#it is such a good moment for jess AND nat

[biitchcakes]

❝ Congrats, Jess.‎‎‎ You're going to die‎‎‎ U N L O V E D‎‎‎ &‎‎‎ A L O N E , just like you a l w a y s ‎‎‎ f i g u r e d. ❞

[yelenasdiary]

A bit of angstytober request of love triangle Mob Boss Natasha and mob boss Yelena so basically Natasha and reader and like flings and they both have to choose partner to help them with their mob boss activities, so Natasha chooses someone with more masculinity because her fellow mob bosses and parents were telling her too so she chose logic over her heart, but yelena decides to chose reader

Tangled Hearts

Pairing: Mob Boss! Natasha Romanoff, Mob Boss! Yelena Belova x Assistant! GN! Reader

Summary: Having feelings for two people is never easy.

Angst, Fluff & Suggestive Themes. 18+ Only, Men & Minors, DNI!

Warnings: Mentions of illegal activities, mentions of alcohol | 2.3K

Translations: Detka (baby), 

AC: I love this idea so much! Jess also sent me a mob boss idea (which you can see here) so I picked some ideas from that and included it into this request. I hope that’s okay! I hope you enjoy! x

October Special 2024 Masterlist

“What are you thinking about?” You asked Natasha in a soft tone watching as she buttoned up her white shirt, the bed sheets covering your naked body. Natasha looked over her shoulder, her jaw ever so slightly clenched at the thought of telling you what you was playing on her mind. You wondered if you had any reason to be asking her this, after all, it was mostly just sex between the two of you, both of you using it for your own selfish reasons but you’d be lying if you didn’t start to feel something bigger than the heated moments shared in her bedroom. 

“It’s just business stuff” she replied, tugging her crystal white shirt into her black dress pants. 

“Anything I can help with?” You asked kindly. A heavy sigh filled the room as Natasha turned to you, sliding her phone into her pocket. She shook her head, “thank you but no thank you” she smiled ever so softly, “I have to go deal with somethings, um, thank you for last night” she added, reaching for her suit jacket before leaving the room. You let your head hit the softness of her pillow once more, allowing yourself a little time to gather your thoughts before you got your things and went home. 

Entering the ‘office’ which was nothing more than a mansion or a safe house of those who worked for the crime syndicates boss sisters, Natasha and Yelena. You sat down at your desk, turning your computer on when Yelena knocked softly at your door.

“Late night?” She asked with a slight hint of disappointment in her voice. You spun around on your chair to face her, “nothing out of the usual” you smiled softly. You’ve known the sisters for most of your life, they took you under their wing when you had nothing left. Both sisters have always admired your genius skills in cyber hacking and your high attention to detail. 

Yelena’s eyes dropped to the piece of paper in her hand, “got a job for me?” You asked, shifting the conversation. The blonde handed you the document with information, “Nat asked if you could wire some cash to detective Agnes O’Conner. I’m surprised she didn’t tell you this morning” Yelena explained causing your eyes to drop to your feet for a brief moment before you looked up at her once more. 

“Please don’t start, not today” 

Yelena closed the door behind her, “She hasn’t told you, has she?”  Tilting her head slightly to the right as she locked eyes with you.

“Told me what?” You asked with a light frown. 

“She’s moving. There are some issues in Mexico and cargo needs to moved, that’s why she’s paying Agnes to turn a blind eye” Yelena explained.

“Why does she need to move?” You questioned. 

“Because she’s taking over the cartel over there, it’ll be good for us, the business. It’ll open up a new world of money for us, new clients, we’re stepping up again” Yelena says with proudness in her voice. “You sound excited” you replied with a light smile. 

“Well, yeah” she wanders over to the sofa in your office and takes a seat, “You’re up for raise” she adds. 

“A-are you saying what I think you’re saying?” 

Yelena nods, “things are going to change around here. With Nat moving, she needs some extra help so between her and I, we have to pick who we need most for our organizations. I thought she would’ve told you all this” 

The information made you understand why Nat was distant with you this morning. Your mind filled the thought of all the new changes that would be happening, and you could see that Yelena, although she was excited, she was nervous. 

“She’s going to ask me to go, isn’t she?” You asked the blonde. 

Yelena ran her fingers through her short blonde locks, “well since you both are such an item, I just assumed it would be the case” she replied, barely able to look at you. 

“Lena” you said softly, placing the document on your desk and wandering over to the sofa to take a seat next to her. “Lena, you can talk to me” you added, placing a hand gently on her knee. Her jaw clenched for a moment, deep down, her heart skipping a beat as she looked you in the eyes. 

“You should probably get that money wired” she said, brushing you off and standing up. 

“Lena”

Yelena turned to you, “oh, uhm, don’t leave for lunch today. We’re ordering in” she gave you a soft smile before leaving the room. 

----

“When’s your flight Natasha?” Alexei asked. 

“Later tonight” she replied, taking a puff from her cigar. 

“And you have everything sorted? You have an assistant, yes?” He asked. Natasha lent forward, “you stress to much old man. Everything is fine” she assures him. 

“So no, you don’t have an assistant” Melina pitches in, downing a shot of vodka. Nat sighed, “I don’t need an assistant” 

“Did you even look at the resumes I gave you? There is some good, strong men and women on that list” said Alexei. 

“Yes, I looked at them, not interested. Like I said, I don’t need an assistant” 

“It’s not negotiable Natasha. You’re going into foreign territory, this isn’t about getting you an assistant, you also need a bodyguard” Melina says, raising a brow at her daughter while the red head chuckled lightly at her mother’s words, “I can handle myself” she comments. 

Melina rolled her eyes before she locked eyes with Natasha once again, “you pick somebody Natasha, or I will” she says sternly. Natasha puts out her cigar, defeated, knowing she won’t win the argument no matter how good her skills are.

“What about Yelena?” The red head questions, she knows Yelena can look after herself and can stand her ground but she’s still her little sister and Natasha can’t help but feel protective of her. 

“Yelena is fine, she’s more organized than you” Melina replies, “you’re avoiding what needs to be done Natalia. Your heart, it’s clouding your judgment. You need to think logically, there isn’t anything wrong with them but are you sure that they can handle themselves and protect you if need be?” She adds, catching Natasha’s attention once more. 

“Ah, you and Yelena are still fighting over this hacker huh?” Alexei chimes in, exhaling smoke from this cigar. Natasha’s eyes shift to her father, “Fighting?” She questions, “Yelena isn’t interested in Y/n” she adds. Alexei chuckles before taking another puff at his cigar. 

“What is this idiot talking about?” Natasha asks, looking at her mother who sighs at Alexei’s words. 

“Hey!” Alexei frowns.

“Maybe I was wrong, maybe your heart isn’t in the way” Melina starts, “you’ve never noticed the way Yelena looks at them?” She asks making Natasha’s eyes drop to her feet. “Think logically, got it.” She says before standing up, wanting to end the discussion. 

----

Lunch time came with catered mini subs from subway, everybody at the office enjoying light chatter and laughter while taking a break from their illegal lifestyle for just a moment, everybody but you. After the news Yelena gave you this morning, you found yourself burying yourself into work. Finding anything to do, breaking into the FBI’s cyber security to access files you found yourself reading from time to time, your own personal record. 

“You’re torturing yourself reading that, you know that, right?” Yelena’s voice broke the silence in your office. Quickly, you closed the window and spun on your chair to face her, “doesn’t hurt to refresh your mind” you replied while Yelena let herself in with a mini sub on a plate for you. “You didn’t come to lunch” she said, placing the plate on the end of your desk.

“I got busy, sorry” 

“Thinking about Nat?” Yelena questioned. 

“Lena, just say it. You keep bringing it up so just say” you said, slightly raising your voice at the blonde. 

“Okay. Fine” Yelena sighs, “why don’t you just admit it?” 

“Admit what?” You question just as a soft knock on the door interrupts your conversation. You both look up and see Natasha leaning against the door frame, she gives Yelena a look that makes her excuse herself, leaving you along with Natasha. 

“She told you about Mexico?” Natasha asks, breaking the silence as she closes the door behind her. 

“Yeah, was that what this morning was about?” You watch as she steps closer to you, cupping your left cheek as she looks into your eyes, “I’ve been selfish” she says as her thumb gently strokes your cheek. “and I’ve blind to see what has been in front of me for so long. I’m not taking you with me detka” she adds, keeping strong eye contact with you. 

Gently, you remove her hand from your face and swallow the lump in your throat, “well we always said it was just casual” you remind her, but she sees past your wall. “When do you leave?” You ask her, trying to avoid an awkward situation. 

“Just because we have casual sex doesn’t mean I don’t have feelings for you, you need to know that” 

“Just not strong enough to ask me to go with you, right?” 

“Trust me, if I could ask you to come with me, I would but I can’t. Not when I know that your heart never belonged to me” 

You frown at her words, “what are you talking about? You’ve never asked me about my feelings and now suddenly my feelings matter?” 

“Your feelings have always matted detka, I was just too selfish to see the truth. I’m not the one who deserves you, I never did” she says.

“That’s not for you to decide Nat, but thanks for making up my mind for me” you snapped. 

“It wasn’t me who bailed you out all those years ago. It was Yelena. It’s Yelena that makes your eyes sparkle, that makes your laugh contagious, it’s Yelena that makes you rest your limits and makes you push yourself harder. It was never me and that’s okay. I wanted to be that person so much that I blocked out the way you look at her and the way she looks at you” Natasha explains calmly, as you stand from your chair in disbelief. 

“I’ve stood in the way of the happiness of the two people I care about the most for too long and even if I did choose you, Yelena already has.” She adds. 

You’ve known about Yelena’s feelings for a while now and you’d be lying if you didn’t feel something different with her than you do with Natasha. What you share with Natasha is something you’ve struggled with; you love the time you have with her, but you noticed just how different she is with you compared to Yelena. Maybe all you and Natasha were was a casual hook-up to keep one another distracted of the world you both lived in, maybe you tried too hard to convince yourself to have deeper feelings for the boss, these were thoughts that rang through your mind while Natasha made herself comfortable on the leather sofa. 

“You have every right to be mad with me” Natasha adds, drawing your attention back to her. 

“Mad with you? I could never be mad with you” you smile softly to assure her, “I’ll never understand truly what you and I share but I know I’ll miss it, and I’ll miss you” you add.

“I’m not going forever” Nat returns the soft smile, “I’m sure Alexei will fuck something up” she adds causing you both to chuckle. 

“I’m sure Yelena will keep him in his place” you replied. Natasha nodded in agreement before your office went silent once more, “are we okay?” She asks. You took a deep breath in before giving her an answer, “yeah, we’re okay”

“I’m glad, because I still need you regardless of if I am here or not. I need somebody to keep an eye on Yelena” Natasha jokes once more just to hear you laugh. 

----

With Natasha settling into things in Mexico, the workload didn’t seem so high. Although Yelena had meetings lined up all of next week, you kept working on a side hustle in hopes it would strike interest for the blonde. Using your skills, you heard word about a rival mob planning to move some military trade weapons, you made sure to have all the facts before presenting the idea to Yelena. The weapons could easily be sold to connections that Yelena had in Russia, a quick easy few million dollars to add to the accounts. 

Yelena was puffing on a cigar on the balcony when you approached her, almost startling her when you leaned against the railing overlooking the pool beside her. “I’ve got a little gift for you” you said, smirking at her. 

“Oh yeah?” Yelena replied, looking over at you. 

“You can have it on one condition” you tease, watching her put her cigar out. She never liked to smoke around others. 

“I’m listening” she said, turning slightly to face you better as you looked into her eyes.

“That you tell me what you wanted to tell me before Nat left last week” 

Yelena’s eyes dropped slightly as a smile tugged at her lips, “you really want to go there?” She asked. 

“Go where? I have no idea what you’re talking about” you teased her once more as she looked up at you, running her tongue over her bottom lip, “I’d rather skip that and get straight to the point”

“And what would that point be?” You questioned, feeling Yelena rest a hand on your hip, gently pulling you closer to her, “that Natasha never loved you the way I do, and I’ve been waiting a very long time to call you mine” she confessed. 

“Then do it” you said softly, “call me yours” 

With a soft smile, Yelena lent forward, capturing your lips with hers and only deepening the kiss when you kissed her back. The side hustle plan forgotten about, the world of crime non-existent just for the moment until Yelena pulled back ever so slightly, “I’m yours” she said in a soft whisper as you smiled, “and I’m yours” you replied.

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[balancethescales]

thinking about the specific moments where the berzatto family falls in love with sydney (because of course they do, everyone does).

for richie, it takes the end of the beef and right up till the opening of the bear to happen. he is full of contempt and grief when he meets her and all he knows is that when he looks at her face he is afraid. he doesn’t like that feeling. richie is not a man who finds himself fearful a lot, but she is everything he is not and nothing that he is and he hates himself for it. if she is what it means to be passionate, then what is he? is he nothing but an empty shell of mikey, stuck on earth to shake his fist at passing clouds, because how dare they move and continue on like mikey was nothing to them, as if he wasn’t the very point that the earth revolved around? everyone is leaving him behind, and she is proudly leading the pack. it’s not right. but then— he gets it. he talks to garrett and jess and chef terry and he sees sydney in every corner of that restaurant. the fear slowly is replaced with respect as the week goes on and he realizes that just because she’s good doesn’t mean she’s out to get him. that’s the berzatto upbringing in him doing the talking, but it doesn’t have to, because shes a berzatto now, maybe not officially (not yet, but mark his words, she will be) but she is, and that’s not how she does things. so, he lets her lead them into the future to something good and different and better.

for sugar, it’s instant. she was born to a mother who is triggered by her very existence, and it has hurt her all her life. she is full of love and the one person she wants to give it to the most doesn’t want any part of it. she was born to give but is surrounded by those who are afraid to even take it, to reach out their hand and meet her in the middle. and if they cant take then they themselves have nothing to give, so she gets used to being the one who has to force feed her love down their throats, because if no one does, if no one shows them that they are worthy of good things, then they will crumble (“if i just talked to him more—” “no, nat—” “if i had just—” “it’s not your fault, honey. it’s never been.”). but when she meets sydney, it’s like looking into a mirror. she sees her bright eyes and soft smiles and careful but strong hands and instantly recognizes her for what she is: a giver. and sugars heart swells with even more love than she thought possible, because finally, she’s not alone— there is someone else there to slowly, albeit subconsciously, take care of her crumbling family, to show them that despite what their mother may have taught them, its okay to not be okay (she tries her best not to cry when syd asks her if shes okay, but she does. and syd doesnt grab her face or yell at her or call her stupid. she makes her a meal. and sugar cries some more).

for cicero, the love isn’t instant, and it’s not even entirely love. she is strong and she is assertive, but that also makes her naive and a very expensive risk. she makes him curious for what’s to come, intrigued by the way she doesn’t back down from carmy whose voice so often mimics the berzattos that came before him (“you’re better than this, kid.” “i don’t know what i am.” “whatever it is, it’s not this.”). she's self assured and knows her place in the establishment and is unafraid to let people know it. it’s a refreshing change of pace from mikey, who often resorted to intimidation to get his way, or carmy, who’s anxiety envelopes him and distracts him from what’s right there in front of him. but she is not them. she is focused and on track and is willing to put in the work to get what she wants. he doesn’t visit the bear often, only drops by once in a while to deliver bad news or to fulfill a favour or to just enjoy some good food, but when he does, she is always there, dedicated to ensuring that carmy and michaels, and now, her dream stays alive. she is good for his family, and he trusts her to keep the berzatto spirit alive.

for michelle, it’s quite simple. she always looked out for carmy, their little bear, so when she meets her it’s a family thanksgiving party at the bear and syd stumbles out of the kitchen, obviously frazzled and a little sweaty (“carmy, im not ready, i didn’t even change yet and the turk—” “don’t worry, tina will take care of it, you look great, they’ll love you, they just really wanted to meet you—”), but she’s smiling. she’s a little awkward when she introduces herself, and michelle finds herself endeared by her nervous ramble (“it’s, uh, really nice to meet you guys. sorry, i didn’t know that i was going to be pulled out of the kitchen so soon. uh, im sydney. yeah, i guess carmy already told you guys, huh? um. im sorry, how are you related to the family again? i mean, i dont want to offend but it’s just. uh. well, you guys are just very... normal?”) and she’ll laugh and look at stanley and the two of them will think to themselves, good job carmy, she’s a good one, before telling syd something dumb and nonsensical about a genetic mutation and richie interrupts to tell michelle it’s not a genetic mutation it’s called being boring and syd will laugh and michelle will too, truly happy that their little bear found someone normal, a breath of fresh air within the smoke of their family.

for donna, it’s weird. it’s tense. they don’t meet for a long time. they don’t meet at the bear when it first opens and not at the bear even when it has found it’s footing, but by chance. they are somewhere mundane (a grocery store, a park, or maybe just the street) and there is no other family member around when syd meets the berzatto matriarch. she only knows what donna looks like from photos at sugars house because carmys apartment is devoid of any actual sentiment (although that has begun to change since she made him get an actual dresser and he dedicated one of the drawers to her stuff). she calls out to her by her name, and donna turns around startled. she doesn’t recognize syd, of course, who introduces herself and informs her of who she is to the family. when donna smiles it’s not a real one, and syd knows this, but it doesn’t deter her. she tells donna that her kids love her (“even after everything, nat?” “she’s our mother. its all that we can do.”) and that her kids are great (“carmy, you are not broken.” “im a little broken.” “no, listen to me, the fact that you are still here, means something. its something.”) and that there will always be a table for her at the bear (“chef, someones calling in for a reso for 1 but we’re all full up… except for—“ “yo, dont finish that sentence. table 7 for ms. berzatto is an indefinite booking. is that understood?” “yes, chef”). donnas smile fades and her chest fills with anger but just as she’s about to explode in typical berzatto fashion syd interrupts her. she has faced the bear many a time before and has handled herself with grace and dignity everytime, so this is no different. she smiles brightly and thanks donna for listening to her and hopes she considers coming in, because she’d really like to cook for her. she looks like she needs a good meal. she deserves one. she turns and walks away. donnas stomach growls. that night, table 7 is occupied for the first time since the bear opened its doors.

and carmy? well, there isn’t an exact moment. its a culmination of awkward partnership (“i don’t want to be shitty.” “okay, then dont be.”) and flawless teamwork (“the menu needs—” “already on it, chef.”) and nights unwinding at the bar down the street (“of course you drink an old fashioned.” “what’s that supposed to mean?” “nothing, it’s just very… tortured-chef-from-the-slums-of-chicago of you”) and spontaneous phone calls just to hear the others voice (“why are you whispering?” “i… don’t know. my dads home. its a habit.” “you’re 27.” “and you’re white, you wouldn’t get it.”) till they’re just inseparable (“cousin, wheres carmy?” “with syd, duh.” “why'd i even ask?”). and then, sydney and carmen become something else. something tender and sweet and terrifying and beautiful all mixed together into… something. there’s no word for what they have. but it feels so right; to the guests who taste their food and recognize that the hands who put it together are full of love and care; to the staff at the bear who see the unspoken communication, the lingering touches, and their soft eyes that seem to always be on the other; to the berzatto family who notice that carmy looks a little brighter, and shakes a little less. yes, its love, but its so much more. it’s syd and carmy. it always has been, and always will be.

