sexual experience so you BEST believe he cums a lot. And hard. Borderline hyperspermia. He’s just so sensitive and you just feel too good wrapped around him. Expect rope after rope of thick cum coating your walls, spilling out of you and down your thighs :D

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

You make him hard. A lot. He feels so perverted, especially in the beginnings of your relationship. The soft floral notes of your perfume made his pants constrict, the sweet smell making him dizzy. Every kiss, every brush of your fingers=boner. He was embarrassed. The worst part is the wet dreams. Oh. The dreams. Kylo’s mind would drift to images of you kissing him, sitting on top of him, the warmth between your legs remedying the pressure building in his hips; but he would wake up every time, hard as a rock, spilling into his sleep pants panting your name. Yeah.

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

Absolute virg. Never even kissed a girl before. The first time you climbed on top of him and started trailing kisses down his neck, he was 100% whipped, almost finishing in his uniform as you rocked against his length. He knew he couldn’t give this up, couldn’t give YOU up.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

A bit simple, but this man lovesss missionary. He gets off when your face twists up in pleasure, knowing he’s the one providing it to you. Plus, he can hear each moan, each sharp intake of breath; Between your face drenched in lust, your sweet sounds, and your tits bouncing with each thrust, this position makes him cum the hardest. (Besides you on top. He’ll dig his fingers into your hips watching himself disappear inside you over and over. yum).

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

I’d say Kylo is serious during the deed. He just loves you so much and wants to worship you with every bit of intimacy he has in him. Large calloused palms smoothing back your hair, plush lips sucking on your collarbone, all of it.

“You’re so beautiful. My sweet girl…”

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

He isn’t the hairiest man in the galaxy, but he does have a bit of hair down south. Nothing too extreme though. Kylo is very hygienic and well groomed, nothing to worry about here!

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

THE MOST INTIMATE. You can see in his eyes how he feels he doesn’t deserve you, doesn’t deserve your soft body beneath him. He treats you as if you’ll break, as if you’re the most precious being in the universe. Constantly asking if you’re okay, or, “Does this feel good?” He loves to serve you. To pleasure you.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

As aforementioned, Kylo can’t help how hard he is around you 24/7. If he knows he’s going to see you, he’ll tuck himself away into his refresher and think of your figure, your eyes looking up at him, (that REALLY makes him cum fast) and stroke his cock with a punishing pace, imagining you slamming down on his hips. He feels a tinge of shame as he grits his teeth and releases his load onto the refresher door.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Praise. He feels his thighs go weak when you drag your fingers through his hair and call him a “good boy.” He’ll look up at you through heavy lids, a silent plea for more soft touches and appraisals. Also, eye contact. If you ever want anything from him, just look up at his through your eyelashes and he’ll blush like a madman, giving you whatever it is you crave.

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

He’s a very private person and extremely jealous, so he prefers to fuck you in your shared quarters. Nowhere else. Okay, maybe in his TIE, but that’s only when you beg him so sweetly; and who is he not to give his girl whatever she wants?

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

Yes. Just yes. A kiss that lingers a second too long, his name on your lips (in any context), your soft hand following the curve of his jaw. He’s a goner. If you want to torture the man, wear a low cut top around him, he’ll be desperately grabbing at your hips in no time.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Anything involving someone else. He’s a jealous, jealous man. All these fics about him sharing you with the KOR….girl. A big no no is anything related to degradation. Attention all Kylo writers! He would never even DREAM of calling you names or hurting you in any way. You’re his precious girl and he just loves you so so much:(

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Virgin, remember? The first time you sucked his cock, he’s was a panting mess, brows furrowed, low moans punched from his chest, finishing in your mouth in under a minute. After a few times together, you guided him on how to eat pussy, and he definitely prefers watching your hips rock up into his face, coming undone from his warm tongue. (Kylo will never admit this, but while he was eating you out he rocked against the mattress like a rabid dog, cumming all over his stomach, a pool of his spend spreading over the sheets. Yeah, he prefers giving).

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

It depends on how much time you’ve spent apart. If he hasn’t seen you for a week, (missions, supreme leader shit) he’ll fuck into you with a strong and punishing pace, still careful not to hurt you, though. If it’s a normal day, he’ll slowly rock into you, dragging his cock along your walls in a sensual way, but you usually beg him to speed up, pushing you further and further up the mattress.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Kylo is a simp. He will take whatever you so kindly gift him with. You get to fuck your man whenever you so please. He gives it to you no matter the time. Day or night. He’s just so excited there’s a GIRL who wants him, his cock, this badly.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

Nah. Not really. He’d rather savor the sex, instead of constantly looking over his shoulder. But if you drag him into a storage closet aboard and start massaging him through his leather, who is he to say no?

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Hate to burst any bubbles here, but he’s completely inexperienced, so don’t expect him to last very long, at least not at first. He physically has to tense his muscles, eyes squeezed shut in concentration, trying so hard NOT to blow his load the second your tight wet heat engulfs his cock. His skin is flaming hot, but he’s shivering above you, groans emanating from his slacked jaw, trying to fight the way his balls draw up, the way his stomach muscles tighten already.

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Are sex toys canon in Star Wars? Someone please lmk. But my answer is going to be no for now!

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Kylo doesn’t have to tease you, like, at all. You just want him so bad all the time and he still doesn’t understand why. However. You’re quite the tease, and this poor virgin can’t take it. Seriously, if you want to see the mighty Kylo Ren crumble, all you need to do is press a chaste kiss to his lips, put a hand on his thigh, look at him, or just breathe basically, and he’ll be hard and wanting in seconds. I love our space boyfriend.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Ben Swolo can make some NOISE lemme tell ya. It’s all low groans and grunts, so caught up in the heat of your body and how fucking tight you are around him. No matter how hard he tries to contain the noises that slip from his throat, he can’t help it. He’ll confidently moan and moan in your ear, minted breath hitting your cheek, letting you know his pleasure is solely from you, and you alone.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

Kylo is what we call a service top. He would do anything to put your pleasure first, his own pleasure depends on that. He had never cum harder than that first time you clamped around his cock, finally feeling your orgasm around him. Lights flickered and whirred; it was…intense.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

Hung like a moose omg who said that? Anyways. My guess is 7-8 inches. Good luck girl.

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Siri play ‘Everyday’ by Ariana Grande please. Seriously. He feels fucking insane with how bad he wants to be buried in you at all times. Whether he’s tired, beaten or bruised, you could catch a dick anytime.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Kylo will eventually fall asleep cuddled up next to you, but not until he allots himself a few minutes to admire your beauty, running his thick fingers through your hair, kissing your temple until he sees you eyes flutter shut. Awe. Whatta softie.

[glassbxttless]

For your follower celebration, Commander Mills fluff 1 prompt "You're not alone, you never were" Thank you!!!

Seashells

Commander Mills x f!Reader

summary: Mills is home from a mission and he can’t take another night without you promising to be his one.

word count: 1.9k+

warnings: fluff, proposal, some pining, female terminology (use of the pet name, “darling girl”)

The lights are dim as your fingers circle the smooth skin on his back. Freckles and moles delicately covering the vast expanse of skin. Your fingers trace along his spine until they settle just above his dimples. His face is buried into the throw cushion beside you— tv long forgotten and just used as background noise. Curtains drawn tight, just like he likes them at this hour. Mills.

The three years you’ve spent together have been blissful. The laughter you share has filled the rafters of your home on more than one occasion. Each moment you spend with one another ignites a new flame. Something deep in your belly that lets you know he’s the one. He knows it too. He feels it in the way you smile. The way you hold his hand at dinner, reassure him in front of your family, the way you have his back in front of his friends and coworkers. He sees it in the way you leave silly little notes in his lunches and on his desk in the spare room.

Your fingers— sitting idly at the base of his spine— begin to make their ascent back up to his hair. You twist the curls at the base of his neck between them, savoring the moment. His lashes lay delicately against his cheeks, breath soft and steady as he sleeps. His heart is the heavy thud against your thigh, keeping you grounded to the moment. But the second your nails begin to gently scratch at his head, he starts to shift. His position sprawled out over your lap changes, his neck craning as he opens his eyes. A sleepy smile donning his features. “Hey.” His voice is raspy, laced with sleep and something so unique to Mills— it takes all of you to keep yourself from pressing a kiss to the pretty pink lips that are pouted up just for you.

“Hey.” You smile softer in return, his chest leaving your thighs as he sits up, pulling you in for the gentlest kiss on your forehead. “Have a nice nap?” You ask him softly. These moments you’d never want to lose. They’re the most precious to you. Your heart skips out of your chest when you watch him stand, walk over to the refrigerator, and retrieve a bottle of water for himself that he drains within moments. Dehydrated and exhausted— The way he always returns from missions. “Do you want to go grab some dinner before we turn in for the night? I haven’t had the chance to do the shopping.” You remind him as he turns, the muscles in his back flexing under his skin as he reaches for another bottle of water.

“We can just do the shopping and maybe make something together?” He suggests, stepping around the island counter to grab the hoodie that was draped over the barstool. Upon slipping it on, he notes your nod in response to his suggestion and he smiles brightly. “I’ll go grab some shoes then, yes?”

You nod, smoothing the dress you were wearing over your thighs. Remembering the warm body you had just had sleeping safely against you. Mills ducks out of the room, heading upstairs to your shared bedroom. Reaching for the shoes he had tucked away earlier while you pull yourself up out of the sofa and slide into your sandals. You notice the sand tracked into the front of your home, clinging to the soles of Mills’ work boots. You’ve never thought that you’d be happy to see the sight. The mess they’ve made is reassuring. It lets you know he’s really here. It’s not a dream.

“I’ll clean it up as soon as we’re back, okay?” His voice has lost the rasp of sleep. His hand clamping down on your hip to bring you in close, another kiss being placed against your temple. Your heart skips a beat. Hand in hand, Mills insists, against your many protests, on walking to the grocery store on the other side of the beach. The one you cross two streets after the edge of sand to get to. The one that’s easily thirty minutes from your quaint home.

And the walk goes fine. He finds seashells, ones he knows you’d like to add to the jar you keep on the table by the door. The shells that remind you of him, having been brought to you after each date and each time he returns home. He stuffs them into the pocket of his hoodie, watches the way you cover your face when you feel your cheeks begin to grow hot. After so much time, the thought of seashells still entering your home under the guise of a loving gift to show his appreciation, his devotion, still brings a smile to your face. And his hand returns to yours. Holding the door of the market open, he smiles politely, He’s happy to just be home. He’s doing normal things, on the ground, with his girlfriend. No 6 month trips looming over their heads anymore.

He watches you pick fruits and vegetables. He makes note of the flour you select and what not to buy as he follows you around, holding the basket close to him. He has a plan for tonight and if everything goes how he thinks it will, it’ll execute itself perfectly. He watches as you begin to check out the groceries, the quiet chatter you make with the cashier. He watches you pull out the shared card the two of you use. The one with Mills salary directly partially dispensed onto it. He feels a sense of pride, knowing he’s taking care of you even when he’s away. The way he always took care of Alya and Nevine. He appreciates every moment— never takes anything for granted anymore. The small things. He watches you gather the bags, reaching out to help himself, and he hopes she’s doing well. He’s heard she’s remarried now, Alya, and she should be. There was never any malice between the two of them— they simply had grown apart. And Mills found you, sitting pretty across the room. Answering phones and hoping for the best.

He follows you home, listens to your voice but he’s too caught up in his thoughts to know what you’re really on about. That small velvet clad box burning against his thigh. And he just can’t help it. He can’t go another night without knowing you’ll marry him. Make him the happiest man on this planet. But for now, he just needs a little more time. He pulls his keys from his pocket, letting you into your home. The sand from the beach is clinging to both of your shoes as you kick them off and head towards the kitchen. He takes his time taking in the scene in front of him, before he’s pressing up against your backside, lips against your ear as he sways gently. His arms wrapped tightly around your waist. “I’ve missed you.” He’s repeated the mantra since stepping in the door. His voice is raspy and laced with something that’s so uniquely Mills— but it’s one you’ll never get tired of hearing.

You can hear the shells in his hoodie pocket scraping together ever so delicately and you let out the happiest sigh, the quietest giggle. “I’ve missed you too.” Your voice is quiet, barely above a whisper. Remembering the months you’d spent away from each other. How the only contact you’d get were quick video messages at random times of the day— how everything was so far out of touch. But now he’s here, his arms wrapped around you. You’re turning towards him, hands against his chest. Your eyes meet. Lashes long and thick, brown eyes sharp in the setting sun shining through the blinds. The two of you fall into a shared silence. Something you’ve both grown rather comfortable in. His hands are leaving your waist, drifting down your thighs and across the expanse of your backside. And he holds you tighter, face buried against your neck. Your heart thumps in your chest so loudly you think you can hear the ringing in your ears. Your hand presses against the back of his head, nails scratching his scalp lovingly.

“Please don’t go again.” You tilt your head slightly, lips touching the shell of his ear as you whisper, “I don’t know if I can handle being alone again—”

“You’re not alone.” Mills is quick to cut you off. His voice is stern, but it’s not any louder than it has been since he’s come home. “You never were alone, darling girl. You’ve always looked for me in the stars, huh? You’ve kept me in your thoughts and dreams. I know I think about you more often than I’d like to admit.” He says softly. You feel the hot burn of embarrassment starting at the base of your neck. “After Nevine… I thought things were never going to be the same. I lost her, I lost Alya. Things almost ceased for everything I am, everything I loved. But here you are, in all of your glory… Your beautiful smile, pretty eyes. The hands I get to hold every single day.” The corner of his lips turn up in a smile as he releases his grip on you to reach into his pocket. He pulls out the small little purple velvet box. You watch as he drops on one knee. When he opens the box there’s a small diamond band placed so delicately inside. Tears are pricking at the corners of your eyes. “I couldn’t imagine going another moment without knowing I’ll have you by my side for the rest of my time here on this planet… Marry me, by any chance?”

Your heart feels like it may be too big to fit properly in your chest. And you sit back as your body begins to move on autopilot. Your hands cupping Mills cheeks as you nod ferociously, tears streaming down your cheeks. “Of course I will. Never wanted anyone else.” You whisper to him as he tugs the ring out of the box. You catch sight of the inside of the band being engraved, unable to make out exactly what it was. But as Mills slips the ring onto your finger, he pulls you into the tightest hug imaginable. Your face buries against his chest, knowing you’ve never been alone, not one day since Mills has been in your life. Your eyes catch the darkness beginning to fall and settle outside, stars twinkling as you both sway with one another.

That evening when you’re climbing into bed, Mills is already quietly asleep next to you— you take off the band to look it over closer. To see every thought and detail Mills put into selecting it for you. And that’s when you see the small seashell engraved on the inside of the band. You feel hot as your smile begins to grow. You’ll always love and appreciate him, more than anything. The shells from hours before lay in wait on the top of the dresser, just wishing to be added to the coin jar downstairs. Your cheeks begin to ache with how much you’re smiling as you slip the ring back onto your finger. Flipping the lamp next to the bed off, you curl up against Mill’s bareback. Something you’ll forever be indebted to, remembering how much you owe him. How much he needs you. How much you need him.

tag list ;; @peachyproserpina

[honkytonk-hangman]

When Jake Met Polly

Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x Reader

Summary: Jake likes to flirt with his Air Traffic Controller or Jake Seresin has never seen When Harry Met Sally.

Warnings: Not much, fluff, flirting and refs to sex.

Note: This is just a short little idea i've had for agesss... reader has a 'name' but it's just her callsign, Polly, as in, short for Polaris. Ty to @hangmanssunnies i wuv u <3

“Hangman to Tower, I am coming in hot.”

You roll your eyes at the all too familiar voice that crackles through your radio, a smile pulling at your lips as you adjust your microphone and briefly throw a glance over your shoulder, just to make sure your commanding officer wasn’t lingering.

“Tower to Hangman. We are appalled at the gross lack of radio etiquette on display,” you respond. Barely a few seconds pass before you receive a reply.

“Come on, Polly, we've been working together for over a year now, what’s a little informality between colleagues?” Hangman says, and despite his jet only being a blip on your horizon still, you know he’s grinning.

“A commercial airline, Lieutenant.” You deadpan, your own smile growing as his laughter comes down the line. “You are cleared for landing, proceed to runway B,” you continue, not wanting him to have to ask again seeing as his approach was cutting it close already.

“Polly, have I ever told you that you’re my favourite Controller?” He asks as you watch him enter the pattern, and click your pen.

“Only every day we work together, Lieutenant.” There’s a beat of quiet as he expertly manoeuvres his jet toward the correct runway.

“And how sexy your voice is?” He goes on, sounding vaguely distracted.

“Once again, Lieutenant, this is not a commercial airline.” You respond, twirling your hair around your finger at his compliment anyway.

He doesn’t reply, and a shock of horror flickers through you as you watch the jet touch down once, something happening with his landing gear that makes the jet shudder, then seem to bounce momentarily before it drops back onto the tarmac and skids to a stop.

“Hangman, do you require the emergency crew?!” You ask quickly, eyes scanning the aircraft as it powers down fully. You wait tensely as the canopy pops up, and a broad figure jumps out, scrambling down the ladder, and once on the ground, he bends low to get a look at the problem.

“No, Polly, thank you. Seems the landing gear malfunctioned, must’ve been in a position to sustain damage once I landed…” his voice trails off, and you watch him straighten, and greet the ground crew who’d raced over to help.

“Glad you’re safe, Lieutenant. Tower out.” You say as he begins discussing with the crew, but briefly turns up toward the tower and raises a hand.

You let out a sigh of relief and settle back in your seat.

–

Around lunch time you make your way down to the tarmac. Hangman’s jet had been cleared off some time ago, and by now you know reports would have been filed, including your own, and his aircraft will have been taken in for inspection and repairs. You’re milling around the ‘crash’ site, inspecting the scrape marks left behind when you hear footsteps from behind approaching you.

“Can I help you ma’am?”

You know his voice immediately, but you know his face too, and when you at last turn back to him you’re graced by the sight of it, bright and unworried, despite the accident he’d had earlier.

“Oh, don’t mind me! I just watched someone bounce their jet off my tarmac earlier, just checking for potholes,” you tell him wrly. It takes a moment, but his face flashes with recognition and soon he’s taking a step towards you.

“Polly?!” Hangman asks, sounding surprised. You hum in response, then round on him.

“Where is it that you found your qualifications, Liuetenant? We should probably return them,” you tease him. Hangman only takes up a stance and stretches his arms out, his flight suit stretching desperately around his biceps as he does.

“Oh, Polly, if I’d known that was all it took to get you down here, I’d have started chipping bits off months ago,” he flirts shamelessly. You smile at him but don’t speak and after a moment, he drops his arms again, crossing them over his chest instead and blinking at you curiously. “What?” he asks.

Your smile grows, and you shake your head at him.

“Your terrible lines work better when I can see you, that's all,” you inform him, making him uncross his arms and laugh.

“I would say that’s generally the case, even if a guy ain’t me,” he replies coolly. You only shake your head again, and look back out at the expanse of tarmac ahead of you.

“Thanks to you getting your pilots lisence off the back of a cereal box, we’ve ruined our Sleepless in Seattle thing,” you say with a forlorn sigh.

When you look back at Hangman he’s frowning at you in confusion.

“Our what?” he asks. You roll your eyes and turn to face him fully at last, waving your hand as you speak.

“You know, our Sleepless in Seattle thing. We talk all this time, but never meet, and if we cross paths, we don’t realise it? It’s ruined now,” you accuse him lightly. Hangman hums, and seems to think for a moment.

“I get to be Meg Ryan in this situation, right?” he says, making you chortle.

“Well you’d have to be. No way I’d leave 90s Bill Pullman!”

“Well, what if we’re not Sleepless in Seattle? What if we’re more… When Harry Met Sally?” he suggests. You squint at him.

“Have you seen that film? I’m not sure that’s the implication you want to go for…” you ask him, making him falter for a moment.

“That’s the one with the emails right?” he responds unsurely. You laugh again, and shake your head.

“No, that’s You’ve Got Mail.”

“What the hell did I just suggest, then?” 

You stare at him for a moment, and can’t stop yourself from grinning up at him.

“More or less not speaking for like ten years, but on the rare occasion we do meet up, we argue,” you tell him, watching him frown even deeper, and shake his own head this time.

“That would be kinda hard, considering you’re the voice in my head,” he says.

“Oh, so we’re doing Her now!”

Hangman fixes you with a deadpan expression and a slightly smirk.

“I don’t even want to know.”

You laugh at him, and begin walking, unsurprised when he immediately joins you, falling into step at your side. “So,” he begins again after a moment, peering down at you. “Despite playing hacky sack on your tarmac, you still gonna let me take you out?”

You falter briefly, but keep walking, this time glancing up at him.

“I didn’t think you were being serious all those times you asked me out,” you don’t bother hiding your surprise. Hangman looks back at you, squinting, and cocks his head.

“At this point I think you’ve shot me down more than Dagger combined, why would I not be serious?” he asks you, sounding oddly serious. You chuckle.

“Right, so, say if, I don’t know, Rooster got a few more hits on you, you wouldn’t leave me hangin’ would you?” you know you’ll say yes, but you can’t help but tease him a little longer.

Hangman raises an eyebrow at you and grins wide and beautiful.

“You? Never,” he says. “Mostly because I’m legally obligated to respond when you speak to me.”

You lift your own eyebrow and fix him with a wry smile.

“I like that in a man.”

Hangman laughs.

–

“I mean it, your voice is sexy,” Jake tells you once he’s sat back down from replacing your drinks. You can’t help but chortle and stir your cocktail with the straw.

“Really? Me telling you to line up and wait in the pattern gets you going?” you ask. Jake grins, but nods very seriously as he takes a short sip of his beer.

“Absolutely. I also like when you tell me about the weather and conditions, and direct me to land.”

Leaning forward with your elbows on the table between you, you put your chin in your hands.

“I liek when you flirt with me,” you begin, waiting for him to smirk at you before continuing on. “And you don’t realise my boss is in the room, so I just have to respond ‘roger’ and ‘acknowledged’ whenever you say something stupid,” you finish. Jake rolls his eyes and leans forward to meet you.

“To be fair, I’d probably be saying something stupid anyway,” he tells you.

You have to let out a laugh at that and finally lean back again.

“Oh yeah, that reminds me, are you ever gonna tell us all how to ‘bury a fossil’? You know, those things that you famously dig up and do not bury?” you tease, earning another eyeroll. Jake shrugs and copies your movements.

“I foretold Mav’s career comeback, didn’t I?”

You laugh again, but this time, get a good look at him sitting casually across from you, out of uniform and seemingly more relaxed than you’ve ever seen, or heard.

“I like your voice too,” you tell him at last, smiling a little at how he seems to preen at your praise. “Your accent is more pronounced face-to-face though, and you don’t sound like you’re performing all the time.”

Jake takes a sip of his beer and shrugs again.

“Can’t be Hangman all the time,” he says. You make a face.

“I like Hangman. He entertains me at work… but I think I like the guy who hasn’t seen When Harry Met Sally, and has a Fisher-Price pilot's lisence even more.”

Jake laughs and nods at you.

“Splash one,” he says before he leans in to you again. “Toddler’s generally have pretty good taste, in my opinion, they’re all about shapes and colours and boobs… can’t fault ‘em!”

You have to laugh and concede that at least, the two of you clinking drinks before you continue to flirt and chat for the rest of the evening.

When Jake drops you back at yours, you invite him inside, under the guise of lending him your DVD copy of When Harry Met Sally, but when he simply lingers in your living room, you start to consider other tactics.

“Jake?” you say, standing up from ‘searching’ your stack of DVD’s and facing him. “This is the part where you save me from admitting I don’t really own a physical copy of the film by having sex with me,” you inform him dutifully, watching as he straightens up and blinks at you. Then, he’s shaking his head, smiling, and taking a step closer toward you.

“I guess every good rom-com does have an earth shattering lie at its core, doesn’t it?” he steps closer, and this time, anchors his hands at your waist, tugging you into him a little more.

“Let's skip the conflict part and go straight to the happy ending, shall we?”

[lurkinginnernarrator]

Cang Qiong's rumor mill has a new topic.

Peak Lord Shen hasn't been seen in two weeks. The last time he was seen was flying back from An Ding, where he purportedly commandeered some unknown objects from An Ding's storerooms after a hasty discussion with Peak Lord Shang. He entered the Bamboo house and hasn't emerged since.

The most popular theory is Peak Lord Shen is conducting some sort of toeing-the-line-of-taboo ritual.

Eventually, someone convinces Mu Qingfang to do a wellness check.

The Qing Jing disciples greet their Mu-shishu respectfully, the disciple escorting him to the Bamboo House inquiring as to the nature of his visit, seeing as 'Shizun wasn't expecting shishu today.'

"This master is merely here to visit your Shizun."

The disciple bows after announcing Mu Qingfang's arrival.

Mu Qingfang opens the door.

"Shen-shixiong?"

"Mu-shidi? To what do I owe the pleA—FUCK get BACK HERE YOU ARE NOT"—the sounds of struggle reach Mu Qingfang's ears and he leaps to action, striding in to take stock of the situatio...n.

Shen-shixiong is flat on his stomach; outstretched hands tightly grasping a precocious ball of fluff. His eyes gleam in victory, the scene casting it in a more crazed light. There is a heaviness to Shen Qingqiu's eyes that cultivation cannot banish and miscellaneous stains on his person. And, looking around, the Bamboo House is a disaster. Books, brushes, scrolls, inkwells and fans are scattered around, many haphazardly dropped on the floor. There is. Also. Hay?

Mu Qingfang freezes in the doorway. Ball of fluff and Shen Qingqiu also freeze.

"Is... Shixiong alright?"

This seems to snap Shen Qingqiu into action. He scrambles up firmly but with care, cradling the fluffball. Shen Qingqiu gets himself in order as best he can with both his hands occupied and clears his throat.

"Ah...Yes. this master is fine. To what do I owe the pleasure?..."

The fluffball twitches, wriggling until Shen Qingqiu loses his grip on it. It hops to the floor. A juvenile Whitecrested Snowrabbit of Agility stares up at Mu Qingfang.

"This. Shidi could come back at a more opportune time?"

The bunny starts chewing on a scroll.

"I believe that would be best."

Mu Qingfang backs out of the doorway.

He does send tea to help with Shen-Shixiong's fatigue and a subspecies of carrot that Whitecrested Snowrabbits are supposed to favour though.

I wonder what the next topic of Cang Qiong's rumor mill will be?

[rileyslibrary]

Synopsis: A new lieutenant comes to your base—a hot one. Ghost isn’t happy.

Relationship: Simon “Ghost” Riley x F!Reader

Word Count: 1,334

Notes:

I haven’t thought of a title, so I’m replacing it with a picture of Ghost’s expression that perfectly captures the fic’s concept. Let me know if you think of one.

Platonic fluff, duh.

Warning: Lots of swearing ahead of you, British slang as well. Told you, he’s not happy.

UPDATE: there’s a Part 2 now. Things get messy.

Want more?

———————————————————————

The rumour mill went into overdrive as soon as the ‘new guy’ arrived at the military base that morning. A former special ops legend with impressive credentials; what’s not to love?

But it wasn’t just his military skills that had everyone talking; it was also his appearance. Rumours of his Adonis-like looks had spread throughout the base, and everyone was dying to catch a glimpse of him. Even the mess hall was dominated by talk of his stunning looks.

What did you think of him? Well, you prefer to take such things with a grain of salt and not put too much stock in them. After all, beauty is a matter of personal preference, and no single definition applies to everyone. So you wanted to evaluate things for yourself.

Okay, fine. Yes, the rumours were true—the guy is exactly as they described him.

The new lieutenant stands tall and proud in front of the line you’ve all formed, his wavy hair coiffed into a deep side part with a thick fringe swooping over one eye. His chiselled jawline is accentuated by a short, perfectly groomed beard, and he gives everyone a brilliant smile as if he’s auditioning for a toothpaste commercial. His voice is booming and almost comically enthusiastic as if he were trying to engage a class of children. He gives orders by pointing at soldiers with gun fingers and winking, causing some of you to stifle giggles.

“All right, soldiers, pay attention!” he says, clapping his hands like a cheerleader. “Today’s tasks are routine: cleaning, organizing, equipment repair, and inventory taking. And, hey, if we pull this off, I’ll buy everyone a round at the local pub! How does that sound?”

Some of the soldiers exchange skeptical glances, wondering if this guy is for real.

But Ghost? Oh. My. God.

Ghost’s agitation becomes too hard to hide as the new lieutenant speaks. He shifts his weight from one foot to the other, moving frantically as if eager to be anywhere but here. His eyes keep rolling back as though they’re searching for some leftover patience in the depths of his skull. You keep staring at his crossed arms. They’re so stiff that his muscles must ache from the effort. It’s as if he’s trying to keep them in place, so he doesn’t unleash them and back-slap the hot lieutenant’s pretty face. That, or he’ll let out a primal scream any second now.

“Y/N,” he turns to face you, and you stand at attention, “you’re on border patrol with me today-”

“Y/N is staying with me at the office today,” Ghost opposes him. “There’s a lot of paperwork that needs to be done.”

“Can’t you get someone else to fill out the paperwork?” the man asks, shooting Ghost a wink and a grin.

