#let parker speak her truth

[lindseymcdonaldseyelashes]

Leverage 4x3 - "The 15 Minutes Job"

[munsonthings86]

we've been celestial even before this

pairing: steve harrington x fem!reader

summary: after she has a particularly rough day, steve takes his girl stargazing

warnings: cursing, fluff, soft!steve, established relationship (but still fairly new), oversimplified summary, reader depicted to be nineteen, these two being the biggest lovesick idiots for each other

an: i've been having a lot of fun writing about these two. they own my entire heart. hope you guys enjoy this one * don't copy my work *

wc: 6.1k

steve and sunshine's timeline

The trembling flame of the Coffee House scented candle illuminated your messy bedroom in a flickering, warm, honey light. The smell of the candle resembled nothing of coffee, more like hot cocoa or caramel you thought, but it did its job of calming your rattled nerves, nonetheless. Most of your wooden floor was hidden beneath neglected pieces of clothing that you'd pulled from your closet in a hopeless attempt to string together a decent outfit that morning. I'll tidy up tomorrow, you shrugged, though knowing you, there was a high possibility that "tomorrow" would turn into next week.

Procrastination was a terrible habit of yours, and the tension that the day left you with was doing very little to diminish it. Your early morning shift at Family Video was borderline torturous; Keith saw to that when he scheduled you sans Steve and Robin and had two inept new hires shadow you. Sure they were nice and all, from what you can recall anyway, but you were too out of it to bestow on them the patience you typically had.

Once the stint came to its much desired end, a dreadful date at the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles awaited you. In your venture to become more of an independent and responsible "adult" (being merely nineteen, the word made your blood run cold), the goal of obtaining your permit was set in stone. The written test was passed with flying colors, but like any classic BMV nightmare, you'd forgotten a required document to actually get the damn permit.

Nearly plunging to your knees, you begged the grumpy old woman behind the counter to let you run back to your apartment that was “just down the street”. Truthfully, it was a thirty minute trip on foot, but she didn't need to know that. If you ran, you could make it back in twenty.

But, again, like any classic BMV nightmare, all she left you with was a hardly sympathetic, "Sorry ma'am, but if you don't have all the required documents, I'm afraid you'll have to come back tomorrow. The office closes in fifteen minutes." Through clenched teeth, you thanked her for her time, though she neglected to return the gesture, squawking "Next in line!" in a tone that was poles apart from her customer service voice.

Mercifully, your day wasn't all terrible. On the way back home, you stopped by the library to return a week's long overdue book and, instead of crucifying you for it, the lovely librarian recommended a novel she thought you'd appreciate. Rose in Splendor by Laura Parker. Unbeknownst to her, you'd been dying to read it ever since it was published last year. The grouch over at the BMV could definitely take a page out of her book. No pun intended.

Curled into bed and tucked under your beloved ivory crotched blanket, you thumbed along the pages through gravelly, blurry eyes. You kept promising yourself "one more page", but that was well over ten pages ago.

The male love interest was recounted having perfectly tousled brown hair with a body to die for, and you couldn't help but to think of your Steve. You missed him terribly in that moment and the one thing that kept your woe at bay was the anticipation of you two's nightly phone call. It was the selling point of all your days spent without him, truth be told.

The chime of the landline in the hallway between your kitchen and bedroom pierced through the otherwise silence of your apartment, prompting you to glance at the clock on your wall. 9:32 p.m.

Speak of the devil.

Folding a little doggy ear onto the page to preserve your place, the blanket keeping your legs warm was tossed among your strewn out clothes as you nearly slipped, scurrying to answer the phone. You couldn't bite back your smile as you pressed the receiving end against your ear, hearing the music that was Steve's voice, fill your mind.

"Hi, sunshine."

A breath that was unknowingly caged, freed itself at the sound. "You're nearly on time," you teased, referring to earlier today when Steve promised to call you at 9:30 sharp tonight. Usually, he called you earlier than this, but he was jammed with babysitting duties for the six kids you were considering adopting for yourself at this point.

"I know, I'm sorry," he chuckled. "They finally fixed that game at the arcade that's been down for the past few weeks. Gaga, I think it's called."

"Galaga," you corrected, giggling to yourself. It wasn't a rare occurrence whenever the kids would drag you along on one of their many hangouts, so you were rather well-versed in their nerdy recreations. "Yeah, that's the one. I could barely pry their grubby little hands off the thing. Especially Dustin."

Based on his tone, the roll of Steve's eyes as he spoke was nearly audible. As much as he complained about constantly having to be the one to look after the party, there was a part of him that covertly loved the fact that they depended on him so much. Not only was it somewhat of an ego boost, but he's always dreamed of having little nuggets of his own to protect and guide and treasure.

The daydream of Steve being the ideal father, unlike his own dad ever was, reeled your bottom lip between your teeth as the cord of the landline fell into the trap of your twirling fingers. It was so vivid; a shirtless Steve wearing blue jeans that hugged his bottom so perfectly, driving a rackety lawn mower along the wild grass of the front yard to the house you may or may not have pictured the pair of you living in.

In that utopia, the children that you may or may not have pictured parenting with Steve, sat behind the lemonade stand that was built by their father, giggling and toying with a leaky hose as they awaited customers. You'd be watching your little family from the boxy window of the kitchen, fixing them an afternoon snack, unable to contain your laugh when the hose goes haywire, soaking your lover from head to toe.

The imagery made you giggle out loud, head falling against the wall as your stomach cramped. "What?" Steve asked, laughing along with you though it's purely out of instinct, because of course he didn't know what you were laughing about. But hearing your audible delight was contagious. He couldn't help it.

"It's nothing," you assured, smiling softly before continuing, "just hoping your day was better than mine was."

"Well I don't like the sound of that," he frowned, sneakers squeaking against his floor as he shifted his weight onto his other leg. He watched as the days worth of dirt that'd found solace on his shoes, abandon patterned scuffs on the wood. Memories of the pointed sound of his mothers voice demanding no shoes in the house rang through his head like a siren at the sight. He would've ditched his footwear at the door, but he knew he was running late for his phone date.

"What happened?"

Commencing your response with a weary sigh, you shrugged, laughing dryly, "A lot. It's not even funny how exhausted I am right now."

Steve's chest tightened. He hated when you had a bad day; it left a bad taste in his mouth. Even worse, whenever Steve would make an effort to get to the bottom of what ailed his girl, he had a less than impressive success rate, seeing as vulnerability was one of your shortcomings. Steve knew better than to pry. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to do his damnedest to make these final hours of the day your best.

"I'm sorry to hear that, honey," he lowered his head, offering a comforting smile that though you couldn't see, you could hear in his voice. "'S alright," he heard you murmur.

It fell silent for a beat before Steve inquired, "When are you comin' home?", to which you furrowed your eyebrows, letting out a confused chuckle. "Uh, I am home."

Jokingly, the boy scanned his apartment and though he saw some of your forgotten belongings from previous visits, he couldn't seem to pinpoint you. "That's weird, I don't see ya. You hiding somewhere?"

The laugh that erupts from your core at your sappy boyfriend is inescapable. Your shoulders quake as you snicker and Steve's never heard a sound so sweet. Mission accomplished. For now, anyway. "You're an idiot."

"For you, yeah," he retorts, "thought we already established that." The apples of your cheeks are growing sore as Steve's honeyed words denies your smile the chance to falter. Any inconvenience that was precedent to this very moment was long forgotten by virtue of the prince charming that was your boyfriend.

"I'll come see you soon, lover boy," you quipped.

"You makin' fun of me?" He was completely unoffended. Prior to the few weeks of you dating, Steve spent the better part of the past decade containing his cascading love for you behind the dire dam of the friendzone. Despite delay, the dam was broken and there was no playing "Mr. Cool Guy". Steve was crazy about you. And he'd be even crazier to not show it.

"I wouldn't be me if I didn't," you teased. "I'm gonna head to bed, though. I have another shift in the mornin'. That damn Keith," you rolled your eyes, groaning as Steve laughed through his nose.

"Alright, sunshine, I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay," you glowed. "G'night, Stevie." You waited for him to respond with a "goodnight" of his own before returning the phone back to its base, already pining for your boyfriend's presence again. Though you poked fun at it, what Steve said about you not being "home" wasn't just him being sappy. You were feeling the same way.

No matter where you were, whether it was school, work, the arcade, shit, you could be in the Upside Down, but as long as Steve was there, you felt at home. It made you reflect on the times where you'd be lying in bed, unable to slip into a slumber as you couldn't shake the feeling of wanting to go home, though geographically, that's exactly where you were. It was because you missed Steve. And any place where he was absent, was no home of yours.

Sauntering back into your bedroom and kicking away garments to clear a path, you cocooned your body into the blanket that was now stained with the scent of your burning candle, and continued from where you left off in your book. You figured you'd make some decent progress to hopefully avoid another late fee at the library.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆

It'd been forty minutes later, give or take, when you stood on sore legs, cleansing and moisturizing your face before calling it a night. Your dull eyes wore dark and heavy circles like a hideous skirt, a clear manifestation of the fatigue you were weathering. You rubbed at them unkindly with the hopes of looking even a little more lively, but to no avail.

The bulb of the bathroom went out like a flame once you flicked the switch off, and you abandoned the journey back to your room at the sound of a series of knocks to the front door. Clasping the opening of your robe with shaky hands, you wondered who could be here at this hour. You weren't expecting any visitors. Approaching the door with hushed footsteps, a miniscule view of none other than Steve Harrington could be seen through the peephole of your door.

The tension in your shoulders dissipated, ribs doing their best to cage your fluttering heart. You squealed, fingers fumbling with the lock and you could swear the metal thing had something against you, the way it stalled to unlatch. Steve smiled from the other side of the door as he watched the knob twist and jangle, warmed to know that you were just as eager to see him as he was to see you.

The brown lettering that labeled the white entryway '2F' swung out of view and Steve made eye contact with you for a split second before stumbling back a bit when you threw yourself into him.

Elevating yourself with the tips of your toes to reach him, you trapped his neck between your arms as he returned your hug with one arm, the other remaining properly tucked behind his back. "Hello to you too," he laughed breathlessly before briefly stamping a kiss to your shoulder.

"What're you doing here?" you buzzed, pressing little pecks to as much of his dotted skin as you could. You were suddenly a ball of energy. Finally at home. "When you said later, I thought you meant, like, tomorrow or something."

"Well, I missed you," a kiss to the corner of your mouth, "Wanted to come see ya."

The smile he wore carved thin lines into his cheeks as he spoke, walking your tangled bodies back into the quietude of your apartment. He stopped at your cutesy welcome mat, kicking his shoes off before revealing his arm that held a bouquet of just about the prettiest flowers you'd ever seen.

"Steve," you pouted, releasing your hold on his shoulders, "they're gorgeous." Cradling the peach hued roses dressed in a newspaper-style wrapping paper, your eyebrows scrunched together as you reminded yourself of the time. "What florist is open at 10 p.m.?"

The boy chuckled, locking the door behind him. The plaid pajama pants he wore swung loosely on his legs as he approached you. "There isn't," he ran fingers through his disheveled hair that was long overdue for a trim, "I saw them while I was out with the kids and I thought of you, so I got 'em." He shrugged like it was nothing.

"I was gonna surprise you with them at work tomorrow, but I figured I'd just give 'em to you now, ya' know, all things considered."

Heat rushed to your chest and face as you ogled him, filled with an overwhelming sense of luck to be his. Your feelings toward him felt so immense that at times, you could barely articulate yourself. Words of love and adoration raced through your mind a million miles a second yet you always found yourself terribly speechless.

Steve was so open with his affection for you. It’s a love people pray to experience at least once in their lifetime. And what a heaven-sent gift it was to earn that kind of love from Steve.

These would look perfect by the living room, you thought, turning to the kitchen to retrieve a vase after slipping him a fleeting kiss.

Scouring the white cabinets, you almost failed to remember that you didn't particularly own a vase, given the fact that you'd never actually received flowers before. The realization dejected you a bit.

Steve trailed behind you mindlessly, a frown weighing on his lips as he watched your shoulders droop. Leaning against the space on the counter next to you, he slid down a little, leveling with you, "What's wrong, honey?"

A mumbled, "I've never gotten flowers before," left a pang in his chest, your eyes never leaving the shelves of your cluttered cupboard. "Never needed a vase before."

It was now Steve's turn to slump his shoulders while he gazed at you with sad eyes. How could someone so lovely, so divine as you, not be treated the way you deserved? He would buy you flowers every day if you wanted and he had to bite his tongue when he almost cursed himself for not doing it already. But it's okay. He was here now.

Luring your waist into his body with those burly hands of his, he spoke with assurance laced in his voice, "Well, that's okay," he cooed. "Here, use one of these for now," he pulled a mug that you would've otherwise had trouble reaching, as it sat on the very top shelf, "and tomorrow we'll pick out a nice pretty vase for ya'."

Filling the black cup with water, he planted the roses down as neatly as he could. The flowers sat in the mug awkwardly, all splayed out with the stems way too long for your liking. But somehow, it still managed to be nothing short of perfect. "Cute, a little weird," you shrugged, a smile teasing your mouth, "but cute."

Steve chuckled lowly, situating himself between your legs once you sat on the surface of the tile countertop. "That's funny."

"What is?"

"I said the same about you when I first met you," he laughed, unable to contain his smile before getting the joke out. The face you made didn't help. "Shut up, Harrington," you jab at his shoulder softly, cracking a smile of your own.

Though there was a newfound romance, the typical banter that was mutually exchanged wasn't going anywhere. You were glad that nothing changed between you when you started dating.

Toying with the drawstrings on Steve's Gap hoodie, you began zoning out, the thought of going to bed while cuddled up with your boyfriend, sounding all too alluring. Looking up at him, he was already intently staring at you with painfully adoring eyes and you couldn't help but melt under his heated gaze. "Hi," you muttered, shyness clouding you.

"Hi, sunshine," he smiled, adjusting the collar of your robe with careful fingers. "I'm sorry your day sucked."

"It doesn't, anymore," you replied, sincerely. Steve's eyes lit up at that. It wasn't a secret to anyone that his presence alone seemed to be the antidote for some of your worst days. You'd even admitted it yourself, once or twice. But it never failed to ignite the nerves in Steve's body with fervor.

Although you were completely honest that your mood had gone up about ten octaves since he'd been there, Steve didn't want to just be there. He wanted to do more. It was what you deserved.

"You up for a little adventure?"

"Depends," you squinted. "What kinda adventure are we talking about?" He shifted his weight onto his other leg as his eyes veered off to the ceiling, thinking.

Steve happened to have a few tricks up his sleeve.

"There's somewhere I wanna take you," he drummed a rhythmless beat on your thigh with his fingers. The sneaky expression on Steve's face told you everything you needed to know. He was up to no good. As much as you wanted to go on a late night escapade with your boyfriend, you had to be somewhat, even a little, responsible.

"Steve, it's late and we both have work in the morning," you huffed, losing your grip on the strings you'd been distracting yourself with.

Steve playfully rolled his eyes, flinging his body out of your clutches dramatically. He was going to get you to cave. Whether you already knew it or not. "Alright, grandma, I promise to have you back home at a reasonable hour. Deal?"

The internal battle on whether you should stay or go was evident in your features, though, realistically you had already come to the conclusion that you'd humor him. The "grandma" bit is what really did it for you.

"This is a dumb idea."

"I'll be waiting by the car," he smiled an accomplished smile before leaving the kitchen. Letting out another sharp exhale, you hauled your body off the counter and headed towards your bedroom, discerning that a robe probably wasn't the dress code for wherever it was Steve was taking you.

Concealing your underlying tank top with a hoodie almost similar to Steve's, you threw on some sneakers before snuffing out the diminishing candle. Giving your appearance a once-over in the mirror, you wondered what you'd just gotten yourself into. Though any time with Steve was time well spent, you couldn't help but to look at your bed longingly as you shut off the lights to your apartment, meeting Steve outside.

He stood by the passenger side of the car, fiddling with a loose thread by the end of his sleeve. The fall season brought a night frigid breeze that blew his hair over his eyes like a curtain, making him pout. You hugged your body as you neared him, brushing his brown tresses from his face, though the wind reversed your efforts in no time.

He pressed a kiss to your palm as he became a puddle under your touch, appreciating the way your toasty hand felt against his icy skin. Steve took his own turn rubbing at your arms when he saw you visibly shiver, teeth nearly chattering. "You wanna tell me where we're goin'?" Misty clouds left short-lived trails in the air between the two of you when you spoke.

"Now where's the fun in spoiling the surprise now?" He opened the car door to punctuate his sentence, gesturing you inside. You could only rebut with a roll of your eyes as you entered, though you and Steve both knew you were loving every bit of this. It warmed your heart knowing he was so keen on saving your day from the horror it started it out to be.

Digging through the glove compartment, you sifted through old receipts and other rubbish that really needed to be thrown away, searching for the mixtape you and Steve made for little times like these. Moments that may now seem small, but would soon become memories that you'd cherish for years to come. It served as a little time capsule; hearing the songs you two carefully picked, easily transporting you to these times even when you'd become gray and old.

As Steve began driving off, your fingers found the sneaky cassette that was scribbled with yours and Steve's initials along with doodles of suns, to represent you, and poorly drawn anchors in honor of Steve's Scoop Ahoy era, to represent him.

Regardless of Steve's slight disdain for that period of time, it was one of your favorites and obviously that was due to the fact that the uniform he wore, showed off his legs in the best way possible. It was the perfect eye candy that summer.

The low sound of Bob Marley singing Could You Be Loved floated through the quietness of the car, easing away any tension within you that might've still been trapped. You admired the way the town was so still. The time was hardly 11 p.m., yet there wasn't a soul to be seen; only lonely litter that drifted through the breeze, aimlessly. It was a stark difference from just a few hours ago when you had to dodge shoulders as you cut through the crowded streets on your way home.

The sky was dark and empty apart from the glowing crescent moon that seemed to be chasing you as you drove. It was the only light source you had aside from the street lights that lined the sidewalks. You started counting them and even got to as far as nineteen, but soon lost count once Steve picked up his speed a bit.

Your eyelids threatened to close as the calming drive coupled with the music, fought to lull you to sleep. But instead, bright neon lights stung your sensitive eyes that grew accustomed to the darkness. Squinting, you read the colorful sign labeled "Darling's Diner", and nostalgia strikes you. It had been years. Too many years since you and Steve had been here last.

"Holy shit," you glimmered, hurriedly unbuckling your seatbelt. Steve's hand that found comfort on your thigh during the ride gave it a squeeze before he put the car in park, rushing over to open your car door. He took your hand in his, adoring the way your stunned face gleamed under the glow of the pink and blue neon bulbs. "Surprise," he cheered in a low tone, lightly bumping his shoulder against yours.

