#he would’ve been an amazing uncle for their kids

[everlarksquell]

« I thought the whole romance was an act on your part. We all expected you’d continue that strategy. But it wasn’t until Peeta hit the force field and nearly died that I—” […] “That I knew I’d misjudged you. That you do love him. I’m not saying in what way. Maybe you don’t know yourself. But anyone paying attention could see how much you care about him,” »

finnick was THE everlark truther and i’ll die on that hill.

[m1ckeyb3rry]

what it’s like to bring the jjk boys to…have dinner with your family!

ft. fushiguro megumi, fushiguro toji, gojo satoru, geto suguru, ijichi kyotaka, inumaki toge, itadori yuji, kamo choso, kamo noritoshi, mahito, muta kokichi, nanami kento, okkotsu yuta, panda, ryomen sukuna, todo aoi, yaga masamichi, yoshino junpei, zenin naoya

warnings: not all of these are romantic! reader is lowkey desi coded in some of them. reader is mentioned to have a brother, dogs, aunts/uncles, and cousins in some of them. reader slanders like 75% of the characters. honestly the characters might be ooc too i wrote this two years ago for fun and giggles and just found it again and wanted to post. also tw naoya!

FUSHIGURO MEGUMI

Literally perfect

Your parents love him

Your dogs love him

You love him

Was kind of quiet at first but settled in eventually and opened up a bit

Was still kind of reserved but that’s to be expected from him

Your mother found it sweet that he tried to hide behind you when your uncles started interrogating getting to know him 

He let your younger cousins play with his shikigami so that your dogs could get a break from being bothered

Really liked the salad your mother made and asked for the recipe

1000/10 

FUSHIGURO TOJI

Actually not too bad

Was polite enough and liked the food

Showed your parents pictures of Megumi as a baby

They were suitably impressed

Your cousin asked him where he goes to the gym

He told him he doesn’t believe in gyms (thinks they’re oppressive institutions designed to disadvantage the poor?)

Did give him a discount code for some random protein powder that he’s sponsored by though

Asked your parents to donate to his charity

They were happy to do so and thought it was amazing that he has a charity

You decided not to tell them that his “charity” is literally just his bank account

4/10 for scamming your family

GOJO SATORU

Solid 7/10

Goofs around a lot but he did come so he gets points for that

Your parents hated him at first but then he showed them the album of cute Megumi pictures he has saved on his phone and they switched up

“He’s so responsible for raising a kid so young! And it’s not even his!”

Bullshit

He does NOT raise Megumi and you were the one who sent him half of those pictures 

Demoted to a 6/10 just for that but at least your parents like him

Also the fact that he had an album was cute

Somehow managed to keep the dirty jokes to a minimum

Your brother kept making fun of his eyes being so blue so halfway through he had to switch the glasses out for the blindfold

Surprisingly high spice tolerance

GETO SUGURU

Honestly really a fun guy!

Actually brought his own dish to the dinner??

AND IT WAS GOOD????

Your mother wants you two to get married now

Asked if he could take some leftovers back for Mimiko and Nanako

Which was very considerate of him actually

Your mother told him he didn’t have to return the dishes she packed the food in

Let your brother win at Scrabble

Listened to your mother talk about the auntie drama

Apparently he’s going to start putting coconut oil in his hair now

Your parents are going to adopt him and kick you out

9/10 would’ve been higher but he didn’t beat your brother’s ass at Scrabble (he wanted to “make a good impression”)

IJICHI KYOTAKA

Similar to Nanami in that he and your father got along really well

Your brother called him “goofy”

He had to go to the bathroom and cry after that

He did compose himself and came back to eat

Can handle spicy food quite well

Complimented your mother’s cooking

Brought flowers as a thank you for the dinner

Was super sweet and grateful to be invited at all

11/10 would definitely invite him again

INUMAKI TOGE

Everyone was really excited to meet him

Let your cousins play with his hair and do his make up and paint his nails

Was your partner for Charades and you two won by a LOT

Kept sneaking treats to your dogs

Your mother ordered seafood for him because he could only speak in rice ball ingredients and she thought he really wanted salmon

He did eat it though

He would be a 10/10 but he accidentally used his Cursed Speech on your aunt so 8/10

ITADORI YUJI

Somehow lit the grill on fire

Managed to put it out but he did lose his eyebrows in the process unfortunately

Looked stupid without eyebrows

Spent most of his time hanging out with the little kids

Your family actually really liked him though

He’s too sweet to dislike

Helped wash the dishes and did not break any

7/10 because you almost had to call the fire department

KAMO CHOSO

Showed up an hour late

Was friendly but kinda nervous and awkward at first

Loved the food

He and your brother are best friends now

Genuinely he gets along better with your brother than with you

Impressed your father with his history knowledge

3/10 was too perfect and now your parents keep asking why you’re not more like him

KAMO NORITOSHI

He hates kids

Spent the entire first half running away from your cousins

Once he finally escaped he got along great with the adults

They really liked how responsible and mature he is

Thought it was impressive that he’s going to be the clan head

Your aunt told you that he was a keeper and you should “marry for money, hope for love”

Started crying when your mother asked him if she could hang up his jacket for him

It reminded him of his own mother who he was forced to leave as a kid 

All of your aunts have unofficially adopted him now due to his tragic backstory

Deserves 10/10 just for being relatively normal 

MAHITO

-892378/10 your parents couldn’t see him because he’s a curse

He was very happy to hear that and nearly destroyed your house

You had to call Geto halfway through to chase him off

Your family was thrilled to see Geto again though so at least there’s that??

MUTA KOKICHI

Sent a robot in his place obviously

Everyone wanted to know why you brought a robot to dinner

They thought you had hit a new low

You had to explain that Mechamaru was basically his body because of how weak his actual body was

Nobody believed you

-3/10 he was nice but it was overall a humiliating experience

NANAMI KENTO

Cannot eat anything spicy

Started tearing up at the appetizers alone

Had a massive stomach ache afterwards and his face was red for like twenty minutes 

Your father liked talking to him about business and the economy and shit

Did not get scared when asked about his plans for the future

Actually has plans for the future

Your brother is kind of gay for him tbh (??) and threatened to marry him if you don’t 

10/10 because he still finished everything on his plate so he didn’t seem rude even though he was lowkey dying 

OKKOTSU YUTA

Tried his best

Your dogs tried to leave with him because they liked him so much

He brought gifts from Africa for your entire family

Did stop a toddler from getting kidnapped

Is physically really good at grilling but emotionally cannot handle the stress

Had a mental breakdown when you asked for a vegetable burger

Made the discovery that he really likes corn and proceeded to eat all of the corn you had bought for the night so nobody else got any 

Summoned Rika and allowed your cousins to use her as their dress up doll

Rika was very nice and enjoyed the experience

She wants to be a fashion model now

2/10 he burnt your vegetable burger and you were really looking forward to having some corn

PANDA

Is a panda

Your younger cousins thought he was adorable

You got asked multiple times if he was a furry

5/10 he was only invited because he had nothing else to do and you had to chase him with a hose beforehand because he refused to bathe

RYOMEN SUKUNA

-1244129/10

An asshole but what’s new 

Told your family to “go back to where you came from”

Degraded your parents

Degraded you

Degraded everyone really

You got into a fight with him and Gojo had to intervene

Did ask for one of your mother’s recipes so he could get Uraume to cook it for him

She did not give it to him

TODO AOI

See you thought this would be hell on earth

But it wasn’t???

Played with your dogs

Carried your cousins around on his shoulders

Your uncles were impressed by his muscles

He saved a kitten that was stuck in a tree

Did not ask a single person about their type in women

Annihilated everyone in Wii Sports Resort

Absolutely sucked at Just Dance though

He thought he was too manly for the wrist strap but then he threw the remote into the TV while playing Wii bowling and it broke

6/10 he said he’d pay for a new one

YAGA MASAMICHI

Literally your boss

Only invited him because you wanted a raise

He liked the food

Exchanged sewing tips with your mother

200/10 you got the raise

YOSHINO JUNPEI

Really cool!

Gave everyone good movie recommendations

Someone gave him a baby to hold and he nearly dropped it

Burnt his hand on the grill

Found your uncles’ shitty jokes funny so they all liked him

He was decent at debating with everyone and having intellectual conversations even though he cried whenever someone disagreed with him too harshly

Your parents were very dismayed to see the cigarette burn scars on his face

Your mother told him he could always come to your house if he needed to

4/10 because he almost gave a baby brain damage 

ZENIN NAOYA

Told your parents about your sex life

Called your mother “woman”

Your cousins have a crush on him solely based on his looks

He thinks he has a harem now

0/10 they are all like 13 years old

[angrygirlromero]

CELEBRTY CRUSH

WARNING: grammar mistakes, suggestive themes!

Pairing: Charlie Bushnell x fem!actress

Charlie Bushnell hadn’t been a very famous actor, he wasn’t the newest in the movie industry either, yet here he sat on the set of a talk show, a bright smile on his handsome face as the woman who was the host questioned him about his newest role.

The host had just asked him about the beginnings of his acting career, Charlie letting out a chuckle at the question before going on to explain how it had been in the family his uncle was also an actor, and just how much he had enjoyed school plays.

“But it was watching Stranger thing for the first time, so that’s what really did it for me, yeah I thought it was amazing that kids close to my age were acting” said Charlie “oh wow so you were a stranger thing kid then?” Asked the host in amusement, “oh yeah, I was really in love with Maya Byers- well I mean I’m still in love with her, I mean come on a pageant queen in the 80’s with fire powers, that’s gotta be every teenage boys fantasy” exclaimed Charlie with a blush on his cheek.

“Oh it seems that bad boy Luke Castellan has a thing for Maya Byers, well who would’ve thought” laughed out the host as she looked at Charlie in disbelief. “Oh well yeah Aquilia Black is a truly stunning woman” said Charlie with a final smile looking over to the camera.

Aquilia Black sat with her mouth opened infront of her living room tv, the pillow on her lap being squashed with great force as the teenage girl’s face turned completely red, her best friend holding a similar expression upon her face as she sat next to the girl.

“OH MY GOD” exclaimed her best friend with and excited squeal as she turned to her best friend to shake the girl back into reality, “Luke Castellan has a huge crush on you!” Screamed Julia, to which Aquilia winced at her high pitched voice.

Aquilia said nothing as she kept looking back to the screen where the young actor still sat smiling at whatever question the host asked him, “lia did you hear me? The actor of THE Luke Castellan the character you’ve been in love with for the past months just said he’s had a crush on you forever, and you say nothing?” Rambled Julia.

“What do you want me to say?” Asked lia calmly, brushing some of her messy curls from her face. “Lia baby can you give me your phone?” “Why?” “Just give me your phone” lia shook her head, denying her best friends request.

Julia tilted her head at her friend for a split second before tackling her to the ground. “Julia no!” Exclaimed lia from under Julia as the older girl attempted to take her phone form her.

“It’s for your own benefit Aquilia!” “No! It’s gonna cause a scandal!” “I do not care” said Lia as she failed miserably at trying to hide her phone, soon enough Julia had grabbed the phone from the curly haired girl, "Julia no leave it alone."

"Come on I'm just gonna follow him on instagram that's not that bad" expressed Julia as she watched her best friend seated on the cold floor with a worried expression, the older girl taking her time to type in his user @iamcharliebushnell on the instagram search bar and going into his profile to follow back his account.

Aquilia stared at her best friend in defeat, and soon enough Julia handed her back her phone with a sweet smile before bending down to place a Kiss on her friends forehead, "You'll thank me later, my love" whispered Julia before heading to the kitchen of their shared apartment for a snack.

Aquila sat with her phone in her hands her dark green eyes staring at the bright seen, where Charlie's insta profile laid, a picture of him on the beach with the sun setting behind him, and there it said mutuals, she was fucked.

Charlie Bushnell breathed out heavily as he hit the punching bag before him, sweat draining down his face as he balanced on his feet his coach behind him instructing his movments, his phone had been blowing up for the past hour and the young actor had not bothered to check up on it, brushing it aside as Dior spamming him with tik toks or maybe the fandom had discovered another one of his baby pictures.

Since the premier of Percy Jackson, Charlie had grown accustomed to people spamming his accounts and he wasn't complaining, "Hey Charlie take a break, your phone has been blowing up for the past hour you might wanna check that out" suggested his coach with a reassuring smile before walking off to another guy that had been training on the other side of the gym.

Charlie nodded his head in agreement, before walking over to where his gym bag laid along side his water bottle and phone, the actor taking his time to pick up his bottle of water and take a sip from it, his eyes soon falling to his phone that was now buzzing with missed calls from Dior.

And soon enough Dior was calling again, Charlie frowned at this quick to pick up his phone, "Yo Dior what-" "Where have you been?? I've been calling you for the past hour Charlie! have you seen it yet?" rambled out the girl.

Her loud tone causing Charlie to flinch, “seen what?” Asked Charlie in a confused tone, “you’ve got to be kidding me, you haven’t seen it yet, go check your follow!” Exclaimed Dior as Charlie frowned before removing his phone from his ear putting the girl on speaker phone before going into Instagram to check his following.

His eyes widened at the sight before him, @aquiliablack has followed you, Charlie stood in shock, “Bushnell you still there?” Sounded Dior’s voice from his phone’s speaker, “Aquilia followed me?” Asked Charlie in disbelief.

“And we’ve lost him” mumbled out Dior with a smile from one end of the call, “you think that’s good? check her twitter” said Dior to which Charlie took a second to stare at the following notification before he swiped out of the account going into twitter.

He was quick to go to the search bar typing @angrygirlaquilia and surely her account was the first to pop up begging verified.

@angrygirlaquilia Following

I think Maya Byers has a crush on Luke Castellan…

5:35 p.m 11/10/24 2.6M Views

💬 1.3M 🔁 50K ❤️ 1.8M

@AryanSimhadri

no way @cbushnell15 I guess dreams really do come true

@walkerscobell3

I’m getting a new mom? 😧 @cbushnell15

@user189086

no way!!! She saw the interview!!!

@user176348

Bro what

@user11160

There’s no way Luke could pull Maya

@user90856

My parents!!!

Read more…

Charlie Bushnell wasn't sure if he was still breathing, surely he could feel his heart beating out of his chest, his cheeks were flushed red, when he had spoken about how much he admired Aquilia he didn't expect her to actually see it and even make a response.

"Charlie! Charlie! you still there" rang Dior's voice from his phone's speaker as Charlie took his free hand brining it up to his racing heart, he was sure this was a dream come true, Aryan was right maybe dreams do come true after all.

——————————————————————————

Aquilia Black took a deep breath as she stood on set of Jimmy Fallons, The tonight show, not for the first time, but yet Aquilia found herself feeling somewhat nervous, being on his show once again, most especially without her cast mates.

"And here with us tonight we have the stunning, and most talented Aquilia Black with us" Aquilia smiled as the curtains opened before her and the the cameras all turned to face her, all eyes were on her, as she stood in all her beautiful glory, her silky blue dress flowing pass her ankles as she made her entrance.