“Can’t you get someone else to help you with border patrol?” Ghost winks back at him and turns to face you. “Y/N, on your feet, c’mon,” he says, walking towards the building.

You exchange glances with the new lieutenant and shrug. This is too awkward.

“WHENEVER YOU’RE READY, SOLDIER,” Ghost commands, and you dash towards him, brushing past the new lieutenant, who also happens to smell amazing. Of course, he does.

“What the fuck is wrong with you today, Lt.?” You whisper as you run behind him, “where’s the camaraderie we discussed during yesterday’s briefing?”

Ghost shoots you a glare over his shoulder. “Just trying to keep my paperwork safe,” he mutters.

“What’ll happen to the damn paperw-” you proceed to ask, but then evaluate his words; you’re the paperwork.

At the office…

He’s reticent as he sits on his desk—not like he’s a social butterfly any other day, but today, he seems angry. Almost hostile. His eyebrows are tied together, his restless leg syndrome is back, and he takes too many cigarette breaks compared to what you’re used to. He answers your questions with one-word statements when—and if—he acknowledges your presence. Yesses and nos are all you’ve been getting since you entered the office, with the occasional “tsk” he might utter while he looks at his papers.

“Pass me the stapler.” He commands.

“Magic word, Ghost.”

“Pass me the fucking stapler, please.”

You slide the stapler over to his desk. “You’re rude today, Mr Riley.” You comment, turning your focus back to the laptop’s screen.

He doesn’t reply in the form of words. Instead, his feelings manifest themselves by aggressively stapling the papers together.

“Perhaps you’d like me to ask for the stapler by winking at you?” He finally mutters under his breath.

“Like the guy that came in today?” You scoff.

Oh, you have his full, undivided attention now. He turns his chair towards you and leans his weight on his thighs as if you’re about to tell the most exciting story.

“What do you think of him?” He asks.

You flick your wrist dismissively. “I don’t know him well enough to form an opinion. I prefer to reserve judgment until I get to know someone.” You give him a pointed look, hoping to convey your message without having to spell it out for him.

“He’s a fucking bellend, I’ll tell you that much.” He mumbles in response. Guess the message got lost in transit.

“Come on, man!” You shout and punch your fist on the table, “it’s obvious that he’s got you rattled.”

“He’s not rattling me!” Ghost protests, but his defensive tone betrays him.

“Sure, he’s not,” you reply sarcastically, “that’s why you’ve been chain-smoking and stapling papers like you’re trying to murder them.”

Ghost lets out a deep sigh and rubs his temples.

“Is it his looks?” you ask.

“No, it’s not his looks,” Ghost rolls his eyes, “I’m much better looking than him, that’s for sure.”

“Are you...I don’t know, intimidated, maybe?” You shrug, “because you’re worried he might take your place as the top dog around here?”

He looks at you incredulously. “What are you talking about? I’m not worried about that.”

“Sure, you’re not,” you smirk. “That’s why you’ve been acting like a total jerk all day.”

He looks up and sighs. The poor man looks like he desperately needs an ego boost. Beneath Ghost’s tough facade there’s Simon, after all. And Simon is a human being with the same insecurities and worries as everyone else.

“In any case,” you say, trying to comfort him, “nobody takes such douchebags seriously in the army. And I get it; the guy’s trying to make a good impression and all, but, my God, he needs to chill with all the...” you start winking and pointing gun fingers left and right.

He’s so happy he lets out a sharp chuckle. “He’s a fucking nobhead, isn’t he?” He asks, “trying to take charge and acting like he knows everything.”

“Indeed,” you reassure him, “and that cologne, I almost fainted as I passed him; how could you stand beside him for so long?”

“Don’t ask.” He shakes his head.

You reach over and give his arm a squeeze. “Don’t worry about it, Ghost. You’re the most respected operator here,” you say, giving him a small smile, “just do me a favour and give the guy a chance; he has so much to learn from you.”

He nods. “I wanted to neck slap him so hard,” he mumbles, “knock his pretty white teeth out.”

“Which are fake, by the way.”

“Are they?” He asks, shocked.

“100%.” You reply with conviction as if you are the guy’s dentist.

“I knew it.” He yells, slaps his hand on his thigh, and turns his chair back to his desk.

You look at him from the corner of your eye. He seems much more relaxed now. Hopefully, he takes your advice to heart and proceeds with the same resilience and leadership he does on the battlefield. Or, maybe, you temporarily diffused a potential conflict, and the captain will have to get involved pretty soon. Who knows. At least he feels confident in himself now, and the guy’s teeth will live to see another day.

———————————————————————

Part 2 ->

[fluentmoviequoter]

Defend Myself - Part II

Part 2 of Defend Myself

Summary: You agree to teach a self-defence class at the police station. There, you meet Tim Bradford again, as well as some unexpected guests.

Warnings: Tim gets nervous and awkward, fluff!! lots of mentions of winning fights

Word Count: 1.9k+ words

A/N: Not proofread yet! I have to go to work so I'll do it tonight. :)

Masterlist | Tim Bradford Masterlist | Request Info/Fandom List

Alone in your studio classroom, you tap your toes against the floor as hold music plays from your phone. It’s been two days since you met Tim Bradford and learned about the opportunity to teach a free self-defence class at the station. As you wait to talk to the community liaison, you can’t help but think about Officer Bradford again.

“Hello,” someone greets. “Sorry about that wait.”

“No problem,” you reply. “I was calling to find out about teaching a self-defence class for the public. The officer I just spoke to told me you were the person to ask.”

“Of course. I can definitely help you with that. We’ve got several openings for community courses in the coming weeks. Are you a certified group instructor?”

“I am.”

“Perfect. That will help you get in here faster. This means your next step is just to choose a date and time and complete some paperwork. After that, we’ll spread the word in the community, find volunteers to assist you, and get everything in order before the course itself takes place.”

“Great, thank you so much. Is there any chance I could get started on the next step today?”

“Yes, we can do that. Most instructors come into the station to view the community area and complete the necessary forms, but we can send those papers over electronically as well.”

“I’d be happy to come by the station.”

“Excellent. I’m available all day today and tomorrow afternoon if you’d like?”

“Today works.”

You decide on a time with him before you end the call. After your last class of the day, you lock up and head for the Mid-Wilshire police station. Though Officer Bradford said he’d be willing to volunteer for your class, you doubt you’ll ever see him again. LA is a relatively big place, and the chances of seeing the same cop more than once can’t be very high.

 At the front desk, you provide your name and the details of your appointment. You’re quickly led through a door and into a large room where police officers are milling about.

“Nice to meet you,” the community liaison greets you as he welcomes you into his office. “I’ve got your paperwork here. Just a few simple liability forms and a background check.”

“Thank you for meeting with me so quickly,” you say as you take a seat.

You begin filling out the forms as you tell him what you plan to teach. He seems impressed by your willingness to host a free session and explains that fewer and fewer people are reaching out to him, despite the compensation they offer.

“That’s the last of them,” he tells you as he accepts your final paper. “I want to get started on these right away, so I’m going to pass you off to another officer to give you the tour.”

“I appreciate that.”

You follow him to the door and see several officers talking near a glass wall.

“You mentioned Officer Bradford in your call, didn’t you?” the liaison asks.

“I did.”

“Great.”

He waves someone over, and you smile when you see Officer Bradford again. He’s not alone, but he smiles at you before he begins introductions.

“This is my watch commander, Sergeant Grey,” he tells you. “Grey, this is the woman who did my job for me at the hockey game earlier this week.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Sergeant Grey says as he shakes your hand.

“Good things I hope,” you reply.

“Of course,” Tim interjects quickly.

He seems nervous, but you brush it off as him trying to do his job and carry a conversation. In reality, Tim Bradford is awestruck by you, your abilities, and how kind and compassionate you are despite how easily you could win a fight against anyone in this station.

“Any chance you’d still be willing to help me with the class?” you ask Tim. “I’d hate to mess up and never be invited back.”

“You’d have to fire your service weapon in the station for us to not invite you back,” Wade says. “Which has happened, but we’re desperate.”

“Then I’m glad I can help. And the more people who can defend themselves, the better.”

“Right,” Tim agrees. “And, yeah, I’d be happy too. I can show you where you’ll be teaching.”

“Great!”

There’s a commotion near the door, and Tim and Sergeant Grey stand straighter as they watch. A security guard steps in with an officer, and then two cops follow on either side. Tim has positioned himself directly beside you, whether to keep you back from whatever is happening or just to get a better view you aren’t sure. When another man walks in, flanked by more security guards, you gasp and hit Tim’s arm with the back of your hand.

“Ow,” he mumbles quietly as he jerks back slightly.

“Sorry,” you whisper. “Do you know who that is?!”

“I take it you do.”

“Sergeant Grey,” an officer calls. “We’re early, I’m sorry about that.”

“No problem. We can meet in the roll call room,” Sergeant Grey replies.

Three large men stand feet away from you, and you link your fingers together as you try to hold your excitement inside. You smile at the man nearest you before you turn back to Tim.

“Bradford, can you sit in?” Grey asks. “Or do you need to finish here first?”

“Oh, please go, I can wait,” you answer for him. “They’re way more important than me.”

“I don’t know about that,” someone says beside you.

You turn to see which man spoke and laugh before you argue, “You have a game to win, Mr. Konecny, you get priority here.”

“Are you a fan?” Travis Konecny asks.

“Yes!” you answer loudly. “Sorry, I’m excited. Yes, I’m a huge Flyers fan.”

“Do you have tickets?” Sam Ersson asks from beside him.

“I do. Nosebleeds, but tickets are tickets.”

Travis clicks his tongue and looks to one of the security guards to say, “Get her a seat on the ice. And anyone else in here who wants one. Their job is much more important than ours.”

You thank him and shake his hand before he passes. As Tim leads Travis Konecny, Sam Ersson, and Jamie Drysdale into the roll call room, you wait nearby. You just met the Philadelphia Flyers! As if seeing Tim again wasn’t exciting enough, you just had a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with some of the best hockey players in the country. Maybe the day can’t get any better.

“Hey,” Tim calls as he returns. “Are you ready?”

“Sure. Thank you again, for everything,” you reply.

He nods as you stand, and then leads you through the station.

“I…” Tim begins.

“Yeah?” you encourage.

“Would you maybe want to go to the game together? They gave me a ticket too.”

“I’d love to! Are they nice? Wait, don’t tell me if they’re not.”

“They’re very nice, and they seemed very happy about meeting a fan.”

“Sorry again for hitting you.”

“It’s fine,” Tim assures with a smile. “It hurt, but that just makes me even more impressed by you.”

“Impressed?”

Tim opens a door for you and shakes his head when your eyes meet his. “Like you can’t tell.”

On the day of your self-defence class at the police station, you wake up early to prepare everything. Most of your equipment is already packed, but you want everything to go well. Once you finish this, you’ll be even closer to your date with Tim. Self-defence, an attractive man, and hockey all in one week is like a romcom made just for you.

Tim is waiting outside the door when you arrive to set up. He smiles and opens the door before he takes a bag from you. As he helps you arrange your minimal gear and go through your sets and cues in a practice run, he makes easy conversation with you. Getting to know each other seems easy, even if this is only small talk and surface questions. He’s someone worth the time and effort of learning.

When the last person leaves your class (after telling you several times about how much she enjoyed it and would like to come to another one), you sigh and shake your arms out. You had been nervous that no one would show up or that they wouldn’t like it, but you were wrong. The room was full, and everyone participated and seemed to enjoy themselves.

“That was fun,” you tell Tim. “I want to do it again.”

“Don’t say that too loud, Grey will try to make you a permanent fixture,” Tim teases.

“I might like that. Although, I’m more excited for our date.”

“Date?” Tim asks, standing up quickly. “I mean, I wanted it to be a date, but didn’t know if you were-“

You smile as you interrupt him to say, “Yeah, it’s a date, Tim.”

“Good,” Tim says softly. His smile grows as he repeats, “Good.”

The night of the Flyers game, Tim picks you up at your studio. He’s the first gentleman you’ve been on a date with in a while. Each moment with him increases your excitement for a hockey game date.

“Wait,” you tell him when he reaches for his door handle. “You’re cheering for the Flyers, right?”

“Yeah,” Tim answers slowly. “Why?”

“Because I was going to sit with someone else if you said no. Please continue.”

Tim smiles a look that knocks the breath out of you like a well-timed punch. He takes your hand and keeps it in his as he leads you to the perfect seats you were gifted. You gasp as you look out on the ice, and Tim watches you rather than the skaters warming up. One of the guys shoulder-checks his teammate before they point at each other, and you and Tim laugh with them.

“I’m pretty sure you could beat up both of them,” Tim says in your ear.

“Do you just like me for my fighting skills?” you ask, narrowing your eyes.

“Not just for that!”

You laugh and bump your shoulder against Tim’s. He takes the opportunity to wrap his arm around your shoulders, and you happily lean toward him.

“This is way better than the last hockey game I went to,” you murmur.

“That’s not a compliment,” Tim argues.

Before you can explain what you mean, the Flyers skate to the panel before you and bang on the divider. You smile and Travis, Sam, and Jamie hold up a jersey with ‘LA’s Finest’ on the back. After they skate away, a woman in a Flyers shirt approaches you and hands you a bag. Inside are two of those jerseys, and you quickly pull yours over your head.

“LA’s finest,” Tim reads. “I have to agree.”

“Back at you.”

Tim stays at your side for the entire game. You cheer together, yell together, and enjoy the night in each other’s company. You want Tim Bradford at your side for a very long time, even if he does make endless comments about who you could challenge to a fight.

“We should invite them to the wedding,” you say when the game ends.

“An entire hockey team?” Tim questions. You notice he doesn’t argue against the idea of marriage, just the number of people you’re already adding to the guest list.

“Yeah. Plus, the whole LAPD, right?”

Tim pulls you under his arm and leads you back to his truck. You can invite as many people as you want, he thinks, as long as he’s there with you.

[sonamytrash]

Early spring

Tags: Fluff, pregnancy, Levi Ackerman, Levi × reader, fem reader.

The morning mist swirled lazily through the training fields, clinging to the dewy grass and the stables like a ghostly veil. The morning drills were going smoothly, with the cadets executing their maneuvers with precision and discipline.

The rumor mill had been working overtime, spinning tales of how you had both met, how you had fallen in love in the underground, and how you had both managed to keep the relationship a secret all these years. Some claimed you both eloped, others that you'd run away from home. Despite what may or may not be true, one thing was certain: Your relationship was a popular topic amongst gossiping teens and bored soldiers of the scouting headquarters.

As you walked by the training grounds greeting the cadets politely, the group exchanged knowing glances, Armin knew they were all thinking the same thing. It was obvious that you were pregnant, and it was even clearer that their captain was the father. The news had been spreading through the headquarters like wildfire, and even though they knew it was a private matter, they couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and curiosity about it.

Your pregnant belly, rounder and fuller by the day, strained against the fabric of your uniform, betraying the secret that you were trying to keep. But for your part you seemed to be taking it all in your stride, your cheeks flushed with embarrassment at all the attention but even still, a small smirk played at the corners of your lips now that the cat was out of the bag. And Levi, his expression was unreadable as usual. But there was a softness to his eyes when he looked at you that spoke volumes. It was clear that he was overjoyed at the news, even if he wasn't the sort to show it openly.

Sasha furrowed her brow. Based on her numerous siblings, she was no stranger to the topic of pregnancy and babies. "It's hard to say for sure," she paused thoughtfully. "but based on how she's been acting and how big her belly is getting, I'd guess she's at least four months along." Armin nodded in agreement, "Captain Levi has been even more protective and attentive towards y/n lately too."

Ymir spoke up, her voice tinged with amusement. "Well, boys and girls," she drawled, "I guess we all owe Ymir a drink for predicting this. I called it months ago that y/n would be knocked up by the end of the year."

There were a few snickers groans and chuckles around the group. Even though she was usually pretty outspoken, no one could deny that she was spot-on with this prediction.

As they continued to talk, the topic eventually turned to the future. Armin wondered how you and the Captain would balance your duties in the regiment with raising a child. Krista pointed out that the baby would probably be the cutest thing in the world once it was born. Mikasa agreed, adding that a baby was a wonderful thing. Even though there were still questions and concerns, there was an undercurrent of excitement and anticipation in the air.

Levi, always the picture of stoicism, suddenly appeared, snapping the group to attention. His eyes scanned the assembled group, his expression unreadable. When he finally spoke, his voice was steady and commanding. "Keep your eyes on the target, keep your minds sharp, and keep up with the training."

The group remained uncharacteristically silent. His piercing gaze continued to sweep across their faces, his expression unreadable as ever. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally spoke again. "Is there something that's distracting you?." They knew that he wouldn't address the elephant in the room unless he was asked. A hush fell over the group as Connie ventured the question. "... When's the baby due, captain?" There was a collective holding of breath while waiting for his answer. Fear behind their eyes at Connies stupid question that was bound to get them assigned the worst chores for the rest of the month. Levi didn't seem fazed by the question in the slightest, and his expression remained unreadable. "We're not entirely sure yet, but we're thinking early spring." Levi calmly replied, and if they weren't mistaken, a hint of affection was present in his voice. The cadets exchanged glances again, a mixture of joy, surprise, and relief.

He paused, then added, "But for now, focus on training, brats."

They quickly resumed their training. And through the remainder of the day, whispers continued to circulate about the impending arrival of yours and the Captains baby. Some speculated about the baby's gender, while others discussed the potential names they thought would suit.

Later that day, you knock softly on the captains office door, waiting for permission to enter. Once you do, Levi looks up from his desk, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips upon seeing you. "You handled that well, love," you tell him, your voice quiet but sincere.

"Well, we've certainly got everyone talking," he said, gesturing for you to come over. You smiled playfully, taking a seat on his lap. "Well," you pause. "It's one thing to keep our relationship a secret from everyone, but it's another thing entirely to try to keep a pregnancy under wraps for nine months." You chuckle. "But we gave it a shot. I think four months is pretty impressive." Levi chuckles softly, reaching out to take your hand in his. His thumb traced gentle circles on the back of your hand. He leaned back in his chair, his gaze never leaving your face, his other hand wrapping around your waist and resting gently on the bump beneath your uniform. "We'll have to try harder next time."

[ficsilike-reblogged]

Invisible Smoke - Two

Summary: There is something going on with Jake’s favorite mechanic. And he continues to pry.  Pairing: Jake “Hangman” Seresin/F!Reader Word Count: 9.7k A/N: Thank you for all the love on the first chapter, I truly wasn’t expecting it. I apologize for the wait, but hopefully the length will make up for it!  Warnings: Naval inaccuracies, themes of stalking, cursing, mentions of terminal and life-threatening illnesses, and combative fluff :)

The ceremony was wonderful if not a little long winded but you hardly cared as you stood with the rest of the crowd to cheer as Captain Mitchell and Admiral Simpson presented the Daggers, officially a squadron of Lieutenant Commanders. You caught Rooster’s eye, having watched Captain Mitchell pin the leaves to his uniform, and saw that he still had tears lining his lower lashes. You winked at him, earning a small smile and a bit of pink in his cheeks. You were so proud.

“I’m so happy for him!” Came a warbled voice and you held the phone in your hand a little higher. This wasn’t exactly how you thought you’d meet Jake’s family (not that you had ever given it much thought, really) but when he’d explained that his family couldn’t make it out to the ceremony for one reason or another, you had volunteered to make sure their FaceTime was at the right angle so they could see everything. There were four of them all crammed together—his mother, Sandra, and three sisters, Mia, Kelly, and Alex—staring at what you assumed was an iPad with how Sandra was holding it; blonde heads swiveling together to track Jake’s movements on the stage had been quite the spectacle but when you had glanced up to see Jake looking at you with the biggest, brightest smile you had ever seen it had nearly made you drop the phone.

Embarrassing.

As the ceremony wrapped up and the crowd started to disperse, you lingered near your chair and watched as everyone else reunited with the family that came to watch the ceremony, shook hands with the brass, or hurried off to the Hard Deck to celebrate because Captain Mitchell had, unsurprisingly, sweet talked Penny into letting them take over (again). You waved Tasha on when she went to wait for you and she frowned but did eventually leave, looping her arm through her older sister’s before disappearing out into the parking lot.

“Is my son making you wait?”

You glanced down at the phone with a smile. “He’s schmoozing with some of the big wigs. I’m in no rush to go anywhere.”

Sandra hummed, green eyes narrowing behind her glasses as she paused. It was almost comical how much the expression reminded you of Jake when he was thinking of something. “Well, sugar, I hate to ask this, but could you remind me of your name?”

You gave it readily but added, “most call me Punch.”

Mia once again appeared on screen, leaning down with a matching squint. “Punch?”

“Yeah. It’s a long story but-”

“Oh, we’ve heard of you.”

That had your brow pinching and you fought the urge to bring the phone closer to your face as if that would help you decipher the look on Jake’s sister’s face. All you managed to say was, “oh?”

A smile started to stretch across Mia’s face. “Don’t worry. All good things.”

The phone was snatched out of your hands before you could ask just what the hell that meant and you turned to see Jake smiling at his family on the little screen. “Hi, mama.”

“Jacob Seresin!” Sandra started. “Did you make Punch wait when she was doing you a favor?”

If possible, Jake’s smile widened and his sea glass gaze shifted to you. “Already ganging up on me with my mom?”

“Your family is a delight,” you drawled. “You must be adopted.”

There was an answering laugh that had Jake’s cheeks turning a light shade of pink before he nudged at your arm with the flat of his palm. “Get out of here.”

“It was nice to meet you, Sandra!” You hollered, already turned toward the door.

Sandra’s laugh rang out again and you walked out to the car, thankful to see a few small groups of people still milling about in the warm San Diego sun. You were quick to get into your car and lock the door behind you before curling your hands over the steering wheel. Your next breath was a slow, stuttering sigh. It had only been four days since you had seen him in the parking lot of the Hard Deck.

Lurking.

Smirking.

And it had been four days since you felt like you could actually breathe. A familiar pressure on your chest had been your constant companion. You knew it was part of your anxiety, a physical manifestation of your fear. You were still on that metaphorical cliff, waiting to fall. You leaned back against the seat and tried to drag in another breath but it was like your lungs couldn’t expand. Pressing your hands over your stomach you tried again and again and again until the ache lessened enough for you to continue to pretend.

Pretend to be normal.

Pretend to be okay.

You’d nearly blown it when Jake had walked you out of the Hard Deck. But maybe he just thought you really wanted to get away from him and brushed it off, thinking you were in a mood. He had only texted to make sure you made it home okay and you’d spent the rest of the night on the couch with a baseball bat clutched in a shaking grip. But you had continued on. Going to work. Putting on a smile and a brave face. Keeping your mouth shut. It was better this way.

With another stilted breath, you grabbed your bag from your backseat and changed out of your uniform and into the dress you’d picked for the night before driving off base. The Hard Deck’s parking lot was already starting to reach capacity so you took the first space you could find and smoothed out your dress as your car beeped, letting you know the doors were locked. The inside of the naval bar was just as busy as the parking lot and you dodged an elbow of someone playing darts not two steps in. Weaving through the crowd, you waved at a few familiar faces—mostly other ADs grouped near one of the windows—and waited to finally make it up to the bar. Jimmy and Penny were both fixing drinks and a few other employees were picking up empty glasses left abandoned on high tops and booths. It might be a minute.

“Hey.”

You looked to the side with a smile and pulled Bob into a hug which he quickly reciprocated. “Hey yourself, Lieutenant Commander Floyd.”

Bob’s cheeks flushed a tiny bit and he adjusted his grip on the hat beneath his arm as you stepped back. “You’ve got to meet my brother before he flies out.”

“Of course. But first, let me buy you a drink.” And as he opened his mouth to protest, you shook your head. “You wouldn’t let me do anything else so I’m buying you a drink.” Bob sighed but dutifully followed you up to the bar and let you pay for his ginger ale but grumbled when you insisted on buying his brother’s drink, too. You also had Penny put together a round for the Daggers you knew would be circling the pool tables soon enough. Bob helped you carry everything toward the table where his brother was waiting. You’d ‘met’ Bob’s brother, Harrison, a few times when you accidentally barged in on Bob FaceTiming his family but it was nice to finally meet him in person. He was just as charming as Bob but had a few more extroverted tendencies and regaled you with stories about the year he took off before medical school to ‘visit’ Bob who was stationed in Hawaii and spent the entire time learning to surf and trying to teach Bob, too.

“I never quite got the hang of it,” Bob admitted, still sipping on his ginger ale.

“You tried your best!” Harrison said with a kind smile. But soon his phone was beeping and he grimaced before standing from the table. “All right. I’ve gotta catch my flight back to New York.”

“Let me know when you land,” Bob murmured as he stood and wrapped him in a hug.

You might have heard a muffled ‘of course,’ before they separated but you definitely heard Harrison say, “I’m so proud of you.” He clapped his brother on the shoulder again before turning to you with a smile and he surprised you with a quick kiss to the cheek. “Thank you for keeping him safe.”

“That’s mostly Phoenix,” you said with a smile.

But Harrison shook his head. “I’m sure it is a team effort. Now, keep in touch, okay?” And then he breezed away, disappearing into the crowd and probably into a waiting taxi outside.

You spoke for a little longer, mostly about the ceremony and how Cyclone actually seemed like a human instead of a robot the last handful of days but Admiral Cain still seemed like a douchebag of the highest order. By now the rest of the Daggers had arrived, to much fanfare in the bar, and would sometimes filter by the table to grab a beer and chat for a bit—Natasha’s sister was a riot and had Tasha’s blushing a surprising shade of scarlet after telling you and Bob a particularly embarrassing story about “baby Tash” trying to jump off the roof with a bedsheet cape before she, too, had to leave to catch a flight back home. And you almost hated that you knew the exact moment Jake entered the bar, like you couldn’t help but turn toward him whenever he appeared, like a sunflower facing the sun. Again…embarrassing. However, you noticed Bob kept looking at the group of women circled around one of the high tops and you nudged his shoulder with your own. “Don’t,” he muttered.

“What?” You asked, fighting a smile.

“I know what you’re thinking.” He took another sip of his ginger ale and shook his head. “It isn’t happening.”

“And why not? You deserve someone nice. They look nice…for the most part,” you added with a scrunch of your nose. “Maybe the blonde in the red dress looks a bit mean, but the rest of them look nice. Want me to go over there and test the waters? I can see which ones would be down to handle that sword-”

“Punch!” It was honestly impressive how quickly Bob’s face went a violent shade of scarlet and he nearly dropped his pop.

“You got a sword with your promotion. I don’t know what you’re insinuating, but I am a lady, Bobert.”

He snorted and knuckled at his glasses to push them up again. “Sure. Sure you are, Punch.”

Then you laughed. You laughed and that weight in your chest cracked and fizzled out. For now, you could breathe again. Bob eventually got you up and away from the table with the promise to take it easy on you with a game of pool—he lied. The WSO absolutely demolished you in an embarrassingly quick game.

“That was brutal,” Tasha said as she grabbed a beer.

“It was.” You handed her the cue with a wince. “But, to make it up to me, Bob now has to let me test the waters with the ladies he’s been eyeing all night.”

Tasha glanced over at the group when you tilted your head in their direction and hummed. “Not the blonde in the red dress. She looks mean.”

Bob just groaned. “Please keep the sword innuendos to a minimum.”

“Why? You need someone who knows how to handle that ceremonial saber-”

The sound of someone choking on their beer had you all turning to see Jake wiping at his face. Tasha, smirking, smacked him on the back a few times to ‘help.’ He nudged her away with a halfhearted scowl as he licked the last few drops from his lips. “Jesus.”

“What?”

Jake’s smirk vanished but you could tell he was fighting to keep it down as his brows furrowed in an echo of a certain Admiral’s disappointed frown. “So crass-”

“Oh, blow me, Ken. It isn’t like you don’t have a list of sword-related pickup lines or nicknames at the ready.”

Tasha laughed into her beer and you felt a little zing of pride—you always did when you made her laugh.

“You did call that one barracks bunny a sword swallower,” Rooster said, cutting into conversation with ease. And it was then that the party really seemed to start and you let Tasha pull you into a game of darts (you lost) before you did actually try to get a read on the group of women and deciding that, actually, they all seemed a little mean and they were more interested in Captain Mitchell and Admiral Simpson anyway, if their drunken whispers were anything to go by.

You’d find a lady for Bob. One day.

After watching Bradley and Tasha beat Billy and Neil at pool and finally finishing your drink, you remembered Sarah’s invitation and stepped to Bradley’s side again as he went to grab another beer from the table. As soon as you were within reach, he slung an arm over your shoulders and hauled you closer. “You doing okay?” He asked, voice low.

You sagged in his grip, a reaction you couldn’t fight. He made you feel safe. He always did. “I’m fine.”

“Yeah?”

You winced at the tone. He had an innate way of knowing you were feeling off. And you hadn’t been exactly subtle in how you were acting lately. But you didn’t want to put more on Bradley’s plate, not now. Not when he was high on the new hardware on his collar. “Yeah,” you said, trying to sound convincing before changing the subject. “Sarah’s throwing an engagement party for Junior. She said I could bring someone and I thought you’d like to go? I know it’s been a minute since you’ve seen them all.”

Bradley set down his beer with a nod, licking the droplets from his lips. “When is it?”