The smile you had burned your cheeks but the elation you felt made it all too easy to ignore. The feeling you got whenever you came to Darling's was something indescribable. There were countless fond memories attached to this place and it left you all soft and gooey inside to know that Steve planned on making more with you here. Instinctively, you practically dragged Steve behind you as you rushed inside, the homey scent of burgers, fries, and shakes wafting to your nose.

The floors were still the black and white checkered tiles you remembered them to be; stained with drops of grease and sprinkled with deserted fries. Walls were not much neater, though they were messy with posters and vinyl records instead.

"Want the usual?" Your nod was immediate and shortly after, Steve approached the busy woman impatiently pressing buttons on the register. Wisps of hair fell out of her ponytail and clung onto the film of sweat developing across her forehead. She visibly shrunk into herself as she heard the bell above the door ring, signaling new customers. It was a much busier night than usual.

Regardless of the surge of patrons, the booth you and Steve usually sat in once upon a time, wasn't occupied. The wears and tears corroding the red leather almost served as a name tag, assigning the seat for you two. It was impossible to forget the days Steve came here with you after school, carelessly doing homework while listening to whatever song played on the jukebox.

The table was tidy apart from laminated menus and coloring sheets scattered across the surface. You smirked thinking of the times you and Steve swore you could be the next Picassos, the way you took those things so seriously. As if they'd be hung in museums, you did your best to color them, but not without the added challenge of switching papers with Steve every few minutes. A fun little game you played.

Colored pencils sat by the condiments and you made yourself busy adding hue to the Back to the Future poster, sliding Steve a sheet with some random sports car you didn't know the name of, when he made his way over. He traded you with a cup of hot cocoa with jumbo marshmallows that threatened to abandon ship. "Thanks, Stevie."

"Anytime," he smiled, biting at the cherry that was kissed with a touch of the whipped cream that sat atop of his strawberry milkshake. His long legs brushed against yours as he sat next to you, knees finding mutual rest against each other.

A waitress on pink roller skates offered a kind smile as she brought over a basket of fries that Steve and you snacked on while you chatted and giggled, coloring your own and each other's papers as time seemingly flew by.

"How long has it been since we've last been here?"

"I couldn't tell you. Anything before senior year is such a blur," you responded, adding finishing touches to Steve's car before taking the last sip of your now barely hot, hot chocolate. "I'm just sad we stopped coming here."

"Me too," he swung an arm around your shoulder, pulling you in for an apologetic kiss to your temple. "But I promise to bring you a little more often. It was our spot when we were kids and it'll be our spot now."

You looked at him with bright eyes while hugging his torso, despite the awkward position. Trying to understand what you did to deserve someone like Steve was a dead mission, as you could never fully wrap your head around it. How does one try to understand why they've gotten so lucky?

He kissed away the marshmallow mustache idling on your upper lip before tapping your leg twice, "C'mon, we've got one more stop to make."

The spot he sat in was quickly losing its fever as he stood, holding a hand out for you to take, but you just stared at him with a face that was an odd marriage of scolding and amusement. "Steve," you warned.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, you can yell at me about it later. But I promise you'll love it." Waving his hand to urge yours into his, you accepted it with little hesitation at his grin. You wished the woman at the front a good night as you left the bistro, while Steve dropped a tip in the jar next to her.

He didn't let your hand go until you were sat in the passenger seat, subsequently getting behind the steering wheel, inserting the key in the ignition. You could tell Steve was tired too, the way he full-body stretched as he yawned, rubbing at his eyes that were getting a bit red from fatigue. He wanted to go to bed and cuddle and forget about the world just as much as you did. So why were you still out there?

"What's all this for, Harrington?"

He answered your question with another one of his own, "What's all of what for?"

"Tonight. Everything. The flowers, the diner, and now something else. I'm really grateful for it, don't get me wrong," you warmed his hand when you held it, "but why so much?"

Steve shrugged, averting his gaze to the gear shift sitting between you two. He softly rubbed at your knuckles while he gathered his thoughts.

"Well, you told me that you had a shit day. Just wanted to change that. I like when you're happy."

Your throat felt like it was closing in on itself and your chest stung when tears pricked at your eyes. Steve looked back at you affectionately, the voice of his eyes telling you just how much he cared for you. It made your heart so full. It was too much to handle sometimes.

"I like when you're happy too, Stevie," you beamed, blinking away the pool by your bottom eyelashes. Cupping his cheek, you pushed your plump lips against his that were a little chapped, though you didn't seem to mind at all. Reluctantly, you pull away and Steve doesn't think it was nearly long enough as he sneaks in a few extra pecks.

The drive to wherever on Earth it was that Steve was taking you, was much different compared to the one prior. It almost didn't look like Hawkins. For the past couple miles, Steve's burgundy BMW had been the only car on the road. The trees were taller, a darker green and stronger in numbers than the ones you were used to. The street lamps were less abundant and dimmer than usual, and the animal crossing signs told you that you were more than just a little ways from home.

You had almost said something until Steve pulled off to the side, parking the car on an empty hill just off the road that overlooked Hawkins and the neighboring city. It looked so small from here. Steve smirked at the puzzled expression you threw his way as you removed your seatbelt.

"Before you ask, just come outside. There's something I wanna show you."

You didn't bother waiting for Steve to open the door for you, as you stepped out, attempting to conjure up what he could possibly be wanting to show you out here. There was nothing to be seen but dirt and fallen leaves and branches. "What exactly am I supposed to be looking at?"

"Look up," he responded, leaning against the hood of the car.

Your furrowed eyebrows relaxed as a gasp fell from your lips at the sight of the cloudless sky, lighting up with numerous twinkling stars, an image you could only dream of seeing for yourself since you were a little girl. The mighty city that sat so close to Hawkins fostered light pollution that made it nearly impossible to see the stars at night. If you were lucky, you were only able to make out about one or two, though you weren't sure if they had been stars or planets, instead. Either way, it ignited your soul to be able to see such a bright and beautiful piece of the universe, making you feel so small in the best way possible.

That didn't nearly amount to this very moment though, where there were more stars that you could count, sitting so prettily in the midnight sky.

Mouth still agape, you utter, "Steve, it's beautiful," and other than that, you were rendered speechless. You couldn't dare to tear your eyes from it, worried that if you did, it would all disappear, proving to be a mere hallucination from your tiredness. Steve adored the way you stared at the heavens, noticing the way it was the same way you looked at him. All he could see was a clear reflection of the stars in your eyes, and it perfectly spoke to the way he felt about you.

He saw everything when he looked at you. The sun, the moon, the stars, the universe, even the galaxy. His past, his present, his future. All of it. To him, you encompassed everything beautiful and divine. He was convinced you were too good for this planet. Too extraordinary. How did he get so lucky?

"Look," you pointed at two stars that sat close to one another, shining impossibly brighter than the others, "do you think that's us in another universe?"

Steve smiled at your question, cherishing how whimsical you could be sometimes. Your voice was soft and full of wonder and he couldn't be more content in this moment. "Yeah," he nodded at you, "I'm yours in every universe, sunshine." He kissed the back of your hand, holding your intertwined hands against his chest.

"Y'know I was thinking to myself the other day about how weird relationships are," he stated, looking down at his feet. You peeled your eyes away from the sky, gazing at your boyfriend for the first time since you stepped out of the car. "Weird, how?"

"I don't know, like how you randomly meet someone and get to know them really well and one day just decide, 'I like this human. I'm gonna spend all my time with them and take care of them.' Maybe weird isn't the word, but it's definitely interesting," he rambled, talking with his hands, even the one that was still laced through yours.

You nodded along, understanding where he was coming from. It was something you'd thought about yourself. He continued, "Like, I look at us and how far we've come and it scares me a little 'cause I see how my parents are now. They were best friends before they got married and now I can count on only one hand the amount of times I've seen them hug or kiss. Freaks me out."

This was one of the few times Steve spilled what was weighing on his mind. You could always tell when something bothered him and though he'd give you bits and pieces when you asked what was wrong, it was never anything as nuanced as this. It made you proud to see him develop so much.

"We're not them, Steve. It's like you said, I'm yours in every universe. Maybe they aren't each others every universe," you sighed, "We won't end up like them, I promise"

You always knew how to reassure him. It was one of the things Steve loved so much about you; your way with words. Nothing sort of a poet, he thought. He engulfed your face with his palms, kissing you with every ounce of passion he had.

Lowly in the background, you could hear the song Just the Two of Us by Grover Washington, as the mixtape was still playing in his car. "It's our song," you smiled against his lips when you pulled away. You took his hands from your face, grasping them when you asked him, "Dance with me?"

He nodded, holding your body against his as your head fell against his chest, looking down at the sleeping town that felt so far away. You swayed back and forth, finding comfort in the near silence, listening to the rhythmic beating of Steve's heart. "Thank you for this, Steve," you whispered. "I'm lucky to be yours."

"Even if you weren't, I'd still do it for you," he admitted, running hand across your back, tenderly.

The little sentence made you think. Steve has been in your life for well over a decade now and he never failed to be there for you even when you didn't know how to ask for it. He was the one who took care of you whenever you found it a little difficult to take care of yourself. The one who never dared to leave your side.

You and Steve were in love even before you were. You'd been celestial even before this.

"I love you, sunshine," he murmured, head resting on top of yours.

"I love you back, Stevie."

💌 1 new message from jojo: pls pls pls comment/reblog (or both teehee) if you enjoyed, it means a lot! inbox is open!

[beatlesbug]

Somebody Else

Pairing: Peter Parker x fem!Reader

Synopsis: Peter can't stand to see you dance like that with somebody else.

CW: Fluff, angst, protective! peter, drinking, uhh reader has hair?

Author's Note: This is my first fic! So please leave me some feedback and requests! Also, I'm sorry if the grammar is trash, I'm working on it.

The bass from the speakers radiates in your chest as you chug another cup of whatever your best friend handed you.

"Babe, slow down!" She chuckles, watching you cringe at the taste and shake your head.

"No! I want to get so wasted I don't even remember his name," you hold her shoulders and say in her face excitedly. She laughs and wraps her arms around your waist before moving to the rhythm with you.

With every lyric you scream and move to on the dance floor, you can feel memories of Peter Parker leaving your mind.

It had only been three days since you'd broken up. Three days, and you saw him laughing with some girl from Biochemistry. A girl he told you not to worry about. Asshole. You should have seen it coming; it was so obvious. Peter had been hiding something from you. You had always been the cool girlfriend; you didn't care if he had female friends or went out with his friends. So when he started hiding something from you, you knew it was bad. You can't even count the number of times he'd lied to you about where he was or what he was doing. The final straw was three days ago when you'd entered his room and saw him throw some clothes out on his fire escape as he stood there in his boxers and a guilty expression.

"…Peter?" you questioned, standing in his doorway. He quickly slammed the window shut and came over to you, pressing a kiss to your cheek.

"Hey baby," he said sweetly, going over to his clothes that were lying on the floor.

You furrowed your eyebrows.

"Was someone just here?" You asked quietly, frozen in place. He looked back at you as he pulled his sweatpants on. He looked over to the window and then back at you, shaking his head nervously. "No, no, of course not. I knew you were coming over."

"Are you sure?" you crossed your arms over your chest. His eyes fell to your chest then back to your face. "Yeah?" He said, confused. You nodded your head and placed your bag against his desk.

"So you wouldn't mind if I took a look at your fire escape then," You said, heart thudding in your chest, walking over to said fire escape. Before you could reach it, Peter slid himself in between you and the window. You looked up at him and tilted your head.

"What?" He said, shifting his brown eyes away from yours. His face was inches away from yours now; usually, this position would make you want to reach up and kiss him, but what you currently feel is far from affection.

"I'm going to ask you again, one more time," You said steadily, trying not to let your voice crack as you asked the question you seem to have asked about a dozen times these last two weeks.

You tilted your head upwards, forcing him to keep eye contact with you despite the fact that you felt tears welling up in yours.

"What are you hiding from me?" You said slowly, the words feeling heavy in your mind.

"N-" He goes to reply before you interrupt him.

"I suggest you think about what you're about to say, Peter, because if you lie to me again, I'm done. We're done," You whispered to him, not breaking any eye contact. He opens his mouth to speak and then closes it before bowing his head in thought.

"Just tell me," You begged, lifting your hands to hold his face.

"Please baby, just tell me the truth," you whispered to him. He put his forehead against yours and went to speak. You held your breath in anticipation.

"I…I can't," his voice goes hoarse as he shakes his head, his nose brushing against yours. You inhaled sharply before pulling away.

You took a few steps back before looking at him, his head hung in shame. "I can't do this anymore, Pete. I just can't," you said, grabbing your bag from his desk and slinging it over your shoulder in a rush. You heard his voice call out to you as you ran down the stairs, out on the street, and away from him.

The memories of all of the hurt and the tears falling into nothing the more your hips moved with the beat. Nicki Minaj blasted from the speakers as you twirled around before screaming the lyrics and flipping your hair. You felt two hands wrap around your waist, holding you closer to them. You looked back over your shoulder and saw Caleb. Caleb was on your college basketball team; you tutored him last year in Psychology and became friends. You'd always suspected he had a bit of a thing for you, but you never really spoke to him out of respect for Peter. You smiled up at Caleb and turned to hug him, wrapping your arms around his neck and greeting him.

"Hey gorgeous, how are you?" He chuckled, leaning into your ear. You pulled away from him.

"I'm single and fantastic," you screamed over the music. He nodded, a wide smile spread across his face.

"Soo, that means I can dance with you, doesn't it?" You bit your lip as he said this and looked back at your best friend, who was now dancing with her partner. They both nodded at you encouragingly.

Looking back to Caleb, you nodded and started moving to the music with him. Just glancing at him, you could tell that he was attractive, with a short buzz cut and a sharp jawline, but he had nothing on Peter. As the Nicki song faded into the next, and the colored lights flashed in front of your eyes, you remembered how much you loved parties.

Peter hates parties. He's convinced this was the last thing he needed this week. He can't possibly stand here and be expected to have fun. Not three days after he had lost the love of his life. He felt like an idiot. The girl thought he was cheating on her as if any other woman in the world could compete with those eyes and that smile, he thought to himself. He was pulled into reality when a random guy ran past him to the kitchen sink before vomiting into it. He grimaced, deciding it's time to move to another room.

One hour. He just has to stay one hour, and Aunt May can't get mad. It's stupid to think that he still listened to his aunt at this age, but she insisted that going out would make him feel better, and he thought maybe she was right (and also there was a chance he'd finally get to see you, talk to you even). As he watched people covered in body glitter grind against each other, however, he questioned the validity of her solution. He weaved past as many people as he could, moving closer and closer to where he felt the music was coming from. There was only one place you'd be if you truly were here.

He stood next to the large archway leading to the dance floor, the steps allowing him the height to look over people's heads. The crowd screamed as the intro to the song "Gasolina" came on. He took a sip of his coke, scanning the crowd before he reached a familiar head of hair.

Fucking. Hell.

There was no possible way you had gotten ten times hotter in the past three days, was there? He watched as you lifted your arm to flip your

hair, a lock of it sticking to your lips. A bright smile graced your face as you circled your hips in the air.

Peter had seen you in all of your forms, sick, sleepy, tired, naked, yet he didn't think he'd ever seen you look sexier than when you moved your hair from your mouth and bit your lip looking at someone. The soft smirk and loving eyes immediately vanished from his face when he realized who you were looking at.

You're not mine. He remembered suddenly, feeling anger bloom and ache in his chest. He couldn't stand you looking at Caleb that way. You were his… even when you weren't.

As if sensing his presence in the room, you suddenly snapped your head over to him. Your eyes locked as your chest heaved slightly, damp from sweat. You wished you could ignore him. You wished you could see him and have no trouble turning away. You almost had the urge to smile at him.

Peter held the eye contact. Even from across the room, he could feel the string that tethered you together pulling him from his chest toward you. He didn't fight it. His jaw clenched, and eyes sharp, he walked almost seamlessly through the crowd of people on the dance floor and straight to you. When he stood about a foot away from you, you froze in place, not knowing what was coming next. He looked over at Caleb.

Caleb had his hand hooked around your body, way too close to your chest. Way too close to you. There were not many things Peter felt possessive over, but one of those things was you.

"Hey Pete! What's up, man?" Caleb said mockingly. Peter clenched his jaw, not even looking at you. He knew if he did, he would become a mess of tears, any and all confidence falling away.

"Get your hands off of her." He demanded at Caleb, acting way ruder than he’s ever been. Caleb removed his hand from your waist, squaring up to Peter.

"She ain't your bitch anymore, Parker, she's free game now,"

Feeling insulted, you took a step back, drawing the attention of your best friend and a few other people in the crowd.

"Don't fucking talk about her like that," Peter gritted his teeth. Just looking at him now, you were scared. Not of him, but for Caleb. In your months of dating, you'd never seen Peter this angry, and though he didn't look it, you knew he was much stronger than he led people to believe.

"You're just fucking mad because you know I'm going to have her bent over my desk tonight, not you." Caleb sneered at Peter, egging him on. Your jaw dropped at his words.

"Excu-" Before you could even get a word out, Peter's fist came crashing into Caleb's face. The music suddenly halted, and Caleb landed on the grimy floor. Suddenly, Caleb was on his feet and stalking towards Peter. Caleb's friends grabbed him from behind and stopped him from coming any closer. Instinctively, Peter's arm came in front of you, pushing you behind him so he could act as a shield. Caleb screamed and spat at Peter. Peter went forward to continue to fight when you grabbed his arm.

"Peter! No!" At the sound of your voice saying his name, he turned toward you, seeing the pleading look in your eye.

"Let's just go. Please. Let's go." He looked at you hesitantly before looking back at Caleb. Knowing you were more important than his pride, he held onto your hand tightly and dragged you away from the chaos of the dance floor, away from the frat house, and onto the front yard.

It's only when you're both standing in the driveway, the music cranking up again inside, that you finally get a good look at him. He's wearing a loose t-shirt, a flannel, and his regular black jeans. You stare at each other in silence, feeling protective of yourself you hug your body.

"Were you really gonna go home with him?" Peter mutters.

A completely cold laugh comes out of your mouth, putting your palms over your eyes.

"I can't fucking believe you,"

He frowns at your words, "What?"

"What if I went home with him, Peter! We're done! Go back to fucking Lyla or whoever the fuck she is," you say, referring to the girl you'd seen him hanging around with, the one he'd probably been cheating on you with.

"What?" He says again, this time slightly angrier. "Who the fuck is Lyla?!"

