#first off he called me adriana
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avatar-aaang · 2 years ago
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canceling my coworker for two separate offenses, one of which is significantly worse but like damn dude.
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writememysticfalls · 2 months ago
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Naked | Elijah Mikaelson
Summary: You're craving affection from the cold Elijah. When he asks you to read the names off his naked body, you can't keep your hands off him.
Pairing: Elijah Mikaelson x reader
Genre: Suggestive, Shirtless!Elijah, Inspired by S1 Ep 14 when Elijah has the names on his skin.
Word Count: <1k
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"Y/n! Come here, quickly." Elijah yanked off his tie and threw it onto the ground.
You couldn't help but feel a flutter of delight. It had been too long since you'd heard Elijah call your name.
You rushed into the room. "I'm here, Elijah. How can I help...."
The words died on your lips when you caught sight of him.
Elijah was standing in the centre of the room. He was shirtless, holding his pale blue shirt crumpled in his hands.
You almost felt embarrassed by his nakedness, like you should turn away. But you couldn't tear your eyes from his body.
"The names marked on my flesh represent a riddle, left for me by the witch Celeste." Elijah said, voice cool. "If we figure out what they mean, we can save my siblings."
There was no "hello" or "how are you" with Elijah, even though this was the first time he'd spoken to you in days.
Your eyes traced across Elijah's naked chest. There were names scrawled all over his brown skin. You had never seen beneath the suit that Elijah wore like armour every day. What you saw was more... muscular than you were expecting.
"I need you to write down all the names marked upon me. Hurry, we do not have much time."
You stepped closer. "Why me?"
Elijah clenched his jaw, folding his arms across his chest.
His voice was curt. "I cannot read the names on my back, and I do not trust any of Marcel's imbeciles to do the job properly."
"So that's all I am to you now? One step up from a next-to-nothing daywalker? You almost loved me once." You muttered the last part under your breath, but Elijah's vampire ears caught every word.
Elijah turned to you, looking you straight in the eyes for the first time since you’d entered the room.
"I do not have time to discuss... such matters. Help me now, I implore you."
You sighed. "Fine. Let's crack this code and save some goddamn Originals."
You took Elijah's arm. His skin was surprisingly smooth, like warm butter. You gulped. You couldn't remember the last time you’d been touched.
"Adriana Malory," you whispered, tracing your finger across the cursive inked onto Elijah's forearm.
Inch by inch, you scoured Elijah’s skin, hands caressing every name.
You touched his bicep. "Anita Kaur." The slope of his shoulder. "Maria Nester." Under his collar bone. "Sophie King." Over his ribs. "Sabine Dubois."
Elijah watched silently as you read the names across his chest and back.
"We're nearly done," you said. "There's some left on your..." Your voice faltered. You gazed at the thick, taut muscles of his abdomen.
Half hidden by the belt of Elijah's trousers, one name was nestled amongst the dark coarse hair at the base of his abdomen.
"Just need to get a little closer..." You muttered. You knelt down on your knees in front of Elijah. His heart nearly stopped.
You reached out and touched his stomach, smoothing the hair to read the words.
"Emma... no, Emily..." Your mouth was dry. "I can't read the rest. Your belt..."
Elijah sucked in a breath. "Let's just get this over with." He unbuckled his belt and pulled his boxers down an inch.
You leaned closer.
"Emeliana Kirkcaldy," you said. "That's the last one."
Both you and Elijah exhaled. It was over.
Right now, Elijah was glad you weren’t a vampire. You couldn't hear his heart racing a hundred beats per minute.
"Won't you forgive me, Elijah? I only went through your diaries because I had to.” You looked up at him from your position on the floor. Your eyes, a deep shade of walnut, bore onto his. Tempting him. Taunting him.
Elijah cupped the side of your face. Your eyes slipped shut. You leant your cheek into his warm palm.
He wanted to give in, he wanted to feel your hands all over him, your lips on him. But then he remembered your betrayal, and his mouth filled with venom.
"We're done here." Elijah hissed. He sped across the room at vampire speed and whipped his shirt on.
"Wait," you called. "Take me with you, Elijah. I can help find-"
"You've done enough," he said, walking towards the door.
"Elijah!" You grabbed onto Elijah's arm and yanked him back with all your strength.
Elijah turned, staring at your hand on his arm. He couldn't help but be a little impressed that this young girl had the courage to take on an Original.
"How long are we going to be walking on eggshells around each other?" You yelled. "I've said I'm sorry! You're my only friend in this... prison that I'm forced to live in. Please, I can't bear you angry at me. I won't have it!"
You were panting, brown cheeks glowing with life. Your dark hair whipped wildly round your angular face.
Elijah sighed. "I am not angry at you."
You scoffed. "Tell that to your face."
Elijah smiled. He reached forwards and tucked a strand of hair behind your ear.
“Y/n… I owe it to my siblings to give them my undivided attention. If I allow myself to think, even for a second about... us." His words were strangled, barely above whisper. "No. I cannot."
Before you could say anything, Elijah stepped back, shrugging on his Armani suit jacket.
"Do not leave the Quarter, Y/n. It is not safe for a human.”
He sped off, too quick for your eyes to even process. Tears pricked at your eyes.
Elijah's indifference was worse than his disappointment. Something had to change.
​—
MAIN MASTERLIST
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rafesfavgirl · 7 months ago
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treat you better — j. maybank
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❝ tell me, why are we wasting time on all your wasted crying when you should be with me instead? i know i can treat you better ❞
pairing: best friend!jj x cheater!reader
context: once again, you went through your boyfriend's phone and found things you didn't wanna find. but for some reason, you can't seem to build up the courage to finally end things with him (he was your first love, after all). so, you turn to your best friend, jj, for advice and comfort.
words: 1.4k+
warnings: reader's in a toxic relationship, mild cheating (physical & emotional, but i don't condone it!!), a little angst, fluff
you sat at the edge of the pier at the chateau, your eyes focused on the way the moon reflected off the marsh. you had just snuck out of your boyfriend's house after he fell asleep and you looked through his phone.
adriana. kelly. paige. maya. lauryn. the number of girls' names you found in his insta dms and messages went on and on.
why did you put up with this? i mean, sure, he was your first… everything, but was he really worth it?
"y/n?" you hear a familiar voice call out your name and turn your head to find jj walking down the dock to join you. "what are you doing out here?"
"just needed some time to think," you said, looking back out towards the marsh.
jj lets out a sigh, already having an inkling of what must be bothering you, and takes a seat beside you. "let me guess… liam again?"
"i just don't understand why it can't just be me," you shrug, a thousand things running through your head. most of the time, liam told you the girls were just his "friends". but deep down, you always wondered whether or not he took it any further with any of them. and that thought, alone, made you sick to your stomach.
"i mean, am i doing something wrong?" you turn your head to look jj, only to find that he was already looking at you, a certain kind of sadness filling his baby blues. he hated that you even thought you were the one in the wrong.
"it's not you, y/n. whatever he's doing, it's on him," he tells you. "stop putting up with it."
"but i love him, j," you admit, your voice cracking a little. you knew that you shouldn't. he was a scum bag. nothing but a cheater. but he was also the guy who made you feel like the most special girl in the world. the one you'd completely laid yourself bare to. "what am i suppose to do about that?"
the defeated look in your eyes broke his heart. but instead of listing off different ways you could deal with liam, jj decides to be a friend, and opens his arms up to you, "come here."
for the first time all night, you let yourself break, and immediately fall into his arms.
"i just don't get it," you sobbed into jj's chest, as he ran a hand through your hair and rested his head on top of yours,
in an attempt to soothe you. "i've done everything, j." you continued. "everything he needs from me, i do. everything he wants me to be, i try to be. so why can't he just let the other girls go? why can't i just be the one?"
hearing you cry about this guy was not only breaking jj's heart, but also making his blood boil. liam didn't deserve you, he knew that much.
after a few minutes in silence of jj just running his hands through your hair and pepperring soft kisses on your head, you finally pull away from him, looking like a complete mess.
there were now black stains under your eyes from crying some of your mascara off, and pieces of your hair stuck to your tear-stained cheeks, as you sniffled.
"i'm sorry," you said, attempting to rub off the mascara stains also leftover on jj's shirt. "your shirt's all stained with tears and mascara now."
"i don't give a shit about my shirt, y/n," he tells you, bringing a hand up to tuck your messy hair behind your ear. "are you okay?"
you sighed, the tears threatening to well up in your eyes again. ugh. after hearing yourself going on about the way you've felt about liam treating you, you were beginning to wonder whether or not it was really love you were feeling for him or not.
but if it wasn't love, why did you still feel like crying?
"i don't even know anymore," you say honestly, shaking your head and running your fingers through your hair. "i mean, how do you even go about loving someone who's hurt you so much?"
"you don't," jj tells you.
"you don't think i love him?" i asked. i wasn't sure why i was asking jj, but i also knew that he knew me better than anyone. maybe even better than liam. so if there was anyone who could tell whether or not i was in love… it'd be him, right?
"i can't tell you how you feel, y/n," he says.
"i'm not asking you to," i reply. "i just wanna know what you think."
he sighs, and shifts his eyes between yours. he knew exactly what he wanted to say, but he wasn't sure it was his place to do so—more so, he wasn't sure you'd like his take.
"promise you won't get mad?"
you chuckle, feeling uneasy now. "why would i get mad?"
"i think you're scared," he says, causing you to furrow your brows.
you scoff, thinking he sounds ridiculous. "scared? why would i be scared?"
"because he's your first," he shrugs. "i mean, he was your first, right?"
"so? what does that have to do with anything?" you ask, knowing damn well the information was relevant.
"i know you, y/n," he says, locking his eyes with mine. "you're a hopeless romantic who has your head buried in those romance books all the time because that's what you want. you want your first to be the one. and you're a perfectionist. you can't stand the idea of putting your all into one person only for them to not be worth it… so all this time… that's what you've tried to do."
you stay quiet. jj was actually making sense.
"i'm not saying you didn't love him," he continues. "i think you really did, but the love you felt before isn't what you're feeling now. i think it's just indifference. you don't want to believe that you've actually lost feelings for someone you've fought so hard for, so you try to convince yourself those feelings are still there. because that way… at least you won't be the bad guy."
your mouth had fallen agape, as you realized that jj was right. "wow."
"but you're not the bad guy anyway," he assures you, placing a hand on top of yours. "you've done all you can. what he does isn't your fault. your only fault would be staying."
"but what if he's fucked me up so bad that i've become unlovable?" you ask, voicing your real fear. truth was, you weren't always the best girlfriend. since liam made you feel so insecure about his feelings towards you all the time, it made you act out in ways you never thought you would. you'd call him incessantly when he wouldn't answer. you'd demand he cut certain girls off. ask for his location at all times. he saw the absolute worst of you. and yet, he stayed. what if no one else did?
"is that really what you think?" jj asks.
"i wasn't always the perfect girlfriend, j," i admit, glancing down and fiddling with his fingers on top of mine. "i was insecure all the time. i constantly-"
"because he made you feel that way," jj cuts you off, and picks your head up with his hands to make you look at him. "don't you get it, y/n? whatever you did, it was because of him. anyone made to feel insecure would act out. that's not your fault. you're just…" his eyes shift between yours. "human."
"but what if-"
"but nothing," he shook his head. "you are the absolute perfect version of yourself, y/n. and liam's an idiot for not realizing that. it doesn't get better than you."
without even thinking and being overwhelmed by the sweetness of jj's words, you lean in to kiss him.
he doesn't even hesitate to kiss you back, his hands on your face immediately tangling into your hair. 
your hands make their way to back of his head, the kiss deepening as they do.
your tongues dance together in perfect harmony, until you abruptly pull away.
"wait, wait, wait," you say, and he looks at you, a mix of confusion and sadness at the lost of touch present on his face. "this feels wrong."
he glances down, "oh."
"no, not like that. i mean-" you take a deep breath to get your words together, while jj just looks at you. "the kiss was great. amazing, even. it's just… i'm still technically liam's girlfriend."
his eyes light up at the compliment about the kiss, before he chuckles, "shit."
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seospicybin · 10 months ago
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TOO HOT TO HANDLE.
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PART II
Seungmin x reader. (s)
Too Hot To Handle Masterlist
Synopsis: You and Seungmin become contestants in a reality dating show, Too Hot To Handle. (13,8k words)
Author's note: Enjoy this one too and let me know what you think about it :)
SEUNGMIN: I may be an athlete, but I don't compete to get girls. I attract what I want and oftentimes, I get what I want [smiles] I'm a pretty straightforward person. Am I wild? [Laughs] Guess we'll find out?
-
In his profession, Seungmin relies a lot on his instincts.
If Seungmin thinks the pitcher is going to throw a four-seam fastball, he would want to get the ball down in the zone. If it's a tow-seam fastball, he should raise his bat about thigh high and if he notices any different type of motion or slowing of arm speed, he'd better expect a change-up.
When Seungmin first sees you, his instinct tells him that he should choose you.
People always talk about physical attraction, well, yes, how can Seungmin is not attracted to you? You're pleasing to the eyes. Your eyes, your lips, your sparkling eyes, and your sonorous laugh, they're all attractive.
What interests him more is still there hiding inside you. He wants to talk more to you, know your thoughts and ideas, if he's lucky enough, he wants to know your hopes and dreams too.
For now, permission and a kiss would suffice.
The kiss, oh... it's like fireworks are going off from inside his chest and exploding in his head, filling it with sparks.
"That was good," You shyly mutter while trying to hold his gaze.
"Well, you can have more if you want," he coyly says.
The two of you are looking into each other eyes, still reeling from what he thought was the nicest first kiss you both shared.
Seungmin is aware that someone is appearing behind him as you look past his shoulder, looking like you just got caught doing something.
"Hey, guys," Issa says.
"Hey, babes," you reply with a smile.
Seungmin sees the curiosity filling her eyes as Issa looks at you and then looks at him. She seems to have figured it out as her lips curl into a sly smile.
"Lana called," Issa informs.
"Oh, okay, we're coming," you tell her.
After Issa left, you start fixing your hair and dress even though the two of you only kissed once, nothing else. You repeatedly tuck your hair behind your ear.
"Do I look alright?" You ask him, smacking your lips together to gain what's left on your lipsticks.
He helps you put a strand of hair away from your lips, "You look perfect," he answers.
You crack a smile and do it once more with your eyes closed, it's adorable to him.
Seungmin gets up first then he holds his hand out at you because he knows you can't freely move in such a tight dress.
-
SEUNGMIN: I didn't plan on breaking the rule this fast but she's just irresistible and the moment was right.
-
Never in his life, had Seungmin thought that he would sit and hear a cone talking. Well, there's a first to everything.
What he doesn't get is how nervous everyone is. He knows that Lana is going to announce the rule breaks and anyone who broke the rules should be aware of the consequences.
Seungmin knows what he did, therefore, he's ready to face what's coming to him.
He gets a little startled when the cone chimes as it sits in the middle of the long, wooden table.
"Good evening!" Lana greets.
Tom reclines on the single sofa and asks, "What's good, Lana?"
"I must regretfully inform you of a breach of the rules," she informs.
Seungmin knows better that it's better to immediately come forward. He doesn't wait for anyone to get suspicious of each other and clears his throat.
"I'm just going to tell you guys right away—"
Adriana's gasp cuts him off, "Wait, what?"
Everyone is either not expecting that it's him or that he'd rule break when he's only been here for a day.
"With who?" Vale asks but his eyes already looking at the answer.
Seungmin turns his head at you, finding you sheepishly smiling and then he holds your hand, showing everyone who he kissed with.
"You..." Lili teasingly says, pointing her small index finger at you while everyone is cooing at you both.
"I initiated the kiss, the moment was right so..." Seungmin explains, ignoring how awkward it is to tell everyone why he kissed a girl.
Tom blinks his eyes a few times then says, "I didn't see this one coming."
"I wanted to do it and I... want to see where things go with her," Seungmin furtherly explains, not caring if anyone trusts him or not.
"This kiss has cost the group $6,000," Lana announces.
Okay, now Seungmin gets it why everyone is so nervous? It's not so much about the rule break, it's losing the money.
-
SEUNGMIN: Well, at the end of the day, what's done is done [shrugs]
-
It's endearing how Seungmin admitted everything and the way he openly tells everyone that he wants to take things further with you, oh! you get butterflies in your stomach.
That $6,000 deduction hurts less when you did it with the right person and it's worth it, you know you can trust Seungmin enough to see where things take you.
You lean into his side and lowly mutter into his ear, "That's so nice of you."
Seungmin looks at you to return your compliment with a soft smile that makes him look a thousand times cuter and these butterflies won't stop flying in your stomach any sooner.
"There's another breach of the rules," Lana announces.
You feel less nervous now the rule break thing has gone out of the way but hearing someone else did a rule break, you start to be concerned about the money.
"Oh, no!" Lili gasps.
A kiss or two is excusable because sometimes, a little physical affection is necessary in getting to know someone but other than that, you're not sure you can tolerate it.
"It's either you or you guys," Lili points at Issa and Jeff and Devon and Elliott.
"Or them," Jeff adds, pointing at Adriana and Tom.
Adriana subtly rolls her eyes, "I can promise you, we're innocent," she assures.
It's safe to assume that it's the couple who has spent the most money on the retreat so far. You lean forward and look at them with eyes full of suspicion, "Do you have something to say, Elliott?"
"No," Elliott immediately answers with a slow head shake.
While Devon is busy fixing her hair even though it's safely tucked into a neat bun on the back of her head. If Devon acting antsy is not enough answer, it's the awkward silence that gives it away.
"Uh-oh!" Adriana mutters, spotting the culprit with her siren eyes.
She has another strategy to make them confess, "Do you want to explain, Devon?"
Devon tries to stay calm and suddenly, she bursts into laughter then says, "I'm sorry."
Everyone reacts almost the same way, groaning in disbelief and also disappointed that they keep being selfish by rulebreaking.
Tom aggressively rakes his hair to the back and groans, "God, bro? Why did you keep lying to us?"
"We didn't lie. We choose to say nothing," he defends himself.
"Well, that's a lie," Vale corrects him.
It's kind of ballsy of Elliott to keep defending his wrongdoings instead of simply admitting it and apologizing. He makes it hard for himself and only makes everyone else lose their respect for him.
Devon tries to take control of the situation, "Okay, guys, let me explain, the first kiss we did in the bedroom—"
"What? You kissed more than once?" Issa asks with eyes widening.
"Oh, my..." Lili mutters in despair.
"Are you serious?" Tom is almost losing his shit knowing that he'll lose more money tonight.
Devon only realizes what she did a while later and quietly sighs, "Oh, shit..."
It seems like you're the only one with any patience left in you. You take a deep breath and try to assess the damage to prepare everyone.
"Did you guys do something else?"
Devon's subtle smile says so much and you believe you have just lost your patience as well. You lean back and just want to get it over with.
"Look, it-it..." Elliott is stuttering and ends up laughing.
Devon yanks the sleeve of his shirt, "Stop laughing," she scolds him.
"Take that grin off your face!" Adriana scolds him more.
Elliott pulls himself together and says, "I think there was a uh... heavy petting too."
No one is having it, if anything everyone has for them is a disappointment. The more everyone hears about it, the worse it gets so everyone sort of gives up talking altogether.
"These three rule breaks have cost the group an additional $16,000."
There's a dead silence hanging in the air after Lana announces the money deduction and what everyone is going to hear next will feel like a slap to the face.
"The prize fund now stands at $154,000."
Tom lets out a heavy, stressful sigh, "At the end of the day, we're just playing with money," he grumbles.
"Elliott and Devon, although you are displaying early signs of a deeper bond, you are spending too much energy concentrating on a physical connection rather than an emotional one," Lana says.
You're not the one who committed the act but you shake a little to hear Lana saying she's not pleased with what she witnessed.
"And as you have cost the group the most money, I am setting you an additional test."
Whatever coming to Devon and Elliott, It's not going to be a good one.
"You will spend the night in the suite," Lana announces.
-
YOU: Oh, hell no! We're going to be in debt, for real.
-
Okay, now, Seungmin gets why everyone was so nervous at the beginning, we just don't know what will happen and how it's going to turn out.
Another thing he learned is that he shouldn't be underestimating the cone, Lana is the one with power in here.
"This is your chance to show the group that your connection is more than just physical."
Lana warns Elliott and Devon, but mostly, Elliott since he's the one who's not only wrong but provoking everyone with his answers while at it.
Seungmin has been biting his tongue, he's only been here for a day so he's not sure if he can have a say on it but seeing that everyone seems to be at a loss for words, he feels the urge to say something.
"You did lie to everyone," Seungmin points out the main thing that angers everyone the most.
"This is your only chance to earn everyone's trust back," he tells him.
"Okay," Elliott accepts his words well.
"You may now leave to the private suite," Lana orders.
Everyone has no trust in them as they watch them leave to the private suite, letting them go with the thought that they'll fail the test.
Everyone is ready to leave the cabana and sleep this misery away when Lana starts talking again.
"That is not all."
"Oh, my days!" Vale gasps, sensing that it's not a good sign.
"Good judgment and in particular, knowing who can and can't be trusted is an essential skill for developing healthy long-lasting relationships."
Seungmin is in awe at how well Lana on keeping everyone on their toes, not letting everyone know what her next move is.
"That's why Elliott and Devon are not the only ones being tested tonight. If you do not trust them, you can choose to forfeit $10,000 which will cover all potential rule breaks in the suite."