“Friday.” And your heart plummeted as Bradley’s face crumpled and his arm slipped from your shoulders.

“I’m sorry, Punch, but I promised Mav I’d help him haul in a part for his plane—we’re leaving at like five in the morning on Saturday.”

You nodded as you pinched your lower lip between your fingers until Bradley swatted it away with a knowing look. “I can ask Bob-”

“Bob and Phoenix have been asked to speak in Annapolis this weekend.”

Fuck. Fuck! You knew that. How could you forget? He’d been so excited when he got the call to lead a few classes back at his alma mater. “This is fine. I can just go by my-”

“I’ll go with you.”

**

Jake heard something in your neck pop with how quickly you turned your head to look at him. “What?”

And Jake almost recoiled at the amount of shock in your tone. “I mean, if you need someone to go with you.” Then, when neither you or Bradley said anything, Jake was about to retract his offer, already feeling stupid for opening his mouth in the first place. Usually he’d be more conscious to not let anyone know he was eavesdropping but the four beers he’d had probably loosened his tongue and he’d pounced at the opportunity to take you anywhere before he could stop himself with thoughts of repercussions. “I-”

“You’d do that?” And Jake hated how small your voice was, barely heard over the noise of the bar.

“Yeah. ‘Course.” And your smile was near blinding, twisting at something Jake didn’t want to acknowledge behind his ribs.

He listened intently to what the party was about—engagement for your not-actual-little brother, and when you’d pick him up—“I’m driving, you’re going to have to deal with it,” and what was expected—“just have a good time. And sign the card I’m buying, you can take half the credit for the gift I’m bringing, too.”

It sounded like it could be a good time. But if you smiled at him like that again, he’d probably agree to anything. You also told Jake to be ready by 18:20 next Friday so you’d be on time for the party and then Jake tried to ignore how that familiar feeling came roaring back in the confines of his chest as he watched you walk back toward the bar.

A hand clapping on his shoulder pulled Jake from admiring how your hips swayed with each step and he turned to see Rooster still standing beside him. His hazel eyes went from Jake to you and then back to Jake. “Let’s have a chat, Bagman.”

Fuck.

**

By the time you swiped a bit of tinted balm over your lips, you’d told yourself sixteen times that you were making a mistake but, “it would be fine.” You checked your watch and nodded: you were still on time. Early, actually. Jake would meet you at the Hard Deck and then you’d drive you both over to the Kazansky home to save room on the driveway—knowing Sarah, she’d probably invited half the people in her contacts and would still consider it a small party.

And you were contemplating texting Jake and telling him to forget it and that you’d go by yourself. It was too risky. Too intimate. Accepting his offer to go with you had been stupid. And choosing a dress that you knew made your tits look good because you’d caught Jake looking at you the last time you wore a dress like this was also very, very stupid. But when your phone chirped and Jake’s text lit up the screen—“Ready when you are, Punch!”—you knew it was too late.

And really…didn’t you deserve to have a good night?

He had robbed you of enough, hadn’t he? You could have one night. And there was a small bit of you that hoped he was satisfied with just scaring you once.

When you pulled into the Hard Deck’s parking lot, you were barely stopped before the passenger side door opened and Jake slid in with a bright smile and filled your car with the scent of his cologne—leather and oak moss and something distinctly Jake. “Ready?”

“Do you usually hurl yourself into moving vehicles or is that a recent addition to your lengthy list of ways you are a man-child?”

Jake’s smile widened. “You keeping lists about me?”

You resisted the urge to smack his arm and scowled instead as you reached into the backseat to grab the card you’d picked and made sure to hit him in the chest with it and the pen you wrestled from the bottom of your purse. “Sign that.”

Jake clicked the pen several times as he read over the mushy words Hallmark had written for a recently engaged couple and you drummed your fingers against the steering wheel as you slowed to a stop at a red light. If he said anything about the paragraph you wrote you might just-

“This is a nice card.” He then signed his name with a flourish and tucked it into the envelope. “What gift did you get them?”

“We got them an engagement photo shoot with a photographer who I may or may not have bombarded with emails and bribed after realizing Taylor follows her on instagram.” Were you proud of that? Not really. But you had felt extraordinarily bad after realizing that Junior had texted you after he proposed and you hadn’t responded until two weeks later. You knew he’d say there was nothing to apologize for but you still felt the need to make up for it.

“No, Punch,” he started. “My mama told me to never take credit for something I didn’t do. That gift is from you. I got them this.” He held up a bottle of champagne that you knew cost a few hundred dollars with a little silver bow taped to the neck. How you managed to miss that when he basically threw himself into your car, you’d never know (you were probably distracted by the way his thighs flexed beneath his nice trousers).

But it didn’t matter. You sealed the card after slipping the photographer’s business card inside. “It would’ve been fine, you know. But I’m sure they’ll love the champagne, too.”

Jake’s chest puffed a bit at that and you tried to not look too much at the tan skin that was revealed with the movement nor the silver links of his dog tags you knew were hiding beneath his obscenely tight shirt. You failed. And when he caught you looking, his smirk returned.

You couldn’t have that. “Careful, Ken. If you pop a button I’ll have to drop you on the nearest street corner.”

And then the asshole actually unbuttoned the next button. “I like to think I’d be a high-end escort. Like for senators.”

The answering laugh punched out of you before you could even pretend to not find him funny.

The rest of the drive was spent slapping his hand away from the radio when he said your taste in music was terrible—even when you caught him singing along with Stevie on your preferred classic rock station. It was good and easy and you almost hated it by the time you parked outside Sarah’s house, managing to snag a place beside the mailbox.

Jake was at your side before you reached the front door and knocked his foot into yours when you sucked in a breath before knocking at the front door. Yeah. Coming with him was a mistake. A beautiful, terrible mistake.

**

Jake had never been to the Kazansky home. On the ride over, you gave him a rundown on who he needed to know—Missus Kazansky, Junior and his fiancée Taylor, and younger sister Lily—and how to behave. It was mostly good natured ribbing and an actual threat to push him out a window if he hit on Lily.

“Okay, no Lily, but Missus Kazansky is free game?” That quip had earned him a glare so intense he would swear he saw his life flash before his eyes.

Worth it.

After all, it wasn’t all that often that Jake got to see you like this. Sure, he saw you in uniform on base and you had the innate ability to have a spare change of clothes wherever you went so you were never in uniform when you didn’t need to be so he got to see you in civvies often. But that was usually jeans and t-shirts. Maybe that one pair of shorts he thought about when he couldn’t sleep, if he was lucky.

But right now you were in another dress and he could see the thighs that he definitely didn’t dream about peeking out from the skirt as you shifted your weight from foot to foot. You were…

He couldn’t say gorgeous.

He couldn’t say beautiful.

He couldn’t say stunning.

So, you were special. And right now, as you waited at his side for the door to open, he could smell your perfume. Gardenias and sunshine.

His grandmother had special flower beds just for her gardenias—she once said that the soil in southern Texas was too acidic for her favorite flower but she was determined to have them near the ranch and had planter boxes filled with specialty soil and heaps of the flowers. All of his favorite memories of home were filled with the scent of the small white blooms.

And then there was you. You smelled like home.

The door opened and a petite blonde smiled at you before wrapping you in a quick hug. “Oh, sweetheart, you know you don’t need to knock.”

“Old habits,” you murmured as you returned the hug. When you stepped back, you gestured to Jake. “This is Lieutenant Commander Jacob Seresin. He’s part of the Dagger Squadron with Bradley. Jake, this is Sarah Kazansky.”

After shaking her hand and murmuring his thanks for letting him tag along, Jake stood a little straighter as Missus Kazansky’s eyes looked him over. “You’re Hangman, aren’t you? I’ve heard of you from Pete.” Then, without giving any indication as to what that meant, she waved you in and Jake followed suit. The inside of the large house was filled with people with champagne flutes in their hands as soft pop ballads from decades ago filtered through a hidden sound system, crooning about love.

You complimented Sarah on the tasteful decorations and earned yourself a motherly pat to your cheek before she called out for someone. There was an answering squeal and you shoved the card in your hand to Jake just in time to brace as a younger woman wrapped her arms around you in a tight hug.

“I’ve missed you so much!”

You laughed and returned the hug before holding her at arm's length with a smile. “Pasadena looks good on you! And you’re so close to graduating!”

This must be Lily, then. Jake watched you talk with her for a moment, seeing you smile as you traded a few short stories and Lily tugged at the skirt of your dress with a mischievous look in her eye. “You’ve gotta tell me where you bought this. You’re a bombshell.”

You waved away the compliment—as Jake knew you often did—and rattled off some store name as Lily shook her head.

“No, no. Take the compliment. You look gorgeous.” Then Lily’s sharp eyes moved to Jake. Jesus Christ. She was Ice Man’s daughter—that look was cold and calculating. “Doesn’t she look beautiful?”

And Jake’s mouth opened-

“Lily, c’mon. Stop it.” Your voice was nearly a whine. “This is Lieutenant Commander Jacob Seresin. He is one of the Daggers with me at Top Gun. Jake, this is Lily Kazansky. She’s about to graduate from Cal Tech with her degree in Engineering and applied science.”

A matching smile pushed at Lily’s mouth as her eyes raked over him. While Jake usually preened over such an obvious once-over, there was absolutely nothing wanting in her gaze. And maybe having you standing beside him helped…but he wasn’t going to address that. “Hangman. Yeah. I’ve heard of you.” Then Lily’s gaze flickered to you. “Enjoy the party. I think Mom needs my help in the kitchen.” And then she flounced away as you sighed.

“She’s…”

“Don’t say it,” you griped, pulling the envelope out of his grasp again.

“I was going to say intense.”

You nodded as you gnawed on your bottom lip before grabbing the champagne Jake was still holding and setting it on the gift table behind you. “She’s all Tom. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s running the Pacific Fleet by the time she’s forty.” But you waved that away, too, and tugged at his arm, leading him toward the exorbitant spread of finger foods on another table a few paces away. You snagged him a flute of champagne as you handed him a plate and then Jake let you wrangle you both onto a pair of the few remaining empty seats near the kitchen bar.

“Not going to mingle?”

“God, no. I hate mingling. You are free to go off and schmooze, if you want. There are a few people here you may know—probably shook hands with them at your ceremony.” You waved your flute toward a group of middle aged men near the fireplace and, yes, Jake knew them. All of them were upper echelons of the Navy brass and had congratulated him on the promotion. “I won’t hold your seat though.”

Jake laughed and shook his head. “I think I’m good right where I am, Punch. But thank you.” He glanced over at the men to see them already looking in your direction. They each raised their highball glasses with practiced smiles which you and Jake reciprocated with a tip of your champagne flutes. “You sure you don’t want to talk to them?”

You shrugged as you turned back to your food, plucking a small cube of cheese from the assortment and eating it quickly. “If I wanted to talk to them, I could’ve done it at barbecues or one of Sarah’s soirées that she liked to host. I just…don’t care enough. I climbed up the ranks by accident mostly. I like where I am.”

Jake frowned at that. “What do you mean?” You were headstrong and tenacious. Not having drive or ambition just didn’t line up with what he knew about you, with how you presented yourself.

You popped a cherry tomato into your mouth and chewed and swallowed before answering, almost like you were stalling for time. “I’m not a lifer like you, Jake. I didn’t dream of joining the navy as a kid or anything like that. You probably had a vision board or something, right? Asked for model planes since you could talk. You look the type. Probably ate some of the pieces, too.”

But Jake didn’t take the bait and he’d never admit that he did swallow lego when he was seven. “Then why did you enlist? You could go anywhere.”

You were quiet again and that familiar twist in his chest returned as your lips pushed up in a small smile. Then your eyes searched his face, visibly debating something, and you must have found what you were looking for because you nodded, just once, unknowingly twisting the knife you didn’t know you held. “You caught me in a good mood. I’ll tell you. No one will believe you, but I’ll tell you.”

He resisted the urge to grab at your hand and just hold it as he said, “try me.”

“Sparknotes version?”

Jake wanted to know everything. Wanted to ask you to tell him every little detail so he could know you better than anyone else. But he could wait. Maybe. “Sure.”

“My little brother, Danny, got sick his first year of high school. Really sick. Expensive sick. I was in my last year of school and had the choice to either go to university or find a job that could help with the bills.” Your next breath had your shoulders sagging. “The Navy was the only recruitment office that wasn’t on lunch when I walked in. Four days after graduating high school, I was shipping off for training. Then I was volunteering for any deployment that my commanding officers even hinted at because I knew that deployment meant more pay. So, I was accidentally a decorated AD because I was desperate.”

Jake felt you jump when his hand landed on yours as it rested on the table beside him but you didn’t pull away so he selfishly curled his fingers over your wrist, content to feel the warmth you exuded. He remembered the photo on your desk and the soft look you’d been giving him—that was your baby brother. “Is he-”

“Oh, he’s fine now. Finishing up his doctorate at MIT.” Another smile pushed at your lips as you shook your head before your other hand settled over Jake’s. “Healthy as can be. Lily actually reminds me a lot of Danny. Both of them hated their English classes in high school. They’d prefer to have a root canal than write a book report. I probably did too much to actually have them learn anything about The Catcher in the Rye or Persuasion, but I just wanted to see them succeed.”

Jake’s heart leapt when he felt your thumb sweep over his knuckles as you kept looking out over the crowd. It was just a little touch. A little brush of your skin on his. And it was…special.

But as soon as it started, it stopped as you pulled your hands away from him and waved at someone in the crowd. “There’s the couple of the hour.”

Jake turned to see a younger blond guy with his arm wrapped around a smiling brunette. She’d reached up to tangle her fingers with his, showing off the massive rock on her finger. They must be Junior and Taylor—the pair certainly had that look about them that all newly engaged couples had. Well, almost all couples. Jake knew some weren’t so fortunate.

You hopped off the seat and dragged Junior and Taylor into quick hugs as Jake followed suit and stood, shaking both their hands as you introduced him. You oohed and ahhhed over the engagement ring and poked at Junior’s cheek when he blushed as Taylor recounted the story of the proposal. You handed over the card and Jake saw you curl your hands into fists behind your back as Junior opened it almost immediately.

Just as she finished reading, Taylor all but launched herself at you and Jake had to keep you upright by catching you at the hips when you started to teeter backward. And, only for a moment, Jake thought about doing this with you all the time. Thought about showing you off at parties, watching you smile, keeping you upright with a laugh on your tongue. The invisible knife twisted again as Junior caught his eye and arched a brow after glancing at his hands on your hips.

“Oh! I can’t believe it! This is so kind!” Taylor turned to Junior with a beaming smile, waving the business card like a flag, and explained that she actually followed the photographer on Instagram and loved her work, just as you’d said in the car.

Jake felt you relax in his grip at that, a relief to know your gift was well received. “I’ve made a list of all the weekends she has available for the next six weeks. She said you two would have first dibs—you just need to call her and tell her what date and time works for you.” You’d off-handedly mentioned that both Taylor and Junior were in the middle of their medical school residencies and were rarely free for more than a few hours at a time every other week.

You spoke a little longer and Jake earned a bright smile from Taylor when he said that she and Junior would probably be the photographer’s most liked post on her page—he also earned an elbow to the gut from you, too. Jake didn’t care, not when he heard you laugh.

“But we’ll let you get back to your other guests. Thanks for letting me hold you up for a little.”

Junior frowned and pressed a quick kiss to your cheek. “You’re never holding us up.”

“You’re always welcome,” Taylor said with another brilliant smile.

You nodded with a matching smile and mentioned that Jake had brought a bottle of champagne and Junior was the one to smile this time. “That’s my favorite bottle, man, thanks!”

Then you spun in Jake’s hold and all but shoved him backward toward your abandoned seats and the smile you gave him had his entire chest aching. “They’re so happy. Don’t they look happy?”

And he had to smile, too. “They do, Punch.”

But your eyes tracked to something over his shoulder and Jake turned to see you looking at that same group of men from earlier and you rolled your spine, straightening your posture. “I’m going to introduce you.”

“I thought you said you didn’t talk to them.”

“I don’t. Not as Naval officers, anyway. They think I’m like a very distantly related and adopted niece or something. They know me but don’t…know me, you know?”

Jake resisted the urge to roll his eyes but simply said, “no.”

“Doesn’t matter. C’mon, let me get you promoted again.” You were then a flurry of demure smiles and careful introductions that seemed to instantly endear you to the group of brass and Jake was readily folded into their conversations as you slipped away from his side with a wink and a mouthed “you owe me!” after being talked over twice—maybe they really didn’t have any clue that you were in the Navy as well. It almost made Jake want to excuse himself, too. But he knew you’d probably chew him out for that. Rooster’s ‘talk’ from the other night on the Hard Deck came ringing through his mind: “There’s another reason we call her punch. She can roll with the punches. But that doesn’t mean she should have to. If she comes to me on Monday and says anything about you ruining her night, I’ll shoot you out of the sky.”

You knew that officer promotions were always a game of politics and who you know so getting Jake on a friendly basis with men like this was invaluable. So, yes, Jake did owe you. But he was having a hard time fully investing in the ham-handed conversations and when he was halfheartedly listening to Rear Admiral Cunningham speak about his latest secretary snafu, Jake caught you moving through the crowd with Lily hot on your heels and a laugh on your tongue. He could hear it over the din of the party and he felt himself smiling despite knowing he shouldn’t in the present company. You and Lily were soon joined by Sarah and three of you danced around a little, sipping on canned sparkling waters. When Taylor and Junior joined in the impromptu dance party, he could hear your excited laughter.

Jake remembered that you sat with the Kazansky family during the funeral, holding Lily’s hand as she sobbed. He hadn’t thought anything of it at the time, but now he could see it. You were one of them, unofficially of course. An older sister to the kids. Another daughter to Sarah and Admiral Kazansky, if he was willing to bet.

You were special.

**

The party had continued on. The dancing you and Lily had started had somehow sprouted to most of Junior and Taylor’s friends and the living room had transformed into a dance floor. You noticed Jake stepped out onto the back porch with the group of brass and tried to tell yourself that the pride you felt was purely coincidental. That you would have introduced any of the Daggers to them and wished them the best. Really. The warmth you felt wasn’t anything other than friendly. Really. But by 10, the party was wrapping up—Lily needed to drive back to Pasadena and Junior was murmuring with a few of his friends about an “after party”—and you’d started helping Sarah clean up as people filtered out. The kids had each given you a squeeze before leaving and promised to text you when they got home.

As you tugged a trash bag around the living room and tossed the paper plates into it, you glanced up to see Jake taking a handful of half-filled champagne flutes into the kitchen. The few sentences you’d exchanged with Missus Seresin during the promotion ceremony did give you a bit of insight into Jake’s upbringing—you could see a little Jake helping in the kitchen, being told how to properly wash pans and how to keep an eye on a boiling pot under the watchful eye of his mother or older sisters.

But you weren’t supposed be thinking about that and shook it away with a grimace as you yawned. You grabbed another stack of discarded plates and pushed them into the bag with a little more force than what was necessary as Jake circled back into the living room.

Sarah stepped to your side with a tired smile of her own. “You can stay here, sweetheart. We still have your room upstairs.” She then turned to Jake with a smile. “The bed is big enough.”

You choked on your next breath and Jake patted your back as he fought a smile. “We-” you wheezed the word.

“We’re not together, but you’re kind to offer.”

Pink flooded Sarah’s cheeks and she pressed a hand over her mouth for a moment. “Oh. Oh, I’m so sorry. I thought…” She waved it away. “Either way, both of you are welcome to stay the night.”

“I think we’re actually going to head out as soon as everything’s cleaned up. Thank you again for inviting me and letting me bring a friend along.”

Sarah hummed as she tried to nudge the couch back into its usual position and watched as Jake quickly took over the task without issue before once again starting to grab the remaining flutes left by the window sill and take them to the kitchen—you heard him carefully putting them into the dishwasher. “Yes, a friend.”

Embarrassment burned and clawed at your throat and you turned away to see if there were any other plates for you to throw away. “Barely a friend.”

“Sure, sweetheart. I definitely can see where I got confused with the way you were smiling at him and the way he looks at you like you hung the stars. My mistake.”

“He doesn’t.” The words were barely more than squeaks. “And…and I don’t smile at him like anything.”

Sarah hummed, again. “Whatever you say.”

You tried not to think about Sarah’s words as you settled back into your car a few minutes later. Jake let out a sigh as he buckled in and you tried to ignore how his cologne once again filled the small space. And it was so strange that your body seemed to seize and relax at the same time because of it. Like you were fighting two separate and equal instincts.

“Thanks for coming tonight. I hope you had fun,” you said as you pulled away from the curb, waving at Sarah through the windshield.

“They certainly know how to throw a party.”

“This was tame. One time Junior threw a rager when his parents were out of town and his entire fraternity swarmed the house.” You smiled at the memory, remembering ordering a group of frat boys around at the crack of dawn to clean the house before his parents got home. Junior baked you a cake in thanks after learning you’d been the one to stall Tom and Sarah for a few extra hours by suggesting they stop for brunch on their way back. Lily had done the same after you’d helped her get all the bubbles out of the hot tub after she and her friends had filled it with something you’d rather not mention.

Jake was quiet for a moment as you turned down the street, heading toward the highway. “How do you know them? I mean, you seem pretty close.”

Your tongue pressed against your cheek as you thought about how to phrase your answer. Had to be careful. Had to make sure you didn’t reveal something you shouldn’t. “Bradley introduced us.” There, that was vague enough. “Admiral Kazansky was good to me. His family looked after me during a really weird time in my life and I tried to repay that kindness, in any way I could. After all, I did have some experience with what they needed.” You sighed and scraped the edge of your thumbnail against your lip. You’d been the one to deal with the home care nurses when Sarah needed a break. You knew a few ways to help Tom be comfortable through his treatments and he seemed to be grateful that he didn’t need to ask for them, keeping a little bit of his pride. You’d been so hopeful when he’d gone into remission but tried to keep it together when it had come back. You were happy to play the part of stalwart supporter when the prognosis came back grim. “They’re good people.”

Your stomach churned when you thought of why you’d met the Kazansky family but you wouldn’t trade it for the world. But you changed the subject, asking about the surely-dull conversations Jake had with the brass as you merged onto the highway.

“…if I ever get that boring, you have my permission to smack me,” he finished with a grimace.

“You’d probably like that too much. You’re just going to have to be boring and live with the consequences.” Proving your point, Jake smiled when you smacked his hand away from your radio again. There was no way you were changing the station when David Bowie was singing. Absolutely not. And then when “Rhiannon” came on next, you made sure to crank the volume as Jake pretended to not know the words.

You were having a great time. Really. And it was a little terrifying how easily he made you laugh when he finally gave in and started to croon (a little off key) alongside your pitchy warbling. But it petered out as Jake looked back with a squint but turned forward with a frown. When he turned to look back again you turned down the radio with a frown of your own and glanced in your rear view mirror. “What is it?”

“The car behind you keeps speeding up and slowing down.”

While keeping an eye on the traffic in front of you, you looked at the car Jake pointed out and your stomach sunk to your feet as you watched it drive under the next streetlight.

It was a black ‘67 Dodge Charger with a distinctive sword charm hanging from the rear view mirror.

You knew that car. You knew that charm.

And despite the shadows of the car hiding the driver’s face, you knew who was behind the wheel.

And just as that realization dawned on you, the charger’s brights flashed and you winced as the lights flooded your car.

“What is this guy’s problem?” Jake grumbled, turning back around to stare.

“I…” What could you possibly say? You couldn’t tell Jake. Wouldn’t. Not now. Not ever. But it didn’t matter because the next time you glanced in the rear view you realized the charger was about to ram into the back of your car. You stomped on the gas and the engine roared as you tried to avoid the collision.

But he kept coming.

Your heart clawed its way up behind your teeth as you merged into the next lane over, earning an angry honk from a Jeep for not using your turn signal, and the charger sped past and you almost thought you were in the clear but then he was merging too, slamming on his brakes and you had to swerve back into the other lane to avoid crashing into his trunk.

“Jesus!” Jake yelled.

“I-I’m sorry!” The words were torn from your throat but you doubted Jake heard them over the barrages of angry honks and the thundering of your car’s engine, nearly drowned out by the growl of the charger’s overpowered mechanics.

The charger moved, keeping pace with your car and you were only given a warning in the form of Jake yelling before you realized that the car was coming into your lane. You yanked the wheel, nearly hitting the dividing wall as you avoided it and pressed the accelerator to the floor. You weaved around two cars, earning more honks as you used the shoulder to gain distance, and then noticed the next exit was only half a mile away. You needed to get off the highway.

“Fuck!”

The charger followed you onto the shoulder and you knew you had to move. Now or never. You moved across the highway and nearly clipped the barrier as you shot onto the off-ramp, a cacophony of squealing brakes and horns providing a terrible soundtrack to your horrendous driving. But it worked. You saw the charger try to get to the exit, too, and miss. He had to drive on. Away from you.

You hardly remember driving the rest of the way back to the Hard Deck in silence, your heart still stuck behind your teeth. Every few seconds, you’d check your rear view mirror but you didn’t see that car again. When you parked in the Hard Deck’s lot, you finally peeled your hands away from the steering wheel and your fingers shook and ached.

“What the fuck was that?” Jake asked after a stretch of silence.

You tried to suck in a breath and only managed to make your lungs burn. You needed to calm down. Needed it. Needed… “I-I have to call Bradley,” you muttered, shaking hand scrambling through the contents of your purse to grab at your phone. “I have to-”

“What’s Bradshaw going to do? He’s out in the desert with Mav. I’m right here, Punch. Tell me.”

But you only shook your head and had your phone dialing Bradley’s number before it even reached your ear. But it rang. And rang. And rang.

“This is Bradshaw. Can’t come to the phone right now-”

Fuck. You killed the call with an unsteady breath and none too gently shoved your phone back into your purse before pressing your nails into your thighs, needing to feel something other than your racing heart. Tiny pinpricks of pain zipped up your leg and you let your head fall back against the headrest before uncurling your hands. This was better. This was okay. You’d made it. For now, you were okay. “I…need a drink.”

“Yeah, I bet you do.”

You turned to the side and felt just a smidge of mortification wash over you as you realized Jake was still sitting there, waiting for you. Fuck. “I’ll get you one, too.” Then you were up and out of your car, hitting the lock button four times just to make sure, and all but stomping into the Hard Deck with Jake on your heels.

**

It was either a blessing or a curse that none of the other Daggers were at the bar tonight as Jake followed you up to the mostly un-busy bar and rattled off your usual order. “And please get Jake whatever he wants,” you said, handing over your card to Jimmy.

Jake slipped into the barstool at your side and studied you for a moment. It was almost like you hadn’t nearly crashed your car three times or run off the road by a charger with a vendetta. If he didn’t know you better—and Jake tried to ignore that it was becoming clearer by the day that maybe he didn’t know you as well as he thought—he might think you were just out for a nightcap. But the vacancy of your expression was too…careful. Too practiced. It looked like there was a concentrated effort to keep your brow from pinching.

“You wanna tell me what that was back there?” He asked, almost tentative. He just…wanted to make sure you were okay, but he wanted answers, too. The way you were reacting wasn’t normal. The complete shut down of your previous panic wasn’t right.

Your next breath was slow, measured. “I must’ve cut him off or something. Road rage is a hell of a thing.”

Jake bit back the disbelieving comment and thanked Jimmy as he set the drinks down with a small smile and handed back your card. Fine. “So you needed to call Rooster after all that but can’t tell me what you really think happened?” Jake had seen all the close contact between you and Rooster. He’d seen how you’d whisper in the other man’s ear. He had seen how Rooster was always ready for you with a hug or an arm around your shoulder. And no, Jake didn’t hate that. Didn’t hate that you seemed to trust Rooster more than him and he had been the one to be in the car with you tonight. “Is he your boyfriend or something? Fuck buddy?”

Your unamused stare over the edge of your glass had Jake sitting a little straighter. “He’s not my type,” you said with a shrug before downing the rest of the small drink.

“You sure? ‘Cause it sure as hell seems like-”

Your glass hitting the bar top stifled any other words Jake might have said. “Look, I’ve been trying for eighteen months to get Bradley to admit he’s in love with redacted.” You flagged down Jimmy and asked for a refill with an easy smile that evaporated the second you looked back at Jake. Your arched eyebrow had his stomach clenching for several different reasons he didn’t have the time to address. “Any other slightly invasive questions you want to ask? Want to know my social security number? What color of underwear I’m wearing?”

Jake could feel the tips of his ears burning. You were relentless. But good. At least he was getting some sort of reaction out of you. “Those are two wildly different questions, you know.”

“I do know. So, hurry up and ask. I’m giving you until my drink arrives.”

He had a million more questions but he really did need a straight answer. He could be relentless, too. But first: “You literally said redacted.”

“So smart, Ken! Look at you go!”

“Who is redacted?”

The next smile you gave him was all teeth and your tone was as condescending as Cyclone on a bad day, “well, now, Ken, when someone says ‘redacted,’ it means-”

Jake’s hand pressed over your mouth, and he sighed as he felt you frown beneath his palm. Fine. He could switch tactics. He could get one real answer out of you tonight. “You can’t blame me for thinking that something else is going on. Do you love him?”

