#hope this surprise starter is okay!!

[everettcannon]

"If there was a plan, you should explain it to me now," Everett said, finding Smith in the open area on the second floor. "And if there wasn't a plan, then I'd like to be the first to suggest we all put our heads together and come up with one." Part of the reason he was so pissed off at Mason and Smith for volunteering was because it put him in an impossible position; the other reason was that it felt like they'd learned nothing at all from his own mistakes.

@smithbrick

[avastyetwats]

Vampire AU Starter for @fornassau <3

—————

“What about him, Captain?”

Golden orbs looked in the direction his Quartermaster had gestured, taking a moment to observe the man in question. He stood from the table he’d been sat at with some other men and a couple of whores, and the second he stepped forward, he stumbled. He grabbed onto the table for support and laughed while his men laughed at him, clearly inebriated which had Flint grimacing. “Too intoxicated.” Which he was not in the mood for tonight. He was fucking starving, but not enough to make himself drunk. Or high. Which many of these men currently were. If not incredibly aroused thanks to the whores scattered about. Their minds were filled with nothing but filth and it disgusted the Captain to the point of silencing them.

“That one?” Gates nodded to another that just walked by them and Flint followed his line of sight, watching.

He wrinkled his nose in disgust. “Smells as though he hasn’t had a bath in days. Weeks, even.”

He heard his Quartermaster sigh. “Captain, most of these men, if not all of them, have likely not bathed in several days.” Why did he have to be so damn picky? Oh right, because he was a vampire.

Flint shoots him a glare. “You think me picky, but would you not want to enjoy your meal? Or would you be content with molded bread and meat?”

Gate huffs. “I hate when you do that.”

Flint grins, knowing he was talking about the mind reading. “A habit. Forgive me.” He chuckles and Gate rolls his eyes, but there’s a smirk there now. He was the only man - the only human and, quite honestly, being - that James Flint trusted. They’d been friends for years now, sailing together for just as long, and he was the only one that knew of his Captain’s… condition. He’s kept his secret for this long and was always good at removing any suspicion among the ship that Flint may not be human. He was simply a different Captain from all others. Both highly respected and feared. His name was known far and wide and here in Nassau, especially.

He wasn’t the only Vampire, of course, but he was the only vampire pirate Captain. There was no other like him.

The doors to the tavern open and in walk some more men, more pirates and Flint’s hums, nodding in their direction. “Him.” He mutters, eyes darkening as his hunger grows, following his target - his soon-to-be-meal - as he takes a seat at one of the empty tables with his mates.

Gates groans. “Really, Captain? Him?“ He clearly wasn’t approving of his choice. And for good reason. “Captain Vane has already taken notice of some of his crewmen goin’ missing and because you’re his favorite person,” that was said with heavy sarcasm. “He’s sure you’ve got somethin’ to do with it. Now, if you could please explain to me, as to why you’re so keen on making that worse?”

Flint heard his Quartermaster’s words, grinning the entire time but not bothering to look at him. Especially not when he walked in. Charles fucking Vane. Flint’s grin grew wider, fangs almost bearing. Gates was right. Flint knew that and that’s exactly why he wanted that particular man. Because he enjoyed fucking with Charles Vane. His greatest rival, his biggest threat, and the most powerful of Captains and men, aside from himself, of course. They’d been enemies for a long while now - always trying to one up the other and trying to take the biggest prize. Trying to become the biggest and baddest name in Nassau and on all the seven seas.

But there was more to it than that… more to them. Though neither would ever fucking admit it. But deep down, Flint knew. And the way his cock hardened from the mere sight of him sometimes made that obvious, but only to himself.

Finally, he looked to Gates, his eyes even darker now and his voice a low, hungry growl. “I want him.”

[quentafeanorians]

@thehealingfinwe

The lord of Himring strode through his fortress with haste, and with such expression upon his face none dared come too near, let alone interrupt his purpose. Those who saw him pass through the corridors tensed and wondered what ill news their lord must have heard, or what sights have seen, to put such stern frown upon his brow, to purse his lips into that thin of a line, to fill his step with such galled determination.

Maitimo did not slow down in his pursuit nor spoke a word to a single soul, not until he has reached his brother's room. He entered in a rude fashion, foregoing a knock or any warning, and swinging the door open with force. Thereupon his resolve wavered, an ugly tremor coursing across his body, and his expression crumbling to that of pain.

He slammed the door shut behind himself and collapsed to his knees in front of his brother.

[songsofdivinity]

It never failed to amuse Amphitrite that humans tried so hard to conquer the sea. They voyaged out in their little boats and fought the waves to explore new lands, trade goods, or plunder the depths for the bounties it offered. She watched them sometimes, amused as a child might be observing ants going about their tiny little lives, but rarely did she take interest in individuals. If a single human on a ship disrespected her realm, she might drown the lot of them. Likewise, if a handful of humans in a fleet of ships pleased her enough, she might give them favourable conditions on their journey and see them safely to their destinations, or given them the edge in a battle with her waves.

All this to say her relationship with humans was ephemeral at the best of times, and often steered by her mood. So to focus on one human was certainly not something she was known to do, especially when said human did nothing to draw her attention other than exist. And yet, that's the situation the goddess finds herself in.

Pirates were often fun to observe, full of superstition and often holding respect for the seas they prowled, but they were always men. Most humans on the sea were men, but pirates especially, so to find a woman pirate... Well, Amphitrite had been quite interested. She'd watched this unusual mortal for some time, never really inteferering, but checking in from time-to-time to see how she fared among her rough male counterparts. The answer was; fairly well, or as well as a woman could do amongst the morally dubious ship of pirates. She considered once or twice on making contact, but she remained distant and impartial, just observing, never inteferering. Until, of course, the woman had ended up overboard with several others as a storm raged above.

The queen of the seas should've left her to her fate, but that interest - that draw - finally made her act directly. Enveloping the woman's body in her embrace, Amphitrite spirited her away from the churning waters to safety - an uninhabited island humans had yet to plunder and claim like they did all other land masses they discovered.

It's there in the shallows, holding the human from behind against her mermaidic form, that she commands the water to leave the woman's lungs, drawing it from her throat to allow her to suck in air once more.

"Breathe."

@neverhangd

[kamipyre]

♡♡♡ || closed starter for @bloodxhound

He’s back, he’s back!

The rumors spread like wildfire amongst the junior forensics- head forensics Nakamura seems…cheerful today. A tad more lively although asking her about it would be akin to asking for extra paperwork. In the years he’s been absent, a stoic face turned from a characteristic to a necessity. And as one of the head forensics, one who has fought tooth and nail for her position, she cannot afford to let her guard down, even if today is a special day.

Today there will be no partings. Because today there will only be a REUNION.

He’s not at his old desk. Not that Nakamura looked there first- Edgeworth informed her that he was given a promotion and therefore, an office of his own. Skipping past the rows of desks ( and the people there too ), she heads to his office with a moderate stack of paperwork. He’s still in the middle of the onboarding process after all.

She knocks on the door, barely reading the name on the plaque. There’s an affirmation to come in.