Everyone is gasping to hear that Lana is asking everyone to involuntarily gamble with the prize money.
"However, if you choose to put your faith in them and they fail, you will be charged for every single rule break. With fines now doubled, that could be a very expensive lapse of judgment."
Seungmin turns his head to the side to see your mouth is hanging open. He reckons you're slightly shocked by everything you hear.
"So, will you have faith or will you forfeit?" Lana asks the big question.
Then Seungmin looks the other way, looking at Tom who's getting more stressed in each passing second.
"How much do we trust them?" Adriana opens the debatable question.
"I don't have trust in them. Nothing, none," Tom immediately answers like he's one hundred percent sure he's right.
You scoot to the edge of your seat to speak up, "Elliott is a rebel. He's most likely to break a rule and I think they're going to do something in there," you give your opinion.
Now that puts you in the same team with Tom which he gladly welcomes with a strong argument.
"They're going to be alone in the suite," he adds.
Adriana puts it simply for everyone, "Should we take a risk or should we play it safe?"
Everyone starts speaking up as well, giving their insights on this whole trust thing and Seungmin is intently listening to each opinion to take into consideration.
"If they're serious about the relationship, they won't do anything," Issa says.
Jeff agrees with her, "I back them."
"They have something to prove and it'll look bad for us not trusting them, actually," Vale gives his opinion.
You're nodding to his words and that seems to change your mind as well, Seungmin only recently learned that the person you’re closest with is him, Vale.
"He made a promise that he wasn't going to do anything," Blake says.
"He said the same thing last time," Adriana breaks his conviction.
"I got no faith," Tom remarks, period on point.
"Vale, I agree with you but if they disappoint us, I will not trust them again," you make a firm statement.
Against the doubts that slip through everyone's mind, everyone has voted to trust them, except that Tom is doing it unwillingly.
"I have noted your decision to put your faith in Elliott and Devon," Lana accepted the decision.
-
SEUNGMIN: Everyone puts their neck out for them so I hope Elliott keeps his promise.
-
Thankfully, Lili is very understanding when you tell her that you're sharing the bed with Seungmin and she has to sleep with someone else, you entrusted her to Vale.
A part of you wants to test yourself on how well can you handle temptations but another part of you tells you that you'd most likely fail because Seungmin is low-key too hot to handle.
Seungmin comes to the bed with his hair tousled and somehow, it only makes him more attractive. He gets on the bed, putting a pillow behind him before resting his back against it.
"Did you just dry your hair?" You ask.
He gives it a ruffle, "Yeah, is it messy?"
You softly laugh and help him, brushing his hair with your fingers to make it less messy.
"Your hair is so fluffy," you compliment.
He looks at you as you use both of your hands to brush the hair on each side of his head, "You like it?"
"Mm-hm," you answer with a smile.
"I missed a month of haircut," he informs, putting away the hair out of his eyes.
Your hand goes through the hair on the back of his head and let your hand rest on the nape of his neck for a moment.
"You look like a puppy," you playfully tell him.
Seungmin smiles in reaction and it only proves your words, he has that golden retriever energy, bright and playful. To put it simply, it's impossible to not like him.
There's a conversation going on in the room about whether Devon and Elliott will pass the test or everyone is going to lose more money tomorrow morning. You're listening but your eyes are focusing on the space on the bed between you and him, you hesitate to just scoot closer to him, he seems like the type of person who respects someone's personal space.
It's only when the lights are out that you lie on your side facing him and then ask, "Do you like to cuddle?"
Seungmin turns to lay on his side to face you, "Not really," he answers.
So your guess is right, he's not a cuddly person and you shouldn't be disappointed, it's just a preference, it's nothing personal.
"Are you?" Seungmin asks back.
You tuck a hand under your head and focus on looking at his gleaming eyes in the dark of the room, "Well, I would love a cuddle or two from you," you honestly answer.
He catches your hand lying on the space between the two of you, "I can do a cuddle or two," he says.
"How about more than two?" You jokingly ask.
Even in the dark, you can see his cute smile as he slips his fingers into the spaces between your fingers, "I can do that too," he murmurs.
You hold his hand back and smile, "Okay, great."
You and Seungmin are lying facing each other with hands intertwined, enjoying the quiet that slowly takes over the space as everyone else starts to drift into sleep.
However, you can no longer fight the drowsiness, "I'm sleepy," you sheepishly tell him.
He brings your hand close to his mouth and places a soft kiss on your knuckle, "Goodnight."
"Goodnight," you murmur back with a smile.
You close your eyes feeling incredibly relaxed as Seungmin places gentle rubs on your back until you fall asleep.
-
YOU: Oh, my God! I think I like Seungmin. Seungmin, the baseball player.
-
The room is dark but he can see through the curtain that the sun has risen, Seungmin wakes up earlier than anyone else, including you.
Seeing that your hair covering your face, Seungmin gently put the stray hair away to the side and to the back. You look so beautiful peacefully sleeping on your pillow that he's afraid that he'll wake you up.
Seungmin then rests his hand on the dip of your waist, following the rise and fall of your body as you breathe. He gets closer so he can hold you, gently putting his arm around you without waking you up.
He feels snug, he feels like he can go back to sleep but as he's about to close his eyes, the room lights up.
Everyone is groaning as light floods the room and blinds their eyes which are still heavy with sleep.
"Morning everyone," Adriana croaks as she pulls herself out of the duvet.
Turning his head to the side and seeing you still sleeping, Seungmin can't find it in him to wake you up but he begins by softly rubbing your shoulder to not startle you awake. Then he moves his hand to your face, using his knuckle to caress your cheek and your eyes are fluttering open like butterflies batting their wings.
"Still sleepy?" He asks with his hand cupping your jaw.
You nod and instead of getting up, you snuggle to him and rest your head on his chest.
As everyone slowly gains their senses back and is ready to start another day in the retreat, Lana chimes in for her morning greeting.
"Good morning, everyone."
"Morning," you reply with a sleepy voice.
"After putting your prize fund on the line last night and deciding to trust repeat offenders, Devon and Elliott," Lana reminds everyone of the doom looming over everyone's heads since last night.
Everyone turns their heads to see Devon and Elliott's empty bed and is hit by the realization of their grim, uncertain fate.
"How are you feeling this morning?"
Lili sighs and says, "Nervous."
"Scared," Issa honestly answers.
"And on edge," Jeff adds.
Cara the new girl who has been quiet since last night, finally gives her opinion, "I don't think they'd be stupid enough to put themselves in a situation where they would spend money more than they have lost."
However, Adriana is the only one not accepting her opinion well, "I disagree. Their track record is so shit."
Tom who is adamant about protecting the money supports her argument, "$10,000 would have been a lot safer in my opinion." 
What they said seems to sway everyone's faith in Devon and Elliott. Seungmin can see that everyone starts to doubt their decision to trust them and put so much money on the line.
Whether they lose money or not, this is not how Seungmin wants to start the day.
-
SEUNGMIN: We put our trust in them... well, some of us. Let's hope they prove themselves to be worthy of our trust.
-
As a baseball player, Seungmin has a rigorous workout routine and he usually starts the day with a morning run. Since it's impossible to do here, he decides to do some simple exercises in the makeshift gym by the beach.
Before he gets back to the villa, he goes for a swim in the sea and walks back with water dripping from his swimming trunks.
In the bathroom, he finds Blake standing by the sink, his big body almost covers the whole mirror. Hearing that someone else entered the room, he looks over his shoulder.
"Hey, man," he greets him with dollops of sunscreen on both of his cheeks.
Seungmin hangs his towel at the handle of the shower door, "Hey," he replies.
He goes to the sink to retrieve his toiletry bag from the drawer.
"I see that you picked a bird, huh?" Blake says.
Seungmin has to take a moment to process his words and what he meant by a bird is a girl, he got himself a girl, you.
"Yeah..." Seungmin awkwardly replies, he heads to the shower thinking that Blake is done talking.
"You got a wild one, bro," Blake is applying the sunscreen all over his face as he speaks.
"What are you trying to say?" Seungmin asks and wonders if he's taunting him or trying to make a joke here.
Blake lets out a chuckle as he washes his hands under the running water, "She broke a rule with Elliott once."
Is that supposed to make him mad? Well, if it happened recently then it would be a problem but he obviously came here after that happened so Seungmin has no idea what he has to do with that information.
He decides to ignore him and goes into the shower, not wanting to continue the talk that shouldn't be his business in the first place.
Also, it shouldn't be Blake's either.
-
SEUNGMIN: I don't know what Blake's intention is but this is something that I don't want to hear from someone else.
-
All you need is a few sprays of hairspray to keep the hairstyle intact for the next few hours, you carefully apply it to your hair with your eyes closed.
When you open your eyes, you catch Seungmin's reflection in the mirror. Half-naked with his hair wet, Seungmin is walking to his closet that is located right behind your chair. You turn around on your chair and use the opportunity to ogle him, admiring his lean body with muscles in the right places and they're just in perfect sizes.
Imagine looking that hot yet so unaware of it.
"Hey, baby," you sweetly say, holding your hand out at him.
Instead of taking your hand, he reaches for your chin and gives your cheek a quick caress.
You smile in reaction and ask, "How do I look?"
"Perfect," he shortly says.
You take his hand and hold it as he looks for something inside his closet, "Let me dry your hair for you," you offer.
"Okay. Give me a minute," he gladly accepts the offer by letting go of your hand so he can put his shirt on.
Unlike most women, you like treating your partner with simple things like this.
Seungmin is sitting still as you work on his hair, drying it with a hairdryer. You don't have to put a lot of effort into it since he has short hair, finish it by applying a hair oil with your fingers slipping through his fine, dark hair.
He does the rest, brushing his hair with a comb and styling it how he wants it to be.
You rest your hands on his square shoulders and ask, "Did I do a good job?"
He fixes the hair falling over his head, "Not bad," he responds.
You bravely cup his chin while looking at his face through the elliptical-shaped mirror, "You're so gorgeous," you compliment.
He takes your hands and brings it close to his mouth. When you think he's going to kiss it like last night, he bites at your fingers instead.
"Ouch!" You yelp in pain.
He laughs in satisfaction and hurriedly makes up for it by placing a kiss on your inner wrist. He then drops his head to the back to look at you, seeing you eye-to-eye.
"Thank you," he sweetly murmurs.
You gently tap his cheek, "You're very welcome."
You like attractive men but you like it more when they act like true gentlemen and a true gentleman is rare. But it seems like you're lucky to have found one.
The only way Lana knows how to have fun is by interrupting a sweet moment like this. You both stop moving and talking altogether to hear what the cone has to say.
"Please assemble everyone in the cabana," Lana orders.
"Got it, boss," you reply, reluctantly letting your hands go from around Seungmin's neck.
It's not hard to gather everyone as most of them are chilling by the pool, you can tell them about Lana's order on the way to the cabana.
The stress from last night continues once everyone realizes that Elliott and Devon will be returning from the private suite soon.
Speak of the devil, here they come, looking so happy like they're coming back from a honeymoon instead of a test. They take the small sofa on the side of the room while ignoring the death stares directed at them.
Jeff is the first one breaking the silence, "Anything you want to share?"
Here comes Elliott's grin and it's not a good sign, "It was very enjoyable," he answers.
Devon is smiling next to him and letting him do all the talk.
"There are roses on the bed, champagne, bathtub," Elliott continues, giving everyone the wrong ideas.
Next to Seungmin, Vale lowly sighs and mutters through his gritted teeth, "They're fucking breaking rules."
-
YOU: We're fucked if they fucked!
-
Lana finally comes in and goes straight to business, "Devon and Elliott, last night I gave you the opportunity to show the group your genuine connection without surrendering to your physical desires. However, your connection wasn't the only thing I was testing."
Elliott's grin wavers for a second at the revelation that Lana did something behind their backs.
"While you were away I gave your fellow guests a test of trust in you. If they didn't trust you, they could forfeit $10,000 to cover all your potential rule breaks in the suite."
Now it's Devon's smile that gradually fades from her face and into a panic expression.
"Or they could choose to have faith in you, meaning that any rule breaks would receive the appropriate financial penalties."
Devon and Elliott exchange a look and turn rigid on their seats, it's enough to tell everyone that they did something.
"I can now reveal the group chose to trust you," Lana informs.
Tom hurriedly comments on it, "Not me. I don't have a lot of faith in you guys," he audaciously tells them.
Elliott sadly smiles, "I understand," he says.
You hear Lili sighing next to you and when you look at her, she leans in and whispers, "Seriously though, they're not looking hopeful."
One thing you know for sure is that Tom is ready to give a long I-told-you-so speech right at everyone's faces.
"Devon and Elliot I must now tell the group that you..."
For an AI, Lana knows how to build the suspense.
"...did not break any rules!"
You feel like you can finally breathe at ease while everyone else is cheering and applauding Devon and Elliott for proving that everyone was right to trust them.
"Even though you were very close to breaking the rules last night, I can confirm the prize fund still stands at $154,000."
Your head is turned to see Tom and Adriana who have the least faith in them and they're smiling, you can see a bit of regret on their faces for being too negative about the decision to trust them.
-
YOU: So they do know how to keep it in their pants, huh?
-
Despite the most spending couple in retreat has succeeded in passing Lana's test, that doesn't stop Tom from keeping everyone on his watch to make sure the money stays at $154,000.
You and Seungmin are having wine in the firepit, sitting close next to each other with your legs over his lap and enjoying the warmth of the fire swaying with the night breeze.
Seeing him up close is almost surreal because of how handsome he is, you trail down his jaw with your finger and gently tap his chin after.
"You have a very sharp jaw," you emphasize every word in awe.
Seungmin takes a sip of his drink before speaking, "Don't cut yourself then," he says with a sly smile.
You playfully slap his chest in reaction and burst into laughter almost at the same time.
You fix your hair and look at him, "It's your turn to compliment me," you demand.
He puts his drink away and licks his lips, "I didn't know that I have to compliment you back."
You dramatically roll your eyes, "Just say something nice about me, please?"
He laughs and puts his arm around you, drawing you closer to him as he thinks of something to say. He looks at you, trying to find something he can compliment on but you end up being drowned in his eyes.
"Your eyes, nose, lips..." he starts.
You stare back into his eyes, "Yeah?"
"They're parked perfectly," he finishes his words.
Once what he said registered in your head, you burst into laughter, "Parked?"
He nods while foolishly grinning, proud at his creative way of saying you're beautiful, "You got 100 points for parking them perfectly," he compliments again.
Flustered and amused, you put your arms around his neck and hug him, sharing laughter until the sex cop comes crashing.
"Hey, hey, hey!" 
You both abruptly stop laughing and turn your head to look at Tom, standing at the top of the steps that lead down to the firepit.
"Are we being safe?" He asks you both, looking at you like a parent seeing his child having her boyfriend over.
And you act like you've been caught doing things with your boyfriend, reluctantly taking your hands away from Seungmin.
"Yes, Dad!" You jokingly respond.
Tom nods in approval and turns to leave, before he walks away, he turns around to say, "Keep your hands to yourself, 'kay?"
"Got it, Dad!" You shout at him.
You may have taken your hands off of Seungmin but you use it as a chance to change position, you make him sit on the end of the long sofa and you sit between his legs with your back resting against his chest so he can take his turns to put his hands around you.
The night is warm, the wind is softly blowing and the sky is full of stars.
Maybe it's because you haven't been with a man for a while or it's because of him, either way, you feel incredibly at ease. 
You softly rub his forearm and delightfully sigh with your eyes closed, "This is nice."
Seungmin places his hand on yours and slips his fingers in, "I heard that you have broken the rules before," he says.
That comes out of the blue and you don't expect him to address this matter since it happened way before he came to the villa.
Yet you find yourself stammering in answer, "Y-yeah, I did."
"Oh," Seungmin simply responds.
That 'oh' sounds harmless but you start overanalyzing it, mostly because you don't want Seungmin to get the wrong idea, thinking that you're trying to hide it from him.
"Okay, now I feel bad for not telling you," you sadly mutter.
"It's okay. You don't need to tell me," he assures you.
Regardless of how he obtained this information, he deserves to know why you did it and whether you still have involvement whatsoever with the person you committed the rule break with.
"I didn't feel like I needed to tell you about it because the kiss that I did with Elliot... I was bored, I did it for fun," you explain.
You hold his hand back and tip your head to the side so you can look at him as you speak, "But the kiss that I did with you is not, it was personal."
You take a deep breath before ending it with a sincere apology, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."
Seungmin has been so quiet for a moment that you doubt he's accepting it well. You squeeze his hand to gain a reaction from him and ask, "How do you feel though?"
He inhales air and leans in to look at you, "I don't like to play games or in competition with someone else," he begins.
You don't want to overthink but you fear that he'll change his mind because of how you keep things to yourself.
"I know my worth I respect myself. I feel that if someone else can't see that, then that's on them but I don't hang around for that," he remarks.
You always know that Seungmin is very forthright, he says what's in his head, knows what he wants, and goes for it. Ultimately, he doesn't waste time on someone who doesn't acknowledge his worth and you fear that you're that someone.
You need to assure him that you do know his worth and you want to keep building connections with him. You mull things over in your head and try to fathom them into words.
"I do want to get to know you. I feel drawn to you and it's genuine and honestly, I feel more connected with you than I did with anyone else," you tell him how you feel as best as you can.
Seungmin repeatedly rubs his hand up and down your arm to keep you warm and comfort you. He then rests his hand on top of your clasped hands, "I just want to move forward and be open, there's so much more of you that I want to get to know," he says.
It's rare to find someone who's as wise and as gentle as he is. You really are lucky to have found and met him, and lucky that he chose you too. You want to get to know him more as well and risk falling deeper into him. As if you mind.
"Me too," you tell him with a grateful smile.
You bury your head in the crook of his neck and let out a breath of relief, trying to suppress the urge to kiss him.
"I want to kiss you but we can't," you mutter.
"Actually, we can," he corrects you.
You softly chuckle and raise your eyebrow at him, "We can but we can't."
-
YOU: I'm so grateful for Seungmin and I feel more confident about taking this further with him.
-
It takes time for Seungmin to get comfortable around someone.
He likes you, yes but he likes being in his personal space so much it's hard to let someone in. It's nothing personal, it's just who he is.
However, he looks forward to bedtimes the most because then you'd be lying close next to him.
A smile rises on your face as you get on the bed, crawl over to him and adorably ask, "Can we have a cuddle or two?"
He notices the anticipation on your face but what he likes seeing are the sparkles in your eyes as you wait for his answer.
Seungmin doesn't say anything but spreads his arms out, letting you dive into his warm embrace.
"Guys, guys," Tom claps his hands to get everyone's attention.
You keep your head rested on his chest while Seungmin pays attention to what Tom is about to say.
"I think we're all in agreement that we will not rule break and I just want to know if that stays true right?" He asks.
He can't speak for everyone but Seungmin can't remember when he did agree to this. However, everyone is half-heartedly replying to Tom.
"I love you guys but be good," he concludes.
Seungmin has a good restraint, but when he gets told to not do something, he wants to do it more. Plus, you're snuggling up to him and your body starts to mold to him, he would be lying if he didn't get the urge to kiss or touch you or do more than that.
When he looks down and sees your face this close, your eyes closed and your lower lip is jutting out, oh... he wants to kiss you bad.
Even after the lights are out, Tom looks at everyone in the room to say one last thing, "I'll be watching," he says.
After a few minutes though, he fails his task as he falls asleep next to Adriana. It would be hard to fall asleep with Tom's snores filling the room yet cuddling you makes him relaxed that his eyes are drooping.
As he slowly descends into slumber, you shift on the bed and plant a soft kiss on his cheek.
"Goodnight, baby," you murmur, then you turn over and lay on your side of the bed with your back facing him.
Now Seungmin finds it hard to sleep without your warm body lying close to him so he closes the gap between your bodies and puts his arm around you.
A while later, you let your body mold into him once more and hold the hand resting on your waist. Without looking, he can hear you smiling as he holds you close.
Seungmin lands a caress on your head and kisses your temple, now he can finally murmur back to you, "Goodnight."
-
SEUNGMIN: The talk that we had reassures me that I was right to choose her.
-
A few days have passed and you enjoy getting to know Seungmin more.
He told you a lot about him that besides baseball, he likes music, he likes playing piano, he likes to write in his journal and he doesn't like watching movies without knowing the ending first.
Everything about him is one of a kind but that's what makes him special. The two of you got closer the more you shared things about each other.
And today, you'll get a lot more closer to him.
All of the guests are being gathered in the garden for a workshop and someone has been waiting there, you assume she's going to be leading the workshop.
You take the mat in the back with Seungmin and sit cross-legged as the instructor introduces herself as Haley, a sex expert.
Her profession surely intrigues everyone and whether it's going to help them suppress their sexual urges.
"First, I want to ask you guys what is your version of a perfect partner?" Haley opens the workshop with a question.
"Nice body?" Jeff answers.
"Okay," Haley says with a nod, accepting Jeff's answer.
"Anyone else?" She invites everyone to share their answers.
"I like girls with skinny model bodies," Vale honestly shares.
"I don't want to be with someone who doesn't look as good," Cara gives a way too honest answer.
Everyone is laughing except Blake who is her partner for today's workshop. Hearing everyone's answers, you can see how people can be so shallow with what they want, they only see the surface, the superficial and that's including you.