You peeled his hand away from your face as your new drink was quickly placed in front of you and you drained it as if you needed it to deal with him. “You know, there is a Greek word,Philia. It’s one of the different types of love from Greek Philosophy-”

“Punch-”

“And it’s a brotherly love. But since I know you won’t take that as an answer, no. I don’t love him in the way you’re insinuating. And he doesn’t love me that way, either.” The look in your eyes reminded Jake of someone having just come down after g-loc as your fingernail tapped against the glass’ base. Click. Click. Click. “Bradley has seen me at my lowest. Bob, too. Sometimes I think they only keep me around so I don't do something stupid.” Your mouth rolled to the side as the tapping stopped and you pushed the glass away before reaching for your purse.

“That’s not true-”

“Look, tonight has been weird. Okay? Can’t deny that. I don’t even know why I’m telling you any of this.” You shook your head as you pulled out a few bills for a tip and the second drink and set them under your empty glass. And you wouldn’t look at him. Wouldn’t even turn toward him again. Jake’s hands curled into fists at his sides to fight the urge to reach out to you, to try to let you know that he would do it all again. All of it. “Thank you for coming with me tonight. I owe you.” And then you turned and left.

**

Driving home shouldn’t be a problem, right? You just needed to put the key in the ignition, shift into drive, and go home. But you just couldn’t move. Couldn’t pull your eyes away from the dark dashboard.

He had found you while you were on the road. He had tried to crash your car. He had tried to run you off the road. He had tried to kill you.

While Jake was in the car with you.

Tears burned your eyes and you limply let them fall, your hands not moving from your lap. A familiar, dull ringing settled over your ears and you slumped further into your seat, only to feel your entire body go rigid as you heard someone stepping up to your car, sand sliding beneath their shoes on the pavement.

You swung around as the door opened, ready to fight, ready to scream, but felt yourself deflate as Jake leaned down, shoving his way into the car to haul you closer, warm, muscular arms wrapping around you in a tight hug. And that just about broke you. The first sob was ripped out of your throat and the next followed in rapid succession as you grasped loosely at the front of his shirt. The scent of his expensive cologne was almost calming. Almost comforting.

His hands moved up and down, up and down, along your spine and you vaguely heard him whispering something to you. Something like, “I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” But it was barely more than white noise to your ears as your body shook. But soon you were pulling back, eyes bleary and itchy. God. You were a mess. There was an apology on the tip of your tongue that died as soon as Jake’s large hand gently, carefully cupped your cheek and his calloused thumb swiped against the delicate half moon of skin beneath your eye.

“Let me drive you home.”

Your chin wobbled with new tears and a fresh wave of self-loathing washed over you but you still nodded. It was a moment of weakness. A moment you were sure you’d regret but you just needed help. Just a little. Just for now. But still, you let Jake help you over the center console and into the passenger seat. Before you had the chance to move, Jake reached over and buckled you in and moved to do the same for himself before he frowned, looking at something on the hood of your car. He stepped out and grabbed something from underneath your windshield wiper.

You frowned as he sat back down. “What is it?”

But Jake didn’t answer, mouth set in a thin line and eyes trained on the thing in his grasp.

Leaning over, your heart almost stopped. It was a Polaroid of you and Jake at the engagement party. It was obviously shot through the window, a glare taking up half the photo. But still, anyone who looked at the picture would see you and Jake, his hands on your hips and smiles on your faces.

Did you have fun at the party? He doesn’t look like your type

“Jake, I…” Your throat was scratchy. Arid.

“What does this mean, Punch?”

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know what you think! I’d love to hear your theories. Also, as an aside, I do not keep a tag list. I’m sorry! 

[mrsevans90]

Puppy Love-Epilogue

Captain Syverson x OFC Emma Miller Part 19

Summary: Austin Syverson has returned to Texas after retiring from the military and starts his own contracting business. Syverson is used to being alone and thinks he prefers it that way. While at work he stumbles upon an injured and abused puppy. When he meets the new veterinarian in town, Emma Miller, he is immediately smitten with her. It turns out Emma has some baggage of her own. Will they be able to make it work? Or is it just a case of fleeting puppy love?

Pairing: Henry Cavill as Captain Austin Syverson x OFC Emma Miller 

Warnings: Flash forward, fluff, smut, handjob, fingering, squirting, P in V intercourse, oral (f), creampie, innuendos, language, pregnancy romantic love making.

MINORS DNI! Must be 18+

I do not authorize any copying/pasting, stealing of my work, or using my words as your own. 

This story is not beta’d. All mistakes are my own.

A/N: I am an imperfect person who makes mistakes. All that I ask is to please be kind and if you enjoy it then please comment and REPOST! I appreciate any love, comments, and reposts more than you could know. Thank you for reading!

Part 18

Flash Forward in Time:

I wake up with a gentle bump against my side and hazily blink my eyes to allow them to adjust to the darkened room. Emma is still blissfully unconscious as her head rests against my chest and her nude body is draped against mine. I tend to get warm but this woman somehow always seems to be cold. I don’t mind one bit as I’ve spent the majority of my life sleeping alone and I sleep so much better with her body against my own. I smile at my perfect woman and gently move her disheveled hair from her face before I feel another gentle nudge against my side. Our baby boy seems to have woken up and it won’t be long until he wakes his mother up too. Luckily, she’s a heavy sleeper but I’d imagine having a human being rolling around in your abdomen could wake up most anyone. I reach down and caress her swollen belly to acknowledge my little boy and hopefully soothe him back to sleep by rubbing her tummy. Emma is almost eight months along now, and needs every bit of sleep she can get. As I touch her tummy, I think about what life will be like once our little guy finally makes his appearance. We haven’t nailed down a name for him yet, but Emma keeps admitting she likes the idea of naming him after me and calling him AJ, for Austin Junior. I’m pushing for him to have his own name and identity, certainly not wanting him to feel like he has to follow in my shadow. I like the names Luke, Hudson, Grant, and Bradley, but ultimately, I’m going to leave it up to Emma to choose her favorite. She’s doing all of the hard work after all. After a bit of gentle caressing on her belly, our son seemed to calm and Emma messily rolled over and wrapped herself around the giant pregnancy pillow that’s taking over her entire side of the bed. I won’t complain because I’ll give her anything to help her be more comfortable. I decide to ease out of the bed and get the day started because somehow in all my years I can’t shake the early wake up times that the military instilled in me. I quietly corral Mills and let him out in the backyard to use the bathroom. Aika passed away early last year and I’ll be honest, I took it hard. My nightmares started coming back more frequently and Emma convinced me to talk to my therapist at the VA about it. I still miss that sweet girl but know that she had such a fulfilling life here with us. She’s buried out in the backyard under a large oak tree so that we still feel her spirit close by. Mills also really struggled in the first month after her passing, constantly looking around the house for her. He always adored her and was used to following her lead but he’s doing well as he’s matured from the puppy stage. I spent some time training him after our wedding and now he knows all of the commands that I had taught Aika which is helpful, especially now with a growing family.

I start up the coffee pot and know I’ve only got a short window of time before responsibilities call, so I sip on a cup of coffee while I start making breakfast. As I’m plating the pancakes at the table, I hear movement upstairs and know I need to intercept quickly. I bound up the stairs and open the bedroom door to our three-and-a-half-year-old twin girl’s bedroom. Molly Grace and Maggie Kate are out of their toddler beds and already digging in their princess box regardless of the fact that it’s not even half past six on a Saturday morning. They squeal when I scoop them up and place kisses along each of their cheeks.

“Da Da! Ouch!” They giggle as my beard scratches against their cheeks. 

“Sorry little darlins” I respond before tickling their tummies. 

“Now what do we have here, already getting into the princess box?” 

“I want to be Tiana!” MG says followed by MK who declares she is going to be Ariel. “Well, if I get you girls dressed in your princess gowns, y’all gotta promise to be quiet on the way downstairs so we can let Mama sleep in. Is that a deal?” I ask.

Both curly headed girls nod their heads fervently. I’m certain that won’t last long as my daughters tend to be a bit exuberant, but I’ll take what I can get.

“Alright then, bring me the dresses and then we have to brush your teeth before your dragon breath knocks me out.” I joke. 

A somewhat endless feeling half hour later, I successfully have both girls dressed and with clean teeth. Their hair is still a disaster but I’m working on learning. God, if the old me could see myself now. Googling videos of how to braid hair or make a ponytail. Emma usually does their hair and tries to show me a thing or two when she has time. The girls have dirty blonde hair, not quite as light as Emma’s, but they both got my wild curls which Emma adores. 

I’ve got them set up with chocolate chip pancakes, fruit and milk cups as they tell me about what movie they want to watch later and constantly interrupt each other as they ask for this and that. 

“Nana and PawPaw want y’all to come over today to help Nana bake a cake. Does that sound good?” I ask knowing that the girls are over the moon anytime they get to go to my grandparents’ house. It’s hard to tell who loves it more, the girls or my grandparents. I’m grateful for a potentially quiet afternoon with Emma, since we won’t have too many of those in the future anytime soon.

“Oh yeah! I want to do that! Can we make cupcakes?” 

“That’s all up to Nana. Y’all just remember that she’s old and y’all don’t want to wear her out.”

“Yeah, Nana’s real old but PawPaw is even older. He’s like 104.” Maggie says.

“No he’s not! He’s only like 23 I think.” Molly retorts. 

“Y’all really have no idea about numbers yet and I find that adorable.” I chuckle to myself as I hear Emma making her way down the hall.

“Good morning, Sugar. Hope we didn’t wake you, I was trying to let you rest.” I kiss my girl sweetly while rubbing her swollen belly.

“Wasn’t you, your son decided to dance on my bladder.” She grumbles and I chuckle. Even all this time later, she still isn’t a morning person. She shuffles further into the kitchen and the girls jump up and give her what I’m sure are sticky syrup covered good morning hugs and kisses. I pour Em a cup of coffee, adding her creamer and she holds it with both hands with a grateful sleepy smile.

“So Ariel and Tiana, what are we talking about this morning?”

“How Nana’s old.” Molly announces and Emma almost chokes on her coffee.

“Who told you that?” Emma asks and both girls point directly to me. Little narcs.

“Well, she is! I was just telling the girls to take it easy on her today.” Emma rolls her eyes at me before walking to the table

“Don’t tell Nana that she’s old.” Emma tells the girls.

“But she is old, mama.” Maggie refutes.

“Yes, but it’s still not nice to say. We don’t want to hurt Nana’s feelings.”

“Does Nana not know that she’s old?” Molly asks inquisitively.

“I’m sure she does baby, but spending time with you girls helps her feel young. Now, how about you girls work on making Nana and PawPaw some more drawings for their refrigerator? You know how much they love those!” Emma directs.

“I want to draw Mills chasing chickens!” Molly shouts.

“I’m going to draw PawPaw riding a cow!” Maggie exclaims.

I chuckle as I watch them scurry over to the little kiddie table off of the kitchen that Emma has made as their art station and get to work.

Emma has shifted to working part time and it’s been great. She stayed home with the girls at first, taking an extended maternity leave after they were born but found that she missed the vet clinic and working with animals. We decided on sending the girls to a “Mother’s Day Out” program where they attend half days so that Emma and I can both work. Our jobs give us the flexibility to be able for one of us to pick them up at 1pm each day and have them home in time for an afternoon nap.

Emma relaxes back at her chair at the table and starts eating some breakfast.

“Little man let you get decent rest last night?” I ask her and she shrugs while chewing her food.

“I felt like I got up more times to pee or roll over than I actually got rest, but I suppose that’s just going to prepare me for the newborn stage of having him up every two hours.”

“Hell, just think about how much easier it’ll be with only one baby this time.” I think back to how exhausted Em and I both were in the first few months home with the girls. We struggled to get them on the same feeding and sleeping schedules. It felt like as soon as we got one to sleep, the other was screaming and waking everyone up. Em and I were so tired we basically just roamed about the house like zombies during the night. I feel like I coped a little bit better than Emma since I was used to insomnia, but she was determined to breastfeed and didn’t want to mess up her supply. After a few months, I finally convinced her to pump some milk for night feeds so I could help more with a bottle feed during the night and let her rest. 

“Gosh, I hope so. They were worth it all, but damn I hope this baby sleeps.” Emma sighs.

“Given any more thoughts on what you’d like to name this handsome fella?” I ask. 

“I still like AJ, but I’ve been thinking about it and I also really like the name Grant ever since you brought it up. Grant Syverson just sounds like a future star quarterback.” She says and I smirk as I munch on a few berries.

“I like that a lot, Sugar. It’s a very strong name. One he can be proud of. Perfect for our boy.” 

“I was thinking the middle name could be Joseph after PawPaw?” She suggests and I have to take a moment to just awe at this woman. PawPaw was always a taciturn man with a steely exterior but when Emma became part of the family he opened up to her more than I ever imagined. Always imparting words of advice and stopping by to check on her when she was pregnant with the girls and I was working. Nothing could have prepared us for the absolute mush that man turned into when the girls were born. PawPaw seemed to get a new lease on life as he dropped everything to spend time with his “grandbabies”. He wanted to teach them all about the farm and loved showing them all the animals. He was wrapped around their fingers and we all joked about it. 

“I don’t think anything could make him prouder. I love that idea, baby girl.”

“Let’s wait until he’s born before we tell him.” She suggests and I agree.

“Walt doing okay now that he’s back at work?” Emma asks.

“He’s having a hard time focusing, which is understandable. He’s itching to get home every night to Cassie and baby Carter.”

“Yeah, Cass mentioned he’s got terrible FOMO when I was over there last week. He’s afraid he’s going to miss something.” Emma responds.

Walt and Cassie really hit it off at the wedding and before long were in a serious relationship. She moved to Texas with him about eight months into dating. They got married a little over a year ago and just had a little boy, Carter, who made Walt light up in a way he hasn’t since Faye was little. Emma loved having Cassie close and it was nice having Walter so happy and working more reasonable hours. Faye came to visit as often as she could which was also good for Walt. They only lived about ten minutes from us and Emma had been over every day last week to help Cassie since Walt was on his first week back to work from paternity leave. I remember how hard it was to leave Emma and the girls to go back to work.

“It’s tough to leave your wife and new baby and go back to work but I’m sure he’ll adjust. I remember facetiming you like every hour that first week just to check in.” I reminisce.

“I remember.” Emma giggles. “My big strong army man was a nervous wreck about missing any moment with his girls. It took some time but I think we found a good family/work balance that keeps us fulfilled.” 

“I keep you filled.” I mutter with a smirk.

“Austin!” Emma feigns shock. “Clearly you have.” She murmurs as she pats her round belly and I look at her with smug pride. 

“Think Nana and PawPaw would keep the girls for a night?” She wonders aloud even though we both know that they jump at the chance to keep the kids.

“You know they would. Got something in mind?”

“An impromptu night alone with my handsome man sounds pretty perfect to me.” Emma bites her lip and I feel the surge run through my body as I quickly grab my phone to call Nana and confirm that the girls can sleepover with them tonight. Emma heads upstairs to pack the girls an overnight bag and before we know it, we’re loading them up in the truck and headed to Nana and PawPaw’s.

After a lively drop-off and quick visit with Nana and PawPaw, Emma and I were back in the truck and driving out of their long driveway. 

“I feel like we’re teenagers who just got permission to go out for the night.” Emma joked. 

“That mean I get to cop a feel? I ask as I pull Emma closer to me and run my big hand across her exposed thigh gently dragging her sundress higher.

“Thanks to these pregnancy hormones, you’ll be feeling more than that.” Emma smirks and I groan. Our sex life has always been incredible, but having two toddlers that seemingly always want something, and a very heavily pregnant wife who struggled with morning sickness longer than expected made us slow down a bit. Emma finally got to feeling better and the hormones lately had been keeping her extra needy which I was more than happy to accommodate. 

“Lunch date at Gia’s?” I asked and she nodded enthusiastically. Baby boy had Emma craving pasta all the time so I knew she’d be excited. 

After eating a nice meal, we made our way home and smiled at the rarity of quietness inside our home. Even Mill’s seemed excited about staying with my grandparents for a night of chicken chasing and homemade treats from Nana. The house was all to ourselves and I was ready to get Emma naked and spend the rest of the day in the bed.

I reached for Emma and pulled her into a kiss. 

“I love you, beautiful darlin’.” I told her between kisses. Her swollen tummy had me leaning a little further than I usually do for these types of kisses, and I couldn’t help but lean down and place a soft kiss on her belly too. 

“I love you too, baby.” She replied as she pawed at my abs in an attempt to take off my shirt.

I pulled my shirt over my head and Emma’s nails immediately sunk into my chest hair as she gently scratched up and down my torso.

“Let’s get to our bedroom so I can properly get you naked, Sugar.”

I led her upstairs to our bedroom and took my time undressing her slowly before laying her down on the bed. She has been feeling a bit self-conscious lately as her body stretches and swells to accommodate our growing son, but I do my best to reassure her.

“You’re so pretty, Darlin’. Every bit about you is perfect.”

“Sy, I’m huge. Be truthful.” She sasses.

“No, you’re pregnant and growing my kid. That I put into you. Something about that turns me on even more. Plus, your tits are huge and I can’t wait to sneak a taste of them when your milk comes in again.” I smirk at her devilishly.

“Austin, you are downright depraved.” She giggles as my hands paw all over her body.

“Only for you, Sugar. Now, let me finally make love to my bride without any interruptions.” I say as I plant kisses along her collar bone, sliding down to her belly and then the juncture of her thighs where her perfect pussy is already glistening in anticipation. I rub my calloused hands along her thighs and spread her open for me as I lick a long stripe up her folds. Emma is extra sensitive lately and jumps at the sensation with a loud moan before her hands find the short strands of my hair and grab on. I lick, kiss, and suck on her delicate pearl before sliding two fingers gently inside her and curling them. A few minutes after I began my ministrations, Emma screams her release as she squirts and her fluids coat my chin and forearm. I drink down everything she gives me so I don’t waste a single drop of her honey. I begin to place gentle kisses on her thighs as I work her through her high before I kiss up her body to check on her. I’m greedily tempted to work her to another orgasm, but know that she’s extra sensitive right now and it might be too much for her. I make my way up to her neck and place soft kisses under her ear as she reaches and grabs on to the scruff of my beard.

“Fuck, Austin. That was amazing.” She mewls with her eyes still closed as I place gentle kisses on her eyelids.

“Yeah? Feel good, Sugar?” I ask as she catches her breath.

“The best. Now I need your cock.” Emma almost whispers as her fingertips trail down my abs before wrapping around my raging erection. She squeezes just like I like before running her thumb across my slit to collect the bead of precum that’s already dribbling out in anticipation and I thrust myself further into her grasp with a groan. I watch as Emma removes her hand, spits into her palm before grabbing me again and jerking me. Between deep kisses, I glance down at her delicate little hand working my large member and can’t help but thrust against her. If she keeps going, I’m going to blow my load before I even get inside her warm cunt.

“Darlin’, I need to be inside you.” 

“Fuck me, Austin. Please baby.” I grunt as I manhandle her onto her side, conscious that this may be the best position to keep any pressure off of her growing womb and slide up behind her before lifting her thigh around me. I gently ease the tip of my cock into her warm channel and Emma pushes down against me, sucking my cock inside her wet heat in the best way. When my pelvis is fully seated against her ass cheeks, I groan and Emma arches her back which gives me the perfect angle to her g-spot. I start thrusting slowly as I suck and lick against the spot under Emma’s ear and she wraps an arm around my neck thrusting her fingers into my hair and tugging. 

“Fuck, you feel so good. So wet and tight. Just like the first time I ever fucked you, baby girl.” I grunt against her neck.

“Mmm, Austin! You feel so good inside me. So big and full.” She mumbles as I thrust into her.

“God, we fit together so good. You were made to be mine.” I murmur as I appreciate the tight, wet heat surrounding me.

“Harder, baby.” She moans and I’m so tempted to start jack hammering into her perfect cunt but am worried about hurting her more than my desire to fuck hard.

“I don’t want to hurt you or the baby, Sugar.”  “You won’t, I promise. Fuck me please!” She moans and I can’t help but pound into her a bit harder as she claws down my arm that’s holding across her perfect tits. I have the perfect view to watch them bounce over her shoulder as I fuck her from behind and can’t help but start gently tugging at her nipples which earns me a louder moan from her.

I remove my arm from her breasts before I shove two of my fingers in her mouth. She sucks fervently before I reach down past her tummy and start rubbing them against her swollen clit. She’s so easily stimulated that I have her cumming in a matter of moments. Her tight pussy clenched me so hard that I couldn’t hold back my own orgasm and found myself releasing deep inside her before I had intended too. I stilled my hips and shoved my cock as deep as I possibly could as I finished before collapsing back down onto the sheets, not caring how sweaty we were. Emma and I laid perfectly still basking in the afterglow of our lovemaking as the ceiling fan whirled above us before I slid my softening cock from her body and she whined at the loss.

Emma clumsily rolled over to face me and laid her head against my chest, her fingers combing through my chest hair as my fingertips trailed up against her spine.

“What are you thinking about?” I asked her as we basked in the silence.

“I’m thinking that I want you to fuck me like that again before the night is over… and I want to take a bath with you… and I might also be thinking about the chocolate chip cookie dough in the refrigerator.” Emma replied as I croaked out a hearty laugh at how her thoughts were all over the place.

“Why, what are you thinking?” She asked.

“I was honestly just thinking about how grateful I am for you. I never thought I could have any of this. I was just this broken, shell of a person who went through the motions of everyday life. I swear, I never really thought I’d find love like my grandparents and then I met you. I’ve always been so independent and now, I swear to God, I can’t imagine being away from you for a single day. You completely changed me for the better and gave me so much love and passion. It’s like you woke me up and I started finally living life. Oh, and not to mention our babies. God, I love them so much even when they are being little brats. You and our kids just complete me. I can’t wait to see how our son joins in the mix with our baby girls. I’m just so glad I found you. I’ve never been this happy in my life.” I tell her honestly as I think about how my life has changed in just the past 5 years before I hear her sniffle.

“Sugar?”

“Now I feel like an ass for thinking about eating cookie dough when you were making this big declaration of love.” She sobs as the tears flow down her cheeks and I can’t help but laugh out loud.

“It’s not funny, Austin! That was the most incredible thing I’ve ever heard and you know I feel the same way.” She laugh/cries as I bite my lip to keep from chuckling at the absurdity of her pregnancy hormones. She looks up at me with tears still in her eyes and can’t help but start laughing herself. I finally allow my laughter out and we spend the next few minutes laughing so hard that Emma has to get up and waddle to the bathroom to pee which just makes me laugh even harder.

I head to the bathroom after her and start filling the bathtub and lighting candles before helping Emma step in. I make a quick run downstairs to the kitchen and get us some waters and the entire roll of cookie dough with a spoon before I head back up and present the princess with her snack. 

Her eyes fill with tears of gratefulness that her beloved craving is about to be satisfied which has us laughing all over again as I join her in the tub to what we jokingly still call marinating in our ‘body juice soup.’

Emma rests her back against my chest as she feeds me bites of her dessert and I can’t help but feel more fulfilled than I ever have before. My future now is not some bleak possibility, but filled with excitement and joy. I owe it all to a bit of puppy love that became the love of my life.

Taglist: @shellyshellshell, @henryownsme, @caramariehurst, @beck07990, @mollymal, @kingliam2019, @syversonswife, @identity2212, @starfirewildheart, @hannah9921, @wa-ni, @kneelforloki, @cutedoxie, @enchantedbytomandhenry, @foxyjwls007, @geralts-yenn, @courtlynwriter, @corrie1013, @squeezyvalkyrie, @summersong69, @livisss, @mayloma, @uunotheangel, @warriormirkwood, @sofiebstar, @wetzilly, @ashbrat488

A/N: Y'all, it's finally here! I'm so so sorry that it took me so long to get this written and posted but #lifehappened and I'm a bit of a perfectionist so I wanted it to be right. Thank you all so much for following along on Sy and Emma's love story. Your support and encouragement has lifted me up more than you realize. I'm so grateful to everyone that's followed along! I'm super sad that it's over but there may be a one-shot or two in our future for them! Love you all!

[mrs-gucci]

It’s Just Politics (Part 1 of 2)

Commander Mills x senator!Reader (f)

written for my welcome back celebration, phase one. 

y’all voted, y’all wanted me to write some more Mills, so here I am :) this is part one of two, so enjoy the beginning of the story and get excited for part two which will be coming soon!!

content warnings. accidentally walking in on someone naked (he walks in on her), implied/mentioned age difference (gap not specified, Mills is 36)

word count: 3.4k (...whoops)

summary~ Commander Mills reluctantly takes a last-minute job captaining the Senator of Somaris’s personal ship on a flight to Cyllene for this year’s galactic policy conference. Both of them get much, much more than they bargained for...but they’re not necessarily complaining about it.

"You're kidding me."

Jai shakes his head, continuing to submit order forms for ship parts.

"I'm dead serious, man. Travis wants you to do it, it'll pay well, and you won't be gone for that long. At least two weeks, it's just to Cyllene for the annual galactic policy conference. Simple."

"Nothing is ever simple with her, you know that. She's impossible to deal with." Mills huffs. "What happened to her captain? Why can't he do it?"

"Dunno. I think he transferred or is off on a long-range mission. I can't remember, but you should take it. Even though the Senator is a bit of a difficult client, she has a lot of power and could easily help you get a higher-paying job."

Mills knows Jai is right. He should take this job; he needs the money after paying for Nevine's treatments. He has to continue supporting his wife even if their marriage is a bit on the rocks.

"Fine," he says after a moment. "I'll tell Travis that I'll take the job."

Jai smiles, walking past his coworker and giving him a pat on the back as he does so. He lets out a soft chuckle. "Good man. Just...try not to kill her, okay?"

Mills hums, smiling ever so slightly.

"No promises."

***

"Are all of my dresses packed properly?" you ask the service droid as it begins to load your things onto the dolly. "It's of the utmost importance that they not be wrinkled. I want to represent Somaris to the best of my ability at this year's conference."

"Yes, Mistress," the droid says. "I made sure to pack each one myself."

You nod slightly. "Good. Thank you, I always appreciate your hard work, PZ."

"Of course. I am always at your service, Senator."

PZ finishes loading the bags and quickly takes them to the royal vessel while you prepare for the long journey ahead. You always hate going up into space, but unfortunately, it's an integral part of your job, so you have to do it more often than you'd prefer.

You walk to the docking bay, and you stop as soon as you see him walking towards your ship.

"You're kidding me."

Mills huffs out a soft laugh as he passes you. "Yeah, that's what I said too."

"Tell me you're not the one flying the ship. Please, please tell me you're not in charge of this trip--" You catch up to him.

"I need the money, alright?" Mills says, jaw clenching. "That's the only reason I agreed to it. Trust me, I wish I didn't have to, but there's hardly any work for pilots right now."

"No need to give me your whole life story, Mills. I won't cry you a river like others may have."

You roll your eyes and walk towards the ship ramp, immediately colliding with him. Apparently, he decided to step forward at that exact moment that you did. You huff and leave him in the dust, boarding the ship and immediately going to your sleeping quarters. 

This'll be an interesting journey, that much you're sure of...

***

For the third time in the thirty minutes you've been flying, your water glass nearly falls onto the floor as the ship suddenly jerks to the side, then a bit downward, before returning to a steady state. You shut the computer off and walk to the cockpit, immediately hearing Mills's grumblings as he reaches across the controls console. 

"I know you dislike me, but I didn't think you'd try any sort of murder attempt until much later in the trip," you say, crossing your arms as you stand in the doorway. "And I must say, I'm extremely disappointed in your efforts thus far."

Mills's jaw clenches once again. And here he was, starting to relax now that he's mostly figured out the new controls...

"For now, I figured having you get sick would be satisfying enough," he says, turning around to look at you. "The murder attempts will be much more obvious, I assure you. Plus, keeping you alive until after the conference is in my best interest, so I get paid for at least half of the trip."

You chuckle dryly. "Fair point. Now, are you sure that all of your licenses and qualifications aren't expired? Because you're flying this ship almost as badly as I do, and I don't have any licenses."

"I've never flown a ship with such unnecessarily complicated controls," he replies simply. "This is a class of ship I'm not used to handling."

"Mm, mhm. Sure, my ship's definitely the problem. You could never be at fault for not having flown a diverse range of ships in your many years of being a pilot...because you're old."

He huffs. "Really, you're resorting to calling me 'old' now? You can't find any more halfway decent or clever comebacks in your apparently vast bank of them?"

You smirk slightly. "So you admit that my comebacks are clever and good?"

"No, I said they're clever and halfway decent," he says, unable to help the tiny upward twitch of the corner of his mouth. "Big difference. Also, I'm not old."

"Everyone who's old tried to say they're not old. If you're over 40, you're officially old."

"How old do you think I am?" He looks back at you.

"I dunno," you shrug. "Like 40."

"Fuck, I'm 36," he grumbles, turning back to flip a switch on the panel. "Go back to your quarters, Senator. I'll try to keep the ship under control, although I doubt it'll be to your very high standards."

You turn and begin to walk away. Suddenly, the ship dips again, and you nearly lose your balance, falling into the wall. You whip your head around and hear the softest of chuckles from the cockpit, rolling your eyes at the sound.

"Just do your damn job, Mills."