The teen actor flashed smiles to everyone in the room making sure to wave and greet everyone in the crowd before taking her respective seat next to Jimmy, "Wow it's like every time I see you, you've grown even more beautiful!" exclaimed the proud host, "Thank you Jimmy you flatter me, truly" said the young girl as she blushed.

"I mean when I first met you, you were what? six? my gosh how long it's been, when I first met you, you were a shy little girl seated on Chris Hemsworth's lap" joked Jimmy, and it had been true Aquilia could recall clearly how nervous she had been being apart of the MCU as Thor's daughter, and Chris had insisted to take her to the interview with him.

"Its been that long Jimmy, and you still remain my favorite host" joked Aquilia as Jimmy laughed at her flattering, "imagine and now you're staring in the new game of thrones spin off, everyone I present the Alyssa Targaryen" exclaimed Jimmy, as he carried on asking about her newest role in house of dragon.

"So Lia, seriously talking now, I know you've always been truly honest with me, so now I'm going to ask the question that's been driving the internet insane for the past week, what's happening between you and teen actor Charlie Bushnell?" asked Jimmy as the crowd erupted in teasing cheers.

"Well Jimmy if I knew what was going on I'd tell you but I personally have no idea" said Aquilia with a confused shrug causing Jimmy to giggle at her words, "Are you serious? so let's get this straight Charlie went on national television, admitted to having a crush of you, and you respond saying he has a shot and he didn't shoot his shot?!" asked Jimmy in pure disbelief.

"Well Jimmy I don't see why he wouldn't have a chance, he seems like a nice, good guy, but i think I may have seen the interview too late" said Aquilia with a sad expression, "Oh no a guy can't get over a woman like you so fast sweet girl" Said Jimmy with a sympathy smile before his time was up, "Well ladies and gentlemen that was Aquilia Black, thank you for coming Aquilia!" "The pleasure was all mine, Jimmy, it was nice to see you again, thank you for having me once again."

Charlie Bushnell stood with his fists clenged shut as he watched the interview on his laptop, seated on the kitchen counter of his parents house, a wave of anger, embarrassment, and hurt washing over the young boy as he watched Aquila's saddened face when Jimmy asked her if they had been talking.

Anger that he had been the one to first express his feeling and yet he had been too afraid to even dm the girl, when he had already been given the green light that he had a chance with the girl of his drams, yet he had done nothing so far.

Embarrassment, because Charlie Bushnell was a fool, any man would say that, Aquilia Black was not only a beautiful, successful actress, but a kind girl from respected family, many men would kill to be in his choose yet Charlie had done nothing, he had done his best to put aside Leah and Dior's insisting messages all week long to talk to the girl, along with Aryan and Walker's encouraging messages to finally talk to the girl.

Hurt, because of the sad expression that had been displayed on her face at the sole mention of his name, it could physically hurt him by simply seeing her sad, sad, hurt and confused because of him. So Charlie did the only manly thing he could think of at the moment.

↩️ @aquiliablack> 📞 📹

you replied to their story

Hi

I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for not messaging you earlier, it was a dick move to confess on live television my crush on you and then treat you like that, you're the most beautiful woman I've ever laid my eyes on, and I'm so mesmerized by you.

Seen

[beat-the-morning]

Fair Punishment || Hozier x Reader

KINKTOBER - Day 7 (with some delay): Edging

Tags: edging, oral (f!receiving), squirting, over-the-pants/under-the-table footjob, teasing, hickeys, dom/sub dynamics, hozier getting called “sir” (only once tho)

Summary: You tease Andrew at his family reunion for too long so he punishes you once you’re back at his house.

Word count: 2k

A/N: Sorry for the delay for day 7😭😭 but its here now so pls dont kill me. Day 8 will be posted tomorrow if the curse (tiredness) doesn’t get me first

||💙 FULL FIC UNDER CUT 💙||

Andrew had a family get together today, you had obviously come along, given that you’d been together for a bit over a year, and the fact that most of his extended family hadn’t met you yet made this a perfect excuse to bring you over and save him from the same boring questions about touring and music that seemed to plague him every time his family saw him. The get together had started well, it was at his parents house so it hadn’t been a long drive over and you’d be sleeping at his house tonight anyway so the drive back wasn’t a worry. His whole family was there, or at least his mom’s side, but you didn’t know why exactly, since it wasn’t anyone’s birthday, you didn’t think about it for too long though, they didn’t let you anyway.

The second you and Andrew arrived, quite late as it always was with him, every adult and child in the house slowly flocked over to the two of you, first his parents and his brother, who you already knew, and then the rest of the family; aunts and uncles, followed by cousins, and finally the cousins’ kids, who only wanted to talk about shows and games with you. You were bombarded by questions, how old were you? What did you study? Where did you study? Had you thought about kids? What did you work as? Where did you work? How did you meet Andrew? Was it long before you started dating? Were your parents still working or were they retired? What did they work as? Was Andrew nice to you? Did you mind that he travelled so much for work? Did you travel with him? Did you want kids? When? What about marriage? Were you living together yet? Why not? When will you have kids?

Andrew held tightly onto you through the whole interrogation, as he would call it later while driving back home, shooting glances at his aunts and uncles whenever they asked about children or marriage. Once it finished everyone sat down for dinner and started sharing family stories, first about general family things, but, much to Andrew’s dismay, those family stories slowly turned into embarrassing stories about him exclusively. He would’ve done something to change the subject had it not been for your teasing under the table. He was across from you at the table with his brother to his right and the end of the table to his left, to your left was his cousin, a woman a couples years younger than him that was six months pregnant with her second kid. There was only a window beyond the end of the table, no one outside to see, so you decided to have fun, silently, you took off your ballerina flats on your right foot, slowly extending your leg until you reached his crotch, the table wasn’t wide so it didn’t even look like you’d moved at all, you smiled as your feet moved slowly up and down, eliciting a few soft gasps from him.

Andrew looked at you across the table with a deadly glare, you smiled back at him and kept talking to his family like nothing was happening. For the next hour you slowly teased at his crotch with your foot, feeling him get harder and harder until he was fully erect from your teasing alone. No one seemed to have noticed anything unusual thanks to Andrew’s amazing acting skills, which he apparently only had when he didn’t want his family to know that his girlfriend was giving him an over-the-pants footjob under the table. Dessert was brought out and eaten before Andrew could think of an excuse to leave earlier, so you left around the same time as everyone else, you had given your bag to Andrew so he could cover himself as you left.

He endlessly chastised you for “your little game” under the table while he drove you both back to his house. “You’ll regret that once we’re at my house.” He said sternly about halfway through the ride, and you couldn’t be more excited.

Andrew stepped out of his car once it was parked in his house, running over to your side and dragging you out of your seat by your arm and into the house, you giggled the whole way into the bedroom. With one push he threw you onto the bed, taking something from a drawer and placing it on top of his nightstand before crawling on top of you on the mattress.

“Now, what do you think I’m going to do with you, you little brat?” He asked, his hands caressing your skin.

“Punish me?” You asked back with fake innocence, trying to suppress a giggle.

“Yeah, and how do you think I’ll do that?” His mouth moved to your neck, biting and sucking until he left marks all over it. “You have three guesses, if you get it right I’ll go easy on you.”

“Spanking?” You mused, moaning softly at every bite

“Wrong, two more.” He groaned, moving back to take off your shirt and bra, kissing and biting at your chest.

“Hickeys?” You guessed again, Andrew chuckled, taking off your pants and underwear and leaving you completely bare to him.

“Wrong, last try.” He stood up from the bed and grabbed a silk rope from his nightstand.

“Overstimulation?” You asked, your voice shaky with arousal

“Wrong.” He smiled, flipping you over on the bed and tying your arms behind your back, only to turn you around again.

“What is it then?”

Andrew positioned himself between your legs, holding them open so you would be on display for him. He took his phone and typed something in, smiling to himself. “I’m going to use this pretty little pussy however I want for an hour, but you won’t come a single time.” He explained, his free hand running along your wet slit. “If you do, I will restart the timer and add another half hour, understood?”

“Y-yes.” You stuttered, already feeling yourself clenching around nothing.

“Yes, what?” He pinched your clit as he asked the question.

You corrected yourself. “Yes, sir.”

“Colour?” He asked as he leaned in on your pussy, his warm breath ghosting over your folds.

“Green.”

He tapped his phone one last time, putting it next to you so you could hear the ticking of the countdown, then he dove into your pussy like a man starving, he focused his mouth solely on your entrance, focusing on drinking every drop of your juices and letting his nose stimulate your clit by itself. His tongue darted inside you, fucking you slowly and tasting you at the same time, his head moved side to side and pushed in further into you, every movement was torturously slow in the most delicious way, making you moan and whine in a futile attempt to beg for more. You felt your peak slowly building up, and so did Andrew, the knot in your stomach tightened more and more, threatening to snap, your walls fluttered around his tongue and you felt him chuckle before he pulled away, his beard damp with your juices. You whined at the absence of touch.

“You taste so good, baby, like honey.” He praised, kissing your thighs while he waited for you to come down from your high before diving in again once he deemed you were calm enough.

He repeated that same thing twice more, fucking you with his tongue and drinking you in while his nose stimulated your clit, bringing you to the edge only to pull away at the last second, your whines becoming more and more complainy and demanding as he teased.

“Time?” You asked in a whine while Andrew kissed your inner thigh again, waiting for your body to calm down again.

“Let me check,” he pulled away from you and looked at his phone, humming softly. “Only forty minutes left, pet.”

You whined loudly again, struggling against your restraints that held your arms to your back. Your whines were met with a sharp smack to your clit from Andrew, making you hiss and clench around nothing once more.

“Quit whining, this is a fair punishment after what you made me endure.” He scolded you. “Colour?”

“Green,” you breathed out, playfully pouting at Andrew.

He smiled back for a second, standing up from the bed and undressing completely. He kneeled on the bed again, turning you over and making your ass stick out while he pressed your upper body onto the mattress. “Such a pretty ass,” he said quietly, his free hand caressing one of your asscheeks. He moved his cock to your slit, lubing it with your juices before thrusting into your pussy in one swift movement. He groaned at the feeling, you yelped, being already sensitive from the previous stimulation. Slowly, he started fucking you, moaning quietly while still pressing you against the sheets.

“You feel so fuckin’ good, pet. I should fuck you like this more often.” He chuckled, speeding up his pace.

You moaned more, high-pitched and needy moans filling the room as you mindlessly pushed back against him, trying to take him deeper. His hand snaked around to your clit, toying with it and bringing you to the edge before pulling away and slowing down his hips to an idle pace. Then he did it again, pulling your upper body to his chest and kissing your shoulders while his hand played with your clit again, pulling away at just the right time so you wouldn’t be able to orgasm. He did the same thing again, tears of frustration starting to form in your eyes.

“Please…” you begged in a shaky voice.

“You know you can’t yet, baby.” He smiled into your neck, quickening his pace again and going back to playing with your swollen bud. He checked the time left. “Just fifteen more minutes, love, you can hold on for a bit more, I know you can. What’s your colour, pet?”

“Green.” You cried out softly, the tears flowing freely down your face.

“That’s my girl.” He praised softly, kissing your neck from behind.

You felt the coil in your abdomen tightening painfully again, and, as you had expected, Andrew pulled away once more. You whined loudly, struggling against the restraints again. Andrew pulled out of you, laying you on your back again and positioning himself between your legs, with one hand he moved your leg up to his chest and entered you again, his free hand moved to your face, wiping away your tears with his thumb and caressing you softly. He moved quickly again, at just the right angle to hit your g-spot just right. Your moans became louder and louder as you neared your peak, you heard a faint sound coming from Andrew’s phone, he reached over to it and turned it off, giving you his full attention.

“Time’s up, pet,” he said into your ear, kissing your neck. “Come whenever you want to, my love.”

His pace remained relentless as he fucked you, trying to reach his own peak. His hand moved to your clit again, making you hiss. The coil in your stomach got tighter, your legs trembled, and then, you came, your vision went white, your toes curled as you released all the pent up energy, your hips thrusted up and your breathing hitched for a fraction of a second. A semi-opaque white liquid shot out from you and onto Andrew, soaking him and the sheets. He smirked at the sight, emptying himself inside you right after.

“Did I..?” You mumbled, not even finishing your sentence from how exhausted you were.

“Squirt? Yeah, you did.” He chuckled. “You’ve never done that before.”

“Didn’t know I could,” you replied. “Can you untie me? I think my arms fell asleep.”

“Of course, baby.” He kissed your neck one last time before pulling out of you and making you sit up to take off the silk rope. “There you go.”

You moved your arms to your front, caressing your wrists to soothe them. You felt the tiredness calling you to sleep, Andrew cradled you in his arms, caressing your hair.

“Baby,” he called your attention. “We should take a bath, get you cleaned up, what do you think?”

You hummed softly, nodding into his chest. He chuckled again, standing up with you in his arms and taking you into the bathroom to wash up. He’d worry about the sheets later, you were his main priority.

[hwasdvlly]

Joy | j.wooyoung

ꨄ summary: as a child at heart, he takes his family to a magical place.

ꨄ pairing: wooyoung x fem!reader

ꨄ genres: romance, family, and fluff

ꨄ word count: 0.8k words

ꨄ warnings/tags: none. established relationship. idol!wooyoung, non-idol!reader, married couple, wooyoung is the cutest father

ꨄ a/n: yay!! i finally got the chance to write again! wooyo made me soft in this one

“Hello, Atiny!”

A bubbly voice from a handsome, cute, sweet, talented, and hot man waves at the phone. 

Wooyoung begins to talk about today’s adventure. “I am in the hotel bathroom because I just got done showering and ready to head out with my little family. I would’ve made the members come along, but they denied it because they wanted me to have a good time. Ever since we’ve been touring, I haven’t seen my family for a while. To my surprise and happiness, the love of my life and the babies came out here to see me.” 

He sighs softly because he still can’t believe his wife is doing it for him and the kids. Wooyoung continues, “I am truly blessed to have amazing people in my life. So, to make it up to them, I bought Disneyland tickets. Woohoo!” He does a tiny fist bump in the air. “And yes, Atiny. Your Wooyo is taking you there.” He nods his head earnestly with a wide smile.

The video transitions from wet-haired Wooyoung in pajamas to a much dapper Wooyoung. He is dressed in a yellow button-up, ripped denim jeans, and tennis shoes. The man goes for something casual because he wants to feel and look comfortable. He reveals himself through a full mirror in the hotel room. 

“I don’t usually wear bright colors, but I figured it was appropriate for a place with excitement,” Wooyoung stated. He gingerly brushes his long bangs that frame his face. “I am keeping this a little longer. I think it’s my favorite out of all hairstyles.” Not only he, but his wife agrees. You like how super soft his hair is. 

He then hears high yet adorable singing voices. Wooyoung turns his attention to the noise. A grin etched on his rosy lips. He sees you putting on matching outfits for the kids. 