“Detective Barlowe?” She says, shouldering the door open. She nods at the familiar face- her old friend. “Nakamura from the Forensics Department- we have some paperwork for you to fill out.”

[masonxxbrick]

It was the night of the first day in the Tower and Mason knew it was time to talk to Smith. Even though a part of him wanted to avoid him at all costs he knew he couldn't do that. Not only could he just not stay away from Smith too long but now the time to spend with him was ticking away and that caused Mason pain. In a matter of a few weeks one, or both, of them would be dead. Mason thought he had a chance to win and make it back home to his brother but now that was all ruined. Now he would for sure die because there was no way he was winning instead of Smith.

Taking in a deep breath, Mason headed his way to Smith's room and walked in without knocking. He took a moment to look at Smith, noticing the obvious bruises and Mason sighed, still not even knowing the backstory of them. "I think we have a lot to talk about." He said softly before sitting down next to his brother. "W-which one do you want to start with? The bruises or you volunteering?" Mason asked him, voice weak and trembling as if he was going to lose it any moment.

@smithbrick

[feveredblurs]

@apaise​

she’s never done this before. while hyejin would hardly call herself a perfect daughter, she’s never gone out of her way to disobey her parents like this either. sneaking out after hours with yerin when they were younger does not compare to bringing a commoner into the palace.

hyejin had gone out on a stroll that morning. it was one of the few breathers she had from the palace, save for time spent with her sister. with her every move being watched, judged, sometimes she found herself sorely needing a moment away from the castle walls. she was required to be escorted by her maids nonetheless, but it was a compromise hyejin was willing to agree to. yerin was regrettably detained due to an embroidery lesson, so hyejin left only with her maids.

they did not approve of hyejin’s outings to the nearby village, but their standing did not allow for them to openly voice their thoughts     and while hyejin firmly believed they should be allowed to speak freely... she was thankful they couldn’t oppose to her wishes this time.

on the way back, a sudden gasp from one of her maids stopped the princess in her tracks. hyejin half-expected it to be a rat or a large bug ( it wouldn’t be the first time ), but she was surprised to find a person instead     a young woman lying on the ground. hyejin pushed past her maids and rushed to her in an instant, worried she’d been injured. while there were no visible wounds, the girl in no way looked healthy either. her skin was blanched, her lips dry and cracked; she looked impossibly skinny too, to the point where hyejin wondered if she’d been starved.

her maids advised against touching the girl ( what if she’s sick? ), but hyejin countered that was all the more reason to come to her aid. no one else seemed to. it was hardly the time to be angry at the villagers who ignored her, though. instead hyejin picked up the girl    with more difficulty than she’d like to admit; her lessons didn’t contemplate improving any physical strength. “ will you just stand there? ” she snapped at her escorts. “ or must i order you to help me? ”

jumping in place after the threat, the maids scrambled to help. even with their assistance, the trek back to the palace was a slow one, with hyejin worried sick at every step. please don’t let it be too late.

once inside, hyejin had demanded an empty room for the girl. they carefully set her down on the bed, her dark clothes a deep contrast from the pearly white sheets. she’s still breathing, hyejin reminded herself as she waited for the royal physician to come examine her. she knew her parents would be displeased with the misuse of their resources, but their anger did not scare her; she couldn’t simply leave someone to die, commoner or not.

it was a relief when the doctor informed her the girl was indeed ill     but that her condition was not terminal. overworking under the harsh sun and exposure to unsanitary surroundings might be the reason behind her condition; some rest and an appropriate diet should nurse her back to full health. already feeling responsible for this girl, hyejin claimed the task for herself. she didn’t kow much about the recovery procedure, but she used to spend her days by yerin’s bed whenever she got sick; hopefully this wouldn’t be much different.

with her dress muddied and frankly hard to move in, hyejin changes to one of the nurse outfits they had stored. her maids are promptly ushered out with only mild complaining, sure to go tattle on her to her parents.

hyejin changes the girl into some warm clothes as well, and then spends the next hours tending to her    checking her temperature and changing the wet cloth on her forehead every few minutes. sometimes the girl will move in her sleep and let out ragged breaths, but never wake. in fact, there’s little change to her condition until the afternoon. the king and queen never show, perhaps too afraid to catch whatever they think this girl has; hyejin finds herself thankful for that.

by the time her patient finally comes to, hyejin is sat at her bedside, rinsing her wet cloth. she almost jumps in place, but quickly masks her surprise under a calm expression; it’s best not to startle this poor girl.

“ you’re awake. ” she speaks gently, offering a soft smile. “ please don’t be startled. we found you unconscious in the village and brought you in to take care of you. ” there’s plenty of details hyejin is omitting, but she believes the reveal of where they actually are may be a little too much right now. “ how are you feeling? ”

[yesfxckyxu]

[ @regensia​​ ] 

                                                    ─❝↬«㋡»↫❞─

“Oh, hey, Armand—is that you?” 

Jack questions loudly, displaying lack of self-restraint in that very moment of surprise as he recognized the other, “It’s been awhile! How’ve you been?” 

Being out in public, Jack had mainly gone out for a usual stroll. Maybe even a bit of window shopping to add to wasting time, since he enjoyed the social setting. Granted, it isn’t unusual for him to run into people he’s met, but he wasn’t expecting Armand out of that list of people.  

“Hopefully, I didn’t catch you at a bad time. You up for catching up?” 

[w1dowed]

@leagueofdccm ; homelander / 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 '𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀.

     𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀  𝘄𝗮𝘀  𝗮  𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴  𝘀𝗵𝗲  𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗻'𝘁  𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱  𝘁𝗼,     this  unease  of  what  might  be  happening  and  not  being  able  to  help.     it  was  a  feeling  that  she  had  only  dealt  with  whilst  she  was  pregnant  with  tilly  and  jack,  having  to  stay  home  whilst  she  knew  negan  was  still  out  there  doing  the  work  that  she  couldn't  do.     but  this  was  different  because  she  never  had  worried  like  this  about  john.     a  part  of  her  knew  that  he  could  handle  himself,  he  had  gone  into  so  many  situations  and  came  out  unscathed.     yet  something  about  this  had  her  so  anxious.     maybe  it  was  not  knowing  what  soldier  boy  could  fully  do,  they  knew  he  was  responisble  for  the  deaths  in  manhattan,  but  they  weren't  sure  how  or  why  it  happened.     she  didn't     𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁     what  was  going  on  and  it  made  her  unsure  of  what  was  going  to  happen,  she  didn't  like  this  feeling  and  it  was  worse  when  paired  with  the  feeling  of  being  completely  useless.

     𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗴𝗶𝗲  𝘄𝗮𝘀  𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆  𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲  𝗼𝗳  𝘄𝗵𝘆  𝗷𝗼𝗵𝗻  𝗵𝗮𝗱  𝗯𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁  𝗵𝗲𝗿  𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲,     it  wasn't  because  of  her  skill  as  a  supe  and  what  she  was  capable  of.     she  was  his  trophy.     his  prize  that  he  felt  like  he  deserved  and  it  didn't  matter  what  she  actually  thought  about  any  of  it.     she  hated  feeling  useless,  like  she  had  no  powers  and  she  had  to  stay  at  home,  waiting  for  him  to  come  back.     the  only  time  she  was  allowed  to  leave  the  tower  was  if  he  was  right  beside  her.     yet  something  about  this  just  made  her  feel  like  he  shouldn't  go     𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲,     not  that  it  mattered  what  she  thought  and  he  went  anyway,  telling  her  that  she  had  nothing  to  worry  about,  he  was  the  homelander  and  he  could  handle  this.     maggie  was  a  little  surprised  that  he  would  let  her  stay  here  alone,  but  then  he  knew  her  fear  of  what  he  might  do  to  her  family  if  she  ran  would  keep  her  at  the  tower,  wandering  around  his  apartment  and  trying  to  not  let  her  mind  get  the  better  of  her.

     𝘀𝗵𝗲  𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱  𝘁𝗼  𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁  𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳  𝗮𝗻𝗱  𝗻𝗼𝘁  𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸  𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁  𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁  𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁  𝗯𝗲  𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴,     she  couldn't  even  think  about  how  this  could  be  her  only  chance  to  call  negan  and  speak  to  him  with  no  fear  or  being  overheard.     she  couldn't  stop  thinking  about  what  if  john  was  in     𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗲     and  it  was  such  a  weird  headspace  for  her  to  be  in.     she  shouldn't  care,  a  part  of  her  should  almost  hope  that  something  happens  so  that  she  could  finally  go  home.     but  despite  all  the  fear  and  pain  she  had  gone  through,  she  was  realising  something  that  was  shocking  to  her     -     maggie  didn't  want  anything  bad  to  happen  to  him.     it  didn't  mean  she  condoned  what  he  had  done,  she  would  never  stand  by  it.     but  she  had  plenty  of  other  reasons  for  him  to  stay  alive,  she  just  had  to  hope  that  maybe  he  wasn't  completely  lost  in  that     𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀     that  had  such  a  tight  grip  on  him.     maggie  just  found  herself  sat  on  the  couch,  arms  wrapped  around  her  legs,  not  even  paying  attention  to  anything  on  the  television,  it  was  just  background  noise,  something  to  fill  the  silence.

     𝘁𝗵𝗲  𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁  𝘀𝗵𝗲  𝘀𝗮𝘄  𝗵𝗶𝗺  𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻,     she  was  surprised  by  that  feeling  of  relief  that  he  was  back,  switching  the  tv  off  and  moving  towards  him  quickly.     she  was  a  little  surprised  at  herself  for  being  so  worried  about  him,  unsure  of  what  exactly  is  going  through  her  own  head  right  now.     but  the  closer  she  got  to  him,  she  just  knew  something  was  wrong.     green  eyes  flick  over  him,  trying  to  figure  out  what  was  wrong  and  she  couldn't  figure  it  out,  he  was  looking  at  her  and  she  almost  felt  like  he  wasn't  even  seeing  her  right  now,     "     john?     "     maggie  asked  softly,  unsure  if  she  should  even  touch  him  right  now.     he  was  unpredictable  at  the  best  of  times  and  she  still  had     𝗻𝗼  𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮     what  happened  when  he  went  to  face  soldier  boy.     but  by  the  look  on  his  face  and  the  more  she  looked,  she  could  already  see  a  shadow  of  a  bruise  forming  on  his  cheekbone.     whatever  had  happened,  it  was  not  good  and  it  had  clearly  shaken  him,     "     what  happened?     are  you  okay?     "

[gunchamber]

suprise starter for * / @labonaires

                            𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄'𝐒  𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆  𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐘  𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆  𝐀𝐓      the  bottom  of  her  stomach  as  she  looks  to  the  other  ,    weighing  heavier  the  longer  she  stood  there  saying  nothing  .    knowing  that  she  should  .    this  was  for  the  better  ,    wasn’t  it  ?    normally  the  pair  wouldn’t  have  so  much  space  between  them  ,    but  krissy  made  sure  that  several  feet  remained  ,    it  was  something  foreign  to  her  .    ❛    it’s  not  safe  for  people  to  see  us  together  anymore  .    ❜ 

[dreamofzndaya]

I know it’s probably not going to happen but I’m still hoping that you make an appearance at the Met Gala this year, I’m dying to see what amazing dress you’d end up pulling off and hopefully if we’re both there we’ll have an excuse to talk. @fentylove​

[qucintly]

| @themoon-and-dejavu​ (Richard Morgans) has filed a case |

" I've heard quite a lot about this place's history from your local public. Roaming around the supernatural circumstances of the world you knew for what felt like generations to the agency's eye. "

Ms. Harris sets down her beverage with a light ceramic tap on the wooden desk, no longer filled to the brim with the warm tea she ' brought with her in such a hard material cup ' . Expression remains interested as she stares upon the others of relation, by race and by career, giving the visual commendation of the man's devotion ' towards the equality of men and supermen ' .

" It's a pleasure to meet someone with similiar tastes Mr. Morgans, I do hope my services here will be beneficial for the sake and progression of your goals. "

[lizard-on-a-window-pane]

hi!! this is the same anon from earlier and i saw you wanted to write for james potter. and i’m so sorry if you’ve done something similar. so maybe after a quidditch match, win or loss, all james wants to do is lie and bed with reader and hug her. but they’re not dating and he ends up confessing too, still tired, he doesn’t even realize he’s admitted his feelings

thank you again for your time:))

-can i be ‘🎀 anon’? lolol

hi lovely 🎀! thanks for your sweet words and adorable requests 😊 i hope you like it!

pairing: James Potter x reader tags: fluffy fluff, some angst, gn reader if you want word count: 1.9k

Cuddles and Confessions

So close. So bloody close. And to bloody Slytherin to top it off? The defeat stung worse than any other James could remember. 

As he lumbers back up toward the castle after the match, frustrated and furious, some Slytherin fans jeer at him from across the lawns. It pushes him over an edge, and he turns to — well, he’s not sure to what; berate them? beat them up? — a strong hand grabs his shoulder and turns him back around.

“Easy, mate. They’re idiots but they’re not worth it,” Sirius says easily. Sirius of all people being the voice of reason has James realizing maybe he needs to calm down. 

James falling into step with Sirius without a word, the two make their way back up to the castle. 

When they get to the common room, it’s packed with mad and sad-looking Gryffindors consoling each other, complaining about bad calls, bad-mouthing the Slytherins: a typical post-match defeat. 

“Thank Godric,” Sirius sighs, heading immediately to a small table stacked with firewhisky. He grabs two glasses, but James stops him before he fills the second one.

“No thanks, mate. Don’t really feel like the company,” he says, scanning the room. He admits to himself there is one face that would have made him stay, one person whose company was actually the only thing he wanted right now. But he doesn’t see you. So he stalks off, bounding up the stairs to his currently empty dormitory. 

He’s lying on his bed, tossing a ball up and down when he hears a soft knock. 