***

Mills sighs as he flips the autopilot switch and prepares to head off to his sleeping quarters. He probably should've asked where his quarters were before takeoff, but honestly, he didn't even think of it at the time. He was too busy dealing with you.

As much as he hates to admit it, you actually intrigue him. You're young, beautiful, and incredibly hard-headed. All qualities he saw in his wife when he first met her.

Several doors line the hallway, and Mills picks the one closest to the cockpit. It opens, and it's a closet filled to the brim with luggage and garment bags. He huffs, then shuts it promptly.

He moves to the next door, already mentally checking out for the night. When it opens, his eyes widen. 

You're standing completely bare, applying your body lotion before you dress for bed. You turn around and gasp, quickly covering your breasts before turning away.

"Get out!"

Mills, for a moment, can't bring himself to move. Fuck, it's been a while since he's seen a naked woman, and you're so--

"GET OUT!" you exclaim, looking back at Mills. "OUT!!"

He suddenly snaps back into reality, muttering an apology before shutting the door and letting out a shaky breath. He tries to commit it all to memory: how your skin shone in the dim lamplight, your plump breasts and hardened nipples, the beautiful curve of your hips...

Turning away, he walks to the final door in the hall, which contains a small cot. He puts his things into the small dresser and tries not to revisit his memories of your body. It's highly inappropriate for him to lust after a woman years his junior, especially since he hates you, and you two have yet to have a non-argumentative conversation.

Suddenly, the door slides open as Mills takes off his shirt. He turns around and sees you, now dressed in a nightgown, looking absolutely infuriated. But he doesn't miss how your eyes dart down his body momentarily.

"What is wrong with you??" You ask angrily, glaring up at him. "Why didn't you close the door right away? Why'd you keep looking at me? Are you some kind of pervert or something?"

He huffs, turning away from you.

"No, I'm not a pervert. I just froze up for a moment. I was surprised. I thought the room would be empty...it won't happen again. It was an accident."

"Mhm. Aren't you married? How would your wife feel if she saw you staring like that?"

"Yeah, well, she and I aren't exactly on the same page these days," he says, pulling his sleep shirt on before turning to you again. "So what, you wanna see my dick, make us even?"

Well, kind of.

You huff, crossing your arms. "No," you say. "Because I'm a lady and would never do anything like that."

Mills chuckles. "Mhm. You just keep telling yourself that."

He reaches for the pants resting over his hips. "If you're such a lady, I suggest you head out before you see anything improper. God forbid."

"Goodnight to you too, Captain."

***

Mills's quarters are open when you pass by, so who wouldn't be curious about what secret life this guy could be living? You look around, then step inside. It's very basic; he's brought almost nothing personal. Well, almost nothing. You spot a holoprojector lying on his bed.

Is the great Commander Mills enjoying some pornography during his downtime?

Chuckling softly at the thought, you pick it up carefully and turn it on, purely out of curiosity. What comes up is incredibly unexpected. It's a young girl playing with a toy ship. Suddenly, it clicks in your mind: this is his daughter. Before she…

You scroll to the next one, and the next, and the next, watching only a few seconds of each. Then, you reach one where she's looking much sickly. She's got a nasal cannula in, and her cough, which you noticed throughout the videos, is much worse.

And then, you flip to the very last side. It's the voice of your wife, hand on your daughter's lifeless one.

Oh no—

"What are you doing?"

You gasp softly, startled at the sound. He's calm, but a certain edge to his voice sends a little chill down your spine.

"I-I..." you don't have an answer. "I thought this was something--"

"Give that to me," he snaps, snatching it from your hands and turning it off. "This is my quarters, my personal space. What's so hard to understand about that, huh?!"

You open your mouth to speak. He doesn't allow it.

"I would never think to step into your room and look through your belongings. You think just because you're a senator that you outrank me and can do whatever the fuck--"

"That's not it!" you say suddenly. "It was wrong, alright? I'm sorry. I made a mistake. I let my curiosity get the best of me. I didn't think you'd have anything like that."

For a moment, Mills is genuinely surprised at your quick admittance of guilt. He thought you'd surely make up some bullshit excuse as to why you're in here looking through his daughter's holo memories.

Just seeing that bit of the final holo of his daughter already has him tearing up, but there's no way in the galaxy he's gonna cry in front of you. He looks away, setting the holoprojector back down on the top of his dresser.

"Go."

You're at a loss for words. Look at what you've done; you've violated his privacy and forced him to relive such an awful memory. All because you wanted to get some dirt on him. It all seems silly and stupid now. "Look, Mills, I'm really--"

Tears are threatening to slip down his cheeks. He needs you to leave before you see him break down.

"Leave!" he snaps again, although his voice is much shakier this time. "Leave me a-alone!"

You swallow harshly, then walk back towards the door. You pause for a moment, looking back at him, seeing how his whole body shakes as he tries to keep his sobs.

"I'm truly sorry."

He says nothing, waiting until the door closes to let out the quiet but violent cries he's been holding in.

*

When dinner rolls around, you sit in the same seat you usually do at the small table. Except there's no sign of Mills anywhere. He's stayed on the bridge with the door shut all day. PZ brings out your meal, then sets Mills's down at his usual spot. 

"Where is the Captain?" PZ asks. "Will he not be joining you for dinner this evening?"

You shrug slightly, looking over at the bridge door. "I don't know, PZ. He hasn't left his pilot's seat all day."

"Well, perhaps I should--"

"No," you interrupt. "You don't wanna irritate him. He's had a rough day. I'll take it to him if he doesn't come out."

PZ nods, then walks back to continue checking on your dresses. You sigh softly and eat alone, occasionally looking over at the door. Nothing.

You really don't wanna take the food in, but you know it's the right thing to do. Plus, it'll give you time to hopefully apologize again for earlier without him yelling or getting too upset.

With a deep breath, you press the 'open' button, and the door whooshes, revealing the tall back of the pilot's chair. Various controls on the panel flash and beep. He reaches over to silence them.

"Yes?"

You step forward. "I have your dinner. I figured you wouldn't wanna come out to eat with me--"

"A correct assumption."

"...so I brought your dinner in here."

He nods. "Thank you."

You set the plate down to the side.

"Look, I'm really sorry about what happened earlier," you say sincerely. "It wasn't my place to snoop around your quarters, and I apologize. I also...I didn't know about your daughter. I'm sorry about that, too."

Mills says nothing but turns around in the chair to look at you. After a moment, he nods slightly. "Thank you for apologizing. And I'm sorry that I snapped like that. It's just a hard thing for me to revisit."

"Of course, and I completely understand why you reacted the way you did. I deserved that, but you didn't deserve to have your private life violated like that. I'm sorry, truly. I feel terrible about it."

He's very much surprised by your sudden remorse and show of emotion. You rarely soften like this, and it makes him wonder if he's jumped to conclusions too soon. Maybe you're not always the hard-ass, demanding, a stubborn politician you make yourself out to be. 

"All is forgiven, Senator. I promise it's alright. I appreciate you apologizing."

You nod, offering him a small smile. "Great. I'd hate for us to be on shitty terms for the rest of the journey."

"Agreed," Mills nods. "Thanks for bringing my dinner. I'll see you tomorrow, Senator."

"See you tomorrow, Captain."

***

"Wait, wait..." you start, huffing softly. "You're telling me we have to stop on Zexade for fuel? I thought this ship could carry enough fuel for the entire journey. I've never had this problem before."

"There's a first time for everything," Mills replies simply, flicking a few switches on the dashboard. "We had to take an alternate route around a nebula, which took more fuel than anticipated. Zexade should have what we need."

"How long is that gonna take? We cannot be late to this conference, Mills. It's super important that we arrive on time--"

"You'll get there on time, Senator. You insisted we leave two days earlier than we needed to. Do you not remember that?"

Your jaw clenches. "I recall that, yes. But I've been late before, and it was absolutely humiliating. I want to be sure I'm there in advance to begin talking with the other senators."

"The refueling stop shouldn't take more than a few hours. We're on schedule to arrive on Cyllene early." He rolls his eyes. "There's no need to worry about anything. I have it all under--"

A loud crash is heard, and the ship lurches. You stumble, quickly gripping the wall for support.

"Everything's under control, huh?" you ask bitterly. "Then what in the world was that?"

The control panel and the proximity sensor start beeping frantically, and Mills groans. He was worried that something like this would happen. More shots are fired at the ship, and he dodges most of them.

"Get out of here! Strap into a chair or something!"

"What is it? Why are they shooting at the ship--"

Another bold hits the ship and takes a few pieces of paneling off. You nearly fall again.

"Pirates," he says. "They want the ship to salvage and possibly take us hostage for ransom money. Now get into a seat before you get hurt!"

You run back towards the emergency seats, but then you see the hatch for the gunner position. You know at that moment what you need to do. The ship dips again, and you fall into the wall with a soft groan, but you climb into the gunner seat before any more sudden jerks.

Mills' eyebrows furrow when he hears static from a headset hanging on top of a control panel. He lifts it up and puts it on, thinking it could be some sort of communication from the pirates.

"Get me into position," you say, flipping switches and pressing buttons rapidly, warming up the guns. "I can take them out."

"What the fuck are you doing down there?! I told you to strap in--"

"Fuck strapping in; I'm not just gonna sit there and wait for you to let the ship be torn apart. These pirates are gonna take us out if we don't put up some sort of defense."

He knows he should focus on the pirates, but he's still trying to wrap his head around that you apparently know how to operate the gunner position. He's also trying to wrap his head around that he's about to take commands from you.

"Alright, alright," he says, adjusting the headset quickly before swerving more shots. "Do you have a shot?"

Your jaw clenches. "Do you think, if I had a shot, I would have told you to get me into position?!"

This is gonna be harder than he thought.

"Can we save the biting wit and snarky remarks for when we're not getting shot at by pirates, please?!"

"Fine," you huff. "I've almost got a shot on one of the ships. Take a sharp left and drop her down a bit."

He does what you say, and you quickly shoot the pirate ship down, which explodes and takes another one out. You smirk, mentally high-fiving yourself. 

"Suck it!" you say into the microphone, forgetting that it's on. "You just got shot down by a fucking senator, losers!! Ha ha!"

Mills listens and allows a slight smile to tug at the corners of his mouth.

"Your mic is still on, Senator. But thank you for that wonderful piece of audio," he says, looking over at the proximity map. There are two more ships left. "I'm gonna pull up really hard and try to get you a clear shot on the two smaller fighters. Can you do that?"

Your cheeks warm with embarrassment. "Y-Yeah, yeah, of course, I can. Just get me into position, and I'll take care of the rest."

"Good." He chuckles softly and suddenly pulls up, accelerating rapidly. 

You keep your hands on the trigger buttons, holding on tightly as the ship climbs almost directly upwards. The pirate fighters are obviously confused but follow, climbing with us. 

“Do a corkscrew maneuver!” You say into the mic. "Now!"

"What?! You want me to do a what?! You're crazy!"

You growl softly. "Trust me, just do it!!"

Mills grips the steering wheel tightly and begins to spin the ship around and around, cursing you in his head as he begins to feel nauseous. Your eyes narrow, and you shoot at the vessels, hitting one, then the other. 

"I got 'em! We're clear!"

He slows, returns the ship to the usual level state, and sighs, running a hand through his hair. Goddamn, that was fucking crazy. You're...incredibly quick on your feet, and you ultimately made the right call. 

Between your genuine apology and this sudden show of badassery, it's almost hard to believe that Mills is starting to actually like you. He'll never admit that part out loud, but it's true.

You emerge from the hatch and walk to the cockpit, releasing shaky breaths. The adrenaline is still flowing as you head towards Mills' chair.

"So..." you start. He turns and looks at you, and you offer him a teasing smile. "How much longer to Zexade?"

-- part two (upcoming) --

general taglist: @mrs-zimmerman​

fic-specific taglist: @mrs-zimmerman​ @safarigirlsp​​ @queeniebee​​

◆ wanna join? here’s the link: adcu taglist ◆

[tcwmatchmakingau]

Commander Mayday illustration by @nika6q

A Match for Mayday: Chapter 3

Editor's note: This fic is a collaboration between @nika6q (artwork) and @dystopicjumpsuit (story)

Pairing: Mayday x Flower Farmer Reader 

Rating: M (18+ Minors DNI)

Wordcount: 2.4k

Warnings and tags: fluff; mild angst; sensuality; smut; fingering; it is not actually impossible for DJ to write a SFW story, but it does cause hives

A/N: dedicated to @nika6q ❤️‍🩹

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 4

“Gorgeous,” Sunni declares with a flourish as she steers you toward her mirror.

“I’m not sure why you’re going to this much effort on me when you’re supposed to be the center of attention,” you point out as you turn obediently.

“Because you deserve a little pampering, and you never have an excuse to get dressed up on Nakadia,” Sunni replies. “What do you think?”

You examine your reflection, taking in the artfully arranged hair, the perfect makeup, and the dress that displays a tasteful amount of skin while concealing all the things you prefer to keep to yourself.

“You’re a magician,” you reply frankly. “I can’t remember the last time I took so long to get ready.”

One of the bridesmaids, Tarsi, flops down on the bed and takes a sip of sparkling wine as she declares, “Nothing wrong with a little self-indulgence every now and then. Everything in moderation, including moderation, am I right, ladies?”

The other two bridesmaids chorus their agreement from the adjoining room, and you smile. Unsurprisingly, Sunni has a delightful group of friends, and they’ve made the week leading up to the wedding far more fun and  relaxed than you expected. Tarsi does have a bad habit of trying to talk you into signing up for RTL, though; she’s so proud of her success with Hexx and Sunni that she’s determined to find a match for every one of her friends.

“You’re beautiful, kind, successful, and you live on the most idyllic planet in the galaxy,” she declares. “Troopers will be lining up around the block to meet you. How do you feel about children?”

“I’ll pass,” you say firmly.

“On the children or the troopers?”

“Both,” you reply.

Tarsi pouts but lets it go. Meanwhile, the other two bridesmaids, Brax and Mione, burst into the room carrying a round of raava shots.

“Pregame!” Brax announces. “Everybody grab a shot.”

“Oh, no!” you laugh. “I’m the designated drunk-herder tonight. It is my responsibility to make sure you all make it onto the charter shuttle to Nakadia at the end of the night so this wedding can actually happen. I need to keep a clear head.”

“One shot isn’t going to do anything,” Sunni declares. “As bride, I hereby absolve you of all responsibility if I’m late to my own wedding. Now take the shot.”

You roll your eyes in good-humored exasperation, and you all toss back the raava, reactions ranging from Tarsi’s delicate cringe to Brax’s exaggerated sputter.

“Well, that was awful,” Sunni coughs. “Shall we get this party started?”

The group makes its way through several bars and dance clubs in Coruscant’s mid-levels, each successively louder and more crowded, before heading to a place that is apparently well-known to Sunni and her friends. As the five of you pile out of the air-taxi onto the landing platform, a gigantic sign reading 79’s bathes you all in a neon haze. There are an unusually high number of clones milling about outside the club, but Sunni and the others head straight for the entrance, throwing open the doors dramatically.

“Gentlemen, I have arrived!” Sunni announces with a confident swagger born partly of inebriation and partly of her own innate love of a spectacular entrance.

From inside the club, a cacophony of male voices lets out a deafening cheer interspersed with a few whistles and catcalls. Not for the first time of the night, you wish that you were getting as lit up as the rest of the group, because from the sound of things, you are about to head into exactly the kind of crowded, chaotic environment that seems perfectly designed to trigger your panic response. Right about now, you would kill for some liquid courage, but none is forthcoming, so you square your shoulders and walk into the club.

It’s crowded, smoky, and dark, and the music is loud enough to buzz across your skin and throb in your chest. It is also packed with clones, all of whom look absolutely delighted to see your group.

“What is this place?” you call to Tarsi over the roar of the crowd.

“Clone bar!” she yells back. “Isn’t it great?”

“Great,” you parrot back with false enthusiasm.

Unsurprisingly, the bartender has already poured a round of shots for your group by the time you reach the bar, courtesy of some unknown patron. You know you shouldn’t drink yours, but it’s been hours since you had the raava shot, and you have a feeling you’re going to need it if you’re going to make it out of 79’s without going ballistic, so you toss it back quickly. Within seconds, all five of you are pulled onto the dancefloor, and at least two clones begin to grind on each of you. There are so many people, and your heart starts to race as the crowd presses against you. The lights flash disorientingly. It’s hot and sweaty and loud, and your cheeks are starting to cramp from the overly bright smile you’re trying to keep in place. 

You look over to Sunni and are surprised to see her dancing with Hexx. Veetch is plastered against Tarsi, along with a clone you don’t recognize. You can’t see Brax or Mione, because there are three farking clones grinding their dicks against you, and if you have to put up with this for another minute you are going to kriffing lose your shit!

Abruptly, a hand closes around your wrist and pulls you gently but firmly away from the sausage fest. A little space opens up around you, and you finally feel like you can breathe again. You turn to thank your rescuer, and your heart gives a hard, involuntary lurch when you recognize Mayday’s long, dark curls. He asks a question that you can’t hear over the music. You shake your head and point to your ears. He nods in understanding, and his eyes are so damned kind that you want to weep with relief.

Another strange clone starts to move toward you, but Mayday fixes him with a stare that has him putting up his hands and backing away. You don’t want to leave the dancefloor and abandon Sunni and the others, but you’re not sure how you’re going to be able to stay, either. Mayday moves closer and rests his hands on your hips. You glance up at him, startled. He gives you a reassuring smile and starts to move your body to the rhythm of the music.

“I thought you didn’t dance!” you try to say over the music, but he shakes his head to indicate he can’t hear you, either. 

Instead, he pulls you closer to himself and oh, Maker. He does dance. He’s a really kriffing good dancer. He moves with a sinuous grace that has your mind racing with the possibilities of what else he can do with moves like that. And while his hands stay well within respectful boundaries, they leave a trail of blazing heat as they move across your body. 

You war with yourself. Mayday has you dizzy and off-balance. One moment he’s looking at you like you’re the only person in the galaxy, and the next he’s telling you not to touch him. But now he’s caressing your waist and hips like he never wants to stop, and he’s shielding you with his body, and he’s keeping you safe in the midst of the crowd. It’s a heady experience, to be at the center of that intense focus. Eventually, you stop thinking and simply let go and exist in the moment.

You lose track of time, of place, of people—it all fades into the background, and all you can see is Mayday. The way he touches you, moves you, guides you through the dance. He turns you so your back is to him, and you lean against his strong body, your hips swaying against his. You raise one hand over your shoulder to tangle in his hair, and you feel the heat of his breath against your wrist. His fingers trail over your arm, lighting up the nerves and sending tingles racing through you. And then his mouth descends onto your bare shoulder, his beard teasing your sensitive skin as he works his way up the side of your neck. Your knees nearly buckle at the sensation, but somehow you hold onto both your balance and your dignity.

You are shocked when the bartender announces the last call. How has the time passed so quickly? You’ve been so wrapped up in Mayday that you didn’t even notice as the crowd began to thin, and now it is time to round up the rest of the wedding party and head to the spaceport, where the luxurious private shuttle Sunni has chartered awaited your arrival. You and Mayday are the only reasonably sober members of the group, and so you coordinate with him to hustle everyone into two air taxis.

It’s a loud and raucous trip to the spaceport, but eventually, you bundle Sunni and the others onto the shuttle and perform one last headcount before Mayday signals the pilot to depart. It takes a significant amount of time and effort, but eventually, everyone aboard makes it to their assigned quarters, and you retreat to the shuttle’s opulent lounge to decompress and have a well-deserved drink. 

You stop short when you enter the room and find Mayday already inside. You flirt with the idea of fleeing, of going straight to your quarters and trying to get some sleep on the long jump to Nakadia, but it’s too late. He’s already spotted you, and you can’t avoid him without being openly rude. 

“I’d forgotten how exhausting it is to wrangle drunk people,” you say as you enter the room. 

“Mmm,” Mayday agrees with a rumble. “Makes fighting the war look easy.”

“No, it doesn’t,” you reply.

He smiles. “You’re right. Want a glass?”

“I think we’ve earned it,” you reply, settling into an armchair as he pours two tumblers of liquor out of a mysterious decanter.

The tawny liquid catches the light as he hands you a glass, reminding you of his eyes. You sniff it curiously and are greeted with a sweet, smoky aroma.

“I knew you were a whiskey man,” you say as you clink your glass quietly against his and take a sip. 

“I don’t usually turn down a free drink,” Mayday replies. “That doesn’t mean I don’t know the good stuff when I see it.”

You regard him steadily before you ask, “Is that so?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asks, his eyes guarded.

“I can’t figure you out, Mayday,” you say. 

At least he doesn’t insult you by pretending to misunderstand. He watches you for a moment, and when you don’t flinch under his scrutiny, he takes another drink of his whiskey.

“I told you I don’t play games,” he says.

“You could have fooled me,” you retort.

“You’re with someone else,” he says in a low voice. He sets his jaw firmly, but his eyes flicker over your body, and for an instant, you see a flash of naked hunger in them. “I’m not going to chase after someone who’s unavailable.”

What the kark? Your eyebrows snap together. “Is that why you couldn’t keep your hands off me tonight? Why every time we’re in the same room, you look at me like—like that?”

“Why the kriff do you think I was avoiding you?” he growls. “When I’m with you, I can’t think straight. I am trying to respect your relationship, but fuck, you drive me wild.”

You let out a short, angry laugh and drain your glass. “You think I would dance with you like that when I was with someone else? I didn’t realize you had such a poor opinion of me.”

“You said you were taken. You—” he pauses as though the words choke him with their bitterness. “You planned your wedding.”

“That was hypothetical!” You set your glass down with a snap as you rise abruptly. “I’m going to bed. Alone. Like I do every night. Which you should have realized when you spent a week in my house.”

“We’re not finished,” Mayday says, rising to block your exit.

“There’s nothing else to say,” you snap.

“What the kark did you expect me to do?” he demands. “I met the girl of my dreams, and two seconds later she told me she wasn’t interested.”

“I said I wasn’t interested in RTL!” you exclaim. “A matchmaker sounds like my worst nightmare. Although at least it would have prevented this level of absolute banthashit.” 

“Then—” he begins.

“For kark’s sake, how much clearer can I possibly be?” you cut him off. “Do I need to hang up a neon sign that says OPEN FOR BUSINESS? Do you want me to send you a handwritten letter? ‘Dear Mayday, please tear off all my clothes and have your way with me on the nearest available surf—mmph!’”

Mayday’s mouth cuts off your tirade. His lips crash against yours, his tongue sweeps into your mouth, his hands pull you close against him. He tastes like whiskey, and he smells like woodsmoke and spices, overwhelming your senses. You clutch his shoulders for balance, and then immediately slide your hands up his neck to twine your fingers through his hair. You tug on it gently, and he groans into your mouth in response. His arms tighten around you, pinning you to him as he grips your ass and grinds his hips against you. You let out a strangled moan as you feel the hardness of his cock press against your abdomen.

“This karking dress,” he rasps, breaking away from your kiss for a moment as his fingers find your hemline and snake up the inside of your bare thigh. “Did you wear it just to torture me?”

You open your mouth to respond, but he preempts your response with another breathtaking kiss. He slips past the lace of your panties—thank the Force I wore pretty ones—and glides his fingertips over your heated skin. His hands are as clever and talented as you knew they would be, and a fresh wave of irritation hits you. You tug his hair lightly as you pull away from his kiss.

“I’m still mad at you!” you exclaim. “We could have been doing this for weeks, oooh—”

He slides one of those thick, skilled fingers into you as he drops his mouth to your throat.

“I’m planning on doing it a lot longer than that, mesh’la.”

[woniebunny]

ITS JUST SOME HOCUS POCUS

PAIRING: SIM JAEYUN X BLACK CAT SANDERSON!READER, PLATONIC!BINX X READER

GENRE: FLUFF, SLIGHT ANGST, DARK HUMOUR, FANTASY

WARNINGS: CURSING, MENTIONS OF DEATH/DARK THEMES, SLIGHT SUGGESTIVE THEMES

WORD COUNT: 18.2k

A/N: Heyy lovies! Sooo originally I wanted to post this for Halloween but then a bunch of stuff came up in my personal life and I didn't get much time to write... so then I decided to make this a birthday fic for our Ikeu but uhh it's slightlyyy late whoops😬. I ended up getting way more into this than I originally thought I would (aka going from estimated 5k to 18.2k) but I'm very proud of myself and I feel like it came out just how I wanted and ngl I did pour some blood, sweat, and tears into this.. it's officially my first baby. I did proof read and fix things a couple times but there might still be some minor errors, please let me know if y’all see any 🙏🏼. I hope you guys enjoy and as always likes, comments, and reblogs are very much appreciated!!💕 P.S if you would like to be tagged in future fic posts let me know.

**********************************************************

October 31st 1963

Come little children

I’ll take thee away,

Into a land of enchantment.

Come little children

The times come to play here in my garden of shadows

Arises an eerily mellifluous voice emanating through the foggy village of Salem like a siren under the full moons glow, summoning sweet little Emily Binx as if entranced. Giggles and whispers permeate through the village as she skips heading towards the dark forest, her white nightgown flowing in the wind and her dirtied bare feet crunching fallen dead leaves and twigs as she nears the edge, oblivious of the calls of her name from her older brother Thackery Binx running behind her, begging her to stop.

Follow sweet children

I’ll show thee the way

Through all the pain and the sorrows

Weep not poor children

For life is this way

Murdering beauty and passions

As Thackery trudges through the rugged forest he comes across a dark lonely cottage with a water mill, rushing to hide on the side he can hear the sounds of cackling from three sisters. The Sanderson sisters to be exact. Peeking through a window he can see their figures crowded around a chair holding Emily. Staying hidden as they flutter around the room gathering ingredients for their potion, he overhears their plans of using Emily as a life source to make themselves younger and more beautiful. Determined to save his sister, he sneakily climbs the powerless mill and enters through a secret window accessing a slight platform that overlooks the whole room only then noticing a beautiful young teen tied to a chair with tears in her eyes, glaring at the witches from the corner. Mary Sanderson catching a faint whiff of a familiar scent begins slowly sniffing around the room, “sister I smell a child”. Winifred Sanderson the eldest of the three, turns to her with an incredulous expression grabbing her by the shoulders and points at Emily stating “what does thoust call that”. “Oh, right”. “Make yourself useful, unlike our bratty baby sister over there, and bring me a dead man’s toe and make it fresh” orders Winifred, “dead’s man toe *sniff* fresh haha”. Mary and Sarah begin goofing around and throwing dead man’s toes at each other accidentally throwing one at the eldest. “Will you two stop that! I need to concentrate” she exclaims as she whips back around to finish up the potion, completing it with part of each of the three sisters tongue. Scooping some into a big wooden ladle, she commands the sisters to hold Emily as she makes her drink a sip of the potion. The young teenager, Y/N Sanderson, immediately begins trying to undo the silencing spell her eldest sister put on her while silently screaming at them to leave the child alone and struggling against the cursed binds keeping her in place as she watches Emily begin to glow and her body turning almost transparent as that of a ghost. Delighted by the success of the potion, Winifred suggests that her sisters hold onto her so that they may share the life source together in celebration. As they begin to inhale, slowly sucking in the energy from Emily, Thackery jumps down and tries to attack the sisters bringing their attention to him. Winifred irritated at the interruption zaps him with cracks of lightning, using her magic to keep him in place as they finish sucking all of the energy from Emily making him watch. After transforming into younger, healthier, more beautiful versions of themselves as a result of the spell, Winifred decides to punish Thackery by cursing him to be a cat and live eternally with the guilt of failing to save his sister. “NOOOOO!” screams Y/N after undoing the silencing spell and binds, feeling helpless and horrified at not being able to help either of the Binx children. “Oh don’t worry sweet baby sister of mine, I didn’t forget about you. Since you wanna care for these mere mortals so badly I’ll give you the same fate. You will get to live the rest of your life with the guilt of not being able to save any of you, as well as betraying your sisters!” Winifred proclaims turning Y/N into a black cat before she could even get a word or sound out. At that moment the villagers led by the Binx parents show up banging on the door calling on the witches to surrender themselves. Y/N quickly exits out one of the windows and goes to hide, watching as the villagers break down the door and grab the sisters, forcing them down to the town hall to be hanged for their actions. Angered by their turn of fate, Winifred calls upon her book and with her last words vows

“Fools!

All of you!

My ungodly book speaks to you,

when all hallows eve and the moon is round

a virgin will summon us from under the ground

ahahahah ahahaha

we shall be back

and the lives of all the children shall be mine!”

Thackery after being ignored and kicked at by his father goes to find Y/N, together they decide to take turns watching over the house vowing to protect and prevent anyone else from having a similar fate to Emily.

October 31st 1993

Poor Thackery Binx not his mother nor his father nor anyone knows what became of him those 300 years ago and so The Sanderson sisters were hanged by the town folk. Now there are those who say that on Halloween night a black cat still guards the old Sanderson house warning off any who might make the witches come back to life haa! She whips around and throws a soft fabric at a student, Ahhhh! Loud laughter echoes off the classroom walls as the young teens witness their classmate get spooked from the teachers tricks. 