The Jung Twins are the prince and princess of ATEEZ. 

Wooyoung moves his attention back to the phone. He still has that smile. “Y/N has Woobin and Wonhee dressed as Mickey and Minnie Mouse.” The father couldn’t stop looking at his angels. He predicts the uncles will die of cuteness once he takes millions of pictures. Woobin and Wonhee have their father’s gorgeous eyes and inherit his playful behavior. As much as the members find it cute, they believe it’s uncanny. 

Little Wooyoungs can cause more chaos. However, the guys love them to death. 

“Is everyone done?” Wooyoung asked his family.

“Yes, appa!” The little ones answered in unison. 

“We are ready!” You joined your kids.

He shifts his gaze from his gaze to his beautiful wife. You are matching his yellow top but with a pretty sundress. Wooyoung is oblivious about being mesmerized by you that he forgets he is still recording. Soon enough, he clears his throat and yells out. “Let’s go!” 

The munchkins trailed behind Wooyoung like ducklings in a line. You happily giggled at how they’ll forever follow their dad.

In the vehicle, Wooyoung tells the viewers they are heading to Disneyland while listening to ATEEZ. During the drive, he shows a bit of his kids singing. The twin’s favorite song is Utopia because it brings them comfort. Also, they love to sing along to Uncle Seonghwa’s high-note. 

An hour later, the family arrived at the amusement park. Wooyoung got greeted by a few Atinys when entering. Plus, they recognized you and the twins. Wooyoung heard the fans yell they wished them the best of luck as a family. 

“Thank you!” 

The idol gives his appreciation for his fans’ love. He sends them a finger heart, and they return the gesture. 

Wooyoung turns on his phone to film more videos. He has you record him walking with the kids. Woobin and Wonhee hold one of their father’s hands and swing them back n forth. Wooyoung speaks, “I feel like a little boy again. I missed coming to places like this. But I am grateful to experience it with my family."

"Right, guys?” He looks down at his children. Wonhee nods and flashes a cheery smile. “Appa! The castle is so pretty!” Woobin points his tiny finger up ahead. Wooyoung might’ve melted on the spot. 

His babies are too cute!

Overall, the four were having endless fun. Wooyoung and his family went on thrilling rides, took pictures with Disney characters, ate delicious food, and gravitated to the park’s beauty. For the final shot of his vlog, Wooyoung records the fireworks. 

A rainbow of stars in the galaxy blossoms the night. 

Wooyoung stops recording to bring you into a back hug as the kids watch in awe at the bursting colors. He rests his chin on your shoulder. You turned your neck to see him. The fireworks created enough brightness to show your husband’s smiling face. Wooyoung leans close to press his soft, elegant lips onto yours. 

“Do you regret marrying me? I haven’t been there for you, Woobin, and Wonhee.” The husband asked his wife in a solemn voice.

You let out a snicker. “Of course not! I vowed to love and care for the biggest baby in the world. Plus, raising the angels of our lives.” Despite his music career, you tell your husband you’ll always be there for him.

Wooyoung's content smile never left his face. 

[fleurywiththesave]

Accidental baby acquisition with mattdrai?

I took some creative liberties with this one because, well, I can. It's Rosh Hashanah, so have a little sweetness.

It’s supposed to be a vacation. They both have a few days off around Thanksgiving, enough time to meet in St. Louis, spend the holiday with Matthew’s family, and eat their weight in turkey and non-diet-plan-approved side dishes. Matthew’s been dreaming about it since the season started.

The dream comes crashing down when they walk through his parents’ front door (only a little later than their anticipated arrival time, since Leon set a timer for fifteen minutes before he would let Matthew attack him in the car and insisted they stop making out when it went off) and Brady immediately hands them a baby.

“Can you watch him? Please? Just for an hour or two?” He’s looking a little wild around the eyes. “Emma’s cooking at our place and Mom and Dad are running errands and Taryn’s not home yet and he didn’t sleep at all last night and if I don’t go run very fast for a long time then I might start crying. Please. Remember that you owe me for not telling anyone about the time I caught you guys—”

“We’ve got it,” Leon interrupts, taking Ryder from him. “Go for a run. Or take a nap.”

“Thank you,” Brady says with a sigh of relief, bending over to kiss Ryder’s forehead. “I love you, buddy, but Dad’s trying not to lose his mind. Go easy on your uncles, ‘kay?”

As soon as the door closes behind him, Matthew turns to Leon.

“So. Do you know how to take care of a two month old baby?”

“Um.”

That, of course, is when Ryder chooses to start crying. A lot. And very loudly.

“Shit, what’s wrong?” Matthew asks. If he sounds slightly frantic, he doesn’t think he can be blamed for it. He loves his nephew more than just about anyone, but that doesn’t mean his birth automatically made Matthew a baby expert.

“I think he needs to be changed,” Leon says, wrinkling his nose. “Is there a diaper bag?”

“Probably would’ve been good information to get from his attentive father,” Matthew mutters, but they find the bag in the living room fairly quickly, and Matthew ends up watching in undisguised amazement while Leon efficiently changes Ryder.

“When the hell did you learn how to do that?” he demands.

“When Carlos was a baby,” Leon explains.

“Babe, I know you’re holding a dirty diaper, but I’m not gonna lie, I’m kind of turned on right now.” Maybe more than kind of, if he's being completely honest.

“Well, bottle it up,” Leon says. “We’re not doing anything around a poor innocent baby.”

“Fine,” Matthew sighs. “But I hope you brought a turtleneck for tomorrow, because I’m absolutely going to maul you tonight.”

They make it a whole twenty minutes before Ryder starts crying again. He’s not wet or smelly, and he refuses the bottle they offer him. Matthew tries to hand him off to Leon, but he shakes his head.

“You’ve got this.”

“I do not,” Matthew hisses, but Leon refuses to save him, so he starts sifting through every memory of watching a teammate take care of a child. “C’mere, buddy,” he murmurs, positioning Ryder so his head is resting on Matthew’s shoulder and he can rub his back. “Don’t you want me to be able to brag to your parents about what a good job Uncle Leon and I did?” He keeps talking softly to him, making all sorts of extravagant promises that he’s definitely going to be too much of a pushover not to uphold when Ryder is older, until the tears have been replaced with a quiet snuffling sound.

“Oh,” he says, carefully lifting the baby off his shoulder. “I did it. He’s asleep.”

Leon is watching them with soft eyes and a small smile.

“Okay, now I get what you mean about being kind of turned on,” he says quietly.

“You made me bottle it up,” Matthew reminds him, but Leon shrugs.

“Do as I say, not as I do,” he says, leaning in to steal a kiss. “Besides, this is good practice.”

He looks a little nervous right after he says it, like Matthew hasn’t fantasized a million and one times about what their kids will look like and how early they’ll be able to get them on the ice.

“It is,” he agrees, and Leon’s smile grows. Ryder will probably start crying again soon, but in the meantime, Matthew is going to let himself bask in a peaceful moment of domestic bliss.

(And later tonight, he’s going to fulfill his promise to maul Leon. Because he can have it all.)

[im-not-buying-it-ether]

Something that is endlessly dear to me is looking at the Tragic Backstory Dead Parents of characters and deciding to give them character for your own purposes.

Like, the Batsons were the dream. They were a couple that you could just tell love eachother to the ends of the earth and would never stop, CC is a story teller at heart and has the uncanny ability to spin the most boring day into a bedtime story adventure to dazzle and amaze his son, Marilyn liked hands on work and crafts and would make a whole game out of gardening with Billy.

One thing I did with my dad in childhood was visit what I remember being called a fossil park and how excited I was when I found something cool in the rocks, and I can’t stop thinking that somewhere deeply hidden away after Uncle E took over the house there’s a little wooden treasure box full of little fossils or bones or tiny tools Billy used to be like his parents everytime they visited one of those places.

The Batsons were wealthy and went all out on fun parties and events to celebrate with Billy, CC and Billy went as Batman and Robin every Halloween where Billy could say “Batman is so cool!” and before Billy was dressed as the “Bullet Bill” to CC’s Bulletman so he could dress up as his hero with his son in another mini-bulletman costume. Billy and Mary had the dream room every kid would’ve wanted, they both had a blast traveling in the summer with their parents for work and when they had to stay home with E or a nanny they called every day to ask all about what they were finding.

CC trusted and forgave to a fault his whole life, Marilyn was more perceptive and CC often listened to her judgment because she was often right about things. They taught their kids to do their best and always try to be their best selves, they led by example so it’s no wonder their kids ideals of heroism looks are “My mom and dad in supersuits”

They had to have been wonderful parents with the given amount of screw ups, to me, because their kids emulate them so much and Billy loves them even if his last memory with them is a bitter one because he was left home without Mary because his grades weren’t doing well and that led to him having everything taken from him when his parents died and never came back home. Mary in PoS specifically remembered her dad as looking like Captain Marvel with her amnesia bc Billy has his dads face and it’s very easy for her to think of her dad as a superhero, she can’t remember a thing about the man but she sees Captain Marvel and maps his face and features to what fuzzy memories she had of her parents and her brother.

I just… love the Batsons who were able to be part of their kids lives unlike the older and newer versions where they were either too dead or too absent to be parents. It’s just so much fun to craft the loving but still messy family that raised such a kind hero and fill the downtime of childhood and backstories with fond memories so they aren’t left as footnotes all the time

[book-place]

No-No Word

Warnings: cursing, let me know if I missed any :)

Pairings: Chris Evans x daughter reader, Sebastian Stan x reader platonic, Anthony Mackie x reader platonic

Request: heyyy i was just wondering if you'd be willing to write for Chris Evans x daughter!reader maybe??? :)

Request by: Anon

*not my gif*

Summary: Turns out, you’re a lot smarter than Chris would’ve thought

A/N: Posting a couple short fics to get back into writing

Please don’t plagiarize my work, you may reblog if you like but I’m asking that you don’t steal my hard work

“Hey there, sweetheart.” Chris quickly glanced over his shoulder as you waddled into the kitchen area, “How did you sleep?”

You yawned, reaching up to rub your eyes, “Good, dada.”

Your father couldn’t help but allow his grin to widen at the sight of you, merely five years old, drowning in fuzzy pajamas and clutching a stuffed animal under your right arm.

“You up for some pancakes?” Of course, he already knew the answer.

A smile lit up your face, suddenly awake, and you nodded your head vigorously, suddenly wide awake. “Up! Up!” You chanted jumping up and down slightly as you made a grabbing motion towards the blond man.

Chris abandoned the spatchula next to the stove and scooped you up in his arms, peppering kisses on the side of your head and into your hair in a way that emitted joyous giggles from your lips.

He gently set you down on the counter, a healthy distance away from where he was cooking the batter, nodding along as you rambled about something or other and moved back to continue making the two of you breakfast.

“-and then the dog jumped as tall as you daddy!” Your eyes were wide with awe and amazement.

The man chuckled slightly, “Is that so, honey-“ He cut himself off when the spatula slipped from his grasp and landed with a small ‘clang’ onto the floor.

Immediately, he bent down to pick it up, “Oops-“

“Shit!”

Chris snapped to attention, eyes wide and alert as stared at you with a dropped jaw. You just blinked up at him innocently.

“What the- what did you say?” He asked in complete shock, those being the only words he could form at the moment.

Your eyebrows furrowed in confusion for a second before realization lit up your face and you smiled proudly, placing your hands on your hips, “Shit!” You repeated.

“How the- who-“ Your father sputtered.

He had always been extra careful and sure that he never cursed around you and that others he was with didn’t either.

“No, honey,” He finally came to his senses and turned off the stove for a moment as he bent down to be eye level with you, “That’s a bad word, we don’t say that.”

And your eyebrows were furrowed once more, “Shit?”

Chris nodded, “Yes, that’s a no-no word, we don’t say that.”

A pout immediately formed on your lips and you crossed your arms, “But it’s a big kid word, and I’m a big kid!”

He shook his head back and forth, “Where did you even hear it?”

“Uncle Sebby!” You cheered excitedly.

A look of realization dawned on the actor before it was quickly replaced by exhaustion, “Is that so?” He asked as he ran a frustrated hand down his face, knowing Sebatian was about to get a very unhappy call in a few minutes.

You nodded, oblivious to your fathers feelings, “Uh-huh, he said it but told me it was a big kid word, and that I couldn’t say it until I was a big kid.”

“Then why are you saying it now?” He raised a stern eyebrow in your direction.

You grinned, “Because I asked Uncle Anthony later if I was a big kid and he said yes!”

Chris was silent for a moment, and it took everything in him not to burst out in laughter at the brilliance of your statement, how at even such a young age you and figured out a way to get around a rule and still act innocent about the whole thing.

Failing, he let a few chuckles slip through his lips and he picked you up and carried you on his hip, “That’s still a no-no word, no matter what your uncles say. Got it?” He playfully rubbed his nose against your cheek and poked his fingers at your sides, tickling you.

You shrieked with laughter, trying to force yourself away from him, “Okay, okay, daddy! No more tickles! No more tickles!”

[marnerparty]

baby hughes

Jack Hughes x reader

ynhughes

Liked by colecaufield, yourbestfriend and 57,826 others

ynhughes surprise! baby Hughes coming in September :)

View all 198 comments

_quinnhughes IM GETTING A NIBLING

jackhughes come again?

_quinnhughes like sibling but for nieces and nephews

_eliaspetterrsson there’s no way this is a real word

jackhughes someone confirm please

ynhughes after a quick google search, Quinn is definitely right

jackhughes I’m so excited for this next chapter with you 🫶🏻

ynhughes i love you with my whole heart jackypoo

colecaufield you guys are gross

jackhughes it’s called love Cole. don’t be mad that you’ve never felt it

colecaufield 🖕🏻

user1 I wish I was yn hughes

nicohischier you guys!! congrats!!

jackhughes thank you cap!

ynhughes thanks Nic!🥰

lhughes_06 this is extremely mid

jackhughes that’s what I said

ynhughes and what was your idea?

jackhughes no comment

nicohischier did it have to do w/ hockey

ynhughes oh jeez

jackhughes YES! AND SHE VETOED IT!

ynhughes why’d you have to bring it up 🤦🏼‍♀️

elblue6 I’m so excited for my grand baby!! this is amazing news. congratulations yn 🩷🩷🫶🏻

ynhughes I love you Ellen!! thank you 🥰

jackhughes MOM!?

elblue6 yes?

jackhughes CONGRATULATE ME TOO!!

elblue6 congrats jack.

lhughes_06 lowercase and a period. yowzers.

trevorzegras congrats you guys!!

ynhughes thanks Trevor!!

jackhughes Uncle Trev 😎

njdevils excited for a new Jr. Devil!

Liked by ynhughes

user2 doesn’t yn know the whole world is in love with her husband? how could she do this to us?

user3 tf? it’s yn > jack any day

_alexturcotte my money would’ve been on Quinn being a dad first

jackhughes Quinn who can’t get a girlfriend?

ynhughes Jack! rude!