Your eyes widen as you spread your arms out, "Fucking Lily or whoever she is you're sleeping with, Peter! I don't give a fuck!"

He runs his hand through his hair, turning around before looking at you again.

"I'm not fucking anyone." He says calmly, hands in a prayer motion at his mouth.

You roll your eyes, "Peter, it's over, you don't have to lie anymore. I know you were cheating on me. It's fine, whatever, just fuck off please!"

"Ch- Cheating? What are you talking about?" He asks, confused. You go to respond but get interrupted by your friend running up to you, putting her arm on your shoulder. She asks if you're okay, you nod at her and tell her not to worry. Peter interjects and says he'll get you home safe and she should enjoy her night. She looks over at you for confirmation, and you nod, not wanting to ruin her night as well.

"Call me when you get home, please!" You yell after her as she runs into the arms of her partner on the porch. You and Peter walk down the street, away from your college campus and into the city streets. Neither of you say a word apart from muttering a small thank you when he drapes his jacket.

"I wasn't cheating on you,” He says suddenly when you turn onto a quieter street.

“I would never, ever." He continued strongly. You swallow and shrug under the weight of his jacket.

"What was I supposed to think, Peter? You don't answer your phone, you disappear in the middle of the day, you lie to me…" You say, much calmer than before, but looking at the ground instead of him.

“I know, I know, I’m sorry. I just- If I could tell you I would, but if something happened to you and it was my fault? If you got hurt and I couldn’t save you that would be on me and I can’t see you hurt. I can’t.” He cries desperately.

You furrow your eyebrows in confusion, “Got hurt? Peter, what are you talking about?” He walks towards you slowly, testing to see if you would move away. You don’t. Peter moves forward to wrap his arm around your torso, “Peter, what are you-?”

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes.” You say, hesitating, despite everything.

He tightens his grip around you before moving your hands around his neck.

“Peter if you want me to hug you or something I-” You’re cut off by your own screams as you soar through the air. You bury your face into Peter's neck and hold onto him tighter, terrified and confused. Your stomach rises and drops as you soar through the city. So terrified of falling that you can't think or speak. In a flash, you feel your feet hit concrete, and you notice you're on the terrace of your apartment building.

Peter releases you and is about to say something when you run to the ledge and throw up. He cusses behind before lifting all of your hair away from your face and lifting his jacket so he can rub your back soothingly. You stand up straight when you’re done, probably reeking of sweat and vomit.

You both stare at each other unmoving.

"What the fuck?!" You yelp as you hit his chest. Angrily you growled at him.

"What was that? Why did you just fling me across-" and then realization hit you.

"Oh my god. Oh my god, you're Spid-. Oh my god, this isn't happening. I am not that drunk," you say laughing sarcastically and putting a hand against your forehead.

“Even if you were drunk I think you got it all out now.” Peter chuckles awkwardly, gesturing to the throw-up on the ground.

You snap your gaze to him, reprimanding him, and he smiles softly. That smile. That smile that you're sure could heal the world if he tried.

“I wasn’t cheating on you, y/n. I’m Spiderman, that's why I disappear, that's why I’m late, that's why I lie. And I’m not going to apologize for being him because it’s the second greatest thing to ever happen to me, but I will say I’m sorry for lying. I’m so so sorry for lying to you, bug. I really am. I got scared and nervous that something would happen to you, I couldn’t take that risk but I can't lose you either.” He professed sincerely.

You nod your head slowly. “I get it,” you whisper. Tears pricking at your eyes, all the feelings you’ve been trying to suppress bubbling over with how much you love the man in front of you. You take quick paces to him and wrap your arms around him, holding him so tight you’re not sure he can breathe. Sniffling through your tears, “I get it, I’m so sorry I got mad. I love you,” you say into his chest. You feel his arms wrap around you making you cry even harder.

“I love you,” He says back, placing a kiss on your head.

“And I’m sure you have questions,” He whispers.

“So many questions,” You laugh into him, refusing to let go. But he pulls away from you and holds your head in his hands.

“How about we shower and get ready for bed and you can ask me anything you want,” He asks while stroking your hair. You nod at his words. He takes your hand and leads you to the stairwell into the building.

As you walk through the door you ask, “So where else do the webs come out from?”

[miela]

Shattered Memories

Prologue

Pairing: Peter Parker x Silk!Avenger!Stark!Reader Length: Series (Longish, maybe a little over 10 chapters) Series Genre(s): Romance with Dramatic and Comedic undertones (if you squint) Series Theme(s): Fluff, Angst, Smut Series Summary: After Peter sacrificed his identity for the sake of the world, five years go by before he finds you back in his life again. Series Warnings: Mentions of substance abuse, alcoholism, s*icidal thoughts, and possible abusive relationship (not Peter x Y/N) in later chapters. warnings subject to change. Please proceed with caution. Extra Content: One of my OCs are in here! Let me know if you want me to make a character list to reference.

Masterlist

➼ divider by cafekitsune

In the sky there is a crackling sound as a jagged purple band of fluorescent and electric strips open in the air like someone took a knife and cut open the blue of the sky. Peter swung over by your friends, while you swung around the premise of the Statue of Liberty to make sure that no one was left behind from needing to go back to their proper universe. It was a crazy few days. It was a crazy week really. First, going to Italy on the school trip just for it to be interrupted demands from Fury to Mysterio making out Peter to be public enemy number one to this, fighting people from different dimensions just to fix everything.

Just as you thought things couldn’t get any worse, you weren’t prepared for what was next.

“You’re okay!” Michelle Jones-Watson, aka MJ, exclaimed once Peter swung by them. 

They all joined in on a group hug before Peter pulled back from them and studied them worriedly. “Are you okay?” He asked.

“Yeah, we’re okay.” MJ said with a sigh of relief. 

At that moment you swung down as well as you took off your spider mask while catching your breath. “Well, that was another successful adventure for the Iron Spider Gang!��� 

MJ and Ned let out exhausted chuckles with you as Celina smiles big. Everyone looked exhausted and honestly you were exhausted. Your shoulders dropped in relief before Peter grabbed your face gently with his gloved hands, noticing the gash on the temple of your forehead above you eye. His touch took you by surprise as you looked up at him wondrously.

“Oh my god,” He exclaimed as he scanned your face for other injuries. “You’re bleeding…!” 

You had gotten the cut during the battle and you had gotten worse injuries before, and each and every time, Peter got so concerned…even if he was in worse condition.

“Oh this? ‘Tis nothing but a scratch, Parker.” You smiled softly. “I’m sure it’s already halfway healed.”

He looked into your eyes filled with worry and a hint of skepticism. “Are you sure?” He rubs his thumbs over the apples of your cheeks gently and lovingly.

“I’m fine,” You smile reassuringly. “I’m okay, I promise.”

His shoulders dropped in relief. “Okay….okay….good.” He then turned to look at yours and his friends, Ned, MJ and Celina, to make sure they were okay. They all gave him tight and thin lipped reassuring smiles and nods in response.

“Um…We should go then, right?” MJ asked after a moment. 

“Yeah,” You nodded. “I can summon the Quinjet and we can be home in no time.”

For a moment, Peter struggles to find the words to tell you guys the truth of how this mission will end. Thunder echoed in the sky as you all looked up to see the purple rips that dance across the sky. Doctor Stephen Strange, a sorcerer, was levitating in the sky casting a spell that is meant to solve the merging of the multiverse issue. 

Peter let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes and pursed his lips together for a moment before speaking those dreaded words that you never thought you would ever hear in your life. 

 “You’re gonna forget who I am.”

All four of you look at him confused. 

“What?” Ned asked, voicing what all of you were thinking. 

“Forget who you are…? What are you talking about?” MJ added.

Celina cocked her head to the side in confusion.

You, who has been through the craziest of situations and knew that anything and everything was possible due to your thankless job as an avenger, caught on to what he was meaning very quickly. You looked up at the purple rips, to Strange and then to the spell before looking at Peter horrified for an elaboration in hopes that he didn’t mean what you thought he meant. 

Peter noticed your expression and continued. “It’s okay. I’m gonna come and find you, and I’ll explain everything.” 

All your faces fall as you realize that he definitely meant what you were afraid of him meaning. 

“No…”  was all that you could manage coming out of your mouth. It sounded almost pleading. 

Peter cradled your face again and looked into your eyes with determination. “I’ll make you remember me, and it will be like none of this ever happened. Okay?”

MJ, in a slightly panicked state, replied. “Okay, but what if that doesn’t work?”

“Yeah!” you agreed, tearing up. “What if…What if that doesn’t work? What if we can’t remember you? I don’t want to do that. I don’t…I don’t wanna do that, Peter. I don’t want to do that…” You shook your head rapidly.

 “I know, (Y/N),” He cradled your face again and looked into your eyes sadly. “I know.”

“But…Is there not something we can do? We can come up with a plan or something! There’s always something we can do…We always find a way. Always. It's literally our job…!” You began thinking of other ways immediately. “What about…what about…” You were at a loss for words as you tried to scramble up an idea from your scattered brain.

Peter shook his head. “There’s nothing we can do.” He brushed his thumbs over your cheek and wiped away your tears before adding reassuringly. “But it’ll be okay.”

“No,” you say again, shaking your head rapidly again as your vision becomes blurred because of your tears. “No, no, no, no….no, Peter, please there must be another way.” you hold on to his arms with an iron grip as you start shaking in fear. “There’s always another way…!”

How could anyone think that you could accept this? You and Peter always had each other’s backs, especially in battle and on missions. You two were a perfect pair, a match made in heaven. How could you let yourself forget him? 

You wouldn’t let yourself forget him. 

You wanted to graduate with him. You wanted to enjoy the summer before college with him. You wanted to go school supply shopping with him and help him pick out stuff for his dorm room. You wanted to help him move in and set up his room and then spend the rest of the night watching your favorite movies together. You wanted to go to a halloween party with him as you wear matching costumes and be cute together as he introduces you to all of his new friends. You had a plan to make a friendsgiving and you wanted him to be there. You wanted to spend Christmas together and go ice skating and snowboarding. You wanted to move in together and spend the rest of your lives together.

But you couldn’t do all of that if you couldn’t remember who he was now could you? 

“We will find another way.” 

“(Y/N)...” 

“No! Peter, I-I can’t accept this. What if it doesn't work?” You sniffled out as you let your mind race with the possibilities of what could go wrong with this horrendous plan. “You’ll be all alone…”

MJ tried to catch her breath, as Ned’s eyes brimmed with tears. Celina was silently crying. The air was thick but at the same time, it was way, way, way too thin. You felt both hot and cold at the same time and you could’ve sworn your body was going into shock over this.

“Hey, hey…” Peter cradled your face again. “Look at me.”

You looked up at him with sad eyes and a quivering lip. 

 “What’s your name?” He asked.

“(Y/N) S-stark.” You sniffled out.

“That’s right,” He smiled softly. “And what are you?”

“An Avenger.” 

“And what do Avengers do?”

“Save the world,” You replied again, you swallowed hard as you tried to not to scream and sob. “W-we save the world.”

“And how do we plan to do that?” he asked, referring to the two of you.

You recalled the day you both became the dynamic duo of the Avengers. You both had promised that you would always stick together no matter what. You both were two halves of one emotionally and biologically, since you both were bitten by the same spider. 

“Together,” You gave him a small smile remembering the first time you guys made that oath. “Until the bitter end. Like we promised.”

“And I keep my promises, yeah?” He smiled sweetly. “This isn’t the bitter end. Not yet. I will come and find you.” He glanced up at the others. “All of you.”

Ned looked down for a moment before speaking. “You promise?”

 Peter turned to Ned and looked at him with a reassuring smile. “Yeah,” He let go of your face and walked over to his best friend. “I promise.”

Peter and Ned did a bittersweet version of their special handshake. It was almost heartbreaking to see due to how…final it felt. Then Peter pulled Ned into a hug. 

“I’ll come find you, okay?”

“I know you will,” Ned smiled sadly. 

When they pulled back from the hug, Peter turns to MJ and Celina. He goes over by Celina first.

Celina’s shoulder shook as she hiccuped from crying. Peter worried for her since they’ve been attached at the hip since they were little. They were practically siblings and she would be losing the last of her family…and he would be losing the last of his. But he knew she would be in good hands with how strong the bond of your friends group was.

“Hey,” he started. “I know you’ve been thinking about training with Strange. I think you should do it, Who knows you might need to use a spell one day.” He smiled at her and petted her head endearingly. “You’ll do great out there. I'll always be your big bro, Celi.”

Her lip quivered as she nodded and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back and kissed her head. She’s always been like a little sister to him, despite them being the same age. Once she pulled back from the hug she went over to Ned and hugged him as she cried into his shoulder. Peter then turned to MJ. 

“You better come find us.” She sniffled. “If you don’t, I’m just gonna figure it out. I’ve done it before, I can do it again.” She let out a barely-there soft chuckle. “And I will do it again.”

He hugged her for a moment before saying. “I promise I’ll fix this mess.”

He turns back to you again as you look at him and nod knowingly. There was nothing you could do and you knew that this was for the greater good…even if you hated the hell out of the idea of it. 

“You better come find us, Parker. Do you hear me?” You said sternly as you poked his chest. “You better come find me. If you won’t then I’ll come find you myself. And If I have to come find you…I swear to the fucking heavens and Asgard, If I have to come find you…I’ll kick your ass into another dimens-” 

His lips were on yours in a deep, passionate and desperate kiss, and you returned the kiss back while wrapping your arms around his neck. He kissed you like it was the last time you guys would ever kiss and you returned the energy of the exchange. After a moment he reluctantly pulled back slowly and leaned his forehead on yours softly. 

“I really fucking hate magic,” You stated.

Peter laughed softly with a knowing grin. “Yeah,” He replied. “Me too.”

You guys stood there for a moment in each other’s arms in a moment of silence before you spoke up.

“I love you, Peter.” you said to him as you cradled his face as you looked into his eyes.

He looked back into your eyes sadly and endearingly. “I-I lov-”

“Just wait,” You interjected. “Hold on to it and tell me when you see me again.”

“Sure,” Peter responded. “As long as you promise that you won't think I’m some creep and kick my ass.”

You let out a laugh and looked down at your chest for a moment before you pulled at the chain that was under your suit revealing your necklace. You hold it in your hands in a fist for comfort as you close your eyes and sighed deeply with determination. It’s the necklace Peter gave you when you first told you that he loved you. It was a silver spider necklace with two red rubies on it. You thought it was both sweet as heck and corny as hell, but that’s what you loved about it and that’s what you loved about Peter. You unclasped the necklace and looked at it for a moment before putting it in his hand and pushing his fingers down to his palm gently so he could hold it. He looked at you wondrously in response. 

“Give this back to me once you find me.” You smiled softly. “I promise I'll remember you.”

The sky around you all began rumbling even more as the sorcerer did his work. The new spell was taking effect and you wish you could freeze time, just so you could memorize Peter’s face a little longer. Hold his hand a little longer. Kiss his lips a little longer. Although you never took for granted the time you both spent together, it still felt like there wasn’t enough time spent together.

Crazy how things can change in a blink of an eye.

You all looked at the sky for a moment before looking back to each other sadly and eyes full of hope that this was just some horrible, messed up nightmare. Peter and you met eyes and he pulled you into another passionate kiss and you returned the kiss back. After a moment he pulled back again, hating the idea of having to do it.

“I promise, I’ll give this back to you.” He whispered, trying not to cry. 

“I know you will,” You smiled sadly. “Or else I’ll take it back from you instead.”

He let out a choked laugh. 

“This isn’t goodbye,” He added. “Just a see you later.”

“I’ll see you later,” You choked out. “Call me around seven? The usual time?”

He chuckled. “Yeah,” he nodded. “I’ll explain everything then.” 

He planted a long soft kiss on your forehead before he pulled away and stepped back reluctantly. You let your fingers glide along his shoulders and arms and hands as he moved. You both hesitated for a moment before you held each other's hands for a long moment before letting go. The feeling was heartbreaking, agonizing and agoraphobic. You wanted nothing more than to latch yourself on to him and never let go as if that would force you to never forget him. 

You guys never broke eye contact for that entire moment as if you were trying to find a way to keep the connection between you two alive for as long as possible.

He sighed one last time and jumped onto the ledge you all were standing in behind and looked up at Strange, who nodded at him as a last goodbye. Peter had a knowing look on his face….a look of ultimate defeat and the acceptance of it. He looked back at you one last time, taking in your form like a photograph in his mind. 

Although you would forget him, he would never forget you.

You mouthed “I love you, Peter Parker.” With a reassuring smile.

He gave you a sad smile before swinging off the edge. It all hit you right then and there and you let out a choked sob as you collapsed onto the ground and cried so hard you thought your body was going to explode. You had lost so much…so, so much and now you had to lose something else…someone else.

You don’t remember your friends trying to catch you when your legs gave out on you, you don’t remember the spell passing through you, and it only took a moment before you didn’t remember why you were crying. 

~

[the-winter-spider]

The View Between Villages | Part Eight

Word Count: 3.6k

Pairings: Bucky x reader, TASM!Peter x reader

Masterlist

——

Louisiana

“Y/N!” Bucky screamed into the phone, his voice strained with panic. “God damn it!” He pulled the phone away from his ear, his hand trembling as he closed his eyes so tightly they creased, trying to hold back the overwhelming surge of emotions.

“Let me guess, she hung up abruptly on you too?” Sam’s voice broke through the silence, filled with concern.

Bucky nodded, his expression pained. “She’s with the Spider kid. They’re fighting villains, and she said they’re not alone, but she sounded like she was…” He trailed off, struggling to find the right words.

“Saying goodbye?” Sam finished for him, his voice laced with understanding.

Bucky nodded again, his eyes haunted. “But not in that way. I can’t explain it—it was like she was going somewhere, moving away, but I’ll never see her again.” He paused, the weight of his next words almost too heavy to bear. “I can’t not ever see her again, Sam. I shouldn’t have… She’s everything I have left. I love her, Sam.” His voice was quiet, cracking at the seams as the truth he had been avoiding came tumbling out.

Sam placed a reassuring hand on Bucky’s shoulder, his grip firm. “I know, Buck… We’ll figure this out.”

“How?” Bucky asked, desperation seeping into his voice.

Sam’s eyes narrowed with determination as he reached for his phone, scrolling through his contacts until he found the number he needed. “Well,” he began, his tone resolute, “we’re going to New York, and I’ve got a quick way to get us there.” He pressed the call button, bringing the phone to his ear “Hey, Torres, I need another favor.”

As Sam made arrangements, Bucky clenched his fists, his mind racing. He couldn’t lose Y/N, not after everything they had been through. He wouldn’t let it happen. Whatever it took, he would find her, he would get to her—he would make things right.