Haley moves on to explain what the workshop will be about, "In today's workshop, we're going to release any perfectionism. We're just going to let ourselves get a bit... messy."
She pauses hearing everyone get excited for it, "Are you guys into that?"
You turn your head to the side at Seungmin, wanting to check whether he's as excited as anyone else.
The answer is no, he's not that excited.
"You guys can start!" Haley announces.
There are bowls of body paints prepared for the workshop and the two of you can paint each other's bodies with it. You get up and stand facing each other, then suddenly, have no idea how to start.
"I don't like getting messy," Seungmin says.
As expected, body painting is not something that Seungmin would do to have fun. You pick up a bowl of pink paint and dip your finger into the thick, pigmented texture of the paint.
"Well then I'll be the one having the most fun," you say as you rub the paint onto his nose.
And before he can complain, you smear the paint onto his cheek, laughing at how his face is covered in pink paint.
Eventually, Seungmin starts painting your body as well, he uses the green one while you use the yellow one, drawing a heart on his chest.
"See if you can just let go a bit. Let go of control, let go of inhibitions," Haley encourages everyone to stop being so careful and just be free.
You see everyone is only using their fingers to paint each other's bodies, not willing to get any other parts of their body to get dirty.
"Stop thinking! Stop worrying about what you look like. Let yourself just go free, get wild!" Haley encourages more.
It gives you an idea, instead of dipping your fingers into the bowl of paint, you pour it onto Seungmin's shoulder and lather it all over him.
"What are you doing?" Seungmin asks.
"I'm having fun," you simply answer.
You want Seungmin to not be afraid of getting wild or making a fool of himself, you want to have fun with him so first, you have to show him how.
"And you should too," you add, taking his hand and dipping his whole hand into the bowl.
Then you turn around, presenting your butt cheeks at him, and shamelessly request, "Make a handprint on my buttcheeks."
Seungmin stands rigidly with his hand tainted blue, "What?"
"Slap my butt!" You make it simpler for him.
It takes him a while to understand your request and once he did, he lands a good slap on your left buttcheek, creating a print of his big hand on it.
Haley notices what the two of you are doing and likes what she's seeing, "Love it! More of that!" 
That seems to motivate Seungmin to make another handprint on your other buttcheek, he lands a harder slap which makes it even better.
Soon, everyone starts to loosen up, playing with both the paints and bodies, investing in the workshop, or merely using it as an excuse to feel each other's bodies.
"Catch them off guard!" Haley says as she supervises everyone.
After picking up a bowl of paint, you turn around to get greeted by a dollop of orange paint Seungmin throws at you. You scoop some green and get back at him, splashing it all over his back.
The next thing you know, you both are having fun, and as a matter of fact, the two of you are the only ones having the most fun out of everyone.
"You're not drawing penises on my back, right?" Seungmin jokingly asks as you draw more stars on his back.
"Nope," you reply, "Just some boobies."
You're running out of paints and to make it all worth it, you scoop the last of the red paint, then rub it all over your chest.
"Baby, look over here!" You tell him.
Seungmin obeys you, looking at you with his face covered in pink, green, and yellow.
Catching him off guard, you bring his head close and bury it between your breasts, lathering the red paint all over his face.
Instead of complaining, Seungmin pulls away laughing with fresh red paint on his face and you laugh along, seeing how much he enjoys it.
"Notice if you feel embarrassed to just see each other, now that you've stopped worrying what you look like," Haley remarks.
Seungmin wipes the remaining paint onto his stomach and pulls you into a hug, you can feel the paint getting all over your front too.
You both just stand there and have a laugh looking at each other looking silly in colorful paints, you see your mess on him and he sees his mess on you yet you both still look perfect to each other.
"You guys did amazing in today's workshop. I hope that you let go, you got a bit more free, you find some joy, laughter in being imperfect," Haley concludes at the end of the workshop.
Now that the workshop has ended, all you can think about is how Seungmin's hands were all over you.
-
YOU: We had so much fun. I don't think I'd be having that much fun if I did it with someone else [smiles]
Unfortunately, the fun doesn't last long.
You were straightening your hair when the cone in the dressing room chimes, you abruptly stop moving and so is everyone else, it's like the world pauses for a second to hear what Lana has to say.
"Everyone," Lana says.
No greeting whatsoever, she's addressing everyone in the room and you sense that she's not pleased with something.
"Hi, Lana!" Lili weakly replies as she's busy braiding her hair.
"You must all gather in the cabana immediately!"
Uh-oh! Lana is pissed but why? Everyone's been good.
Or that's just how they seemed to you, you never know with these people, especially Devon and Elliott. Lana never urges everyone like this before so it's safe to assume that someone messed up.
"What the fuck is going to happen?" Tom mutters, looking so stressed already.
All the eyes in the room are suspiciously glancing at each other as you get too anxious to even bother straightening the rest of your hair.
Even though you and Seungmin struggling to keep your hands off of each other, you managed to not break any rules. But still... in here you'll get penalized for something you didn't even do.
"Good evening," Lana greets.
"What's good, Lana?" Tom asks with a thin smile.
You can only hope that Lana is playing with our minds and actually gathered everyone to deliver good news, for instance, she feels generous tonight and drops $10,000 into the prize fund. Oh well, that's just your wishful thinking.
"I must regretfully inform you that there has been a breach of the rules."
And here we go again, everyone is once again playing the game of "whodunit" that sadly costs money.
Adriana looks around, "Who is it?"
"Who did it?" Issa says with a threatening voice.
You can only hope that this is not the time you find out that one is stupid enough to commit serious rule breaks.
"Elliott?" Tom asks him since he's grinning like a guilty man.
Elliott shrugs his accusation away and coyly says, "Nah.
He may be putting on a good poker face but Devon? Not so much. She keeps hiding her face behind Elliott's shoulder and avoiding suspicious eyes.
"You're awfully quiet right now, Devon," Vale says with suspicion.
"Did you break another rule?" Lili asks with a soft tone like an understanding mother.
Ever slowly, Elliott's grin is getting wider and wider, exposing the truth he's hiding behind it.
"Ugh! No!" Tom groans, raking his hair with his fingers.
"I can't believe you guys kissed again!" Adriana says, her voice tinted with jealousy as they extravagantly spend money when she can't even get her man to do a single rule break.
Judging from their silence, you sense that it's not just a kiss, "or it wasn't just a kiss...?"
Your question only heightens the tension and everyone's heads are turning in at Devon and Elliott as they occupying the single sofa on the other end of the room.
"Spit it out!" Tom impatiently demands.
Devon only keeps on sighing while Elliott is looking like he has his life flashes before his eyes.
"Just tell us what you did!" Adriana urges them.
Elliott is foolishly grinning his stress away and finally answers, "Coitus."
"What the hell is coitus?" Lili innocently asks.
"Sex," Issa shortly replies.
"Oh, fuck!" The profanity automatically falls out of Lili's mouth.
It's unfair that you were having a good day until two people decided to make your worst fear come true. A kiss is already $6,000 and you don't want to guess how much for sex.
-
YOU: I mean… Seungmin and I have been resisting temptations.
-
"I must inform you that sex was not the only thing that took place in the bathroom," Lana continues.
You nervously bite at your thumb, thinking how stupid can they be to break so many rules all at once. Have they always been thinking about themselves?
"That's so stupid!" Adriana doesn't hold back.
Elliott lets out a dry chuckle, "It's not that bad," he calmly says.
From his answer, you can see how stupid he is. What makes him think that answer would make everyone feel better?
"No, Elliott, you're being stupid and selfish," Vale points out, stealing the words out of your mouth.
"Are you aware that what you did got the whole team penalized?" Adriana scolds them more, putting some sense into their heads.
Tom holds Adriana down by putting his hands on her hands. It's the first time he is being the reasonable one out of him and Adriana.
"Let's just hear how much money we've lost," he says.
Lana continues with the announcement, delivering bad news one after the other.
"Elliott and Devon, the fact that the fines were recently doubled does not seem to have deterred you from breaking the rules of the retreat. Today's multiple indiscretions have cost the group..."
You know you wouldn't like what you're going to hear but to soften the blow, you prepare yourself by taking a few deep breaths.
"... $50,000."
Your jaws drop open but nothing comes out of your mouth, you're just at a loss for words. $50,000? You could have paid months' worth of bills and rent with that much money.
"What the hell?"
"That's so expensive!"
Tom is in utter shock that it takes him a few minutes to respond to it, "That's crazy!"
Elliott comes with another ignorant-sounding response, "Our bad. Alright, okay."
Tom claps his hands together and leans forward on his seat, "Do you guys even have respect for us?"
Elliott starts to blabbering around as Devon only sits next to him, saying nothing.
"It's just th-that we have feelings for each other and—"
Adriana cuts right through his words, "So you guys are going to keep doing it?"
"No, no," Elliott hurriedly denies, "That's it."
Everyone is turning on them no matter how hard Elliott is defending himself, he should know by now that he's in the wrong.
"You guys are right. I'm very sorry," he concludes with a regretful tone.
"The prize fund now stands at $104,000," Lana updates the current amount of money in the pot.
Everyone is too tired to even react to five sacks of money lost in one day. At this rate, everyone is going to be in debt.
"May I remind you that you are here to form deeper emotional connections," Lana ends, letting everyone go with a warning.
-
YOU: I'm upset about Devon and Elliott's rule break but now I'm just thinking maybe... it's my turn now [smirks]
-
It's exceptionally quiet in the room tonight.
Everyone is upset about losing half of the prize money when the retreat is nowhere close to finished. At this point, everyone will come home with nothing.
And everyone is simply too tired to even deal with things.
"Goodnight, beautiful people!" Issa sweetly says into the dark room.
A few are replying to her and not long after that, the room turns quiet again.
Seungmin is getting used to cuddling you, your head is nestled in the crook of his neck and his arm is around you. This is what he needs after an eventful day, a relaxing time with you and just enjoying each other's warmth.
He knows you're still awake from the way your thumb softly rubs his jaw, he turns his head to the side to plant a kiss on the top of your head.
 "You're not tired?" He asks, keeping his voice low to not disturb everyone else in the room.
You take a low breath and answer, "I don't want to sleep."
Seungmin senses that you're up to no good but he's going to have some fun trying to resist you.
"What do you want to do then?"
"Mmh..." you hum and tip your head upward to look at him.
You hold his jaw to make him look back at you, "We can do more than a cuddle or two tonight," you answer with a smile.
His guess is right and he grins at you, suddenly feeling conflicted that a part of him wants to kiss you but another part of him doesn't want to anger everyone.
"No?" You ask.
"No," he answers.
"So... is that a yes?" You ask again with your thumb now swiping his lips.
Seungmin lets out a low chuckle and just can't find it in him to resist you, you're so alluring, so relentless, and just undeniably beautiful.
"We can do more than a cuddle or two, yeah," he caves in to the temptation.
Seungmin takes his arm away just so he can hover above you but before he can lean in, you stop him. You look around to make sure the coast is clear, checking Tom's bed to see if he's sleeping soundly before pulling the duvet to cover both of you.
Even in the dark, Seungmin knows where your lips are because he's drawn to them and when they touched, he feels like something has sets his body alight. He feels warm all over, he feels the flutter in his stomach and the softness of your lips that are in contrast to how hard you return his kiss.
It's only fair that Seungmin reciprocate that energy, he uses his tongue to pry open your mouth and kisses you deeper, harder, and at the same time, trying to keep the smooching sound at the minimum.
Your hands are around him and keep pulling him closer until he collapses on top of you, he has to plant his elbow against the mattress to not put his whole weight on you.
Seungmin doesn't know how much time has passed because, to him, it feels like time stops when he kisses you.
As much as he would love to continue, he decides to end it with a long peck on your lips and pulls open the duvet covering both of you.
With your hands still around his neck, you easily bring his head close to plant a soft kiss on his cheek and smile when you pull away.
"Goodnight," you quietly mutter.
He gives your cheek a gentle caress before placing a kiss on it, then murmurs back, "Goodnight."
The two of you return to your sides of the beds with your backs against each other like nothing just happened.
-
SEUNGMIN: She is making it hard for me right now but I know that people will be mad about it so I didn't go all the way.
-
The morning starts with a heartfelt apology from Elliott.
If only the apology brings back the $50,000 they have lost, they would have easily accepted it but well, the damage has been done, there's just no undoing it.
"I'm not the type to dwell on the past but I don't forget and forgive either," Tom says, showing where his stance is on this matter.
Devon brushes her brown hair to the back and draws a breath before talking, "We do not plan to spend any more money. You can believe that or not, but I'll show you," she says with a determination.
"You are repeat offenders!" Tom states a fact that everyone can vouch for it.
"Fair enough," Elliott meekly responds.
Everyone turns quiet as they watch the talk between Tom and Elliott on the sideline, including him and you. You link your arm around his and rest your head on his shoulder.
Tom looks around as he asks the same question every other morning, "Did anyone break the rules last night?"
Not going to lie, Seungmin's heart drops a little but he knows how to put on a poker face. He remains calm, holding your hand if not rubbing the sleep of his eyes.
Another moment passes and no one answers Tom except for the silence that hangs in the room. Admitting it won't do him good, he knows Tom is going to be fuming.
"Let's start the day, shall we?" Issa says, breaking the silence in the room.
Seungmin must admit that you put on a good poker face too, no one is suspecting anything and he hopes it stays like that.
But on the other hand, the rule break last night only makes him want to break more rules and you seem to have the same thing in mind.
"What are we doing today?" You ask, your hand making its way across the sink to grab at his hips.
Seungmin is too busy brushing his teeth to answer you, he wants to do a lot of things with you but most of them are against the rules. He takes your hand and pulls you close to his side which you gladly do, clinging to his side.
You both agreed on swimming in the pool instead of working out, and going to the dressing room to change into swimwear.
Seungmin is already waiting in his swimming trunk and drinking out of his water tumbler when you come out of the changing room without your bikini top.
You're slyly grinning and stand by the full-length mirror to put the bikini top on while he watches in the back.
"Do you like what you see?" You playfully ask as you tie the straps on your back.
Seungmin manages to swallow his water alright even though you suddenly decided to flash him.
"The question is can I touch them?"
You laugh at that and come up to him, putting your hands around his neck, "You can touch them whenever you want."
He gives you a piggyback ride to the swimming pool and standing on the edge of the pool, "Are you ready?"
Before you can answer, he jumps into the pool with you still on his back, catching you off guard. You're gasping for air once you break through the water's surface.
Seungmin has a good laugh watching you fumbling to plant your feet on the bottom of the pool and he hurriedly helps putting your hair away from covering your face.
"You prick!" You say as you hit his chest.
He can't stop laughing, but he tries to console you by hugging you.
"Having a good laugh, huh?" You sneer, all pout and adorable.
"I did ask you if you were ready," he says just to annoy you more.
"Ha-ha," you dryly laugh in response, wiping the water from around your eyes.
"Okay, I'm sorry," He quickly apologizes, putting your hands around his neck and holding you close.
But he is having fun teasing you so while you're holding onto him, he lets himself fall into the water and brings you along with him, fooling you once again.
"Stop following me!" You jokingly say as he trails behind you as you both make your way back to the villa.
He puts his hands on your shoulders and you quickly shrug them off, "Don't touch me!"
That only makes him want to tease you more, he slips his arms under and around you, hugging you from the back.
"You're annoying. Go away!" You grumble, trying to get away but he won't let you.
Seungmin keeps laughing and tightening his hold around you, ignoring that the two of you are dripping wet and forming puddles of water on the floor of the dressing room.
He buries his head in your neck and kisses you there and you whine in complaint but you tip your head to the side, giving him the access to your neck.
"Stop it!" You tell him, half laughing but mostly enjoying his neck kisses.
He knows you can't resist him and that's why you keep letting him kiss your neck with his hands roaming around your wet body.
Then you drop your head on his shoulder, tantalizing him with your lips only inches away from him and you know what, he can worry about the money later.
Seungmin crashes his lips on yours, placing an intense kiss on your soft lips, and gives you a moment to return his kiss before taking it further.
You know what he wants and you give it to him, opening your mouth for him so he can kiss you deeper and harder.
While his lips are busy kissing yours, his hands freely wandering your body, he traces the sides of your body, then bravely cups your breasts in his hands.
A moan slips out of your mouth as he fondles your soft mounds, feeling the nipples hardening under your bikini top. The more he touches you, the more he loses himself in the kiss.
If it wasn't for the footsteps you both hearing coming to the dressing room, Seungmin wouldn't have stopped. He steps away to avoid suspicion, grabbing a towel to start drying himself.
You crane your neck to see who's coming from the hallway but it seems like whoever that is, they're heading for the bedroom, not here.
The moment your eyes meet, you both let out a laugh knowing that no one caught you rulebreaking.
-
SEUNGMIN: I need to do something because if we keep going down this path... I think we're going to keep breaking more rules.
-
The dress you're wearing has cute frills on the hem and you're swaying your body side to side in front of the mirror to see how it's going to look.
"It looks like one of those Barbie dresses," Adriana comments.
"I'm not wearing underwear under my dress," you shamelessly share.
"She's not wearing underwear under her skirt," Adriana points at Issa which she confirms with a nod.
"I hardly wear underwear," Devon innocently adds, holding a glass of juice in her hand.
You check one more time in the mirror and Vale happens to walk past you, you grab his elbow to stop him.
"How do I look?"
He ties his long hair into a small bun as he looks at you, "Stunning!"
"Thank you, babes," you mutter with a big smile, holding your hand up for a high five.
"And how do I look?" Vale asks, giving you a spin to show the whole look.
He's wearing blue jeans and a gray knitted sweater which doesn't fit the Caribbean sea weather but he looks good nonetheless.
"Divine!" You answer with a bright smile.
He puts his arm around your shoulder and looks at both of your reflections in the mirror as he says, "Perfect!"
After putting on a fresh coat of lip gloss, you're ready to step out of the villa and find Seungmin, he's the only one you want to show yourself off to.
You can easily spot him from his baseball jacket and his broad shoulders, he's talking to Jeff by the pool. Once you're close enough, you surprise him with a back hug.
Seungmin looks over his shoulder at you and smiles, sharing a moment with him until you realize that Jeff is still there.
"Nice shirt, Jeff," you compliment.
Jeff looks down at his striped shirt, "Thanks!"
Since Seungmin is still engaged in a conversation with him, you decide to let them continue and excuse yourself.
"I'm going to get a drink," you tell Seungmin.
It's when you're done with your first glass of drink and deep in the talk about skincare products with Lili and Adriana that Seungmin looks for you.
"Can I borrow her for a minute?" He asks the girls.
"Uh... No," Adriana jokes.
Nevertheless, he's offering his hand at you to help you get up from the sofa and take you to the firepit which has become you and Seungmin's favorite spot.
You carefully sit on the sofa with your hand keeping the hem of your dress down to not let it ride up your thighs and accidentally expose your private part to the camera.
"I love the jacket," you compliment, grabbing at the collar of it.
"I love the dress," he compliments back, touching the frilly hem, then rests his hand on your thigh.
His hair is brushed to the back, showcasing his beautiful face shape and strong jaws. Something about him that makes it seem like he's getting sexier and sexier each time you look at him.
And your mind is about to wander far off but thankfully, Seungmin grabs your hand and reels you back.
"I think we need to talk," he says.
Those words have such negative connotations and you get a little nervous, "Yeah?"
He puts his arm around you and his fingers are playing with the end of your hair, "We broke the rules twice already. I think it's just too much physical," he says.
Facing Lana's wrath is scary but there are far scarier things than that, for example, Seungmin has a change of heart. Thank God that's not the case so you let out a low sigh of relief.
"And I'm not just talking about people going to be mad at us. I think we should work on our emotional connection too," he seems to pick his words carefully, probably not wanting you to get the wrong idea.
You know exactly what he's talking about, there just too much physical stuff lately and you can't think of anything other than that.
But if you would rather do that than have to talk about emotions, feelings... it's just too scary for you.
"I'm just bad at talking about my feelings, that scares me so much," you honestly tell him.
Seungmin repeatedly nods as he takes your answer and pats your head, "Okay then, for now, let's put a brake on the physical stuff," he suggests.
Not sure if that's also what you want, you hate the idea but Seungmin is right, you should start to think of the group and stop acting selfishly.
The only thing that gets in the way is that it's not an easy thing to do.
"You know on the first few days in this retreat, I kind of forgot about sex," you share.
You pull the lapel of his jacket and slyly smile as you glance at him, "But now that I'm sharing a bed with a hot guy... all I'm thinking is just sex, sex, and sex," you openly admit, purposely dropping your voice lower and lower.
Seungmin is holding himself from smiling and you see that he profusely blushing from your words which makes him even cuter.
He clears his throat before speaking, "Surely, we can control our impulses, we can try—"
You cut him off as you stare into his eyes, "And when you're looking me in the eyes like that I just get so... fired up," you tell him.
He draws a sharp breath and throws his head back, failing to try to make you stop thinking about sexual stuff to only hear you talk more about sexual stuff.
You laugh as he looks so defeated and you hug him, feeling bad for him.
"We should stop spending the money, mmh!" He tries again.
"I'll try," you say while continuously laughing.
Hopeless, he buries his head and threatens you with tickling kisses, sending you into a laughing fit. Once you calmed down, you carefully dab the tears pooling in the corner of your eyes from laughing.
"If we can't kiss then I want cuddles," you demand.