_quinnhughes she’s only with you cuz she’s pregnant

jackhughes she has my last name

ynhughes Quinn’s too bub

_quinnhughes HA!

jackhughes yn who’s side are you on!?

ynhughes no comment

tmeier98 congrats!

jackhughes thanks timo 🙌🏻

dawson1417 thank god, this was a hard secret to keep

jackhughes you knew??

ynhughes he was the second to know 😳

jackhughes after me right?

ynhughes well …

jackhughes WHAT!?

jackhughes who the hell was the first

ynhughes Luke …

jackhughes HUGHES!?

ynhughes yes.

lhhughes_06 I can explain

jackhughes

Liked by _alexturcotte, trevorzegras and 101,871 others

jackhughes 36 weeks & counting 🫶🏻

View all 317 comments

ynhughes babe I’m literally huge in this, I told you I didn’t like this one

jackhughes yn, honey, you’re pregnant, your belly gets big

_quinnhughes jackson you don’t know a thing about comforting a pregnant woman who’s feeling self conscious

jackhughes enlighten me then Quinn

_quinnhughes yn, you look perfect. you’re doing the hardest thing a woman could ever do and you’re making it look easy. cut yourself some slack 🫶🏻

ynhughes quinny I love you so much 🥹

_eliaspetterrsson this man has such a way with words

elblue6 I can’t wait for my grand baby!

ynhughes she’s ready to meet you Ellen!!

user1 GENDER DROP

lhughes_06 uncle Luke will be her favorite

_quinnhughes good try bud

lhughes_06 it definitely won’t be you

_quinnhughes uh, it 100% will

ynhughes boys, why are we arguing? you can both be the favorites

_quinnhughes no

lhughes_06 no

jamie.drysdale maybe it’s gonna be me

trevorzegras absolutely not

user2 this baby is gonna have so many uncles

nicohischier still can’t believe you’re having a kid

jackhughes I can’t either it’s crazy

nicohischier it’s a good thing you have yn

ynhughes Nico Hischier, always a charmer

nicohischier 😉

jackhughes hey back off you Swiss

ynhughes be kind to your daughter’s godfather

nicohischier her WHAT!?

jackhughes uh oh

ynhughes Jack Rowden Hughes you never told him!?

jackhughes yep, this one’s on me.

nicohischier you guys are serious?

ynhughes yes, Nico! we would love it if you were her Godfather :) there’s a whole gift that goes along that my incompetent husband forgot to give you, but don’t worry, I’ll mail it today

user3 yn already seems like the best mom

Liked by ynhughes

ynhughes

Liked by adamfantilli, user1 and 77,871 others

ynhughes 9.9.23 Layla Quinn Hughes 🩷

View all 229 comments

lhughes_06 this is the best birthday gift ever! I love her already

ynhughes we love you! & happy birthday Moosey :)

jackhughes perfect like her mama ❤️

ynhughes I love you Jack Hughes

jackhughes I love you yn Hughes

user1 I think Jack’s officially gone

trevorzegras MY BABY’S HERE! I’M SO EXCITED TO MEET HER

jamie.drysdale your baby?

ynhughes you like kids that much?

trevorzegras uh, yes. especially when it comes to my niece

_quinnhughes that’s seriously her name?

ynhughes yes!

_quinnhughes why??

jackhughes Quinn you’re so important to us, & you’re my older bro! it was only right

lhughes_06 now we have to battle out favorite uncle

lhughes_06 they probably named her after you because they didn’t want you to feel bad we share the same date of birth

_quinnhughes what’s more important, a name or a birthday?

colecaufield oof got him there

lhughes_06 you pick a name, you can’t pick a due date. what are the odds we’re born on the same day?

_quinnhughes actually Luke, September 9th is the most common birthday

ynhughes this is true Lukey

lhughes_06 okay, but what are the odds my niece is born on the same day as me, regardless of the statistical significance

jackhughes why are you using such big words?

edwards.73 the baby will think he’s smarter and choose him as a favorite uncle

edwards.73 his words not mine

elblue6 my first grandbaby! my heart is so full 🥰

jackhughes love you ma!

nicohischier my goddaughter is perfect 🫶🏻 congratulations you guys

ynhughes thank you Nico 🩷

jackhughes you’re the best cap!

user2 the name is adorable

tysmith_6 Jacky boy grew up, eh?

jackhughes damn right!

tysmith_6 congrats man! and congrats to you as well yn!

ynhughes thanks Ty!!

nhl another Hughes to play hockey! congrats!

Liked by ynhughes and jackhughes

dawson1417 Layla 🥹

ynhughes s/o for the suggestion !

jackhughes are we crediting Dawson for the name?

ynhughes no, but we loved this name and he was just another person who said they also liked it

jackhughes 🤨

jackhughes you’re the one that always loved that name …

ynhughes okay maybe Dawson helped a little

jackhughes

Liked by _quinnhughes, jamie.drysdale and 102,871 others

jackhughes my 🌎

Comments have been disabled

ynhughes

Liked by lhughes_06, edwards.73 and 75,887 others

ynhughes round 2!

View all 271 comments

trevorzegras NO WAY

ynhughes yes!

jackhughes so excited 🫶🏻

ynhughes nobody I’d rather have by my side 🥰

user1 jack needs to stop having kids. he’s losing his sex appeal

ynhughes speak for yourself 🤷🏼‍♀️

jamie.drysdale maybe I’ll be the favorite uncle now!

trevorzegras no, it’s my time to shine

lhughes_06 we should probably give it to the real other uncle this time @_quinnhughes

_quinnhughes fuck off

ynhughes boys! behave

lhughes_06 yn is younger than you and still putting you in your place

ynhughes Luke, I don’t care you’re one of my daughter’s favorite people I will kick your ass

lhughes_06 yes ma’am 😳

nicohischier TEAM BOY 🩵

nicohischier and congrats again :)

ynhughes you say team boy like you’re not obsessed with our Layla

nicohischier oh I am, but another Hughes to the NHL would be phenomenal. specifically to the devils

jackhughes oh yeah? and you’ll still be there playing?

nicohischier I’m playing til I’m 50

jackhughes sure bud. sure

elblue6 grandbaby x2! congrats my loves 🫶🏻

ynhughes love you mama Hughes!!

rutgermcgroarty CONGRATS!!!

ynhughes thank you! miss you Ruts!

jackhughes get outta here Michigan

rutgermcgroarty & this is why yn is superior

user2 I hope it’s a boy and that he has Jack’s smile

ynhughes hopefully w/out the missing tooth

jackhughes really? we bring the tooth up now?

ynhughes I loveee youuu

jackhughes mhm

ynhughes jackson!

jackhughes baby I love you, you know this

tysmith_6 I have name suggestions, but only for a boy (which I KNOW you’re having)

ynhughes lay ‘em on me

tysmith_6 Ryan Jackson

tysmith_6 Bradley Luke

tysmith_6 Finnegan Ty

lhughes_06 thanks for the recognition

ynhughes these are really cute actually

tysmith_6 yeah, I’m awesome, it’s whatever

jackhughes who’s gonna tell him

tysmith_6 tell who what

jackhughes tell you something

tysmith_6 ????

ynhughes we already know it’s a girl!

tysmith_6 NOOOOOOOOOOOO

tysmith_6 I mean, yay, of course. but no :(

colecaufield most of the time these comments are just one on one conversations

ynhughes and what about it cole

jackhughes he’s just jealous

jackhughes

Liked by bauerhockey, tmeier98 and 130,761 others

jackhughes baby girl #2! meet Olivia Ellen Hughes!

View all 229 comments

nhl Layla & Olivia! congrats Hughes’ on the new addition!

njdevils another Jr. Devil! congrats!

edwards.73 CONGRATS!! miss you yn!

ynhughes thank you E! love & miss you!! 🥰

trevorzegras she’s so perfect 🥹

ynhughes Trev 🥺

lhughes_06 YN Hughes: baddest bitch I know

ynhughes Lukester 🫶🏻

jackhughes now she’s crying, you made her cry

ynhughes it’s just the hormones, Luke is so sweet to me 😭

nicohischier another favorite human to add to the list! congrats jack & yn!

ynhughes thank you Nico! we love you!

tysmith_6 well, if you find yourself pregnant again, you know where to find me for names

ynhughes will do sir 🫡

tysmith_6 oh and conrgats too!!

user1 and the family keeps growing

elblue6 love you guys! so excited for you & your new bundle of joy 🩷

jackhughes thanks mama

colecaufield the cutest lil mama’s boy

jackhughes shut it Caufield

ynhughes Jack be nice. Cole’s a good one

jamie.drysdale need to meet her IMMEDIATELY

jamie.drysdale please & thanks :)

trevorzegras no me first

jamie.drysdale we live together idiot

trevorzegras okay but I get to open the door

jackhughes who says we’re bringing her there??

ynhughes I already yes.

jackhughes babe wtf?? bringing our newborn to what’s equivalent to a frat house?

trevorzegras woah woah woah, it’s nothing like that at all

jamie.drysdale that’s insulting Jack

ynhughes I can’t say no to Jamie

_quinnhughes congratulations you guys

ynhughes thanks Quinny!!

jackhughes 🫶🏻

user2 I still think they break up

ynhughes it’ll happen soon. I’ll just trap him for his child support

_alexturcotte LMAO

_quinnhughes oh yn

luca.fantilli congrats!! I’m a lil behind on the life updates 😬

ynhughes don’t worry Luca, you’re forgiven :)

jackhughes why are you friends with all these Michigan hockey kids

lhughes_06 from the umich football game?

jackhughes the what?

ynhughes oh shit

jackhughes when did you go to a football game with all the boys????

ynhughes you were on a 10 day roadie! what else was I supposed to do, wait for you at home??

jackhughes that’s not what I said! I’m just shocked I was never told

rutgermcgroarty yeah we love yn

adamfantilli facts

ynhughes

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ynhughes these girls sure love their daddy ❤️

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njdevils our favorite Hughes posting our favorite Hughes’ :)

lhughes_06 HEY

nicohischier oof that’s tough

_quinnhughes is Layla kicking him in the face?😂

jackhughes it’s unknown what she was trying to accomplish

lhughes_06 she takes after her favorite uncle.. always kicking Jack’s ass

jackhughes at least the devils don’t hate me

ynhughes Jack that’s mean

user1 the most gorgeous family

elblue6 my girls minus one!

ynhughes mama e >>>>

jackhughes MA!? I’m in the photo too!

elblue6 I can’t lie and say you’re my favorite boy Jack

colecaufield oh shit

jackhughes I’m running away

trevorzegras it’s that karate she’s learning 😎

ynhughes she’s been BEGGING to see uncle Trev so you can watch Kung-Foo Panda. you’re the only person she let’s watch it with her

trevorzegras 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹 I love her so much

jackhughes maybe Trevor is the favorite uncle

jackhughes love you & our creations 🫶🏻

tysmith_6 that makes it sound like they’re paintings

jackhughes well then I’m fucking Da Vinci

trevorzegras then who are you?

jackhughes …

jackhughes Da Vinci

trevorzegras no that’s yn

jackhughes what???

trevorzegras you said you’re fucking Da Vinci ?

jamie.drysdale OH MY GOD

ynhughes TREVOR NOT THE VERB

_quinnhughes Jesus Christ

trevorzegras oh I’m embarrassed

user2 it wouldn’t be a yn Hughes post without a hectic comment section

Liked by ynhughes

ynhughes

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ynhughes our secret baby :) Caroline Florence💕

tagged jackhughes

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luca.fantilli NO WAY

ynhughes WAY

luca.fantilli CONGRATS!!

ynhughes thanks Tilly 🥰

elblue6 so glad the secret is out!! I love my babies 🥰

ynhughes & they all love you Ellen 🥰🥰🥰

jamie.drysdale I already knew about this but I can’t believe it’s real. big congrats guys 🩷

jackhughes thanks kid!

ynhughes love you mucho jimbo!

njdevils we’ve said it once & we’ll say it again, congrats on the new addition!!

Liked by ynhughes and jackhughes

jackhughes officially a girl dad :)

ynhughes I love you Jack Hughes always 🫶🏻

lhughes_06 ew

_quinnhughes grow up

lhughes_06 you’re never on my side these days what’s up w/ that??

ynhughes guys why are we fighting in a comment section?

rutgermcgroarty because they’re children

biznasty you got this kid whipped

ynhughes boy don’t i

biznasty congrats yn & Jack! enjoy this time!

ynhughes thanks Paul🩷

trevorzegras how come you were never this nice to me

biznasty get outta here Zegras this isn’t your kid

trevorzegras it’s my niece, basically the same thing

jackhughes oh not at all

ynhughes not close Trev

lhughes_06 he’s so outnumbered

ynhughes that’s what he gets for growing up in a house of all boys

jackhughes hey that’s Ellen’s fault

elblue6 whose fault?

trevorzegras DAMN

_quinnhughes caught

jackhughes love you mom 🫶🏻

elblue6 mhm

_alexturcotte Jack’s been busy

ynhughes “busy”

jackhughes hey I do a lot!

_alexturcotte not what I meant guys

ynhughes ohhhhh

jackhughes ah he meant sex

colecaufield your parent radar is very censoring

user1 I think Jack’s officially officially taken

ynhughes the marriage wasn’t enough?

jackhughes the first 2 kids weren’t enough?

edwards.73 who knew what we needed was these two hanging up on haters?

nicohischier congrats guys! I’m proud of you kid

ynhughes ❤️❤️❤️

jackhughes cap 🥹

tysmith_6 CONGRATS!!!

tysmith_6 but something’s missing …

jackhughes yn I swear to God

ynhughes Caroline was all me …

ynhughes Florence may have been a Ty suggestion

jackhughes sometimes I feel like I’m just married to Ty

nhl can’t wait for these girls to run the hockey world someday like they’re dad & uncles! congratualtions!

ynhughes well this is just adorable

lhughes_06 *like their uncle Luke

jackhughes omg this little shit

_quinnhughes for real what went wrong with him?

elblue6 I wish I knew

lhughes_06 MA

[theheirofthesharingan]

Can you imagine Itachi as a father? What kind of father do you think he would’ve been? I keep seeing people draw him as an amazing uncle and I just can’t imagine him being good with kids unless it’s baby Sasuke.

I can't imagine him as a father and I do believe he'd not be a very good father figure either, but only because he's just so damaged and hasn't known any healthy and positive parental figure in his own life to be the role model for someone else to follow him.

He doesn't have anything to give to anyone. I think he'd be good with kids (although I think the one actually good with children would be Sasuke). Itachi can take care of children, but he doesn't have it in him to take the full responsibility of a new relationship, even if it's a child.

His love for Sasuke comes naturally to him. It's like it's written in the stones. To love someone else he'd have to work on himself first and know that love isn't the kind of thing he was given, but something much healthier thing that he deserves.