"Give me a break" scoffs Jake, "Uh huh. We seem to have a sceptic in our mists.. Mr.Sim  would you care to enlighten us with your California laid back, tie dyed point of view?" "Okay." Jake straightens in his seat to continue his thoughts. "Granted  that you guys here in Salem are all into these black cats and witches and stuff, Halloween was invented by the candy companies. It's a total conspiracy." He snarks. Boos and  come ons breakout among the class. "Actually, it just so happens that Halloween is based on the ancient feast called All Hallow's Eve” starts a blonde girl named Allison, "It's the one night of the year where the spirits of the dead can return to Earth." Yeahs and whoops get cheered from the enthusiastic crowd. Jake shakes his head while continuing to doodle in his notebook.  Exiting the building he walks straight to his bike and starts his 10 min ride home, passing Allison on his way, "Jake!" he stops as he hears a call of his name. Turning around he sees Allison walking up to him. "You just moved here huh?" she asks. "Yeah". "Must be a big change for you." "Yeah that's for sure" he replies sarcastically. "What, you don't like it here?" "Oh noo, the leaves are great! But... idk it's all this Halloween stuff” “You don't believe in it?" "What you mean like the Sanderson sisters?" Allison nods, "No way". "Even on Halloween" she asks, "especially not on Halloween". "Hmmm.. trick or treat?" She asks handing him a piece of paper and walking away, opening it up Jake sees it's a paper with her number on it. Shaking his head in disbelief, he continues his trek home cutting through the cemetery. As he approaches a set of headstones a tall blonde teen with hair to his shoulder and a black leather jacket and another heftier teen with a fedora pops up “halt who are you?” “Jake, I just moved here. “From where?” “Los Angeles” the two teens turn to each other confused not understanding what Jakes talking about “LA”. “OHH” says the blonde. “Dude tubular” says the heftier one. The blonde begins to introduce himself “I’m Jay, this is Ernie” as he points at the other teen he grabs Jay by the collar and claims “how many times I gotta tell you my name ain’t Ernie no more, it’s ice” Jay just nods his head and continues “This is ice” who at the new and approved introduction turns around showcasing an undercut with ice marked out on the back of his head. Jake just continues almost grimacing at them. “So” starts Jay “do you gotta butt?” “nah I don’t smoke”. “They must be very health conscious in LA” claims Ice, “you got any cash Hollywood?” “No”. “Gee! We don’t get any smokes from you, we don’t get any cash from you, what am I supposed to do with my afternoon?” “Idk, maybe you could learn to breathe through your nose” Jake says with disgust. “AHAHAHAH EHEM” Jay bursts out with laughter but tries to cover it with a cough after seeing Ice’s facial expression. Looking down at Jake he notices his trainers “whoa, check out the new cross trainers”, Ice now excited at hearing something he could use against Jake says “cool lemme try em on” Jake trying to turn and leave not wanting to deal with such nonsense gets stopped by Jay shaking his head with a smile “uh uh” together Jay and Ice grab him and steal his trainers. As he rides away, heading the rest of the way home, he can hear Jay yell out “later dude” followed by Ice’s snarky “see ya Hollywood”.

Jake glides into his driveway right after the town clock bells chime. Parking his bike and locking his kickstand, he jogs up the few steps to the front door barging in with the door slamming shut behind him stomping past his parents unpacking in the kitchen. “Hey Jaeyunie! Hey, how was school honey?” his mum asks. “It fucking sucked” he harshly replies heading towards the steps to go upstairs to his room, his father hearing his tone shouts after him “hey, hey, hey watch your language”. Jake just scoffs retorting back “ I can’t believe you made me move here!” and continues upstairs to his room. Once in front of his door decorated with a mini California license plate with his name engraved on it with a “JAKES ROOM STOP DO NOT ENTER” sign, he proceeds to bang his head 3 times on the door, his baseball cap slowly sliding up his head, bangs his fist one time and then slams his door shut behind him. Heading to his bed he begins to chuck off his hat, bag, and bomber jacket throwing them haphazardly around the room. Plopping onto the edge of his bed he opens the lid to his fish tank with a resigned “hey guys” as he drops in some food for them before sprawling out completely on the bed. Meanwhile in the kitchen as his father is testing out one of the kitchen appliances they’re unpacking, Jaeyun's mother realizes something was off “huh” “what honey” “he wasn’t wearing any trainers?” “Idk must be some form of protest, don’t worry yourself too much about it”. As Jake tries to relax a bit, he hears his closet doors slide open and a loud “BOO!” “NI-KIII” he exclaims. “I scared you, I scared you ha ha ha ha ha ha” Ni-ki giggles “mum and dad told you stay outta my room!” Jake says annoyed that his silence was disturbed. “Pshh don’t be such a crab Jakeyyy and guess what” “what” “you’re gonna take me trick or treating!!” Ni-ki exclaims excitedly. “No”. “Mum said you have to take me” “well she can take you” “can’t, her and dad are going to the party at town hall” “well you’re eight go by yourself” Jake says walking over to his drum set in the corner beginning to play them loudly. “No way! This is my first time I’ll get lost besides it’s a full moon tonight the weirdos are out tonight!” Seeing that Jake’s not interested and gonna keep trying to ignore him Ni-ki walks over wrapping his arms around his neck in a side hug “ come on yunieee can’t you forget about being a cool teenager just for one night pleaseeeee? Come on, we used to have sooooo much fun trick or treating together remember? It’ll be like the old days!” “The old days are dead” claims Jake grumpily. “It doesn’t matter what you say, you’re taking me” demands Ni-ki irritated now. “Wanna bet” Jake deadpans looking Ni-ki straight in the eyes. Throwing his drumsticks down, he gets up climbing some of the steps to his lookout and sits on one of them with his arms crossed looking out the window. Ni-ki annoyed and sick of trying to convince him the nice way screeches out “MUMMMMMMM”.

Jake knowing theres no getting around it now gets changed into jeans, a sweater, and a bomber jacket with a grey and black baseball cap throwing on some shades, hoping to hide his appearance even just a little bit. "Let's go the bewitching hour is about to begin!" sings out their father trying to rush everyone out the house. Heading down stairs Jake sees his parents dressed up for the town party while fussing over Ni-ki's outfit. Ni-Ki dressed as a warlock happily jumps at his dad pretending to cast a curse, while their dad feigns being petrified "Ahh nooo he's got me, HE'S GOT ME!" while their mum laughs. After everyone calms down a bit they decide to take a family pic, Jake begrudgingly joins for the photo knowing it'll be quicker to get it over with. "What are you even supposed to be?" asks their father "a rap singer" "oh, shouldn't your hat be sideways then" he says turning his hat. "Say Halloween" calls their mother with her camera ready "HALLOWEEN!!". Jake and Ni-ki leave to go trick or treating around their new neighbourhood while their parents head to the town hall party. For the next half hour Ni-ki and Jake go from house to house filling up Ni-ki's jack o lantern bucket with sweets and goodies. Sitting on the last step at the present house, Jake checks his watch and asks Ni-ki if he's ready to go home as he comes back down the steps to join him. "Oh lighten up Jake, we still have a bunch more houses. Lets go!".

Hearing a loud commotion, Jake looks up and realizes Jay and Ice are harassing the other trick or treaters and tries to grab Ni-ki to go another way to avoid them. Too excited at the prospect of more candy and not really caring about the older boys Ni-ki goes to walk past them. Jay and Ice immediately stop him "Ding Ding, Ding Ding" and tells him that he needs to pay a "toll fee" if he wants to get through. "Ten chocolate bars and no licorice" "yeah! dump out your sack!". "Drop dead, morons" Ni-ki says with a glare. " Yo twerp, how would you like to be hung off that telephone poll?" "Please" Ni-ki scoffs out, "I'd love to see you try, my brother would kick your asses" "Jake!" "ohhh if it isn't Hollywood, haha doing a little trick or treating are we?". "Im just taking my brother around." "Ohh thats nice, loveee the costume, but.. what are you supposed to be? A new kid on the block? Hahaha". " For your information, he's a rapper. Not that you morons would know anything about that". Jake just rolls his eyes and grabs Ni-ki's hand while trying to leave but Ice blocks his way. "Hey, no one leaves without paying the toll. So pay up". "Oh shut it zit-face" Ni-ki exclaims completely over this interaction. Ice getting mad at being insulted, turns to go after Ni-ki but Jake stops him and hands him a spare pillowcase filled with some candy "Ice, here. Pig out" he says pointedly. Grabbing Ni-ki's hand he speed walks away trying to get the both of them as far away as possible from them. "You should've punched them" exclaims Ni-ki annoyed, "I can't take on a whole group Ni-ki they'd kill me" "At least you'd die like a man!" "Hey! You just humiliated me in front of half the guys at school so collect your stupid candy and get outta my life!". Ni-ki hurt, betrayed, and shocked at Jakes outburst tears up and runs away trying to find a spot to cry without anyone seeing him. Jake immediately regretting what he said and feeling bad for letting his stress and frustration about everything that happened that day affect him, goes to follow Ni-ki to apologize. After walking past a few houses he stumbles upon Ni-ki sobbing and whimpering into a bail of hay. Jake slowly sits next to him and gently starts rubbing circles into his back trying to comfort him. "Ni-ki Im sorry" he sighs out sadly "it's just that I hate this place.. I miss all my friends... I wanna go home!" "Well this is your home now" sniffles out Ni-ki "so get used to it." "yeah" Jake resigns "give me one more chance?" "why should I?" exclaims Ni-ki "cause I'm your brother" Jake says with an exaggerated pout and pleading puppy eyes. Ni-ki turning to him starts giggling at how silly he looks. Gently pulling him into a hug and tickling him, both of them stand up and check out where they ended up. "Whoa" says Jake in awe "check out this house".

Ni-ki tilting his head up to look at the mansion like white house with big columns and grand staircases shrugs "eh rich people, they'll probably make us drink cider and bob for apples" he feigns exasperation. Both giggling and nodding as they look at the other start walking through the front door to see whats inside. In the entrance is a beautifully laid out 8 course meal with candles and ornate decorations, in the middle of the room is a giant ceramic bowl filled to the brim with full-sized candy bars. "Jackpot" they exclaim running towards it grabbing handfuls of treats. "Jake Sim" a feminine voice calls out, looking up at the staircase Jake sees his classmate Allison making her way down the steps. "I thought you weren't into Halloween" "Im not, just taking my little brother Ni-ki around. "Thats nice" "eh I always do it" "Well aren't you gonna introduce us" "Ni-ki this is my classmate Allison, Allison this is my brother Ni-ki". Allison analyzing Ni-ki's outfit "Ni-ki I love your costume! Im really into witches and warlocks", Ni-ki looking her up and down in disinterest already knowing that she's only talking to him to try and get at his brother blankly says "thanks". "Would you guys like any cider?" "No thanks" the boys respond in sync but Allison already left to grab a few cups. "So Ni-ki" she attempts to start a conversation again "what do you think about the Sanderson Sisters?" "The witches we're learning about in school?" "Yeah!" "Eh they're all right, Im more of a Merlin fan" "Oh thats too bad" Allison exclaims "I was gonna say I could show you their old house, my mum works for the museum with all of their stuff" she trails off hoping he'll take the bait. "It's here?" asks Jake. Happy that he seems to be showing some interest "Yeah! Im gonna change really quick and then I can take you guys to show you. Stay right there" and Allison runs up the stairs excited to have a chance to hangout with Jake while Ni-ki and Jake look at each other confused. Neither of them interested in seeing it but not wanting to be rude continue to wait for her.  About 10 mins later Allison comes back down in casual clothes and tells them to follow her.

Five minutes later after following her down the dirt road, they come across the dark gloomy cottage with the old water mill. Climbing up the steps Allisons states in an excited tone "Legend has it that there's bones of a hundred children in these walls" "oh great" states Ni-ki under his breath. Opening the door they are met with complete darkness and the scent of old books, wax, and various other unpleasant scents. Scrunching his nose Ni-ki asks if there's a light. "There should be a switch here somewhere we just have to find it" says Allison. While trying to find the switch Jake bumps into a table and feels the cool metal of a lighter under his hand, dusting it off on his pants he tries lighting it and luckily it works, with the help of the flame they're able to find the light switch. Flicking it on the dusty, cobweb filled house is bathed in light allowing the trio to see all of the witches books, ingredients, potions, etc. that fill up the house.  While investigating all of the knick knacks and magic related objects, the children fail to notice the two little shadows watching them from outside the window. "What are they doing in there Binx?" asks the smaller black cat guarding the Sanderson home "Im not sure Y/N but whatever it is can't be good." replies the other "I know... with it being Halloween we cant risk anything Binx... we need to get them to leave." Allison walks over to the case in the center containing a large book "this is the spell book of Winifred Sanderson, it was given to her by the devil himself, the book is bound in human skin and contains the recipes for her most powerful and evil spells" "I get the picture" states Ni-ki with an eye-roll. "Whats that?" asks Jake noticing a Candle in the corner of the room, "Thats the Black Flame Candle" walking over Jake dusts off the little plaque with information on the candle and reads it out loud "hmm Black Flame Candle.... made from the fat of a hanged man? Okayy then.. Legend says that on a full moon it will raise spirits of the dead when lit be a virgin *scoffs* on Halloween night.. what a bunch of hocus pocus" he states in disbelief walking back to Ni-Ki. Thinking that this would be the perfect opportunity to impress Jake, Allison walks up to the candle with another lighter she found and giggles saying "Lets light it and meet the old witches.. would you like to do the honours?" she asks Jake. "No thanks" he states uninterested, him and Ni-ki already heading towards the door to head home. "Come on let's start heading home it's late" states Ni-ki "oh come on don't be buzz kills, lets light it and see what happens" says Allison starting to move her hand to light the candle. "Fuck, now Binx!" harshly whispers Y/N urging Thackery to stop the blonde from lighting the candle. Binx quickly runs up a shelf and jumps onto Allisons shoulder trying to bite and scratch her to get her to stop. "Ahhhhh! Owww! Stupid cat!" she yells out after grabbing and throwing Binx off of her. "Okay Allison, you've had your fun and now its time to go" says Ni-ki "Yeah, let's go its late and this isn't funny anymore" agrees Jake. "Oh come on, you just said its a bunch of hocus pocus right Jake?" she states going to light the candle "seriously, thats enough let's go" states Ni-ki but it's too late as Allison lights the candle. The Flame turns black and whispers start to be heard "uh oh" states Allison realizing her mistake as every bulb starts to blow and the windows bang open and close with massive gusts of wind sweeping through the home. Just as they think everything has calmed down, all of the floor boards start aggressively shaking with a bright green light shining underneath. Jake screaming along with Ni-ki grabs him and holds onto him as close as possible trying his best to keep him from being thrown away by the floor boards, while Allison grips onto one of the tables as hard as she can. "What happened?" asks Allison "a virgin... lit the candle" states Ni-ki peeved as he puts his costume hat back on.  

Just then sudden crackles of fire started jumping from candle to candle, and fire-pit to fire-pit, lighting up the whole room. The giant cauldron in the middle of the room set itself on fire and began brewing a green bubbling liquid. Loud cackling could be heard as the old front door flew open revealing the three Sanderson sisters. The kids all scattered as quick as possible to hide in various spots throughout the cottage. "Ohh we're home, ohhh sweet revenge, do you see sisters! My plan worked perfectly." "Thats because tho' art perfect Winnie" states Mary "I knew I left this cauldron on didn't I tell you?" Sarah reaches up on her tiptoes trying to grab something from above the doorframe "My lucky rat tail, just where I left it!". Winifred getting distracted by the candle starts contemplating on whose responsible for bringing them back "Hmm but who lit the candle?" turning her head she spots her spell-book and perks up, running to it giddily. "Wake up, wake up sleepy head" she coos at it "oh I missed you, did you miss me? Wake up we have work to do." Mary hovers over her shoulder hesitating before she whispers "uh Winnie, I smell children". "Sick em" commands Winifred. The three sisters begin creeping around the cottage trying to find the source of the smell, "its a little boy... about seven... maybe eight.. and a half" claims Mary. "Ohhh I wanna play with him!" squeals Sarah. "Come little children, I’ll take thee away" she sings as Winnie goes to cover her mouth and Mary points at the case they're in front of "come out me dear we will not harm thee" coos Winifred "we love children" states Mary slamming her palm onto the case causing Ni-ki to shriek and shoot up from his hiding spot. "I thought tho' would never come sisters" states Ni-ki trying to act nonchalant "greetings little one" replies Winifred, "it was I who brought you back" "imagine.. such a pretty.. little child" they all giggle. "He's so well fed isn't he?" states Mary "shish-ka-baby hahaha" "tell me sweet dumpling, what is the year?" "1993" states Ni-ki as he gets dragged by the sisters towards a chair "Sisters" gasps Winifred "we have been gone 300 years" "well Winnie how time flies" "when you're dead!" cackle the two sisters. "Ha ha... Its been great fun but I better be going" states Ni-ki "oh stay for supper" "I-I-I'm I'm not hungry" "oh but we are" Ni-ki tries to get up from the chair and make a run for it but the sisters all grab him and force him back into the chair as he starts screaming. "Hey!" shouts Jake shooting up from his hiding place "let go of my little brother" he growls out. "Roast him Winnie.. no let me play with him" Winifred ignores her sisters and throws a green blast of electric energy at Jake throwing him back with a grunt. She then walks closer to him and using the same energy starts moving him around, sliding him into furniture then points at him and says "You. There." and throws him into the wall face first then turning him around and keeping him in place as all three sisters surround him. "Hahahah I haven't lost my touch sisters see" "JAKE" shouts Ni-ki trying to break free and run to his brother. "Hello.. goodbye" cackles Winifred as she uses the same energy to pick Jake up and start lifting him towards the ceiling. In that moment Binx and Y/N find their way back into the cottage. Seeing whats happening Y/N runs to attack Winifred and Sarah stopping them from hurting Jake while Binx runs to save Ni-ki.  "Ahhhhhh get this retched beast off of me, get it off!!" "Ahhh let go of me you little demon" shout the sisters. 

Taking their chance to escape the Sim brothers start running towards the door, Jake stops trying to think of a distraction to help them escape, tells Ni-ki to go and starts climbing towards the part of the roof with the emergency sprinkler system for fires. "HEY! You messed with the great and powerful Jake, you now must suffer the consequences, I summon the burning rain of death" as he lights the lighter "Gasp, he made fire with his hand" he puts it on the sprinkler causing it to go off " Ahhh Ahhh burning rain of death, burning rain of death! Hurry you idiots seek shelter" shouts Winifred as they all go running to hide from the "burning rain of death". Jake jumps down and attempts to leave slipping by the front door, Binx quickly jumps on his chest "nice going..Jake" he states sarcastically. Jakes eyes widen "you can talk" he states in shock "yeah no kidding, now get the spell-book" after seeing Jake not move he hisses at him and shouts "come on move it!". Jake then gets up and finds an old book stand and uses it to smash the glass and grab the spell-book. Quickly they all run away as the sisters continue to fret over getting burned.  "Confounded" Winifred puts her hands out and tastes the sprinkler water "Shut up! It is but water" the other sisters try it "most refreshing" states Mary "idiots, the boy has tricked us and stolen the book, after them!" commands Winifred. The sisters all run out in hopes of catching the children, once reaching the edge of the smooth black road they all freeze expecting it to be a black river "perhaps it is not too deep" inquires Sarah while leaning slightly forward to take a closer look. Mary and Winifred after a passing glance both push the youngest from behind as she screeches thinking that she's gonna sink only to be amazed that the surface is smooth and firm. "Why its a road, Sisters, after my book" demands the eldest. Together they walk side by side in a crouched position syncing their steps together while grunting "nghh" "nghh" "nghh" after each step. Right, left, right, left, right.... until they are alerted by the sirens and honking of a firetruck with the red flashing lights appearing in the distance. They screech out of fear and grab at each other as they run away. 

Meanwhile, the children with the guidance of Binx come to the entrance gates of the town cemetery "Woah woah woah, come on, this is a graveyard" exclaims Jake "its hallowed ground witches can't set foot here" assures Binx as Allison and Ni-ki stare at Jake in bewilderment "yeah he talks" shrugs Jake. "Follow me" calls Binx as he slips through the gate and starts running forward, the others realizing their only option of being safe and getting an explanation is by staying with him follow his lead. "Over here I want to show you something, give you an idea of exactly what we're dealing with" as he stops in front of a headstone engraved with the words "HERE LYES Y BODY OF M" WILLIAM BUTCHERSON DIED Y 1ST OF MAY 1693 LOST SOUL". "William Butcherson, lost soul" reads out Jake, "Billy Butcherson was Winifreds lover but she found him sporting with her sister Sarah so she poisoned him and sewed his mouth shut with a dull needle so he couldn't tell her secrets even in death. Winifred always was the jealous type" states Binx. "Your Thackery Binx" exclaims Allison "yes" "so the legends are true" "yes, now come along I want to show you something else" Binx states as he starts running in a different direction. Back at the old Sanderson house the sisters hide behind an old sign as the firefighters search the house and make their exit. "Teenagers again" "I hate Halloween" "this is the worst night of the year" the two firemen exclaim as they climb into their rig. "W-Who are they?" asks Mary "Boys" says Sarah excitedly "witch hunters, observe how they wear black robes and carry axes to chop the wood to burn us" "hold me" "this is a pretty spider". Winifred turns to her sisters as she smacks Mary and starts choking her "let me make one thing clear, the magic that brought us back is only good for tonight on all hallows eve when the sun comes up we are dust...fortunately the potion I brewed the night we were hung will keep us young forever... unfortunately the recipe for that potion is in my spell-book that those wretches have stolen! Therefore its terms to reason that sisters dear we must find the book, brew the potion, and suck the life out of all the children of Salem before sunrise. Otherwise its curtains, we evaporate, we cease to exist! Dost thou comprehend?" "You were splendid Winnie the way you started with a little adventure then explained.." "explained what?" questions Sarah "Come!" Winifred beckons annoyed "fly" as they all search the house for something to fly with. After finding their old brooms they all take flight beginning their search for the children and their spell-book.

"Because of me, my little sisters life was stolen." explains Binx to the children back at the cemetery. "For years.. I waited for my life to end so I could be reunited with my family but Winifreds curse of immortality kept me alive. Then one day... I figured out what to do with my eternal life, now I'd failed Emily but I wouldn't fail again so when Winifred and her sisters returned I made sure I'd be there to stop them. For three centuries I guarded their house on all hallows night, when I knew some airhead virgin might light that candle". Ni-ki immediately side eyes Allison murmuring "nice going air head". "Hey look, I'm sorry okay!" she yells slightly flustered and embarrassed. Standing up with the book, she goes to turn away from everyone while pacing "We're talking about three ancient hags versus the twentieth century here right, how bad can it be?" "Bad" states Binx "stay out of there!" he reprimands Allison as he sees her trying to open the spell-book "why?" she questions startled "because it holds Winifreds most dangerous spells. She must not get it." "Why don't we just torch this sucker" states Jake grabbing the spell-book from Allison and throwing it on the ground. Pulling out his lighter, he attempts to set it on fire however the flame, no matter how hard he tries, keeps straying from the book as if wind is blowing it "Its protected by magic" they hear a slightly deeper and more feminine voice state, turning around they all see another all black cat slightly smaller in size with beautiful (y/e/c) eyes. "I would hold onto that and hide if I were you" Y/N states turning to the bigger black cat she says "they're coming Thackery" before running off. "Eee hahah haha" comes Winifreds cackle, looking up the three kids and Binx see the Sanderson sisters hovering over them. "Ahahah ahah its just a bunch of hocus pocus" sings out the eldest, "Sarah" she murmurs as she points right, "Mary" she murmurs as she points left commanding them to help block the children to grab Ni-ki. "JAKE!" shrieks Ni-ki as he sees Sarah getting closer, all of them shooting up from there hiding spots and stumbling back as a group "brave little virgin who lit the candle, I'll be thy friend" comes Sarahs sultry voice "oh take a hike" states Jake swinging a branch at her swatting her "ouch" as she flies away. "Ohhh booooookkkkk" sing songs Winifred "come to mummyyy". As the book begins to shake and levitate, Binx jumps on top causing it to drop with his weight "afraid not" "Thackery Binx thou mangey feline, still alive?" taunts Winifred "and waiting for you" retorts Binx with a hiss trying to claw at her. The kids all rush to help Binx hold down the book. "ohh thou hast waited in vain... thou will fail to save thy friends just as thou failed to save thy sister" she snarks "rrreowwwrrr" hisses and snarls Binx as she tries to charge at him.

"What are you doing, grab the book" exclaims Jake picking it up as they all scream running away, dodging Mary, the kids stand on one side hidden between the trees while Binx stands on top of a rock. "They can't touch us right?" asks Jake with Ni-ki wrapped under his left arm and the book under his right arm "well.. they can't" replies Binx giving Jake and Ni-ki an unsettling feeling "I do not like the way you said that" huffs Ni-ki. "Unfaithful lover long since dead deep asleep in thy wormy bed, wiggle thy toes and open thine eyes, twist thy fingers toward the sky, life is sweet be not shy, on thy feet so sayeth I! WAhhahahah"cackles Winifred manically as the Butcherson grave begins to quake and a bony skeletal hand shoots up out of the dirt. "Jake JAKE" shouts Ni-ki as he tries to hold onto his brother while Allison grabs onto him on his other side. The rest of Billy Butcherson's body emerges from his grave with a groan shaking off all of the dirt from his hair and body, he turns to the kids as they all look at each other and scream running away. "Hi- Hello Billy" Sarah calls frantically waving almost falling off the broom. Billy looks up at her and gives a closed mouthed smile with an almost dreamy glint if he didn't have dead eyes. "Catch those children! Get up, get up!" demands the eldest while Billy glares at her "get out of that ditch, faster!" as he gets up and starts heading towards where the kids ran off. The kids come to a halt as they see a huge bolder with an opening at the bottom "quick in here" calls Binx running inside with Ni-ki and Allison following him. Seeing that Billy was catching up to them, Jake grabs onto a thick branch pulling it towards him and then letting it go once he was close enough knocking Billy's head off "Yes!" proceeding to follow after them. 

"Woahhhhh" they all yell out as they fall through the tunnel "oof", "ouch".  "Are you okay?"  "Yeah" "What is this place Binx?" asks Jake "it's the old Salem crypt" answers Binx "it connects to the sewer and up to the street". "Charming" replies Allison in disgust as Jake pulls out his lighter using it as a makeshift torch so they can see where they are going. Looking around the dark grey bricked tunnel, Jake could see cobwebs and skeletons of both humans and big rats hanging from the ceiling "Ughh don't look Ni-ki" "don't worry I won't" he replies slightly disturbed. "Relax I've hunted mice down here for years" calls out Binx "You say that as if it's supposed to comfort them Thackery" drawls out that same dulcet voice from earlier "the girl looks like she'll throw up in a minute" the youngest Sanderson states as she comes out of a hidden passage to stand next to him. "Hey..it's you..from the cemetery" exclaims Jake surprised "yeah.. who are you?" ask Ni-ki suspiciously "Y/N Sanderson, I would say its nice to meet you but given my family history I don't think you'll care. Did you get the book?" "yeah.. wait Sanderson? As in you're related to the three Sanderson sisters?" "Unfortunately. I've never agreed with their beliefs and methods. When they attempted to take Emily my sisters bound me to a chair and put a silencing spell on me to prevent me from meddling. When Thackery came to save her and they were distracted I was able to undo the spells but it was too late. As punishment for not following my eldest sisters demands she decided to curse me the same way she did Thackery." Y/N explains to them. "May I have the book please?" she gently asks Jake whose holding the book "uhh sure here" as he puts it down for her unsure. Opening the book she incants a spell to prevent it from lighting energy into the sky not wanting to alert her sisters "just in case, really don't want them showing up". Flipping through the pages she comes across the spell she's looking for to undo the curse and become human again. Silently casting the spell, a dull purple aura like glow begins to surround Y/N's cat form as her body begins to revert back to its natural state. They all watch as she stands at five foot three with beautiful long wavy (y/h/c) hair with soft curves, a well-defined bosom, and striking feline eyes.  "Wow" murmurs Jake under his breath completely enamored and awestruck at how beautiful she is. Allison witnessing Jake fawn over Y/N in a way he's never done for her, feeling jealous and wanting to bring his attention away from her, asks "so what are we doing now, whats the plan to fix this?".