“What?” he yells, the harshness of his voice even surprising him a bit. Surprise shifts to horror when your beautiful, blushing face peeks around the door. 

“Hi, Jamie,” you say shyly. “I’m sorry. Sirius said you wanted to be alone. I should’ve listened. I didn’t mean to annoy you. I’ll just —” 

“Wait, wait, wait,” he rushes, going over to you and pulling you into his room. “I’m so sorry, love. Please don’t go.” 

You smile a bit at this, looking down at your feet before nodding slightly. 

“Ugh, I’m a prick. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you.” His voice is soft now, warm and enveloping as you look into his pleading eyes. 

“It’s okay,” you chuckle. “I get it. Rough night, huh?” 

“Yeah,” he chuckles, smiling for the first time all day. You had a way of bringing that out in him. 

“Want a hug?” you offer. He nods immediately, internally cringing for being so uncool in front of you.

“Yes please,” he half laughs. 

You step close to him, and even this increased proximity has him reeling. He can’t wait to feel your warmth around him, to smell your hair as he nuzzles into you. 

He’d been hoping to win tonight’s match for more reasons than one. He hated Slytherin for starters. He loved winning for seconds. But also, he had been hoping a Gryffindor victory party could be the perfect place to finally tell you how he feels about you. Firewhisky flowing, adrenaline pumping, maybe he’d finally have the courage he was supposed to have as a Gryffindor and tell you the truth. 

You bring your arms up around his shoulders, pulling him close to you, bringing one hand to his messy hair and scratching comfortingly. James’s large body immediately melts into yours. He hums into the crook of your neck, and you giggle. 

“Thanks for coming to check on me,” he whispers into your shoulder, holding you close. 

“Why would I want to be downstairs wallowing with everyone else when I could wallow with you?” you tease, pulling back slightly to be face to face again. He hates how much he just wants to pull you back into him. 

“Oh, I’m much better company than those wankers,” he plays along. 

“Yes, I’m sure. Seems you’re quite chipper from your greeting.” 

He cringes and whispers “sorry” again. You shake your head quickly, wanting him to know you’re only teasing. 

The silence stretches a bit too long, neither of you knowing what to say. It’s especially awkward because your hands are still on his shoulders, his on your hips. 

“So what were you doing?” you ask, coming up with nothing better. 

“Just lying in bed, wallowing,” he confesses. 

“Sounds fun,” you chuckle. You break apart from him, the tension becoming too much and head over to his bed, plopping down onto it. He laughs and follows, sitting close next to you. “What do you want to do?” you ask, your voice low. “I came to cheer you up, but I think I’m doing a bang up job so far,” you chuckle, scrunching your nose. 

Before thinking about it, James brings his hand up to your face, lightly tracing his finger down your nose for you to relax it. 

“You’re not,” he says earnestly. “I’m already better, just having you here.” He thinks he feels your face warm where his hand still caresses it but pushes the idea down, not wanting it to be wishful thinking. 

“So what do you want to do?” you ask again gently.

“Honestly?” he asks shyly. Nervous was a weird look on him, usually so cocky. 

“Of course,” you giggle in your warmest tones, wanting him to be open with you, relishing in the intimacy you seemed to be building. 

“I want to keep lying in bed wallowing.” 

You stiffen immediately, chiding yourself for misreading his nerves. He wanted you to leave; that’s why he seemed shy. 

James sees — and feels — you tense at his words, and luckily for him, he realizes right away what you’re probably thinking. He continues before he can stop himself, dreading your leaving more than dreading saying something stupid. 

“With you,” he adds hastily. He feels himself blush, hates it, but pushes on. “I want to lie in bed and wallow… with you,” he repeats more softly. 

“Oh,” is all you can think to respond.

“I mean, just hang out, you know. I just… you just… I just like hanging out with you. And even just your hug made me feel better,” he rambles sweetly. 

You smile and pull away from him a bit. Before he can be disappointed, though, you’re pulling him with you as you shuffle further back onto the bed, lying down and bringing him horizontal with you by the shoulder. 

You’re lying next to each other, both tense, facing the ceiling, your sides grazing but nothing more. You look over at him, and he looks at you, and you both look away like idiots. 

You take a deep breath, reminding yourself he literally just told you he wanted to be here with you, clinging to that to give you the courage for what you were about to do. You turn toward him and bring your hand up to his hair. His eyes snap to yours. First they show shock but that quickly melts to adoration. Then they show nothing at all as they close in comforted bliss. You chuckle softly and see the corners of his mouth tug up at the sound. 

“Feels nice,” he whispers.

“Yeah?” you whisper too. He just nods. 

You shuffle closer to him, and he turns his body towards yours. Your arm is cramped now between your two close bodies, so you do the reasonable thing for comfort, you tell yourself, and wrap your arm under his shoulders. His face coming to the crook of your neck, you miss the huge smile that breaks out on it at the contact. 

He’s lying on your shoulder now, the rest of his body flush with yours. Your arm is around him, your hand coming up to continue playing with his hair. James brings his arm over you, hugging you close, and you place your arm on top of his. 

It crosses James’s mind that friends don’t cuddle. But he stops his internal monologue in time to savour the moment rather than over-analyse it, which he’s bound to do later.

You just lie there in silence for  a bit, the tension having eased considerably. 

In your warm, comfortable cocoon, you bring your face closer to the top of his head on your shoulder and nuzzle him a bit. He just hums in response. 

“You’re comfy,” he says. It sounds muffled, his mouth squished against your shoulder. You laugh, and it shakes him up and down the slightest bit. 

James loves the feeling of your vibrating chest just below him. He can’t help himself and tickles you where his hand rests near your ribcage. You laugh louder. You hold down his arm to stop him and playfully shake him off a bit to protect yourself from more tickling. His grip tightens in response, and he’s almost on top of you by the time he’s done adjusting himself. 

“No, no, don’t go,” he chuckles. “I’ll stop.” 

Your laughter has mostly subsided, but your voice is raspy as you respond, “Promise?” He nods into your shoulder. “Fine. I’ll stay if you behave.” 

He laughs, squeezes you, whispers, “Promise.”

Any tension that had been left has dissipated completely, and you fall into easy chat as you hold each other close. Your hand continues playing with his hair, tugging it when he says something stupid. His arm draped over you occasionally squeezing you more tightly whenever either of you says something nice. You go over the highlights of the match, lamenting the result. Without realizing it, you start talking about any and everything else, and by the time the conversation lulls for the first time, both of you chuckling lightly, James wonder how much time has gone by. Not enough, he thinks to himself, wishing this would go on forever. 

The quiet, your hand in his hair, your warmth radiating around his body, it all soothes him into a half slumber. It washes over him how exhausted his body is from the match, how tense it had been from the fury at its result.

“This is nice,” he slurs. 

“Mmhmm,” you hum. 

“I’m not even mad anymore.” He sounds astounded even in his sleepy tones. You chuckle. 

“Good.” 

“Mmmm. We’ll prank the Slytherins tomorrow. And I’ll think of another time to tell you how I feel.” Your hand halts its motions. James is still completely relaxed, and you realize he’s pretty much half asleep, not truly realizing what he’s saying.