It would take years for him to get used to it and stitch his wounds so he's ready to offer the affection to someone other than his little brother. It wouldn't be seamless, but I can imagine him trying to do something and working on himself if he were to be a dad. He has a lot of love to give, but he needs to know the right way.

[imabeautifulbutterfly]

The Gym Membership - Part 48 (Crosshair)

Summary: Crosshair spends time with Wrecker

A/N: Hello Lovelies,

Another week, another headache. I kid.

Just know you are valued, you are amazing, and I am routing for you. Whatever you're dealing with, whatever you're hoping to achieve, I've got your back. You got this.

Love oo

Warnings: Annoyance, slight irritation, napping, child rearing, fluff, anger at oneself, cheating, coma, drinking, guilt, feelings of disgust of oneself. I think that's it, if I miss any warnings, please let me know.

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Wrecker rocked Iris in his arms, she still was having difficulties falling asleep for her nap unless she was held in his arms, despite the fact she had recently turned two. Even though Mel told him time and time again to stop spoiling her, he just couldn’t let down his baby girl. In truth, holding her in his arms, wouldn’t have been an issue, except she also wasn’t happy unless he was walking as he rocked her in his arms. 

Crosshair tried to be patient as much as possible, but seeing how his little niece was being a particular pain in the neck right now, his patience was wearing thin as he really needed to talk to his brother, he walked up to Wrecker holding out his arms, “Give me.” 

It wasn’t a question, it was a command, Wrecker did his best to fight back a chuckle. He glanced at Crosshair then his hands, “Did you wash those?”

“My hands?”

“Yes … and your arms …” Wrecker teased, “actually, your whole body. Did you like, sanitize it?”

“Relax, I’m clean.”

He hummed in contemplation, knowing the longer he took his time the more it drove Crosshair crazy, “Hmmm fine.”

He placed Iris gently in Crosshair’s arms, taking the opportunity to sit down and rest for a bit as he watched his vod walk around the room rocking Iris in his arms. “So you just left after dinner?” Wrecker asked wanting to continue the conversation about what happened at Layla’s.

“Basically.” Crosshair’s voice was soft so as not to wake his niece.

“Did she understand?”

He simply shrugged, not wanting to continue the conversation, even though he did at the same time. 

Wrecker watched his younger brother, fighting a smirk as Cross focused on his niece. A soft smile appeared on his lips, to anyone else, it would just look like Cross being Crosshair, but Wrecker knew his brother well enough to know Iris, had her uncle wrapped around her tiny fingers. Although Crosshair didn’t necessarily want children, he also wasn’t exactly opposed to kids either. Wrecker’s mind wandered, wondering if Avery had survived, if she never got injured, what would Crosshair’s life be like now? Would he and Avery have had an opportunity for kids? Would’ve they been happy? Or would they’ve been divorced by now? Even if they had gotten divorced, would they have wanted kids?

He pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the now, “You do seem calmer, now that you have Iris in your arms.” Wrecker observed as he noticed Crosshair’s steps slowed down, as his rocking became more rhythmic. Before long Iris’ little snores were filling the room, he gently took her from Cross’ arms, and placed her on the couch making sure she wouldn’t roll off. 

“So …” he took a seat beside Iris, resting his hand on hers, letting her know he was there. He motioned to Crosshair to take a seat, but he shook his head, “So, do you wanna tell me what got you so worked up, when Tech was being pushy. Aside from Tech being pushy. Since we both know that’s not what worked you up.” Wrecker’s voice was low, well as quiet as Wrecker’s voice ever got, so as not to disturb his daughter. 

Crosshair motioned to the kitchen table, wanting to move away from his sleeping niece. Wrecker nodded as he tucked the blanket around Iris, making sure she wouldn’t be going anywhere. 

They both moved swiftly and quietly, like two commandos on a reconnaissance mission, “Nothing’s got me worked up” Cross finally answered as they moved towards the kitchen. Mel was meeting with her publisher for another book in her series of Bosses and their secretaries, as Wrecker liked to tease her about it. 

“Wanna beer?”

“Sure”

Wreck grabbed two beers, placing one in front of Cross, as he took the opposite seat in front of him, “Something’s got you worked up. I haven’t seen you this jittery since your first deployment. Did something happen?”

“Nothing happened”

“Does this have to do with Avery?”

“Could we please just drop it!”

“Nope. Sorry vod, Mel always says it’s better to air out our issues, the only way to know what needs to be fixed.”

“As wise as she may pretend to be, I don’t want to talk about it.” Crosshair turned the beer bottle in his hand, as his eyes focused on his finger nail that had slowly begun to peel the label, “Especially, not with you.”

Wrecker tilted his head, as he finished swallowing the golden amber liquid that was in his mouth, “What do you mean especially with me?”

“Nothin’”

“Nuh-uh, come on, what’s going on? Even if you don’t want to tell me the whole thing, begin with the least objectionable part.”

Crosshair leaned back in his chair, taking a swig from the bottle allowing the salty sweet liquid to ease the tension in his muscles, “You know the kind of man I am, the kind of life I’ve lived.” 

Wrecker simply nodded, he didn’t want to ‘scare’ Cross into clamming up.

“I’ve always lived that way, thinking I wasn’t harming anyone. Everyone always knew there was no possibility of a future with me.” He took another swig from his bottle, only to find that there hadn’t been much left, Wreck didn’t say anything, simply got up and got him another one. “It was usually a quick bout of stress-relief and that’s it. No strings. No drama. No attachment.”

“So what’s the problem?”

Cross almost downed the second bottle in one shot, he slammed it against the table wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, “I was married.”

Wrecker simply nodded as he looked at his brother, Cross really got the short end of the stick all his life. He wasn’t sure if it was simply because people thought Crosshair was stronger than he was, so he could handle all the crap that happened to him, or if it had to do with the fact that he hid his emotions well, therefore, there was no need to be considerate of how he felt. Either way, his heart ached for his vod.

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@justanothersadperson93

​ @liadamerondjarin​ 

 @spicymcnuggies​

 @lady-ren​

 @firstofficerwiggles​ 

@darkangel4121​ 

@discofern​ 

@kavecika​ 

@monako-jinn-stories​ 

@ladykatakuri​ 

@avathebestx​

 @theroguesully​ 

@furyhellfire66

​ @carodealmeida​ 

@ciramaris

​ @sprout-fics​ 

 @dindjarin-mandalorian​ 

@clonethirstingisreal

@crosshair-is-the-superior-clone

@totallyunidentified

@griffedeloup

@leotawrites

@helenaslost

@badbatch-simp24​

@dragonrider9905reads

[universitypenguin]

Chapter 18 - Part II

The Princess & The Lawyer Chapter XVIII - Part II 

Summary: Lloyd is rattled by unexpected news from Elliot that sends him into an emotional spiral and delays his return. Aiden is arrested for a shocking crime and Landon gives a profile of the stalker.

Word Count: 6,670 

Masterlist

Warnings: Physical violence, strangulation, attempted drowning. References to stalking, the U.S. military draft process, war and military service, drug addiction, family estrangement, international adoption, murder, and death.

Author’s Note: I apologize for the delay in posting this chapter. I was planning to finish it sooner, but I had a virus of some kind for the past week.

Chapter XVIII - Part II 

The engine of the Mercury purred like the big cat it was named after as Lloyd exited I-15 and rolled to a stop at the light. He admired the way the hood gleamed in the afternoon sun. 

“You did a great job on the body work,” Lloyd said.

“Thanks,” Elliot replied. 

Ahead of them, the light was stubbornly red. Lloyd drummed his fingers on the wheel.

“I was shocked how many people showed up to the funeral,” he said. 

“They weren’t there for him, they came for us.” 

“I know. Can you believe Mrs. Wilcox stepped foot in a Catholic church? Do you think she’ll have to repent before the Baptists take her back?”

Elliot laughed. “No, they have a new pastor. He’s not as hardline as the old one.”

“Oh, man. I bet she hates that.”

“She stopped going to church for a month when he took over.” 

Lloyd tried to imagine Mrs. Wilcox without picturing her going to church three times a week and couldn’t quite fill in the picture. The light turned green and he rolled through the intersection. 

“What ticked her off?” 

“The new preacher didn’t condemn drinking alcohol.”

“Ah… that makes sense. The no alcohol thing is one of her favorite rules. Did you notice she only played Baptist hymns during the service? I was sure she’d pick a classic for the finale, like ‘Amazing Grace’ but she went with ‘The Gate Ajar.’”

“She’s probably hoping to draw some converts to the Baptist with better music.” 

“Hey, if the Baptists can drink now, she’s got a fighting chance.” 

Elliot snickered. Lloyd scanned ahead for the turn off to the rehab facility. 

“Did you know Uncle Joe served in the Marines? I didn’t.” 

“Yeah,” Lloyd said. “I knew he’d been in the corps, but only because I found his draft papers in the basement when I was a kid.” 

“Draft papers? He was drafted?”

“His card got pulled in ‘69 and he did two tours. We never talked about it. I knew better than to ask. Eventually, it just sort of faded from my mind because he never brought it up.” 

“Isn’t that weird?” Elliot asked. 

Lloyd shrugged. 

“Do you think that’s why he was… the way he was?” 

The way he was. Lloyd contemplated the phrase. How was Joe? The first word that came to mind was quite simply: mean. The stern demeanor, thirst for vengeance, and his desperate need for control might have had roots in his time overseas. Who knew what effect the brutality of guerrilla warfare would’ve had on Joe as an eighteen year old. Lloyd wondered if his father had been in a similar state of mind as he’d found himself in at that age. Perhaps the simmering rage had been hardened into something more deadly by the explosive violence of those two years in the jungle. 

“I don’t know. Maybe, but no one can know for sure. Even if it did, Joe wouldn’t have admitted it.” 

Lloyd turned in at the rehab facility and parked near the front doors. Elliot checked in with the admissions clerk, who took his luggage and disappeared down the hall, giving them a moment to say goodbye. 

“Were you serious about staying in touch?” Elliot asked.

“Yeah. I haven’t decided about the ranch yet, but we’ll need to coordinate on that when the time comes.”

Elliot stared at him. “Coordinate?”

“Joe left you half the ranch.” 

“Come again?” 

Lloyd clapped his cousin on the shoulder. “I’ll have the lawyer send you a copy of the will, okay? We’re business partners now. That is, unless you’d rather sell.”

Elliot looked dumbstruck. “Uh-huh. Yeah… I don’t know. Do you want to?”

“I haven’t decided. How about we wait six months to make a final determination? It’ll give you time to get back on your feet and I can think things over. But if you need cash now, I can arrange a sale.” 

“We should talk about that… later.” Elliot glanced over his shoulder to the desk, where the nurse was working on her computer. “Hang on a second, will you?”

Lloyd watched as Elliot approached the nurse, then accepted a small green notepad and pen. He scribbled something down and ripped off the page before handing it back to her. 

“Here. Since you were serious about staying in touch, don’t limit yourself to just me, okay?”

Lloyd looked at the paper. There were two unfamiliar addresses written down, one nearby in Park City and the other in Denver. He looked at Elliot. “What’s this?”  

His cousin shoved his hands in his pockets, rolling his shoulders. 

“I know you’ve never gotten in contact, which, you know… uh… speaks for itself… but I think you should have that. Just in case you change your mind.”

Lloyd studied the addresses and then Elliot’s anxious expression. 

“If you’re still angry-” he broke off, sighing. “You can’t blame them for something that was out of their control.”

“Blame who? For what?” Lloyd asked, losing patience as Elliot skirted around the point without explanation.

“Ingrid and Josephine. They’re your family, too.” 

Words died on Lloyd’s tongue, stolen by the impact of the revelation. He re-read the addresses and cemented them into his memory. 

“Will you say something?” Elliot said, annoyed. 

“I thought they were dead.”

“Dead? Why? You couldn’t find them?” Elliot asked.

Lloyd shook his head, “I never looked… because I thought… I figured…”

“Why would you think they were dead?”

“Joe always settled his debts. Always. If she ran away, that meant…”

He couldn’t finish the thought, but saw understanding flash in Elliot’s eyes.

“They’re alive, and they’d be thrilled to hear from you.” 

“Thank you, Elliot.”

They didn’t hug goodbye, just nodded at each other. Then he watched his cousin walk through the double doors that led to a long hallway. Lloyd slid on his sunglasses and headed out to the parking lot. The note in his hand felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds. He shoved the paper into his wallet and climbed behind the wheel in a daze. He didn’t remember the drive from Salt Lake into Wyoming, but the next thing he knew, he was filling up with gas in Rock Springs. 

He’d planned to drop off the Mercury in Salt Lake and have it shipped to D.C. Lloyd checked his watch and realized that appointment, as well as his flight, had long passed. There were a dozen missed calls on his phone. He wondered why he’d driven east, when he could’ve headed to Park City and seen Josie just as easily. It wasn’t too late to swing down to Denver and look up Ingrid; the stop wouldn’t be too far out of his way. 

What would he say? After all those years of assuming the worst, he'd been wrong. He had to reach out to them and that terrified him. 

They’d want to know why he hadn’t contacted them, why he’d let them go so easily, and ignored their existence for the past twenty years. How could he explain that the risk had outweighed the reward? Denial and avoidance and selfishness had cost him the most important people in his life. He cursed himself for it now and saw the stark truth - he’d given up on his sisters without a shred of factual evidence, leaning on emotional reasoning designed and tailored to protect himself.

He couldn’t explain that, not in his current state of mind, so he turned back onto I-80 and headed home. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

You heard footsteps and jerked around so fast you nearly fell off your chair. The unexpected sight of the man behind you stole the breath from your lungs.

“What are you doing here? How did you get in?” 

“Easy, Princess. It’s just me.” 

Jake raised his arms in mock surrender as you pressed a hand to your racing heart and inhaled through your nose. 

 “Zach let me in,” he explained. 

“Sorry. I’m still on edge from last night. What are you doing here?” 

He grimaced. Your pulse, which had just begun to slow, galloped in response to the expression. 

“Did something happen with the case? To Lloyd? Is he okay?” 

“Nothing happened with the case - as far as I know - and Lloyd… I have no idea. He called me at six-thirty this morning and threatened to rip me apart limb by limb. I’ve been ducking his calls ever since.” 

You frowned. “I’m sorry. I tried to tell him about Aiden last night, but I chickened out at the last minute.” 

Jake quirked an eyebrow. “Well, that explains the phone call. Come on, Diskant is waiting.” 

He led you through the kitchen and dining room, into the living area. 

Zach lounged in the ornate Fauteuil chair on the far side of the room, his right ankle hooked over his left knee. The perfect stillness of his posture belied his casual bearing. The frozen, statue-like demeanor made your heart sink, as your attention shifted to the tall man who rose from the couch to greet you. 

“Good afternoon,” Diskant said, extending his hand.

You greeted him and settled on the loveseat with Jake, directly across from the sofa. 

“I’m sorry to inform you of this, but early this morning, Aiden LeDoux was arrested for attempting to break into your apartment.” 