(“can i ask you something? something corny and lame and gross?” “always.” “when did you, like, know?” “know what?” “like, when did you know that you loved me? like, not as a chef or a friend, but as... y'know.” “that’s very middle school of you to ask.” “shut up, i did warn you.” “…” “so?” “its, uh, i don’t, i don’t know.” “well, that’s rude.” “no, i mean, i can’t say its one moment because... it was all of them. together. like, one moment you’re staging and then everything happened and, and, keeps happening but the next thing i knew you were there and you always were there and i just knew that i never wanted you to not be there.” “that’s…. really, really, disgusting, and frankly, a little unprofessional.” “oh, fuck off.” “no, like, i knew you were obsessed with me, but wow, that is a whole new other level.” “fuck you, get off of me, don’t touch me.” “no no no, please—” “i let you into my family—” “let me?” “into my restaurant—” “i think you mean OUR restaurant—” “only for you to humiliate me in my own bed? how dare you.” “…are you sulking?” “…” “…carmy?” “syd?” “me too.” “…heard, chef. now come back here.”)

(and it’s unspoken, but everyone knows that michael would’ve loved her too. i mean, she’s sydney fucking adamu, she conquered the bear. how could anyone not love her?)

[ciaomarie]

ESCAPING INTO A SHIP

So what exactly made me latch onto the Sydcarmy ship like a leech on a water buffalo?

It was unexpected (for me)! Yes, the very first meeting between Syd and Carm did make an impact. I thought "Oooh, what's this?!" However, Carmy was/is such a mess that I quickly dismissed it. And Sydney just seemed to want his professional approval and a partner in making something great after the soul-crushing failure of Sheridan. So, the first season I personally didn't feel a mutual sexual/romantic tension, more like an automatic respect and shared goals/passions. Sydney nor Carm were obviously trying to flirt. Most slow burns on TV are 100% obvious like a Jeanine and Gregory (Abbott Elementary), Nick and Jess (New Girl), Jake and Amy (Brooklyn 99), Jim and Pam (The Office)...Until Braciole Ep. 8 that is.

S. 1 Episode 8- I won't get into everything but Carmy was desolate. Yes, he became a psycho chef and two people quit in Ep.7. However, he mourned Sydney more than Marcus. She was in his flashback/nightmare (?), then the way he told Tina that she looked like Syd (the poor pup), him texting her before opening the note from Mikey, and finally the most gorgeous locked gaze scene since Pride and Prejudice (2005). The soft lighting, the music, the colors, the mind-reading...magical. I still didn't get it initially. Silly, blind me.

Mentorship where??? Season 2 Carm and Syd's "mentorship" dynamic is pretty much over. They are true partners and spending more time together. They're dressing alike even when not in uniform, finishing each other's sentences or talking in unison. Sydney is opening up more of herself and Carm is asking to know more. They use the ASL sign for sorry with each other and no one else until ep 10. Then there's that locker scene in ep. 1 or 2, when they almost hang out just cause. However, Carmy misses the moment and there's the return of the kicked pup face. Before being on the ship I was delighted with all of their scenes and was looking forward to the food tour. They just ROCK together on screen.

Classic Love Triangle- Who's Claire? She's "Claire Bear", the prototypical "cool girl", who is willing to chase an socially awkward, wrong-number-giving man, despite being a pretty ER resident with no shortage of options. Did a CW writer get hired? Anyways, why was her presence used almost exclusively to put strain on Carmy and Sydney's relationship instead of The Bear generally? We could have had scenes with Nat, Richie, and Marcus arguing with Carmy about him being distracted due to Claire. They saved 99% of that for Sydney. They CHOSE to insert her in between or just after scenes with him and Claire. Showing Sydney's tattoos and her getting dressed with the stained chef's coat juxtaposed with them was WILD.

I LOVE that both believe their interpersonal problems are solely about The Bear/business partnership. In most "slowburns" the characters are far more conscious and actively work to keep things platonic. Jeremy might be a smidge aware that Sydney means more to him after the panic attack, but I bet he's shoved it down. All he knows afterward is that being with Claire feels wrong hence ignoring her call and recommitting to SYDNEY. He could of said "You all/This/The Bear deserve my full focus etc..." He was also nagged into greeting Claire at Friends and Family, seemed anxious when Fak brought her up right before The Table scene, and also while explaining that "she's great" to Sydney. He was at peace when focused on Sydney in the moment below.

The actors: Jeremy and Ayo's real life friendship is warms my soul and their chemistry onscreen is amazing. DON'T WASTE IT!!!

Jeremy smolders on screen. I want to see Carmy continue to stare, yearn, fall, then eventually confess and for Sydney to reciprocate his feelings. Anyhoo, does anyone else melt when Carm means business?! They do this twice in season one and it's not good for me. Whew, I need to clean my whole house or run a few miles.

Finally, there's so many other parallels between these two. They are fearful avoidants, have a missing or dead parent, jacked up stomachs, use sarcasm, but are generally very earnest, they struggle with anxiety, are compassionate, are perfectionists, peace-makers, give people multiple chances, are workaholics...so much more. A lot of that is also ME, lol.

Sydcarmy is my Roman Empire. I love them as much as you can fictional characters and they deserve the most tender, angsty, triumphant, romantic best-friends to more love story.

[techs-goggles9902]

Hi. I read that you're in your Captain Rex phase, so for a request, how about he x F! Kix's assistant doctor where is her birthday and Hardcase, Fives and Jesse convince her to celebrate on 79s. She doesn't drink, so when she does this for the first time she ends up confessing her feelings for Rex to his brothers and at that moment he listens. Rex takes her home and takes care of her. And maybe when she's sober they can talk about it, and she finds out that Rex feels the same way about her. ♥️

I Like You - Rex/f!medic reader

REQUESTS ARE OPEN! SEE MASTERLIST FOR DETAILS. I WRITE FOR ALL LISTED FANDOMS BTW

Warnings: alcohol, mentions of syringes (but not used, just thrown away)

Word count: 1544 (dialogue heavy)

A/N: sorry I took a few days! It took me a while to figure out how to write this since I’ve never drank or anything, so a lot of googling! I hope this is what you meant! I’d be happy to rewrite it if you’re not happy!!! ❤️

“Stitches!”

You turn at the call of your name. Well, nickname. Ever since the Republic needed more medics and you came into the 501st family, that’s been your name. The men gave each other names, and they saw fit to give you your own.

“Fives, hey. Did you need somethin’?” You ask as you pick up another discarded syringe from underneath a gurney. The last battle was brutal, with so many fatalities. So many men. Troopers. Friends. Brothers.

“What, I can’t just come and say hi to my favorite medic for no apparent reason?” He smirks. You give him a look.

He folds, “Fine. Well… ‘Case and Jesse told me it was your birthday. Why didn’t you tell us?”

“I didn’t want to make a fu-”

“Don’t lie. I know how you and the other nat-borns avoid birthdays around us. It’s not like we’ll get offended, Stitch. It’s your birthday!” Fives grins and shakes your shoulders enough to make you smile back.

You give him that little shy smile of yours and his gaze softens from excited to empathetic.

“Can we take you out tonight? Not as a date, of course. You have someone in mind for that, don’t you, Stitch?” He waggles his eyebrows at you.

“Shhh! Shut up, we don’t talk about that…”

“Okay, fine. But, please, Stitch? Hardcase and Jesse would be devastated. You don’t want to crush their hearts, do you? Do you?”

“Oh, Fives, you… Fine! I can’t take your begging and pleading. You’re buying,” you say with a grin, walking away to discard the syringe. Fives follows you.

“We have a couple hours until we get home, so… Uh… Do what girls do,” he says.

“Okay, okay! Get out of here already, Maker…” You laugh as Fives hugs you from behind and runs out of the medbay before you can throw anything at him.

Why did I even say yes? I’ve never even touched alcohol and now I’m surrounded by it. I swear, if I’m dragged back to the barracks, I’m killing all three of those idiots.

“Stitch! Over here!” You’re called from a small booth in the back of 79’s. You’ve been to this bar a multitude of times over your two year career in the 501st, but you’ve ever had a drink here. You were, as Hardcase calls it, the designated driver.

You approach the booth, weaving between drunk troopers, their civilian dance partners, and server droids. Fives, Hardcase, and Jesse already had drinks in their hands as you slid in the booth next to Jesse.

“Finally made it. Ordered you a drink,” Hardcase says with his little grin.

“Too kind, good sir,” you retort, shoving Jesse to give you more room in the booth. He shoves back with a smirk.

The server droid quickly delivers your drink, a colorful cocktail with various sugary fruits on skewers balancing on the rim of the glass.

“How can you guys even afford this?” Your jaw goes slack at the sight of the drink.

“Bill it to the Republic!” Fives yells, raising his own glass in the air. Hardcase and Jesse reciprocate, thrusting their glasses in the air, spilling a bit of its contents on the table top.

“Sure, sure, yeah,” you giggle, slightly raising your glass so you don’t knock off the fruits.

It started with the cocktail. Then a few shots of Spotchka. Then some Corellian ale you’ve seen in holo-commercials. The four of you couldn’t even walk straight, but did it matter? It was your birthday and your first time experiencing the feeling of alcohol flowing through your veins.

The buzz kept you upright, kept you awake, kept you partying.

What if he was here… heh, we’d have fun… A lot of fun.

“So, who’s this mystery man we’ve had to hear so much about, Stitch?” Hardcase slurs.

“Oh my Maker… He’s. So. Fine. No, seriously, you don’t understand, ‘Case. And, he’s so nice…” you sigh dreamily.

“Oh, it’s me?” Jesse laughs.

“No… c’mere,” you beckon, the three clones leaning in with wide eyes. “It’s Rex.”

“Ha! I knew it! Stitch likes Rex!” Fives cackles, raising his empty glass in the air. Hardcase’s eyes go wide and he nudges Fives’ ribs with his elbow and points to something, or someone, behind you, in front of them.

“Wha… Oh. Hey, Captain… Didn’t know you were gonna be here…” Fives says, quickly lowering his arm, his face turning a deep scarlet.

Your breath stops halfway to your lungs, your blood running cold. Did he just say captain-

“Different Rex, of course. You know, that one dude… He’s uh… Over there somewhere…” Hardcase quickly says, pointing somewhere across the dimly lit bar. Fives and Jesse turn their attention there as well, all murmuring under their breath about the nonexistent other Rex.

“Okay, I think Stitch has had a bit too much to drink tonight. You’re obviously not getting home by yourselves anytime soon,” Rex says, curling his fingers around your upper arm and easing you to your feet.

“Rex, I, uh…”

“Stitch, don’t worry about it. Let’s get you home, yeah? Let you sober up for the night,” Rex gently pulls you away from the booth, the drunk trio of clones still trying to point out the different Rex. None of them notice as Rex takes you out the backdoor.

“What’s your passcode?” Rex asks as he comes to a stop at the door of your apartment, ready to type in your code.

“7-5-6-7,” you recite, your cheeks burning a bright pink. Rex raises his brows with a little chuckle and pulls you inside, shutting the door behind you.

“Let’s get something non-alcohol related into your system. You have water in the conservator?” He asks, gently pushing you onto a kitchen chair.

“Mmhmm.”

He finds a bottle of water and a ration pack, opens both, and places them in front of you.

“I want them both gone,” he firmly says as he slides in the seat across from you. He watches, making sure you eat and drink everything. “Happy Birthday, by the way.”

He said Happy Birthday to me. He said Happy Birthday to me. He said Happy Birthday to me. He said-

“Thanks.”

Once the ration pack is eaten and the glass is empty, Rex cleans up, ordering you to the bedroom. You sit on the bed, not wanting to go and find your pajamas, not wanting to clean off your makeup.

“C’mere,” his soft voice coos. It’s music to your ears, the way his accent makes him pronounce the sounds just a tad differently.

He grabs a wipe from your adjacent bathroom and gently wipes away the cosmetic gunk you painted on your face. You just barely hear him whisper, “Don’t see why you need it. You’re beautiful without it.”

The words bring warmth to your chest, butterflies to your stomach, happy thoughts to the mushy thing between your ears. He called me beautiful…

He turns away as you change into just your undershirt, hiding the rest of your body beneath the covers of your bed.

“Ah ah! Not on the stomach or back. Your side, Stitch,” he says, turning around and pushing you onto your side, piling pillows to keep you in position.

“But what if I like sleeping on my tummy?” You ask, trying to roll over to face him. He sighs.

“And you think I’m a difficult patient?”

“But… What if I get uncomfy?”

“Hon, lie still, please.”

“Bu-”

“No.”

You pout, jutting out your bottom lip. Rex smiles. “You’re cute like this. Get some sleep, Stitch.”

He called me cute…

Waking up with a skull crushing headache made you rethink going out in the first place. The nausea hits you as you sit up, your head spinning. The Coruscant sun spills through your translucent curtains, illuminating your bedroom.

The sounds of passing speeders whirling past your windows are muted by the durasteel walls. Someone, a man, sits in the chair beside your window, his face is slowly revealed as the sun rises higher.

Rex… he stayed with me… Aw, he’s sleeping…

“Mmm… Finally ‘wake…” he says, his husky voice laced with sleep. His eyes crack open and his drowsy hazel irises look upon yours. “Feeling okay?”

“Did… Did you sleep there?”

“Mmhmm… I didn’t wanna intrude. It’s your bed,” he says, rubbing his eyes with his calloused hands. “But how do you feel?”

“Hungover, I guess.”

“First time?”

You nod. “About what I said last night…”

“Hey, no. Don’t apologize, okay? I… like you, as well, Stitch,” Rex says, coming over and sitting beside you on your bed, the mattress dipping beside you.

“I- What? You do?” Your eyes widen, everything that happened, every little thing he cooed in your ear the previous night, all of it comes back. He called you cute. Beautiful.

He nods, wringing his hands in his lap, a shy smile tugging at his lips. He turns slightly to face you, the two of you subconsciously leaning in. Your lips part as your eyes drift down to his own lips, his tongue quickly wetting them.

“I really like you, Stitch…” He murmurs as he leans in closer.

“I really like you, to-” You’re shut up by his lips pressing against yours.

Maybe I won’t kill the idiot trio, afterall…

Taglist: @will-is-silly @fionajames @sevdidntdie @hellhound5925 @dangraccoon @skellymom

Please lmk if you want to be added or taken off the taglist!