Seungmin knows what to do, sitting on the end of the sofa so you can rest on his chest. You keep the hem of your dress down as you get in between his legs.
"I'm not wearing underwear," you tell him.
He hurriedly takes his jacket off, offering it to you to cover your legs, then puts his arms around you.
"Why are you not wearing an underwear?" He curiously asks.
"To seduce you, of course!" You mischievously reply with a smirk.
He groans at the night sky and hisses, "Fuck..."
-
YOU: What can I say? I love teasing him [laughs]
-
Should you be suspicious or relieved to know that Lana is letting the two of you off tonight?
She didn't announce any rule breaks tonight and everyone stays oblivious about your rulebreaks. Well, you should be thankful that you can go to sleep at ease tonight.
"Goodnight, fam!" Jeff mutters to everyone in the room once the lights are off.
In the dark, Seungmin gets bold with his touches, you wonder if he's going to keep his word to not spend any more money.
You still remember how he said he didn't like cuddles that much but he's the only one spooning you right now with his big, warm hand resting on your stomach.
To put it simply, he's not that much of a man who sticks to his words.
It's obvious that he wants it as much as you do as he keeps placing kisses all over your shoulder and neck, his hand goes under your night dress, squishing on the flesh of your stomach.
"We can kiss, you know," you whisper.
He presses a kiss on the skin behind your ear and whispers back, "But we can't."
You let him do as he pleases and try to not make any noises as his hand climbs up your chest, his fingers teasing your underboob.
You turn your head to the back and lowly mutter, "You know what they say?"
He detaches his mouth off your neck, "What?"
"Third time is a charm," you answer.
Seungmin gets it right away and he decides that he's going against his plan to not act selfishly. He kisses you and lets his hand roam all over you, fondling at your breast and pinching at your nipple, making you yelp against his lips.
You see that he's smiling as he kisses you and he slides his hand down your stomach, easing down to where you want him the most.
He lets go of the kiss to ask, "Are you wearing underwear?"
"Sadly, yes," you answer.
That doesn't stop him from continuing, cupping your clothed sex as he plants his mouth on you again and without warning, lands a gentle slap at it.
You take his hand away in reflex and put it back on your waist, holding it down to not let it wander again.
"You can't do that, baby," you whine.
It's a surprise that you find yourself becoming the one with more senses and reminding him about the plan. Probably because it only hits you now that you've spent quite a lot of money already with three kisses and that's only what you know.
You don't want to know how Lana is going to calculate these rule breaks, thinking about it is enough to make you shudder.
Seungmin takes a deep breath to calm himself down, he needs it as you can feel his member poking your backside. You turn around to sleep facing him and putting a little space between your bodies, resting your hand on his chest as you look at his face in the dark.
"We should save some for tomorrow," you jokingly say.
Seungmin softly chuckles and takes your hand to kiss it, "Goodnight," he mutters.
You lean in to kiss his cheek and give his fluffy hair a ruffle, "Goodnight, baby."
-
YOU: I hope Lana dozed off during her night shift or was updating her software or something [laughs]
-
This morning, people started getting suspicious of you.
As soon as the lights are on and morning greetings are being thrown around the room, Tom asks the usual question, "Were there any rule breaks last night?"
You put on an act and you don't have to worry about Seungmin, he mastered the innocent until proven guilty face.
Issa shakes her head while twisting her hair and secures it with a hair claw, "Nothing here."
"That's good," Tom says, impressed.
Then Devon with her bare face and naturally rosy cheeks, gestures her hand in your direction, "I definitely heard something from there," she says.
Your heart drops but you keep reminding yourself to not act on it, putting on an angelic smile to ward the suspicion away.
"Why are you smiling?" Jeff asks.
"Because I'm feeling good," You simply answer, ignoring how your heart starts beating out of control inside your chest.
Thankfully, Vale chimes in and puts all of the attention away from you, "Yo Jeff, I dreamed that you stole one of the cones in the villa," he says.
Jeff cracks a laugh at this random information, "You mean, I stole Lana?"
Now that the suspicious eyes are nowhere on you, you look at Seungmin and exchange a knowing glance.
"What are we doing today?"
"Stop following me," he says, getting back at you with what you said to him yesterday.
You rest your head on his shoulder, "Want to work out together?"
He pushes you away by the shoulder, "You're annoying. Go away!"
You put your hand across his chest and hug him, annoying him more by nuzzling your head into his neck.
"Stop it!" He plainly says.
It's for the best that you maintain a safe space with Seungmin for now. You join Vale sunbathing, taking the lounger next to him, and put sunglasses on to shield you from the sun.
"It's weird not seeing you all over your boy," Vale pokes fun at you.
"Gee! Thanks," you sneer with a thin smile.
Vale chuckles and puts his bottle of suntan away, "So, you like this boy so much, huh?"
"Yes," you confidently reply.
"That much, huh?"
"Yes."
He chuckles again and reclines on his lounger, "How far are you in the relationship?"
You get a little anxious at the mention of the word "relationship" but it is a relationship, what you have with Seungmin is not just a fling.
With Vale, you can openly tell him about things because you know he will try to help you find an answer. He's a good friend who you can seek advice from.
"I'm just afraid that I might get scared and just fall back, I'm like... caught between two things at this moment," you honestly tell him.
Vale understands your problem, he's brushing his facial hair as he thinks about what to say to you.
"I think you should follow your heart," he says.
"If he feels right to you, then you should go for it," he continues, looking at you through the lenses of your sunglasses.
Seungmin feels right but that doesn't mean that one day, he won't walk away from your life. That's what you fear: being abandoned.
"I know but... it's just..." You don't know how to fathom it into words but you can feel the fear creeping up inside you.
Vale grabs your hand and gives it a squeeze, "It's okay. You'll figure it out," he comforts you with a smile.
This is what makes Vale a good friend, he's not judgmental and knows how to provide comfort. You place your hand on top of his and smile back at him.
After a moment, he lets go and then sits back on his lounger, "What else is on your mind though?"
"Sex?" You shamelessly answer.
He bursts out laughing and puts his hands behind his head, "You did break the rules with him last night, didn't you?"
He knows you better than anyone so there's no use in denying it, you nod to confirm.
"How bad?"
You skip on answering and he gets the meaning of it, cracking another laugh at you.
"How mad everyone will be when they find out?" You foolishly ask even though you don't want to know the answer.
"Depends..." Vale answers, sparing his detailed opinion on it.
He knows you know how bad it would be since you're the one who committed the crimes. If you have to guess how bad, well, it's bad enough that it sends a chill down your spine.
You shake the thought away and turn the conversation elsewhere, "Enough about me. How about you?"
"What about me?" Vale asks in confusion.
"Are you still on the hunt or...?" You wonder if Vale is having his eyes on someone or if he wants to continue this journey on his own.
"I don't know," he answers.
"I don't think I... I think I learned enough here," he cryptically adds, hinting that he wants to stop progressing in this retreat.
But it could also mean something else entirely.
"If it's about the girls, I think Lana will bring more guests into the villa," you try to console him.
Vale awkwardly chuckles and lets your words vanish into thin air, unanswered.
-
YOU: I want to open up, I do and I know it's something that I need to do but that's just too scary for me.
-
It's time to face the music.
When Devon lets everyone know that Lana wants everyone in the cabana, Seungmin knows that she's going to announce the rule breaks.
Lana has been quiet lately but that doesn't mean she's not keeping tabs on what's happening in the villa. He sees that you look a little nervous as you walk next to him.
Everyone is cheering once they enter the cabana and Seungmin wonders what triggers it, it's the first time everyone is happy coming into the cabana.
Then he notices the small gift boxes, twelve of them on the table which means everyone gets one.
"I hope it's one of those mini vibrators," Cara cheekily remarks.
Next to him, you're sighing and awkwardly muttering, "That's interesting."
Not long after, Lana chimes to answer everyone's curiosity, "Hello, everyone. As you can see, I have a treat for you all."
More cheering erupts in the cabana and Tom is excitedly whooping, probably because Lana finally delivers good news.
"The purpose of this gift will further enhance your relationships going forward. You may now open your gifts."
Everyone takes each box onto their laps and impatiently opens them to find out what's inside. Seungmin takes one for him too and gets yours for you.
"When I observe two people forming a genuine connection, they will be given a green light, like this."
While everyone else is enjoying their watches and Lana explains about the green light, Seungmin is left confounded as he finds nothing inside his box.
And so are you.
"You don't get one?" Elliott asks.
Devon dramatically gasps, "What does that mean?"
Seungmin looks at you and you look back at him, nervously laughing at the same time. He knows you both fucked up and it's time to let everyone knows.
"Do you guys know why you don't get one?" Adriana asks.
It's better to come clean and not make it worse for both of you. Seungmin learns the hard way not to underestimate Lana and if he did again, she'd punish him more.
"Uhm... so..." You're fiddling with the cuff of Seungmin's shirt, anxious.
Seungmin decides to speak for both of you, "Last night, we kissed and did a little heavy petting," he confesses.
He thought that it would be like taking a bandaid off all at once but as everyone is exclaiming, groaning, and complaining, he realizes that the sting lingers.
"I knew it," Devon says, knowing that she was right about the noises she heard last night.
"You have not only broken the rules once, but three times in 36 hours," Lana reveals.
And hearing that, he must agree that it's that bad.
"What are you doing?" Elliott asks in disbelief as if he didn't spend 50 grand on himself a few days ago.
"These rule breaks have cost the group a total of $30,000."
Everyone is at a loss for words, including Tom and that's a bad sign. Seungmin would rather Tom to scold him than get nothing from him.
"The prize fund now stands at $74,000," Lana updates.
-
SEUNGMIN: [Groans] I clearly underestimated Lana.
-
When you think the nightmare is over, Lana calls you and Seungmin. You sit up straighter and hold Seungmin's hand tighter on his lap.
"Everyone here has struggled to combat their physical urges, but you two have shown a blatant disregard for my rules of late."
Lana is mad, you get it and you believe you're not going to like what she says next. But what can you do? You have to pay for what you did.
"Therefore, to prove you are committed to the process, I'm setting you an additional test."
Oh? A test? But you're never good at tests and everyone seems to have guessed what kind of test Lana will put you into.
"You will both spend the night in the suite," Lana continues.
You and Seungmin immediately turn to look at each other, muttering two different curses at the same time.
"Fuck!"
"Damn it!"
"You are encouraged to use your time to further your connection and prove that you do, in fact, respect the rules of my retreat," Lana warns.
Everyone is already pessimistic about it, they probably think that the two of you will fail which only makes you want to prove them wrong.
"If successful you will earn your watches," Lana announces.
Seungmin looks at everyone and says, "To me, this is not a problem."
This is not a problem to him but everyone knows that the problem is you, you're the one who keeps leading him into temptations.
"You may now leave," Lana orders.
-
YOU: Oh, my God! How are we going to survive this?
-
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wordssricochet · 6 months ago
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💬 — First time writing a fanfiction, EVER!! Please, correct me if i misinterpret his personality, or if I make any spelling or grammar mistakes. I am still learning. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy reading.
⚠ — Miscommunication
📝 — ☣︎ (angst)
#⃣ — 718 words
⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ ⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ ⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ ⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ ⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ ⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ 
Grieving For Someone Alive | C. D|
by wordssricochet ™
。・:*:・゚★,。・:*:・゚☆。・:*:・゚★,。・:*:・゚☆。・:*:・゚★,。・:*:・゚☆
Can you even blame Cedric? Cho Chang was perfect; a witty, beautiful ravenclaw. It was obvious that he would replace you with her. I mean, who wouldn't?
You were just an average hufflepuff. Everything about you is average. Average grades, average looks, average body, your friend group consist of 2-5 people only. You were just so average.
That was exactly the reason why you broke things off with Cedric. He was out of your league. He was the complete opposite of you.
"Y/N, Y/N..Y/N! You good? " Your friend, Adriana asks, "You're staring at them again.. Are you sure that you're okay?" She added, with a worried gaze.
"Of course, why wouldn't I be okay? I'm the one that broke up with him, remember? "
"Yeah, just checking up on you."
You've convinced yourself that you're not even allowed to miss him, because after all, you broke things off.
But, oh, how you miss his cheeky smile. His cute laughs that would make heads turn whenever people hear that melody. You miss the boy that you lost, and there's no turning back now.
You almost felt bad for yourself, but you remembered that you bought this upon yourself. You deserved it. If only you were confident about yourself, maybe you guys were still together.
❃.✮:▹ ◃:✮.❃❃.✮:▹ ◃:✮.❃❃.✮:▹ ◃:✮.❃❃.✮:▹ ◃:✮.❃
You saw him again, him with his perfect girlfriend. You admit it yourself, they look perfect together — something that no one would even think about when you both were still dating.
"Staring again, L/N? " Casey asks. You nod, not having any more energy to deny.
Casey smiled at you warily, "It's okay, Y/N, it'll be all fine."
"But what if it won't?" You hooted, "What if these feelings will never go away? "
"You're grieving for nothing, Y/N," She lectures, "He'd already moved on, what are we going to do about that? Use Imperio on him?"
"... it's just.." You sigh, "I want to forget about him."
Casey's eyes widen, "You mean..? "
"Yes, " You gave her a sad smile.
She accepted, "Let's meet at the Black Lake after class, okay? "
"Deal."
*+:。.。 。.。:+**+:。.。 。.。:+**+:。.。 。.。:+**+:。.。 。.。:+*
"Ready, Y/N? " Casey asks, her wand pointing at you.
"As always. "
"Obliviate! " She yells, a bright strike hits you.
You dropped to the ground almost immediately as a lightning look-a-like hit you.
✧・゚: *✧・゚:*✧・゚: *✧・゚:*✧・゚: *✧・゚:*✧・゚: *✧・゚:*
After the incident — which you have no idea of — you have been undoubtedly happy. Always giggling and smiling. Some might call you a "happy-go-lucky girl" in which the name makes you laugh even harder.
The people from your house noticed the sudden change in your behavior. Who wouldn't? Ever since you broke up with Diggory you looked depressed every single day. And now, you're super happy? What is happening?
Cedric noticed the change in your demeanor, too. He would never admit it but he was always worried when you go to the great hall, looking like a storm went by your dorm last night.
He wanted to talk to you, to at least get some closure about your break up. It was never clear to him why you wanted him gone. He was sure that he treated you right, what changed?
He wanted to get you off his mind, so he started dating Cho Chang. It might sound cruel, even for him, but he loved you dearly to just forget about you in 2 days. It has always been you, always been.
He excused himself to his friends. He wanted to talk to you, since you seem fine now. He walks toward where you're seated, between Casey and Adriana.
"Y/N? Can we talk? " He starts, staring down at you.
"I'm sorry but, who are you? " You look genuinely confused. And he looked absolutely discombobulated.
What do you mean by who he is? You guys dated for 2 years!
Until he realized what had happened. He looks at Adriana and Casey, they looked apologetic.
"She asked me to. " Casey sighs, "She wanted to. "
Cedric was livid, you can immediately notice his change in demeanor. His eyes widened, his nose almost fuming. He looks like he could pop a vein.
Until he gained some consciousness in the real world. He looks at you, worried.
Did he really hurt you this much that you wanted to use a spell on yourself just to forget him? He didn't even know the reason why you broke up with him. You were cruel.
*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻
💬 — Help me, I hate this fic sm☹️. Miscommunication is one of the tropes that I truly DESPISE, but I wanted to post something already and I literally have no creativity in me:p. Anyway, I MIGHT edit this ENTIRELY. I hate this sm, I feel like it didn't explain the plot clearly to the readers.
Sincerely, March
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merthurians-prat-and-idiot · 22 hours ago
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9-1-1 Buddie 8x06 coda (major spoilers!)
The spirit of Eddie Diaz possessed me and here this is! V unedited as its almost 4am for me but enjoy!
Also on Ao3
🚒💫
"Did you shave your moustache?"
Its not the first thing Eddie had been expecting Buck to mention, when he'd waited him out to hear what was going on.
But, another part of Eddie sparks just a little. Something saying 'he noticed'.
Eddie shaved his trauma based facial hair, put on a song and danced around like he was a kid again. Like he was stealing the mixtape Adriana's boyfriend made her, blasting it full volume while everyone was at church and he blagged a pulled muscle from baseball practice (he only got away with that because the only thing worse to Ramon Diaz than a son, 'a man of the house' being taken down by a sore leg, was his son ditching the match and embarassing them). He would jump the stairs in twos or sometimes threes in time with the music, slide down the bannister, knee slide across the kitchen floor- playing every song on a loop (ignoring the way his heart flopped in his chest when Adri's boyfriend whispered his dedications between songs).
He'd let loose in his own house this time, joy bursting within him and then his door had been knocked on, his best friend came in, sat beside him and noticed it all.
Or, at least the moustache.
And probably the shirt, underpants and socks look.
Plus he was pretty sure Buck was sitting on the fly swatter air guitar right now.
Eddie grins unabashedly, feeling his smooth upper lip tug.
"Yeah I did, what'd you think?"
He gives his best pout just for-
Buck exhales a laugh, his head ducking with a just there smile.
There it is.
"Suits you- not that uh- not that the whole, what did Chim call it?"
"Magnum"
"Right! Magnum look didn't- but it was kinda getting a bit too similar to Gerrard and that is not a mix up I want to be part of"
Eddie snorts.
"Were you actually worried about accidentally greeting him as me? He'd sure learn a hell of a lot about racoons if you did"
"Hey- racoons are adorable and they're super intelligent!"
Eddie raised his hands in acquiesce.
"I'm not saying anything against racoons Buck, you've pleaded their case already and besides, Christopher-"
He cuts himself off and watches Buck suck in a small breath.
"Christopher loves them too"
It doesn't hurt quite so much. He finds himself smiling again.
"So, the moustache the only thing you noticed?" he sinks further into the couch, shoulder brushing Buck's.
"I figured you'd just put all your other clothes in the wash" Buck gestures up and down at him with a smirk.
He gets an eyeroll in return.
"What about you?" Eddie asks.
The question is light, but Eddie would be lying if he said he wasn't getting curious, watching the way Buck seems to curl back into himself, a halligan settling back across his shoulders.
He lets the silence linger for a moment the way he knows Buck needs.
Finally there's a sigh.
"Tommy broke up with me".
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shitouttabuck · 10 months ago
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several sentence sunday
tagged by @try-set-me-on-fire @clusterbuck @devirnis @buckactuallys @transboybuckley <333
xmas fic i did abandon u...... doing chest compressions we will get her back
But then Adriana asks if he wants to have a beer on the porch and Abuela interrupts to say no, actually, she gets first dibs on Buck as soon as he’s gotten settled, because the tamales aren’t going to stuff themselves and God knows Eddie isn’t going to be much help. “Oh dude, you’re never gonna escape the kitchen on family holidays again,” Sophia mutters darkly to Buck. “She’s gonna put you to work like her own little Ratatouille.” “Am I the rat or is she the—” Buck starts, only to be cut off by Abuela calling over her shoulder, “Do you really want to finish that question, Buckito? Apúrate!” “She got hearing aids last month,” Adriana adds helpfully. “She’s like a bat now.” “Shout if you need a rescue, I’m great at faking minor emergencies,” Sophia grins. “Eddie’s terrible at it, he always undersells or goes way overboard. One time, he told the principal that I wasn’t in school because—” “Buck do you wanna see my bedroom,” Eddie asks quickly, grabbing Buck by the wrist.
sorry if i didnt reply to your pen emoji wip line asks yesterday i lost juice very quickly lmao but thank u sm for sending them in!!!! <3
tagging @onward--upward @eddiebabygirldiaz @rewritetheending @housewifebuck @chronicowboy @jeeyuns @anakinfallen @zahlibeth @athenagranted if you have anything soz i know it’s late for most of you
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cal-daisies-and-briars · 8 months ago
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Tease Tidbit Tuesday
Thank you to @disasterbuckdiaz @tizniz and @exhuastedpigeon for tagging me!
Here is a little snippet from the next chapter of Things We're All Too Young to Know!
---
Buck walks down the hallway and freezes when he sees them.
“Uh, Eddie?”
Adriana looks at Buck and sniffles again, clearly embarrassed.
“Buck, you remember Adriana, right?” Eddie says, not taking his eyes off his sister.
“Oh, yeah. Uh, hey.” Buck says stiffly. 
“Hi,” she mumbles.
“Eddie, why don’t I take Chris out to a movie or something for a while?” Buck suggests. 
Eddie nods. “Good call.”
“On it,” Buck says quickly, then turns to walk in the direction of Christopher’s bedroom.
“He’s so nice,” Adriana starts crying again. 
“Yeah,” Eddie agrees quietly. “He is. Come on, let’s go sit down.”
“Nice and so handsome,” she continues. “Wh-what the hell? First man you find is just, like, perfect?”
Eddie’s not going to get into why that isn’t a completely fair assessment of his love life, because she’s having a really bad day. 
“Ah, he’s back to being bad at poker, so you win some, you lose some,” Eddie mutters instead. 