Back at the cemetery the Sanderson trio fly around looking for Billy, seeing his headless body Winifred yells out "oh cheese and crackers he's lost his head.... damn that Thackery Binx damn him! Billy which way did they go? Ughhhh Billy listen to me, follow those children you maggot museum and get my book. Then come find us" she finishes her command just as Billy finds his head and screws it back on. "We'll be ready for them. Quit staring at me! Get moving down that hole. Damn damn double damn! Broom ho!" she orders flying away with her sisters to go back home and come up with a plan. Billy begrudgingly goes to follow the kids with a moaned grunt. "This way" calls Binx trying to guide everyone out of the tunnels with Ni-ki in front leading Jake and Y/N, with Allison right behind them. Jake slows down his steps to be inline with Y/N in hopes of striking up a conversation he asks "soooo, you were cursed by your older sisters and turned into a cat for eternity? That kinda sucks... does that mean now that you're human your mortal?" Y/N slightly intrigued by the really cute boy with longish hair falling into his face, pretty puppy eyes, and plump lips slightly smirks "it does suck a bit, luckily I had Thackery to keep me company which wasn't too bad" getting slightly closer to him she whispers with a mischievous glint in her eyes "but don't ever tell him I said that... I kinda like him being slightly scared of me". Jake snorts out a laugh as she giggles, he thinks its the prettiest sound he's ever heard not including her voice. "To answer your question no.. I'm still immortal, the spell I used to turn myself back reverted me to my original state aka a witch" "huh interesting" states Jake slightly amused. "So you can do magic then?" asks Ni-ki joining the conversation "yes among other things" "like what" "hmm like this little one" she says as she silently casts a spell summoning a cute little purplish white ghost puppy that runs around Ni-ki's leg, slightly jumping on him trying to get him to hold it and give it affection. "Woah! Cool!!" giggles Ni-ki as the phantom puppy licks his cheek. Jake watching their interaction with a slight smile turns to Y/N as she looks at him with a triumphant smirk and winks at him. Shaking his head in giddy awe at her silliness and how well she's doing with Ni-ki lightly bumps his shoulder with hers as they continue to follow Binx. Allison grudgingly follows behind them green with envy, feeling like she has steam coming out of her ears with how annoyed she is seeing Jake continue to give Y/N attention and even Ni-ki seeming to like her. 

The Sanderson sisters land at the entrance gates for the Old Burial Hill expecting to find the children "they're here, I know they're here. I know they're here but where are they? Sniff them out Mary!". Taking in a deep whiff, Mary stutters "they're...they're...ohh I can't they've gone too far. I've-I've lost them". Angered at her sisters lack of assistance Winifred grabs Mary by her ear dragging her towards the sidewalk "I'll have your guts for garters girl! Confound you!" throwing her to the side a bit she begins to ponder " hmmm very well... we must outwit them. When Billy the Butcher gets here with my book we shall be ready for them!" "Book? Ready" "Sarah! SARAH!" the eldest yells at her seeing her dangling and swaying on the gate like a child on a set of monkey bars "let us start collecting children" she states walking off as the two younger sisters follow her. As the walk Mary confused inquires "why?" "because you great buffoon" states the eldest halting her step and turning to her with a scowl on her face "we want to live forever not just until tomorrow. The more children's lives we snatch, the longer we shall live! Do you understand?" "Right! Let us fly" suggests Sarah excited. "Wait! Sisters" calls Mary after them "I have an idea. Since this promises to be a most dire and stressful evening... I suggest we form a calming circle." " I AM CALM!" shouts the eldest "oh sister, thou art not being honest with thyself, are we, huh? Huh? Come onnn... gimme a smile" she says pointing at the her whilst Sarah giggles in the back, together they form a circle and begin the process of "calming". "Come along now, not much further" calls Binx slightly ahead of the kids "let's see, which way, which way? I can't remember. Oh look, down here!" he says turning to a tunnel on the right and scurrying off as they follow. "Think soothing thoughts.. rabid bats, black death, Mummy's scorpion pie. Mother!" they sisters chant as they spin in a circle trying to calm down. "AHHHH" the yell hearing a loud horn blearing as a bus pulls up with the door creaking open "bubble, bubble, I'm in trouble" says the driver intrigued at the woman. "Tell me friend, what is this contraption?" asks Winifred "I call it a bus" "a bus" "a bus" "and it's purpose" "to convey gorgeous creatures such as yourselves to your most forbidden desires" he flirts. "Hahaha well fancy" replies Winifred flustered turning away and fiddling with her robe nervously "we desire children" "haha hey, that may take me a couple of tries but I don't think there'll be a problem" the conductor states not quite catching on to what she means. "Hop on up" he commands "marvelous! Thank you" they say as they all climb up the small steps and try to find a seat that will fit their brooms. "Mmm mmm mmmm I need one of those ice packs, you girls are giving me a fever! Yow!" he whistles as Sarah passes. 

"Go Binx", "come on guys this way" Billy hears as he starts following the kids voices in the tunnels getting closer. "Up the ladder" commands Binx trying to get the kids to rush, Jake going up the ladder first followed by Ni-ki, then Y/N, then Allison. "Hey buttercup, anyone ever tell you you're very easy on the eyes?" the bus driver ask as he lets Sarah sit on his lap and steer the bus. A few feet ahead Binx opens the sewer pipe cap hopping out into the middle of the road, Max with his head poking out and holding onto the cap seeing that the Bus isn't gonna stop shouts "Binx, look out!" but it's too late as the headlights shine on Binx and he freezes as max ducks back under. *Boom* *Crunch* "Whoa speed bump" shouts the driver not realizing what just happened. "Binx no!" yells Ni-ki panicked after hearing the slight collision, together they all climb out unfortunately seeing Binx squashed from getting run over by the wheel leaving a large indent on the middle of his body. "Nooo" cries Ni-ki turning into Y/N's embrace seeking comfort as tears stream down his face. "It's all my fault" Jake blames himself disheartened wiping at his face trying not to cry as his eyes get watery. "Hey, it's not your fault" Allison starts wanting to take this chance to comfort him in hopes it'll help her have a chance with him, just to get cut off  as he also seeks Y/N's embrace. "Jake, it's not your fault or yours Ni-ki, it's okay. Binx is immortal, give him a few seconds and it'll be okay I promise. Okay?" she says making both boys look at her as she wipes their tears and tries to give them a comforting smile to easy their pain and worries. Just as Ni-ki goes to ask if she's sure they hear cracking sounds as Binx starts to expand and his body reverts back to normal and he becomes conscious "ugh.. I hate it when that happens. What? I told you I can't die. Ni-ki are you alright?" "Yeah" Ni-ki replies feeling slightly better knowing Binx is okay. "Okay, then let's go" Binx says starting to lead the group somewhere else, they all follow with Jake and Ni-ki still sticking to Y/N's side while Allison stays behind with a scowl. Mary looking out the window and catching a faint whiff of what she thought were  kids abruptly stands up and shouts "STOPPPPP" as the driver and Sarah slam on the brakes causing the whole bus to jerk. "I smell children" she sings out in the eldest's ears "marvelous" as they all get up and start leaving the bus. The driver wanting a shot at being involved with Sarah grabs onto her wrist and stops her "hey cupcake, don't I get your phone number, your area code? You want my route schedule?" "Thou wouldst hate me in the morning" she replies trying to take her leave "No I wouldns't" "Oh believe me, thou wouldst" intervenes Winifred "party pooper" he blanches after them annoyed he's going home alone.. again.

Climbing out of the bus they walk into the chaos that is Halloween night. Children and families running around dressed in costumes, trying to fill their bags with as much candy as possible from trick-or-treating, homes decorated from the roof to the street with lights and ghosts and all things spooky. Winifred turning to her sisters asks "What is this sisters? Odds bodkins" as Mary begins sniffing and they children run by. "Farewell, mortal busboy" calls Sarah waving him goodbye. "What are those? What's that? Who's that?" ask Mary slightly perturbed "hobgoblins" answers the eldest as a little girl dressed in angel costume with wings does a curtsy and says "bless you" causing the younger sisters to scream in fear and disgust. "Enough!" reprimands the eldest, embarrassed at their behaviour. "Oh sisters" starts Mary while continuing to sniff around "I'm very confused, I-I-I I smell children but I don't see children... I-I've lost my power!" she cries out in despair beginning to sob. "Enough, enough, enough!" commands the eldest slapping her back and forth "we are witches, we are evil.. what would mother say if she could see us like this" she states all they all raise their brooms and bow their heads in her honour. "RRRRRAHHHH" growls out a man stepping onto the front of his house fully decked out in a Devil costume scaring some children as they run away. Seeing this the sisters all bawl "MASTERRRR" running up to him, "what kind of costumes are these" he asks watching as they all continuously bow to him, "it's the Sanderson sisters right?"  he guesses not knowing that they're real or that they think he's the actual Devil. "At your service" states Winifred elated that he remembers them, "haven't seen you for centuries, but what the heck, why don't you come in? Come into the non-smoking section"  he states chuckling as he invites them into his home. "Come on, come on right this way"  he beckons as they follow, "I can't believe it's him!" cheers Mary in disbelief, "don't step on my tail" he jokes as Winifred turns and growls at the children effectively scaring them off so its just the sisters and their "master". 

The children, after getting out of the sewer tunnels and continuing to run away as fast and as far as they could with Y/N and Binx following them stumble across what they assume is a officer on his motorcycle "officer officer" calls out Allison running towards him. "We need your help!" she states "what's the problem?" he asks. Turning to Jake, she immediately tries to grab him and pull him forward demanding "go ahead tell him" while Ni-ki rolls his eyes thinking she can't be serious... he's a cop not a witch expert or hunter. Jake grabs his arm back from her not wanting her touch him and steps back a step as he begrudgingly starts explaining what happened when he realizes she's not gonna let it go "Well you see.. the thing is I just moved here and we may have broke into the old Sanderson house and she" he states pointing at Allison "decided it would be a great idea to light the candle and brought the witches back from the dead" subconsciously Jake hides the book behind his back thinking it's not a good idea while effectively glaring at and shutting Allison down from opening her mouth to mention it. "You lit the Black Flame Candle" asks the "officer" looking directly at Allison as she tries to hide flustered that the attention is on her now "yeah..". Getting off his bike, he walks around the front beckoning them onto the sidewalk and standing right in front of Allison "and she's a virgin" throws out Ni-ki with a slight smirk feeling happy to get a jab at the blonde he clearly dislikes. The "officer" look at her trying to hold his laugh in "are you?" "yeah" "really?" "Yes! Oh my god yes I did it okay! I'll even get it tattooed on my forehead at this point jeez!" she slightly blows up with her cheeks puffed up and fire red from all the attention on her mistake. "This isn't a prank" she states annoyed "Hey! I put my life on the line to protect this community and you punks pull this?" he states while Allison stares at him in shock and boys look at her with indifference "get outta here and take that cat with you" he demands before turning his head and seeing Y/N "me-oww.. but her you can leave" he says taking on a sleazy tone as Y/N begins to scowl glaring at him. Jake immediately grabs her wrist pulling her behind him as he growls out at the dude "watch it" dragging her with him. "Come on" he softly beckons her and Ni-KI to start walking with Allison following behind envious that yet again someone else is interested in the young witch. As they walk away they miss the "officers" lady friend coming out of the shop asking him whats so funny, "just a bunch of kids pullin' my chain, they thought I was real cop" he tells her as they ride away laughing into the night. As they go to turn a corner, they pass the sewer pipe cap where the kids came out as Billy Butcherson closes it hiding but unfortunately getting his fingers run over and dismembered from his hand. 

"I want you to meet the little woman" states the "devil" walking away from the Sanderson sisters "he has a little woman?" "sounds tasty". In the other room the man walks up to a woman in a colourful robe, smoking a cigarette with curlers in hair watching TV  "petunia face?" "what" she demands. "Will you stop clicking?" he asks taking the remote from her "we have company". The woman pissed off at getting interrupted from trying to relax gets in his face as she snarls "I don't care who..I'm sick and tired of.." beginning to argue with him as the sisters gasp mumbling to themselves at the opening of the room "sisters, Satan has married Medusa see the snake in her hair?". "I don't wanna play in this, I don't wanna play" she continues before he grabs her by her cheeks and turns her head so she sees the disturbing trio "my three favorite witches" "aren't you broads a little old to be trick-or-treating" the woman snarks out with her cigarette and drink in hand. "We'll be younger in the morning" retorts Winifred cynically "yeah sure, me too... excuse me" states the woman getting up to leave and move upstairs, already over her husbands game tonight.  Meanwhile a group of children go to walk past the house and notice the sisters broomsticks they left outside, getting excited the steal them moving onto the next house. "Forget the kids, I'm serving you from my cauldron" he states making his way around the room "Winnie! For you" "yes?" she replies taking the candy bar "master I thank thee... what about the book?" "We'll get to the book later". Next he moves onto Mary "Mary! Go long" as he throws a candy bar to her and she catches it cheering "yeah you could be a tight end!". Sarah then runs up to him taking off his cloak "master would thou dance with me?". While they begin to slow dance around the room Winnie enters the kitchen looking around and picking up random objects thinking she's in some kind of torture chamber. Mary walks toward the recliner and sits down picking up the remote beginning to flick through channels intrigued by this box that produces images and sounds. As the woman of the household begins to descend down the staircase she calls out "Honey, I've lost five pounds according to the bathroom .." immediately coming to a halt at the sight of her husband and Sarah dancing so intimately while Sarah keeps referring to him as "master". Infuriated she turns on all the lights yelling "that's it party is over! Get outta my house now!" starting to shoo them out "now now puddin" "shut it Satan" "oh" calls Sarah "though should not speak to master in such a manner" she teases shaking her head. "They call me master" "wait till you see what I'm gonna call you" she threatens "now tart-face take your Clark Bars and get the fuck outta my house!" she commands "Make us" goads Winnie. The woman looking her dead in her eyes calmly orders "Ralph. Sick em" as her small terrier dog immediately starts barking and growling as he chases them out of the house. Running away they notice their brooms are gone as Mary tries the bar the man handed her "uggh phew eww its candy. Why would the master give us candy?" she questions "because he is not our master" retorts Winnie "he isn't" "no.. and these are not hobgoblins" she remarks grabbing one of the children passing by and lifting their mask up to show their face. "Sisters, All Hallows Eve has become a night of frolic where children wear costumes and run amok!" "Amok, amok, amok, amok, amok, owww" Sarah chants jumping up and down before the eldest hits her in her stomach. "Oh Winnie, just one child" "nip" the eldest shushes her trying to think of a plan as time keeps passing by with no solution yet. 

On the other side of town the kids come to a stop in front of the Town Hall building as they hunch over trying to catch their breath. "Are you okay?" Jake asks Ni-ki and Y/N with their wrists still in his grasp and they both nod in reply. He lets go of Ni-ki's wrist and gently moves his hand to intertwine his fingers with Y/N instead as she lets him, feeling slightly warm tingles at his gentleness and care towards her and smiles up at him. Ni-ki watches from the side with a slight smirk feeling proud of his big brother for making a move on her, already feeling bonded to her. Allison on the opposite side green with envy, tries bringing the attention back to her again "what are we gonna do now?". "I think you should go home" Ni-ki mumbles annoyed she's still with them. She turns slightly and glares at him as he discreetly flicks her off and she gasps "you brat" she snarls wanting to lunge at him before Jakes voice cuts her off like a drench of cold water, "Go home Allison.. I think you've done enough and we'll fix it ourselves now that we have Binx and Y/n" he commands with a cold look. She scoffs embarrassed and annoyed at feeling like an outsider "are you serious right now? This whole time you guys have been blaming me for what happened and all of a sudden this witch and cat show up and gets your attention and now you're just throwing me away?". "Hey don't talk about her like that!" barks Ni-ki "we didn't even want to be involved with this in the first place but you were too busy being pathetic and vying for hyung's attention that you made up the whole trip and dragged us along to the Sanderson house and then, as if that wasn't annoying enough, you couldn't take no for an answer and decided to light the candle, despite both of us and Binx trying to stop you, and now you wanna play innocent? We should've dropped you a long time ago... at least Y/N noona is knowledgable and has tried to help!". "Ni-ki" calls Y/N softly, shaking her head gently as he turns to look at her and pulling him behind her, seeing how close Allison got to his face, "it's not worth fighting right now little one, we need to work together to solve the issue".  Allison scoffs "says you little miss perfect, I don't even know what he sees in you that could be better than me... do you even know who my family is?" she snarls getting in Y/N's face. Jake fed up with having to deal with Allison and her nonsense all night and the mess she caused, and also not favoring how she's speaking to Ni-ki and Y/N stands in front of them blocking Allison "enough" bites Jake sternly "go home Allison. I won't tell you again" pulling Y/N and Ni-ki after him as Binx follows. Y/N stops and growls out in her ear tone cold "do anything like that to Ni-ki again and I'll make sure its the last thing you do" with a pointed glare before letting the boys drag her away, leaving Allison to stand alone outside with a shiver going down her back. Allison huffs and begins her trek home cursing and whining about the group making people look at her like she's crazy. 

Inside the group are met with loud music, bright lights, and a gust of warm air from all the body heat in the room. Observing everyone dressed in costumes the Sim brother turn to each other asking if they see either of their parents. After confirming that they don't they split up, Y/N with Ni-ki and Jake with Binx, to hunt down their assigned parent. Running around, turning people around to see their face, asking questions took them a while with no luck for at least 10 minutes. "How are we supposed to find Mum and Dad in this place?" asks Ni-ki stopping in a corner with Y/N. Right as she opens her mouth to try and encourage him she gets bumped into from behind "oh sorry" calls out a kind elder voice. "Mum?" inquires Ni-ki looking straight at her in disbelief "what are you wearing?". "You can't tell? Im supposed to be Madonna..." "oh" "I think you look amazing Ms.Sim" "why thank you honey.. who is your friend Ni-ki?" "Y/N" sighs out Jake after finding Ni-ki and Y/N to tell them he couldn't find their father. "Have you seen Dad?" he asks his mother "it's not Dad.. its Dad-cula" he states with a mock Transylvanian accent resting his hands on Jake's shoulder trying to spook him before catching a glimpse of Y/N "oh my goodness... who must this charming young blood donor be?" he asks intrigued. "Y/N a friend of theirs it's nice to meet you" she replies sticking out her hand to shake as Mr.Sim gently grips her hand and places a kiss on top of it. Jake immediately puts her behind him "we need to talk" and then drags his parents aside. "Something bad has happened" he starts off "what? What is it? " "While Ni-ki and I were trick-or-treating a classmate of mine dragged us to the old Sanderson house and when we were trying to leave she kept messing around and lit the Black Flame Candle bringing back the three sisters from the dead and now they're after us so that they can use Ni-ki to stay immortal before the kill the rest of the children of Salem" he rants out letting out a big breath. His parent's thinking that the two of them are just playing games begin to quietly argue between each other not noticing as the Sanderson trio walk into the ballroom. "Cause there's no nicer witch than youuu" sings out the lead singer of the band painted as a skeleton man pointing directly at the eldest and winking at her while she keeps a scowl on her face. "I put a spell on you, and now you're mine" Winnie now intrigued and flattered puts her hand to her cheek whilst raising a brow and watching the man perform. "Enough is Enough" quietly demands Mr.Sim "don't you see how crazy this sounds?". "Pardon me sorry to interrupt.. but may I borrow Jake for a moment its kind of urgent" "of course darlin', it was a pleasure meeting you" he replies slipping back into character and gently guiding his wife away to dance. 

"They're here" Y/N states grabbing onto Jakes arm and looking him in the eye "what do you wanna do?" Jake looks around a bit before gently moving Y/N's hand and telling her to wait there with Ni-ki before rushing onto the stage. "No I ain't lying.... No no I ain't lyin-" "Hey cut the music" Jake cuts him off turning to face the confused crowd "I'm in the middle of a song" whines the singer "yeah well it can wait it's an emergency... Can everybody listen up? Your children are in danger" he begins to warn the onlookers "three hundred years ago the Sanderson sisters bewitched people and now they've returned from their grave" some of the people begin to laugh thinking its just a silly prank "Look I'm serious okay, it's not a joke! I know this sounds dumb but they're here tonight.. they're right over there" he points them at as a bright spotlight shines on them showcasing the three sisters trying to hide their faces and behind each other. "Thank you Jake, for that marvelous introduction" announces Winifred already hatching up a plan to ensure she has the best shot at no adults getting in her way. Continuing the song she starts "I put a spell on youuu and now you're mine... You can't stop the things I do, I ain't lying" singing she adds playful shakes of her head and dance moves getting into the act of fooling the crowd "it's been three hundred years right down to the day, now the witch is back and there's Hell to pay... I put a spell on you and now you're mine" she shouts with a flare of her cape making her way onto the stage with her sisters to perform. "Hellooo Salem, my name's Winifred. What's yours? I put a spell on you and now you're gone gone gone" the younger two harmonize with her, backing her up "my whammy fell on you and it was strong, your wretched little lives have all been cursed cause of all the witches working... im the worst" she trills smugly. As she continues to sing, Jake starts running back to the group as he realizes the adults will be of no help and aren't taking them seriously. Reaching them he sees Y/N and Ni-ki's slightly panicked faces as she grabs his arms and commands "we're leaving now" after having caught a glimpse of the Butcherson zombie boy, dragging him along with her as they head outside. As the sisters finish up their curse on the crowd and Billy gets caught up dancing with a woman dressed with a mask and an intricate victorian ball gown the kids stumble across the back of a restaurant trying to seek cover. Jake slightly frustrated at how the day is playing out kicks a near by bin "Fuck! Could this get any worse!" he yells irritated wiping his hands over his face and pushing his hair out of his face aggressively. "Hey hey" Y/N starts gently cooing at him, grabbing his face and turning it to her making him look at her "breathe Jake" "Jaeyun" he interrupts with a pout, for some reason wanting her to say his real name and comfort him "Jaeyun" she purrs sweetly "we're gonna figure it and everything's gonna be okay.. okay?" "okay" he sighs out resting his forehead on her shoulder as Ni-ki joins and leans into her torso as she comforts the boys... her boys. 

Hearing the back door of the restaurant bang open and somebody walking out, the trio and Binx hide behind a couple of crates "okay guys, who's goin for the Jacuzzi?" before grabbing one of the lobsters from the tank and heading back inside "Angelo..too bad". Standing up thinking the coast is clear Ni-ki begins to ask what the plan is before Binx calls out "uh oh, hide" after spotting the witches coming up the street. Jake pulls Y/N with him and hides behind a big blue dumpster bin, Ni-ki hides in an old oven, and Binx hides in a crate. "I smell...Winnie I smell" "yes? Yes?" "I smell scrod!" Mary exclaims giddily "Scrod, it's a bottom dweller. You cook it sometimes with lovely bread crumbs, a little bit of margarine or olive oil is good" she stammers not hearing a reaction from either sister. The eldest grabs her roughly by her cheeks and drags her away on the hunt for the children, beckoning Sarah to follow. Binx, slightly peeking out from his crate, keeps an eye on them and waits until the coast is clear before alerting the kids that they could get up. Emerging from their hiding spots Y/N, after seeing Ni-ki pop out of the oven, gets an idea as Jake guides them to the Jacob Bailey High School.  "What is this place?" asks Sarah mesmerized by the school building. "It reeks of children" retorts Mary "it must be a prison for children" explains Winifred as they begin walking into the building. "ARRHHWOOOOO!" playfully howls Jake "welcome to High School Hell" he begins talking into the microphone in the office as if hosting a podcast. "I'm your host Boris Karloff jr.... HAHAHAHAHA *evil cackle* it’s time to meet our three contestants Sarah, Mary, and Winifred Sanderson. Read any good spell books recently?” he goads, just as Binx cuts off the Sanderson sisters in the empty hallway barking and growling at them. "Hag tracks!" commands the eldest as the three sister get in formation side by side and do their infamous weird grunt walk chasing after him. "Hello, welcome to the library" calls out a female voice halting the sisters "bonjour, bienvenue a la bibliotheque", they turn down another hallway and begin following the voice. Sneakily moving against the wall they come across a boiler room, as they run in squealing and cheering thinking they've gotten a hold of the children Mary realizes there are voices coming out of a radio boombox positioned on one of the shelfs. While the trio are distracted by the box, they don't notice Y/N and Ni-ki closing the door to the room and turning the huge walk in ceramic oven on causing it to be engulfed with flames. Watching as the sisters burn, the kids turn and exit the school beginning to jump around and cheer now that the sisters are gone. 

As they jubilantly run down the street continuing to cheer and spin each other around, they stop by a park that'll help them cut across, making the walk shorter to the Sim residence. Binx climbs up a tree as Jake leans against the tall black metal bar fencing "we did it Binx!" he cheers "I've wanted to do that for three hundred years since they took Emily" sighs out Binx feeling accomplished but reminiscent. Jake hearing his tone retorts sympathetically "you really miss her don't you? You really can't keep blaming yourself for that man. That happened so long ago" "Take good care of Ni-ki, Jake. You'll never know how precious he is until you lose him" he replies hopping down from the tree and beginning his trek to the tunnels. "Hey Binx!" Jake calls after him causing him to stop and turn around "where do you think you're going? You're a Sim now buddy, one of us." "Come on Binx!" calls Ni-ki "let's go home" "home" sighs out Binx, feeling a sense of belonging he hasn't felt in three hundred years, following after Ni-ki as Jake rolls his eyes with a big smile on his face. Walking through the front door, Jake turns on the lights as Ni-ki calls out "Mum? Dad? We got a cat!" not hearing a response as they all head upstairs. Opening all of the doors to check, Jake replies "I guess they must still be partying" while everyone gathers in his room. Back at the Town Hall party where Winifred casted the curse upon the crowd to dance until they drop dead, the Sims unfortunately are caught up in the middle of the crowd with the spell manipulating them. In Jakes room Ni-ki curls up on his bed as Binx drinks some milk from a small ceramic dish. "You're my kitty now. You'll have milk and tuna fish everyday and you'll only hunt mice for fun" Ni-ki proclaims as Binx jumps up to join him on the bed. "You're gonna turn me into one of those fat, useless, contented house cats aren't you?" "you betcha" Ni-ki giggles almost mischievously looking over at Jake as him and Y/N cuddle up to each other on the stairs with a blanket, smiling back at him happy to see him and Binx so content after the chaotic and treacherous day they had. Eventually they all doze off into a deep slumber, exhausted from running around and fighting all day, completely unaware that the challenges are yet to be over. 

At the High School, the Sanderson sisters somehow having survived through the fire, break down the door stepping out. " Hello. I want my book" dead pans Winifred, repeating her statement in french, then continuing to pat herself to get off the ashes and dirt as her sisters cough and do the same behind her. "You wanna smash some pumpkins?" drawls out Jay "no"  "... you wanna look in windows and watch babes undress?" he tries again, listing off things him and Ice could do to pass time, as they sit on the steps of a dark house covered in toilet paper eating the candy they stole as "toll fees". "It's 3 in the morning... they're already undressed" Ice deadpans, "well then you think of something" Jay glares smacking his shoulder, "I don't feel so good" Ice retorts, "cause you're eating too much candy you oinker!" bites back Jay as they begin to argue and push each other.  In the middle of their bickering the Sanderson trio, after continuing their hunt for the children, go to pass them on the sidewalk until Mary almost breaks her neck coming to a halt after catching a whiff of Jake's trainers on Ice's feet and bends down as she starts smelling them. "Yo witch, get your face off my shoes" demands Ice in disgust "ooohh wrong boy Winnie, I'm sorry" she begins to whine and apologize to the eldest "why, why, why was I cursed with such idiot sisters" Winnie complains already planning on dragging Mary away while Ice and Jay watch in amusement, slight smirks on their faces. "Just lucky I guess" retorts Sarah distracted by a piece if toilet paper and swinging it around as Mary tries to hide her giggle. "Oh man, how come it's always the ugly chicks that stay out late"  sneers Jay nudging Ice and causing the sisters to abruptly halt in their step. Turning slowly towards the young teens, the eldest orders her sisters to grab them as they head back home deciding to use the boys instead of searching for Ni-ki. In their cabin, after stringing Jay and Ices who are locked in cages from their ceiling, the eldest rambles as she tries to recollect the recipe for the potion they need before the end of the night "we haven't much time left...we shall-we shall have to make the potion from memory" stresses Winnie. "Hey" cries out Jay, "let us out of here, we're sorry" he whines, "we think you're really cute". "HUSH" Winnie silences him, too busy feeling stressed over the lack of her spell book "remember, remember, remember... now I remember! I was here. The book was there. You, Mary, you were here. Sarah you were in the back dancing idiotically and the book said... I remember it like it was yesterday. Oil of boil and a dead mans nose". "Dead mans toes" chimes out Sarah correcting her but getting ignored, "no no his thumbs? Or was it his gums? A dead mans buns? Sounds like mums, funs, funs, chungs! Dead mans chungs!". "Chungs" whispers Jay scared "theres no such thing as chungs" corrects Mary "your right" whines Winnie "it's  no use, I don't remember the ingredients. I-I-I've got to have my book!" she cries out running away distressed with Mary following her and Sarah grabbing onto Jay's cage spinning him as he cries out that he's gonna puke. Opening the window the eldest begins to call out in a sing song voice "booooookkkk, come home or make thyself known" she sobs. 