Dividers by @ saradika

[toska-writes]

Heyy could you maybe write another fives x platonic reader your stories are so good I binge read all of them

Wooo I love when I see you all binge reading on my posts!

“Keep your head up”

Read here on ao3: (✩)

Summary: After being rescued from some seppies Fives try’s to help you accept and love your newly acquired scars

Paring: Fives x GN padawan reader (Yes everyone it is PLATONIC)

Warning: Mentions of scars and injuries. Insecurity’s but Fives will make it all better

Word count: 713- and be so proud because I actually proof read

Notes: Don’t worry this is just a hold me over, an appetizer if you will, for a longer fic I plan to write later. Also there could be a part 2 to this with Alpha-17 maybe if your interested

He watched as the rest of his brothers started to exit the ship for their quick supply run on the rainy planet of Kamino, however Fives hung back with a quick nod from his general.

Rain pounded all around him as Fives waited for a moment before he saw your figure walking towards him, you made your way over to him a limp still present in your strides.

Fives or Rex normally volunteered to wait for you since it’s been a slow recovery since your last encounter with the separatist. With much begging Anakin finally let you come back with them on this mission.

And so far Fives could safely say that senators were dicks.

“You ok sir?” Fives asked as you came to a stop next to him.

You gave a small ‘Mhm’ as you kept your gaze trained to your boots. You’ve been getting a lot of that lately and you just wished thing were like they use to be.

Fives planted a firm hand on your shoulder making you glance up for a moment, he wouldn’t say anything but he could tell something was up.

His gloved hand traced over the raise red skin on your face, the stitches helped stop the bleeding but it still looked irritated and gnarly.

“I mean did you see what that senator was wearing? He couldn’t even talk.” Fives quietly spoke to you. You let out a small laugh and rolled your eyes.

“He did look stupid.” You thought back to a few hours ago.

Fives was taken aback almost with the searing white flurry of rage he felt in that moment when a senator made a comment about his commander. His vod’ika. About their appearance.

He looked over to where Jesse was stationed next to him, one of his hands were held in tight fists while the other hovered just over his blaster.

Rex took a step closer to you. If looks could kill the senator would be long gone from all of the men present. Fives didn’t need the force to sense that everyone was livid and Anakin was ready to explode.

“What if people are scared, what if those cadets don’t like me?” Your small question brought him back to reality.

Fives let out a small laugh of his own as you looked at him with wide eyes. Oh how he wished he could erase all the doubt from your mind.

“First off kriff what they think.” Fives brought your face into his hands being carful not to hurt you. His tone became serious and you listened closely.

“Second of all do you know how much respect you’ll get from all those men in there? You saved some of their brothers by getting those scars and your not a shiny nat-born now. Alpha-17 is going to go crazy because that’s what he wants to see in the brothers he trains.” Fives smiled at you as he wiped a tear.

“And it makes you look like a total badass.” He added

You laughed now wiping your eyes with the sleeve of your robe. The pair started to walk off of the ship and through the hanger.

“You think so?” You still spoke unsure.

“Oh of course, I mean you look way more intimidating now. Kinda like Wolffe.” Fives thought about his older brother and commander for the 104th. A shiver shot down his spine.

“I do don’t I.” You looked up to Fives with a smile on your face, a smile he hasn’t seen since the days before that mission. It felt like lifetime ago.

“Just keep your head up.” Fives lightly tapped the underside of your chin. “Everyone’s going to be blown away. Your one of the most skilled people I know. And if they are hooked up on this,” He gestured. “Then clearly they aren’t looking hard enough at you.”

You and Fives walked side by side into the stark white halls of Kamino. The pride he felt for you was through the roof, the familiar bounce in your step returned as met up with the others.

You knew you had Fives and all the other men to make sure you were all right. A personal posse of hype-men at your deposal, and you were forever grateful.

_____________________________________

@arctrooper69 @thereforepizza @padawancat97 @pb-jellybeans @floffytofu

[spywhitney]

Thoughts on ships in The Bear

Sydcarmy (Sydney x Carmy)

I filtered out the tag weeks ago and I haven't undone it yet 💀.

98% of posts on my page in the last 6 months or so is to do with this ship- I've had a lot of thoughts about it.

S3 soured my opinion on it, and I've seen some eyebrow raising opinions emerge after s3 that are kind of wild, but sobering I guess?

But unfortunately I've hyperfixated on this ship now so I won't let go until it's over. So yikes for me I guess.

Like I've invested so much attention to it and the odds are looking terrible, but I hope it works out anyway?!?!

Sydrichie (Sydney x Richie)

It's the older man/younger woman trope. That's all it takes for me lol.

I read these fics when I'm tired of the above ship lowkey.

Their dynamic is so interesting to me.

If there weren't so many ****** **** ball sucking/suit licking on Richie while simultaneously trashing on Syd I'd like it a lot more (probably).

I was going to say how Richie treated Syd in s1 is what turns me off too, but I ship Syd with Carmen so, welp.

If they got together it would piss so many people off. Like the hater in me is cry-laughing thinking about how upset certain people would be lmao.

Wish we saw more of them in s3, it would've made so much sense too.

Sydmarcus (Sydney x Marcus)

Um, are the sydmarcus shippers even alive?

Y'all were done dirty. Y'all didn't deserve that man.

I never got the impression Syd liked Marcus however, but still.

If she did, they would've been so cute, like omg.

Marcus has had Syd's back the most and is arguably the only friend she has.

He treats her like a friend/overtly asked her out as more than a friend too etc etc.

The fact Syd didn't even acknowledge the fact Marcus made a dessert and named it after her is wild though.

Their dynamic has a healthy balance of reciprocation, exercised respect and care.

Obviously there are some that insist they should('ve) got together because they don't want sydcarmy which is ridiculous.

Then there's the "Syd deserves better" crowd which while I understand and somewhat agree, I also believe people choose what they deserve, so that's her business lowkey.

Saying all that I'd be all over Marcus. He's passionate, fine as hell and he's super chill?! Already climbing that man personally.

Claircarmy (Claire x Carmy)

I don't care about Claire, so it's hard to care about the relationship.

As much as the Claire hate is entertaining to me (and very valid points have been made about her), I'm pretty neutral on her for the most part.

I will say, the fact that their relationship has been shown to be perfect up until the s2 finale and Carmy calling her a waste of time was all it took for her to walk away is hilarious.

Like, if you can't deal with Carmy saying one mean thing about you, you're not ready to be with him girl lol (especially when compared with--)

The show pushes this a lot so if they're endgame fine, I just want that plot point to be done my goodness.

Carmrich (Carmy x Richie)

I've read a couple of fics and woah?

I like this quite a bit.

Their dynamic is so engaging in the fics I've read.

I almost feel like I don't appreciate their relationship enough in the show.

Sydluca (Sydney x Luca)

Kind of yummy if it was endgame, eh if otherwise.

I'm being dramatic, see my post here for more context.

The actor is british so maybe my bias is showing with this ship ngl.

He's one of the few actors I recognised also.

They look kind of cute, or whatever.

Fak x Richie

They have moments for sure.

I get it.

Marcus x Luca

I never saw this honestly.

To me, it was feel-good to just see a black man eagerly learning in a healthy environment.

I want Marcus for me though, like I said so lol.

Nat x Pete

They're canon.

They go well together, though I will say I don't have a strong opinion on them.

I guess since we don't see any significant conflict with them/they're very stable there's not a lot of emotional weight?

Nat x Richie

I felt some vibes here and there, you know?

They're sweet.

Richie x Jess

It would make sense as a part of Richie's arc.

Funny how some people that ship them based on a couple of looks hate sydcarmy with 3 seasons worth of interactions though.

Michael x Richie

I feel like I'd like this like camrich, but also it might break my heart, so idk if I want to see what's up.

Marcus x Chester

Chester was chill, shame he only got two seconds in s3.

Knowing Marcus had someone outside the restaurant who's supportive was comforting.

Tina x David

They were adorable in "napkins".

Makes sense they're married irl.

Tina x Michael

Felt a vibe for a split second when she talked about him in s1 ngl.

If she didn't have a husband atp--

Sydney x Claire

I think I saw a fic with this on ao3. Don't care about Claire, so you know.

Richie x Tiff

Clearly there's still love there, shame with what happened to them.

Carmy x Luca

I don't see why not.

Carmy x Chef David

😳 I mean, I get the appeal but in the context of the show, yikes. (Not that I haven't shipping something "worse").

[bearsinpotatosacks]

If anyone wanted to know the ideas I have for the Bear, here's the list so far

Current WIP: Richie, after everything failing and falling apart in s3, after how tired he is, and how he thinks he's alone, spirals. Syd's leaving, the Bear gets a bad review, Jimmy pulls the funding and it's looking like they’re going to close. He can't take losing everything again, he can't take being the one to put everyone back together again.

So one night, he writes everyone letters and tries to end his own life. He ends up calling the paramedics and we see the immediate aftermath of Tiff getting the call as she's next of kin, her telling Frank, telling Eva and telling the staff of the Bear. The staff trying to visit but Richie only letting Nat in as she knew the most about how tired he was and how alone he felt. Very angsty, also abstract at the moment as I'm writing particular scenes but am finding it hard to connect them

A follow on from this is: The Bear closes and most people move to the new restaurant, or the Bear reforms as something new. Richie and Jess start dating. She unlocks a hidden side to Richie that even he didn't really think about, his more submissive side that likes someone else taking control, likes just doing what he's told and getting praise, likes things getting rough because he trusts her. He gets a massive bruise on his neck when they go a little further than usual and everyone’s concerned. He ends up embarrassingly having to tell people he's a kinky bitch

A more fleshed out idea: Richie and Syd are closing up when he spots someone about to break in. He hides Syd in the walk in and faces the intruders who hit him around a bit, try to rob the place, then smack his head against the bar when he tells them there's no cash on the premises (something tells me people pay beforehand when booking or they're card only). He tries to fight them when they get distracted but ends up being shot and they run away with his phone. Syd's been messaging Carmy, who rushes back to find Richie unconscious and Syd in the walk in. Richie goes loopy with blood loss as they try to stop the bleeding and keep him awake, awakening Carmy to their secret relationship. They get him to hospital, he has surgery, and there’s a lot of talking done while they wait for him to get out.

And a new one from today: Syd returns to the Bear after realising that Shapiro's offer is good on paper, Carmy becomes a hands off boss to let himself heal. Syd and Richie start dating, 2 years later they go to the James Beard Award Ceremony as they were nominated, she forgets her birth control snd ends up pregnant. A few fics follow her realising she wants the baby, them telling her dad, Nat, Carmy and Tiff, them telling the crew at the Bear when it's getting hard to hide as her chef blouse thing doesn't fit anymore, her and Richie arguing over names, her having an induced labour and c-section that goes wrong and ends up with her needing an emergency hysterectomy, people visiting after the birth, and the baby's christening

Then some more brief ones

Richie gets ill and people look after him, wrote about this here

Richie’s parents visit the Bear, wrote this post about it pre-season 3 so there's some adjustments but it's mostly the same

A follow on from the fic I posted where Syd tells Carmy about the offer, starts having a panic attack, Richie calms her down then has a massive argument with Carmy where he reveals a lot of personal shit that he's never gone into from the last months of Mickey’s life to Carmy showing up at the Bear

Richie gets Syd over to help him batch cook and they fuck about it

Syd helps cater Eva’s birthday party and has to dress up as a princess so comes in as Tiana, Richie's wearing some fake alligator suit as the alligator from the Princess and the Frog

[kvhasproblems]

Boy Next Door Part 2

Series Masterlist, Main Masterlist

Part 1 - Part 3

Summery: My whole life seemed to be perfectly planned out for me, the perfect family, the perfect house with a white picket fence, the perfect boy next door… the only problem is I can’t seem to take my mind off my best friend…

Warnings: Severe homophobia, discussion of weight and eating, reader has comphet, like hella slurs, super shity moms (I don’t think anyone has good parents in this show), bullying.

A/N: lol sorry this took so long I was putting off editing. Also I literally couldn’t think of a good reference so I just said Annie Wilkes but ignore how it doesn’t really fit.

Word Count: 2301

Very subtle background Jackie/Shauna and Lottie/Nat

At 15, I stopped hanging out with most of the friends my Mother picked for me. It was early September, soccer tryouts were coming up, and I was stuck eating lunch with Amy, Jessica and Angela. Shauna had gone to join the poetry club, and even though Jackie hated poetry, she couldn't let Shauna do anything on her own.

"I'm glad to see that Brandy's still ugly, too many people lost weight this summer." Angela sighed, pushing food away from her dramatically. I could see Jess immediately become self-conscious of the amount of food on her plate as she stared and moved it around with her fork.

They droned on about boys and diets and other topics my Mother begged me to care about, but I honestly couldn't care less, so I tuned them out, humming or nodding when they looked at me for my agreeance. It was only a few moments later when I spotted her walking into the cafeteria with Tai and Lottie. Van was only really friends with the girls on the team.

"Big surprise, the trashy dyke is still a trashy dyke." Amy preened as the other two girls let out malicious laughter. I felt my heart stop in my chest as my eyes whipped from Van to them.

"Wait, are you talking about Van?" I forced out, the crushing weight on my chest making it hard to breathe.

"I get you're on a soccer team with her, but come on Y/n, there is no way you don't see it." Jess seemed to taunt me.

"Omg, I bet she stares at you guys in the showers." The gaggle of girls burst into more laughter and mean comments, and I was seeing red.

"SHUT UP!" I stood up violently, slamming my tray down. "JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!" My breathing calmed down enough to hear how silent the whole room had gotten. The room seemed to be constricting my breathing as all the eyes seemed to track my every movement. I swayed for a moment, almost unsure how to proceed, but their words echoed in my head enough for me to know that I was done.

"You are horrible people. Truly horrible people, and one day I hope you stop hating yourselves so fucking much so you can stop making other people feel the way you do." I spit the words into their faces before I grabbed my bag and made a run for the doors. I heard a few sets of footsteps follow behind me, but I really didn't care. I just wanted to be alone to have some quiet.

I almost ran to the girls' bathroom before realizing that it was the worst place to be if you wanted to be left alone, so I went to the next best place. The change room. No one was using it because it was lunch, and the benches brought me a sort of comfort.

I was really only sitting for a few moments before I heard muffled whispers behind the door. It slowly creaked open as blue eyes peeked around the door to meet mine.

"Can.. can I come sit?" Van asked with a small smile. It seemed like all my words tumbled out during my outburst, so I just nodded.

Van came and sat beside me the way she has been recently, not too close but close enough, my knee sometimes touching hers, sending a sort of electric shock through my body.

"Sooo… you wanna tell me why you went all Annie Wilkes back there?" Van asks, slipping in a reference to the movie she showed me last week.

My heart dropped in my chest as their words came to the surface of my mind while I stared into her kind blue eyes that never fail to make someone smile.

"They are just assholes," I mumble out, unable to muster up the courage to tell Van what they said about her. "I hated being friends with them, and I'm just done with it."

"Well, good riddens." She said in a surprisingly good Southern accent. "I guess this just means more you have hang out with me more." She seemed to joke, but her gaze felt oddly serious. She bumped her knee into mine as she spoke, and I tried to ignore the butterflies that seemed to find their way to my stomach.

I wanted to say I was surprised when kids giggled and whispered as I walked down the halls the next day, but I wasn't. I know exactly what type of people Jess, Amy and Angela are. It wasn't until Jackie was suddenly grabbing my wrist and yanking me down the halls to the bathroom that I realized it might be worse than their normal, stupid little rumours.

"Ow! What the heck Jackie!" I snapped while rubbing my wrist. Shauna was going around checking the stalls to make sure no one was eves dropping. Once Satisfied with her search, she stood by the door as if to stop someone if they were to walk in.

"Polly said she heard from Bella, who heard from Alex, who heard from Ted, who heard from Allison, who heard from-"

"Wait, Polly heard from who?" I cut Jackie off, already confused.

"Polly said she heard from Bella who heard from- Oh never fucking mind, someone's spreading a rumour that you…" Jackie stumbled for a minute, looking to Shauna for help.

"That… that you slept with Coach Martinez to make sure you got a spot on Varsity this year." Shauna rushed out all in one breath.

"And so that Tai and Lottie would stay on JV so you could be a star player." Jackie finished for Shauna. If it was any other situation, Shauna would have ranted to you about how even though she works just as hard (and has better footwork by a mile), she's never included with Tai, Lottie, Jackie and I. No matter what she does, she always seems to fade into the background.

But it was not the time, and Shauna knew that it didn't matter what Jess, Amy and Angela thought of her soccer playing because they were trying to hurt me not her. Trying to turn my friends against me, making the whole school think I'm something I'm not. Possibly ruining whatever chance I had of making it to Varsity. My face went white, and my blood felt red hot; it seemed to burn my entire body from the inside out.