—

The Fight

“Y/N!” Peter 3 shouted, his voice cracking with desperation as he shoved past Strange and the other Spider-Men. “Stop him!” he yelled, pointing towards the Goblin, his focus solely on you as he leaped off the scaffolding in a reckless dive.

Your eyes were shut, your body limp as Peter 3 plummeted towards you, fear gripping his heart. “Please, not again,” he whispered to himself, memories of another fall haunting his every thought. Relief flooded through him when he finally caught you in his arms, cradling you close before he shot out a web to slow your descent.

He landed gently on the ground, laying you down with the utmost care. Both his hands cradled your face, his fingers trembling as he brushed stray strands of hair from your forehead. “Y/N, please,” he begged, his voice barely above a whisper. His eyes were blurred with unshed tears, making it hard to see if your chest was rising and falling.

With a trembling hand, he pressed his fingers to your neck, searching for a pulse. Time seemed to stretch endlessly as he held his breath, waiting—hoping.

A gasp escaped your lips, your eyes fluttering open. Everything was a blur at first, but you could recognize that tousled brown hair anywhere “Peter?”

“The third,” he confirmed with a shaky breath, his voice filled with overwhelming relief “I thought I lost you.”

You managed a faint smile, even as you struggled to sit up with his help. “I’m hard to get rid of, the universe seems to want me alive forever”

Peter 3 let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding, helping you into a sitting position. He glanced around, the chaos of the battle still raging around you. “Did I…?” you gestured weakly to the ground, your voice tinged with uncertainty.

He shook his head, a small, reassuring smile tugging at his lips. “No, I caught you before you hit the ground, but you passed out.”

“Thank you for saving me, Parker,” you said softly, your gratitude deep and genuine.

Peter 3 opened his mouth to speak, to say the words that had been building up inside him, the feelings he couldn’t quite find the right way to express. He wanted to tell you that since he’d been in this universe, you’d been saving him—that slowly, you were mending his broken heart, and he knew you could make it whole again. But instead, he just nodded, his emotions too tangled to put into words.

You gently touched his cheek, wiping away the tears that had silently fallen “Hey, I’m not worth crying over.”

He closed his eyes for a brief moment, leaning into your touch, savouring the warmth and comfort it brought him. “You’re worth more than you think you are,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.

“So are you,” you replied, glancing around as reality came rushing back. “Is Peter okay? Did I…?”

Peter 3 nodded, pointing to your right. “You did it, He’s okay, but… we should probably—”

“Yeah, we should,” you agreed, your voice steadier now.

Peter 3 stood up first, extending his hand to you. You took it, feeling the strength and warmth in his grip, and as you rose to your feet, you found that you didn’t want to let go. Together, you made your way back to Peter 1, the battle still raging around you, but for the moment, you were focused on each other, the bond you had forged in the heat of battle stronger than ever.

As you and Peter 3 made your way toward Peter 1, the battlefield around you was chaotic, with flashes of light and the sounds of battle echoing through the air. The other villains were still wreaking havoc, but now you had a renewed sense of purpose.

Peter 1 was still reeling from his fight with the Lizard, but he managed to push himself to his feet, determination in his eyes. “We need to cure the rest of them, fast,” he said, his voice strained but resolute.

You nodded, feeling the urgency of the situation. “I’ll take care of the Goblin, you guys focus on the others.”

“No,” Peter 3 interjected, shaking his head. “We’re not splitting up again, wedo this together.���

Peter 2, who had been fending off Sandman, joined the group, a grim expression on his face. “He’s right…We’re stronger together”

The four of you exchanged quick nods of agreement before springing into action.

Peter 1 shot out webs in rapid succession, immobilising the Lizard as he and Peter 2 moved in to administer the cure. The Lizard roared in defiance, thrashing wildly, but Peter 1 managed to secure the serum in place. The transformation was immediate and intense—Doctor Connors’ monstrous form began to recede, his scales melting away to reveal the man underneath. He collapsed to the ground, human once more, breathing heavily.

“That’s one down,” Peter 1 panted, but there was no time to rest. A powerful gust of sand swept through the area as Sandman reformed nearby, towering over the battlefield.

Peter 2 glanced at you and Peter 3. “I’ll hold him off, you get the cure ready!”

Meanwhile, you had locked eyes with the Goblin, who was circling above on his glider, pumpkin bombs at the ready. “Hey, Gobby!” you shouted, drawing his attention “Let’s end this!”

The Goblin sneered, diving toward you with a maniacal laugh. You sidestepped his attack, narrowly avoiding a bomb that exploded just behind you. The force of the blast sent debris flying, but you remained steady, your eyes glowing as you absorbed the residual energy from the explosion.

Peter 3 swung in to assist, firing webs at the Goblin’s glider, trying to destabilise it. The Goblin retaliated with a barrage of razor-sharp blades, but Peter 3 expertly dodged, keeping the Goblin distracted long enough for you to gather your strength.

With a burst of speed, you launched yourself at the Goblin, grabbing onto the glider and yanking him off balance. He snarled, wrestling with you mid-air, but you held your ground, forcing him into a nose dive toward the ground. Just as you were about to hit, Peter 3 swooped in, pulling you clear while the Goblin crashed into the concrete below.

You landed beside him, breathing heavily but determined. “This ends now,” you declared, pulling out the final cure.

The Goblin, still defiant, tried to resist, but Peter 1 and Peter 2 joined you, all three of you working together to pin him down. It took every ounce of strength and coordination, but finally, you managed to administer the cure. The transformation was agonising for the Goblin, his twisted grin slowly fading as the madness in his eyes cleared, leaving behind only a haunted, broken man.

Norman Osborn blinked, his eyes wide with confusion. “What… what have I done?” he whispered, his voice trembling.

“It’s over,” Peter 2 said softly, his hand resting on Norman’s shoulder, offering a quiet comfort.

With all the villains cured, the battlefield fell eerily silent, the echoes of the fight still reverberating through the air. The once chaotic scene was now filled with the remnants of battle—crumbling buildings, scattered debris, and the exhausted figures of those who had fought so hard.

You, Peter 2, and Peter 3 exchanged weary but relieved glances. The hardest part was over, but the reality of what you’d all been through was beginning to sink in. The three of you stood together, taking in the moment—the fact that you actually did it.

Peter 3 looked at you, his eyes filled with an emotion that words couldn’t quite capture “We did it,” he said, his voice thick with relief and something more—gratitude, maybe, or hope.

“Yeah, we did,” you replied, a small, tired smile on your face.

In the distance, the sky began to crackle, the barriers between universes starting to break. Peter, your Peter, said something to Strange before running off to Ned and MJ.

You turned to the Peters, something pulling you towards Stephen. “I’ll be right back,” you mumbled, feeling an odd urgency tugging at your heart.

As you approached Doctor Strange, the air around you hummed with an unnatural energy. The sky above was splitting apart, glowing figures and silhouettes beginning to emerge from the cracks. It was as if the very fabric of reality was tearing at the seams.

“Kid!” Strange called out, his voice strained with effort as he tried to contain the rift. “They’re coming, and I can’t stop them!”

Your eyes darted to the figures in the sky—shadows of people you didn’t recognize, yet somehow felt you should. Panic clawed at your chest. “What do we do?” you asked, your voice wavering “How do we stop this?”

Strange looked at you with a mixture of desperation and something that resembled trust. “They have to go back now,” he said, his tone urgent. “You have to send them back!”

You shook your head, fear and confusion tightening around your heart. “I don’t know how! What are you talking about?”

“Yes, you do,” Strange insisted, his voice fierce yet reassuring. “You can do this….you’ve always had the power”

The world around you seemed to slow, the edges of reality blurring as Strange’s words sank in. You could feel something deep within you—a connection to the energy that was tearing the sky apart, to the very essence of the multiverse. It was like a current of power, pulsing through your veins, waiting to be harnessed.

“I can do this,” you whispered to yourself, more as a reminder than anything else.

But then a thought crossed your mind—a dangerous, tempting thought. If you had the power to send them back, didn’t that also mean you could go with them? To leave this universe behind, escape the pain, the loss, and start fresh in a new reality?

You glanced at Doctor Strange, the idea taking hold. “Stephen, I could do it. I could go too…”

He shook his head, instantly understanding your intent. “Doesn’t mean you should.”

You looked back at the three Peters, seeing the bond they shared, the way they supported one another. A part of you ached to be part of something like that, to escape the loneliness you felt in this world “But I could, and everything would be okay here, right?”

Strange’s expression softened, a rare glimpse of the man behind the sorcerer’s mask. “Nothing is ever 100% certain, Y/N. Your purpose in this universe is more than you realize. You’re a vital part of it.”

You scoffed, bitterness creeping into your voice. “This universe has never done anything for me except take away everyone I love. Just tell me—what will happen if I leave?”

Sighing, he dropped his usual stern demeanor, speaking more as a friend than an Avenger. “I don’t know. It could be catastrophic, or it could be nothing. It could affect us immediately or not at all. But is it a chance you’re willing to take? Dooming everyone here?”

Your voice cracked as you spoke, emotions overwhelming you. “I played the game. I followed the rules. I did everything I was supposed to, everything this universe wanted me to—and I still lost. What’s wrong with me breaking the rules and finally getting the chance to win?”

“Everything,” Strange replied, his tone firm yet sympathetic. “The sake of the universe depends on it, depends on us. Right now, it’s on a very thin line. Don’t do this, or everyone we’ve lost would have died for nothing. Tony would have died for nothing. It’s selfish.”

Your mind was already made up, but you felt the need to at least try to explain yourself. “Exactly—there’s no one else here for me anymore. They’re all gone.” You paused, looking at him with a mix of resolve and sorrow. “But you’ve got to do something for me.”

“Y/N,” he warned, the strain of holding back the rift evident in his voice, as the figures in the sky pushed harder to break through.

“Just watch out for him,” you said, your voice breaking as you nodded toward Peter 1, who was talking to Ned and MJ in the distance.

Strange hesitated, then shook his head. “He didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“We’re all going to forget Peter Parker. It’s the only way to stop this, to close the rift. It’ll be like he never existed.”

“There’s always only one way with you,” you scoffed, the realisation dawning on you. “But if I’m not here, I won’t forget.”

“You’re not thinking straight!” Strange shouted, desperation creeping into his voice. “If you go, I’ll find a way to pull you back, you don’t belong there!”

You squared your shoulders, determination filling your chest. “I don’t even belong here right now, I should be buried six feet under beside Steve… with Bucky.”

Strange’s expression hardened. “I’ll find you,” he vowed. “And I won’t show you the courtesy I am now”

You held your head high, resolved in your decision. “I wish you all the luck, Stephen.”

Without another word, you turned and walked towards the Peters—yours was running towards you, his face pale with worry. “Y/N, I gotta tell you something,” Peter 1 said, grabbing your shoulders, trying to steady you as he fought to find the right words. “Strange, his spell—” His voice broke, a tear slipping down his cheek.

You reached up, gently wiping the tear away. “I know, Pete.”

He nodded, tears now freely streaming down his face. You pulled him into a tight hug, the weight of what was about to happen sinking in. “I’m not going to forget you… I will never forget you, but you have to promise not to forget me, okay? You gotta look after yourself, I promise I’ll be back. I love you, Peter, okay?”

Peter pulled back, confusion knitting his brow. “What are you talking about?”

You glanced over at Peter 3, who was quietly admiring the wound you’d healed on Peter 2. Peter 1 followed your gaze, his eyes widening as realisation dawned on him. “Woah, woah, you’re not going to—?”

“I am,” you said firmly. “I can do it, Peter… I know I can, but I need to know you won’t be mad, and I promise I’ll come back, I’ll find a way. I know it, I feel it.”

Peter gave you that famous, genuine Parker smile, though it was tinged with sadness. “I could never be mad at you. Just promise me you’ll come back and help them all remember? I don’t want to be forgotten.”

“I promise.”

He pulled you in for one last, tight hug, his voice shaky. “I gotta go, Y/N, I need one last moment with them.”

“Yeah, yeah, of course..” you replied, trying to keep your voice steady as you waved him off

As Peter 1 started to walk away, he turned back to you, his voice full of emotion “I love you too!”

And then he was gone, leaving you standing there, the weight of your decision pressing down on you. You looked back at Strange, who was still holding the rift at bay, his eyes filled with a mixture of anger and sorrow.

Taking a deep breath, you turned and began to make your way toward Peter 3 and Peter 2, the sky above you still crackling with the remnants of the multiverse. You knew what you had to do, and there was no turning back now.

“Hey, there she is,” Peter 2 greeted with a warm smile.

“Here I am,” you replied, a gentle smile tugging at your lips. “How’re you feeling?”

“Good, good. Much better than before,” he chuckled, gesturing to where his stab wound had been. His eyes flicked between you and Peter 3, recognizing the unspoken need for a moment alone. With a knowing nod, he offered a brief but sincere farewell. “It was nice to meet you, Y/N. Maybe we’ll cross paths again someday.”

You shook his hand, the connection brief but meaningful. “Let’s, but under different circumstances.”

“Agreed,” he smiled, giving you a final wave as he walked away, ready to be sent back to his own world.

Peter 3 stepped forward, attempting to mask his heartbreak with a smile. “So, this is it,” he said, his voice dry and cracking with the weight of his emotions. He knew his time here was almost up, and now was the moment to say everything he wanted to. “I just want you to know, I think you’re amazing. I wish this could be different. I can’t help but feel like we… like we could have had something—perhaps in another universe, another lifetime.”

You took a step closer, your heart pounding with the enormity of what you were about to propose. “What if it didn’t have to be another lifetime? What if it could be this one, just in another universe?”

Peter 3’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What do you mean?” he asked, his voice tinged with hope and confusion.

“I’m saying, what if this isn’t the end—what if it’s just the beginning?” you said softly, the possibility of a future together shimmering in the air between you.

“For us?” he breathed, almost afraid to hope.

You nodded, your gaze steady. “For us—if that’s something you’d want… to try. I know we just met, but…”

He shook his head, overwhelmed by the weight of your words. “Of course that’s something I want, but how is that even possible?”

You let your hand trace a path from his cheek down to his arm, finally intertwining your fingers with his. “The same way all of this was possible. I can do it, Peter. I just have to slip through the cracks when you get sent back. It won’t affect anything here… it shouldn’t.”

His brows furrowed with concern. “I don’t want to cause any issues here for Peter or your friends, but—”

“It won’t,” you assured him, your voice firm and certain.

He nodded, trusting your words despite the whirlwind of emotions. “I don’t have much… I have a crappy little apartment, no Avengers, it’s just me. I don’t—” He looked up at the darkening sky, the rift in the multiverse reflecting the urgency of the moment. “Are you sure?” he asked, his voice frantic, searching your eyes for any doubt.

All his attention was on you, like you were the only two people in the world, which, in this moment, you were. His gaze was intense, as if your words held the key to everything, to his world. He waited with bated breath, eager yet patient, for the words that could change both of your lives.

“I’ve always done what was asked of me, what I thought I was supposed to do,” you began, your voice trembling with emotion. “And it was always wrong. Everything always goes wrong here. I can’t start over in a place where I’m constantly reminded of everything I’ve lost. But with you… with you, I felt hope. I felt peace, even if just for a little while. I’m sure,” you nodded, resolve hardening your voice.

You lifted your hands towards the sky, feeling the surge of power coursing through you as you connected with the fractured pieces of the multiverse. You could sense the threads of each universe, each reality, brushing against the edges of your consciousness. Slowly, you began to weave them back together, pulling the strands into place, closing the gaps between worlds.

The figures in the sky began to fade, their forms dissolving into the light as the rift started to heal. The crackling energy that had filled the air softened, the sky returning to its natural state, the once-visible tears mending under your control.

You could feel the Peters being drawn back to their own realities, their time in this world coming to an end.

[fadingdaggerr]

heaven’s gate

pairing: larissa weems x gn!reader (r is only ever referred to as queer, no other specifics)

summary: locking eyes with a woman at a bar and finding purpose in her kiss

warnings (in order): alcohol consumption, making out, smut (thigh riding, fingering, eating out, heavy praise), r is a simp the whole time, so much side character use bc i like making up lil stories about the little people in my head, pretty dialogue heavy in some parts

note: sorry i’ve been gone, i’ve had severe writers block and my birthday was this past weekend so i was out and about. never written smut before so this is different from my usual comfort zone, let me know what y’all think <3 i also tried to keep r neutral as possible to accommodate all presentations and identities :)

the wind whipped against your face as you steadily continued along the sidewalk, numbing your cheeks. the honking of cars and chatter around becoming white noise as you were dead set on your destination, only need at this point to get out of the wind tunnels. an arm looked through yours suddenly, breaking your pace slightly.

“babe, you have got to slow down. these boots are not meant for walking, they’re for attracting,” parker says as he clings to you for warmth, even with his long emerald green jacket on.

you laugh a little, “i’m not freezing my ass off because you chose heeled shoes when you knew damn well we’re in the old district. that means cobblestone streets. i thought you had a college degree?” he shoves you with a laugh, there’s no point in arguing with the truth. he complains the rest of the way, and you just ignore him until he finally stops when the club comes into view.

the vibration of the music could be felt in the floors, on the chairs, at the bar. everything hummed together, music and voices. you took it all in until a rum and coke slid right next to your hand. you nod at the bartender in thanks, turning to take in the club, smiling at the group taking a photo in from of the lavender’s orbit sign with giant smiles and little pride flags in hand. your eyes continue to scan as you bring your glass to your mouth, then double back when a set of eyes connects with yours.

resting against a tall stool, martini in hand, was the most enchanting being you’d ever seen. lips curved into a smirk at your staring, but it didn’t stop you. you allow your eyes to travel down, taking in her short, white dress and her long legs, watching as blue and purple lights sway and highlight her body. your eyes snap back go to hers, returning her smirk before continuing your look around.

you find parker by the pool tables, cheering on the group playing there, not so subtle in his hands caressing one of their arms. you shake your head with a laugh, he was on a mission, just as he had said before you’d left. parker sees you and waves your over excitedly.

“okay, okay so will you play pool with me? and like, help me get them to like me?” he says pointing at the person in bleach-dyed overalls, only a red binder underneath.