The words hit you like a trap door opening under your feet. You didn’t know if you should celebrate or shudder. 

“When? How was he caught?”

Diskant glanced at Jake, who shifted nervously beside you. 

“I asked Jake to trail Aiden,” Zach said. 

“Starting when?” you asked.

“Saturday morning,” Jake said. “I’ve been following him all weekend.” 

Diskant spoke. “He found Aiden trying to pick the lock of your apartment door. Jake contacted building security and took video of the act, so we have clear evidence of the attempted break-in.” 

Your arms squeezed around your midsection. “And? Where is he now?” 

“Jail, but we expect him to make bail soon.” 

“Right.” 

Detective Diskant glanced at Jake before meeting your eyes. 

“There’s something else… While investigating the break in attempt, Jake located something unusual. We found a hidden camera in the hallway. It was tucked behind the welcome wreath on your across-the-hall neighbor’s door. The camera was pointed at your apartment and was live-streaming to an unknown IP address.” 

- - -

For the next two hours you reviewed every detail of your case with Diskant. You seized a throw pillow and hugged it to your torso, digging your fingers into its softness for comfort. The detective’s pen scratched on the page as he scribbled in his journal. 

Landon had joined your meeting an hour ago, since his shift tailing Aiden became a moot point when his bail hearing was pushed to Tuesday morning. You felt Landon’s perceptive eyes on you, taking in every detail of your reactions. 

“Remind me what initially caused you to suspect Aiden when you realized you were being stalked?” Diskant asked.

“No one else made sense. Aiden was the only person I’d upset recently, and he’d just gone through a stressful event, losing his job.” 

Diskant frowned. Zach leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees.

“I think we should consider other suspects,” he said.

“What leads you to that conclusion?” Diskant asked.

“Last night, when someone tried to turn us into road kill, Aiden was playing basketball with friends on the other side of town - Jake witnessed it himself. The initial contact from the stalker where he quoted: “Don’t ask who’s there…” that’s a line from Scream, which was released in ’96. In other messages I found more references to horror movies. He quotes Misery and Candyman verbatim in some of the threats. It’s hard to tell if the quotes were deliberate or if the phrases were naturally absorbed into his lexicon. The movies he’s referencing are from the 90s, well before Aiden started watching horror flicks.”

Diskant nodded. You noticed he didn’t take any notes.

Zach sighed and glanced at you, then continued. “The third factor is Aiden’s personality. I made it a point to talk to him a couple times while he was dating Princess. In my opinion, he’s extremely passive aggressive, which isn’t compatible with the increasing level of confrontation we’re seeing from the stalker.”

“What comments did he make that you considered passive aggressive?” Diskant asked.

“He was too good at the art of a backhanded compliment. When I first spoke to him he claimed to appreciate Princess’ independence in one breath and undermined it in the next with, ‘not everyone can handle things on their own, like she tries to.’ There were less specific things too, but overall, he just had a way of taking an innocent sounding statement and giving it a whiff of contempt that set my teeth on edge.” 

Diskant clicked his pen and tucked it in his jacket. “I’ve been mulling over the possibility of other suspects myself. The main problem with that theory is the phone call Yvette received last night. Have you considered that Aiden might be working with a partner?”

Zach raised his chin. “Do you have a line on a potential partner?” 

“Not yet, but putting together the timeline of last night’s events, Aiden called Yvette before going to the park for his basketball game, prior to the hit-and-run attempt. The phone call where he asked if you were home might have been geared towards finding out the exact opposite. I think it’s just as likely that he was trying to find out if you weren’t at home.”

“If he put up a camera in the hallway and saw that no one was coming and going from your apartment, that might explain him contacting Yvette,” Jake said. 

“Once he knew the apartment was unoccupied, he could have sent his partner to distract you with the hit-and-run. We reviewed the security tapes, and it seems that the driver veered away at the last second. I don’t think they were trying to kill you, just frighten and maim.” 

You squeezed the pillow tight.

“Landon, have you finished profiling the suspect?” Zach asked.

“Male, 45 to 55, highly intelligent, strategic, with organized behavioral patterns. Some texts seem pre-scripted and sent on a schedule. There are three main patterns of delivery: rapid fire, cluster attacks with intentional pauses, and a steady trickle.” 

Diskant nodded. “I noticed the intervals, and the scheduled messages. He probably has a full-time job that keeps him occupied from 9 to 5.”

Landon inclined his head. “Agreed. His writing style shows the marks of higher education, which makes me think he works in a white-collar occupation. It would also explain the need for regular hours. The occasions where he’s made contact - the nephew’s birthday party, in the park on Friday night, and then the incident yesterday - they all occurred in the evening.” 

“Consistent with the profile,” Zach said.

“His emotional tone shows that he suppresses enormous amounts of rage. I’m inclined to think he can’t contain it all the time, which would’ve led to court-ordered therapy, probably on a non-voluntary basis.” 

“What about the fact that he hasn’t identified himself in the texts?” Zach asked.

“That’s why I’m not ruling Aiden out yet,” Landon said. “The coyness allows him to feign innocence. He’s being secretive and not taking ownership of his actions. That fits Aiden to a tee. Factoring the technological aspect of the hidden camera Jake found in the hallway, there’s a strong possibility Aiden is involved in the stalking even if he isn’t the driving force behind it.” 

You swallowed hard, disturbed by the description.

“Does the profile ring any bells?” Jake asked.

You shook your head and plucked at the upholstery of the pillow.

“My questions about the stalker’s identity began from the texts as well,” Diskant said. “These messages don’t read like they’re from a romantically obsessed stalker who’s trying to win back their victim’s affection.” 

“The primary motivation behind the messages is clear,” Landon said.

Zach snorted. “Yeah. He’s trying to terrorize her.”

“The person writing the texts is an emotional sadist. They’re motivated by the enjoyment of the hunt and provoking a response.” 

Diskant was nodding before Landon finished speaking. “The movie obsession in the subtext of his messages isn’t based around enjoying the adrenaline rush of fear, like a normal person would. He’s identifying with the antagonists, like Ghostface and Patrick Bateman.” 

“And our current theory is that Aiden is involved with this person?” you asked, fingers clenching in the pillow’s stuffing. 

“It’s one possibility,” Diskant said. “I spoke with Aiden’s father this morning. He mentioned he searched Aiden’s phone for evidence of the messages after you spoke with him. However, after going through his son’s phone, he realized it wasn’t the only device he’d seen Aiden using.”

“What do you mean?”

“Mr. Ledoux reports Aiden has a second phone. He thought it was for work, but he’s seen it several times since Aiden was let go from his employer. His father’s theory is that he wasn’t using his personal device to send the texts.”

Jake leaned in. “Do you have a search warrant for the house yet?”

“We didn’t need one. Mr. LeDoux owns the house, all we needed was his permission. We searched his room from top to bottom and couldn’t find a second phone. A team is searching the rest of the house as we speak.”

“Why is Mr. LeDoux being so cooperative?” Zach asked. “Is it possible he might be Aiden’s partner?”

Your jaw dropped. For a second you were shocked, then horrified. “Mr. LeDoux is too old for the profile and I only met him one time. He has no reason to stalk me!” 

Landon spoke. “I went through Aiden’s publicly available writings when I was analyzing the text messages and compared them. Because of his proximity to the case, I also reviewed Mr. LeDoux’s writing and I doubt either of them authored the messages. But given the information Yvette provided us with, I’m still concerned that Aiden has something to do with the harassment.” 

“When do you plan to interrogate Aiden?” Zach asked.

“I’m not allowing you to speak with the subject,” Diskant said. 

“Why not?” Landon demanded.

“You’re emotionally invested in the case - that’s a recipe for disaster.”

After Diskant left, Zach and Jake headed to the office, while Landon stayed behind as your minder. You retreated to your work station in the conservatory where you stared blankly at your laptop for a few minutes before laying your head down on the desk. 

“Are you okay?” Landon’s voice cut through your misery. 

You glanced back and saw him standing at the threshold between the kitchen and the conservatory, sunlight glinting off his dark brown hair. 

“No. Would you be?” 

“Nope.” He crossed to the table and pulled up a chair, swinging it around to straddle as he folded his arms over the backrest. “Tell me where your head’s at.” 

“Zach and Lloyd might go into overprotective mode. The minute I realized I was being stalked, I was worried about Lloyd’s reaction. After watching Zach’s response to Diskant’s theory…” you shook your head. 

“Zach’s incredibly loyal,” Landon said. 

“That’s why I’m worried!”

“Jake and I will handle them, okay? Bishop already suggested locking Lloyd away before we fill him in. We could always shove Zach in too.” 

“Got a dungeon?” 

Landon snorted. “Not one that will hold them. Listen. This is temporary. The stalking can’t go on forever. It won’t go on forever.” 

“If Lloyd and Zach have their way it will be over quickly and violently. The latter part worries me. I want this resolved but I don’t want them going to jail on my behalf. Just thinking about it makes me sick.” 

Landon’s lips pursed. “Can you think of any reason, other than stalking you, for Aiden to want access to your apartment while you were away?” 

“No. I have no clue.”

“If he planted the camera in the hallway, I’m inclined to think it was placed to make sure you weren’t home. It’s straight out of the intelligence handbook to ensure you’re in and out of a target’s home while they’re gone. Given that Aiden’s father was an FBI agent, he’d know that much about tradecraft.” 

You rubbed your temple. “I don’t understand why he’d do this.” 

“There were no weapons on him when he was arrested. I don’t buy him as your stalker, but the evidence points to his involvement.” 

“It doesn’t make sense. Nothing adds up.”

Landon ran his fingers through his hair, tousling it from its carefully gelled style. “You’re right. And until we get more evidence, it probably won’t. What are you doing in the meantime?”

“Searching for missing persons reports.”

“Okay then. Shall we divide and conquer?” 

The next few hours flew by, filled with research and notes. Daylight slipped away but your eyes remained focused on the screen without pause. You pulled up another report and a moment later, elbowed Landon.

“Hey. Look at this. Li Wei Chapman, age 23, vanished in 1999 from Virginia.”

Landon looked over your shoulder. “Her last known location was at a bible camp her family owned in Fredericksburg.” 

“Is that too far away from Harmony?” 

“It’s only forty minutes by car. The serial killer was most active closer to D.C., but that alone doesn’t exclude this victim. She disappeared on June 14th - right in the middle of his active period.” 

“Look at the notes,” you said, scrolling down. “Her daughter, Zoe Chapman, also went missing on the same day. She was two years old.” 

“If she was his first victim, he might have chosen a location he knew well. Maybe he spent time at the bible camp and was familiar with the terrain,” Landon said. “Fredericksburg has a lot of wooded areas that could be used for cover.” 

“How do you know so much about the geography of Fredericksburg?” you asked.

“It’s on the way to Latimer’s hometown. We use his uncle’s farm for our team reunion every year. This is good. It’s the first mother-daughter abduction we’ve found that matches the details of our victim.” 

“Wait. Marco Latimer? He’s from Virginia?” 

Landon arched a brow. “Yeah. Why?” 

“His accent. I couldn’t quite place it. Where’s he from?”

“Kilmarnock. His accent is Virginia Tidewater, but it’s stronger than most because he grew up on a farm in the middle of nowhere.” 

He re-focused his attention on the missing persons report and was about to say something when the doorbell rang. Your head snapped up.

“I’ll get it,” Landon said.

You trailed after him, but stayed out of sight as he opened the door. A woman in her mid-sixties with ash blonde hair worn in a blunt bob waited on the other side. 

“Hello, I’m Judy Lange. I’m looking for Lloyd’s house sitter. Is she here?”

“Yeah.”

Landon motioned you forward. Mrs. Lange’s eyes glinted in recognition when she saw you.

“Here are the pool keys, for Mr. Hansen. I apologize for interrupting your evening, but I promised I’d have them back before he returned,” she said, handing them over.

“Thank you, I’ll make sure he gets them.” 

“Excellent. And if you need anything, we’re just two doors down.”

You thanked her for the keys and when she was gone, placed the keys in the bowl on the foyer table. Realizing how late it was you checked the time and frowned.

“When does Lloyd’s flight land? Shouldn’t we have picked him up already?”

“He’s driving back,” Landon said. 

“What?! All the way across the country?”

“He’s bringing back a car, at least that’s what Zach said.” 

Your heart sank. You’d confessed your love, and now Lloyd was taking his sweet time returning. 

“What’s wrong?” Landon asked.

“I told Lloyd I loved him last night.” 

His eyebrows rose sharply. “Damn. That took guts. Lloyd’s the most emotionally repressed person I’ve ever met.” 

You groaned and sank down on the couch, head in your hands. 

“What was I thinking?!” 

“Maybe your confession wasn’t such a bad thing,” Landon said.

“Why do you say that?” 

“Lloyd is skittish about sharing his emotions, but under the right conditions he’s made progress before.” 

You rubbed your neck. “I’m worried that he might never say it back. If this relationship keeps going, I’m going to need the words, but I don’t know if Lloyd is capable of saying them… ever.” 

“I think the real question here is, how long are you willing to wait to hear him say it?”

“I don’t know. I love him, but I hate the way it feels to be left hanging like this. Either I get over myself and accept his limitations or… we break up.”

“Perhaps there’s a third option,” Landon said.

“What’s the third option?”

“Give it time. Lloyd is capable of changing. Don’t forget that.” 

“What am I going to say to him when he comes home?” you asked, running a hand over your hair. 

“I’d wait and see if he brings it up on his own. But remember - talking about his feelings is his most underdeveloped skillset. If you don’t remember that, you’re going to be hurt when he fumbles the pass.” 

“I can handle fumbling. What I’m worried about is the possibility that he might never try.”

Landon gave you a crooked smile. “Give him a minute to work things out on his own. Lloyd makes his best progress when he can move at his own pace. He’ll test the waters before he dives in. That’s why I think your confession might be a good thing.” 

You groaned. “It wasn’t a good thing. I humiliated myself.”

“Or you made him feel secure. Lloyd’s always taking one step forward and two steps back with emotional processing. If he knows where he stands with you, that might serve as an anchor. He’ll never be one for eloquent declarations of love, but a blind man could see how he treats you. I doubt the words will come easy, but he’ll find his voice when he’s ready.” 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

It wouldn’t have been accurate to say that Lloyd spent the rest of the drive across the country chewing on the idea of reconnecting with his sisters. Rather, it was the idea that spent the rest of the drive chewing on him. Thoughts of Ingrid and Josie took center stage and refused to let him look away. By the time he was approaching the outskirts of Rockville, he was exhausted and sick of spinning through the same thoughts over and over. 

By the time he parked the Mercury on the tree lined street outside of his townhouse complex, it was approaching midnight, and he felt like a zombie. His back ached and the bruise on his thigh from where Charlene kicked him throbbed. He felt every twinge of sore muscle from the explosion at Holbrook’s stash house as he unloaded his bags. When he stepped inside, the sight of Zach drinking whiskey on his living room sofa took him by surprise. It took a minute before his mind switched on and the details of the conversation on Sunday night came flooding back. 