"Everyone knows that if you do make Varsity this year, it's because you ruled club this summer, not because you ‘slept’ with Coach." Shauna tried to reassure me with soft eyes and a pitying smile.,

"Plus, everyone knows you haven't even kissed Steven yet so there's no way in hell you'd sleep with a gross grown man." Jackie seemed to regret the words the moment she said them as I push past her violently and storm out of the bathroom, distinctly aware of the whispers as I pass.

I went directly to my first-period English and tried to drown myself in mellow dramatic poetry written by stupid men who could never understand what it's like to grow up a teenage girl in a small town, and at the moment, I wasn't sure anything could be worse.

The rest of the day seemed to drag on in a dream-like state, people's taunting stares and snide remarks nearly fading to background noise like the old lights that hummed in the classrooms. I dragged myself from class to class. Hiding in the bathroom instead of facing the cafeteria.

The final bell finally rang, and I'd never been happier in my life. For once, I actually wanted to go home. I pushed my way through the crowded halls to my locker, determined to get out of here in record speed when I saw her there. Standing in front of my locker, scanning the crowd with her beautiful blue eyes full of concern.

My heart stopped in my chest. I contemplated turning around and making a run for it while I still had time, but her eyes seemed to find mine like magnets. With my brain screaming run, I went up to my locker.

"Hey Palmer…" I mumbled out as she stepped aside so I could get to my locker.

"Hey lady, ruff day?"

"Something like that." I fiddled with my lock, messing up the code so I didn't have to look at her.

"Look, me and Nat are planning on heading to the creek later tonight if you wanna meet us there."

"What makes you think I wanna go to the creek with you and Nat." I snapped, immediately regretting it as I briefly saw the look on her face.

"Jeez, like I said, seems like you've had a ruff day, and I thought it might cheer you up, but ____ a girl for trying." She rolled her eyes, but there was no bite in her tone or the sweet, sickly pity that anyone else who came up to me had. "Teenaged girls are assholes, I think I know better than most people here."

How I got into this mess flashed before my eyes, and my gaze softened at once. I felt like an asshole.

"Yeah… look, I'm sorry for snapping at you, like you said.. shity day." My eyes met hers with a small smile, and her eyes lit up in that way that makes my heart flutter. "But yeah, I'm not doing much tonight so why not." Her smile widened

"Be there or be square lady."

To be completely honest, the creek always scared me a bit. The stories of missing girls and ghosts tales told at sleepovers and a strict mother had kept me far away from there until now. As I pulled my bike from the garage and biked past the perfect white fence that seemed to taunt me every time I saw it, I realized that I had no idea what people even did at the creek. I mean, the older kids threw parties, but I highly doubt that Van invited me to a party on a school night. Especially if this is to cheer me up.

I told my Mother I was going to Jackie's to do a group study for English. I knew that even if she called Jackie's mom, she wouldn't be there enough to answer the phone, the new pills she has strong enough to 'take away the toughest headache'. None of us missed the way that she looked at Jackie as she said that.

The closer I got to the creeks, the more my heart rate picked up, and I found myself almost giddy. The closer I got, the farther away my problems seemed to be. I chained my bike to a tree off the path and stood waiting. Van had called and told me to wait at the north side trail entrance at 7. I didn't know if I was early or if they were late as I stood waiting. It didn't really matter as they came to the clearing soon after, having walked as they lived closer than I did. I had never been to Van or Nat's house. Barely anyone has, and I think that Lottie is the only one who's ever actually been inside Nat's house at least.

"Hey guys." I tried to ignore the fluttering in my chest at the sight of them. (Again, this most definitely has absolutely nothing to do with Van)

"Hey, Y/n, sorry we're late." Van gave me a cheeky smile

"So, spot stealer, you ready?" Nat singsonged; she had no malice in her tone, but it still stung nonetheless. Van elbowed her hard in the ribs before giving her a dirty look.

"Too soon, my bad. It's not like anyone would believe that anyway. If they were trying to ruin your life, they should have come up with something a little more believable."

"Whatever… let's just get moving."

Any tension had melted away the moment Van had started talking about the girl who somehow got stuck at the bowling alley while she was working there that summer. No matter who was in the room, she seemed to enchant her works, making it irresistible to not burst out laughing at the climax of her stories. We'd been walking off the path along the creek for about 20 minutes. As the sun had almost fully set, small peaks of pastel orange slipped through the gaps in the trees.

Van led us to a bunch of large smooth rocks before sitting down. Nat sat on her left and me on Van's right. Nat pulled out a pack before passing one to me without a word. I hesitated slightly before grabbing it and the lighter.

"Since when do you smoke?" Van raised one eyebrow.

"I don't really, but at that party before school started, I sat with Nat out back."

"Oh, I thought you were with your stupid boyfriend all night." Though it came across as light-hearted, the look in Van's eyes lacked her normal sparkle, making the comment have a sort of bite to it.

"He's not my boyfriend!" I was quick to correct; it made my stomach feel achy, knowing that Van thought that. "And he's not stupid. He's just my friend."

Nat met my gaze with a knowing glance before staring at the way the water slid around the rocks in front of us. Part of me wanted to tell Van. But I'd much rather just drop the whole topic in general. Van seemed to catch on. She cleared her throat, digging at the dirt with a stick she found on the walkover.

"Did I ever tell you about the time that Nat got hit by a parked car?" A smile crept up onto Van's face as Nat groaned, shoving her lightly.

[ariadnes-red-thread]

HELLO!!!!

is me again hehe <3

lately, i've been thinking about how Jesse and how his strong devotion and loyalty translates into a relationship. so i was thinkingggggg, a scenario where Jesse needs to be walked of the edge of a heated situation and needs reassurance that he's it for reader. that he's the man reader wants to be with and will stand be his side.

can be either SFW or NSFW (with agender reader with female parts??? that would make me so happy) what ever is sparking your lovely imagination.

so appreciate and love and am grateful i found your beautiful writing and met such an amazing person <3

Mythos, my dear! Thank you so much for the ask!! I saw your second ask too and I hope I’ve done your beautiful request justice. Jesse is so passionate but that’s exactly what we love about him and the idea of being able to show him that when he was feeling insecure is exactly what he deserves! I completely got carried away with this and ended up writing over 2.5k words (although it’s never enough for Jesse!). I hope you like it! Thank you for celebrating with me, love!

Pairing: Jesse x GN!/Anatomically Female Reader

Warnings: General Creepiness, Threats of Violence, Canon-Typical content, Self-Doubt, Explicit Sexual Content *MINORS DNI*

You finally made it to the bar on a particularly busy night at 79’s. It was way more work than it should have been for a glass of water, but the dance floor that Jesse had kept you glued to all night was hot, and you were parched.

You could still see him through the crowd. His cog tattoo and shaved head helped him stand out among his identical brothers. That and you’d be able to spot his grin anywhere. He was in his civies tonight, a black t-shirt and his lone pair of jeans. Jesse always looked good, but you enjoyed your current vantage point and took a moment to check out the handsome man. You had only been on dating for a few months. Your friend had been hot and heavy with Fives since the moment she met the goateed clone. It had taken her a few tries to convince you to join them on a double date with one of his brothers who Fives insisted you’d like. You hadn’t been expecting much, not because you didn’t like Fives, but simply because you didn’t imagine someone like him could be your type. Jesse had swept you off your feet, though. You hadn’t admitted it to him yet, but you were falling fast. His endearing charm, constant sarcasm, lighthearted take on life, the passion that burned bright through him, and the kindness and understanding he always showed you made it easy to fall. You watched him move under the neon lights, and you felt a wide smile creep across your face. Jesse always seemed to put that smile there.

So it was Jesse and the lights and the music’s fault that you didn’t notice a crowd of people behind you until one of them stumbled into your back. You spun around, ready to apologize for taking up precious bar space before you realized it was a group of nat-borns. Instantly, your defense went up.

It wasn’t often that other civilians wandered into 79’s, and the ones that did were usually there to cause problems. So as you eyed up the stumbling rough and rowdy group, you didn’t have to go looking to know that they were likely trouble. Unfortunately, as Jesse often liked to remind you, with a deep laugh and elbow to your ribs, trouble usually came looking for you.

“Hey,“ The tallest one slurred as he looked you up and down. “Come here often?”

“Yup.” Your reply was curt, and you hoped they would take the hint when you turned back to face the bar.

Instead, a hand came to your shoulder.

“Hey, I was talking to you.” He was suddenly close, his breath rank and hot on your face as he yanked you towards. “You think you’re too good for us.”

“Don’t touch me.” You took a full step away as you warned him.

“Slummin’ it here with all these test tube freaks.” He closed in on you again. “Let me show you what a real man can do.”

You raised your hands, about to shove him backward, when a familiar arm slid over your shoulder. Despite your guard being up, you instantly knew who was next to you.

“Problem here?”

Your eyes didn’t move from the creep, but you could hear the eternal grin on Jesse’s face. You didn’t mistake the grin for carelessness. Instead, you knew it was just Jesse. He was always calm until he wasn’t.

“Ahh, I see. No problem.” The man stumbled back into his friends before muttering under his breath. “Freak fucker.”

“What did you call them?”

Your head snapped up at the sudden change in tone in Jesse’s voice. He wasn’t grinning anymore. His hand left your shoulder as he began to stiffen at your side. The man didn’t realize his mistake as he kept hurling insults your way.

“They’re just another slut for you meat droids. The Republic needs to end the war so they can take you all out with the trash.”

In split seconds, Jesse lept past you. He swung, his fist connecting with the creep’s jaw, sending him reeling backwards. He threw another jab, catching the man with a blow to the nose before he stumbled out of Jesse’s reach.

Your stomach dropped as one of the friends lunged for Jesse, whose gaze was still on the instigator. But never one to be caught off guard, Jesse side-stepped the second man in the same moment he spun, landing a uppercut into the man’s stomach.

You balled your fists, ready to follow Jesse when another hand came to your shoulder. You cocked a fist back but Kix’s voice found you before you could swing.

“You jump in, you just make it worse for him.”

You huffed in response. Kix wasn’t wrong. You knew Jesse could handle a few nat-borns by himself and he would only be distracted if you started to fight. Still, your fist stayed balled by your side.

In the next moment, a flash of red by the door caught your eye. The Courscant Guard was here. They were always close by on busy nights, keeping the peace however they had to. The three clones positioned themselves by the door. You recognized Thorn by his helmet. He posted himself in the corner, a shiny on either on side of him. You knew he wouldn’t intervene unless he had to, but if Jesse kept at it, Thorn wouldn’t have a choice.

Kix saw Thorn too. He set his jaw and dove into the fray. He emerged with an arm wrapped around Jesse’s waist, tugging the scowling man out of the scuffle. Kix turned, tossing his brother away from the seething nat-borns before he spun around to face them again.

“Get out.” Kix pointed to the door. “Or you’re going to have a lot more meat droids to deal with.”

The instigator snarled through a bloody nose and spit at Kix’s feet. Jesse yelled out and charged for the man again. You turned to face him, stepping into his path and putting your hands on his chest. Jesse looked down at you, his face instantly softening just a bit.

“Jesse - we’re leaving now.” The words were an order but your tone was gentle, hoping you could reach the part of him that had just relaxed under your palms.

He frowned, his eyes quickly back on his target. The men were rapidly retreating out the door, with side-glances thrown at the Guards in red. You felt Jesse twitch, like he wanted to chase after them.

“It’s okay, Jess.” Kix’s voice came from behind you now, calm and quiet. “Just let go it.”

“They’re not worth it.” You lifted one palm to Jesse’s face, laying it on his cheek with just enough pressure to coax him into looking at you. “Please, Jesse.”

His hand came up to your forearm, giving you a gentle squeeze.

“Okay,” The words were breathy as they left his mouth. “Okay, okay. You’re right.”

You lifted to meet his lips, capturing him in a quick, grateful kiss.

He exhaled as you pulled away, breaking the brief kiss. You ran your thumb along his cheekbone, tracing the lower rim of his tattoo. Then your hand fell to find his hand at his side.

“Let’s go home.”

You tugged him towards the exit. As you pulled Jesse out of the club, you threw on glance back to search over his shoulder, quickly finding the familiar eyes of Kix. He tilted his head in question, and you nodded in reassurance. He smiled back and raised his glass in a grateful salute before he turned back to the dancefloor. Jesse followed you to the door in a daze. The adrenaline of the fight had worn off, and he hung almost limp as he drifted behind you.

By the time you got back to your apartment, Jesse was almost catatonic. His lids hung heavy over his eyes as he sank onto the edge of your bed. He hadn’t said a word since you left 79’s. You were starting to get worried. Rather than press him to talk, you went to the kitchen and got a wet washcloth. Returning to find him unmoved in the bedroom, you knelt before him. Coaxing him to take off his shoes, you placed them next to yours at the end of the bed. Then you turned your attention to his bruised knuckles. Taking his calloused hand in yours, you started to dab at the scrapped skin.

“You… you don’t have to do that.” Jesse stuttered as he finally spoke.

“I’m happy to, Jesse.” You tried to smile up at him but his sleepy gaze had turned into a wide eyed stare and it caught you off guard.

“No, I mean you shouldn’t have to do that.” He yanked his hand out of yours.

You barely had time to wonder at his sudden movement before he was up on his feet, pacing across your small bedroom.

“Jesse, talk to me.” You kept your voice gentle, not out of fear but out of caring. You wanted him to know you were there for him.

“You deserve better, you know.”

You frowned but before you could protest, Jesse spoke again, never breaking his relentless stride.

“I’m sorry. I’m just a hothead. All I know is how to fight.” Jesse ran his fingers over his broken knuckles. “You deserve more than that.”

He finally stopped his pacing as he caught his form in the full length mirror that hung on your wall. His frown grew as he studied himself.

“Look at me.” His shoulders slumped and his eyes fell to the floor. “I was bred for this. Bred to be a soldier and that’s all I’ll ever be.”

You quickly clambered to your feet. He didn’t move from his position in front of the mirror. You stood behind him, savoring his closeness for a moment. You wrapped your arms around him at his waist and pulled him in tight to you.

“I love your fire, Jesse. I love that you’re a fighter.”

He let out a single dry laugh. It was so soulless, so unlike Jesse. You held him a little closer.

“Look at you, Jesse.” You settled your head on his shoulder, stretching to peer at your combined reflections. “You want to know what I see?”

He finally raised his head, hesitantly meeting your eyes.

“I see how passionately you care, how you love so strongly that you would go to war for those you care about. Your brothers know that. They love and respect you for that. But that fire isn’t all you are.”

“You can make me smile on the hardest of days. You keep calm in far more situations than you give yourself credit for. You like to pretend you don’t care but I can see how deeply you do.” You dug your fingers into his shirt, gripping his ribs, trying to convey how much you wanted him. “Don’t ever say you’re just a soldier. You’re so much more than that, Jesse.”

Jesse’s eyes were shining as his reflection stared back at you. He took your arm from his waist and tugged you in front of him, his eyes never leaving yours in the mirror. He wrapped his arms around your shoulders folding you into his warmth. You reached up and held onto his arms like he was the only liferaft in the sea. He started to grin again. You leaned your head back into him with a sigh and a smile.

“I’m so lucky to have met you.” Jesse murmured as he kissed the top of your head.

“We’re both lucky.”

You turned your head to lay a gentle kiss on his bicep. Out of the corner of your eye, you could see the smirk on his face widen just a little. He pressed a kiss to your neck. And then another. You tilted your head, giving him more access to your sensitive flesh. One of hands that laid across your chest searched out your pert nipple and began to tease it gently through the rough fabric of your shirt. You leaned back into him with a soft moan, grinding your hips against him, feeling him harden behind you. Jesse’s lips found your ear.

“Oh, cyare,” Jesse’s words were dark and husky. “You don’t know what you do to me.”

His other hand snaked its way down your front, finding the waistline of your pants. Jesse pushed the fabric aside, sinking one knuckle into your already wet center.

“See what you do to me.” You breathlessly muttered. “Jesse, I need you.”

His hands jumped to your waist to find the hem of your shirt. Gentle fingers traced a line up your side, gathering your shirt as he went. Jesse paused at your mid-waist and looked at you. You nodded, giving him permission to proceed. He whipped the top off of you in the next moment. You spun to face him, needy for the feeling of his skin on yours. You tugged at the ends of his shirt, and he quickly obliged. You ran your hands over his chest, savoring the warmth of his skin and the sturdy build of his muscles.

Jesse bent to meet you and quickly captured your lips in his, kissing you deeply. He still tasted like a hint of whiskey. His tongue swirled with yours in a bruising fury and you felt yourself craving more of him. You broke apart for a moment, both turning your attention to your pants. The last bits of clothing was quickly removed and kicked aside.