“one game,” you say holding up one finger, “i’m not playing matchmaker all night, there’s someone i think i need to talk to by the bar.”

he jumps a little, hugging you, “okay perfect, one game is all i need. then i can help you get some.”

you grab a cue stick, applying chalk as you speak, “i don’t need help. and i think you’ll be a little to preoccupied to help me anyways.”

the object of parker’s affection, max, and their friend arlo, let you break the set. a singular solid ball fell in, putting you into a head start. as the game continued, you told parker what to do so that you could both win and help him with max, which didn’t seem to be an issue. the eight ball was your last in, as you aimed, you could feel eyes on you, burning into your back. turning, you see the woman from earlier watching, new drink, same look in her eyes. you nod towards her then shoot, the eight ball drops into the cup.

parker grabs you, jumping as he holds you, mostly just shaking you like a rag doll. max and arlo shake your hand. deepening their voices to sound all gruff and puffing their chests as they both say “good game, good game,” before breaking and laughing at themselves.

the three step away to get more drinks, and you turn back to where the woman in white had been, but instead she was walking back from the bar, two drinks in hand. she approaches you, setting one drink in your hand. a rum and coke.

“larissa,” she says, “that was quite the game.”

you accept the drink with a smile, introducing yourself, “the game? i don’t recall your eyes being on the cues.”

“perhaps not, but how could they look at anything else?” her words send a shiver down your spine, “let’s go sit, darling.”

you begin moving to find a place to sit down and talk with her. her hand rests on your hip as you walk to keep close to you and not get separated. her touch was electrifying, even through your shirt. you let her sit first, then place yourself next to her, close enough that your legs touch and her perfume fills your nose.

“what do you do for work, larissa?” you ask, eyes looking into hers. you couldn’t see how blue they were before, cursing the dim lighting around you for not gifting you this privilege earlier.

“i’m an english teacher at nevermore, it’s a private academy up in jericho,” she says proudly.

you nod excitedly, “i’ve heard of it! my friend jaya went there in high school since she lived closer to there than byron’s home in rochester.”

her eyes widen, voice nervous, “you know about outcasts?”

you grab her hand, “i am an outcast, i went to byron’s. maybe you know her, jaya o’leary? gorgon, perfect eyebrows despite not getting them done ever in her life?”

larissa laughs, “yes! we had a couple classes together during third year, that’s quite the coincidence.”

“all roads lead back,” you say, mostly to yourself. larissa’s lips form into a soft smile, the hand that’s still in yours tightening.

“what do you do?” she asks.

“i’m a counselor. i run support groups and one-on-ones for anyone in need, we have varying specialists and everything,” you say before you take a sip of your drink.

larissa leans closer, “what do you specialize in?” there’s genuine interest in her voice, and it makes you feel warm and fuzzy.

“queer adolescence and trauma. there’s a lot of kids that need a place to just exist as they are, and home is a confinement cell,” you say looking down into your lap, then back to larissa. she smiles at you, thumb running across yours.

“that’s an admirable profession, you should be incredibly proud of yourself,” her words are so heartfelt that you feel your chest bloom.

“thank you. and for the record, teaching is equally important. it’s a multi-faceted role, you should be proud too,” your eyes are locked with hers, trying to convey that your words are true.

just as she’s about to reply, a scream of your name catches both your attentions. parker’s freckles face popping into view as you watch him bob and weave through the crowd quickly until he stands before you with a giant smile. he almost speaks, but his eyes move to larissa then back to you with a playful smile.

“first of all, nice. second, wow. third, i am going to disappear for a little bit, are you okay here? i can stay if you need me too,” his words are hopeful, but you know his promise of staying is just as true, he’d never leave you if you said no.

“i’m okay, go have your fun and text me. for the love of god, wear a condom. and for the love of your best friend, do not give me extreme details about this later or i will vomit in your shoes,” you say as you shoo him away. he grabs your face and presses a fat kisses to your cheek with an i love you, i love you, i love you, before running off to max.

you groan and wipe your cheek, where did the gloss come from? larissa giggles next to you at the interaction, hand over her mouth. “nice and wow? he’s sweet,” she laughs.

your head hangs low, “that would be parker, the bane of my existence and my assigned ward at this point.” this makes her laugh again, and you almost think you heard angels singing.

“would that be the reason you didn’t come up to me sooner?” larissa prods.

you laugh a bit, looking at her through your lashes, “unfortunately, yes. he needed me to help him win the game so that he could look good.”

her tongue goes across her teeth, “i think it worked better for you, at least in my opinion.”

it’s your turn to lean a little closer now, “well i almost lost because someone, not going to name names, was quite distracting during the final round.”

her hand leaves yours, much to your dismay, but quickly finds its way to your thigh, “oh, i’m sorry. how could i ever make it up to you, almost-loser?” her tone and fake pout nearly kill you on the spot, her touch was making the fire within you burn hotter and hotter.

your hand rises to her neck, caressing her jaw with your thumb. she was so beautiful it was making you dizzy, but you spoke regardless, “i think you’ve already made it up to me just being right here,” you feel her cheek warm under your hand, “maybe i should be thanking you, you might have been my good luck charm instead.”

her lips are only centimeters from yours as she says, “maybe you can repay me then somehow.”

—

her lips were soft, but her kiss was not. her teeth nipped at your bottom lips as she pulled away to breathe, only to pull you back in. one hand gripped her waist, the other against the brick wall behind her to hold you up. her own held you face, keeping you as close as possible. the breathy moans she let out through the kiss made your grip on her tighten, then slide down more, just over the curve of her ass. you pull her hips into you, making another noise leave her.

her lips detach detach from yours, angling her head down, she begins to nip at your neck. you could’ve sworn she was a drug, your own personal aphrodisiac. your hand slides down more, catching her thigh and bringing it to your hip, pressing your hips into hers to give some friction. a noise escapes her at this action, something that makes you need to kiss her again, truly kiss her.

you lean away, ducking your head to catch her lips once again, kissing her with less lust and more intimacy. you savor the way she shivers as your fingers draw little patterns on her thigh as you kiss her, pouring everything into it. she pulls away, panting lightly. your lips migrate to her neck, gentle kisses and nips as you both catch your breath.

through heavy breaths larissa says, “my hotel is only six blocks away.”

your head leaves her neck, pressing a quick kiss to her lips, “my apartment is four.”

your eyes stay locked together, both of you grinning like teenagers. you whip your phone out of your back pocket, opening parker’s contact.

to: park nasty going back to my place. do NOT come back unannounced i was serious about the shoe thing. be safe ily

you shove your phone back in your pocket, hand now extended to larissa. she immediately takes it, weaving her fingers with yours and wrapping the other arm around yours, holding you to her. you’re about to speak to her again when you phone chimes.

from: park nasty ily babe go get some!! and a little more!!!! lord knows i’m about to go back for thirds

larissa reads the message from beside you, laughing at the outlandish text. you groan at it before typing your own quickly

to: park nasty damn give the poor thing a little recovery time u absolute creature. i’m not gonna feel bad for u tomorrow when u complain

you chuckle and put your phone back in your pocket. you look at larissa before you both burst out laughing. she didn’t even know parker but she basically got the full extent of him within one text and watching the two of you interact while playing pool and when he came to you both.

“i see what you mean by the assigned ward thing now,” she says through a chuckle.

you guide her to your street, “he’s a menace, but he’s the best friend anyone could ask for. the descriptive details of his sex life are the price i pay for friendship.”

she just has to ask, “park nasty?”

you cackle, “he decided on day one of us meeting at byron’s that that would be his name in my phone. he thought it would stick, like everyone would call him that or something.”

she laughs with you, “and did they?”

“no!” you laugh loudly, “who’s gonna call a fourteen year old boy that?” she giggles at the story, “but i never changed it because i thought it was so stupid that it was hilarious.”

larissa clings to you and rests her head against yours as you unlock the gate in front of the door, then enter the code to get into the building. you have her step ahead of you, guiding her to your door with a gentle hand on her lower back. she’s back against you as you unlock your door and let yourselves in. you grab her purse and place it on the bench behind the door, then take her coat hanging it on the hooks, along with your own.

just as you look back at her, her lips crash into yours. you immediately kiss her back, hands flying to her hips and holding her tight. hers found their way to hold the back of your neck, blunt nails digging into your skin. you began walking her backwards to your room, staying against the door for a minute as you savor each others touch. you fumble for the knob, backing her in once the door is closed. you’re completely overtaken by her, her lips, her touch, the way she’s holding you like you’ll disappear.

larissa’s knees hit the bed, and she pulls you to her lap as she sits down. you push her back more, laying her on the bed. you lips migrate from hers to her neck, creating more marks to go with the ones from before. working your way down, you press kisses to the expanse of her chest, pale skin just begging to be painted in your affection.

larissa’s legs shift and you suddenly find yourself under her, her dress riding up and exposing more of her thighs. her lips go back to assaulting yours, her hands sliding underneath your shirt to trace the skin of your abdomen. only breaking away to gently ask, “is this okay?”

you smile at her, leaning up to kiss her cheek, “more than okay, i promise.”

her lips are back on yours, your hands are back on the creamy skin of her thighs. she was your new drug of choice, you couldn’t stop the venturing of your hands on her body as her lips and tongue pulled soft moans from you. you need more of her, as much as she’ll allow you.

you shift your hips, raising your right leg to press you thigh to her center, making her lips stutter as she moaned against your chest. her hips instinctually buck against your thigh again, and you hear her breath hitch.

“are you okay? we can stop,” you ask gently, gently stroking the skin of her thigh to assure her.

“don’t,” she rushes out, “i want this, i want you.”

there’s nothing to do except kiss her, kiss her so that it feel like a promise. your hands slide from her thighs to her hips, slowly guiding her against you. she moans into your mouth and your hands move her hips faster, her pleasure was all you could think about.

her moans grew whinier as she desperately moved against you. her forehead pressed into yours as her release grew closer and closer.

“you’re so beautiful,” you mutter, pressing your lips to hers, sitting up so she was now on your lap. the new angle and your words forced a filthy moan from her lips, “and you sound so beautiful. god, how do i deserve this?”

larissa could only kiss you harder, stealing the breath from your lungs. her hips wild against your thigh, the feeling of your hands gripping her hips, it was all too much. your lips found their way to her chest again, you nudge fabric out of the way to kiss along her breasts, gentle love bites that were soothed by your tongue.

larissa’s hips began to falter, moans becoming louder and longer. you flex your thigh more, kissing her as you move her hips faster. her hands grip at you shoulders, eyes screwed tight with pleasure. she was so close.

“open your eyes, baby. i wanna see you, can i see your beautiful eyes?” you ask as you kiss her neck and jaw, biting the skin every now and then, “please?”

larissa’s eyes flutter open, lust-drunk eyes looking into yours. you quickly reward her by pushing her further down on your thigh, making a sweet moan come from her as she looks into your eyes.

“fuck, you’re so beautiful,” a kiss to her chest, “you’re doing so well,” a kiss to her neck, “you can let go whenever you’re ready,” a kiss to her jaw, “i can’t wait to see you fall apart just for me,” a final kiss to her lips.

your words seem to be the undoing of larissa weems. she moans loudly against your lips, hips quickening then stuttering. blue eyes find yours as a long and beautiful song escapes her, thighs shaking. you’re in awe, entirely captivated by her. you can already tell that you’re not going to be able to let her go, your mind had been screaming to keep her close since you saw her. this sight was the only thing that mattered now, pleasing larissa was your life mission.

her forehead drops to yours, eyes shut, breath heavy. you stay there for a moment, unmoving, allowing her to come down peacefully. your raise your arm slowly, gently brushing hair from her face before cupping her cheek. her cheek presses into your palm, and you just have to kiss her. it’s soft and sweet, just a reminder that she’s cared for. she pulls back, eyes opening slowly. all you can do is smile at her, and she returns it gently. your lips find her cheek, pressing a few kisses to her skin.

“where the hell have you been?” she says with a breathy laugh.

you smile harder at her words, “i’ve been right here. guess you’ll have to come to the city more often.”

“or you’ll just have to come to jericho,” she says playfully.

you kiss her softly before speaking, “i have a good reason to it seems. a very beautiful reason at that.”

she pushes you back, leaning over you to press her lips against yours. the dance is slow, meaningful. her tongue grazes your lips for entry, and she’s given it without second thoughts. she kisses with full passion, telling you everything with every movement. she sucks on your bottom lip, making you groan and pull her face closer. all you want, need is her. you whine as she pulls back, and she gives you a quick kiss to appease you.

her fingers begin to lift your shirt up slowly, eyes searching for permission. you grab one of her hands, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. you grab her other hand and guide them both under your shirt, letting her know you’re okay. she strips you of your shirt, and kissing down your chest and belly. her hands find your belt buckle, undoing it quickly while you lift your hips help her remove it. she climbs back up, kissing a trail from waist to your lips. your hands fall to her back, finding the zipper of her dress as she lazily kissed you.

she sits up and her dress falls down, revealing a lack of bra, leaving her in ruined panties. you sit up and your lips immediately find her chest, wrapping around one nipple as your hands traced her body. your tongue swirls around her, leaving her skin with with a gentle kiss before moving to the other.

“god, you feel so good,” she lets out breathily, whimpering at your touch. after a bit she forces your head away from her chest, pushing you back down to remove your pants and her dress, evening the amount of clothing you both wore.

the view of her above you was breathtaking, you couldn’t take your eyes off of her. her hair was messy, lipstick smudged around her face, bruises and bites across her neck and chest. she was a goddess in your presence.

“what are you staring at me for?” she whispers, insecurity well hidden.

“you’re… you’re just so god damn gorgeous larissa,” you pull her down and roll so that you’re on top of her, “i can hardly believe you’re here, that you’re even real,” you kiss her softly. your lips trail down her neck, to her chest, down to her stomach, “and i get to see you like this.”

she pulls you up to her again, kissing you soundly, “it’s hard to believe you’re real yourself. never has anyone spoke to me like this, even made me feel like this.”

you frown at her words, mad at her past lovers for not appreciating her enough. “can i show you how beautiful you are?” you ask gently, nuzzling your nose against her cheek before continuing, “can i taste you?”

she groans at your words, turning her face to kiss you hard, “please.”

you kiss her again, trailing back down her body. reaching her center, you place a light kiss to her thigh, biting the plush surface then soothing it with your tongue. your fingers lightly trace up her legs to hook in her panties and pull them down. you bite your tongue, nearly moan at the sight.

you kiss along her thighs some more, slowly moving closer to where she needed you. you look up at her, “do you want me to continue?”

her hand reaches down for one of yours, and you are quick to follow, tangling your fingers together. she squeezes your hand, “yes.”

you kiss her mound gently, then move to her clit. wrapping your tongue around her, her hand grips yours. your tongue swirls her clit some more before going to taste her fully. your tongue gathers her wetness, you moan into her at the taste. the vibration alone makes larissa choke out a strangled moan. you continue to lap at her, slow, long strokes against her, savoring every second.

a long lick up back to her clit, sucking it gently, working larissa up. your hand that was wrapped around her thigh came to her entrance, slowly pressing your middle finger into her. she moans softly at the touch, squeezing your hand as you pumped your finger slowly.

“more,” she whines, “please.”

you follow command, adding your ring finger when you push back into her again while your tongue plays with her clit. a deep moan leaves her, only egging you on. quickening the pace of both your tongue and your fingers, you feel her legs wrap around you.

you pull back from he clit, pressing a kiss to it when she whimpers. “do you want more, baby?” your only response is a nod and a moan of your name.

your mouth is back on her, only to pull away again to watch her take a third finger. when your forefinger enters her as well, her moans echo off the walls. she pulls the hand she’s holding, wanting for your lips. you keep your fingers in her, letting her adjust as you climb up to kiss her. her arms wrap around your shoulders while her hips chase your fingers, moaning into your mouth. your thumb finds her clit, toying it in circles at the same pace as your fingers fuck into her faster.

you shove your face into her neck, sucking the skin and licking it and she grinds harder against you. she grows frantic in her movements as she gets closer, her walls hugging your fingers.

you move back down, replacing your thumb with your mouth. her moans become more whispers, her breathing shallow. “you can cum, baby. let me taste you,” you whisper.

your tongue and fingers move together at a fast pace, willing larissa to cum. the tight curl your fingers inside her makes her cry your name out as she climaxes. you remove one finger at a time as you slowly fuck her through her orgasm, bringing your fingers to your mouth to clean them. her eyes bore into you as she watches, you watch her in return. you keep your eyes on her as you clean her folds with her tongue, greedily taking every last drop of her.

“you taste like heaven,” you say as you kiss up her body, finding purchase in her neck. you press a kiss to her skin before asking, “you alright?”

she grazes her finger up and down your spine, “more than alright.”

you pull away from her, shuffling off the bed to stand up. she watches as you grab a t-shirt from the top of your dresser and throw it on, admiring you from the bed. “i’ll be right back,” you press a kiss to her cheek before turning to leave the room.

true to your word, you return within a minute, two bottles of water and a wet washcloth in hand. you prop the bottles on the nightstand closest to larissa and move between her legs to clean her up. she winces slightly, still sensitive, but you make it up to her with kisses on her thighs and hips. you drop the washcloth in the hamper, grabbing a shirt for her from your dresser. you lay down next to her, just watching her as she puts your shirt on and lays down facing you.

“you’re welcome to stay, if you’d like. if not, i can walk you back to your hotel,” you say quietly.

“do you want me to go?” she asks at the same volume.

you shake your head against the pillow, “not at all. i’ll even buy you breakfast in the morning, anywhere you want.”

larissa looks at the clock, 3:36 looks back at her, “i think it’s going to be lunch by the time we wake up.”

“ever heard of a diner, gorgeous? they have breakfast all day. you can get…” you look in her eyes, pupils dilating for a moment, “crepes with berries and honey, and a hot chocolate with cinnamon on top whenever you please.”

she stares at you with wide eyes and mouth agape, “how the hell did you know that?”

you laugh, realizing you’d only told her you were an outcast and not what kind, “i’m a telepath, baby.”

she blinks a couple times, “you’ve been reading my mind the whole time?”

you grab her hand, playing with her fingers, “no, i choose when i want to listen in, took a while to figure it out though. i just wanted to know your favorite breakfast, so i just looked for that.”

she pulls you into her, laying on her back to have your weight on top of her, “you are utterly delightful.”

you prop your chin on her chest, “may i ask what kind of outcast you are?”

she takes a deep breath, this was always a dreaded question, but she found herself trusting you with her secrets. she exhales slowly, “i’m a shapeshifter.”

“that’s so cool, i know a couple shifters. parker’s a shifter, but he can only shift to this big ass dog. but not like a werewolf, it’s voluntary,” you say as you glide your fingers up her arm.

“explains the amount of energy he has,” she responds with a huffed laugh.

you giggle at her comment, “i would’ve guessed you were a siren, just from looking at you.”

she smiles, “why’s that?”