Whilst the new mini family slumber with light snores and slow deep breaths, Allison having followed them from a distance after being sent home, tries the front door which is fortunately unlocked, and ascends the stairs trying to be as quiet as possible. Sneaking up to Jakes room, she gently opens the door and squeezes through starting her search for the spell book. Quietly she lifts random books, loose pages, articles of clothing, etc while checking over her shoulder every once in a while for any signs of the groups waking up she doesn't find anything. About to give up feeling like she wasted her time, she gets an idea that the young witch must've kept the book with herself and tip toes to where she's sleeping not noticing at first that the boy of her obsession is under Y/N. Getting close, she gently lifts the blanket begrudgingly noticing that Jake has the witch wrapped up tight in his arms with his face nuzzled in the crook of her neck. Irritated and trying to hold in a scream of anger, she catches a glimpse of the book near the witches head and grabs it quickly before covering them back. Despite feeling envious, Allison slowly starts inching towards the open door trying to leave in hopes she'll be able to read it and find something to get rid of the sisters and gain Jakes attention... if she's lucky then also get rid of the young witch so there's no competition. As she heads down the stairs opening the book and reading as she goes, the new lovebirds rouse from their slumber gently nudging each others noses as they look into each others eyes. "You okay?" mumbles Jake sleepily while gently pushing some of her hair behind her ear and gently holding her by the junction between her throat and jaw " 'm okay" she slurs a bit with her eyes closed and softly nudging her nose against his, still exhausted. "Just worried a bit.... I don't know why but I feel like we're missing something" "what do you mean?" he asks gently tilting her head up so she'll look at him again "it's just earlier... I heard Winifred mention something about 24 hours and it got me thinking. They're set on getting Ni-ki to use him for the spell right? However they only have until the end of All Hallows Eve aka tonight which explains why they were so adamant. What I don't get and is making me slightly nervous is... how exactly does the spell she used work and how it affects not only them but Thackery. I can't help but feel like we're missing something. I think he should've been released from his curse and able to cross over if we defeated them... but he's still here and I feel bad saying that knowing how attached Ni-ki is to him now but I'm a little worried Jaeyun" she looks away a bit. "Hey, we're not going anywhere and we're in this together okay? I'll help you however I can but don't stress yourself too much right now lets take it step by step my love" he soothes her "my love huh?" she quirks a brow at him with a knowing little smirk and a twinkle in her eyes, "sorry it um it kinda slipped out" he scratches his head abashedly looking away, "I love it, my love" she coos pulling him closer by the nape of his neck and kissing him softly. Breaking apart from their soft moment with little stars in their eyes, Y/N suggests they check the spell book so she can figure out more about the curse and how to help Thackery. Passing her hand by her head, her brows furrow together as she feels nothing turning to Jake and asking him if he moved the book. Confirming that he doesn't know what happened to the book and helping her search they both look up at each other with wide eyes as they hear the front door close tripping over each other and the blanket whilst trying to quietly run down the stairs as quick as possible without waking Ni-ki and Binx.

In their cabin Mary is still trying to comfort a disheveled and sobbing Winifred "Winnie do you want to hit me? Would that cheer you up? No..okay" she concedes lifting Winnie's legs up to rest as she grabs a round hand fan and begins to fan her. "This is the end... I feel it" Winnie cries solemnly "we are doomed. I feel the icy breath of death upon my neck. Mary? Take me to the window... I wish to say goodbye" "yes Winnie" Mary gently lifts her and helps her walk to the open window. "Goodbye...goodbye cruel world...goodbye to life....goodbye...goodbye...goodbye to all that" she mourns before looking up and catching a glimpse of a beam of light, with her eyes  widening in shock she begins to elbow Mary gaining her attention "Sister! Observe" she points her crooked finger directly at the beam "they opened it! HAHAHAH! Just when our time was running out, come! We must fly!". Gathering the youngest they all search the old cottage for anything that they may be able to use as a flying device. Winnie finds an old broom, Sarah an old mop, and Mary... an old vacuum? Together they take off heading towards the light. Unbeknownst to Allison who is still hovering on the sidewalk, when she opened the spell book it produced a blinding orangish light unseen to mortals that alerts the true owner aka Winifred Sanderson of the exact location of her book, inevitably leading them to the Sim household. Jake and Y/N after making it downstairs throw the front door open and run towards the sidewalk in hopes of catching whoever stole the book. Seeing Allison Y/N grabs Jake's arm stopping him from going any further "let me handle her this time Jaeyun" she softly demands as he nods and lets her take the lead. "I should've known you'd be the thief, you seem to have a knack for doing everything you're not supposed to" "what's the matter witch afraid I'll find a way to take Jake from you" "don't you think it's pathetic that you keep doing all of these dangerous and idiotic things in hopes of gaining his attention? Any spell you find in that book will be more of a curse than a blessing.. he'll never legitimately care for you" the young witch tries to reason with the young blonde. "Does it matter? He'll still be devoted to me and not you" "you know I've tried to be nice to you and figured you'd learn your lesson and take accountability like a big girl but you seriously need some help....don't worry my services are free" she drawls in a saccharine voice before casting a temporary spell on Allison turning her into a mouse. "I'd scurry along if I were you, Thackery loves a little late night snack" she taunts watching as Allison scurries away and picks up the now closed book before turning back to Jake who's trying to hold in his laughter. "What?" "That might be the funniest and sexiest thing I've ever seen anyone do" he giggles pulling her in by her waist "oh you liked my little show" she asks with a playful smirk and twinkle in her eye. "I like you being protective over me" he taunts raising a brow at her while biting at his lips to hide his cheshire cat smile as she scoffs and rolls her eyes "she'll be back to normal in 12 hrs if you want her to chase after you so badly" she taunts "too bad I only want one girl to want me" he grabs her throat looking into her eyes. "Okay Romeo, let's get back inside before Ni-ki thinks something happened" she guides him back inside trying to hide her smile and slight blush as he quietly laughs. Suddenly feeling a chill and uneasy Y/N falters with Jake wrapping himself around her as she shushes him "what? Whats wrong" he whispers "somethings wrong I can feel it... stay behind me" she warns starting to creep up the steps with Jake following close behind. 

Jake and the young witch having been caught up with Allison and getting the book back, were too distracted to notice when the three Sanderson sister's made it to the Sim residence and broke into Jakes room. The sister's made quick work of putting Binx in a sack and grabbing Ni-ki with a hand over his mouth to muffle his screams. Sarah hearing the door open and close downstairs hid under the covers planning on scaring the two teens as they left all the lights off minus the bedside lamp. As Jake and Y/N get to the top floor they check each room looking for anything peculiar before coming to Jake's door. Turning to look at each other they give a quick encouraging nod and silently count down from three before throwing open the door. Jake cuts in front of the young witch and goes to move the covers off the bed to check on Ni-ki when Sarah jumps up at them causing him to shriek and stumble back into Y/N as Sarah cackles. "Looking for these" taunts the eldest stepping out of the closet holding the sack with Binx and Mary holding Ni-ki "give me back my brother" demands Jake trying to run at them before Winifred zaps him sending him into his drum set and knocking him unconscious. Y/N quickly runs in front him with her right hand out ready to protect him while trying to keep the book tucked under her left arm "watch it" she warns. "Oh it's no matter you traitorous wench! We have the child and now all we need is the book... be a good girl for once and hand. it. over." "never" she hisses trying to fight off Sarah and Mary. Putting up a good fight she's able to knock both of them on their asses before the eldest zaps her as well forcing her to her knees, as Mary struggles but ultimately ends up ripping the book out of her arms. With everything back in their possession, the sister's head back to the window they snuck in through and take their leave with Sarah holding Ni-ki, Mary holding onto the book, and Winifred holding onto Binx. "Come Sister's, the candles magic is almost spent and dawn approaches" she reminds them before taking off, leaving the two teens a crumpled mess on the floor. Y/N after overcoming the pain bestowed upon her from the eldest hears a groan and fights to push herself up and throw all of the broken debris off of Jake and help him up. "Are you okay?" "Ughh I'm fine, are you? Where is Ni-ki?" Y/N's eyes get blurry as she feels like she failed and didn't fight hard enough. "I'm sorry I'm s-so sorry I tried to fight them off but she shocked me and then th-the-they  took him and I'm so sorry Jake it's all my fault" she sobs "hey hey shhh you tried okay? You did way better than me anyway I was literally unconscious... it's not your fault baby. It's not your fault" he soothes holding her in place forcing her to look him in the eyes "it's okay, we're gonna find him and get him back okay?" "okay" she whispers out brokenly as he helps the both of them up off the floor.

"Use thy voice Sarah!" bellows Winifred as they fly over lakes heading back to their cabin "fill the sky. Bring the little brats to die. EEEHAHAHAH HAA!". Sarah with the encouragement of her sister and having wanted to play all day begins singing, her eerily mellifluous voice resonating through the city below. "Come little children I'll take thee away, into a land of enchantment" her body begins slithering up, arms stretching towards the sky as if feeling the energy flowing through her body like static "come little children, the time's come to play. Here in my garden of Ma-agic". The streets of Salem begin to fill as every child and teen under 18 put in a subconscious trance, sleep-walk out of their homes and begin their trek to the old Sanderson cottage. Hearing the singing and humming Jake and Y/N run up the steps to the lookout tower and see the herd of children roaming the streets allured by the voice. "Hey! HEY! You guys don't listen to her! Hey, up here!" Jake shouts trying to grab their attention "They won't hear us Jake, they're entranced. Let's focus on getting Ni-ki home and how to get rid of them". "Okay, how do we do that then?" he inquires "Well we know they'll take Ni-ki back to the cottage because that's where she's the most prepared so that's not an issue" she states pacing back and forth trying to critically think about the entire situation. "Yeah, but then we still have to figure out how to get rid of them or they'll just keep following us and we'll be repeating the same cycle over and over again" Jake adds matter-of-factly. "I know" starts Y/N fiddling with her necklace before coming to a stop in front of him as a lightbulb goes off "Wait! Winifred said earlier while you were unconscious that the candles magic will soon be spent..and emphasized that dawn approaches. The Black Flame Candle! It must've only brought them back for the night of All Hallows eve meaning... that unless they can recreate the spell and collect the lives of the children of Salem.... then when the sun comes up they'll perish! That's why she was so set on getting everything done so quickly and why the boiler room didn't work. They had the power of the candle protecting them but once it runs out they're dust!" she concludes eyes slightly widening as Jake grabs her by her throat smashing his mouth onto hers in a deep sensual kiss stealing her breath away before slightly separating keeping his nose touching hers "God I fucking love how sexy that big nerdy brain of yours is" he moans out before pressing one more fiery kiss on her lips "let's go get Ni-ki" Y/N mumbles feeling slightly giddy and flustered while trying to push him away before he loses focus "right... one more kiss?" "No. Come on Jaeyun" "Oh come on" he whines out pouting behind her. Stopping in his door frame, she turns to him pulling him in by his shirt "the faster we save Ni-ki and get rid of those broads the faster we can come back... if you're a good boy we can do more than kissing" she coos and flutters her eyelashes at him as he immediately nods and races out the house "what are you waiting for slow poke, move it!"  he rushes as she shakes her head with a slight smirk following quickly behind him.

"The children are coming" coos Sarah "excellent! Well done sister Sarah" praises Winifred as she continues preparing the potion now that she has her spell book back. Ni-ki is tied up in a chair with rope struggling to break lose while Binx fights to get out of the burlap sack they have him in hung by the fireplace "Let me out of here!".  Jake after nabbing his parents keys for the family SUV begins trying to carefully but quickly drive through the crowd of zombie-like children "Come on. Move it!" he honks and yells out at them trying make a clear path. "I'm gonna ralph" "no more candy please!" whine out Jay and Ice as the sisters try to fatten them up even more "soon the lives of all thy little friends will be mine" snarks Winifred making her way towards her book "and I shall be young and beautiful again forever". "It doesn't matter how young or old you are" remarks Ni-ki "you sold your soul to the Devil! You're the ugliest thing that's ever lived and you know it" demeans Ni-ki. "You. Die. First"  hisses Winifred infuriated that some little twerp has insulted her before turning back to the potion and spitting into it causing it to foam up and flash a bright green colour. Jake and Y/N begin to pull up to the cottage trying to be as silent as possible, while Y/N thinks of a quick plan to get Ni-Ki and Thackery out so they can head back to the cemetery. The young witch stays outside as she puts tinted films over the headlights to mimic the sun as Jake goes to retrieve Ni-ki and Binx. "Tis ready, pry open his mouth" "gladly" Mary states as Winnie scoops out a bit of the potion as they all try to force Ni-ki to open his mouth and drink it. "Don't do it Ni-ki, don't drink it!" calls Binx still trying to break out. Ni-ki bites Mary and stomps on Sarahs foot as Winnie comes closer and tries to put the giant wooden spoon near her mouth, at that moment Jake bursts through the door "prepare to die! Again." he states coldly "You. You have no powers here you fool!" Winnie snarls. "Hollywood!" cries out Jay thinking he's gonna be saved "maybe not" Jake continues ignoring Jay "but there's a power greater than your magic and that's knowledge" "come on man" jay whines "and there's one thing that I know that you don't" "and what is that, dudeee?" asks Winnie sarcastically as Sarah bursts out in a wheezy cackle. "Daylight savings time" says Jake cockily as Y/N turns on the headlights making it shine a pinkish red with the tint, fooling the sister's into thinking the sun is coming up as they all start screaming and dramatically "melting" complaining about how much it "hurts". Jake immediately runs over to Ni-ki untying him before running to grab Binx "Hot. Hot. Hot cat. HOT CAT!" bellows out Binx in slight pain as they untie him "hold on Binx" placates Ni-ki as they all run towards the door. "Hey Hollywood, help us out of here?" tries to beg Ice and Jay but Jake ignores them and takes back his shoes off of Ice's feet "tubular" he mocks running out. "Hurry up Ni-ki we gotta go!" he tries to pull Ni-ki to the SUV "wait. I wanna see her turn to dust." demands Ni-ki before hearing Y/N whistle out to them and pointing out the clever little trick they pulled with the tint and headlines "on second thought.. pump it!" he rushes out as they all pack into the vehicle and speed off.

"Noona!" exclaims Ni-ki reaching over to hug her just happy to be away from the witches. A couple moments later after not feeling anything as the lay in a huddle on the floor "damn that boy! He tricked us again"  bellows Winifred vexed. "Oh you're right, you're always right"  claims Mary "Its my curse.... that and you two. Get off me you thundering oafs!"  they immediately shoot up from their spot scared of the eldest's wrath. "Look the candles almost out. My potion... my beautiful potion.. look there's just enough left"  she states annoyed "for one child, get the vile!". The mass of children are getting closer to the cabin as Jake tries to drive through them "oh come on, seriously move it!" as he honks and swerves, getting closer to the cemetery. "Oh joy just enough... this is perfect for that little toe-headed brat" "but we have a child. Actually two children" states Sarah pointing at Ice and Jay "and look Winnie, more children are arriving" Mary calls opening the windowing showing the yard now occupied with children. "Winnie, we'll make more potion because we have the book!" cheers Sarah "we haven't the time" reprimands Winnie "besides I want to get that little rat-faced kid that called me..." "oh don't say it, don't even say it" "ugly?" and Winnie starts crying "oh honey, I know"  tries to comfort Mary. "he really hurt my feelings" "he's just jealous" "he doesn't even know me" "I know"  Mary placates her. "You know, I've always wanted a child and now I think I'll have one..on toast!"  Winnie screeches before storming outside to take flight with her sisters. "Step on it hyung!" commands Ni-ki "are they following us?" asks Jake as Y/N turns to check through the back window "no" "good"  he lets out a relieved breath picking up the pace on the now deserted road. The sisters catch up to the kids as Winifred lowers herself to be in line with the drivers window "pull over. Let me see your driver's permit?" she cackles choking Jake and trying to pull him out of the car, as Y/N fights her off and Ni-Ki tries to help hold the steering wheel in place so they don't fly off the road. Jake throws her into a bush right as he brakes in front of the cemetery whipping the vehicle into park. Rushing to get inside where the Sanderson trio can't touch them "Hurry, Hurry! Come on, let's get a move on" beckons Binx running to the center, as Jake closes the gate and tries catching up with the group but runs straight into Billy Butcherson's body falling over. Y/N and Ni-ki hearing a thump and Jakes grunt stop and turn around to check on him before Ni-ki freaks out seeing the butcherson boy hovered over his hyung trying to run to him as Binx and Y/N stop him " No Ni-ki, wait". Jake pulls out a switch blade from his pocket and rushes to stand up threatening Billy with the Blade "run, Niki, run" as they trio take off and Jake keeps the zombie distracted. "Billy! Billy listen to me, kill him if you must. Just bring me that child Ni-ki" commands Winifred as she hovers near the gates "and put some wiggle in it, you putrid festering sore!". Billy holding Jake in a headlock grabs his blade and uses it to cut open his sewn mouth coughing up dirt, cloth, and worms "kill him, do it now!" "wench"  spits out Billy for the first time shocking himself and Jake. "Trollop" he starts feeling excited he can finally tell her off and say everything he's been holding in "you buck-toothed, mop-riding, firefly from hell... I've waited centuries to say that" he turns his head to murmur to Jake. Trying to prevent a gag from the smell and twisting his face away "ughh say what you want man, just don't breathe on me please" he begs in disgust. "Billy! I killed you once.. I shall kill you again you maggoty malfeasance" she chides as he waves her off, giving her his back as he leads Jake to the rest of the group.

As they join the group, Ni-ki runs into Jake holding onto him "I'm so glad you're okay" "I'm stronger than you think lil man" "whatever" he laughs pushing him away. "Come on. We'll have to hold them out until Dawn" reminds Binx as they try to hatch a plan to save Ni-ki "it's our only hope". "Hi Billy!" greets Ni-ki kinda excited to speak to a real zombie as he turns to smile at the kid thinking he's cute "you'll be safe in here" he gently guides Ni-ki to his grave as Y/N begins a spell to make a protective barrier. "You okay ki?" "Yeah, feels a little weird standing in a grave while I'm alive... but I'm not one to complain" he giggles causing the others to laugh and watch him with a fond smile.  Jake practices some boxing moves as the young witch finishes her spell just in the nick of time "here they come!" alerts Thackery "Billy, guard Ni-ki. Y/N and Jake spread out" as everyone rushes to their station. "For the last time, prepare to meet thy doom" threatens Winnie as she lowers herself as close to the ground as possible "you little pest. I've had enough of you!" she begins chasing him before he trips over a branch narrowly avoiding her grasp. Y/N using some holy water she has saved in a little vile splashes it at Sarah burning her as she tries to get her, effectively warding her off while Billy tells Winifred to fuck off after she strikes a tree in hopes of it incapacitating him. Seeing how that didn't work she instead swoops down and kicks Billy's head off temporarily immobilizing him as he tries to search for it, Ni-ki not fully thinking about it leaves the safety barrier Y/N created for him and runs to give him back his head "here Billy, I think you need this". Noticing the opening she's gotten, Winifred quickly snatches Ni-ki off the ground trying to fly away with him as he screams for his hyung to help him. "NI-KI NOOOO" he screams as they all rush to try and go after him "bye-bye big brother" taunts the wicked witch as they all come to a stop in the middle of the field, the witch still hovering on her broom with Ni-ki in her lap. "All right you little trollimog" she sneers pulling out a bottle with the leftover potion "this'll teach you to call people ugly" she spits out after taking the cork off with her bucked-teeth "open your mouth!" she demands fighting with the child, as Binx runs up a tree and jumps at her trying to claw at her face getting her to drop the potion. Fed up with the demon cat she throws him down onto a hard stone knocking him unconscious.  "Give me that vial!" she demands seeing Jake catch it "Put him down or I'll smash it" argues Jake "smash it and he dies!" retorts the witch. Having a quick debate mentally Jake tilts his head back and downs the potion as if taking a bitter medicine "hyung no!" screams out Ni-ki terrified "now you have no choice" growls out Jake with his raspy voice "you have to take me". Enraged but knowing she has no choice with dawn approaching soon she begrudgingly lowers Ni-ki to the ground "what a fool to give up thy life for thy sister's" she sneers with a twisted scowl before grabbing him and ascending up "NOOO JAKE!" cries out Ni-ki as Billy and Y/N hold onto him. Jake tries choking her and fighting her as to prevent her from sucking his life source out of him. Calling for help, her sisters all rush to assist but the group grab onto the cord of Mary's vacuum creating tension as Sarah grabs onto her hand trying to get her. Seeing the sun starting to peek through Y/N shouts "now" as they all let go sending the two witches flying.

Distracted by her sister's screams as they fly over her, Jake uses this opportunity to throw her off her broom, as they both fall onto the ground. Forcing her self off the floor, she grabs onto Jake hoisting him above her head sucking at his life source again, before feeling a sizzling heat working up her feet and to her legs. Turning her head doing a triple take with Jake after seeing the sun she desperately calls for her book, getting cut off as she turns to stone and Jake rips himself off landing crumpled on the floor. All three sisters one by one fulminate giving off burst of pinks and greens, and poor Thackery hidden away in a corner slightly forgotten, opens his eyes watching them disintegrate and lets out one last pitiful meow as he lays still. With them gone and the spell wearing off, Jake begins to gain consciousness with a slight groan. "JAKE!!" Ni-ki calls running to help him up "are you okay?" he asks worried "yeah.. I think so" "you saved my life.." he starts getting teary eyed "I thought I was gonna lose you" he sobs as Jake engulfs him in a bear hug. "I'm your big brother of course I did and didn't I tell you I'm stronger than you think lil man" he scoffs out with a playful eye-roll causing Ni-ki to giggle just happy his brothers okay "I love you jerk-face" "I love you too". Getting up they join Y/N giving her hugs before turning to Billy as he starts lowering himself into his grave "bye Billy, have a nice sleep" encourages Ni-ki "hey Billy" calls Jake drawing his attention as he looks up "thanks" he says wholeheartedly meaning it. After the Butcherson boy yawns and falls back asleep in his grave Ni-ki begins looking around "hey... where's Binx?" as they start searching for him. "Binx? Binx? NO BINX" Ni-ki cries out seeing Binx unmoving on the floor running to pick him up as Y/N and Jake sadly watch knowing how attached they got to each other. "He can't die remember? Binx, BInx wake up.. wake up!" he screeches as Y/N pulls him close trying to comfort him "Ni-ki? Come on, please don't be sad for me" calls out Thackery in the distance. Looking up they all see the ghost or spirit of Thackery Binx "Binx is that you?" Ni-ki sniffles out "yeah.. I look a little different as a human again huh" he tries to joke and comfort Ni-ki "the witches are dead and my soul's finally free. You freed me Ni-ki... thank you. Hey, Jake? Thanks for letting that crazy girl light the candle" they all laugh to themselves. They all watch with teary eyes as a beautiful little girl, beautiful little Emily, steps out of the woods calling for Thackery and asking him what took him so long to find her  "I'm sorry Emily, I had to wait 300 years for some virgin to light a candle" he tries to explain as the walk through the gates. "Let's go home boys" beckons Y/N pulling them close as they head home, one boy on each arm as she gives both of them a peck on the check. Back at the town hall the spell the witches put on the party finally wore off with all of the parents trudging out sluggishly, drenched in sweat "man and I thought the parties in LA were insane" Mr.Sim tells Mrs.Sim. Jay and Ice are still trapped in the cages and have started sing "Row,Row,Row your boat" to entertain themselves until hopefully someone finds them. Allison's spell wore off as she was returned to her original form fortunately with no memory of what happened curtesy of a crafty little witch. Speaking of the pretty little witch, the Sim family adore her and are already counting on wedding bells and grandkids in a few years and Jake feels ecstatic that she's attending school with him and getting to spend as much time as possible with his girl. Somehow she was able to get the house next door to them but the boys prefer not to ask as some secrets are more fun. 

****************************************************************************************

Tags:

@whoseafraidofliloleme

[safarigirlsp]

Wicked Fairytales

My fun little series in which I give my own twisted twist on some classics.

Bah Humbug

Flip Zimmerman x Reader

Kylo Ren x Reader

Charlie Barber x Reader

Clyde Logan x Reader

Henry McHenry x Reader

Jacques Le Gris x Reader

Commander Mills x Reader

Word Count: 35.4k

Warnings: NSFW. Extra Smut. Language. Angst. Romance. Graphic Violence. Murder. Main Character Death. Light Violence Against Reader. Old Timey Sexism. Bastardization of Classic Literature.

AO3 Link

Based on A Christmas Carol

A Comedy of Eros

Jacques Le Gris x Reader

Word Count: 13.5k

Warnings: NSFW. Humor. Romance. Soulmates. Violence. Non-Con Elements. Physical Aggression Toward Reader. Possessive and Jealous Behavior. Dominant Men. Bitchy Women. Conniving Wizards. Drugging - Kids today might call it Sex Pollen. Confusion. Duplicity. Bestiality. Orgies. Cuckolding. Exhibitionism. Misogyny. Old Timey Sexism. Toxic Men. Jacques/Pierre Canon as Developed by Silky and Myself aka Shithead Behavior. Bastardization of Shakesperean Tropes. Misuse of Shakespearean Quotes, try to count them all. Fear Not, No Attempts at Ye Olde English Contained Herein. ☠️Rey☠️

Don’t let the warnings scare you! This is Romance and Comedy.  

AO3 Link

Based on A Midsummer Night's Dream

Outrun the Devil

Lawyer Kylo Ren x Reader

Word Count: 14.9k

Warnings: NSFW. Smut. Blood. Gore. Murder. Beheadings. Supernatural Themes. Romance.

AO3 Link

Based on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Love & War

Regency Kylo Ren x Reader

Word Count: 15.5k

Warnings: NSFW. Language. Smut. Non-Graphic Mentions of Violence and Death. Old Timey Sexism. Fluff. Romance. Humor. Stilted Language.

AO3 Link

Admiral Ren in Love

Top notes of Pride & Prejudice with undertones of Cinderella.

The Beast

Vampire Kylo Ren x Reader

Word Count: 5.3k

Warnings: None! Shocking! Some light horror and sexy themes.

AO3 Link

Notes of Beauty and the Beast, Dracula, and The Raven in my best Poe-ish attempt.

Music of the Night

Victorian Kylo Ren x Reader

Word Count: 14.4k

Warnings: NSFW. Smut. Graphic Violence. Fires. Guns. Murder. Old Timey Sexism. Romance. Dark Phantom of the Opera Vibes. Victorian Kylo.

AO3 Link

Based on The Phantom of the Opera

Here There Be Monsters

Pirate Captain Jacques Le Gris x Reader

Word Count: 51.4k

Warnings: NSFW. Smut. Action. Adventure. Romance. Light Violence. Swords. Guns. Orgies. Bar Fights. Pirate Shenanigans. Old Timey Sexism. 

AO3 Link

This is the result of my love for Pirates of the Caribbean. Yes, it's a classic.

Maneater

Commander Mills x Lawyer Reader

Word Count: 37.5k

Warnings: NSFW. Smut. Violence. Blood. Gore. Graphic Dinosaur Violence. Enemies to Lovers. Idiots in Love. Sexism in Survival Situations. Hot Toxic Masculinity. Character Crossovers. The Commander Mills Jurassic Park AU that had to happen.

AO3 Link

Mixing two of my favorites together for a fun AU - Commander Mills and Jurassic Park! Yes, it's a classic.

Ghost Town

Gunfighter Flip Zimmerman x Reader

Word Count: 14k

AO3 Link

Warnings: NSFW. Smut. Alcohol. Graphic Violence. Gun Violence. Lots of Violence. Horror Themes. Possession Themes. Supernatural Themes. Shameless References to The Shining. This is a Darker take on Flip than I usually write, but it’s Halloween!

Inspired by the Seven Deadly Sins.

Everything A Big Bad Wolf Could Want

Word Count: 5.2k

Warnings: NSFW. Smut. Fluff. Language. Chasing kink. Primal Play. If there’s such a thing as Lumberjack kink, it’s in here. Extreme bastardization of fairy tale dialogue.

AO3 Link

If I were Little Red Riding Hood...

Cinderella

Kylo Ren x Reader

HCs Only

Word Count: 1k

Warnings: NSFW. Language. Light Smut. Fluff. Happy Murder Thoughts. Humor.

Cinderella Themes.

[liam-neesons-best-girl]

Going to the Gym . . . .

Summary: How different Liam Neeson characters interact with you when you go to the gym together.

Pairings: Bryan Mills (Taken) x reader, Hannibal (A-Team) x reader

Warnings: F! reader, bits of fluff, bits that are NSFW, 18+,

Bryan Mills (Taken) gif credit to @eellisikki4o4

Bryan trains in hand to hand combat when he is at the gym (boxing mostly)

He will spar with someone who works at the gym while you take a dance class offered at the same time

If your class finishes before his you will watch him at his craft

His gaze is so intense as he punches the pads of his sparing mate but he instantly turns soft when he spots you across the way in your soft blue leggings and razor back tank top

If he finishes before your class is over he will sneak in the back without you noticing as you finish the last song

He loves seeing how graceful and fluid your movements are

He'd never admit it to you but he gets a bit hard seeing you all sweaty in public

It makes him think of you under him at home like a whimpering mess asking for more

Somedays he'll greet you from behind and grind his hardening cock on you and suggest a quickie in the car or right when you get home

He doesn't mind the sweat, if anything he likes the salty flavor of your lips and the mixing of your bodies musks

Hannibal (A-Team)

Hannibal doesn't train traditionally in the gym setting

He likes to do more realistic drill pattern type of sessions to be best equip for what battles may come his way in the field

One day he'll suggest to you to join in his workout with his crew mates and man does he regret extending the invitation

First you show up in the most delectable tennis skirt and matching white tank top

"You're killing me, doll"

Then his mates will show up and be checking you out the whole day and Hannibal will feel a sense of protectiveness over you

He will run his mates into the ground by delegating to them to do the harshest 5k run, followed by an obstacle course and mountain hike to round off the day

All of the men are so wiped afterward and can hardly catch their breath, never mind sneak a glance at their commander's girl

You are beat from the training too but Hannibal is the first to suggest an icey cold shower for two as a reward for all of your hard work

needless to say there is a second round to the day's workout but Hannibal is more than capable to go all night long