Jesse spun you around to face the mirror and then pressed his wide palm on the small of your back, coaxing you into bending over. You gave into his directions, bringing a hand to the wall on either side of the mirror. You felt him run his length along your aching slit. You let out a breathy moan as he brushed along your clitoris, your head falling and eyes closing at the glorious friction.

“Oh no, cyare,” Jesse’s back was suddenly pressed against you, and his hand was on your jaw. He guided your head back up so you were staring into his deep brown eyes.

“That’s it,” he nipped at your neck as he stood again, lining himself up. “Let me see those eyes.”

You stared up at him, meeting his dark look in the mirror. His pupils were blown. Jesse stood again, towering over you. You bit your lip as you studied the breathtaking man for the briefest moment.

Then he entered you. His member filled you, reaching your furthest depths at this angle. The ache of being so full was quickly replaced by a overwhelming pleasure as Jesse’s hand snaked its way around you, deftly finding your already sensitive nub again. He teased small circles as he slowly began to move, dragging his cock from you before swiftly entering you again. Soon, his hips pistoned into you and you pushed back off of the wall, meeting him with every stroke. His other hand held your hip on a strong grip. You cried out his name as a wave of orgasm overtook you. Jesse followed behind, filling you as he finished.

You stood up and swayed on weak legs. Jesse quickly gathered you into his chest, showering your shoulders with kisses.

“Thank you.” He whispered against your skin.

“Always.” You sighed, leaning back into him. The next words left your mouth before you even considered them. “I love you, Jesse.”

Your stomach dropped for a moment. You knew you meant it but maybe it was too soon, too early. Before you could take it back, you looked to him in the mirror. His dark brown eyes found your suddenly wide ones and they were bright, all lust replaced with a vast joy. He quickly spun you to face him. Cupping your face in his hands, he tilted you up towards him.

“I love you too.”

His lips captured yours and his hands fell to wrap around your waist. Your heart soared as he squeezed you tighter to him.

“Now come on,” Jesse smirked before he stepped backwards, tuggiing you towards the bed. “I’m not done with you yet.”

[aliypop]

Return To Sender : Chapter 5

Word Count: 1,957

Writers Note: Alright, here's part 5! @sissylittlefeather, you'll love this! and @elvispresley1956 so will you

Warning: Language / SMUT

Pairing: POC OC x Elvis / OC x Jerry

Plot: It's 1968 and Natalya Dyer a divorcee and single mother is tasked to interview Elvis and Cecelia Presley at their humble mansion Graceland about their spicy relationship only to learn more about them as people.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 6

Taglist

@darkmoviesquotespizza

@sissylittlefeather

@richardslady121

@thegettingbyp2

@presleyenterprise

@dkayfixates

@rjmartin11

@thetaoofzoe

@your-nanas-house

@zayurir

@60svintage

@sillybookmarks

@leapresley

@everythingelvispresley

@dreamondina94

@elvismylove04

@pocketfulofpresley

@elvispresley1956

@poeandmoonknightgirl

August Memphis 1968

It had been a few weeks, and Natalya and Jerry were growing closer, especially with Jericho in his peewee league football. Sitting by the field were Cecelia, Natalya, Denise, and Vernon. Elvis and Jerry were on the sidelines, coaching the game. "That's not supposed to be flagged!" Elvis shouted as Jerry chimed in. Jesse and Jericho were playing together on the same team, and they were losing to the league from Alabama, Elaine, who was in junior cheer, tried her best to cheer the team on, but even she knew they sucked,

 "It's Alright, son, you got this!" Vernon cheered as Denise turned to look at him, "No, they don't..." She looked at her nails, "Cece..." 

"Mother, they're seven..." Cecelia sighed, "It's not the NFL." She said as Natalya laughed, puffing on her cigarette, "But it could be!" Denise responded, "They could get scholarships!"

"Eh, Jericho can't even fathom why you shouldn't eat cereal off the floor." Natalya playfully sighed, 

"Okay, boys... and Elaine..." Jerry mentioned as they huddled up, 

"We are down to our last quarter..." He smiled,

"So we should flee?" 

"No, Billy, we should run..." He sighed, rubbing his temples, 

"Into what?" Jericho asked,

"Run to the other with the ball, don't fumble it, just get to the other side, and then make a touchdown!"Elaine commanded as Elvis smirked, 

"That's my little biscuit." He grinned,

"Thank you!" She winked,

"Did anyone understand what she said?" Denise whispered. 

"She watches the football with Elvis. It's their daddy-daughter bonding time." Cecelia giggled, "He got her a helmet signed by one of the Cleveland Brown players." 

"That's so cute," Natalya chuckled, "Does she sleep with it?"

"Yes..." Cecelia laughed. 

Jesse threw the ball to Jericho as the other moms cheered. His little legs ran as fast as they could until he got to the line. Jerry and Elvis were nervous. But they had faith they'd win, as did the rest of the parents. Jericho slid to the line, getting all dirty and grassy, but he didn't fumble it. "Did I -" His teammates ran to his side as Jerry picked him up, "That's my son!" Jerry said as Natalya heard him, 

"I can't believe I'm going to sleep with that man..." 

"Nat, you don't have to..."

"No, no, I'm going to..." Natalya blushed, although she and Jerry weren't dating, so she'd say. They had been seeing more of each other between publishing her magazine and him stepping in as Jericho's father figure, "Mama! Can the team come over for burgers 'cause we won!" 

"Well..." 

"I could throw something on the grill?" Vernon shrugged as Cecelia nodded. She and Vernon hadn't been on good terms lately, but he had his moments,

"Pssst Cece..." Elvis whispered, calling her over,

"Hmm?" She responded, "Look at Jerry and Nat, they're cute." He smiled as Cecelia chuckled, "Mhmm, now stop spyin and help me with these milkshakes," She said, carrying a tray, 

"Right, sorry, babe."

"So I got bad news," Natalya mentioned, 

"What's the bad news..." Jerry asked, getting closer to her. "Sent the article, so I officially am fired from Moon and Sun," She laughed. Jerry took her by the hand, "Don't know how I'll keep the house or pay for Jericho's endeavors."

"Well, you got any more ideas for Dyers Music Inquirers?" Jerry asked, 

"Jer, that was a fluke..." 

"Is it cause your first issue comes out in October." 

"What?"

"Welcome To EPE publishing." He kissed her cheek as Jericho ran over, 

"Uncle Jerry!!"

"Hmm?"

"C-can you come play catch with us?"

"I guess I could." He shrugged,

October Memphis 1968

Graceland was getting decorated for the Halloween season, which Cecelia loved fondly. However, Cecelia and Natalya were out buying candy for their kids, and the trick-or-treaters, as the kids and the Memphis Mob, were planning pranks. "So, how are things, Nat?" Cecelia asked, pushing the cart as herds of fans were peeping down the aisles, 

"My magazine is doing great, but my ex-husband is..." 

"Being an ass,"

 "had an ex-boyfriend like that." Cecelia sighed, "Abusive and cold," 

"How'd you escape it?"

"Elvis... I met him, and my life made sense," 

"That's how I feel about Jerry," Natalya blushed, "When I'm with him hanging at his place or he's at mine. it feels..."

"Right," Cecelia said, reaching for the Hershey bars and grabbing three extra for Elvis, "Yeah, and Jericho loves him. They hang out all the time," Natalya smiled, 

"Jerry's a Godsent. All kids love him 'cause he's a bit of a goof." Cecelia chuckled as Natalya laughed, 

"I'm just scared..."

"She's scared, E..." Jerry said, helping Elvis, who was in a scarecrow costume, "Ease her into it," Elvis smiled, "You think this'll scare her, Red?" Red nodded as Joe agreed, "Guys, I like Nat. Her son likes me,"

"Then what's the issue? Date her!" Charlie smirked, "Here they come!"

"I mean, the parties at 7 pm, so it gives you enough time to get a costume." Cecelia winked, walking towards the door,

 "Mmhmm. Say, did that scarecrow move?"

"No... It's a scarecrow they don't..."

"WAH!!" 

Cecelia screamed as she dropped the candy she bought. "Honey, are you okay,!" Elvis took the mask off as Cecelia glared at him, "I think you pissed her off," Natalya chuckled as Cecelia was silent, 

"Mama, these shorts are itchy!." Jericho sighed. Natalya was applying the last of her makeup as she looked at her son, "But you're such a cute Munster!" She smiled, pinching her son's cheeks, "Thanks, mama..." He smiled as he heard the doorbell ring, "I'll get it!" Jericho shouted. Running down the stairs. Jerry was waiting patiently. As he waited for an answer, 

"I like your cowboy outfit! Jericho smiled as Jerry tipped his hat, "Thanks, Bud." 

"Alright. Jericho, I'm..." Natalya smirked as she saw Jerry, who was dressed as Joe Lightcloud, her pulse quicking as she took a deep breath, 

"You like it?"

"You look great..." She smiled, taking his hand, 

"Gomez, darlin, there's another trick-or-treater at the door." Cecelia smiled, walking as if she were floating, "Coming, Tish," Elvis laughed. His hair was slicked back, and he had a drawn-on mustache. The two then handed out candy as Elaine and Jesse came up dressed as Wednesday and Pugsley.

 "Mama, can we go trick-or treatin'?" Elaine asked,

"Not until Jericho gets here." Jesse pouted, 

"I wanna go now, Jesse!"Elaine shouted as Elvis glanced at them both. "Here's a candy bar. You two wait on your friends." He winked as they scurried off. 

"Morticia and Gomez, that suits you two." Natalya smiled walking up to the door, 

"I love the Lily Munster costume!" Cecelia grinned, 

"Nice Cowboy Jerry," Elvis smirked, as he rolled his eyes, "I'm Joe Lightcloud." Elvis erupted with laughter. 

"Good one Jer!"

"Oh Jericho you look adorable!" Cecelia grinned handing him candy, "Thank you, Mrs. Presley! I'm Eddie Munster!" He smiled as he then saw his friends,

"Jericho!!" Jesse grinned,

 "Daddy, can we go trick-or-treating now!" Elaine asked,

"Yes, go ask your grandpa to take you." Elvis smiled,

 "Let the party begin." Cecelia winked,

The house was crowded with a few family members and stars. As Natalya made her way around the room, she talked about her magazine and her next issue and a few interviews, 

"Rosa, how are things..." Jerry smiled,

"Great, actually..." She said back. Natalya watched them. "I missed you, you know..." Rosa said, clutching onto his shoulder. Her eyes looked deep into Natalya's, a smirk on her face, 

"I bet..." 

"Cece..." Natalya growled,

"Kiss him or miss him." She said. Natalya sighed as she kept watching the scene before her.

"I could have you right now..." Rosa blushed as Jerry laughed a little, "I guess, but-" He felt warm lips on his as he wrapped his arms around her. Natalya licked his bottom lip as his mouth opened, 

"Hey baby," Natalya winked, "Oh, hi Rosa..." 

"Excuse us..." Jerry smirked. Taking her by the hand, Jerry took her to the Billiards room downstairs. He sat her on the table as she looked at him,

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

"That kiss, you never kissed me like that!" Jerry smirked,

"I was claiming what's mine..." 

"Yours?"

"Mhmm..." Natalya smirked, "Mine." Leaning back as her lilac dress slid down her shoulders, "Unless you don't want to be mine then..." 

"You said we were friends and that's it!" Jerry sighed, 

"Fuck, Jerry, friends don't do what we do!" She sighed, "They don't kiss or, service each other!" Natalya smirked, "Or get each other off!" Her voice clouded with aggravation,

 "They do if it's friends with benefits," Jerry joked,

"JERRY SCHILLING I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU" Natalya shouted as he got quiet, 

"What..."

"I'm in love with-"

"I heard you," He smirked, taking her by the waist as he pushed her, face forward against the pool table, bending her over, 

"What if someone sees..." 

"Doubt it," He kissed her neck as her breath hitched. This was different than their usual affair. It was real, and it was raw. Jerry lifted her dress as he traced his fingers against her lace panties, rubbing right where she wanted him, 

"Jerry~" Natalya moaned as he snatched them off her, his fingers buried deep between her lips. Curling his fingers he felt her writhe into pleasure, loving the control he had over her, the lights were dim, but she didn't care, she was losing herself in Jerry, and that's what she wanted, 

"Ready..." He asked as she heard his zipper, 

"Mhmm..." She nodded as he kissed her, "Words honey..."

"Yes..."

"Yes, what."

"Sir."

"Good Girl." He laughed as Natalya gasped, she could feel the added pressure between her hips, getting used to his size, which in comparison was bigger than her ex-husband, and way more girthy than the guys she had back in college, "Jerry..." She looked up at him,

 "Hmm?"

"Whatever you do, don't be gentle." She winked as she felt his hips slam into her, "Ah! Fuck like that!" She let out a guttural moan, this was the moment Jerry knew he found his match, Natalya could feel his hands holding onto her breast as his lips were leaving sloppy kisses on her skin, "More." She said, breathy as he gripped onto her hips, bending her down further as she laughed, his thrusts were faster, which was pleasurable, but not as amusing as she wanted it to be, 

"Harder~" 

"Like this?" His nails dug into her hips and she could feel his cock buried deep into her stomach. "Fuck~" She growled out as Jerry kissed her ear, he kept his thrust sharp and jolting as he could feel himself catching onto the verge of his end,

 "Nat... Fuck... Baby I need to..." Natalya's walls clenched around him as she arched into him, pulling her raven hair his hips sped into her as her breast bounced, and his balls slapped against her ass as she was draining him dry, "Right there! Yes!! Yes! Fuck!!" Natalya shuddered as her legs shook, 

"Needed that, huh..."

"You have no idea."

"Nat you okay?" Cecelia asked. She'd noticed the way Natalya was walking, "Mhmm, yeah..." she blushed sitting down, "Just uh went to talk to my boyfriend..." Natalya turned to face Cecelia, a bitemark on her neck as Cecelia laughed, 

"I know that look..."

"What look?"

"I just had amazing Sex in the Billiard room look." Cecelia smirked, "It was a quickie first off..." Natalya shifted as she felt something dripping down her thigh, "That's how it starts, quickies, then there's a ring on your finger." Cecelia laughed handing her a napkin, "Especially with the panty trick."

"How'd you..."

"They're best friends Nat." 

"Hey, Jerry?"

"Yeah, E?"

"Those Nats?"

"Yeah..." 

"So you two together yet?"

"I'd like to think so,"

CHAPTER 6 OR NAH?

[biitchcakes]

@mastcrmarksman replied to your post:

it's such a good one, it's so *chews arm* with nat id'ing phil's ptsd. maria's commnd. phil and nick. nat and jess. maria sendding clint to retrieve phil (the hug). jess and vlad. everything bout it.

YES ALL OF THIS. CLINT AND PHIL'S HUG IN THE RAIN 😭 Jess and Nat bonding is everything, I love this bit in particular:

Nat working through Her Own Stuff™️ so fast in the moment to make the split second decision to trust Jess. Jess proving Nat's trust in her was well placed and hauling ass to deck Derrida. ( How Jess continues to save "reality as we know it" by talking to Vladimir just moments later. )

And to top it off, Nat reacting with a good old casual ⸺

[hannahhasafact]

Things the fucking slap about the non Intrepid Heroes Dimension 20 seasons in order of release:

Escape from the Bloodkeep

Absolutely stellar party with Amy Vorpahl, Erika Ishii, Ify Nwadiwe, Matthew Mercer, Mike Trapp and Rekha Shankar

Includes the one familiar the Brennan refuses to harm, and it’s the most horrible creature you’ve ever met.

Speaking of J’er’em’ih, I don’t think Trapp gets as much appreciation for Sokhbarr as I think he deserves because when Trapp commits he fucking COMMITS. And that one very specific investigation check? Ooh baby it was so good

Speaking of boss ass moves, Rekha’s balloon ass fuckery was such a good move. And Ify being like “can we be bros with the eagles?” ending up being one of the best moves to do? Absolutely fantastic

Honestly one of the funniest seasons of D20 tbh imo. Like I do not like LOTR, so I didn’t think I’d like this season. But it’s such a hilarious season, no wonder it’s one of the side quests I feel like folks recommend the most

Tiny Heist

The McElroy fam? Even if you don’t listen to TAZ (like me) you know they’re a good time

The Rick Diggins speech is just so fucking bananas it’s so good. Rick Diggins is also just the most batshit character

Personally, I love heist stuff. It’s so fun! And I really found the heist itself to be so fun! (Griffin’s part it in is my favorite, Bean is adorable and I love him)

Also there’s always something so fun about the mechanics of tiny universes within our universe? The way they explain toys and stuff coming to life is really interesting and fun imo

Lily Du’s first time at the table and Jess Ross at the table! Speaking of I love how Jess completed her arch, she knew what was going down with her character and made a complete story. It was great!

Pirates of Leviathan

Personally I love this season, and our first time having Aabria at the table ahhhhhh (also my first encounter of “please have the camera focus on Aabria, she makes the absolute best expressions”) Plus, it’s back in the Fantasy High Universe which is always fun to explore more about the universes (and get some NPC cameos/appearances!)