“because you’re fucking outrageously gorgeous, larissa. bewitching, truly,” you say like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

you stretch across her to turn the light off before nuzzling into her. you fall asleep to her steady breathing and calm heartbeat, larissa’s arms wrapped securely around you.

—

you wake up in the morning with your face shoved in your pillow, a weight across your back. you crack an eye open, looking down to see a pale hand next to yours. memories of the night before flood your mind, lips growing into a smile. grabbing her hand, you bring it to your lips, gently kissing her fingers. lifting her arm just a tad, you turn and bury yourself in her chest, wrapping your arm around her as well. her arms wrap tighter around you, a yawn passing her lips. you kiss the skin against her neck closest to your lips, mumbling a morning, baby.

she hums in return, snuggling into you as she wakes up. you run your hands along her side, gently coaxing her into the waking world as you press soft kisses to her skin. finally moves by rolling over, trapping you below her, stealing a kiss from your lips. “good morning, lovely,” she whispers.

your peace is interrupted by your phone ringing from the nightstand. she reaches for your phone and and hands it to you, you kiss her hand in thanks. park nasty is calling appears on your screen, you mumble curses as you go to answer.

“what?” you ask.

“good morning sweetheart, it’s lovely to hear from you too,” parker says sarcastically into the phone.

“whatever, i’m putting you on speaker. behave yourself, larissa’s here,” you demand.

“oooo, is that the sexy blonde from last night?”

“yes, now behave yourself,” you repeat before pressing the speaker icon.

“hello miss larissa!” larissa says ‘hello’ back through a little laugh, “anyways, you aren’t going to fucking believe my night. please tell me you’re free for lunch, i’ll be a normal amount of gross i promise,” parker speaks quickly and excitedly into the phone.

you look at larissa as you speak, “well, we were going to go get breakfast- don’t even fucking start,” you can already hear him an snickering on the other line, “maybe you and i can do dinner or something?”

parker suppresses his giggles, “oh, please let me come to breakfast! i need to properly meet this larissa, i wanna hear all about last night’s desser-”

“parker, i will call abuela so fucking help me,” you threaten, and he knows you would.

“okay, okay! but please, let me join!” he drags out the last word, “larissa! please, tell this meanie i can come to breakfast. i’ll be good, scout’s honor.”

larissa chuckles, “yes, you should most definitely join us.”

“larissa please, he wasn’t a boy scout. abuela thought it was american propaganda,” you plead.

“too late! text me where you cuties are going, love you both. bye!” parker hangs up immediately, not allowing room for discussion.

“i’m going to need to stop by my hotel before breakfast, i have nothing to wear.”

you nod in agreement, “i’d offer you something of mine, but it doesn’t really seem to be your style.”

getting up from the bed, you extend your hand to her, “shower before we leave?”

she takes your hand, following you to your bathroom. you grab the hem of the shirt she’s wearing, lifting it up to expose her love-stained chest. she returned the favor, removing your own, as well as your own underwear. she pulls you in for a short kiss, just loving the intimacy of the moment. you both shower quickly, not wanting to leave parker waiting too long, but savor in the closeness and quiet

once you dry off, you hand her her dress from last night, then walk to your closet to pull out a light blue sweatshirt and a sweater. you place the crew neck next to her while you tread to your dresser. pulling cargo jeans out, you slide them on, and your t-shirt is quickly replaced by the thick black sweater. larissa never takes her eyes off of you, shamelessly watching you change, admiring her handiwork across your neck and chest. you catch her staring, and she’s quick to grab the sweatshirt, throwing it on as a means to hide for just a moment.

—

the drive to her hotel was nice, you spent the short journey asking random questions, some pointless and minor, some more thoughtful. favorite colors, worst fears, best birthday present, embarrassing childhood moments, you loved learning about her. you wished you could slow time, freeze and rewind the last fifteen hours over and over again.

she pulls you to her hotel room with your hands interlocked. you gladly watch her go through her outfits with a soft smile on your face, seeing how she pieces together what to wear in her mind. you want to read her, but you won’t unless she allows you to, and even then you’ll likely never ask.

“which do you think?” she holds up a white satin blouse and a white cotton one, and all you can do is blink.

“i think you look best in nothing,” she throws the satin shirt at you, “jeez, woman! i say…” you lean over her bag, spotting a pair of straight-legged black pants, “these, and keep my sweatshirt on. you look good in my clothes,” you smile. she only kissed you in response, before disrobing to get changed for the day as you text parker.

“i can’t be bothered with makeup today,” she grumbles as she laces up a pair of white boots.

you walk around to kneel down to tie the other shoe for her. “you don’t need it anyways,” you squeeze her thighs as you stand back up. “all set, gorgeous?” she nods, grabbing your hand.

—

larissa ends up applying mascara and tinted lip balm in the car while you head to the diner. parking across the street in the pharmacy lot, you jump out to open the door for her, bowing and extending your arm in jest. she smacks your arm playfully before wrapping her own around it.

sitting at table, your let you fingers dance along larissa’s thigh, both talking about random things while you wait for parker. neither of you noticed when he walked in until he slid into the and smacked his hands on the table. “good morning darling, meanie,” he nods to larissa and you respectively.

“so thirds went well i presume?” you say with a laugh.

he nods excitedly, “fourths and dessert too.”

you shake your head as the waiter puts menus down and asks what drinks you’d all like. latte, coffee, hot chocolate with cinnamon, you already knew. you stare at the menu while parker explains the beginning of the whole thing with max.

you turn to the breakfast page, pointing to the crepes for larissa. she smiles excitedly, mumbling to ask you if they have honey, “of course they do,” you say to her with a little smile.

“and so they had me like over the count- you’re not even listening. neither of you, i can’t believe this,” parker goes to smack you with his spoon when you bat him with the menu.

the waiter comes back, and takes your orders, taking a little to much care on larissa’s order. she pays him no mind, leaning on you while she orders, looking at you when you do. he seems to take the hint and quickly walks away, parker’s laugh taking place in his stead.

“doesn’t the fool know a basket of fruits when he sees one?” parker asks making larissa laugh, her hand flying to her mouth. her laugh makes you smile, eyes resting on her face.

“can i ask now?” parker asks, looking at you.

“three questions,” you say with a sigh.

“each?” he says with a sly smile.

“three total,” you say sternly making larissa chuckle again.

“where, how many times each, and are you u-hauling yet?”

your head smacks against the table before coming back up, “i hate you. my place, two and one, and watch your mouth.”

larissa’s head whips to you, eyes bulging out of her head. parker seems to put the pieces together first, because there’s a beat, then a crack of his laughter. he’s nearly struggling to breathe, then cries out when you kick him under the table. he resorts to holding back laughs, wiping tears from his eyes.

“had that much fun, huh?” he looks at larissa, his face turning red from laughter, “oh my god, larissa doesn’t get it. oh my god, please let me stay while you explain this.” you’re want to drown in your coffee cup, you have to explain this with parker across from you while in a public setting.

you duck your lips to her ear and whisper, “i told you that you tasted like heaven, didn’t i? brought me there with just the taste of you.”

you pullback and look at her face, her cheeks go fully red, eyes fluttering. parker is silent screaming at her reaction, you hold your head in your hands. you’re definitely snitching to abuela about his nosiness.

the waiter brings the food, crepes with berries and honey for larissa, eggs with toast and pan fries for you, and waffles with an absurd amount chocolate chips on top for parker. larissa immediately passes hot sauce to you, remembering your comment about loving tabasco sauce. you thank her with a smile, then glare at your friend when he does a little aaaawe.

“are you going to see max again?” larissa asks parker as he shoves half a waffle into his mouth.

he takes a sip of his coffee, “oh for sure. they’re too good not to, super sweet too. they would’ve come along but they had plans at their babcia’s place for lunch.”

you smile at him, “that’s awesome buddy.” you pick up a piece of cantaloupe from your fruit salad and pass it to him to take, he loves it while you loathe it. it just works.

he takes the melon from your fork, speaking while he chews, “what about you two? gonna keep up?”

you and larissa look at each other. you hadn’t even thought about it much, nothing past post-orgasm conversation. you want to say yes, but you don’t want to put pressure on her. she takes your hand under the table and speaks first, “definitely.”

you look at her, “yeah, vermont sounds pretty cool. i could spend some time there,” you turn to parker, “she teaches at nevermore.”

he perks up immediately, “you’re one of us?”

larissa smiles, “yes, i’m a shapeshifter. but i try to keep that a little quiet.”

parker’s grin is huge, dimples showing off, “totally get it. i’m a shifter too, people get a little freaked out by dogs that are five feet tall on all fours.”

larissa’s eyes widen as she looks at you, “you didn’t say he was five feet tall in that form.”

you shrug, “i told you he was a big ass dog.”

parker chuckles, “she was probably picturing a great dane, you moron,” he looks at larissa, “think the grim the harry potter, but lighter fur and better groomed.”

you laugh at his comparison, “sirius black was in prison for twelve years. did you want him to be all fresh and clean?”

larissa just laughs and watches in amusement as the two of you argue over the mauraders, her head on your shoulder, your arm around hers.

—

the rest of the time larissa is in the city, she’s with you. the next three days were spent touring around the city, going to shops and cafes, always ending in either your bed or her hotel’s, depending on which was closer. her departure time was steadily approaching, making you both a bit upset.

she lays her head on your chest, legs tangled with yours, sweat across both your bodies. you take the time to map her body with your fingers, needing to remember every inch of her. she was worth a six hour drive, hell she was worth a six century walk.

“what’s going on in your head?” she asks gently, “i can’t see into your mind, you know.”

you chuckle, kissing her forehead and hugging her close, “i’m just wondering how i can change my powers from telepathy to teleportation. would be so much easier.” she cuddles into you more, hugging you tight.

the next morning is slow, her alarm going off around six, even though she didn’t really need fo be up until seven. she just wanted more time with you. you spend part of your morning just holding each other, soft kisses holding promises. more kisses and hands between each others thighs in the shower, your name spelled on her clit with your tongue, her name falling from your lips as she brings you closer and closer.

you’re enjoying hot chocolate together in the lobby when her phone chimes, the nevermore car was only five minutes away. she looks at you with watery eyes, you bring your hands up to cup her face.

“it’s a six hour drive, whenever you want me there, i’ll be there. i know it’s harder for you to leave, i can organize and do meetings virtually time to time,” you kiss her cheek.

she shakes her head, “you’re job is too important, i can’t ask you to do that. that would just be selfish of me, they need you.”

“baby, i’m only working in person half the week with clients, the other half is all online. i’m a phone call away from any of them, you won’t be stealing me from anyone,” you assure her.

“you have to promise me you won’t sacrifice your job for me,” larissa demands.

you draw an x over your chest, “cross my heart. i’m not sacrificing my job, but i also don’t want to sacrifice you. i’m willing to make this work if you are.”

she kisses you hard, “i’m more than willing.”

you walk her to the car, putting her bags in for her. shooing away the driver, you open the door for her and guide her in. you lean your head into the car, “call me when you get home, okay?”

she holds the collar of your shirt to keep you close, “i’ll probably call you before i even get there.”

you smile and press a sweet kiss to her cheek, “please do, i’m gonna miss your voice.” you clear your throat, “i’ll see you soon, larissa.”

you start to back out of the car when she pulls your collar, pulling you into a long kiss, “better be soon.” she presses one last kiss to your lips before releasing your shirt, letting you back away and shut the door.

the car pulls off, and you watch until she’s gone from your sight. you make your way to your car, exhaling deeply before starting the engine and backing out of the lot.

you’re sitting on parker’s couch, legs draped across max’s lap while you both wait for parker to come back from the kitchen with snacks. community plays on the tv, one of the paintball wars playing quietly while the three of you were talking. your phone ringing breaks the silence, larissa <3 is calling.

“i gotta take this. i’ll be in parker’s room if you need me,” you say quickly to max and you scramble down the hallway.

you click the green answer button, “hey there, beautiful.”

you hear her laugh lightly, “i wanted to call you sooner, but there was horrible service. i’m almost to jericho now.”

“i’m glad you’re safe,” you say through a smile, giddy from her voice, “i’m at parker’s with max, i’m outnumbered here.”

larissa laughs again, making your heart swell, “i’m sorry, lovely. once you come to visit it’ll just be you and me, no being outnumbered or interrupted.”

“don’t threaten me with a good time,” you say, “fuck, is it embarrassing that i miss you already?”

“only if it’s embarrassing that i miss you quite a bit already as well,” she plays.

the bedroom door swings open, parker’s head popping in and pointing at the phone. the second you mouth larissa he grabs the phone and starts talking to her. you wrestle the phone out of his hand, shoving him out the door. “i’m telling abuela!” you yell down the hall, you can’t just hog your girlfriend is screamed back before bringing the phone back to your ear.

“sorry about that,” you say with a huff.

“it’s cute, the two of you fighting over me,” she jokes.

you laugh at her, “pray tell, who has won your affections?”

“park nasty,” larissa deadpans.

“oh my god, i’m hanging up,” you say as you don’t even move to do so.

“no, no, no, no, no. you win, of course you win,” she yells into the phone, “you win over everyone, i swear.”

“everyone? even sarah jessica parker?” you joke, referencing back to her confession of her childhood crush.

she laughs, “yes, even sarah jessica parker.”

banging in the door pulls you from the conversation, max and parker both beating on the door and calling fo you. gimme a second! is screamed at them.

“baby, i gotta go, homosexuals are beating down the door,” she laughs over the line, “let me know when you get to nevermore, okay?”

“i promise. and i’ll see you soon. goodbye, darling.

“bye, gorgeous. i’ll see you soon,” the line beeps as the call comes to an end.

feedback appreciated as always, love you a bushel and a peck <3

[sp1der-wid0w]

i can’t, i can’t, i cantttt

in honor of spiderverse being a year old, it’s time for me speak my truths on some characters and gimme a chance to defend and slander them🫡

The Flaws and Pros of Spiderverse Characters

Gwen Stacy

now, many people do not like gwen stacy when the movie premiered. but let me defend her first. gwen literally had to deal with her friend, her only friend, be a victim of bullying and decide to himself to be strong and instead accidentally became a monster and had to kill him. he dies in her arms, and his last words are.. it’s gonna be ok. imagine how guilty she feels to this day, and then having her father unknowingly hunt her down for a misunderstanding. and when he finds out that she’s spiderwoman, his first instinct was to feel betrayed, and try to shoot and arrest her, his own daughter. when she thinks she has a place to stay, and a strong woman to look up too, she’s instead caught in a tough spot with making her mentor proud, and trying to keep the multiverse safe. knowing that your friend and your lover is an opp to the place that you have no choice to be live at, is really tough. and then having to break his heart, losing your friend, and having the people who you trusted throw you under the bus, because of their own beliefs, it’s honestly a nail in the coffin. gwen tried to keep miles safe, she wanted to keep herself safe, she wanted to be a good person for everyone, but everyone expected her to do one thing for them, and not for herself. though, she broke miles’ trust, she lied to him, she wasn’t focused on the mission, and rio and jefferson think that she’s the reason on why their son is missing.

Peter B. Parker

some people don’t like peter b. and that’s okay. he also betrayed miles, even though he knew miles for a year and his potential. but he also knew about him being an anomaly, not helping or defending gwen enough, tied him up and was constantly treating miles with sass and crap in the first film, was barely even a mentor, and was taking his daughter with him to HQ instead of with MJ. but everyone tends to forget how bad peter had it in the first film.. the divorce, the death of aunt may, his respect as spiderman was fading, his depression.. he felt useless, and the sole reason why he was determined to stay and behind and stop the collider, was mostly because he wanted to collider to kill him. he had it rough, and now that he seems more happier and carefree in the sequel, we tend to forget that he wants to believe all of the canon and anomaly stuff, because his whole family might be gone.

Jessica Drew

i’m pretty sure almost everyone hated this woman right there, and that is also ok. she went from caring and helping gwen into a place she so desperately needed, to quickly being cold and irritated whenever gwen messed up. and due to everything her boss said about miles, she was also quick to be a bitch to him, and later joined the rest of the society to beat on him, and didn’t bother to help gwen when miguel expelled her. im gonna try and explain this, (before they say that i love white people and hate black women😭) jess is pregnant, busy with thousands of work since she’s the second in command in the society, seemingly mourning from her dead husband, and having no one else to care about. but, she felt awful when gwen put her and everyone in the society in check about their morals. she went from defending and doing anything miguel said, to helping gwen and probably helping the spider-gang in the next sequel. the reason why she’s a bitch to miles, is because she doesn’t even know him like that, and with everything miguel says, she probably thinks that it’s true. the reason why she seems so serious about her work, is because she wants to keep the team in line and everyone else safe, not wanting to make the multiverse collapse. she wants her baby to be in a universe where her world isn’t being at the constant stake of collapsing. i may not like her character, because the movie and promotion set her up, but she only deserves some hate, not all.

Miguel O’hara

The main man himself. Everyone either loves him, or hates him. And that is also alright, because this is what trauma does to a nigga. Miguel is a complex character, and a very complex hero. He does try to help, but in his own weird way. All he ever wanted was a family, but due to him breaking the canon, it caused his daughter and everyone else in that world to die. Meaning the whole earth was wiped out, including babies, families, grandparents, pets, and everyone else. This caused everything he thought about the canon, to change. He was serious and devoted to trying to fix it, and protect it. And just because it changed his personality and mental health, didn’t take away his heroic nature. He made the Spider society to make sure that everyone else can help preserve their own safeties, he stays up day and night watching over everyone’s universes, regarding his own. And yes, there is literally no denying, it was fucked up for what he did to both gwen and miles. He single-handedly ruined Gwen, Miles, and Peter’s friendship. Because Miles refused and was running to his father’s life, Miguel then proceeded to traumatize and degrade Miles, bodyslamming, turning into a vampire, and sending everyone to hunt him down. And as for Gwen, literally the moment he met her, he was just annoyed with her. Then, he was quick to be frustrated and disappointed with her, for messing up. And despite knowing the last time she was there, she almost got arrested and shot at and having no one else there she can trust, he sends her home. Sure, he’s not best spiderman at heart, but the fate of the multiverse is at his shoulders. Mistakes can lead to his fate breaking, and everything will be doomed.

Again, this is just my thoughts and feelings. Feel free to display your thoughts in replies, and i’ll try and be convinced on how you think about this character. 🤷🏾‍♀️

[book--brackets]

Summaries under the cut

Tuesday McGillycuddy by Angelica Banks

When Tuesday McGillycuddy and her beloved dog, Baxterr, discover that Tuesday's mother ― the famous author Serendipity Smith ― has gone missing, they set out on a magical adventure. In their quest to find Serendipity, they discover the mysterious and unpredictable place that stories come from. Here, Tuesday befriends the fearless Vivienne Small, learns to sail an enchanted boat, tangles with an evil pirate, and discovers the truth about her remarkable dog. Along the way, she learns what it means to be a writer and how difficult it can sometimes be to get all the way to The End.