---
Tagging @pantsaretherealheroes @jeeyuns @aroeddiediaz @theotherbuckley @diazsdimples @fionaswhvre @steadfastsaturnsrings @alliaskisthepossibilityoflove @mangacat201 @daughterofscotland @athenagranted @evanbegins @wildlife4life @devonwritesstuff @adarkermiserablecrow @epicbuddieficrecs @fortheloveofbuddie @your-catfish-friend
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doeeyeseddie · 1 year ago
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Hii :) if I'm not too late for the soft prompts, I would love some buddie + "I missed you"
hello! sorry it took me over a month to write this but i hope you see and like it <3
[read on ao3]
Buck is pacing. He knows it’s stupid, knows it doesn’t make the minutes pass faster, but he braved the hellish drive to LAX and now he doesn’t have the patience to just stand here and stare at the board displaying the arrivals, waiting for the flight from ELP to switch from “On Approach” to “Arrived”.
He stops when it finally does, but then immediately starts pacing again. Eddie only traveled with hand luggage, but it’s still gonna be ages until he’s off the plane and stepping through the gates.
He’s glad no one here knows that it’s only been three days since he last saw Eddie, they’d probably call them co-dependent. But what they also don’t know is that Eddie kissed Buck for the first time right before he left for El Paso, and that Buck has been absolutely aching to do it again since then.
Three days of only seeing Eddie’s face through the screen of his phone, three days of holding back all of the questions he still has. It kind of feels like he should ask them in person, and anyway, it wasn’t the right time. Eddie flew out to help his parents after his mom had to undergo a minor operation, just for three days until Adriana could take over, so he had plenty of other things to think about. Buck, meanwhile, took care of Christopher and slept in Eddie’s bed every night, which did not help with the thoughts swirling through his head or the buzzing of his nerves.
And now he’s only minutes away from seeing Eddie in person, from being able to touch him, from maybe finally getting answers, and he doesn’t know what to do with himself.
So he paces.
With one eye constantly on the sliding doors, he walks back and forth, feeling jittery all over.
And yet, the second Eddie actually, finally steps through the doors, Buck is rooted to the spot.
He’s wearing jeans – of course he is, he says sweatpants are for the gym or for sleeping and rarely even wears them around the house – and a soft sweater, sleeves pushed up to his elbows. He’s carrying his duffle bag and his forearms look, frankly, indecent. His soft, product-less hair looks like it’s just waiting for Buck to run his hands through it, and he aches. But he can’t quite bring himself to move.
Three days ago, they were standing not far from here, Eddie with that same duffle bag and Buck tagging along all the way into the airport, even though there wasn’t really a reason to.
“You didn’t even remind me to call you if I have any questions,” Buck said, and Eddie shook his head with a smile.
“You know that anyway, Buck.”
“Yeah, but I know the lists you still write for Christopher’s sleepovers—”
“The same way you know all of mine and Chris’ routines,” Eddie interrupted him gently, and Buck felt himself flush. “Buck, I trust you. I know you don’t need any lists or instructions. You’ve done this before, even when there was no way to call me.”
“Maybe, but Carla was there to help,” Buck insisted, even though he’d rather not talk or even think about anything related to Eddie being shot.
“Buck,” Eddie said again, and reached up to squeeze Buck’s shoulder. His thumb brushed the bare skin of Buck’s throat, and Buck swallowed hard. “I’m not worried. You two will be fine.”
“We’ll still miss you,” Buck blurted out, and Eddie’s eyes got even softer.
“I’ll miss you too,” he murmured, and then he leaned in and kissed Buck.
It lasted only a couple of seconds and Eddie jerked back, wide-eyed. Buck opened his mouth to say…something, or maybe to beg Eddie to do it again, but he was interrupted by an announcement from the overhead speakers telling them that Eddie’s flight had started boarding.
“You’re not even through security yet,” he said instead of any of the other things he wanted to say, and Eddie blinked, his hand dropping from Buck’s shoulder.
“Shit, yeah, I–” He licked his lips. “Sorry, I– I have to go, but– we’ll talk when I get back?”
“Yeah,” Buck nodded. Somehow, at some point, his hands had made their way to Eddie’s waist, and he dropped them now. “Uh, safe flight, text– text me when you land?”
“Promise,” Eddie said over his shoulder, already a few steps away, and then he disappeared in the mass of people queuing for security.
Buck touched his lips almost absently. What the fuck had just happened?
Eddie’s walking towards him slowly, measuredly, and he’s smiling, but it looks a little bit nervous. Something about that makes Buck feel better, kind of.
“Hey,” Eddie says quietly when he reaches him, and Buck just throws his arms around him in a hug that’s probably too tight, especially considering that it’s only been three days.
But Eddie’s duffle drops to the ground by their feet with a thud and he hugs him back just as tightly, so maybe it doesn’t matter at all.
“Eddie,” Buck breathes, and they just stand there for way too long, holding each other.
“I missed you,” Eddie says eventually, his breath warm against the side of Buck’s neck, and Buck tries not to shiver.
“I missed you too,” he whispers, and Eddie laughs a little.
“It’s only been three days.”
“Yeah, but,” Buck loosens his hold a little and takes half a step back, just enough to look at Eddie. “Eddie, you– you kissed me and then you said we’d talk when you got back and for three days I couldn’t tell you– I had to wonder if it was a mistake–”
“It wasn’t a mistake,” Eddie interrupts him. “An accident, maybe, because the timing was fucking terrible, but. Not a mistake.”
Buck laughs, because he doesn’t know how else to deal with the amount of feelings rushing through him, and tentatively, the corners of Eddie’s mouth lift too until his adorable dimple appears, and Buck reaches out to touch it, then cups Eddie’s cheek, rosy now.
“For three days, I– I wanted to tell you that what I really wanted to say after you kissed me was,” he hesitates only for a second, the sparkle in Eddie’s eyes telling him everything he needs to know, “Can you please do that again?”
Eddie laughs, but he presses his cheek into Buck’s palm a little harder and pulls him in by the waist.
“I would’ve,” he confesses, and his nose nudges Buck’s.
“Many times,” Buck murmurs. “So many times, Eddie.”
“No objection from me.” Eddie’s lips are soft against Buck’s cheek, his chin, the corner of his mouth. “I’m happy to do this for the rest of my life.”
And when he kisses Buck, he knows that he means it.
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acourtofladydeath · 1 month ago
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SJM Villain Week Day 7: Free Day
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This is a follow up to my omegaverse week fic "Hate and Heat" and you'll want to read that first! I've put both these fics in a series called "Vanserra Omegaverse".
Lost in his heat, Beron finally agrees to Adriana's and Eris' suggestions and let's the High Lord of the Day Court give him what he so desperately needs.
Thank you to @queercontrarian for betaing!
Find out exactly how Helion helps for day 7 of @sjmvillainweek. Read a snippet below or the full fic on AO3!
Groans drifted through the heavy oak door as Adriana approached, her arms heavily laden with blankets from her bed. She sighed, tilting her head back toward the ceiling as she shook it slowly. Each heat her husband worsened, refusing to give his body what it so desperately needed to survive. The stubborn ass would be the death of himself. Another breath later, the Lady of Autumn pushed through the door and entered the throne room.  Beron writhed on the throne, tearing at his cloak to adjust it around himself more comfortably. He whimpered as it caught on the arm of the chair, unable to position it in the way his body craved. Adriana fought the roll of her eyes; he never could get comfortable on the throne. A small part of her felt bad for the High Lord, so tormented by his designation he denied its physiology.  “You can’t keep going on like this,” she said as she unfolded each blanket and tucked it around Beron in the throne. He took to adjusting them properly as soon as they touched his heated skin. “It’s getting worse every cycle. You need more help than I can give.”  The High Lord simply grunted in response, shuffling around to try and get some relief. As his legs rubbed together just so he let out a desperate, needy keening sound from the back of his throat.  “You need an alpha, Beron.”
Finish reading on AO3.
Please let me know if you'd like on or off the taglist! @pippsmcgee, @born-to-riot, @chunkypossum, @bubybubsters, @queercontrarian, @yanny-77, @fieldofdaisiies, @iftheshoef1tz, @secret-third-thing, @jules-writes-stories, @the-darkestminds, @climbthemountain2020, @amalhe-kofee, @molcat07
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sebstanaddict · 1 year ago
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A Winter Miracle Part 2 : Snowbound Delivery
Sebastian Stan x Reader One Shot
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Summary:
After surviving the adventurous journey from Atlanta to New York, Sebastian finally arrived in New York only to find out his wife was really in labor. But her cold and icy behavior towards him raised a big question in his head. Did he do something wrong? And was she really in labor?
A/N : This story is part two of Sebastian Stan one shot titled A Winter Miracle: Flight of Frenzy. Read the first part here to understand more about this story.
Hope you enjoy this and please vote and comment. I will really appreciate it. Thank you!
Warning : some fluff and sexual references
Word count: 8.9k
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Delta Airline 228, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Atlanta, USA - Jan 19th 2024 - 1.30 pm
---
"Iubirea mea.. I'm having contractions.."
---
Sebastian's heart seemed to stop as he read the last message from his wife Y/n. He immediately called her and waited impatiently for her to pick up.
"Excuse me, sir. Could you turn your phone off, please? We're about to take off." A stewardess came to him and reminded him.
"But my wife is in labor!" He protested.
"We know, sir." The stewardess said.
"We know." Passengers around him also chorused along with the stewardess, startling him.
"Fine." He sighed as he looked at his cellphone which had disconnected automatically because his wife hadn't answered it.
"Thank you, sir." The stewardess smiled then finally left.
He typed a quick message to his wife letting her know that he was finally on his way to New York, then he turned the airplane mode of his cellphone on.
He let out a deep sigh as he put his cellphone back in his pocket and looked out the window, praying he could still make it on time to see his baby's birth.
Even though the journey from Atlanta to New York took only two hours, it felt like the longest two hours of his life. When the plane finally touched down in New York, he was the first one to be out of the plane.
"Thank you for flying with us, sir. And hope you can still make it to see your baby's birth." The beautiful stewardess who recognized Adriana and helped her earlier smiled at him as he stepped out of the plane.
"Thank you." He smiled back and immediately walked towards the terminal.
With long and quick strides he dragged his suitcase with one hand and pulled out his cellphone with the other. He turned off the airplane mode on his cellphone and immediately called his wife.
"Honey.. please pick up." He said under his breath as he continued to walk towards the exit of the airport.
"Seb.." his wife finally picked up after five rings and he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Oh Y/n sweetheart.. where are you? How are you? Are you still having contractions?" He asked, panic in his voice.
"I'm at the Brooklyn Hospital Center waiting for dr.Selena to arrive. Are you in New York already?" She asked.
"Oh okay. Yeah. I just landed at JFK."
"Oh thank God. What happened?"
"Long story, honey. I'll tell you later. How are you? Are you still having contractions?"
"Umm.. not really. The last one was before I left for the hospital, like an hour ago. I haven't felt it again. So.."
"Oh okay. Well it's best to still get yourself checked."
"Yeah. I know."
"Okay. Just hang in there. I'm going straight there."
"Okay."
"See you in a bit, honey."
"See you soon, Iubirea mea."
"I love you."
"I love you more." She replied and he smiled.
"Not possible." He responded and she laughed.
"Just get into a taxi and come down here quickly, Iubirea mea." She commanded.
"As you wish, my queen." He replied and she giggled.
"Bye, Iubirea mea."
"Bye, sweetheart." And they finally hung up.
Listening to her voice made him miss her so much. The last time he saw her was two weeks ago. He was supposed to get days off every week but the Thunderbolts shooting schedule towards the end was so tight that he ended up working overtime and didn't get the chance to go back to New York last week. In any case, he was glad she was okay and that it seemed he would make it to his baby's birth.
"Taxi!" He yelled as he finally made it out of the airport and immediately hailed a taxi in front of the exit of the terminal.
A cold breeze passed him and he shivered a little as he stood on the sidewalk and waited. The air felt colder than in Atlanta he thought as he continued to raise his hand up and try to catch a taxi. Thankfully an empty taxi pulled over moments later and he immediately got in.
"Where to, sir?" the taxi driver asked as he slammed the taxi door shut.
"Brooklyn Hospital Center, please." he answered and the driver nodded.
He pulled out his cellphone again as the taxi started to move and sent a message to his wife, letting her know that he was in a taxi and was heading to the hospital.
"And now for the weather forecast. New York City will have clear skies for the rest of the day but starting tonight there might be some snowfall as the temperature drops to 30 degrees. More light snowfall is expected tomorrow in the city as well as around Roxbury, Albany and Poughkeepsie. Expect the skies to clear up on Saturday evening but get ready for a snow storm in the city, Roxbury, Albany and Poughkeepsie starting Sunday with temperatures as low as 22 degrees." The sound of a female weather forecaster came out from the taxi's radio.
Snow storm? That doesn't sound good. He thought as he looked out the window. Chad's wedding was going to be held on Saturday at the Plattekill Mountains which was in Roxbury. He hoped the forecast was correct and the snow storm really happened on Sunday instead of Saturday. A wedding during a snow storm definitely doesn't sound ideal. But then again, at this point he didn't know if he was going to be able to attend it. If his wife really was in labor he definitely couldn't come to the wedding.
His mind wandered to his wife again and he remembered the last time he witnessed her giving birth to their first child, Starlene. It was incredible to witness how strong she was during the whole thing. She insisted on not using any pain relief and wanted to give birth as normal as possible. He saw how much she was in pain but she withstood it all and just used the hypnobirthing method to manage the pain. He remembered witnessing everything from when her cervical dilation was zero until it reached 10 cm and she finally pushed their baby out into the world. He wasn't sure he could be as strong as she was if the position was reversed. He remembered how painful it was to recover from his broken leg and how he couldn't function without the pain killers.
He realized how sensitive she was that she felt pain even when her cervix was not yet dilated. She sounded calm the last time he called her so maybe the contraction really was a false alarm and they could still go to Chad's wedding.
The taxi screeched to a halt all of a sudden and he heard a loud crash as his body was jolted to the front, his face almost hitting the head rest of the front passenger seat.
"Oh f**k!" The taxi driver cursed as he looked to the front. The taxi just hit another car! Steam came out of the taxi's hood and the taxi driver immediately got out of the taxi.
He sighed and shook his head in disbelief. Today felt like his honeymoon all over again with all the bad things happening to him.
He peeked to the front and saw the taxi driver talking with a man who he assumed was the driver of the car they just hit. They both looked tense and seemed to be yelling at each other.
Obviously he couldn't continue riding in the taxi so he got out and approached the taxi driver, dragging his suitcase and carrying his backpack with him.
"Don't you dare blame me for this! You stopped all of a sudden!" The taxi driver yelled.
"I was stopping because someone was jaywalking! I had to stop so I didn't run over him!" The man replied in agitation.
"Excuse me, sir." Sebastian said.
"Oh, I'm sorry about this, sir." The taxi driver turned to him and shot him an apologetic smile.
"It's okay, I'll just get another taxi." He said as he gave the taxi driver two hundred dollars.
"Wait! This is too much!" The taxi driver exclaimed out loud.
"It's fine. Take it." He said as he clapped the shoulder of the taxi driver and smiled then he turned to the other man.
"You okay, man?" he asked in concern.
"Yeah. But my car isn't." The man replied in annoyance as he gestured towards the back of his car. The bumper of the car had quite a deep dent right where the taxi had hit it.
"Here. I hope this is enough to cover the damage." He said as he pulled another two hundred dollars from his wallet and gave it to the man.
"You don't have to do this, man." The man said, raising his hands up, refusing to take the money but there was a small smile on his lips.
"Just take it, man." Sebastian insisted as he continued to extend the money to the man.
"I.. well.. okay. Thank you so much." The man smiled as he finally took the money.
"No problem." Sebastian smiled.
"Where are you heading by the way?" the man asked.
"Brooklyn Hospital Center." He replied.
"That's like three blocks away. I'm heading to Manhattan. I can take you there." the man offered.
"Oh okay. That's great! Thank you." He exclaimed in relief, glad that he didn't have to find another taxi. The weather was quite cold and he wasn't looking forward standing in the cold too long waiting for a taxi.
He followed the man into his car after saying goodbye to the taxi driver who kept thanking him. The man's name was Sean, he was from Brooklyn and he was apparently going to visit his friend's house in Manhattan.
At first he didn't think Sean recognized him. He did tell him his name was Sebastian but he didn't mention his last name. It wasn't until he arrived at Brooklyn Hospital Center that he realized Sean knew who he was.
"Thank you, Sean." He said as he extended his hand and shook Sean's hand.
"No, thank you, Bucky." Sean winked and he laughed.
He got out of the car and waved at Sean. Sean saluted him and he watched as Sean drove away. Just then his phone buzzed. His wife was calling and he immediately picked it up.
"Seb? Where are you?" Y/n's voice came out from the speaker. He noticed that she sounded annoyed.
"I'm at the hospital, honey. Just arrived at the entrance. Where are you?" He replied, wondering why she sounded annoyed.
"Oh okay. I'm on the second floor. Dr. Selena just arrived. They're calling me in."
"Okay. I'll be right there."
She hung up without replying, which made him feel even more curious. He wondered what he did wrong. She was usually like this if he did something wrong.
He sighed as he put his cellphone back in his pocket and continued walking into the lobby of the hospital. As he walked in he remembered the events several years ago when his wife was hospitalized at that hospital with Covid while pregnant with Starlene. He spent days at the hospital watching over her so he knew the hospital well. He immediately took a left turn towards the elevators.
When he got there many people were queueing to enter the elevator so he decided to take the stairs. As he went up he kept wondering what was wrong. He replayed their conversations earlier on the phone and text message but couldn't pinpoint anything that could potentially get her to feel annoyed at him other than the fact that he was late to arrive from Atlanta.
Moments later he arrived on the second floor at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic and found his wife and Starlene sitting on chairs in front of dr. Selena's office.
"Daddy! Daddy!" Starlene jumped off from her chair as soon as she saw him and immediately ran towards him. He smiled wide as he let go of his suitcase, went down on his knees and embraced Starlene in his arms.
"Hello Starlene, my darling little star. I'm so happy to see you." He hugged her tight and started pecking her cheeks and face with kisses making Starlene giggle.
"Seb.." Y/n's voice entered his ear and he looked up, smiling wide at her. He expected her to smile back but she just stared at him, her eyebrows furrowed.
"Honey. Are you okay?" He stood up and went closer to her, intending to give her a hug but she stepped back, startling him.
"Are you having contractions again?" He asked.
"No. Let's just go in. Dr. Selena is waiting for us." she said, beckoning her head towards dr.Selena's office.
"Oh okay. I'm really sorry for being so late. You won't believe what happened." he said as he carried Starlene with one hand and dragged his suitcase with his other hand.
"Oh yeah. I know. You saved a child from a kidnapper didn't you?" Y/n stated.
"Yeah. I did. Guess the news travels fast." He chuckled.
"Indeed it does." She said with a hint of sarcasm, making him wonder what was going on with her but they were already in front of the doctor's office so he couldn't ask her again.
The door to the office was opened and a nurse stood in front of it.
"Hi Emily." Y/n greeted the nurse and the nurse smiled.
"Hi Y/n. Please come in." Emily said and she stepped back to allow them to come in.
"Good afternoon dr.Selena." Y/n greeted her and the doctor smiled at them.
"Ah, good afternoon Mrs and Mr Stan. It's lovely to see you both again." dr. Selena smiled warmly.
"And ooh, look who it is? Last time I saw you, you were just a tiny baby." dr. Selena smiled at Starlene who smiled shyly back at her.
"Yes, can't believe it's been almost two years now." Sebastian chuckled.
"I know. Time really flies doesn't it? Anyway, please sit down. What can I do for you today?" dr.Selena asked as they took seats in front of her.
"Umm.. first of all. I'm really sorry that we didn't come back to you before today. We decided to try water birth to deliver our second baby and we found out that we couldn't do it here." Y/n started to explain.
"Oh. That's fine Mrs.Stan. I know we don't have that facility here so it's great that you can find it somewhere else." dr. Selena smiled.
"I'm glad you think that, dr.Selena." Y/n replied.
"So, what can I do for you today?" dr.Selena asked again.
"Well. I'm currently 36 weeks pregnant. Earlier today I felt a contraction. A pressure at my lower back. At first I thought it was Braxton Hicks contraction but then it happened multiple times over the course of an hour. So, I decided to come here to get a check. The birthing center is in New Jersey and my husband was not here when the contraction happened so I decided to come here because it's closer to where we live." Y/n explained.
"Oh yes. You were all over the news Mr.Stan! Saving a kidnapped child in Atlanta huh? A real life hero." dr.Selena exclaimed and he chuckled. He glanced at Y/n and she was not smiling or laughing along, she had an icy expression on her face as she glanced back at him and that made him feel a little scared and wondering again what he did wrong.
"Anyway, have you felt any more contractions after that?" dr.Selena asked, turning her attention back to Y/n.
"No. It stopped before I came here." Y/n responded.
"Very well. Please come to the examination bed Mrs.Stan so we can check on you and the baby." dr.Selena said as she stood up and Y/n stood up too.
He watched as dr.Selena checked Y/n's cervix and did an ultrasound on her stomach. His eyes widened as he made out his baby's figure on the ultrasound screen.
"Well, you have no cervical dilation yet and it seems your baby is breech." dr.Selena said, pointing on the screen at the baby's bottom who was near the bottom of the uterus.
"Oh no. Is it still possible for the baby to turn into head first position?" Y/n asked.
"Yes, don't worry. Most babies will be positioned head first at 36-37 weeks. There are some exercises that you can do to help and some other methods you can try at home. But if by 37 weeks your baby is still breech, there's a procedure called ECV, External Cephalic Version, where we try to turn the baby from the outside." dr.Selena replied.