Also tbh I love all of the PCs in this series? Like they’re all so interesting and unique, and are such full characters.

Literally the absolute best PC introduction that exists in d20, Bob I love you so goddamn much

There’s a goddamn Queer Eye joke in this season and at first it’s played for laughs but honestly becomes like… the softest thing? And it warms your soul? And it also features Matt Mercer as a tall ass rat man (this season also has a rare pair I ship and I think no one else does lol but I love it so)

Pirate T-Rex. Just feel like that alone needs its own bullet point lol

Mice and Murder

The mystery!!! Is so fun!!! It’s cool at the end of the season to see how everything was connected, and it’s fun to go on the journey with the party

Katie Marovitch rolling the first nat 20 of the season and not understanding the implications of a natural 20 for a good couple of minutes will always be funny

This season is pretty much all classic College Humor cast mates, so if you’ve been watching College Humor stuff for over a decade like me you’re sure to find some joy in it

Sam Reich has some of the most killer one liners in this season and he’s just such a fun character. Honestly, this season is just so goofy and everyone is just trying to make each other laugh. It’s delightful

The texting element!!! Is so dang interesting!!! And it works so well for the mystery

Misfits and Magic

The first season with a new GM!!!! Aabria!!! When that trailer came out we were all SHOOK, truly began a new era of d20 and we love it

And first time PC Brennan??? Listen he’s such a fun PC we love the strange lil guys he plays

Sam Black deserves so much more love, she’s such a fun PC. Like Danielle would just say one liners that would knock me the fuck out, she’s so dang funny

Listen one of the funniest moments to me will always be Lou and Brennan as their actual selves being like “Mukbang? That’s not a real thing right? No… no it’s not”

The fact that one of the animal companions is straight up just a basketball is hilarious and ridiculous

The Seven

If you love the Fantasy High universe and want to know more about some of the side NPCS, ooh baby they’re PCs now and they’re all played by hilarious cool folks (including our first time having Izzy Roland, Persephone Valentine and Becca Scott in the dome!)

This season absolutely feels like a sleepover with friends. Everyone is giggly and having so much fun, and it’s so fun to watch (and also emotional when you least expect it lol)

I’m having a hard time describing funny moments because it’s just one of those things where you have to experience it to get it? Like this season had me cry laughing but I will never be able to describe the sexy duck outfit as hilariously as Becca does it’s just so good

Oooh before we got killer costume descriptions from ACOFAF you better believe we got it during this season. And if you’re a big costume nerd like me you’ll just be like heart eyes mother fucker

On an interesting note, Brennan is kind of playing both an NPC and PC? Technically he’s still just playing an NPC but Zelda is like… part of the party (obviously part of The Seven). And it’s a fun change!

Shriek Week

Gabe Hicks is a delight as the GM! I am constantly thinking about the line “You may be yolked but this man is a straight up omelette” because it slaps and tbh I would love to see him in the dome again

I think this is canonically the only season where characters FUCK

Another season with a very fun cast, like all of the cast has big horny energy and it’s so silly! If you’ve watched this season you understand Lily’s energy in Dirty Laundry a lot more lollll

Also this season canonically has Mothman and The Count from Sesame Street as characters and it makes me giggle every time

Tbh I really wish this season had more time but if you’re looking for a super short series, it’s only four episodes long!

Coffin Run

Jasmine Bhullar is SO fun as the GM and I feel like really plays off the PC energy well? She was so much fun

This season is another one that is just goofy fun! And you know I love me some goofy fun (the whole eating letters thing is so stupid and so fun)

Personally think the sets for this series are SO cool like oh my god?? The trainnnnnnn ahhh

This is kind of a bigger spoiler but I will never be over the wine glass props for that one combat? When she pulls them out I DIE

This cast REALLY goes in on their characters and plays them so big, it’s delightful

A Court of Fey & Flowers

Do I really need to get into why this season fucking slaps? I’m pretty sure it’s one of the most popular side campaigns because it fucking SLAPS

Aabria is back as GM, bringing poetry and grace to the dome and ahhhh (like she literally recites poetry but also the episode introductions are just straight up poetic

This is the season of romance and brought me to the horrible realization that I like DND actual plays because mostly I like the role playing apparently lolllll

Outfits outfits outfits outfits ahhhhh we love some fantastic outfitsssss

The whole Green Hunter bit is so fucking funny

Anyways moral of the story is D20 side campaigns are fun and you should watch/listen to them

[rappaccini]

giant-size spider-gwen thoughts

ok so the release dates for this and smash 4 are fucked. tbh i'm kinda ok with that because at least we know it'll end with gwen making up with the janes, and em won't be responsible for kicking gwen out of her own world, which was my fear.

it might end on a cliffhanger too, given how giant-size opens with em gooping out on gwen in the middle of soundcheck.

also this isn't even a giant-size. it's just a fifth issue of smash with an old reprint of a latour run comic added to puff it up. i would've easily read another 25 pages of this and it doesn't even have a real ending, so that sucks.

so... how does smash end?

em's symbiote stays awake and remains a problem gwen has to continuously beat down.

but em seems to have gotten some amount of control over it because it's capable of working with gwen temporarily

the girls either fix their shit or it's unresolved but they're stable enough that gwen stays in the band

gwen isn't talking about 'not belonging on earth-65' anymore so hopefully she finds it in smash 4

em and glory are still a couple.

em still loves gwen. but i can't tell if she's still IN love with her, or if they agreed to stay friends with a queer vibe.

gwen doesn't seem to have confessed any feelings to em, so i guess there's no I Loved You All Along revelation. so gwenjay's still onesided but canon.

natasha was a real ally to gwen and not a twist villain.

is it orlando then? him being the money behind banner's experiments and wanting to possess em jay seems to imply that he was.

does mortis show up? gwen seems underwhelmed when they meet so have they met before? since she's dazzler's sister maybe she's the one who sicced the hulk on alison.

anyway. we know things work out, sort of. ok. one more issue of good before we get into the run we have to kill.

the actual issue

glory's hair looks amazing. best outfit too. love that.

slightly funny that glory and betty are like 'well. this is our life now' about em turning into a ragemonster live on tv.

i appreciate that glory gets a moment to assist gwen in the fight.

and that glory and em are clearly still being drawn like a couple, even if they can't say it or kiss.

and that when em bitches out on glory it's acknowledged that she's in the wrong and glory's only trying to help her. glory loves her! glory's good for her! somehow a writer both acknowledges em's feelings for gwen and that SHE ALREADY HAS A GIRLFRIEND.

love that nat's an ally of gwen's. gwen needs more super-friends on her world. kinda weird that she doesn't really have any. samantha wilson was the last one she had and they haven't spoken since gwen was in jail, jan van dyne dipped right after giving gwen her suit, and harry hasn't helped her in a fight since the predators arc.

betty's personality's back! i missed her pervy jokes. it is so. so. nice that someone writing for gwen remembered the janes' personalities. glory's the heart, betty's the comic relief, em's the leader, gwen's the lancer. i missed this. i hate that it's about to go away For Good.

so orlando octavius is the villain here. initially i had my reservations.

part of the appeal of gwen's world is the usual spider-man villains get such great reimaginings (shadow clones completely failed to understand this-- gwen's clones are spliced with the sinister six... of earth 616? fuuuuck off). her biggest villains are the heroes of other worlds (silk and jesse drew, daredevil, punisher, the storms, hulk, peter parker), the typical iconic spidervillains are either nonentities (electro's just a shady dude living his life selling drugs to teens in alleys, norman hasn't goblined at all, connors is just a redpilled science teacher), fully redeemed (harry, venom) or villains of the week, like kraven... and doc ock

gwen's ock is a pathetic, goofy little scientist minion of cindy's who has an organic octopus instead of mechanical arms. he was fun because he was unique!

so learning we were getting a second ock with more staying power didn't exactly have me thrilled... but orlando's great.

LOVE his design. the duster with the golden tentacle design? the nerdy--ass little initials on his glasses? love it. he's hot, he's slimy, he's rich, and he's a little bit of a bitch. AND he's a nepo baby.

interested in the implication that doc ock is dead. technically this still fixes the keep-gwen's-villains-unique problem. she can never fight doc ock again because he's dead. but she can fight a different octopus villain.

i appreciate that his tentacles, while mechanical, are much more fluid and organic-looking than the typical raimi ripoff look. i still like the organic ones better, but this is fine.

very interested in what orlando and otto's domestic life was like. how'd otto adopt him. what's the story there. did he kill his dad.

melissa flores even remembered that gwen-65's from forest hills. amazing. actual continuity.

so much queer shit here. the closet jokes keep coming. this author knows what's up with gwen.

i'm getting amanda conner era harley quinn vibes from the take on gwenjay here. we all know they're queer, but somehow it's still being dangled just out of reach.

very funny that gwen's the straight man of the gwenom-carnage duo when she's usually the one punching bricks. nice benchmark of her growth.

and like with nat, it's great that gwen's getting another superperson to team up with. even if she's trying to kill her half the time.

on that note: i do think if em were a guy, 'him' trying to kill gwen half the time wouldn't be played for laughs. i like that we're not switching to gwenjay being all flowers and sunshine like the shippers want, but there is something toxic about their relationship that needs to be acknowledged.

the entire gwen-mjarnage teamup has a bickering gfs vibe, right down to "do you wanna take a cab" and the swinging scenes are very shippy

so carnage and em are referred to by gwen as separate entities... but that's not how e65 symbiotes work. idk if that's unique to gwenom, if the writer forgot, or if gwen's in denial about some shit related to em jay

mortis is the second villain here. cool design. love the flower motif. wonder if she's introduced in smash 4.

mysterio's back! i was wondering why the backup was the halloween issue! nice to see he was remembered. still not really sure WHY he's working with orlando and mortis.

idk if carnage is literally a separate consciousness or if the writer forgot that em was also at the haunted house.

the Horrors (tm): so clearly they're both still afraid of gwenom and carnage... or are they afraid of each other's symbiote?

regardless god i miss gwenom. love her toothy hood.

... "being left in a closet" being a horror lurking inside gwen and/or em's minds. hm.

... about that ending.

the ending was very abrupt. like, we just Stop in the middle of the action without defeating any of the villains and suddenly em jay's putting herself on a bus.

so we really are gonna confirm gwenjay's canon... right before getting rid of em jay for the forseeable future. okay. i see. this really is the new 52 harley quinn era of spider-gwen.

i like that em acknowledges that she needs to get a grip on her symbiote. she does. overall flores has done great with both acknowledging that em has feelings for gwen and not excusing any of the shitty behavior she's flung at her. no, it's not ok for em to keep ditching glory for gwen. no, it's not okay for carnage to try to kill gwen half the time and for them to just pretend like it's fine.

em jay taking the initiative to figure her shit out on her own is fantastic. it actually fixes one of the biggest problems with gwenjay as a ship (not that it'll stop the gwiles shippers from insisting that em jay is Too Toxic For Her unlike their saint miles)... assuming she actually changes for the better, and ever shows up again.

not exactly thrilled that it seems like nat's the magical plot convenience button. where'd the storm siblings go? nat got rid of them. gwen's wanted for a crime she didn't commit? nat cleared her name. em jay's an uncontrollable rage monster? nat's going to fix that too. come on. we don't even get to see her do it.

i like that gwen's upset, because they're finally getting along again.

it doesn't seem like gwen about to give her a Confession of Love, so i guess they are genuinely just friends. works fine!

and i truly cannot tell if em jay and gwen got over em's crush on her at the end of smash 4 or if it's still on. because em says "i love you" but as a "friend" .... but dude.

what the fuck is that hug then.

so gwenjay really does seem like it's canon-but-unrequited. which matters less bc ~our ship isn't together~ and more because gwen still isn't confirmed queer. we're closer than we've ever been before but we're still not there. okay. yup. i see.

SHE REALLY DID SLIP THROUGH OUR FUCKING FINGERS HUH

so the cliffhanger clearly sets up the formation of gwen's sinister six... which we know won't happen because gwen's being sent to earth-616 For Good. sigh.

idk what's up with the cliffhanger screen. half the characters there are recognizably from earth-65 (mjarnage, gwen, dazzler, natasha, lila cheney, pixie, samantha, the z-list influencer villain gwen was fighting at the start of smash),

half of them could go either way. i can't tell if the artist just didn't stick with the 65 designs or if they're genuinely meant to be from another dimension, probably 616.

-> is that the earth-616 hulk?

-> is that woman with white hair and a black outfit with a white fur ruff supposed to be felicia hardy? felicia-65 is black.

-> gorilla guy. not sure who that is.

-> sue storm, clearly. but there's no fantastic four on earth-65 so did the artist just get her costume wrong or is that sue from another dimension

-> kraven, clearly, but definitely not the kraven from 65.

-> cindy moon, clearly. but that's not what cindy-65 looks like. that's cindy-616.

-> and... i have no idea who the army guy in the bottom right is, but something's up with his fists.

anyway i'm guessing that they're teasing possible additions to the sinister six that'll never exist now. damn.

.... orlando's getting a whole superhero suicide squad together to kidnap em jay, and gwen's about to leave her all alone to deal with that. uh oh.

also glory and betty are still in that closet.

and em jay left for god knows where without saying goodbye to her girlfriend. mess.

... how's gwen even going to leave for 616? she isn't alienated. she doesn't feel alone anymore. she's more secure in 65 than she's been in years. she has more allies now than she ever had. she wasn't even kicked out by the six. she knows she's needed here. her portal necklace still works so there's no reason why she can't come back.

looking forward....

.... so gwen finally reconnected with her friends and her world... and is about to lose it For Good

gwen finally knows em jay loves her, but it doesn't seem like she reciprocates

em's doing the work to fix her attitude and get control of her powers... but who knows when and if that'll ever come back

orlando's gathering a sinister six team to kidnap em jay... and gwen's about to leave em jay to deal with that all on her own.

.... i guess glory and betty are gonna have to yellowjacket their way through being trapped in that closet because they might literally be there Forever.

at least we know natasha can magically fix all the things keeping gwen from coming home offpage so anytime she wants to come back we can just do that shit with no setup

well. i'm not gonna buy the gwen-in-616 run because i want it to fail so i guess next week will be it for a while.

overall, flores is the best gwen writer since mcguire. she clearly loves this character, her supporting cast and their world, and has actually done the research on them. she even got gwenjay halfway to canon and left the door wide open for gwen to return to 65, which shoots another hole in the 616 For Good book before it even starts-- which is a good thing, because we need that thing to flop.

i'd wish she were the one getting the full run instead of phillips, but if gwen going to 616 is a mandate from editorial, that wouldn't have mattered; she'd have still been forced there. still at least we'd know what we'd be getting.

looking ahead i feel nothing but dread, anger, apathy and disappointment, because they're synergizing the hell out of the spiderverse. gwen's ten-year redesign seems to just be 'slap the atsv suit on her.' gwen's first big villain is going to be 616's kraven... so the exact canon event atsv gwen had that we glimpse in the movie. gwen's going to be stuck with miles, peter and the 616 spiders, and she's a candidate for the spider society event book that's coming. and we all know they're gonna try and force gwiles again if she's there long enough. thanks i hate it.

i have nothing against the creative team of the new run (yet) but i truly hope spider-gwen: the ghost-spider flops, burns, is panned and canned after 8-10 issues, and gwen quietly returns to 65 after that. but then we'll probably just have to do ANOTHER round of 616 synergizing when btsv comes out, and the gwilesification will be even worse then. and maybe even ANOTHER if that spider-women movie ever gets made.

anyway, smash+'giant' size was great except for this ending. and the only reason why this ending is bad is we already know nothing in it matters, so all the new threads feel pointless and bitter because we know we won't get any closure or followup on them. still worth a read, and by far the best of gwen's miniseries since the mcguire run.

and if nothing else, at least smash 4 won't feel like too much of a kick to the teeth when it drops next week.

[sixthemusicalextras]

Chloe Hart Q&A

@/chloesjhart on Instagram, 10 December 2022

Some of the questions asked (Chloe confirms that “a few”, implying at least three, are sick as of the moment):

Q: Fav music genre? A: Apart from musical theatre, of course, it would be Country music. Specifically, the band Rascal Flats — they're, like, my favourite band ever. Um, but in terms of like, modern music [chuckle] sometimes somebody would play something at warm-up and I'll be like, [excited tut] what musical is this from? As like, a joke — um, 'cause I just- I don't really listen to contemporary music.

Q: Favourite Christmas film? A: You can't just pick one! So - I have a few. Um, obviously Home Alone 2 is one of them. Um, After(?) Christmas is one. Um... and one of my new favourite ones is The Christmas Chronicles, which is a Netflix film, um, which is good — and I love Jingle Jangle and, um, I love Miracle On 34th Street — like, the one with Mara Wilson. Um, yeah! And I also really like The Princess Switch [chuckle] with Vanessa Hudgens! So silly!