Windsingers by Megan Lindholm

Harpies don't give up of blood debts. Neither do the men who serve them. A life must be given in return. Devastated by the slaughter of her family and haunted by memories of her own violent revenge, Ki rejects the comfort of her husband's gypsy people and wants only to wander in solitude as an outcast. Across mountains sheathed with ice, through the treacherous shadow of the impassable Sisters, Ki finds herself running for her life, pursued by frenzied Harpies sworn to vengeance; and by one stubborn, dark-haired man who seems intent on being part of her future.

Rodzina by Karen Cushman

In 1881, 12-year-old Rodzina Clara Jadwiga Anastazya Brodski wishes she didn’t have to board the orphan train in Chicago. But she has no home, no family, and no choice. Rodzina doesn’t believe the orphans are on their way out West to be adopted by good families. She’s sure they will become slaves to strangers. Anyway, who would ever adopt a large, tough, stubborn girl of Polish origin? As the train heads west, all Rodzina has is a small suitcase and her family memories from the past. Will Rodzina ever step off the train to find the family that deep in her heart she’s searching for?

Dark Fusion by Neal Shusterman

Tara’s eyes are always hidden behind designer sunglasses, and her hair, blond with glimmering spirals, seems almost alive. Parker watches, fascinated, as one by one Tara chooses high school students to befriend; he even helps her by making the necessary introductions. Over time, her "friends" develop strange quirks, such as drinking gallons of milk, eating dirt, and becoming lethargic.

By the time Parker realizes what Tara is doing, he is too embroiled to stop her. In fact, she has endowed him with certain cravings of his own. . . .To say more would spoil the spooky fun of this wild thriller—let the twist speak for itself and leave you still as a statue.

Myth-O-Mania by Kate McMullen

Puts a modern spin on the Greek myth of how Zeus became the Ruler of the Universe, as told by Hades, Ruler of the Underworld, who insists that Zeus cheated.

Knights of the Borrowed Dark by Dave Rudden

Denizen Hardwick is an orphan, and his life is, well, normal. Sure, in storybooks orphans are rescued from drudgery when they discover they are a wizard or a warrior or a prophesied king. But this is real life—orphans are just kids without parents. At least that’s what Denizen thought. . . .             On a particularly dark night, the gates of Crosscaper Orphanage open to a car that almost growls with power. The car and the man in it retrieve Denizen with the promise of introducing him to a long-lost aunt. But on the ride into the city, they are attacked. Denizen soon learns that monsters can grow out of the shadows. And there is an ancient order of knights who keep them at bay. Denizen has a unique connection to these knights, but everything they tell him feels like a half-truth. If Denizen joins the order, is he fulfilling his destiny, or turning his back on everything his family did to keep him alive?

The Whitby Witches by Robin Jarvis

At first glance, the small seaside town of Whitby seems quiet and charming, but eight year-old Ben and his older sister Jennet soon learn that things are not always as they seem. Moved about from foster home to foster home, Ben and Jennet hope to make a fresh start in Whitby. But Ben sees things and people others cannot. There's something unusual about Alice Boston, their new guardian. And what is that horrible howling Jennet hears late at night? Something wicked's brewing in Whitby. Can Ben and Jennet put it to rest?

The Vengekeep Prophecies by Brian Farrey

“You can’t convict what you can’t confirm.” That’s the motto of 12-year-old Jaxter Grimjinx and his infamous family of thieves. And while Jaxter may not have his father’s burglary prowess, his mother’s forgery skills, or his little sister’s mastery of sleight-of-hand, his book-fed knowledge of non-magical solutions to magical problems makes him invaluable to the family’s heists.

But the Grimjinxes may have pulled one con too many in their hometown, Vengekeep. After swapping the prophetic tapestry used to guide Vengekeep’s actions for a fake concocted by Jaxter’s mother, the Grimjinxes are stunned when the false prophecies begin coming true, bringing destruction in their wake.

Suddenly, Vengekeep is besieged by “natural” disasters and rampaging monsters, courtesy of the secretly enchanted counterfeit tapestry. With his family forced to stay and combat the impending doom, Jaxter must leave his hometown in search of a way to keep the increasingly dangerous prophecies from wiping Vengekeep off the map.

Earthaven by Katherine Roberts

When Natalie is captured, she discovers that she has amazing powers and wonders if she can free herself and save Earthhaven, the mystical world beyond the Thrallstone Gateway, where enormous soultrees spin a web of unique magic.

Edgar and Ellen by Charles Ogden

Fire ants. Fraud. Footie pajamas.

Twins Edgar and Ellen live alone -- their parents disappeared years ago, and who can blame them? -- in the quaint, little town of Nod's Limbs, in a grim, gray house overlooking the cemetery and the junkyard. They spend their days avoiding Heimertz, the mysterious accordion-playing caretaker; pestering Pet, a hairy, one-eyed creature of indeterminate species and gender; and wreaking havoc on the hapless citizens of Nod's Limbs.

But wreaking havoc can incur expenses, so the twins come up with a unique fund-raising scheme: They'll nab the pets of Nod's Limbs and transform them into exotic animals they can sell for big bucks. Not a bad plan, if one of the purloined pets wasn't a lethargic python with a raging appetite....

[landothemuppet]

Please, notice me | part. one

wordcount → 3.4K

summary → It has been eight months since The Blip. It also has been months since you live with Peter’s new obsession, increased feelings for a girl who isn’t you. You believed you would finally spend time with your friends during the Europe trip, this summer. It was without counting on Peter’s Plan. You try to enjoy those last days in New-York with your best friend.

disclaimer → This mini-series takes place during the events of FFH and NWH movies. The fic will contain many of those movie scenes, including some bonus scenes. the Spider-Man divider is from @silkholland

pairing ↳ peter parker x female!bestfriend!reader

warning(s)  → angst, jealousy.

taglist: @justapurrcat  @delightfulmuffinclamauthor if you want to be added in my taglist, please let me know just here

“I have a plan” Your best friend announced, as he sat spontaneously in his chair, somewhat agitated.

He didn’t wait a second longer to state his so-called plan, as if it seemed the best idea in the world.

But Peter wasn't Peter without his hard-contained hyperactivity, which didn't stop you from smiling to yourself. All of Peter's clumsy features made him incredibly endearing.

Ned listened intently to your friend's ramblings as you absentmindedly continued your drawing in your sketchbook. In fact, Peter always had a plan. Well, he almost always had one, except in the important moments when he let his instincts or his feelings take over. But lately, your sweet best friend had a multitude of plans, all aimed at one and the same goal. And that's why, despite all the consideration you had for the boy with the curly brown hair, you didn't give importance to his new schemes.

You still caught Ned telling your best friend not to do any of this, with a lot of irony, which made you split a small chuckle. You loved your friend’s candor. Ned always had the gift to make you laugh, or just smile, even when it was serious. He tried to convince your friend with arguments about the single life, which you didn’t really pay attention to. To tell the truth, it often happened that you locked yourself in your world while your two best friends rambled about various subjects. Today was not an exception.

Ned had never understood Peter’s sudden fondness for MJ, so do you. It was like your best friend, the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man from Queens, had woken up one morning with an obsession… Some wake up from a coma by speaking a language they never spoke… Others, like Peter, discover relatively sudden feelings for people they had never considered before. He always talked about her as if she were the most impressive person on the planet, He always looked at her as if she could hang the moon and the stars, He drank her words as if she could put the universe in a bottle. And it had been going on for months, without you knowing why his feelings had grown overnight. You felt like one day he was madly in love with Liz, the next day he was fighting his father, and the next day MJ had become all of Peter’s conversation subjects. And since then, you felt like your head was going to explode.

Your fingers continued to scribble while your mind continued to wander in your own thoughts. Chance, or the irony of fate, call it what you want, wanting the next song on your playlist to reflect exactly the feelings that lay dormant in you.. You were that kind of person who created incredible scenarios in your head when you were listening to music. Thus, a cover of “Mr. Sandman” could send your mind into a torrential rain, where your body was lying in a pool of blood while your soulmate, the biggest charismatic mobster in London, begged you to stay with him.

"Y/N ?" Peter asked

You looked up, the cloud of thoughts dissipating from your eyes to meet your best friend's chocolate gaze.

There was something with his eyes, something that always attracted you. A comforting warmth, a spark of innocence, an open window to the extraordinary person that was Peter Parker. But at that moment, his expression was one of expectation and as you turned your head towards Ned, you only met the same expression. A question on hold, awaiting your response, your opinion.

“No, yeah…Peter’s right. It’s a great plan”.

Ned shook his head in resignation while your other best friend gave you that idiot puppy smile. You always followed Peter's path, the Filipino knew it. And that sometimes caused tensions in the past. It had always been Ned, you and Peter but your friend was not fooled and knew that your feelings for the one who embodied Spider-Man during his free time, would always take over your decision. It was unintentional.

Yet, You didn't want Ned to feel left out again. You were therefore in an awkward position, not knowing the details of the conversation. But admitting you weren't listening might hurt Peter.

"But Ned isn't wrong either" you added, hoping to satisfy everyone.

Peter grimaced, a look of incomprehension on his face. At that moment, you wished you had listened to Peter's plan, but your heart wasn't in it.

"Okay, sure…" Peter said "But I really like MJ, man"

You have chosen this moment to return to your notebook until Peter's restless behavior distracts you from your drawing again.

"She's coming up. Just DON'T say anything." Peter panicked a bit.

MJ stood in front of you. You politely greeted her with a smile as the two boys rambled on. Ned threw the information that Peter had a plan then tried to catch up. You raised your eyebrows at the "teaspoon collection" excuse, even more so when Peter simply blamed it on Ned. What did you do to deserve friends like that? "Oh. Okay. Well, that was a real rollercoaster." MJ said and again, you try to suppress your chuckle. The brunette girl turned to you, patiently waiting, standing a bit awkwardly as she always did and you pinched your lips and shrugged. She was waiting for your own plans for this trip.

"I guess, I’m going to keep an eye on these idiots and take a little interest in art in Venice… but above all, keep an eye on these morons." "It sounds like a great responsibility," she said in her legendary laid-back manner. "It is."

Peter and Ned gave you their offended but quite adorable looks. It would be a lie to say that you weren't the quiet strength of the group. MJ then advised you to use VPNs to protect yourself from the government and you nodded politely again, this time uninterested in why the young woman was interested in conspiracy theories. Ned merely added a remark about the fact that all this had gone well, implying that MJ had not discovered Peter’s plan, and you laughed as your friend gave the Filipino a somewhat impressed and annoyed look, stalling his tongue against his cheek to suppress a sarcastic remark of which he had the secret.

You liked that side of Peter. You found it rather amusing. That little something, those little facial expressions that hinted that Peter could be pungent. That kind of look he just gave at Ned that told you he was holding back some sarcasm…a little verbal rant that would be extremely well thought out and not necessarily harmful. A kind of "no kidding?" non-verbal. And that made Parker sexy.

Sexy wasn't the first word one would associate with Peter Parker. Some would say: loser, weird, nerd or even would ask ; "who?". Usually, You would have said cute….but at that moment, his somewhat sarcastic attitude made your stomach turn deliciously. Peter's gaze softened as it rested on you and you felt your cheeks heat up.

"So, what are you going to do on this science trip?" he asked, as if you hadn’t already answered the question a few minutes earlier, when MJ asked you to. "Anything but science. I really go there for the art. I mean Italy and France are two countries known for their talented artists, right?"

Your gaze shifted to Ned, who shrugged, unaware of your words. Ned and Peter weren't really cheerful or interested with the Renaissance paintings, they were more like: Star Wars LEGO Death Star. What you also appreciate, you would not lie, but you appreciate the poetry in old paintings and sculptures. Some would call you pathetic, others would simply call you romantic.

The bell rang and you simply put your sketchbook in your backpack. You followed Ned and Peter down the halls, this time a little more focused on the conversation. Several students rushed to clean their lockers before the end of the year, while others seemed eager to throw away their classes as if they would no longer need them. You walked through the doors to a new hallway where you saw Flash throwing food from his locker into a trash can. You could not suppress a grimace of disgust.

"So what are you going to do on your last days in New York?” Ned asked Peter while you three walked through the hall. “Ooh, I have some errands to run.” started to answer Peter

You continued on your way when you felt the projectile thrown by Flash fall on your shoulder bag. You looked at the man with an angry look, not doubting that this piece of stale pizza was undoubtedly aimed at Peter. But the widespread indifference of your best friends about it just kept you going your way, so you could focus on the conversation again.

“I have to get a mini toothpaste, pick up my passport and then take down the Manfredi crime family.” “Oh” Ned said, impressed about the last part of Peter’s to-do list. “Can I come? I need to do that too!” you quickly said, only to face two surprised looks from your friends. “ I mean, except the take down Manfredi crime family thing”

There was hope in your eyes. You wanted to spend some time with Peter because a strange feeling told you that you wouldn't during this trip to Europe. The exchange of glances between your two friends indicated a silent conversation and Peter seemed to hesitate. He looked at you with his sheepish expression, his mouth forming an O, waiting to speak his words.

"Uh yeah.. yeah, I mean, if you have to do it…you can do it with me," he said, moving his head and shoulders frantically in a mismatch between his gestures and his words. You could sense the anxiety and hesitation in his behavior. "Are you sure? I can do it alone if you don't want me…it's just…"

You didn’t want to be a burden on Peter, You initially thought his reluctance was due to his Spider-Man business. Although you’ve been his friend for as long as you can remember, you were only made aware of his dual identity after Ned. The truth is, you discovered his secret recently at the prom. As you were leaving the bathroom to join your group of friends, you had met Peter who would run quickly towards the exit, without having seen you. You saw him lifting a bunch of lockers like he was wearing a light weight. Then Ned disappeared from the evening. The next day, you confronted them and were told: Peter Parker was Spider-Man.

You then thought that his purchases were then about his plan to seduce MJ. So, if he had things he wanted to do in your absence, that was perfectly legitimate. You asked only from a practical point of view. You could see the various feelings passed through the eyes of your best friend: the misunderstanding of your withdrawal, the fear of having possibly hurt you, the panic of your weak disappointment. Peter Parker was a quick emotional kettle.

"No. No, you can come with me. Come with me, please Y/N." Peter asked more peacefully, almost begging you to come this time.

You smiled politely, mixed emotions, and then nodded your head in acquiescence. You weren’t really sure that Peter wanted you to be there. You looked at Ned who shrugged and said he had to be with his Lola for the rest of the week.

You first went to Delmar to buy the necessary supplies: mini toothpaste, and small bottles to pour hygiene products into (shower gel, shampoo, make-up remover), without forgetting about electric plug adaptors. The best grocer in Queens kept cheering you up. He always did. His eagerness and interest in the lives of his clients were always remarkable and you loved the interactions he had with you or with Peter. You were amused to see Mr Delmar’s enthusiasm for the call-up of Europe, and how Peter had destroyed all the hopes of your favorite grocer by evoking science. Once again, you could only understand his reaction, the saw was not the main reason that convinced you to make this trip.

You quietly laughed at Peter trying to ask in Spanish for a headphone double adapter, - knowing that Spain was not a stopover on your trip to Europe, and that Italian, despite what you might think, did not look like Spanish at all - . You pinched your lips so as not to laugh more when the grocer answered him nonchalantly with a simple "what" in Spanish. However, you were not able to suppress a funny smile when Peter asked for the dual headphone adapter, this time in English. Mr. Delmar corrected him with a smile, as you strolled through the nearby candy stand, cuddling Murph who was laying on a display. Peter’s interaction with the grocer made your cheeks warm. Peter had this facility to joke with such confidence, blatantly denying that his Spanish was wobbly and that his request was almost accurate in comparison to the words used by Mr Delmar.

“You finally asked Y/N’s out. You’re a great guy, Peter Parker” Mr Delmar said with a “dad proud” look on his face. “Oh, no…no Mr. Delmar it’s not what you.. ” started Peter, trying to find his words.

Peter's gaze turned to you then to the grocer, several times in a row. His mouth opened and closed to find the words. He seemed to run out of words, overwhelmed, like a stray puppy.

Why did everyone keep believing that you and him could be a thing? May, now Mister Delmar, even Karen, the AI ​​of his suit seemed to believe that Y/N was more than a friend to him.

Could you think so too? Could you think that you both could be " a thing" ? Peter’s heart went crazy, not sure to be excited about it or stressed out, or terrified. You were his friend, right? He really liked MJ, by the way. But the idea of you both dating as…lovers? It couldn't be that bad… Peter shook his head to clarify his mind, trying in vain to find an answer to the grocer.

“We…well, She’s…” the brown haired boy continued.

How could this adorable stuttering boy be the brash and brave Spider-Man? You could clearly see two aspects of his personality… The mask must have helped, you thought.

You had to save Peter from this embarrassing situation. You must have. That's what friends do, right? And to be fair, it was awkward for you too. You wished it were true. You hoped that Peter feels the same way as you do. But you clearly could see how the thought of it disturbed your adorable dork friend. It was hurting you to hear your best friend arguing with his thoughts and words about it, over and over and over…and over. You approached the counter placing three small packets of gummy bears on it.

“We aren't together, Mr. Delmar… There’s for another girl.” you say with a small shy smile, lips pressed together, your cheeks burned with embarrassment.

Peter looked at you, he gave you the same smile you gave him a few seconds ago. You could feel the look of pity the grocer was giving you. This man knew everything, he was, as you liked to call him, the soul of Queens. Nothing escaped him, not a single gossip, not a single crisp story escaped his ears. He had always listened, voluntarily or unintentionally. He was the confidant of an entire neighborhood. The best sandwiches in Queens but also the best advice. Peter’s eyebrows frowned at the sight of the gelatin gummy bears, not sure of the reason for this compulsive purchase, on his check.

“Hey, what’s that for?” He practically shouted, somewhat offended by your audacity

You shrugged nonchalantly, almost too confident, a mischievous little smile on the corner of your mouth.

“You owe me one. I bought you some churros the other day” “Fine,” Peter said, defeated.

You wrinkled your nose smiling victoriously and, in your spontaneity, you thanked him while laying a kiss on his cheek, as his became redder than your favorite candy. He might be in love with another girl but Peter Parker, remained Peter Parker. An adorable boy very clumsy with girls.

It was a bad idea. It was even a very bad idea to follow Peter everywhere he needed to go before packing his suitcase for your student trip in Europe.