"Oh okay." Y/n nodded.
"Are there any risks associated with the procedure, doctor?" Sebastian asked.
"Yes, there are small risks of early onset labor, premature rupture of the membranes, minor blood loss for either the baby or the mother and fetal distress that could lead to an emergency C-section." dr.Selena replied as she put the ultrasound's transducer away. He was horrified as he listened at the risks and it seemed dr.Selena caught up on that.
"Don't worry Mr.Stan. Considering the weight of your baby and the adequate amount of amniotic fluid surrounding your baby, there is still a high chance of your baby to turn on its own naturally." dr.Selena replied as she returned to sit in front of him while Emily the nurse helped clean Y/n's stomach from the ultrasound gel.
"Okay. Thank you doctor. So, back to the main question. Is she in labor?" Sebastian asked.
"As far as I can see, no. It seemed it was Braxton Hicks contraction that you experienced Mrs.Stan." dr. Selena said, referring to the mild and irregular practice contractions that could happen during pregnancy that doesn't signify actual labor.
"Oh okay. That's a relief." Y/n finally smiled as she sat next to him and he couldn't help but smile too. But her face turned cold again as she glanced at him, his heart plummeted at the sight.
"Why is it a relief, Mrs.Stan? If you don't mind me asking?" dr.Selena asked curiously.
"Well, we're supposed to attend our friend's wedding tomorrow in The Catskills, so it's a relief that I'm not in labor yet." Y/n explained.
"I see. In any case, since your due date is near I would advise for you to have a plan in case you go into labor at your friend's wedding. Especially if you're going to spend the night in The Catskills. I mean, it's far from New Jersey." dr.Selena said.
"Yes, the venue is about two to three hours away from the birthing center." Y/n responded.
"I see. All the more reason to be prepared." dr.Selena said.
"Of course, doctor. We'll make sure to be prepared." Sebastian said.
"Good." dr.Selena smiled and she continued to advise them on what they could do at home to help turn their baby to the correct position. She mentioned some form of exercise, music and other methods. Some sounded weird but others seemed to make sense. There was one thing he thought he read somewhere that could help but he was too embarrassed to ask about it and decided to Google it later.
"I'm sorry doctor, does sex help in turning the baby?" Y/n asked, startling him. Apparently she had the same thought as he was. He glanced at her and gave her a side smile but her face remained cold making him question again what was wrong.
"Well, there is no scientific evidence that it helps. Just as there is no scientific evidence that listening to music and putting something cold and warm on your stomach helps. But as long as you don't have any vaginal bleeding, I think it's something that you can try." dr.Selena advised.
"Alright, thank you doctor." Y/n nodded.
"Remember to come and have another ultrasound next week, here or at the birthing center. If your baby is still breech, you might want to consider having ECV or C-section for delivery." dr.Selena reminded them.
"Very well, doctor. Thank you." Y/n nodded.
"Is there anything else I can help you with?" dr.Selena asked.
"No, doctor. Thank you so much." Y/n responded.
"Thank you, doctor." Sebastian said.
"You're very welcome Mrs. and Mr.Stan." dr.Selena smiled.
"So.. do you think you want to try and have sex tonight?" Sebastian asked as soon as they were out of dr.Selena's office.
"Is that all you can think about?" Y/n replied, her voice a little high.
"Honey.. what's wrong? Why are you mad at me?" He finally asked the question he had been dying to ask since they met that day.
"I don't want to talk about it here. Besides, we need to get going if we want to make it to Chad's rehearsal dinner tonight." She reminded him.
"Oh, right." He said, glancing at his watch. It was almost 6 pm, they were surely going to be late as the dinner starts in an hour.
It was quite a miracle that one and a half hours later they were already in their car, heading towards Plattekill Wedding Venue in Roxbury. Sebastian had called Chad earlier explaining their situation and Chad was thankfully quite understanding. He assumed they would arrive at the venue quite late so Chad directed him to go straight to a house that he had rented in Roxbury for them to stay over that night. The wedding ceremony was going to be held the next morning at 10 am and Chad had rented several houses around the venue for all the guests to stay at.
Sebastian glanced at Y/n who was sitting in the front passenger seat, her expression still cold. He sighed and glanced at the rear view mirror. Starlene was sitting in her car seat right behind him while Lucky sat next to her. They decided to bring Lucky because they couldn't find anyone to help watch over him. All of his and her friends were going to be at the wedding and they couldn't possibly leave him alone at their apartment.
Lucky was quiet while Starlene had an iPad in her hand and was busy watching YouTube. He decided to ask Y/n again on why she was angry at him. He couldn't stand seeing her so cold to him like that.
"Honey.." he slowly said, his heart rate increased a little.
"Hmm?" She responded.
"Did I do something wrong?" He asked gently.
She sighed and didn't answer immediately.
"I can't stand seeing you so cold to me like this." He said as he slowly reached out to pick her hand up.
"I've missed you, sweetheart." He said, kissing her hand gently. He was glad she allowed him to do that but his heart plummeted as she pulled her hand away.
"I did too, Seb. Until I saw this." She said as she pulled her cellphone out and started swiping on the screen.
"You have some explaining to do." She demanded as she showed her cellphone screen to him.
"Let me pull over for a bit." He said. They were not on the highway yet and he saw a gas station up ahead. He decided to stop there. He glanced at the fuel meter and realized they also needed to refuel.
He pulled over right after the entrance to the gas station then turned towards her.
"Let me see." He said as he extended his hand to her and she gave him her cellphone.
There on the screen he could see footage of him at the Atlanta airport, talking to the airline staff who had asked for his autograph. He shook his head in disbelief. Someone had taken a video of him talking to the staff. It also showed how they went behind the counter in front of the gate and emerged minutes later to an angry Delta staff. The caption written on the video made his blood boil.
"Sebastian Stan caught cheating with an airline crew!"
"Oh my God! I can't believe this." He protested.
"Is it true?!" She asked, her voice raised.
"Honey.. of course it's not true! How could you think that? I would never cheat on you! You know that." He pleaded.
"Well then, explain to me what that is!" She demanded, gesturing towards her cellphone.
Sebastian sighed. "The airline staff was a fan. She wanted me to sign the back of her neck. I thought it would look rather weird if I did it in public. It would have raised some questions so I suggested doing it behind the counter. I didn't think anyone saw it."
"She wanted you to sign behind her neck?" She asked in disbelief.
"Yes! She wanted to get it tattooed, like that fake tattoo I got for Monday." He explained.
"That's all that happened?" She asked.
"Yes! I have her phone number. You can call her yourself if you don't believe me." He said but as soon as he said it regretted it. Y/n's eyebrows furrowed in annoyance again upon hearing him saying it.
"Why do you have her phone number?" She asked coldly.
"I.. I offered her tickets to Thunderbolts premiere and I need her number to arrange for that."
"And why did you offer her tickets to Thunderbolts premiere?" She asked, the crease on her eyebrows got even deeper.
"Because I had lied earlier to the other airline staff telling them that you were in labor but when I talked to her I.. umm.. I forgot about that lie and told her you were not in labor. So I basically bribed her so she wouldn't tell anyone else that I lied."
She stared at him for a moment with no reaction on her face, making his heart beat faster in anticipation. Then slowly her expression became more relaxed and he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Ooh Seb. You lied about me being in labor?" She asked, shaking her head.
"Yeah.. yeah I did." He said, grimacing.
"Maybe that's why I had the Braxton Hicks contractions. Your lie manifested." She pointed out.
"I'm sorry sweetheart. I just wanted to get here as soon as I could. At the time it seemed like a good idea to tell people that your wife is in labor in order to speed things up, you know." He explained sheepishly.
"Well, it didn't help at all, did it?" She said and he couldn't help but agree to it.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart." He said again as he returned her cellphone to her and placed his hands on the sides of her face.
"You know you're the only woman for me. My heart belongs only to you. Please never doubt that, sweetheart." He said as he gazed at her intently, trying to convey his love to her through his gentle gaze.
She gazed back at him and smiled slowly. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the love again in her eyes.
"I love you." He said with all his heart.
"I love you too, Iubirea mea." She smiled and he smiled back.
He stroked her cheeks gently with his thumb and slowly leaned in to plant a gentle kiss on her lips. Home. He finally felt like he was home. Butterflies flew around in his stomach as they continued to kiss and forget about everything around them.
"Daddy.. I want a kiss too." Starlene suddenly chimed up and they broke apart, laughing.
"Well, I'll give you a kiss later okay? It's hard to turn around to reach you in this position." Sebastian said, turning his head to face Starlene.
"Okay." Starlene said happily and she returned her attention back to her iPad, making them both smile.
"So. Anyway. Do you want to try to have sex tonight?" He asked as he drove the car closer to the fuel dispensers. Kissing her earlier woke up the desire in him and he couldn't help but imagine making love to her.
"Seb. I don't know. Aren't you tired? Besides, remember the last time we had sex while I was 37 weeks pregnant with her?" She asked, pointing her thumb back at Starlene.
"I remember. That was amazing sex and it brought our star out into the world." He winked and she smiled. Indeed, Starlene's birth was induced by their love making. He wasn't sure if it was a coincidence but she was right to be concerned about it.
"Exactly. I don't want to induce labor while we're away in the mountains far from the birthing center." She said and he nodded.
"Okay, honey. Maybe we can try and do it after we get back from Chad's wedding. I mean, you do want the baby to turn, right?" He asked.
"Of course! I don't want to end up having a C-section if I could." She replied.
"Okay." He nodded.
He stopped the car right next to a fuel dispenser and got out of the car. A cold breeze entered the car and he felt something cold dropped on his nose.
"Mommy, daddy, snow!" Starlene pointed out towards the sky.
"Oh yeah, it is snowing. Beautiful isn't it?" Y/n responded.
Soft snow had started to fall from the sky, specks of white layered the ground and parts of their car.
Sebastian picked up the fuel nozzle and put it into the car's fuel tank inlet. He rubbed his hands as it felt really cold and vapor had started to come out from his nose.
As he waited for the gas tank to fill he remembered the weather forecast he listened to earlier in the taxi. Looks like it was correct. It really started to snow that night.
A sudden gust of cold strong wind suddenly passed him and he shivered. Snow started to fall even harder on them. He checked the fuel meter on the fuel dispenser and decided it was enough. He immediately pulled out the fuel nozzle, returned it to its place and closed the fuel cap. He opened the door of the car and welcomed the warm breeze coming out of it as he sat down and closed the car door shut. The radio was on as he started to drive the car out of the gas station and he turned the windshield wiper on.
"And now for some updates on the weather forecast. As forecasted, New York City, New Jersey and the surrounding area are experiencing snow fall tonight. Moderate to strong snow storm is expected to arrive starting Saturday morning and will clear up by Sunday. It is highly advised to stay indoors during this time." a female weather forecaster announced on the radio.
"Snow storm tomorrow morning? That's not good." Sebastian shook his head.
"I know. Poor Chad and Madeline. Aren't their ceremony supposed to be held outdoors?" She asked.
"Yeah. Up on the mountains." He sighed.
"Do you want to give him a call?" She asked.
"Chad? No, I'm sure he's busy with the rehearsal dinner. And I'm sure they have a back up plan should a snow storm really happen." He responded.
"Okay." She nodded.
It was 8 when they finally left New York City and headed into the suburbs. Snow continued to fall throughout their journey. Coupled with the fact that it was night time, at times he found it hard to see the road. So he drove slowly and avoided going too fast.
Throughout the journey he told Y/n about his adventure earlier rescuing Adriana as well as the anxiety-inducing incident on the plane that caused the oxygen masks to drop.
"Wow. That must have been really scary." She commented.
"Yeah, it was. I kept thinking about you, Starlene and little bean." He said as he reached out to pat her bulging stomach.
"I wasn't ready to die. I didn't want to miss seeing both of my kids grow up. You know." he said as he felt her warm hand on top of his and felt her squeezing it gently.
"Well, I'm so glad you're here now, Iubirea mea." She turned to him and smiled.
"I'm so glad too, honey." He glanced at her and smiled.
"Hmm.." Y/n shifted in her seat and rubbed her stomach.
"What is it, honey?"
"I think.. wait.. yeah.. I'm having contractions again." she said and his heart seemed to stop.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah.. but it's okay. Keep going. It's probably another false alarm."
"Honey, are you sure?"
"Yeah yeah. Keep going. Let's just see how long this one lasts and how often."
"Okay. We're about two hours away from the house Chad rented. We can still make a turn and go south to Morristown." He said as he glanced at the satnav.
The birthing center they had decided to go to for the birth of their baby was at Morristown, New Jersey, southwest of New York City while Chad's wedding venue was located northwest of New York City.
"Yeah, okay. Just keep going, Iubirea mea." she said and he nodded.
The contractions came again several times in the next hour but it came sporadically. It didn't seem to hurt too much either. By the time they entered Roxbury two hours later it had completely stopped. So they concluded it was another Braxton Hicks contraction.
"Sweetheart, maybe you're just dehydrated. I read Braxton Hicks can happen because of dehydration." He said as he drove his car to the small street where the house Chad rented was located.
"Yeah, maybe. I was kind of tired too today. These two have been testing my patience to the limit." She said, pointing her thumb at the backseat and he laughed.
"They are quite a troublesome duo huh?" He commented.
"That's an understatement." she sighed and he laughed again.
"Well, I'm going to fully help you now until the baby is born and for at least three months after that. So don't worry about it, okay?" He said, reaching out to squeeze her hand.
"Yeah. Thank you, Iubirea mea." She squeezed his hand back and smiled at him.
"You're very welcome, my love." he smiled back and she blushed. He loved seeing her blush. She always looked so pretty when she did, making his heart warm.
"So, here we are." He said, turning his attention back to the street and stopped right in front of a house behind a long wooden fence. Another car was parked behind the fence right on the driveway, it was Chad's car.
He pulled out his cellphone and dialed Chad's number.
"Hey Chad. We're here." He said into his cellphone moments later.
"Okay. I'll be right out." Chad replied.
"Okay. Thanks." He nodded then hung up.
The front door of the house was opened and Chad came out, waving his hand and smiling at them. He opened the wooden fence and Sebastian drove the car into the driveway and parked next to Chad's car.
"Hey man, so glad to see you finally make it here." Chad shook his hand and gave him a brief hug as soon as he got out of the car.
"Yeah, I'm so glad too! It's been an adventure trying to get here." he chuckled.
"Oh yeah! I saw you on the news! You're a real life hero huh?" Chad commented and he just laughed.
"Come, come in, I've set up the fireplace." Chad said and he guided them all to enter the house.
The house, well, more like the cottage, was a two story cottage with wooden walls and floors. It had a rustic charm with a red and green color scheme in the interior making it feel like it was Christmas. It consisted of a warm and homey living room, well equipped kitchen, spacious bathroom with a bath and two bedrooms fit for four people.
With help from Chad, he put all their luggage in the cottage while Starlene, Y/n and Lucky went inside and settled in.
By the time they were done putting all the luggages in the cottage, snow had fallen even harder that it was more than likely a snow storm was coming.
"So, seeing how the weather is like, any change of plans for tomorrow?" Sebastian asked as they sat on the sofa in the living room.
"Yeah, we were supposed to have the ceremony in the morning up on the mountains but if it's not possible, we're just going to have the ceremony indoors in the reception building." Chad replied.
"Okay. Sounds like a good plan." He nodded.
"Yeah. I just hope the road will still be accessible. There's a shovel in the garage by the way in case you need to use it in the morning." Chad said.
"Okay. Thanks. Where are you and Madeline staying by the way?"
"Oh, we rented a large house about a quarter mile from the venue. All her family and my family are staying there." Chad replied.
"Okay. You're not staying in the same room as her are you?"
"Of course not!" Chad laughed. "You know she's a wedding planner. She knows all the dos and don'ts and all the superstitions about weddings. It's kind of frustrating at times, but I know she means well."
"Yeah. Based on my own experience, you should follow through with it." He responded, remembering the disastrous events happening during his wedding and honeymoon.
"Yeah, I'm trying my best. Anyway, it's kind of late, I better get going." Chad said and he stood up.
"Alright, see you in the morning, man. Try and get some sleep." He stood up and gave Chad a brief hug.
"Thanks, man. See you." Chad smiled and clapped his back.
Once Chad was gone he looked around and found Lucky, sleeping on a rug in front of the fireplace. He went into one of the bedrooms and found Starlene already tucked in bed, sleeping soundly. He walked closer to her, leaned over and gently kissed her forehead. She shifted a little but didn't wake up. It seemed she was really tired. He caressed her head gently and smiled, thankful he was still alive after the eventful journey from Atlanta and was able to see his daughter again.
A warm hand surrounded his waist and he was startled. He looked to the side and found Y/n, standing next to him and circling her arm around his waist.
"She looks so peaceful and innocent." She commented and he nodded as he placed his arm around her shoulder and squeezed it.
"But it all changes when she wakes up." she complained, making him laugh.
"How did she find those toilet papers?" He asked, remembering the mess Starlene and Lucky had made earlier that day in their apartment.
"Well, you know I keep the toilet papers in the lower cupboard in the bathroom. She found them." she sighed.
"She's a smart girl." he chuckled.
"Yeah. I moved them to another cupboard and locked it."
"Okay, I guess we need to inspect everything else that is within her reach. Especially things like detergent, soap, drugs and things like that and then move them somewhere she can't reach." He suggested.
"Yeah. I already did. Spent the day today doing that before the contraction happened." she replied.
"Hey, maybe that's the cause of the false contraction. You know tiredness can cause that, aside from dehydration."
"You know what, you're right. Maybe I was too tired." she sighed.
"Let's get to bed then. I'm tired too. It's been such a long day." he suggested.
"Okay." She nodded and they went to the other bedroom hand in hand.
Despite feeling tired, being in close proximity with her made his desire arise. He knew it wasn't really the longest time that they hadn't made love. They survived three months without seeing each other right before their wedding so theoretically they should survive just two weeks without seeing each other. But being close to her that night on the bed and seeing her beautiful face sleeping next to him inevitably made him turned on. She truly was the only woman who could make him feel this way.
She was sleeping on her right side facing him and he laid down on his left facing her too. He glanced down and saw her cleavage underneath her nightgown and he swallowed hard.
"Honey.. wake up." He whispered.
"Hmm.. what is it?" her eyes slowly fluttered open and she looked up at him curiously.
"I.. umm.. I'm really sorry sweetheart. I know you're tired but I'm still feeling kind of tense, if you know what I mean." He said, his eyes went downwards where he could feel himself starting to harden down there.
"Oh Seb, you know I don't want to induce labor up here in the mountains." She protested, her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance.
"I know.. I'm sorry. But maybe you could just.. you know." He said, blushing again as he raised his hand up and realization dawned in her.
"Please.." He said, giving her puppy dog eyes and she couldn't help but laugh.
"Fine, come here you big puppy." She said as she pulled his head by the neck and started kissing him passionately. He smiled as they kissed and soon was lost in the act of love and passion.
Before they knew it they ended up making love that night, expressing all the love and lust they always had for each other for the past twenty three years. He felt really lucky to be married to her. There was nothing else better than feeling completely in love with your significant other all the time. He knew it was something rare in the world having his fair share of heartbreaks, so he treasured it as much as he could.
"I love you so much, my love, my queen." He whispered as he held her tight after they reached the peak of pleasure together.
"I love you so much too, Iubirea mea." She whispered back and her arms held him tight.
For a moment he felt at peace as they continued to hold each other, unwilling to let the other go. Then he felt her tensed under his arms.
"D**n!" She cursed as she let go of him and held her bulging stomach.
"Sweetheart, what is it?" He asked in concern.
"I think.. I think the baby had turned." She said, her eyes scrunched up in pain.
"Oh really? That's great then." He smiled.
"Yeah. I usually feel it kick my bladder but this time I feel the kick on my ribs." She explained.
"Well, that's great. No need to do the ECV procedure then."
"Yeah. Thank God."
"Are you still in pain?"
"No, but.. d**n!" She exclaimed out loud as she held her lower back with her hand.
"Another contraction?" He asked in concern.
"Yup." She sighed as she rubbed her lower back.
"Okay. Here, let me help rub your back and we'll see what happens." He said as he reached his hand around her and started to gently rub her back.
"Thank you Iubirea mea. That feels good." She smiled.
"You're welcome, honey." He said as he kissed her forehead gently.
For the next hour the contraction kept on coming and it became even closer together. There was no doubt that Y/n could really be in labor. So they called their midwive from the birthing center in Morristown to ask for her advice. After listening to her advice, which was to monitor the contraction again within the next hour, they concluded that she could really be in labor.
"Seb, it's snowing really hard out there. Are you sure about this?" She asked as they prepared to go to Morristown.
"But honey, you could really be in labor. You need to get to the birthing center. At least to get yourself checked." He reasoned.
"Yeah.. but maybe we could at least wait until the sun is out. I mean, you could hardly see out there with all the snow."
"Sweetheart, are you sure? What if the baby comes out here before we get the chance to get to the birthing center."
"Seb, do you remember how long it took for Starlene to come out after I first felt the contraction?"
"Yeah, I remember." He sighed. It took twenty nine hours for Starlene to come out since Y/n started to feel the contraction.
"So I think it's much safer to wait until morning."
"Well. Okay. If you're sure."
"I am sure." she insisted and he could only nod.
However her feelings changed within the next three hours. The contractions came much more often and much closer together and it had become rather painful that she finally agreed to go to the birthing center.