Q: What's your favourite thing about touring? A: I think it's probably that we essentially have a sleepover every night with my friends, 'cause we share digs most of the time. Um, its basically like having constant sleepovers, like we're all - all of the queens are sharing with one other queen over Christmas, so I'm sharing with Leesa (Tulley), Jen(nifer Caldwell) is sharing with Nat(alie Pilkington), Casey (Al-Shaqsy)'s sharing with Harriet (Caplan-Dean), Jess(ica Niles) is sharing with Grace (Melville), and Becca (Wickes)'s sharing with Alana (Robinson), and so we're all sharing with another person. It just feels like constant sleepovers!

Q: Do you have an updated Aragon costume? A: My costume is being altered, not updated! I have the most up-to-date Aragon costume, um, and it's just being slightly altered size-wise, um, because my body has changed slightly due to lots of gym and stuff, so!

Q: Worst show you've ever had? A: [chuckling] On Six? Um, I don't know if it's the worst show, but when I was in Coventry, um - I haven't been ill very much actually on the show— this is only the second time I've been off ill. Um, but when I was in Coventry, it was the first time, and, um, I had a sickness bug on the Tuesday. And I went back to work on the Wednesday, and... I don't remember the show! I honestly — I came off stage and I was like, "I don't remember doing any of that, it just happened," and I was completely out of it. And then I was off again the next day because I was just — I just came back too soon. So I think that was probably the worst because I don't know what I did! [chuckles] Everyone said I did alright but I- [sighs] God know what happened.

Q: Where do you see yourself in 10 years time? A: Hopefully with a child or two and working as a casting director!

Q: How did you and Ellie (Haffenden, the dep stage manager of Six West End) meet? A: We initially met on the first day on rehearsals, and then, um, we met again after that — we didn't talk that day — and then we met again a few weeks later when I went to the Vaudeville to watch the show. Um, and, then she slid into my DMs! [laughing] She's gonna hate me for saying that!

Q: Did you always want to be in Six? A: Well, there is a fun fact actually that um, I was actually... meant to go to an audition for the original-original cast (presumably referring to the Original Arts Theatre/Albumcast), or like the original... yeah, the original cast. And, um, I didn't go because I went on a holiday to New York instead! [laughter] I also read the breakdown and thought it was totally not something I could do. Um, which is crazy thinking back on, you know... well, thinking back, that some of the girls that were here were still in like, secondary school when that happened.

Q: How do you cope with comments people make about your size during the show? A: Okay, this is gonna be my last question, but thank you so much for keeping me company! [...] So, firstly I just wanna say that um, thank you so much to those who send, sort of, messages of support and love when I've mentioned this happening in the past. And I think it's important to say as well this isn't something that happens every day, not that I know of — it could happen every day, but I only really see it when it's in the first three or four rows and it really isn't nice when I see it. Um, I cope with it differently every time. Sometimes I'm feeling really good and I don't really care and I just, like, let it wash off my back and I just don't say anything. Some days I get a bit upset, some days I get a bit angry. And some days I just get sorry for those people that have that and I'm reminded sort of — um, I also think it's really sad that those people have obviously missed the entire point of the show, which is about building up people and empowering them, and celebrating, and not judging. Um, and... these people obviously don't really compute that because they sit there commenting and judging upon my body and literally going "oh my gosh, she's in a leotard and she's wearing a tights and a leotard and she's big!" like it's a crazy, crazy notion, but um, you know, I guess- I guess that's their opinion and that's fine, it's just- it's a shame that they can make me feel really vulnerable and self-conscious, um, on-stage, which it does sometimes. Um... but, I'm just glad that I'm old enough for that to not really affect me outside of it; it worries me other people who might be more impressionable. Um... but yeah.

[seitmai]

Omg a rated M new chapter coming up and I just realized I haven't read and reblogged this one yet, so on we go 🫡

Bob couldn't imagine a world in which he'd go to this much trouble to make the perfect dinner for a woman who he was falling in love with, only to hear her say the words just friends. But apparently it was the world he was living in, because he spent days comparing recipes from both Bradley and Jake, hoping to make something that Anna would find irresistible.

😭😭😭

Bob just kept nodding and agreeing with whatever they said, hoping they'd eventually be quiet. Anna was coming over tonight, and he still didn't have a solid plan in mind beyond trying to convince her he'd be worth her time. That it was okay to be more than friends.

God poor Bob 😭🥺

"I always burn those," he said with a small smile. "I just feel like this is pointless. I invited her over anyway even though I know she just wants to be friends, but I'm still standing here hoping for more. I shouldn't be doing this, even if we did makeout in her office."

I wanna give him a hug so bad🥺

Nat sighed and asked, "Do you want my grandma's recipe for bruschetta chicken? You liked it when you tried it at her house last summer, and it's not that hard to make." His eyes lit up. "Please." "Nat, you're a lifesaver." "Just save me some of the leftovers."

They are just such a good pairing, I adore their friendship and maybe in the future Bob can play wingman for Phoenix still pushing my academic lover for Phoenix agenda lol

She hadn't mentioned a word about going to Bob's house for dinner, but she was absolutely certain both ladies knew about it.

"Jess. Chill out," came the voice from Anna's other side. "She'll learn soon enough that dinner cooked by one of the Top Gun boys is essentially a marriage proposal on a plate. A very sexy and delicious marriage proposal. You and he will be sleeping together in no time."

Oh, they know lol

Facts. I know I would be haha

Jess took a deep calming breath before she said, "There's just no good reason to put your dream man in the friend zone. And don't even try to lie and say Bob Floyd isn't perfection."

Jessica, truer words have never been spoken👏🏻

Other than her infatuation with Sky Writing, Bob was the closest thing to a dream come true that she'd ever encountered before.

😏😏😏

Nat's grandmother actually had atrocious handwriting, and he could barely make out the measurements in the photo he had to work with.

I think this is universal because both my grandmas too

And he just knew Jake and Bradley never had to work this hard for a woman in their lives. Jake could rely mostly on his looks if he wanted to, and Bradley was the luckiest person he knew, reuniting with the love of his life after ten years and getting married approximately a day later. "No," he whispered, "that's not fair to them." He knew he was wrong. He knew both of them worked to get where they ended up, and he shouldn't be putting himself down so much. 

Hes not completely wrong but is too nice to even admit it 🥹😭🫶🏻

There was a beat of silence before Suzanne laughed. "Have you seen him? And he's even sweeter than he is handsome!"

Suzanne spitting facts!

God, all he wanted to do was drag her inside, push her up against his living room wall and kiss until she realized he wasn't going to hurt her.

I can't 🫠 he would be so sweet and careful even in the heat of the moment

Bob was gripping the door frame as he watched Anna's face fill with panic. Then she blurted out, "Why doesn't Suzanne join us?"

"All week long, I'd been looking forward to talking about books with you." 

🥺🥺🥺

"I can get an Uber," she insisted, taking another bite of the perfectly cooked dinner. "And I can just as easily drive you." He was a gentleman. She wasn't going to leave here in an Uber no matter what she said.

Girl save that Uber money, you have a precious prince and his white horse (a truck)

"Try me. The living room is poetry. The extra bedroom is mysteries. The dining room is true crime." "What's in your bedroom?" she asked, flipping through a collection by Robert Frost. Bob wanted to tell her that his bedroom was where he wrote his own poetry. And that they had begun to turn into a collection all about her. "Romance," he said.

Bob is the epitome of hopeless romantic, I just know it!

Her sentence tapered off when she looked up at Bob just casually standing there in one of his white shirts and a pair of gray sweatpants and neatly combed, damp hair. The ability to speak escaped her. "I can grab my toolbox," he told her, adjusting the waistband of his sweatpants before disappearing toward the kitchen. She needed to lie down. She stretched out on the floor and stared at the ceiling as rain pelted the window next to her. 

Valid reaction, but Anna is stronger than me lol

"Bob," she gasped, reaching for the front of his undershirt and pulling him closer so he was focused on her face. "You're Sky Writing."

Finally!! Anna get your head out of your ass and let's goooo!!

Covering the Classics Part 9 | Bob Floyd x OC

Summary: After Anna joins him for dinner, Bob knows he needs to accept that they really are just friends. Even though her kisses are perfection. Even though he's falling in love. But what's going to stop Anna when she realizes Bob's poems are very familiar to her?

Warnings: Fluff, angst, adult language, Bob in gray sweatpants, eventually 18+

Length: 5700 words

Pairing: Robert "Bob" Floyd x Female OC (this story is part of the Beer Boy/Sugar and Jake/Jessica universe)

Covering the Classics masterlist. Check my masterlist for more!

Bob couldn't imagine a world in which he'd go to this much trouble to make the perfect dinner for a woman who he was falling in love with, only to hear her say the words just friends. But apparently it was the world he was living in, because he spent days comparing recipes from both Bradley and Jake, hoping to make something that Anna would find irresistible.

"You should make my lasagna," Jake said for the tenth time at work on Friday morning.

Bradley snorted. "Great idea, as long as you never want to see her again. Make my homemade pasta," he told Bob. "I already gave you the recipe."

Bob just kept nodding and agreeing with whatever they said, hoping they'd eventually be quiet. Anna was coming over tonight, and he still didn't have a solid plan in mind beyond trying to convince her he'd be worth her time. That it was okay to be more than friends.

While the guys argued, Bob got himself ready to get in the air with Phoenix. He must have looked flustered, because she rubbed her thumb gently across the back of his hand when he stood next to her in the hangar. "You seem nervous. Are you still trying to figure out what to make for dinner?"

"Yeah," he replied quietly.

"Oh, Bob. She's not going to care what you make. It could be a grilled cheese sandwich."

"I always burn those," he said with a small smile. "I just feel like this is pointless. I invited her over anyway even though I know she just wants to be friends, but I'm still standing here hoping for more. I shouldn't be doing this, even if we did makeout in her office."

Nat sighed and asked, "Do you want my grandma's recipe for bruschetta chicken? You liked it when you tried it at her house last summer, and it's not that hard to make."

His eyes lit up. "Please." 

He'd only have a little bit of time to himself to prepare the meal and cook it before Anna came over, and he listened as Nat called her grandma and asked her to send it over. Before they were even called out of the hangar to start the day, he had a photo of the handwritten recipe in his phone.

"Nat, you're a lifesaver."

"Just save me some of the leftovers."

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

Friday was going so well for Anna, she almost forgot to be nervous about dinner. She met with the dean to discuss how her classes were going, and he even brought up the word tenure which sent her into a giddy spiral where she treated herself to a candy bar from the vending machine which she couldn't really afford. She carried it out to eat lunch in the quad with her friends along with her regular, uninspired sandwich and ginger ale.

She hadn't mentioned a word about going to Bob's house for dinner, but she was absolutely certain both ladies knew about it. She almost found it comical the way they were trying to get her to say something about it, but Jessica was clearly ready to boil over.

"Hi," Anna greeted, biting into her Snickers bar as she settled on the bench between them. Advanced Calculus casually offered her some carrots and hummus while Jessica's cheeks started to grow a furious shade of pink. 

"When were you going to tell us Bob invited you over for dinner tonight?" she exclaimed. 

Anna shrugged and said, "I was probably just going to tell you about it on Monday since it's nothing because we are just friends. It's only as exciting as it would be if I went over to your place for dinner."

"That's exciting, too!" Jessica said. "You should absolutely come over for dinner! But you're wrong, because it's not as exciting as Bob cooking dinner for you!"

"Jess. Chill out," came the voice from Anna's other side. "She'll learn soon enough that dinner cooked by one of the Top Gun boys is essentially a marriage proposal on a plate. A very sexy and delicious marriage proposal. You and he will be sleeping together in no time."

Anna chewed up the last bite of her Snickers and shook her head. "You're both wrong. Bob and I are just friends. The dinner means nothing, and we're not going to sleep together."

"Oh, please!" Jessica was back to practically shouting now. "If you think he's actually okay with all the making out, then you've lost your mind. He doesn't want it to be meaningless. He likes you."

Anna looked at her feet. "I know he does. I like him too."

"Then stop stringing him along! I don't understand what the problem is here, Anna."

She sat quietly now, no longer feeling so great as she picked at her sandwich.

"Hey, I know Jess sounds like an excitable terrier, but maybe you need a little tough love," Advanced Calculus said as she dipped a carrot into the hummus. "You can talk to us, you know. You can tell us what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong," Anna whispered as her mind flooded with thoughts of Kevin and what he might be up to at the moment. 

Jess took a deep calming breath before she said, "There's just no good reason to put your dream man in the friend zone. And don't even try to lie and say Bob Floyd isn't perfection."

"He is," Anna whispered. Other than her infatuation with Sky Writing, Bob was the closest thing to a dream come true that she'd ever encountered before. But she did have her reasons, and she was too embarrassed to talk about it out loud. She was certain that Jess already knew her current financial state was in ruins, and it might be nice to have her friends understand where she was coming from, but she didn't want them to pity her. That was the last thing she needed right now. "You know what, I think I'm going to get ready for my next lecture."

She was on her feet and rushing away as her friends called after her, but she didn't stop walking until she reached her office. She was not going to cry over this, and she definitely didn't want to cancel on Bob. The only thing she could do to calm down was look at all of the books on her shelves, letting her gaze glide over the colorful spines. Then she read the note from Bob that was tucked in her copy of Papillon.

Freedom would feel like being so in love, you'd willingly let another person lock you to their side.

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

Bob had a fully stocked kitchen filled with a nice set of pots and pans and sharp knives and anything else he could possibly want, but right now, it was like he'd never cooked anything before in his life. Nat's grandmother actually had atrocious handwriting, and he could barely make out the measurements in the photo he had to work with.

"Basil," he muttered to himself, grabbing the leafy greens from the cutting board and wondering why it looked like he was supposed to use three cups of them. "I didn't even buy that much!"

He took a deep breath and walked around his kitchen, trying to clear his head. Anna was going to grab an Uber. She would be arriving in about an hour with wine and dessert. He wanted to feed her the most delicious meal he could muster, but right now he was just looking at the chicken breast on the plate in front of him like he'd never seen food before.

And he just knew Jake and Bradley never had to work this hard for a woman in their lives. Jake could rely mostly on his looks if he wanted to, and Bradley was the luckiest person he knew, reuniting with the love of his life after ten years and getting married approximately a day later. "No," he whispered, "that's not fair to them." He knew he was wrong. He knew both of them worked to get where they ended up, and he shouldn't be putting himself down so much. 

He glared at the chicken and picked up a knife. "This is fine. No problem." He had to fudge some of the measurements which made no sense, and he'd suggest to Nat that maybe her grandmother should take an eye exam, but the recipe really wasn't too terribly hard. Soon he had the browned chicken in the oven, and he set to work on the bruschetta topping and started boiling some water for the pasta. He was just adding another tablespoon of balsamic vinegar to the tomatoes and basil when he heard Anna's beautiful laughter.

Bob nearly knocked the bowl to the floor in his haste to get to her. After grabbing a dish towel for his hands, he rushed toward his front door and saw her on his porch. She was wearing a little sundress that he'd seen her in before with her worn out denim jacket over it, and he froze a few feet inside his screen door just so he could look at her. She was juggling a shopping bag and a bottle of wine, and that's when he realized she was talking to Suzanne.

"Oh, no, I'm not in the Navy," she was saying as she tossed her beautiful, red hair over her shoulder. "I'm a professor at San Diego State University. My name's Anna."

She stretched her hand out, and then Bob heard Suzanne's voice. "I'm Suzanne, and that's my cat, Sylvester. I must say, I had no idea Robert got himself a girlfriend. And such a pretty one!"

He desperately wanted to interrupt their conversation before he could hear what Anna's response was going to be, but he just couldn't. She was standing there in the last rays of the setting sun, blushing as she said, "Bob and I are actually just friends. Just good friends."

There was a beat of silence before Suzanne laughed. "Have you seen him? And he's even sweeter than he is handsome!"

Anna was laughing nervously, and Bob's heart was pounding, but he opened the screen door to bail her out anyway. "Hey," he greeted as naturally as he could, and then Anna's apprehensive gaze met his. God, all he wanted to do was drag her inside, push her up against his living room wall and kiss until she realized he wasn't going to hurt her.

"Bob," she whispered, taking a small step in his direction. Her eyes were wide and perceptive, like she could read his every thought on his face. She cleared her throat and said, "I brought wine and some cookies."

Helpless to do much of anything else, he smiled at her. "Dinner's almost ready." Then he leaned further out the door and said, "Hi, Suzanne."

His next door neighbor looked delighted as she glanced between him and Anna. "I was just talking to your charming friend here, Robert. Cooking dinner for someone certainly sounds romantic to me."