You don’t want to take advantage of him in this state, but you want to be honest with him too, and he clearly wanted to talk to you about whatever this was. 

So, you warmly whisper, “How do you feel, Jamie?”

“I love you,” he mumbles. You’re melting at his words, and you can’t wait till tomorrow to say them back. You shift your weight so you’re more facing James than under him, and this rattles him a bit more awake. His drowsy eyes are heavy initially but then they startle slightly. Before he can worry or regret, you hold his face gently in both your hands, your thumbs caressing his cheeks. 

“James…” He just looks deeply into your eyes, his eyebrows furrowed, not saying anything. “I love you, too.” 

His face shifts as if in slow motion. His eyebrows rise; his lips smile widely; his eyes crinkle.

“You love me?” He sounds equal parts giddy and disbelieving. 

“Yeah, I love you, you grump.” He chuckles. “You love me?” you echo.

He takes his time responding. Scanning your features adoringly. Eventually, finally, calmly and assuredly he says again, “I love you,” nodding as he closes the little distance between you. 

Your kiss is slightly awkward at first, your lips smiling automatically at his words before realizing they’re being called on to take on new, intoxicating shapes. 

[roquebr]

The Fury

Barcelona femeni x reader

Aitana Bonmáti x reader

Summary: When all seems lost, a turnaround can be more impressive.

The rocking of the bus gives me a slight feeling of relaxation, my headphones placed carelessly in my ears, with the sound at the highest volume, hoping to hide the prevailing noise of the place.

The youngest girls on the team are very excited about today's game, it's no surprise that we are heading towards the first leg of the Champions League semi-final, simply the biggest European championship. So it's not surprising when some of them are sitting on their benches with greater concentration than the other side, which is a mess.

Everyone has their own way of preparing, mine being to ignore everyone around me as much as possible until we get to the changing rooms, music being my escape point, I always turn to Brazilian music to be my company during these moments, it's a way of feel close to home.

— Meto o chapéu na cabeça ela perde a cabeça e me fala assim... – When the song approaches the chorus, I feel a nudge on my shoulders, I pause the song and look at the intruder who disturbed me and then I relax, yeah Alexia, she knows about my pre-game ritual and I know she wouldn't disturb me for nothing.

—Hey Ale, allright?

— Yes, sorry to bother you, but we've already arrived at the stadium and the girls are already coming down.

— I lost track, I'm going too, I'm just going to get my things — I give a small smile, thanking him for his kindness.

— I see you're a little out of tune, is everything okay? – He places one of his free hands on my shoulder, with the other holding his belongings. I don't know how she manages to balance everything like that, if it were me, my cell phone would definitely be broken on the floor by now.

— Yes, I'm just concentrating on the game, you know how it is, right?

— I understand, but if you need anything you can talk to me. – I don't answer, stopping myself from just returning a kind look.

We continued walking towards the changing rooms, greeting the workers as I passed.

I know that this nervousness is not just because of the game, but because of the desire to show more than my best on the field, having arrived at the club just under a year ago, coming straight as a standout on the Ferroviária, I knew that from the beginning I had to show more than I expected.

I've had a strong presence in many of the 37 unbeaten games played so far, I've been a regular starter, but apparently I'm not good enough to start today.

As soon as Jona announced who would start before we got on the bus, my spirits immediately dropped, I know he decided the lineup thinking about preserving some prominent athletes for possible future changes of keys, but that doesn't negate my feeling of incompetence to start on the bench.

We arrive at the locker room and I immediately head to my cubicle, my headphones that have been stored for a long time no longer deprive me of Rosalía's loud voice that emanates from the absurdly loud speaker in my ears.

I change calmly, but I decide not to wear socks or football boots for now, I'm going to interpret this as a protest for being on the bench today, a bit childish I know.

I sigh and lean my head against the wall, where my game t-shirt used to hang, I watch my happy teammates as they transform and sway to the beat of the music.

I saw my girlfriend of 1 year, we met in October 2022 at Ballon D'or, I went to the event as Marta's guest after telling her in a free conversation that I would like to have the experience of going.

We talked for just over a month and soon we were dating, excited, right, but the feeling was intense and it happened, at first it was difficult because of the distance because I was in Brazil and she was in Spain, but we got through it together, whenever I could I went to visit her. there. Unfortunately, she never managed to go to Brazil, but I will resolve that during our next “vacation”.

Jona arrives in the locker room and starts his usual motivational talk, honestly I don't feel like listening to anything, with my mind confused I just focus on going to the bench.

Sit next to Alexia with Lucy on the other side, the traditional song of the champions plays bringing a smile to my face, regardless of my wounded pride, every time this anthem plays I can't help but get emotional, it's a dream that becomes childhood reality.

The first half of the game was somewhat disappointing, Barça put pressure on Chelsea's marking but unfortunately the defense did not give in, in the 39th minute came the beginning of our fall, taking advantage of a passing error from Irene that gave Chelsea close possession of the ball. to the area, making a respectable exchange of passes until he found a partner in the area, he deceived Keira's marking and passed to Cuthbert who wasted no time in scoring. We came out at half-time with 1-0 to Chelsea.

The atmosphere in the dressing room is very different to when we arrived, the totally dead Barcelona vibe contradicts the emotion I normally feel, word after word, motivation after motivation, all falling on my deaf ears as each teammate seemed focused on acquiring each lyric. said by him.

With a wave of his hand, Jona takes me aside to talk.

— YN, where are your boots?

— It's in the bank, Jona.

He sighs lightly in annoyance, the stress in his shoulders is visible.

— Look, I know you're disappointed that I didn't start today, but please put your boots on, I'll be with you on the field in about 10 minutes.

— Great Jona, I'll put it on.

Returning to the second half, a little more excited, I ask one of the physiotherapists there to put a bandage on my ankle, Sophia is her name, as I injured my ankle during the game I always put a bandage on it to avoid future injuries.

After Sophia finishes, I put on my socks and football boots, I kiss each shin guard before putting them on.

The second half began, Barça had difficulty getting into the game, then a penalty was awarded in our favor, we celebrated along with the cheers of the fans, this would be our chance to continue in the game.

The referee goes to the Var and immediately cancels the penalty, apparently the referee interprets that Salma's offside hinders the defender, nonsense if I may say so.

At 63 minutes Jona makes 2 substitutions, bringing Alexia and Lucy. Ingrid and Ona sit next to me, respectively tired and disappointed with their performances, I give both thighs a comforting squeeze.

I wait anxiously at the edge of my bench for a while, waiting for the moment when Jona replaces me. In the 74th minute, when Ramirez, Chelsea's striker, missed the chance to expand, my heart almost exploded. Patri managed to disrupt her position well, although he still let her to finish the shot.

— Jonas!! – He doesn’t even turn around in recognition.

— Que saco mano. – I go down towards him who was on the side of the field. — Jona, am I going in now?

— Be patient, YN, go to warm up.

A frown appears on my face, but I do as I'm told, not before kicking the water bottle nearby. My companions give me sympathetic looks, which makes me more stressed.