It was 4 in the morning when they got out of the house and drove to Morristown. Starlene and Lucky were both woken up from their sleep and were forced to come because they didn't want to bother their friends and asked them to take care of Starlene and Lucky.
Unfortunately, the snow storm had started as Sebastian drove the car slowly down the mountain. On his right Y/n was grunting and trying hard to withstand the pain while in front of him fierce wind blew snow onto the front window, obscuring his view. The sun wouldn't come out until a few hours from now and he didn't dare to speed up with the dangerous condition.
"Seb! Why are you driving so slowly?!" Y/n asked in between contractions.
"Honey, I can barely see! I don't want to get us into an accident!" He protested.
"But the baby is coming, Seb!" She protested.
"I know, honey. I know. I'm driving as fast as I can, okay? Hang in there." he said as he reached out and placed his hand on her stomach.
Y/n didn't answer him and instead she resorted to using the hypnobirthing method to try and ease the pain.
"That's it, honey. That's it. You're doing great." He said, trying to calm her down even though deep down he felt extremely nervous.
"Aaarghhh.." Y/n exclaimed in pain prompting Lucky to bark and Starlene to start crying.
"Oh dear." Sebastian sighed as he listened to all of them.
"Starlene, dear, please don't cry. It's okay. Mommy is okay. Your sibling is about to be born. You should be happy." He said as he looked at the rear view mirror and saw Starlene still crying her heart out.
Among all the loud voices he suddenly heard a rumbling sound coming from above them.
"What the h**l." He looked up and his heart beat so fast in his chest as he saw the massive body of snow coming at them from above the mountain.
"Seb.. it's an avalanche!" Y/n shouted in panic.
"I know!" He said as he stepped on the gas and tried to avoid the avalanche.
The rumbling sound felt so close to him that for a split second he was sure they were all going to be buried underneath it. But he suddenly realized they were on a straight road now for several miles up ahead and decided to speed up even more.
"Hang on, honey!" He yelled as he stepped on the gas and the car sped up quickly on the road. The ground shook as the avalanche finally reached the ground behind them missing them by inches.
"That was so close!" He exclaimed as he glanced back for a second and saw the large pile of snow behind him.
"Oh no.. no.. no.." Y/n suddenly said out loud.
"What? What is it, honey?" He asked, his heart still racing after their near death experience.
"I think my water just broke!" She replied and his heart plummeted. He glanced at the satnav and saw that they were still one and a half hours away from the birthing center.
"What should we do?" He asked as his brain tried to remember anything from the birthing classes he had attended or the numerous pregnancy books and articles he had read.
"I don't know! Aaarghhh! The baby is coming, Seb! I can feel it!" She shouted, making him feel even more panicked.
"Hang in there, honey. Try to raise your feet up." He said as he remembered something he read in a pregnancy book on what to do when the water broke.
"I can't!" She protested and he realized that the space on the front passenger seat was too narrow for her to be able to raise her feet up.
"This is all your fault! Aaarghh..!" She protested as he continued to drive, not knowing what else to do.
"If only you didn't ask me to have sex earlier, I wouldn't be in labor now!" She continued angrily and he couldn't help but feel guilty.
"I'm sorry, honey. I really am." He said, glancing at her for a second and felt his heart break seeing her in so much pain.
"I'm trying to drive as fast as I can. Please hang in there, honey." He pleaded.
She didn't respond and when he glanced at her again she was reaching down, her hand trying to reach under her nightgown.
"Seb.." she said slowly.
"What?" He asked, dreading her next sentences.
"I can feel the baby's head.." she responded.
"Are you sure?" He asked.
"Yes! I can feel his head and his hair!"
"Oh dear.." he didn't know what else to say.
"Seb, stop the car! Help me deliver the baby!" She shouted, startling him.
"But.. but.. I can't!" He protested.
"Aaaarghhh.. I'm pushing now! I can't hold it anymore!" She shouted again.
"No honey, hold it! Don't push now!"
"Seb! God d**n it! Just stop the car and help me deliver the baby!" She shouted and he had no choice but to obey.
He pulled over and stopped the car on the side of the road. He unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. Cold breeze hit his face as he ran to the other side of the car. He opened the back passenger door and encouraged Lucky to go to the back of the car. Then he helped Y/n to push the backrest of her seat so she could lie down.
She raised her feet up and he knelt on the ground next to her then helped pull her underwear down and that's when he saw it, the top of his baby's head. He felt dizzy as he saw it. He couldn't believe he was going to help his wife deliver their baby in the car in the middle of nowhere during a snowstorm no less!
"Seb! I'm pushing!" She exclaimed and he nodded.
"Okay.. you can do it, honey. Push!" He held her hand and encouraged her as she started to push, her eyes scrunched up in pain.
Slowly he could see the head of his baby came out even more, but when half of it came out, she stopped pushing.
"I can't.. " she complained as she tried to catch her breath.
"Okay, it's fine. Take a breather. Wait until the next round of contraction comes. Then you push again, okay? You can do it, sweetheart, I know you can." He said as he caressed the side of her face and she nodded.
"Good, that's it sweetheart, take a deep breath." He said as he stood up and kissed her forehead.
"Daddy.. is mommy okay?" Starlene chimed in and he smiled.
"Yes, your mommy is giving birth to your sibling, Starlene. Soon you'll have someone to play with." He smiled and Starlene just nodded.
"Seb! He's coming!" Y/n shouted.
"Okay, okay. Take a deep breath. That's it. Now push!" He said as he knelt again beside her and watched the head of his baby come out even more.
Several more pushes from her and their baby's head finally came out fully. He gently pulled the baby all out from her womb and the baby started crying. He immediately took off his jacket and covered him with it. Yes, their baby was indeed a baby boy.
He looked down and gently cleaned the baby's face and head with some tissues. He couldn't help but shed a tear as he continued to clean the baby. He couldn't believe they successfully delivered him out into the world amidst an unbelievable situation.
"Seb.. I want to see him." Y/n reached out her hand and he immediately put the baby in her arms.
"You did amazing, sweetheart. He's perfect." He smiled and he kissed her forehead again.
"He is. He looks just like you." She smiled as she carried the baby and gently rocked him.
"What should we name him?" She asked.
"I know the perfect name. James Adrian Stan. James after James Buchanan Barnes, the strongest man I know and Adrian after Adriana, the bravest girl I know." He smiled.
"James Adrian Stan. It's perfect." She smiled.
"Come and meet your new baby brother, Starlene." He said as he went to the backseat and took Starlene off from her car seat.
Starlene stood in the middle of the car and looked down.
"My brother." She said, extending her hand towards the baby.
"Yes, Starlene, this is Adrian. Adrian, this is Starlene." Sebastian said, smiling as he saw Starlene extended her index finger and Adrian caught it between his hands. He felt his heart warm as he witnessed their children's interaction and felt immense gratitude.
He opened his arms wide and embraced them all in his arms. Despite the extraordinary circumstances, he was elated and happy to welcome their baby boy into the world. He was sure there would be more happiness and adventures up ahead and as long as he had his perfect family with him, he was ready for whatever comes their way.
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tbgblr2 · 1 year ago
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Cruising into new life - part 1
I’ve just recently came back from a cruise holiday. One of the things which always upset me with cruises was that typically you cannot join if you reach 24 weeks of pregnancy so here’s a story for if things got a bit turned on their heads.
“Everything looks great” our midwife smiled as she wiped the ultrasound gel from my wife’s belly. Jodie pulled her top back down again – tugging it at the end as it threatened not to fully cover the expanse of her belly, and using both of us as support she managed to get sat up and into an upright position.
“I’ve been asked to hand these out to late term mothers who were looking for an opportunity to have one last hurrah before their baby comes. I’m happy to say that as you appear to be complication free I’m happy to sign off on you attending if you’re interested.” She pulled out a drawer and handed us a leaflet.
The leaflet explained about a cruise which was being hosted by Charles LeGrande a well-known eccentric billionaire who – thanks to their media presence – we knew had been expecting his first child with his wife at roughly about the same time as us. It explained that his wife was a lover of the sea and was not happy that the typical cruises would exclude pregnant women when they were typically the ones who needed the luxury and pampering the most. So he was opening his personal cruise ship to 1000 guests who had to be hand-picked by their medical practitioners as being low risk and willing to enjoy the event.
It promised excellent food, 2 weeks of relaxation, access to an executive team of medical staff to cover any possible risk, and even a helicopter to get you back to the mainland should anything present as an emergency situation. The team knew there was every possibility that several of the mothers to be could give birth during the voyage, and yes, that was even planned for with the entire eighth deck – with pristine sea views – converting their cabins into bespoke birthing suites for the trip.
My wife couldn’t wait to say yes, so that is how we found ourselves, 2 weeks later, 39 weeks pregnant and waddling up to the check in desk at the cruise port, with the view of the most magnificent ship we had ever seen our backdrop as we approached the building.
The staff had everything to hand, each way you looked, all you see were bumps of various shapes and sizes – but all were in an advanced state of pregnancy.
The guests were invited to sit down so they weren’t forced to stand up in queues, whilst the staff came to them one after another to get them checked in and issue them whatever documents they needed for the cruise. We were impressed.
Our host stood with his pregnant wife standing beside him at the end of the hallway as each group in turn left the check in area and walked onto the ship, greeting them personally. As we approached the couple my wife commented on Charles wife – who we later learned was called Adriana, or Adi for short – must have incredible stamina to remain standing for so long in her condition – and believe me I have an eye for beauty in the pregnant form and this lady was pregnancy personified – tight dress accentuating what could only be described as a lithe dancers body, with breasts out to there and a belly to match.
The couple were of course full of smiles and welcoming gestures as we walked up the bridge to the atrium, a magnificent view of crystal chandeliers, gold finishes and guests and crew mingling at what was essentially a meet and greet session. We grabbed some canapés and some (non alcoholic) cocktails and looked around. The guest list looked to be from all walks of life – a few men dressed in very expensive looking suits along with their wives in tailored dresses to accentuate their pregnancy alongside working class people – would say around 80% as a guess appearing to be first timer parents – or at least those who didn’t bring their children with them – and a few who had smaller children in tow. One woman who was heavily pregnant had a younger lady with her who we later found out was her daughter, both ironically due the same day. There was what I presumed was a poly couple – 1 man along with 2 women – both heavily pregnant, and one of them holding a small child to her hip.
We met several crew in uniform, each identifying their name badges but not their role on the ship – they advised that Captain LeGrand was wanting to introduce everyone personally.
Finally all guests were boarded and we were asked to move to an adjoining room – which turned out to be a large cinema – where the captain was to give an address. Everyone shuffled in, groans of appreciation from the pregnant ladies having a chance to get off their feet and take a seat as the staff lined up, one set of uniforms on the left and another set on the right. There was an announcement over the PA system;
“Ladies and gentlemen please welcome your host, Mr Charles LeGrande.” He walked into the stage without his wife to good natured applause from the crowd, and as he waited for the noise to recede, he started to speak.
“I’m sure you agree this is a little unusual, but you have all joined me and my wife for what we hope will be a happy and memorable occasion. As you are no doubt aware, my wife is days away from her due date and wanted to do something special. She always hated that commercial cruises did not allow pregnant women on them – her history was a dancer in a show on board these types of cruises – so she asked if we could do something private and avoid the bureaucracy whilst giving pregnant women like you some much needed pampering time as you approach a major milestone in your lives.” This was met with a bit of cheering and clapping from the assembled crowd.
“For the next 2 weeks, I hope you will make the most of these facilities. I will answer the most obvious question first. We have ladies on board who may or may not go into labour through this cruise – my wife included. To ensure you are cared for during this time we have hand-picked an elite team of midwives, doulas, paediatricians and obstetricians, so please allow me to introduce you to the team on my left”. He offered a flourish of his arm. Generally, there was a round of applause as 2 ladies sat behind us caught glimpse of one of the staff – he was a muscular hunk of a man, probably more suited to a catwalk or movie studio than a medical field, and their content caught both me and my wife off guard, sending us into fits of giggles:
“Oh jeez, hope he doesn’t have to deliver my baby - I’ll be too focused on those guns and I’ll forget to push!”
LeGrande continued “To my right are our customer relations team, our spa team, your dining host, customer service staff and our head of housekeeping.” Another round of applause and waves followed from the team. “If you have any questions at all through the cruise please contact the customer service desk and they will make sure the appropriate team members are informed.”
“Next we have your personal trackers. As each of you boarded the ship, you were given a small device.” I looked at the coin sized puck that was handed to me that I put into my pocket. “This is your room key, and more importantly it offers you a way to get in touch with our crew. The red button summons medical help should you need it and the blue button summons customer support. Please, we know that in the later stages of pregnancy mobility is not the best, so please allow us to bring food and drink to you.” There was a general murmur through the crowd. “Of course please be aware that we cannot be everywhere at once so if you log into out app on your phone on ships wifi you can get an idea if the queue and status of your request – as much as we want to try and make things hassle free, if you want something quick, I’m afraid you will need to fetch it yourselves.”
“To aid your mobility on board, at each lift lobby and in the designated room alongside the atrium are electrically assisted wheelchairs. Please feel free to use them – they are not drivable, but the electrical support should help with whoever may be wheeling you around. Please when you have finished with them please return them to an available charging point, or if that is not possible, please hold the return button for 5 seconds until it starts to flash. That will alert our porter team to retrieve it. If you come across one which you would like to use, simply press the button again to stop the signal.”
“I have 3 more announcements. Sorry I know I have been droning on and you would like to explore the ship, but all are very important. Firstly for your safety, please review the lifejacket procedure in your tv in your room. You will be required today at some point to visit your lifeboat station and check in to confirm you have found it. If you have not done this by tomorrow one of our staff will be required to escort you to it – some parts of the law cannot be avoided to maintain our insurance!” Thankfully the crowd laughed at this as he continued “next will be our adults area – when we are in international waters – which we will announce over the PA system when this is the case – will operate a clothing optimal policy. We must insist on zero attendance in these areas by your children. Access to these areas will require use of your puck to unlock the doors and access to these areas by the lifts.” He continued before the murmuring got too loud at that announcement “and finally my wife has an announcement.”
He stepped to the side as the large screen behind him lit up. Adriana appeared on it, beaming, smiling face in front of the camera. She spoke with an accent which hinted at Latina roots, but was highly Americanised now. “Welcome on board. My husband and I would like to welcome you to watch our birth.” There were gasps and mumbles in the crowd but she continued. “I have a camera crew who will be with me during the voyage. We will broadcast over channel 10 on your room TV sets and also in this cinema. Until my labour begins I will be meeting and greeting people on the ship, and once my time is upon me, I would like to share it with you. After leaving the dancers life full time I have trained as a doula, and feel that birth education is incredibly important. I hope footage of my birth gives those of you who are yet to experience this miracle some confidence that you can do it.”
More applause ensued as the message sunk home. This was certainly going to be a cruise to remember that’s for certain.
Charles brought the meeting to a close. “I thank you all for attending and now please enjoy the facilities on offer in our ship.” He held a walkie talkie to his mouth and announced “ensign please let us depart.” With that there was a rumble as the ships engines powered up, and as started to file out of the cinema we felt the movement of the ship as it pushed off from the docks.
It took a little while for the crowd to move, with a large percentage of them groaning and complaining as they were forced to lift their pregnancy addled bodies back out of the – I must say – very comfortable seats. We took it slow, my hand grasping Jodie’s as we took a leisurely stroll around the deck we were on, it was certain that no expense had been spared in getting this ship outfitted for our needs. We came across the room with the wheelchairs and both of us turned as one to look at each other. We nodded simultaneously and dashed in to give one a go. There were still about 2 dozen left hooked up to charge points, so we uncoupled one and Jodie slowly lifted herself down into the seat. Her groan of appreciation for getting off her feet was heavenly to me. I gave it a test push, and found with the electrical assistance it was almost like no one was sitting in it at all.
She looked at her app on her phone as I pushed her along a corridor, reading out useful bits and pieces to me. “Decks 1,2,4 were crew quarters. Deck 3 is dedicated to the atrium, cinema and customer services. Deck 5 contains restaurants, and the spa area. Deck 6 doesn’t appear to be used, 7 and 9 were guest rooms, 8 was the converted floor for the delivery suites around the outside cabins and a medical centre and nursery inside. Deck 10 was the entertainment deck – an indoor area with the nightclub / activities room, and all the outdoor pool areas. At the rear end of the ship – or aft it says here I guess using nautical speak – is the adults only area. There’s access from there to a deck 11 area which is described as the oasis… now that I want to see.”
I grin as we approach a lift “if that announcement was anything to go by, we’ll see a lot more in the adult area than we maybe should.”
My wife just grinned at me and gave me a sly look. She knew as well as me that since she got pregnant I’d been – to quote her – one horny bugger – and she knew that having the opportunity to spend time almost ogling dozens or more pregnant women would be my own idea of heaven. She had found my porn stashes fairly early on in our relationship, and she certainly embraced my kinks, especially now that we had managed the pregnancy thing for real.
We were broken out of our reverie by a ding as the lift arrived. We had left it for the majority to clear out and head to their rooms before we headed that way to avoid crowded lift areas – after all bumps took up a lot more room than expected inside a lift. We stepped in and felt the sensation as we went up to floor 6 the one designated for us. We got out of the lift, and I trundled my wife and chair down the corridor. We spotted our bags outside the room so swiped out puck against the door lock, shoving the door back to peer into the room.
It was gorgeous. We left the chair outside and my wife walked in to a chorus of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ as she looked left and right. I took a step outside and brought in our cases as my wife made a beeline straight for the bed. We noted that alongside the compliment of regular pillows there was a full body pregnancy pillow designed to help support the bump. She flopped down and gave out the most appreciative moan I had ever heard. I offered to take the chair back to the atrium storage area whilst she unpacked, which she agreed to. I headed back out, closing the door behind me and following a walk down the corridor, waiting for a lift ride, taking it down then back up again, and walking along to our room once more, I opened the door to be greeted by the whistling quiet little snores of my wife, deep in sleep, our cases exactly where I’d left them.
I managed to get our stuff unpacked whilst making as little noise as possible and thankfully it didn’t wake my wife. I was constantly amazed at the little smiles and groans she made as I visibly see the movement of the baby inside the bump, encased by the tightly stretched fabric of her top. After unpacking I leave her to her sleep as I shuffle out the room and explore a bit. I run into a lady in the corridor who rivalled any pregnant belly I’d seen in my life, and gave her a quick nod as I noticed she was in the room next door to us. She returned the nod but seemed to be in a bit of a rush to get back into her room. Not that I could blame her of course – strange man in a corridor coupled with late stage pregnancy bladder – who knows what rush she was in.
I walked along to our lifeboat station and registered my attendance (which thankfully also accommodated Jodie as well) – another thing crossed off the to do list, then made my way up to deck 10 to see the entertainment area. I was met with a camera in my face and the beaming smile of Adriana.
“Ahh hello there sir. I can only presume by your flat midsection, you are one of the fathers to be rather than one of our future mothers?” I couldn’t help but smile at her own infectious smile as I replied
“I’m afraid so. Just exploring on my own as the wife has a nap. My compliments to whoever buys your mattresses – she was asleep within minutes of lying down.”
She smiled in return, her hand caressing her large bump which my eye was drawn down to in the process. Realising I was still being recorded I flicked my eyes back up and looked back towards her face. “I’ll be sure to tell our master of housekeeping. Please, enjoy your stay and I’ll look forward to seeing you around the ship.” With that she gave another beaming smile, the camera man gave a nod to signal that they had stopped recording, and Adriana gave me a quick peck kiss, almost on my cheek in the air a few millimetres from actually touching my skin, thanking me for playing along – usually if someone has a camera sprung on them they panic which is really hard to edit live. Two things crossed my mind – firstly – what perfume was she wearing because it smelled good – all fruity with major notes of cherries, and soon after I froze as I realised point two – I’d potentially just been broadcast to the entire ship checking out Adriana’s bump.
Two other people were in the room – the mother and daughter duo. They were both smiling and looking straight at me which was let’s just say unnerving, but I walked towards them and said my hellos. It was here in the small talk that I learned these 2 ladies – Karen and Jess were mother and daughter, Karen’s husband, Jess’s dad – had divorced several years ago. Both ladies had fallen pregnant after an incident at a celebration even after Jess’s graduation from university. The divorce settlement had allowed them to be self sufficient for the duration of their pregnancies but Jess was aware that she couldn’t live from her mothers hand downs forever so knew once the baby was born she would be starting to look for full time work whilst her mother looked after both her own baby and her grandchild.
I gave my own backstory – me and my wife Jodie had finally decided to try for a baby after several years of considering it, and so far everything was going like textbook. We had an opportunity to learn the sex if the baby several ultrasound checks ago, but we decided against it, but had the doctor write it down in an envelope which she kept in her purse should she ever want to read it. All this time that envelope had remained unopened and we had no plans to change that.
After the introductions and pleasantries were over with, Karen – the mother – grinned at me. “So we saw you checking out boss lady’s rack. Hey man I don’t blame you, she looks good” she emphasised the word spending just a little too long sounding it out. “Just don’t let boss man catch you doing that or he may make you walk the plank. Arr!” She emphasised the pirate noises as I almost choked laughing.
“Would you believe that I wasn’t?” I asked. Both ladies shook their heads together. I was actually looking at her bump… to make sure that I don’t bump into her.” The last bit came out maybe a little too fast for my liking.