“Shit,” he hissed.

“How was the drive?” 

“Miserable. I… stuff came up. I didn’t mean to take so long. How is she?”

Zach shrugged.

“I called Jake this morning, but he hung up on me, twice.” Lloyd crossed the living room and reached for the decanter of whiskey to pour himself a glass. 

“Tell me what's going on,” he commanded.

Zach snorted. “Fuck, no. I’m not touching that subject with a ten-foot pole, that’s on Princess. But I’m glad you’re back. Shit’s gotten weird the last few days.” 

“Explain.”

“You look like death warmed over, Lloyd. Go get some sleep. I’ll stay through tomorrow and then I’m clearing out so you and Princess can talk.” 

He felt like death warmed over, too, which led him to climb the stairs without too much protest. Whatever you needed to share would probably go over better if he had a full night’s sleep before hearing it. Lloyd slipped silently into the bedroom and found you curled up on the far side of the bed. He stripped to his boxers and crawled in next to you.

When the mattress dipped, your lashes fluttered. For a moment, you opened your eyes, but they didn’t focus. He eased closer and you reached out to press a hand to his chest. Lloyd took that as a welcoming sign and closed the distance between you. 

He pressed his lips to your forehead and whispered, “I’m home. I missed you.” 

You blinked sleepily, trying to wake up, but failing to cast off the chains of slumber. 

“Lloyd… home…” you slurred the words as you struggled to open your eyes.

“I’m here now,” he murmured, smoothing a hand down your back. You cuddled into his chest with a breathy sigh that made his heart skip a beat. He kissed your hair.

“I’m sorry it took me so long.” 

“S’okay. Glad… you’re back…” 

Lloyd smiled, squeezing you gently as the weight of his worries melted away. You were happy to see him and he was holding you again. Everything would work out. Whatever challenge was lurking around the corner could be dealt with in the morning. As long as he could bask in the feeling of holding the woman he loved for the night, he’d meet the trouble head-on tomorrow.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

In the morning, you curled against Lloyd and watched him sleep, enjoying the peaceful expression on his face. You were happy he was home, but dread clawed at the pit of your stomach. The conversation you’d put off was hours away and his reaction loomed large. Sighing, you showered and dressed before making your way downstairs. 

Zach was at the stove, stirring a pan of scrambled eggs.

“Morning Princess,” he said, with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

You forced a smile in return and opened a cabinet to grab plates. As Zach finished cooking, you set two places at the breakfast bar. You ate in silence with the approaching conversation weighing heavily on your mind.

“So, have you decided what to say?”

“Kind of. I’m planning on starting with the reasons behind my decision before I tell him the details.”

“If he explodes, don’t take it too personally. He’s been known to say things in the heat of the moment that he doesn’t mean.” 

“It’s the uncertainty about the stalker’s identity that I’m worried about explaining. This was bad enough when I thought I knew who was behind it. Not knowing makes it even harder.” 

“I’m meeting with Mr. LeDoux this morning. He kept a log of Aiden’s comings and goings for the past week and he’s willing to share it with me.” 

“That’s good.”

“We’ll sort this out, okay? As for Lloyd, just bite the bullet and get it over with. He’ll come around once he calms down,” Zach said, and patted your shoulder.

You tried to take comfort in his words when your phone rang, interrupting your thoughts. Annabeth’s name popped up on the caller ID. You answered on speaker phone.

“Hey Annabeth. I’m here with Zach Hightower. Did you find something?”

“I have good news: you were right. The unidentified victim isn’t Julia’s sister!”

“Really? What did you find out?”

“There was an error in the initial comparison, which probably came about because of insufficient reference material. Julia came from a semi-isolated community that’s lived on an island for generations, her DNA is harder to interpret. With a deeper analysis, it became clear that Julia and the unknown victim weren’t sisters - they’re actually third cousins.”

“So the error was on Julia’s sample?”

“It can be difficult to interpret the genetics of a person with Julia’s background,” Annabeth said. “While China recognizes the Miao as an official minority, there's limited representation of her ethnicity in genetic databases, which is why the crime lab made a mistake.”

“Do you have a match on the unknown victim?” you asked.

“Based on ancestry DNA, the unknown victim is Li Wei Chapman. She was adopted by Frida and Lyle Chapman from Taiwan in 1977 and lived in Fredericksburg, Virginia.”

“Thank you so much, Annabeth. This is a tremendous help.” 

“Glad I could assist. I’ve emailed you the full genetic analysis, but it might take a minute to download. The file is huge.” 

“I can drop it off this afternoon,” Zach said. 

You downloaded and printed the reports for him, but once he was gone, the anxiety returned. To occupy yourself, you returned to the missing persons reports, pulling up everything on Li Wei Chapman. The breakthrough opened up a whole new realm of possibilities - you hardly knew where to begin. An hour ticked by and you were struggling to focus. Lloyd was still asleep. You felt trapped within the four walls of the house. 

It was too quiet. You were bubbling with energy as your mind raced with thoughts of what to say when Lloyd woke up and the possibilities for the investigation now that the unknown victim was identified. You tried to busy yourself by cleaning the kitchen and re-organizing your paperwork, but anxiety was gnawing a hole in your stomach and the attempts to stay occupied only amplified the restlessness. As you paced around the house, your eyes landed on the keys to the pool. They were still on the foyer table where you’d put them last night. 

Weighing the risk, you decided that the pool wasn’t too exposed. It was in a fenced enclosure behind the townhouses, which meant there’d be a row of three story tall brick buildings and a courtyard with an eight foot high wall between you and the nearest street. Locked gates prevented visitors from entering the recreational area behind the townhouses except by passing through a home. Plus, Lloyd’s back gate was only ten feet away from the pool enclosure. 

You found your regular one-piece suit in the front pocket of your suitcase, which you’d stored in Lloyd’s laundry room. After changing, you took the keys and made your way through the backyard, closing the wrought iron gate behind you, and dove into the glistening blue water of the lap pool. The coolness enveloped you, washing away the smothering anxiety that had been simmering all morning. With each stroke down the length of the pool, you felt the stress falling away.

- - -

Hidden in the shadows, a figure watched you splash through the water. 

He’d spent all weekend figuring out where you’d disappeared to. Finding you and Zach at the Emerald Harp on Sunday night had been an incredible stroke of luck. Since then, he’d been waiting for the ex-SEAL to leave so he could approach you alone. His heart pounded with anticipation as he watched, obscured by a neighbor’s arbor. The structure was overflowing with the thriving yellow blossoms of a Carolina Jessamine that offered sufficient cover from the security cameras.

He’d been planning this for months, even before he’d begun messaging you. He’d learned your routines and watched you, waiting for the opportunity to get close enough. Slipping the balaclava over his face he moved through the pool enclosure gate on silent feet, reveling in the rush of being so close to his ultimate goal. 

You swam to the end of the pool, your back to him, unaware of the danger you were in. Wanting to prolong the thrill of being invisible, he stayed out of your line of vision as you swam toward the end of the pool. You reached the wall and surfaced with a gasp, treading water for a moment before reaching for the ladder. Unaware of him, you climbed out and collected your towel from a nearby chair. Adrenaline thrummed in his veins, pulsing through every capillary, and sharpening his senses. He bided his time and relied on the crepe soles of shoes to mask the sound of his footsteps as he drew closer. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Lloyd woke up, feeling well-rested and content. Beside him your spot was empty, and the sheets were cool to the touch. He listened but didn’t hear anyone else moving around in the house. A glance at the clock showed it was past ten-thirty. It surprised him to have slept for so long. Usually he didn’t sleep more than six or seven hours in a single stretch. He showered and brushed his teeth before descending the stairs, looking forward to seeing you. 

As his foot landed on the bottom step, a blood-curdling scream pierced the air.

Adrenaline surged, and without hesitation, he sprinted to the backyard, where the scream had originated. Another scream guided him towards the pool enclosure. He crossed the yard in four strides and didn’t bother opening the garden gate, just leapt over it and pivoted toward the pool enclosure, nearly losing his footing as the loose gravel shifted under his bare feet. 

You were locked in a struggle with a masked figure who had you by the throat. The masked man looked up and saw Lloyd barreling towards him. He threw you down on the concrete and seized a handful of your hair, then shoved your head under the water.

Lloyd charged. He slammed into the assailant and they tumbled across the hot cement, exchanging a barrage of punches and kicks. The masked man was stronger and more competent a fighter than he’d expected. An elbow to the jaw sent Lloyd’s head snapping back, and he cracked the crown of his head on cement. For a second his grip slackened, and the intruder broke free. Lloyd was on his feet in an instant, ready to chase after him, when he saw you unconscious on the ground.

The intruder was already disappearing around the corner into the courtyard. Lloyd knelt and pressed his fingers to your throat, feeling for a pulse. Your skin was ashen and your breathing shallow. Kneeling down, he cradled your head to his chest and stroked your cheek.

“Princess? Wake up… come on, honey…” 

You didn’t stir. His hands trembled as he found his phone in the pocket of his chinos and dialed for an ambulance.

- - - 

He paced in the waiting area, bubbling with tension as the doctors took their sweet time scanning you in radiology, where he hadn’t been allowed to follow. The door opened, and he spun around.

“What happened?” Zach asked.

“Someone tried to drown her in the swimming pool. I got there just in time.”

“You look like you need a bandaid yourself.”

“I’m fine,” Lloyd said. 

“Princess?” 

“A concussion for sure, they’re scanning for other injuries now.”

Worry lined Zach’s face. He crossed his arms and before Lloyd could question him further, the waiting room door opened again to admit Jake and Landon. 

“What happened?” Jake demanded. 

Lloyd gave him the run down and noted that Landon didn’t seem as surprised by the description of events.

“I stopped by your place and spoke to Mrs. Lange,” the dark haired man said. “She gave me a copy of the security tapes from the pool complex. I haven’t had the chance to look at it yet.” 

Jake was already pulling out his laptop. They huddled around the screen and watched as the technical specialist reviewed the footage. The assailant had done a good job of avoiding being captured on his way in, but the frames taken after his fight with Lloyd showed clear images of him fleeing through the courtyard.

“Let me try this,” Jake muttered. 

His fingers flew over the keys as he applied measurements to various objects in the footage, giving the software a frame of reference. The program calculated and analyzed for a minute as he isolated the figure of the assailant. 

Jake read the result and took off his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“Shit.”

“What?” Lloyd growled.

“The attacker is only 5 '9, which means Aiden is six inches taller than the man who attacked Princess. It’s possible to make yourself taller, but six inches shorter? There’s no way he’s the assailant. We’ve been looking at the wrong guy all along.” 

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

Next - Part XIX

Behind the Scenes: Lloyd’s post-chapter reaction

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

Masterlist

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[ell0ra-br3kk3r-writes]

The Phoenix and the Crow

part thirty four

pairing: kaz brekker x fem!reader

genre: flufffffff

el's thoughts: this is like a filler chapter. it's a lil daydream from y'n's perspectivee enjoyyy

masterlist

Ravka. She’d recognize the air anywhere, which she missed most from her childhood. The scent of freshly plowed grass and apple blossoms. She opened her eyes, half expecting to be standing in front of her childhood home but smiled softly when she recognized the house she stood in front of. A large two-story house painted light blue with brown roofing and a well-used wooden porch. Large fields surrounded the residence, not another house within eyesight. The uneven stone path led to the porch steps Y/N stood on while she waited. Joyous screams and laughter echoed from the back of the house.

“There she is! Y/N!”

“Jesper!” She copied him and laughed as she walked down the steps with her arms open as Nina ran to her. “We’ve missed you guys so much!”

The group exchanged their warm greeting but were interrupted by the squeals from the backyard grew louder causing Y/N to chuckle. “The kids are out back, and from the sound of it, Kaz just joined them.”

Nina and Inej linked their arms through Y/N’s, walking on each of her sides while the other followed the three girls.

“Uhg,” the Heartrender groaned. “You’re an official mum now.”

“And Kaz is an official father,” the Inferni responded.

“That’s even stranger to think about.” Nina shuddered causing the woman beside her to roll her eyes.

“I’d like to state,” Inej spoke up. “I called it. I knew they’d settle down eventually.”

“And I knew they’d have kids one day.” Wylan chimed in.

Y/N smiled fondly as she remembered the day she and Kaz told their friends they were adopting their first child. Their beautiful baby girl. Someone would have thought the world was ending, given the Crow’s reactions. Matthias had nearly passed out while Nina stood speechless staring at the couple with wide eyes. Jesper yelled and jumped around, already claiming his role of ‘favorite uncle’ as Wylan hugged Y/N and smiled at Kaz. Inej had quickly followed Wylan in hugging Y/N and telling the somewhat recently married couple that they would be amazing parents.

The group of six continued their way to the backyard and caught the attention of the three Brekkers in the field. Y/N bent down with no control of her body and held her arms open for the children to run into. “My babies!” She placed kisses all over their small faces causing peels of squealing and giggles to fall from their lips, making her heart fill with a sense of love she’s only grown fonder of. She quickly diverted their attention to their aunties and uncles as she walked over to Kaz, placing a chaste kiss to his cheek once she reached his side.

“What are you thinking?” Y/N asked softly as she looked up at his side profile. He hummed and looked down at her without turning his head with a small smirk. “Nothing.”

She hummed in disbelief but left it be. “Go welcome our family to our home while I make dinner.” She let her fingers trace his sleeve for a short moment before she turned to walk up the back steps to the house. She closed the screen door behind her and walked into the kitchen, opening the large windows above the sink so she could hear and watch her family outside. She turned the tap on and let the warm water run over her hands.

If she would’ve told her younger self that this was the life she would get to live after everything she’d be put through, she would laugh at herself. Call her older self deranged and unstable. This was the life she dreamed about growing up in the Little Palace, but that was all it was to her, a fantasy. Never in her wildest dreams did she think she would ever get to live in the country side again with a husband and children. Children she gets to raise in a world that’s as safe as could be and give them the proper childhood that had been stolen from her. This is what they were fighting for all those years ago. A life like this. This life was supposed to be her end game.

The screen door swung open and shut twice, telling her she had company.

“Why’d you sneak off like that?”

Y/N chuckled, “I’m just going to make dinner for us.”

Inej made her way into the kitchen, following Nina. “We’ll help then, Wylan said he’ll come in a little bit.”

The inferni looked out the window to see said chemist and Jesper running around with the kids. She smiled to herself knowing he won’t be joining them in the kitchen.

~

“Anyone need more blankets?” Y/N called from the hallway with towels in her arms as she made her way through the two guest rooms. Wylan and Jesper in one while Nina and Matthias took the other. Inej was in the children’s room, having a sleep over with her niece while her nephew had taken the middle of his parent’s bed.