At 78 minutes, the assistant coach says I'm ready and Jona calls me to the sidelines next to him.

— Listen to me, we need you now in this field, are you ready for this challenge. – She pauses only to give the numbers to the fourth referee who is preparing the replacement panel. — We need to decide this game at home, with our fans who came here to watch us play, with courage and love when we enter the field. I know you are ready for this challenge, show who you are and what you came for.

I can't find words, so I just listen, shaking my head with a determined look. I take the place of Mariona, who wishes me good luck, running to my position, passing my girlfriend, blinking and returning to focus on the game.

Time: 80m

In a quick run down the wing, Frido sends it to Caro who tries to finish, the goalkeeper saves but the rebound goes straight to my side, I don't miss the opportunity and send it into the goal. I see Salma grab the ball so we can restart the game, I run back to position, jumping and calling the fans to play together.

Time: 83m

Patri intercepts the ball in midfield, passes it to Aitana who dribbles the opponent, leaving her mistaken, I ask for the ball and soon receive it. I notice that the goalkeeper's left corner is free, I prepare my leg and take a strong low shot, I see the ball roll quickly as the goalkeeper tries to launch himself too late, then you see the net ripple. We changed the course of the game, but it's still not enough.

Time: 85m

Aitana is having an impressive run taking advantage of Chelsea's neglect, a defender in front of her, with options like me on the left and Caro on the right, with Salma right behind. Aita rolls the ball to me, I take a slight touch to the right and shoot with confidence, the ball takes a threatening curve and soon falls into the net, surprising the goalkeeper.

Now I allow myself to celebrate, I run close to the flag post and slide down on my knees, my teammates hugging me and pulling me everywhere, the euphoria was so much that it felt like we had won the Champions League right there. I felt like crying, I scored my first hat-trick in the Champions League

Time: 88m

We receive a free kick after the Chelsea player almost grabbed Aitana trying to take the ball away from her, Salma takes the free kick which hits Lucy's head, who aims the ball towards the goalkeeper's box. She came spinning through the air, landing perfectly at my feet, I beautifully pushed her towards the goal and fell into the hug. With every second that passed the crowd became louder and louder, if possible.

Time: 90m

The gas had not passed, it was getting stronger and stronger, now with a considerable advantage, we preferred to send the team back. Keeping score is crucial for the second leg in England. Although we are currently more focused on defense, that doesn't stop us from also attacking at every opportunity. The team's confidence increased and we played calmer, making more passes and remaining calm when under pressure.

Caro has the ball on the right wing, looks up and sees the perfect opportunity to cross.

Caro's always necessary crossing makes things easier for me, I wait for her to reach the right height before jumping and sending the bike, when I fall backwards onto the grass my pain is numbed by a very loud vibration coming from the stadium.

Barely having time for anything else, I run towards the small Chelsea fans present in the stadium, stop in front of them and place both hands on my waist, with an arrogant posture, soon my teammates come to me in pure euphoria. Many compliments reach my ears, I allow myself to embrace them as much as possible before we have to return to the starting position.

9 minutes of extra time were allowed, nothing else impressive happened during this period, the 3 characteristic whistles were heard. There were many celebrations after we greeted the rival team. I head towards the referee team who hands me the ball.

Jona hugs me congratulating me on a successful game, the team soon arrives and gives me the idea of throwing myself into the air, I try to run away but I'm not fast enough, after the desperate seconds pass I run to the fans, my spirits were high today.

I ask a member of the coaching staff to hold my ball for me, while I jump into the arms of the crowd, doing my best to sign and take as many photos with everyone as possible, the only limit being the barrier.

I feel an arm go around my waist as I sign a Mapí fan t-shirt. I look to the side and see that it is Aitana, who is already looking at me with her beautiful smile on her face, her bright eyes remind me of the constellations.

I can't help but smile with her, our passionate looks betrayed our enormous passion for each other, which doesn't go unnoticed by the public, to everyone's euphoria and my poor heart, she stands on tiptoe and gives a long kiss to the my lips. , fireworks light up in my belly.

Soon the photo of that moment would be published on many pages, one of them was the official Barça account, and certainly on many fan pages that would blow up my cell phone with notifications.

But I couldn't care less, I played an impressive game and had my girl in my arms, could I ask for more than that?.

!!The inspiration for the character to score 5 goals in 10 minutes came from Lewa, when he played for Bayern he did this feat, so I thought “why not put that in the fic?”!" ... sorry for any mistakes, english is not my main language

[celabi]

𝐁𝐍𝐇𝐀 𝐁𝐎𝐘𝐒 + 𝐒𝐎𝐅𝐓 𝐌𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒

Bakugou, Shinsou, Hawks, Dabi, Shigaraki x Reader

𝐁𝐀𝐊𝐔𝐆𝐎𝐔 decides that the moment he sees your foot stumble off the side walk and nearly fall into on going traffic while he’s walking along side you, he’ll never let you stand so close to the road ever again. “Damn airhead,” He grumbles, quickly taking a hold of your school uniform sleeve and pulling you into his side— his calloused hands taking place onto the opposite side of your hip to keep you up and steady. “You an idiot or what? ‘M sure you’d loose your head if it wasn’t attached to your neck.” You softly sigh at his snarky words and roll your eyes, but still allow the blond hot head to tug you down the pathway. “There was a stone on the ground, I didn’t see it.” He sends you a side eye, a look contrasted of disbelief and annoyance before turning his attention to the sight ahead— giving the flesh of your hip a firm squeeze. “There’s no need to lie, Sweet cheeks, s’only us here. Just admit it, you’re clumsy.” Of course he’s trying to make this a competition, that’s so like him— but after the long day of training you had, you didn’t feel like humouring him any longer. “Okay, I’m clumsy. You happy now? Jerk.” You mutter in defeat, and Katsuki doesn’t even try to bite back his shit eating grin because he knows he’s already won. “Of course I am.” ‘Of course i am, and it’s only because you’re here.’ He thinks, his hand leaving your side so he can grab onto your own to tangle your fingers together and rub his thumb along your knuckles. “Now hurry up and walk faster, this date ain’t gonna… date itself.” “That doesn’t make sen—” “Shut it!”

𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐎𝐔 exhales loudly, tiredly lifting up one arm to swipe the back of his hand along his sweaty forehead, trying to calm his rapid breaths and pulsing heart beat. The ringing in his ears is so loud that he doesn’t hear the sound of your footsteps getting closer and closer until the tips of your shoes enter his vision while he stares at the floor, making him slowly lift his head to meet your gaze. “Here.” You extend out your arm, a cold bottle of water thrusted in front of his beet red face that he waste no time in grabbing, heaving out a small ‘thanks’ before chugging half of it. “You both did good today, take a break and we’ll continue this tomorrow!” You both turn your heads into Aizawa’s direction and wave him off, watching his back as he leaves through the gym doors. “Finally!” Shinsou drops to the floor, rolling onto his back and gazing up at the roof— patting the spot beside him, indicating you to follow through. You do so, kneeling to the ground before flipping onto your side— your elbow planted on the ground to hold your head up while you stare at his face. His chest is still heaving rapidly as he is still not quite used to training so intensely, while his eyes scan around the room— until they land on you. Shinsou pursers his lips, his nose twitches slightly in awkwardness while he try’s to rack his brain for a conversation starter. “You uh… really hit me hard today.” ‘Shit’ now he’s gone and embarrassed himself, again. He’s about to make up some lame excuses until the sound of your laughter fills his ears. His eyes find their way back to your face, watching the way your eyes flutter closed while you break out into a fit of giggles. He smiles at the sight, the sight of your smiling face makes his brain melt to mush and forget about his previous worries. ‘Oh, well, I guess this is okay.’