Bob was gripping the door frame as he watched Anna's face fill with panic. Then she blurted out, "Why doesn't Suzanne join us?"

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

The only thing Anna could think to do was sabotage the dinner she'd been looking forward to all week. She watched Bob's face fall slightly as he realized she invited his next door neighbor to join them for a very platonic dinner. And since Bob was the sweetest man Anna had ever met, he recovered immediately, turned to Suzanne and said, "You're more than welcome."

Ten minutes later, Bob was opening the bottle of cheap wine she'd brought while Anna watched the veins in his hands. He was graceful and lovely, and Suzanne was talking nonstop as he poured three glasses. She had nobody to blame but herself for inviting a third wheel along. The older woman was really more of a safety net. Someone to prevent Anna from kissing Bob. Someone to stop her from falling completely in love with him.

The whole house smelled amazing, and she knew this dinner was supposed to be just for her. She hadn't eaten a real meal like this, other than at the cookout, in months and months. The first bite of chicken, bruschetta and pasta was delicious enough that she moaned softly. Bob watched her take a second bite, and it was incredible. The third bite left her staring at him in wonder.

"You're the best cook in the world," Anna informed him, cutting across Suzanne talking about her cat. She didn't even care if she was being rude, the food was perfect. And it would have somehow been even better if the two of them were alone.

Bob blushed and took a sip of the wine that Anna wished was better than it was. "Thanks. Uh, it was a new recipe. I've never made it before tonight."

Suzanne took a bite and said, "Robert is an excellent cook and a real gentleman. He always makes sure I have groceries, and he picks up a little something for me if he gets dinner on his way home from work."

As Bob's cheeks grew redder, Anna's heart beat faster. "A real gentleman," she echoed, knowing he'd take care of anyone who needed something.

"Yes," Suzanne said. "You don't see many of them around. Never seen many myself."

Neither had Anna, and after she blew her life to bits, she'd probably never see one again. She listened to Bob and Suzanne talk about their favorite game shows, and she cleaned her plate before either of them had finished. All of the toast and sad sandwiches she'd been eating weren't really cutting it, and she knew that. She also didn't want to get another piece of chicken and seem like a mooch.

"Can I get you more?" Bob asked as he stood on the opposite side of the table in his worn jeans and snug white shirt. "There's plenty left."

Anna shook her head, but he reached for her plate anyway. While he was in the kitchen, Suzanne quickly finished eating and downed the rest of her wine. Softly, just for Anna to hear, she said, "He is a very nice man. I hope I see you around here in a less friendly capacity." Then she called out, "Robert? I need to go. I hear Sylvester outside bugging for food. Thanks for dinner, and enjoy your evening."

"Night, Suzanne," he replied, and the older woman bustled off without another word, leaving Anna alone with Bob when he returned with two plates refilled with food. "She's a character."

Anna laughed, but she could tell Bob was hesitant to say too much now. Probably because she'd dashed the mood in the first place. "I'm sorry I suggested she join us," she told him sincerely, shaking her head. "All week long, I'd been looking forward to talking about books with you." 

As she poked at her chicken, afraid of what he was going to say, he said, "Once you finish eating, I could show you my books. I don't have as many as you do, but maybe there's something you'd like to borrow in the mix. And then I'll drive you home."

"I can get an Uber," she insisted, taking another bite of the perfectly cooked dinner. 

"And I can just as easily drive you."

He was a gentleman. She wasn't going to leave here in an Uber no matter what she said. "Alright."

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

"You have books in every room!" Anna exclaimed as she walked around his house nibbling on a cookie. The wine she brought was kind of terrible, and so were the grocery store cookies, but Bob didn't mind. She ate two full plates of the dinner he cooked, and now that Suzanne was gone, she seemed more herself.

"I have a system," he insisted as she sat down on his living room floor to inspect a stack of paperbacks.

"I'm not buying it," she said, glancing at him over her shoulder.

"Try me. The living room is poetry. The extra bedroom is mysteries. The dining room is true crime."

"What's in your bedroom?" she asked, flipping through a collection by Robert Frost.

Bob wanted to tell her that his bedroom was where he wrote his own poetry. And that they had begun to turn into a collection all about her. "Romance," he said.

She laughed softly, such a pretty sound. "I'm assuming you don't have any Vonnegut? No soul massacring, unhappy endings?"

"None," he promised. "You won't find any of those around here."

She was skimming a page as she muttered, "Good. I've had enough of that anyway." Then she stood and carried the Frost poems to another small pile on his coffee table. She rooted around and pulled out a volume by Walt Whitman before asking, "Could I borrow these two?"

Bob was admiring how perfect she looked in his house when she met his eyes with her pretty brown ones. "Of course," he said, dropping down onto the couch as he finished his own cookie. "Anything you want."

She stood and carried the books over to her purse before sitting down a few feet away from him. "What I want is to help you organize your books for real. Have you ever heard of a bookshelf before?"

"Never," he replied innocently. "What's that?"

She laughed and scooted a little closer. "You know those big, wooden things that were holding all the books when we met at that store in North Park? Remember that day?"

He knew she was just joking around, but as he memorized the pattern of her freckles, he said, "I will never forget that day."

Once again, Anna initiated the kiss, and once again, Bob was helpless to pump the brakes. She leaned in close with her hand on his knee and brushed her lips against his. It was so sweet, he was almost able to ask her to stop. Even though it felt too good, he was nearly able to tell her he couldn't do this. But being tortured was worth it. That was the worst part.

He let her do what she wanted, and her soft hands found their way to his face, knocking his glasses askew on their way into his hair. He wanted to touch her, but he was afraid he'd lose himself in these kisses that meant so much more to him than they did to her. He counted to ten slowly in his mind, savoring every touch and taste, letting Anna settle against his thigh. Then he broke the kiss, leaving her hovering there, surprise on her face.

She pressed her lips together, and turned her face toward his front door. "I'll never forget that day either."

He nodded as her hands fell away from his hair and his face, and he whispered, "Grab the books you want to borrow, and I'll drive you home."

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

"He's a gentleman," Anna groaned in her bed on the floor of her tiny apartment the following morning. It was Saturday, and she didn't have much she needed to accomplish today which would leave her plenty of time to think about the drive home in Bob's truck and the way he walked her to her door. She didn't kiss him again, but he always seemed to be close enough that she could feel his body heat in the chilly night air. Even now, when she grabbed at some strands of her hair, she swore she could still smell his fresh scent there.

She needed to get out. She grabbed her phone and took the longest walk imaginable. Her legs were burning by the time she stopped in a corner store for something to eat for lunch, but the sandwich was almost as bad as the ones she had been making for herself. Nothing would be as good as what Bob cooked, and he served it up last night like it was no big deal at all.

As Anna started the long walk back to her apartment, she groaned while she blasted her music. She had invited his elderly neighbor to join them for dinner, and then she had kissed him again. She was so embarrassing. She'd never been like this when she was in New Jersey, never doing the most mortifying things over and over. 

She didn't go home for a long time. She walked through an enormous park and looked at a fountain while she daydreamed about all of her unfinished manuscripts. When that started to hurt too much, she watched the storm clouds that were rolling in from the coast and thought it might be nice to get soaking wet. Then a few fat raindrops started to hit her face as she realized that she wouldn't be able to replace her phone if it got destroyed. 

"Damn it," she muttered, starting to run through the park under the cover of the trees. The sky was quickly getting darker as she tried to stay under awnings and overhangs as much as possible until she reached her apartment building. Her clothing was soaked, but her phone was still in working order when she ran inside, dripping all over the welcome mat in the small entryway.

She desperately wanted to cry, but that wouldn't solve anything, so she took a long shower instead. She washed and braided her hair, and then she painted her nails. When she finally picked up her phone again, she had a new message from Bob.

Bob Floyd: Taking your advice and buying one of those bookshelves? Was that what they were called? Which one do you think is better?

He had attached two screenshots of nice looking shelves from Ikea that she'd never be able to afford at the moment. She smiled as she typed back to him while she heated up a can of soup for dinner.

Yes, they are called bookshelves. Are you sure you know how to use them? I like the navy blue one better.

The flavorless chicken noodle soup went well with Anna's mood as she sat on the floor and watched a show on her phone. Part of her wanted to know what her friends were up to, but she didn't want to have to tell them about last night. She knew Bob and Jess would be going out to play Dungeons & Dragons soon anyway, but she dropped her spoon in the bowl when Bob wrote back again.

Bob Floyd: I think I'll pick it up tomorrow and make it my rainy Sunday project. Feel like helping me build it?

"Oh, Anna. Don't."

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

Bob pulled up to Anna's building on Sunday afternoon after stopping to pick up the shelf. It had been pouring rain since last night, and he had to wrap his new furniture box in a tarp to protect it in the bed of his truck. But this would be a great way to spend the afternoon. He could make two cups of tea, and she could help him organize his books. They didn't need to kiss anymore. He would see to it that they didn't. He could handle this whole thing without issue.

He left his truck idling at the curb, and Anna came running outside like she'd been waiting for him. He grabbed his umbrella and met her halfway, shouting, "I was going to walk up and get you!" over the sound of the rain. She joined him under the umbrella, her denim jacket pretty wet as she shrugged.

"The rain's okay. It reminds me of New Jersey."

Once he opened the door and helped her scramble in, he ran around to the other side of the truck. He was barely able to find a dry spot on his shirt so he could wipe off his glasses, and when he yanked the hem up, he could feel Anna's eyes on his body. There was no sense in feeling self conscious about the way he looked now, because nothing else was going to happen. Last night had to be the end of that.

"You ready?" he asked, cranking the key in the ignition when she nodded. His wipers were going full speed as he drove her back to his house for the second visit in one weekend. "Thanks for helping with this. I kind of realized that having everything on one big shelf makes more sense. Especially if I keep borrowing books from you."

Her laugh was soft as she said, "If you don't borrow my books, then nobody will."

"Same goes for mine," he replied easily as he headed toward the beach. "But don't you dare dog ear my pages."

Now she laughed louder. "I read most of Whitman last night before I fell asleep, and there's nary a bent page in sight."

"That's what I like to hear." When he pulled up in front of his house, he handed her the umbrella and his keys. "Go ahead and let yourself in, and I'll unload the box."

She just gaped at him in response and asked, "Don't you need help carrying it?"

"Nah," he replied, popping his door open, "I can get it."

Bob struggled a little bit with the tarp before sliding the massive box closer to the edge of the truck tailgate. Every movement was made slower by the pounding rain in his face, but he managed to tip it into his arms. It was heavy, but not too bad, and his grip on the wet cardboard was good enough for him to get it inside the house. Anna was standing on the porch, holding open his screen door with the umbrella folded up at her feet, and he accidentally brushed against her with his arm as he maneuvered himself through the door.

"Sorry."

"It's okay," she said, her voice a little breathy as she let the screen door close and helped him prop the box against the wall. "This is massive."

"I guess now I can buy more books," he said with his hands on his hips while he dripped all over the place. "I'm going to get changed quickly, and then we can build the shelf and organize it, and then I'll make dinner."

Her eyes lit up. "You'll make dinner again?"

"Yeah. I was going to see if I can attempt a grilled cheese without burning it. I'll be right back." And then he headed upstairs to his bedroom where he had clean undershirts, some sweatpants and all of his favorite books.

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

Anna was halfway through unboxing and organizing the shelf pieces on the floor when Bob walked back downstairs. She'd removed her denim jacket, and her leggings and tank top were mostly dry, and she'd settled on the floor with the instruction book. "It looks like we'll need a screwdriver or a drill...." 

Her sentence tapered off when she looked up at Bob just casually standing there in one of his white shirts and a pair of gray sweatpants and neatly combed, damp hair. The ability to speak escaped her.

"I can grab my toolbox," he told her, adjusting the waistband of his sweatpants before disappearing toward the kitchen. She needed to lie down. She stretched out on the floor and stared at the ceiling as rain pelted the window next to her. 

"Oh my god," she whispered before biting down on her lip. She wanted him. She liked every damn thing about him, and then he had to look and smell and sound so good on top of it all. The Walt Whitman poems weren't the only thing she had read last night. Sky Writing's words from her favorite poems were also in her mind, and she couldn't shake them. Anna had just rolled into her side, staring at the instructions without actually seeing them, when he walked back in. 

"Are you okay?"

"Great," she said, voice raspy. She was in fact not great. She was the opposite of great. When Bob handed her the toolbox and said he was going to make two mugs of tea, she took the time to pull herself together. Sweaty palms glided along her leggings, and she read the instructions through. It seemed simple enough, and she had the hardware in order by the time Bob returned with two steaming mugs.

"Thanks," she whispered as he settled onto the floor next to her. She knew this was how good things would be if she could date Bob. Hot tea and homemade meals and someone around who loved books. "You're really sweet."

He didn't say anything as he sipped his tea, so Anna did the same. It was raining so hard, she couldn't tell if what she heard was thunder or not, but inside Bob's house, everything was warm and cozy. "Let's get started," he finally said, leaning in front of her to set his mug on the windowsill.

They spoke quietly, mostly about the shelf, while she handed him hardware and tools. Anna found herself distracted as she watched his hair dry and lighten in color as they worked together. Every bump of his muscular arm against hers felt intentional, but she couldn't tell for sure, and she was too afraid to ruin this friendship beyond repair. Especially after what her friends had told her at lunch on Friday.

"I need the screwdriver," he said, bumping her gently with his elbow as he held two perpendicular pieces of wood in place. 

"I can get it," she replied, finally refocused on the task before her. "I'll screw it in." She tried to reach in front of him, but he was too tall. When he moved his arms a little further apart, she popped up between them so she was standing between his body and the shelf. "I'll only take a second."

She could feel Bob's warm breath against her ear, and all he could think was that she would fit perfectly in his arms if he decided to just drop what he was holding and wrap them around her instead. "Take your time," he murmured, because of course his arms wouldn't get tired in this position. She fumbled the screw. His body was immaculate, and it was all she could think about as he exhaled and tickled her hair.

"I'm trying," she whispered, fumbling the screw again. Finally she had it in place, and Bob released the shelf, but he didn't move away from her.

"Think you can screw the last two in as well? Then we'll be done."

She nodded and decided to go slower, savor this tiny bit of intimacy and pretend he was hers. Then it was done.

"It looks good."

She barely had to turn to look at him over her shoulder. "It's a nice shelf. How do you want to arrange your books?"

He was still standing close as he said, "Poetry on the top? Since it's my favorite?"

"Yeah," she told him with a laugh. "Banish it to the top where nobody but you can reach it."

He cocked his head and leaned in closer. "Are you insulting the poetry or commenting on my height?"

"A bit of both," she replied right away. The living was darker now from the storm and from the time of day, but she could see his smile perfectly. 

"Come on, Anna. We both know you love the poetry. You borrowed two volumes the other day."

She only hummed in response before ducking away from him and reaching for a stack of his books. She handed them to him one at a time, commenting on them like she was giving each a bad review. "Oh, this one is too flowery. Too many words and no substance." She handed him another after he shelved the first one. "This author put all their best works at the beginning of the collection. The second half is terrible."

Bob chuckled as she picked up a book that she knew was a favorite of his. "Hey, you better watch what you say about that one."

She waved it in the air, unable to reach the top shelf, and he snatched it out of her hand. "I'm going to be brutally honest," she said softly, and Bob's hand rested on her back almost like a warning. "I loved it."

He smiled and let his fingers trail along her back as he nodded toward the stairs. "Want to help me tackle the mystery books in the extra bedroom?"

"Sure," she told him, leading the way to the steps. "But first, you have to tell me why you like poetry so much."

"What's not to like?" he replied as she started up. "All of the emotions are there. You're allowed to write about any combination of emotions that you're feeling at any given time. And I think that's pretty cool."

Anna's steps slowed a little as she considered his words. "Write?" she asked, turning to look back at him as he made his way up behind her. "Did you say write?"

"Uh. I did. Yeah."

Truly, she loved reading poetry, but she didn't have much of a knack for writing it. She didn't even think she was good enough for PoetsAmongUs. "What's something you've written?"

Bob laughed, and Anna stumbled on the top step as he said, "Just some amateur gibberish like, 'Devotion woven into every breath I take. Love that knows no boundaries, no end.' Nothing amazing."

She gripped the banister to keep herself upright, and then she spun and sat down hard on the top step. Suddenly she felt like she couldn't breathe. She knew those words intimately. She knew the whole fucking poem by heart. She knew everything else he had written as well, because she'd been reading his poetry for years.

"Bob," she croaked, and he rushed toward her, hands gentle on her ankle and leg.

"Are you okay? Did you twist it?"

"Bob," she gasped, reaching for the front of his undershirt and pulling him closer so he was focused on her face. "You're Sky Writing."

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

BOB IS SKY WRITING, ANNA. What the hell are you going to do now, babe? Please, make good choices. Thank you @beyondthesefourwalls

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