“I think we’re all good, thank you, Y/N/N.” Jesper wrapped an arm around her shoulders and rested his chin on her head, pulling a chuckle from her lips. “Alright,” she murmered. “Sleep tight then.”

She walked into her daughter’s room and smiled as she heard the hushed whispers being shared between the pair in the bedroom. “Get some sleep, missy.”

Her eldest groaned softly, “I’m just catching up with Aunty ‘nej. She’s telling me all her new stories.”

Y/N held her hands up in mock defense as she placed a kiss to her forehead. “Alright, but don’t stay up too late.” And she sent a smile to Inej on her way out of the room. A few more paces down the hallway and she finally made to to her own bedroom. The sight in front of her nearly made her heart burst. Kaz laid on his side of the bed with their son curled into his side with a children’s book resting on his chest.

Y/N grabbed her nightgown and walked to their attached wash room to get ready for the night. After washing her face, brushing her teeth and mentally checking that everything down stairs was turned off and put away she crawled into her side of the bed and slid under the covers. As she reached over to her nightstand to turn off the oil lamp, she felt a hand brush through her hair. She turned around and kissed his fingertips.

“Thank you.” His voice sounded like rough and gravel-like, like rock salt. It brought the warmest smile to his wife’s lips.

“For what?”

“For everything you’ve given us. It was nice to have everyone here today and it just… reminded me of where we were years ago.”

She hummed, “I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for you, Brekker. You know that.”

“Well, Brekker, I wouldn’t be the man I am today without you. So let’s call it even.”

The boy tucked into his side muttered under his breath and turned to his mother’s side to cling to her. She placed a kiss on his head as she ran her hand through his hair. She reached her free hand to her husband’s and linked their pinkies. “Good night, my love.”

“Good night, darling.”

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[imobsessedwitholiviarodrigo]

your right, the LORE behind regulus as the bio dad. That poll freaking better go the way j want it to. Or the coin toss, idk!

RIGHT!!!! Like i don’t care who wins, but if it isn’t the one i want to win I’ll be upset.

And like the lorreeee…

he would be all like Sirius in this seer!reader fic by @ellecdc but like so much more withdrawn and like so worried about what’ll happen you know? Because the baby has his silver eyes (that’s what I think) and he in just kinda sets in that he’s a father and what if he can’t do this what if he’s like Orion and Walburga he would’ve been ok if it was Remus’s baby because it couldn’t inherit his fuck upedness (which isn’t true at all and upedness is a new word and it is pronounced as upp-edd-ness no weirdness) anyway, I think Remus and reader would try and comfort him, but he was just withdrawing into himself and so they call in Sirius and Sirius just sits him down and tells him it’s ok to be worried, he went through a lot of rough shit as a kid, but even though it was hard Reggie has grown and he knows what is wrong and what is right and that he is going to be the best father ever because he has two amazing partners and an awesome brother who will be an epic uncle (and an even better godfather, (tho Sirius probably said dogfather).

whelp that was a lot longer than I expected but uhhh tada ✨👐✨

[amberlynnmurdock]

I Yearned For You

Pairing: Ben Tallmadge x Reader

Summary: a lovely anon sent in a request here. The request said "Maybe a fic with Benjamin Tallmadge where he and the reader are reunited during the battle of Setauket?"

Well anon, you asked, and here I am, delivering! I had to rewatch that episode again instead of going into it blindly, and I'm glad I did, because boyyy, I love a rugged and pissed-off Ben lol. I hope you love it anonny friend! Also, Happy 4th!

Setauket hadn’t had a normal day in what felt like ages. Not now especially, with Simcoe’s men still lurking and tensions higher than ever among people you used to call friends…neighbors, even. Things had gotten even worse when you found out Simcoe had innocent people held captive—and not just any people, but your best friend’s uncle and…your ex, you supposed, lover’s father. Reverend Tallmadge was a good man, and you still attended his sermons every Sunday, (despite losing touch with his son), until Simcoe wrongfully accused him of shooting Abe’s father. To put it simply, things were absolutely in turmoil. And you didn’t have anyone to lean on except for Anna. 

You felt helpless, and it was a terrible reminder of how badly things ended between you and Ben. Before he went off, done up in blue and gold, without looking back. That seemed like such a little bump in the road now. The intensity of the situation now far outweighed anything you and Ben had disagreed on that night. You worried for his father, and you worried he had no idea what was happening right now. 

You cursed to yourself and shook your head as you tied a blue ribbon to hold your hair back. What did it matter, if you looked good going into town? Nothing was the same since the war started. Nothing was the same since your close group of friends separated—half at home, the other half risking their lives.

Nothing had been the same without Benjamin. 

There Anna was, standing, waiting patiently for you. When she saw you walking up, she gave a shadow of a smile, and a look that said I’m scared, too.  

“Are they still held captive down there?” You asked nervously. Your heart had been pounding all morning on your way to the town. 

“Yes,” Anna replied curtly, crossing her arms. She looked as though she was looking for something—or someone—in the crowd. “Are you holding up alright?” 

It amazed you that despite everything the brunette had been through recently, with her husband being taken away and losing Abigail, she still managed to make sure you were okay, just as she always had when you were little kids. You thought that if you had a bigger sister, you’d hope she would’ve been like Anna Strong. 

“Best I can,” you answered, “I’m worried for Caleb’s uncle and…Ben’s father,” you whispered. Ensign Baker had strolled by you and Anna, wishing a good morning. How can he say that right now? Anna returned the greeting for the two of you, and spoke again when he walked away. 

“They will be fine,” Anna told you, so sure of herself. “Believe me.” Her eyes trailed off in the distance. You followed her gaze and saw Abe and Mary, and little Thomas, ride in. You squinted your eyes at her. 

“How can you be so sure?” 

A group of redcoats suddenly came marching into town. You watched as Simcoe ordered for basement doors to be opened. After a few moments, Simcoe and his men roughly brought out the elder Brewster and Reverend Tallmadge, who was covered in dirt and sweat. You looked away—it was too painful to watch. 

“What are they doing?” You asked Anna. 

Her eyebrows were scrunched. She was looking at Abe. You hated how you felt like you weren’t let in on a secret. As kids, you all shared everything with each other. 

Simcoe and his men took them all the way up to the church. You were horrified at the sight of Reverend Tallmadge and the elder Brewster being dragged up to the gallows. You placed a hand over your mouth, watching as some other townsfolk went on as if it were nothing. How could they be so cruel? 

As if reading your mind, Anna took your hand and squeezed it, reminding you not to show too much emotion. You clenched your jaw and leaned on the building you were near. You thought you might be sick. Despite Anna’s attempts at calming you down, there was only one person who ever succeeded in making your worries disappear. 

Suddenly, gunshots rang in the air. You jumped from the sound and bumped into Anna. As if on cue, she held onto your arm and dragged you closer to where Abe and his family had ridden in. 

“Anna!” 

“Shh,” she shushed you. 

In the distance, you saw a wave of blue come out of the woods and charge up to the church. People in town began to scream. Everything happened so fast, you were being rallied into a circle by rebels. Anna looked at you again, and her eyes said everything you needed to know: we are safe. 

“What is happening—“ you whispered, and suddenly, you felt like the weight of the world dropped in your stomach as you saw Major Benjamin Tallmadge stalking through the town in his blue and gold uniform, brows furrowed, jaw clenched, focus forward. You held your breath at the sight of him and suddenly wished you and Anna weren’t standing front and center of the group. 

You couldn’t take your eyes off him. 

He glanced at the group, and for a moment, just a sliver of a moment, when he looked at you, that hard look on his face faded into something softer. Your heart was in your throat. Looking at him felt like you were exposed in front of everyone to see. And when he looked away, it hurt that much more. 

However, your reaction to seeing Caleb was a bit different—you were excited and confused, all at once. All you wanted to do was clobber him in a bear hug. 

“Just wait,” Anna whispered. 

A shot rang in the air. You all turned your heads to the left to see a giant bullet hole in what used to be the Strong’s tavern—and underneath, Selah Strong, walking up alive and well. Now, you knew whatever Anna had planned for you vanished as she made her way through the crowd to greet her long-lost husband. You had to act by yourself now. 

☆☆☆☆

You found Anna again in the tavern when the rebels had everyone huddle inside, including some captive redcoats, like Ensign Baker. You stood beside her as you watched the events unfold. 

Ben was pacing back and forth, talking to Selah and then Caleb. Abe had begun to include himself in the conversation, too. You hadn’t seen Ben in months. He was hardened now, you could tell by the way his shoulders remained taut and hadn’t relaxed a bit since he was here. He did that whenever he was angry. You couldn’t imagine how he felt now. Every so often, you swore he scanned the crowd just to get a look at you. And each time he did, you looked away, eyes drifting to the floor or the wall. 

Caleb was more brash than Ben in his actions, and rightfully so. You gasped when he held a gun to Ensign Baker’s neck. And from there, everything happened so fast—Anna left your side, following orders from Ben to open the cellar. Caleb and Abe followed Anna, with Ben behind them. You couldn’t look away this time. 

When Ben walked by you, it was like only you and he existed. So much was said in one look, without any words. He held your gaze, and while the rest of his face remained sharp, his blue eyes were soft. It was like he said I’ll speak with you. Not now, but soon. 

☆☆☆☆

A lot happened, but from the looks of it, the battle was over. Not without casualties. Fortunately, Reverend Tallmadge was alive, but he held the elder Brewster in his arms. You bit back tears as you looked away. You walked across the dirt path and stopped as you saw an army of blue march down. 

You were frozen, watching them. This may be your only chance to speak with Ben, while everyone was distracted and no redcoats were nearby. They had all retreated to the church. 

Ben led the dragoons. He had the face of a man who had won a battle, exhaustedly, but still remained strong for the men whom he had to lead. There was a difference between remaining strong and looking it, though. 

“Grab your haversacks and head for the boats!” He shouted with authority. You had to get used to this new, rugged Ben, made from war. 

He stopped in his tracks. You were about to step forward until Abe and he began to converse about something. And when they were done, Abe walked away, and Ben finally, looked at you. 

The intense feeling you had in your chest only grew heavier the closer you walked to Ben. And he stood there patiently, waiting for you, one hand on his waist, the other touching his sword. When you finally stood before him, he dropped the hand that touched his sword. You were overcome with so many emotions, you didn’t know where to begin. It was lovely to see him, and heart-wrenching, all at once. 

“I’m so happy your father is okay. I heard a boy in town said he saw Benjamin Tallmadge all done up in blue and gold,” you forced a smile, tears already threatening the corner of your eyes. Ben had looked around you as if to make sure no one was suspicious of why he was talking to you. You didn’t bother to look. 

He said your name, barely above a whisper. You bit your lip, thinking this was a terrible idea, and began to walk away. But Ben gently tugged on your wrist, and let go the moment he got your attention. 

“Are you okay here?” Ben asked earnestly. 

“As good as I can be,” you replied with a shrug. “You know nothing is the same.” 

“I know,” he nodded, breaking eye contact when he saw a tear slide down your cheek. He never could stand to see you so upset and by his own doing. He swallowed hard before he spoke again. “Why don’t you come with me? On the boats? To New Jersey?” His voice was strained with so many things—pain, yearning, regret. And the worst of all, hope. 

“I can’t,” you began to argue, “I can’t drop everything here.” 

“You can,” he argued. And it felt like you were back three years ago, arguing about the same thing all over again. “It’s not safe with those wretched men up at the hill, at our church.” When he mentioned the church, memories flooded your mind like crashing waves of images of you and Ben sitting front row in the center, every Sunday. Meeting him outside around the back of the church stealing kisses. The church you dreamed of marrying him in someday. 

“I’ve survived this long without you,” you said rather harshly, without meaning to. 

“I may be standing here,” Ben started in a low voice, “but I’ve barely survived without you.” The look on his face was full of pain; flashes of the night he left you in your mind. That same pained expression, of wanting to reach out and grab something but never being close enough. 

Your heart was beating so fast, he might’ve seen your chest moving. God, you were such a sinful liar. You were barely surviving here without Ben, too. With that redcoat forced to live in your house, you always watching your own back. Life was hard here. You wanted to leap at the idea of being back in Ben’s graces, but something held you back. 

“I don’t have much time,” Ben urged. 

When you didn’t answer, he straightened his shoulders again and bowed. 

“It was lovely to see you again,” Ben told you, choking on his own voice but hiding it well with that stern expression. “Goodbye, my love.” 

☆☆☆☆

You watched as Ben disappeared down the road with his men, to the boats. And something in you changed, minutes later. You were sprinting after the boats, that were just taking off. There was a crowd of people in town watching as the rebels—traitors, to them—sailed off to their next destination. Anna was on one of those boats. 

Just as you were running past everyone, pushing to the front, you ran into the river, not giving a damn who saw and gasped and cursed at you. You passed Anna, who was strangely coming back, against you who was marching on forward. 

Ben held up his arms and yelled for Caleb to stop rowing. 

“Ben!” You shouted. “I want to come!” 

Ben leaped out of the boat and met you in the water, up to your shins. He was shaking, you were shaking, as he held onto you tightly and helped you get onto the boat, to join him, Caleb, and Selah, and the rest of the rebel army in their journey to New Jersey. You sat in the boat, with a blanket over your shoulders, and watched as the townspeople cursed at you. You held Anna’s gaze, wondering why on earth you had switched places. 

But it didn’t matter now. Ben sat across from you on the boat, beaming with an expression of gratefulness. He took your hands in his and warmed them by rubbing them together. You didn’t have to say anything to each other—the look in your eyes was enough. 

[writingsofwesteros]

https://www.tumblr.com/writingsofwesteros/756096801960034305/httpswwwtumblrcomwritingsofwesteros756064752

I left my fav au alone for sooo long but i have some new hot thots🫶lol

But yeah Daemon gets so hard watching how his bratty niece is such a switch. Just the night before she was ignoring her husband’s glares and warnings as she played along with Daemon’s flirty advances, but today she’s the sweet dutiful wife who only paid attention to her handsome boy.

After this, Daemon tries to seduce and persuade her to let him fuck her, he’s sees how she also likes to tease him but she still refuses to bed him! He thought he was close to finally having her when he had visited the children nursery to collect his kids, he saw she was there and walked over to her to engage some small talk. He shamelessly watched as she breastfed her little red-head babe without feeling ashamed or nervous about his glaring eyes. He nearly chocked on his words when he watched her pull away her sleepy babe from her tits and watched as she didn’t try to hide her wet nipple leaking milk. Hadn’t been for the children being there he would’ve fucked her full right then and there but unfortunately he was also interrupted by her idiot husband.

He could only grow more frustrated as he watched them walk away while hearing his niece tell her husband that her breast still felt very full and she wished for him to alleviate her pain. As slutty as the spoiled princess maybe she would never dare cheat on her loving uncle. For he had been an amazing husband to her and a wonderful father to her children. Plus he knew how to fuck her sense correctly.🤭

!!

ALL OF THIS !!

Oh she is such a brat but at the end of the day she's so loyal . She's just a spoilt Princess.