𝐇𝐀𝐖𝐊𝐒 watches as you sit up from the couch and walk over to the other one, one that’s five feet away from the one you were sitting on previously— when you were sitting next to him. He’s baffled, eyebrows raised in surprise while he eyes you up and down. “Geez, baby, didn’t know I stunk that bad…” he jokes with an awkward chuckle, the large red wings behind him droop slightly when he doesn’t receive the reaction he was hoping for. “You do, Keigo, go shower.” Picking up the remote and flicking through the channels on the TV, you try not to let your giggle slip when you see him from the corner of your eyes, also stand up and waddle over to you— his wings sadly dragging along the floor as he does do. “That was kinda mean, my feelings are hurt now.” He pouts, taking place right in front of you— blocking your view from the show you started watching. “You’ll live.” You mutter, leaning over to the side to look past his body. Now you’re not paying attention to him, and he doesn’t like that one bit… so without warning, Keigo stalks closer until his knees are pressing up against your legs before flopping down into you with his whole weight. “You big oaf! Get off of me!” You wheeze; the weight of his body is heavy enough as is— let alone him and his freakishly large wings . “Hey! M’not big, or an oaf.” He whines back, his head falling into the crook of your neck while his body lies on top of yours, his feet dangling off the end of the arm rest— kicking happily when you sigh in defeat and tangle your hand in his hair. “See, knew you’d come around… now let’s watch that damn movie.” “Oh, shut it, Keigo. I only gave up because I had to, we will never be friends.”

𝐃𝐀𝐁𝐈 already has a naturally deep and gruff voice, he knows it, you know it, every knows it. But it’s still a pleasant surprise to hear it go deeper when you wake up in his hold, your bare legs tangled with each other’s while the duvet lays carelessly tossed on the floor after he unconsciously kicks it off the bed in a cold sweat. “You awake yet, angel face?” You can feel the vibrant of his voice resonate through his chest while you lay atop of him, one of his hands resting firmly on the dip in your back while he other rubs comforting circles on your arm. “Barely… M’so cold, Touya, you gotta help me.” You whine, digging your head deeper into the shell of his neck— looking for any type of warmth you can get. He chuckles an airy laugh at the clear sleepiness still evident in your tone, his hand leaving your spine to crawl up under your (his) shirt to rest his palm on your skin and slightly heating up his quirk, not enough to ignite up in flames but enough to produce a small amount heat to warm you up— softly smiling when you let out a small, content mewl at the feeling. “How does that feel, baby? Feel good?” You adjust your head and nod into him, your nose now pressed up against the flesh of his neck while your hair tickling his ear. “So good, thank you… love… you…” he listens as your words quietly fade out, indicating that you’re, once again, knocked out cold. Dabi looks down slightly, watching as your eyelashes flutter along with you chest rising and falling. It quiet, the only sounds being your soft breaths and the occasional car that drive past his apartment. And it’s just the way he likes it.

The obnoxious tapping of 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐊𝐈’𝐒 thumbs on the joy sticks hallow around the thin, league bar walls, along with the occasional swear word muttered under his breath and rustles of his coat every time he adjusts his position. “Fucking Tom Nook, stupid piece of shit.” Even from your seat on the squeaky stool at the counter, you can clearly see the way his blue locks tousle around whenever he reaches up to scratch at his neck. “Still in a hundred grand bell dept? What kind of rat needs a hundred thousand fucking bells?” He growls, and when you rise from your seat to walk over and stand behind him— you can just barley see over his head that his net is continuously beating the poor racoon inside his tent. “Babe, murder won’t always erase your problems.” You laugh, leaning down and snugly wrapping your arms around his neck— the soft action making Tomura momentarily pause his rage to drop his handheld into his lap and lean back in the warmth of your embrace, his hair tickling your nose. “Sweetheart, go grab your switch and help me blow this island up.” He looks up at you, his hands gripping onto your forearms— cautious not to place all five fingers on your skin— before pulling you down so your head is nestled in the crook of his neck. “I don’t think your goals of man slaughter are achievable in animal crossing.” You tease, your answer makes him grumble, the device in his lap now long forgotten to the side when he turns around on his knees on the cushions to position his face in front of yours. “Okay then, how about a trip to the new GameStop that just opened up down the road. I like the Pokémon games more anyway…” “…You’re such a sore loser.”

[illdowhatiwantthanks]

Loved your Emily x teenage daughter reader! Can you do another one where she starts feeling pressure to start having sex because a bunch of her friends are and Emily finds out so she talks with her about it

Hey, anon! I got two super similar requests back-to-back, so this is kind of a two-for-one, but I hope it's what you're looking for! – illdowhatiwantthanks

The World's Largest Box of Condoms

Emily Prentiss x daughter!reader Warnings: discussions about sex, safe sex, genitalia, etc., so much secondhand embarrassment, explicit language (let me know if I've missed anything!) Word count: 1.7k

Summary: When your mom, Emily, finds your quickly-hidden box of condoms in the bathroom, you know you're in for one hell of a conversation.

“Honey!” your mom called from the bathroom, loud enough that you could hear her through your headphones. You pulled them off and listened for a moment before yelling back.

“What!?”

“Can you come in here, please!?”

You shrugged. Whatever it was, at least it’d be a nice break from your trigonometry homework. You tossed your pencil and headphones on top of your textbook and sauntered down the hall to the bathroom.

“What, Mom?” you asked, but your breath caught in your throat when you saw what she had sitting on the counter. It was condoms. So many condoms. The embarrassingly gigantic box of condoms you’d ordered on Amazon and hid behind the toilet paper. Which, in hindsight, was a stupid place to hide them. Your face flushed beet red.

She looked at you, stern, eyebrows raised. “You want to tell me why you’ve got a thousand condoms? I mean, Jesus, honey, I don’t know that I’ve used a thousand condoms in my life.”

“Mom, I–” You were floundering, sputtering, your stomach in your throat. “I can explain, I… Please don’t be mad.” You stared at the ground, face flaming.

To your surprise, your mom just laughed. You glanced up and found her rubbing her forehead, staring at the box. “A thousand condoms,” she chuckled, more to herself than you. “Oh, honey.” She threw an arm around your shoulder and kissed the top of your head. “I’m not mad. I just wish you'd talked to me before spending your life’s savings on the world’s largest box of condoms.”