“Oooh so that’s it” grinned both ladies. “You like the big bellies.” I made an attempt to say no but before I could get the words out, both had lifted up their tops and exposed their bellies to me. I stood open mouthed unable to make a coherent sentence.
“Go ahead, touch em.” Jess offered. “They’re just baby containers. Smooth, stretched out, Shea butter oiled, tingling to the touch baby containers.” Both burst into fits of giggles. No matter what anyone thought of these 2 as mother and daughter, they were definitely more like friends or sisters.. I could also see how their story went how both of them fell pregnant at the same time at the same party. I’d dare say that Karen, when dolled up for a night out could easily pass for 20 years her junior or so.
“Another time ladies” I inwardly shook my head, I mean this sort of situation would have normally been a dream come true for someone like me, but my wife was literal walking distance away from me. “I’m here with my wife and to let you into a little secret… that sort of thing might just go beyond the ‘baby container’ simplicity for me. I’d feel guilty indulging.” The ladies giggled but offered a counter proposal from Karen;
“I’d like to meet your wife. Don’t worry we will say you are the perfect gent. Just we don’t have many friends and it would be nice to trade gyno horror stories.” I laughed but agreed.
“I’ll let her know. Send me a message when you’re going for food and I’ll see if we can meet you?”
With that we swapped messaging details and went our separate ways.
I headed back to the room to find Jodie awake again and rearranging all the stuff I unpacked. “Oh Hi babe” she announced. “Sorry, don’t know what came over me but that bed was good. Thanks for unpacking everything.” I gave her a one of those looks, with raised eyebrows as a response. “I didn’t say you had unpacked it correctly did I” she offered, fluttering her eyelashes in innocence.
After a bit of time spent pulling things from one cupboard and closet to the next, I explained the story of the 2 ladies who Jodie remembered from the port. She of course agreed to sit with them so I texted a thumbs up to Karen who sent back a smiling face and ‘see you in an hour’
Myself and Jodie wanted to get washed up before the meal so traded showers one after the other. We wanted to share one, but one thing is for certain, cruise ship showers were hardly big enough for one person, never mind two and a bump… so we settled for naked cuddles on the bed as we dried off, my hands exploring Jodie’s breasts and belly as I felt our baby kick at the attention. It got to around 20 minutes before we were due to head down and as things were starting to get spicy between us, I pleaded for us not to head down and just stay in the room explore what the bed had to offer. Jodie stared me straight down.
“I’m starving. Both me and this little cherub need a good bit of food. You don’t want hangry sex, believe me.” I laughed and accepted what she said, rolling over with a kiss to her lips. “Now help me up, I’m like a beached whale.” That was it we were both laughing at that point.
We had a slow walk down, Jodie opting to walk rather than me fetching the chair – she insisted she was pregnant, not an invalid - and met up with Karen and Jess outside the restaurant who were waiting on a chair for us. Jodie greeted them with a smiling hug – or at least as good a hug as you could get when both participants jutted out much father than is normal. We made our way in to get our food – greeted at the door by the staff member who would be serving us for the evening and took us to our table. We were seated – us on one side and those two on the other, presented with menus and made our choices. Conversation flowed – my wife the much more sociable one than me, but all 3 women got along fine. I had a retelling of the ladies back story, a bit of information on how we met and other mundane stuff. When asked if they wanted to give birth on the ship, both were very positive on the idea as long as both were together. Karen of course was hoping she could hold off until Jess had delivered as she wanted to be there for her little girl… but both were aware that babies made their own agendas. We both nodded at that.
When we were asked the same question, Jodie pondered a little while. She explained her own mum was a midwife and she was hoping that she could have delivered her first grandchild at home… but she made us promise not to give up this opportunity – as long as we got straight on the ships wifi and gave her a call so she could be there in spirit if not in person.
After a chorus of ‘Awww’s from the other ladies our first course arrived and we enjoyed what must be one of the nicest meals I ever tasted. Clean plates on the first course, and we were well into the second course when a commotion caught our attention.
One lady was dashing out if the restaurant at a pace I didn’t think a heavily pregnant women could manage, one hand clamped on her mouth the other under her belly. Looking between ourselves we presumed she had a bout of sea sickness but I recognised her as the woman who I ran into in the corridor earlier – our neighbour. When she didn’t return for the rest of the meal I suggested we knock on her door to make sure she was OK as she appeared to be there by herself – no one else followed her out of the restaurant.
We finished up the rest of the meal talking a bit afterwards and around an hour or so after the commotion, we said our goodbyes to the ladies and made our way back to the room to do our good deed of the day.
As we got out of the lift and rounded the corner to our corridor, we heard an shrill cry. Stopped momentarily we looked at each other and dashed as fast as we could towards the sound. Our neighbours door was wide open, a mobile crib outside the door. Looking in the room we were met with a sight. The lady from before facing away from us, stripped naked and bracing herself with one hand on the table and another on the back of a chair. One of the medical team was in front of her, kneeling between her legs, hands poised to catch the baby which she was evidently moments away from giving birth to.
She yelled again and squatted down a little deeper, as we both saw the face of her baby appear between her legs along with a gush of fluids. We noticed then that a rubber mat of some variety had been placed down, presumably to catch the mess. The lady from the medical team was telling her that she was doing a good job, that she was almost done, and with another yelling scream the baby slipped out from between her legs and into the waiting hands of the lady waiting to receive it.
The lady dropped down to her own knees to be handed the baby, as she rocked back on her haunches she finally came back to reality and turned to see us standing the doorway. We were caught red faced looking at her in an intimate, vulnerable moment and we were unsure what to do.
Luckily she smiled first. “Oh hi… you must be my neighbours? Sorry about the noise.”
Jodie just shook her head. “Erm… are you ok? We were just wanting to make sure that you were good after leaving the restaurant in a rush.”
The lady smiled. “I am now. Look… come in, can’t have you sitting in the corridor like that.” She was completely oblivious that she was both naked, holding a crying baby to her chest, and inviting strangers to come into her private space. Either way we did as she asked and closed the door behind us.
Over the course of the next 30 minutes or so we watched as the lady from the medical team carried out checks on the mother and baby, everything seemed fine, then cut the cord as the lady – Donna it turns out – explained to us that she had felt a bit off all day but didn’t want to risk not making it onto the boat as she’d been looking forward to it for several weeks. After she had a wave of nausea during the meal, her waters had broken on the way back to the room, and that was when she had felt the first thing close to a contraction. From there she was in full blown pushing for about 30 minutes until we came along – and the rest we knew. She called the medical team but they already announced she was at 8cm when they arrived and couldn’t be moved to the delivery suite – hence the mobile crib being brought along and her somewhat embarrassing predicament.
With that she finally realised she was naked and asked me to pass her over something to cover her up out of her wardrobe. I found a wrap that she draped over her shoulders as the lady from medical rubbed her belly and she groaned a little – giving birth to her placenta in the process. She relaxed into breastfeeding her baby as we said our goodbyes happy hormones fuelling both our spirits as we opened the door.
Just outside was Adriana and her camera team, ready to meet the mother once the medical team said they were able to. She had heard of the first baby being born on board and needed to greet the mother to congratulate her. She met me with a beaming smile and an immediate moment of recognition from when we met earlier.
“Hello again.” She beamed. “We keep on meeting where all the action happens. Maybe you are this ships good luck charm.” Jodie looked at me quizzically. I explained how I came across her and the team earlier. I introduced Jodie and Adriana gave her a similar ‘just off the cheek’ kiss like she did for me earlier. We waved our goodbyes as the door opened again, the lady from the medical team popping out the room to grab the crib and saying 10-15 minutes to Adriana and the team.
As we walked the few steps up to our room and swiped out key to get in we both burst into giggles. That was certainly an interesting day. Jodie grinned at me. “Maybe we should give them some fun noises to listen to when they’re recording?” I looked at her, instinctively knowing what she meant – her hand had been caressing my leg and knee all through dinner. Without uttering another word between us, we threw our clothes into a corner of the room, I climbed (and sank) into the bed and lay back as she crawled on top of me, her popped out belly button tracing a pattern from my crotch to my navel which sent me into a spin. As she lowered herself down onto my erection in a reverse cowgirl style, our frenzied moans and grunts rang out. My eyes following the rhythmic bouncing of her belly and breasts as she oscillated on top of me. Our climaxes were announced with joint moans, echoing within the confined space of the cabin. Who knows if we were ever caught on camera or if the rooms really were well soundproofed – we never got around to watching that interview.
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11queensupreme11 · 7 months ago
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Ok so I scrolled back enough to see what the ao3 person said and urm oh boy…
The first part that miffed me was calling Percy childish 💀
Like she’s a teen what do you expect out of her, rational and poised composure ? Also Og Percy was an absolute boyflop himself ! Like bro would’ve gone along and acted like a cute uwu baby if it meant he would live to see another day ! Another thing I disliked was the Girlboss comment, like you can absolutely girlboss to the sun and back and still be flopping to hell and back along the way. Her perception of girl boss is probably some tough tomboy who acts like piper from the sounds of it ngl.
Also Percy is in an alternate universe with Volatile ass gods as they lovingly pointed out 😊
And so if you’re in an unknown place with very unstable and dangerous folks that can and will be more then happy to zap you, if it means swallowing your pride and acting like a kid then you will do it ! Like that place isn’t screaming gorgeous gorgeous stable folks.
Percy knew he could handle the Pjo gods to some extent but there are obviously more powerfull ! Like they’re not playing around anyone can see that.
ALSO FRACTIONS ARE A PAIN IN THE ASS !!
Like if you were off fighting monsters math is gonna be the last of your worries and not everyone is a math wizz like you 🤨 go one drop some fractions let me see em since you’re so smart.
And last but not least IM ( fully ) North African so I have very much the right and pleasure of telling you that us African folks can tan like hell ! I’m pasty but if you put me in the sun for long enough I’ll look like Percy and Adriana. Because believe it or not people come in different shades and the sun can and will darken our skin tone !
Also Percy isn’t Greek from her dads godly side while her mom has the African decent so yeah no wonder she’s tanned she’s got other lineage 🤨 most demigods usually get simple traits from their folks like eye color, hair or something that just smiller. And it was stated gods don’t got the dna so it’s mostly from the mortal parents
Also fan art is FANart ! See the FAN part ? People who like the fanfic are gonna draw it how they see it fit if you don’t like it then don’t look at it simple. We’re not all in some little gc conniving about the skin tone and all of us draw it how we see fit.
Getting pressed and over a skin tone sounds like a them Issue, they’re half Greek so they should know that there are Greek that are Afro-greek ! Like is the math not mathing ?? If you’re half of a nationality shouldn’t you be aware that other people can be too ?
Anways that comment felt very dumb ( and I hope I didn’t come off as too mean but I do stand my point that it was stupid as hell )
Im glad you keep doing what your doing Queenie and don’t listen to idiots like that 😕
percy's a goofball and a girlflop, but her cringy ✨uwu daddy✨ act is literally just that... an act she's putting on in order to survive 💀 she got inspired by the FLs of the isekai manhwas where they get evil daddies and gotta act cutesy to be spared from death, that's really just it 😭😭
and yes, it was a very dumb (and lowkey racist tbh) comment. so far, they haven't replied back and i don't think they will 😌
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neyslover · 2 years ago
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hihii! could i pls request something where neymar and fem!reader have a daughter? i was thinking it's set when their daughter is a teen and tries out for her school soccer team, but is nervous and goes to her dad for some support. pls don't feel pressured to complete such a long request, and take care of urself 💗
(love ur works btw <3)
i was looking through my requests and found this absolute gem!! i love this idea sm omg hope u enjoy reading it as much as i did writing it :)
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"mamãe, i don't think i can do this." my daughter, adriana, worried.
"meu amor, you have nothing to be worried about, you are amazing at football, and you know it!" i reassured her, "i'm sure one day big clubs will come to you begging you to join them, don't be worried over a school football team!"
"i don't know, ma..." she sighed.
"listen, i've seen you play countless times. you are absolutely phenomenal! you truly have a gift, adri, i'm not just saying this because you're my daughter." i caressed her cheek, "if you don't believe me, talk to your dad about it. he is one of the best players in the world, he won't lie to you."
"okay..." she trailed off, not sounding convinced, "thank you, though, mamãe."
she walked downstairs, looking for ney, who was laying down in the living room watching a movie.
"papai! are you down here?" she called out.
"yes, amor, i'm in the living room." he shouted back.
she ran down the stairs, and slowly walked up to him.
ney saw how uneasy she looked, and sat up immediately.
"is everything okay, adri? is anyone bothering you at school?"
"no!" she shook her head, "it's kinda silly..."
"nothing is silly when it comes to your feelings, amor. what is it? you can always talk to me, you know that, right?"
"yes, i do, it's just that..." she took a deep breath, "i'm nervous about trying out for the schools football team."
"adriana, you know you're amazing at playing! why are you nervous?" he grabbed her hands, caressing them with his thumbs.
"i don't know, pa... it's just that i am the neymar jr's daughter. what if i don't live up to their standards? what if i just disappoint everyone and i don't even make the team. imagine how embarrassing that would be! neymar jr's daughter couldn't even make the school football team!"
"baby, you know that you are way more than just neymar jr's daughter, right? and you know that you will make the team, because you are so damn good! i was scared when i joined my first club, but look at where it got me. you'll be fine, amor." he reassured her, "if you want, we can go down to the square and practice football there."
"i'd like that."
"yea? go get ready, we'll leave in a bit."
as she turned to go back up the stairs, she found me leaning on the staircase with a smile on my face, "told you so."
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this-is-moony-lovegood · 2 months ago
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👧👧👧
💀💀💀
& my absolute fav 🏹🏹🏹
Girl Dad!Buck 👧🏼 - This fic was 13K worth of dialogue that needed some serious editing, so thanks for making me pick this one back up! Also, I know this is a Girl Dad! Buck fic, but those two co-parent hardddd so enjoy this clip of a victim talking to Eddie in the back of an ambulance about his new nail art.
“Nice nails.” Ms. Martin says, eyes directly on Eddie’s still-painted fingernails. He had been so busy getting his own house in order yesterday, that he didn’t even think about how his nails must look. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d walked around with painted nails before. Although, when his sisters had done them for him back in the day, Adriana and Sophia had held back on the sparkle nail polish. “Thanks.” Eddie says, rolling his eyes as Chimney snorts next to him. “Let me guess, you have a little girl at home, right?” “Yeah, she’s eleven.” Eddie offers simply. “She had a sleepover this weekend and she and her friends went a little overboard.” He explains, wiggling his fingers a little closer to give her a better view. “Do you have a photo?” “Yeah, of course.” He doesn’t think twice as he slides his phone out of his pocket and clicks the side button, lighting up the lock screen. It’s a photo he’d taken of Chris and Hailey from when he and Buck took them to the aquarium last week. In the perfectly timed photo - courtesy of one Evan Buckley - they were posing in front of the whale tank when a beluga whale came and joined them for the photo. Buck had also snapped a few more after the pointed out the whale, and the kids excitedly turned to say hello. “Hailey is my nail artist, and then the other one is my son, Christopher.” “Oh, they’re adorable.” She smiles sweetly, bringing her hand up to rest over her heart. “I remember when my kids were that age. They really grow up so fast.” “Yeah they do.” Eddie agrees.
Bones AU 💀 - Over 15K and counting! This is a snipet of Chimney and Buck while they're buried underground.
“Since we’re spilling our guts apparently, got anything you want to share?” Chimney asks, finishing his sentence with a wince. His hands are clenched into tight fists, which Buck is sure is meant as an outlet to redirect his pain from the severe pressure building in his leg right now. “With you?” Buck scoffs. “You’re the worst secret keeper on the planet.” “First off, I might die here of shock in a few minutes once you slice me open, and if that’s the case then you won’t have to worry about me telling anyone your secret.” “Chim-” “And second,” Chimney adds, cutting off Buck’s protest, “if the secret you’re going to tell me involves how you feel about a certain FBI agent, then that’s pretty well known to everybody, so it’s not really a secret you need to worry about me keeping.”
Green Arrow AU 🏹 - Oh, the beloved Green Arrow AU! Here's a piece of Buck and Eddie meeting again for the first time since he came back from Lian Yu (yes, I know that differs from the original plot, but I am taking some creative liberties with their backstory)!
He looks different from the last time that Eddie had seen him. He’s gotten taller, at least four inches, standing at nearly 6’2” now. For someone who had been stranded on a desert island for seven years, Eddie would think he should have withered away, yet, Buck is bulkier than he remembers, broader, four times the muscles that he remembers Buck having. He stands taller, his back straighter, but his head ducks lower than he used to, as if he’s purposefully trying to hide. Eddie had seen Buck on the news telling the world that he was alone on that island after everyone on the Buckley’s Gambit had drowned. Yet, if he was alone on that island, why does he carry himself like a solider who just came back from combat, one who is constantly on his toes, ready for any attack? “Buck! Hold on, there’s someone that I want to introduce you to.” Bobby calls, causing Buck to stop in his tracks. He pauses for a moment, taking a deep breath before turning to face Bobby, who is quickly approaching him. He forces a smile, before shifting his gaze away from Bobby to Eddie for the first time. It’s subtle, but Eddie swears he sees Buck’s eyes widen and his smile soften for half a second in recognition. “This is Eddie Diaz. He’ll be accompanying you from now on.” “Bobby, I don’t need a babysitter.” He insists, refocusing on the older man. “I understand, but this is… this is something that Maddie needs…” Bobby tells him, reaching up to gently squeeze Buck’s bicep. “It’s something I need, too. Okay?”
Keep requesting! This is just the motivation I need! :)
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lemonzestywrites · 8 months ago
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writing patterns
tagged by @jeeyuns @devirnis ty lovelies!!
rules: list the first line(s) of your last 10 posted fics and see if there's a pattern!
a foundation of trust a love we cannot see
| buck/eddie, WIP, explicit, BDSM, slow burn, fwb (3/17 ch. 61k) |
Weird calls aren’t unusual in their field. That’s a simple given with their job- one that Eddie has definitely come to learn by now.
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let me find some warmth inside this little love of mine
| buck/eddie, teen, new year’s eve, first kiss, mutual pining (4k) |
Loud and Eddie are two things that usually have a record of not mixing well. Eddie can deal with chaotic. He can deal with crazy and hectic and adrenaline seizing his body during every call.
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the last shred of truth in the lost myth of true love
| buck/eddie, explicit, introspection, fwb, getting together (25k) |
Eddie wants to be supportive about this; really, he does.
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the place in my heart that used to be yours
| buck/eddie, general, angst, bedside vigils, feelings realization (1.9k) |
It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.
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temptation comes from wants we cannot yet claim
| buck/eddie, teen, angst, coma, getting together, dream (8k) |
There’s a soft feeling that gradually, from the depths of Eddie’s chest, finds itself being emerged as he’s eased awake. The slumber makes its way out of his body in a slow, methodical pull. It makes no rush to leave, allowing Eddie to enjoy the gentle serenity that the early morning still has to offer.
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our sweet love (built on the unspoken things)
| buck/eddie, 5+1, getting together, mutual pining, non-sexual intimacy (8k) |
Eddie isn’t really sure he could really classify himself as a coffee person.
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five more minutes
| buck/eddie, established relationship, snuggle, morning cuddles (2k) |
Eddie really wishes he could learn how to properly sleep in. To lie in bed, asleep without a care on a weekend like this, and wake up sometime past 9 o’clock. To him, ‘sleeping in’ has always been whenever he finds himself the luxury of having to wake up anytime past 5:45 am, but today, like most days, his inner body clock works against him. Even without his alarm, Eddie found himself easing out of slumber, the world around him growing more present and alert as the sleep rolled off his shoulders.
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jadeite hearts could never cost this much
| buck/eddie, first kiss, sharing a bed, non-sexual intimacy (6k) |
If Eddie is being completely honest with himself, he has definitely thought about kissing Buck a couple of times before (maybe more than a couple if he’s being generous). He can’t exactly pinpoint when he started doing it; there’s no definitive moment that set it all off. Just one day, he had found himself staring off at Buck’s lips, transfixed on a phantom feeling that he could only dream to experience. His mind drifted, wondering what it would feel like, how soft Buck’s lips would be, where exactly he’d place his hands. It had taken an embarrassing couple of minutes before he had caught himself, only then realizing the severity of the situation and what that meant.
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t-rex kisses
| buck/eddie, established relationship, late night conversations, non sexual intimacy (1.7k) |
Buck loves his job. Undeniably so. It’s probably one of, if not the best, things that’s ever happened to him, and he could never imagine life without it. It’s brought him so many amazing things in his life now: belonging, safety, love, a place to call home, people to call family, and in recent developments- the newfound love of his life.
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exactly what you were looking for
| buck/eddie, domestic fluff, established relationship, marriage proposal (3k) |
Eddie is 6 years old, sitting in Adriana’s room, watching as his older sister plays with her Barbies without a care in the world, when in the smallest, most curious voice, he asks, “How do you know when you’ve found your true love?”
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it’s super interesting to see my little habits all laid out like this! obviously i might have a preference on pov 😅 but i love doing little character introspections or even just random little factoids i later dive into- this is very fun!!
tagging- @eddiebabygirldiaz @hippolotamus @kitteneddiediaz @aroeddiediaz @wildlife4life and anyone else interested!!
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