“Y–you’re not mad?” you said, stumbling through your words, a cold sweat on the back of your neck.

She shook her head. “Nope. We do need to have a very frank discussion now, though.”

“Oh, god, Mom,” you protested.

“Look, I don’t know what they teach you in sex ed, but I can assure you in my day it was not enough.” She grabbed the box of condoms and moved toward the living room. “And I’ll be damned if my kid doesn’t know what they’re getting into. Come on, Y/N.”

You groaned, but followed her, sitting uncomfortably on the couch across from where your mom lounged in an armchair.

“Look, I understand this might feel awkward,” she started. “It’s not the most comfortable conversation I’ve ever had either. But I want you to know you can talk to me about this even if it’s awkward. And, above all, I want you to have all the information and resources you need to be safe. Okay?”

“Okay,” you said quietly. 

Your mom exhaled heavily, then looked at you. “Alright, first things first, are you sexually active?”

You thought your face might be permanently flushed at this point. “No. Not… not yet. It’s not what you think, I just… my friends all are and I– I wanted to be ready I guess.”

She nodded. “Okay. That’s okay. When you’re ready and who that’s with, those are your decisions, okay? But I want you to keep in mind when you get into those situations to think about how you’re feeling.”

“Like… what kind of feelings?”

“Well,” your mom shrugged. “I mean, for starters, does it feel good?”

“Oh my god, Mom!” you squealed, burying your face in a pillow.

“Sorry! But, as I’m sure you know, sex is supposed to feel good! I’ve had sex that felt great and sex that felt like shit, and sometimes I didn’t realize that “not feeling good” was a good enough reason to stop.”

You groaned into the pillow. You did not want to hear about your mom’s sex life. You knew she was just trying to educate you and help you and she was but… ugh! Why’d it have to be so awkward?!

She was in full mom mode now, her voice stern like a teacher’s. “When you’re in a situation where you’re thinking about having sex, you need to ask yourself, Do I feel safe? Do I feel good? Do I want to do this because I want to do it or because someone else wants me to?”

You nodded, exhaling slowly.

“And anytime you decide you want to stop, any time it doesn’t feel good or safe, the other person stops. Always. If they don’t, that is abusive behavior and you can call for help or do whatever you need to do to get safe.”

“I know all this already, Mom,” you needled. “Consent is king, blah, blah, blah.”

“And that goes for you, too,” she added, pointing at you. “If someone you’re with gives you anything less than wholehearted consent, or if they decide they want to stop, you stop. If they’re drunk or high, stop. If you’re drunk or high, stop.”

“Of course,” you said, throwing your hands up. “I would never, Mom. You know that.”

“I know, but…” She took a long sip of her wine. “It bears repeating.” She patted her leg. “Alright, now we get down to the dirty details.”

“Mom!” You were terrified. Exactly what kind of dirty details needed to be gotten down to!?

She cracked a smile. “I’ll try not to make it too hard on you, honey. Now, are you on birth control?”

You shook your head and gestured toward the box of condoms. “I mean, I was gonna be safe, though…”

Your mom shook her head and pulled out her phone. “Condoms aren’t 100% effective. I’ll make an appointment for you this week so we can get you on it. I will ask you not to engage in any sexual activity until after your birth control becomes effective, though, okay?”

“Yeah, of course,” you mumbled.

“Now, are you planning on having sex with women at all?”

“I–” Your voice caught in your throat. “No, I mean… I don’t think so.”

“Okay, well, just in case…” she said, holding up her hands defensively. “If you have sex with a woman, you still need to be cautious about STDs. Just be open with one another about your sexual history. I’m happy to take you to get an STD screening anytime you want. I have some dental dams around here somewhere, too, if you want them, but I think STD screenings are more effective with women.”

Suddenly, you were looking at your mom with new eyes. “You know a lot about being with women…” you observed.

Your mom gave you a look of equal parts love and equal parts pity. “Oh, honey. Why do you think your babysitters always stayed the night after I got back from working cases?”

Your jaw dropped. “You– what!?”

“The only people I trusted you with for that long were girlfriends, honey.” She took another swig of wine.

“You’re bi!?’

“Honey, we’ve talked about this,” your mom insisted. “When we first started talking about sex in elementary school, remember? I told you 99% of the time I liked women better.”

You felt like you were losing your mind. “You just said that you had better connections with women! Not that you sleep with women!”

“Is that right?” Emily said, wincing. “Yikes. My bad, sweetheart. I guess I just assumed you would have put two and two together by now.”

“Okay, well, I guess I’m just fucking dumb,” you grumbled, still shaken.

“You’re not dumb.” Your mom sighed.” I should have been more up front. We had pride flags and everything, though! We even went to Pride!”

You shrugged. “I just thought you were a really passionate ally.”

You looked up and your mom’s shoulders were shaking with laughter, and you couldn’t help but laugh with her. When you both finally calmed down, she exhaled sharply.

“Alright, just a few more things. I promise!” she added when you groaned.

She looked at the ceiling, as if trying to summon all of her advice about sex.

“If a guy doesn’t want to wear a condom, do not sleep with him. They’ll try to say it doesn’t feel the same and maybe it doesn’t. I don’t give a fuck personally. The risk of getting pregnant is way more concerning to me than the risk of him having a slightly less great sexual experience. Always use a condom with a man.”

You nodded.

“The good news is, you’ll always have enough,” your mom grinned, pointing to the box.

You blushed and giggled.

"In all seriousness, though, condoms do expire. They last... three to five years, I think? But don't use an expired condom, it breaks down more easily."

She exhaled heavily. "Now, this last part is the most important, okay?” Your mom set her wine down, stood, and moved to sit next to you, taking your hand in hers. You avoided her eyes, cheeks red.

“If you ever feel in danger or in trouble, if you ever get pregnant, if you ever need help, you call me.”

She squeezed your hand, and you squeezed hers back. No matter how excruciatingly awkward this conversation had been, no matter how much you kind of wished you were anywhere else, you knew your mom would be there for you. You were glad to have a mom who wasn’t judgy, one who helped you be safe and trusted you to make good decisions. One who would help you even if you didn’t make good decisions.

“Alright?” she prompted. “You call me. And you be safe.”

And it was only then when you looked at your mom that you realized that as hard as this conversation had been for you, it might have been harder for her. She was a protective woman, your mom, an FBI agent. She’d literally kill someone before letting you get hurt. It was hard for her to let you go, probably. Hard for her to let you grow up.

“I will, Mom. I promise,” you assured her.

She exhaled deeply and kissed the top of your head, then gave you a light whack on the arm. “Alright. That’s all I’ve got. You can get back to your… geometry or whatever you’re working on.”

“Trig,” you corrected.

She nodded, sinking back into the armchair with her glass of wine, seemingly relieved the conversation was over.

“Oh, Y/N?” she called just as you stepped into the hallway. You turned to look at her, then blushed as she held your jumbo box of condoms up to you.

“Don’t forget your condoms, honey,” she chuckled. You snatched them from her blushing, but smiled as you turned back to your room. When you thought about it, you really did have a cool mom.