You were now in a pawn shop and your best friend was trying to resell figurines to get money to offer a special jewel for MJ - unsurprisingly -. Once again, you took a step back, letting Peter do his stuff as you had nothing to sell to this guy who seemed a little unpleasant to you.

“You’re sure about this ?” the salesman asked him. “Yeah. I wanna buy a girl I like something really nice”

Jealousy, Jealousy. You felt your blood boil and turn into liquid acid, and if curses had been real - after all, you lived in a world where your seventeen-year-old best friend had fought an alien in space - your skin would’ve turned a bright shade of green. Not the elegant, poetic emerald green, no. A straight-up radioactive green one that was the perfect metaphor for how "corrosive" was the feeling who grew in your stomach.

Especially since one of these figurines were gifts that you had given to Peter. So, seeing him like that, selling his goods to impress a girl, that put you out of your mind. You were hurt. You felt your worth was less than MJ’s. It wasn’t really about the figurine, you were aware that we were all growing up at some point in our lives and that it was normal for us to separate from material goods over time. You couldn’t understand his logic. Peter was in love, certainly…. But to the point of abandoning objects related to his passions, for a girl? It was improbable. It was totally disproportionate.

‘Hm. Well, I hope she’s worth it. Is it her?’

The man pointed to you, as you walked down the aisles again in search of a trinket. There were so many things at such different prices. You were pretty sure you’d find some treasures in the stalls of that second-hand store. Peter looked at you and his ears turned red.

“Oh. No. No, she’s my best friend Y/N. She’s nice, but she’s not… That’s not her” He tried to whisper so you wouldn’t hear him…as if you possessed his super-hearing. “Whatever.” “Are you done Peter? The passport office will close soon” you asked, a bit anxious to be late at the passport office.

Peter quickly looked at you, his chocolate surprised doe eyes. He blinked, tightened his grip on the strap of his backpack, eager to sell his figurines while hoping not to be scammed by the seller.

“Yeah…yeah” “So, all of them, buddy?” “Actually, can I keep the Lobot” Peter asked, like a sad child, moving almost unbalanced from foot to foot, hesitant.

He reached out to his figurine and the seller gave it back. Peter’s eyes landed directly on the little plastic toy, as if relieved to have picked up the Lobot, an adorable smile on his face.

“Thanks. Yeah, I'll keep that one.”

You rolled your eyes again, but this time, you were softened by the attitude of your best friend. Even though he was love-struck - and it always hurt you to realize that it wasn’t for you - there was still the Peter Parker you had always known. Same old nerd Peter Parker : nerd but cute.

Finally, you both went to the passport office. The line up was long and you felt Peter become increasingly stressed during the day. As your best friend seemed impatient, you looked up at him and saw him tapping on his phone. You dropped a little surprise cry when a little animal spider came out of her backpack.

"It’s all right, miss," the man in front of you asked you, looking worried. "Yes, yes… I… thought I saw a bee flying near me. It was a simple fly" you covered up your discomfort by coughing.

The stranger frowned and you felt the judgment, you offered him a tight smile before the man turned to focus on the waiting wire. A second later, the metal railing flew to a sold-out window and the red light vigil pointing to the closed station now indicated that it was open. You pinched the fun lips while watching Peter try to be discreet, turning on himself to reach the counter to ask for his passport. You followed it to take advantage of it as well. The trip to Europe could finally begin.

[bedfordxcx]

Her Last Confession

Prologue: A Declaration Of Secrecy

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Angelica Rossi (Partial Elle Greenaway x Angelica Rossi too)

Summary: Angelica Rossi has a past, it's hidden and she'd go to every length to keep it that way. For the past 10 years, only 3 people living in the USA have known her past, with only Angelica herself knowing the real truth to the FBI's only cold case in Italy. As she follows in her father’s footsteps, pursuing a career in the Behavioral Analysis Unit he co-founded, she discovers that her past continues to shape her life in ways she can't escape. Despite her efforts to separate herself from Angelina Giordano, the shadows of her history slowly engulf her very being. With each case she tackles, she edges closer to the truth she’s buried, risking everything she’s built to keep her secret safe.

Warnings: This chapter contains descriptions of physical abuse, drug use, and violent crime that may be distressing for some readers.

“In all secrets there is a kind of guilt, however beautiful or joyful they may be, or for what good end they may be set to serve. Secrecy means evasion, and evasion means a problem to the moral mind.” -Gilbert Parker 

“If I’m correct, this particular file hasn’t been transferred to our online database yet? Has it not?” 

“No Ma’am, it hasn’t...and that copy is the only one in existence, the other copy that was meant to be held in Imperia seemingly vanished along with the victim back in 94’” 

Section Chief Erin Strauss offered a curt nod before closing the file in front of her, leaning back in her chair slightly and letting her eyes scan the room before speaking up once again. 

“Who knows about this case?”  

Angelica inhaled sharply before responding:  

“Jason Gideon and David Rossi flew to Italy and worked the original case, some of the police force over in Imperia have limited knowledge of it, and then of course, me and you.” 

The two of them sat in an ice toned silence for a few seconds. Angelica pinching the skin of her own fingers as if she was trying to escape this dream like state, sat just a few metres away from the infamous BAU bullpen she’d spent so much time imagining herself in, they’d moved from the dingy basement room her father had spoken about in years prior, the team had grown since then, and had seemingly earnt far more respect in comparison to when the unit was founded explaining the move in locations. 

“Angelica, if you are to be a part of the BAU, we should very much like to keep that list the same... not only for your safety, but to ensure that you have completely separated yourself from these... events.” she said whilst gesturing to the file in front of her. This time, it was Angelica’s turn to offer a curt nod in return.  

Erin arose from her chair, Angelica following in pursuit, in all honesty she wasn’t moving on her own accord, it was pure nervous compulsion, she’d dedicated the last nine years of her life to getting here, her first year in America was spent adjusting to life but as soon as she’d truly learnt what her father did for work her heart had pushed her into the deep ends of her ambitions, the BAU had been calling her, taunting her and whilst she was only twenty-one ( and only three months shy of twenty-two) she’d proven herself to everyone around her. This job would be her gateway to becoming a profiler like her father, she didn’t exactly know what a ‘mental analyst’ was until her father had explained that it was basically a glorified therapist for survivors (she never liked to call them victims because she’d be admitting that she too was a victim), FBI agents who had escaped death, and could even be asked to observe interviews with criminals to try and pry more information out of them. So, she’d jumped at the offer because whilst she wanted to be a profiler more than anything, Angelica knew more than anyone that getting what you want is a waiting game.  

The two women had reached out and shook hands.  

“Welcome to the FBI, Angelica” but Angelica was too focused on the badge that was slid in front of her to process Erin’s words. 

A/N: So excited to share this one with you guys, its been on my mind for a while so sitting down to write it was really nerve wracking. P.S, Moodboard, Masterlist and the first look at Angelicas file is coming soooooon!!!

[fandomnsfw]

Making You Mine - Kai Parker x Reader

Okay so this one is SUPER LONG I’m sorry I got into it! I hope its okay! Requests are open! I can do TVD/TO and Teen Wolf. Request away my lovelies.

Pairing: Kai x Reader

Prompt: You’re Enzo’s sister (not by blood) and you have a secret kink/lifestyle that only your best friend Bonnie knows about. Kai ultimately finds out.

Warning: Daddy kink, DD/LG, fluff, smut and lot of Malachai Parker which everyone loves!

ENJOY!!

****

“What?” You deadpanned, your face staring blankly into Enzo’s eyes.

“I said-”

“I heard what you said you bloody arsehole.” You grumbled at his cheeky response.

Enzo took you in when you were 5, you were an orphan on the street with no family and he knew how that felt so he chose to raise you in England until you were 21 then gave you the choice to turn and travel with him or to stay and have a human life. You chose to turn, because you didn’t want to leave the man who raised you to an eternity alone. He wasn’t just like a big brother…he was your big brother. Blood bound or not.

“All I’m saying is it’s obvious that you clearly like him.” Enzo supplied switching his gaze to his girlfriend who was currently sipping her coffee watching you and your brother bicker back and forth. Bonnie had become one of your closet friends and she knew pretty much everything about you, even a few things that Enzo didn’t. Such as your hidden lifestyle. Bonnie was open enough that you trusted her with your deepest secrets and desires.

“I don’t like him. More like I want him to bend me over while I scre-”

“Stop talking.” Enzo groaned as if you were causing him physical pain, chuckling along with Bonnie at the sour face he was pulling.

“He’s a psychopath so I personally don’t see the bloody appeal.” Enzo muttered after regaining his composure.

“He’s not like that anymore and you know it. Even Bonnie has forgiven him big brother.” You replied, rolling your Y/E/C eyes at his childish attitude.

“Yes but he doesn’t deserve someone as pure an-” Before he could finish his sentence Bonnie snorted making you blush because you knew exactly what she was thinking. You shot her a death glare picking up your coffee and taking a sip to avoid having to speak.

“What’s so funny?” Enzo asked obviously very confused by Bonnie’s reaction.

“You don’t wanna know babe.” Bonnie supplied making Enzo nod his eyes wide, like he was scared to know the truth. You knew if your big brother found out about your secret life he would never look at you the same.

After everyone finished their coffee, the couple dropped you off home and went out for their usual Friday Date night. Enzo was old fashioned and loved spoiling Bonnie. You thought it was so sweet how much he loved her. As you walked up to the house and saw Tyler’s car in the driveway you let out a pained sigh.  You were currently living in the Salvatore boarding house along with Stefan, Caroline, Damon and Kai. You and Tyler weren’t on the best of terms after he bit you when you first came to town. Thankfully Niklaus handed over his blood easily since he liked Caroline and you were also good friends with Elijah who you met a few years after you turned. You stopped as soon as you saw Tyler, Stefan and Kai in the living room. Looking over at all of them, each holding a glass of bourbon. You rolled your eyes and hung up your coat and scarf up.

“Hey Y/N how was your coffee date with Bonnie?” Stefan asked sweetly making me smile. Stefan was always so sweet and kind to you, his gentleness is probably what made Caroline fall for him so easily.

“It’s was good but Enzo tagged along so girl conversation was kept to a minimum.” You pouted over at him before walking over to the kitchen and making myself a cup of tea. You really were British you thought to yourself. You strolled back into the front room, taking a seat in between Tyler and Kai, bringing your feet up and tucking them under you, sipping your tea as you soon settled down.

“Jesus why do you look like you’ve grown wolf claws?” Tyler snorted sarcastically, you looked down at my fresh acrylic nails that you had done the day before. They were stiletto shaped so you nodded noticing his comparison.

“You watch way too much teen wolf Tyler.” You teased mercilessly making him blush faintly.

“I d-do not!” He stuttered making you and Stefan laugh.

“Not that I blame you I mean…Derek Hale is a bloody sex god.” You groaned, faking a shiver for emphasis. Stefan snorted and took a sip of his drink before glancing at Tyler who was sulking in the corner of the couch.

“Anyway what are you boys doing tonight?” You enquired curiously as you sipped your tea.

“Well we’re going out to the bar to have a few round of pool and some drinks.” Tyler informed, nodding in response you kneeled up on the couch and reached over Kai to get your book you were reading in the living room the night before. You smiled sweetly at Kai before a voice interrupted.

“Jesus do you have to wave that thing at me. I may dislike you but I’m still a guy.” Tyler groaned rubbing a hand over his face. You looked over your shoulder to see him trying not to look at your ass, you were still hovering over Kai’s lap when you rolled your eyes at him. You sat back down ignoring Tyler’s previous statement.

“Caroline won’t be back tonight she’s staying with the kids because Alaric has a conference in New York. I’ll be joining her tomorrow since Alaric is gonna be gone a few days.” Stefan smiled softly adding that he’d leave you the key to the cellar. You nodded before making your way upstairs with you cup and book in hand. You reached the top of the stairs and almost tripping over a pair of combat boots.

“GOD DAMN IT MALACHAI!” You screamed before hearing all of them burst out laughing.

“Oops.” Kai chuckled softly before you made your way to your bedroom slamming the door angrily. You and Kai share this side of the house, his room is directly across from yours and he’s always leaving his shit everywhere. Stefan and Caroline have the attic area and Damon has the other side of the house.

After the boys left you checked they were completely gone and decided to have some you time. You searched through your wardrobe and grabbed the locked chest that was in the back of the giant wooden closet. Grabbing a pink crop top that had Princess written on it, your high waist Calvin Klein undies and some white and pastel pink stripy thigh high socks. You grinned deciding to also grab your stuffed white teddy and spare laptop that you used in secret. Making your way to the bed after changing into the outfit, you laid down on your stomach turning on the laptop and opening tumblr.

You had been a little since it pretty much became a thing. You didn’t do the whole diapers and bottle thing but you liked feeling small and well…little. You turned on your Lana Del Rey CD and scrolled through tumblr, re-blog some things your friends posted.  Your profile on this laptop was purely for your daddy kink and little space so your entire blog was covered in pastel colors, cute frilly stuff and then the filthy gifs just to top it off. You turned up the music and kicked your legs aimlessly.

You rarely got to do this anymore because you lived in a house full of people, only one person had ever seen you like this and that was Bonnie. It wasn’t on purpose you just accidently slipped into little space around her one day. You guessed it was because of how comfortable you were with her. She was shocked at first but she went along with it because she’s understanding and cares. She even braid your hair. You loved that you had someone who knew about this, it made you happy that someone was so understanding.

You giggled as a message from one of your little friends popped up in the corner, you had known Lilly for years, she was a vampire and also had a vampire Daddy, you envied her for being able to find someone who understood everything and cared for her. You opened it to see a few pictures from over the past few days. A few of the pictures were of her and her Daddy (Alexander). Giggling as you scanned through the pictures of them at the zoo and making food together in the kitchen. Lilly was clearly in little space at the time the picture were taken. You sighed sadly, rolling onto your back staring at the ceiling intensely. You hadn’t had a Daddy in at least 10 years. Your last one was human and he didn’t know you were a vampire which is why it didn’t work out. Trust and honesty is needed in any kind of relationship especially these types.

You got up and decided to get some candy to cheer yourself up. Skipping downstairs with a grin on your face, the teddy still hanging in your grasp, you bent down and opened the cupboard you knew Kai hid his candy in. You picked up a lollypop and went to grab a chocolate bar but heard the sudden sound of a pair of keys hitting the floor. Jumping to a stiff position you spun round quickly hiding the candy behind your back. It was a literal version of a kids hands being caught in the god damn cookie jar. Kai stood there with wide eyes looking you up and down, you blushed looking at your feet trying to avoid his gaze.

“Hi…” You covered my mouth as soon as you realised you still had your little space head on. Your voice slightly more high pitched and full of innocence, blushing even brighter as you looked up seeing Kai’s eyes widen further if that was even possible.

“Hey Kai did you grab that th-” You heard Tyler making his way to the kitchen, your eyes widened in fear as his foot step got closer.

“Don’t come in here.” Kai interrupted him quickly, his eyes never leaving mine.

“Huh? Oh whatever come on lets go.” Tyler said stopping in the hall way right outside the kitchen.

“I can’t go I just realised I have to talk to Y/N about some stuff. I’ll speak to you tomorrow tell Stefan I said sorry.” Kai’s eyes narrowed as he looked you up and down once again.

Tyler sighed and slammed the front door on his way out. You were about to sneak up stairs and lock your door so you could text Bonnie and tell her possibly one of the most embarrassing stories of your life but when you tried Kai raised one brow at you like he was daring you to move from that spot. In that moment he looked like a Daddy who had caught his little sneaking candy when he said no. You made involuntary squeak that made his lips twitch slightly like he wanted to smile.

“Anything you’d liked to share?” He asked his voice slightly more stern than he usually spoke before you could stop yourself, you blurted out the truth.

“I’m a little.” Your eyes grew in size as you soon registered what came out of your mouth. The silence was deafening, the blush painting your cheeks increasing tenfold as you moved your candy filled hand to the front of my awkwardly.

“You have a Daddy?” Your eyes shot up looking at him in surprise that he knew what little was. His voice seemed tense like he wanted to yelled but couldn’t. You shook your head and began speaking.

“I’m unowned and haven’t been collared in about 10 years.” Your voice was quiet but you knew he could hear you. His eyes grew dark a smirk slowly making its way to his lips. He made his way over to you stopping as he backed you into the corner of the kitchen sides. He looked into your eyes, his blue ones softening considerably.

“In that case I might just have to make you mine. Would you like that princess?” He whispered a real smile appearing on his face. Your eyes widened as you stared at him like he had grown another head. You’ve wanted a Daddy for so long but to have the man you have been lusting after all this time to offer you everything you want was like a dream that you never wanted to wake up from.

“R-Really?” You question curiously in a soft innocent tone.

“Mhmm. We should have a trial period to see if it’s really what you want. Okay baby girl?” Kai responded his voice soothing and gentle. You nod your head eagerly a bright smile forming on your gloss covered lips. You looked up at him shyly through your thick lashes, he grinned back causing your heart to flutter slightly.

“God if I’d have known you were a little I might have made my move sooner.” Kai groaned his hands making their way to your waist picking you up and putting you on the counter top.

“D-Daddy?” You said unsurely, since it was your first time calling him that. His eyes darkened slightly before his smile brightened.

“Yes princess?” He responded happily.

“C-Can I kiss you?” Your blush had yet to leave you face and wouldn’t be anytime soon as the thought of finally being able to kiss this gorgeous man in front of you swamped your mind. Instead of answering and cupped your cheeks gently before bringing his lips down to yours and kissing you softly. You felt so much emotion swirl in your stomach, his lips were surprisingly soft. They moved slowly prying your own lips open, his tongue cautiously slipped past your teeth wanting to explore all of you. His tongue investigated your mouth with so much tenderness you teared up slightly. He pulled back and stared at me in shocked wiping my eyes carefully.

“What’s the matter baby?”

“I’m s-sorry, it’s just I’ve been waiting for the right Daddy to come along and the fact that I’ve had a crush on you for a while and now this is happening…I’m just really happy.” You sniffed, smiling up at him happily. He kissed your cheek with a smile before picking you up and wrapping your legs around him. You giggled as he sped upstairs to his room, he placed you on the bed carefully before turning on his smart TV he had on his wall. He put on Netflix and sat on the bed with you, pulling you into his chest like you’d done it a million times before.

Sitting here with him felt so natural. You snuggled into him as he put on ‘Beauty and the beast’ you squealed as your favourite movie came on making Kai chuckle at you. Half way through the movie you got a message through Instagram. You opened it to see a picture of Alex and Lilly sat in what you presumed was their bed, Lilly was holding a teddy with one arm and the other was clutching Alex’s top. You read the message below.

‘When are you gonna come and see us? – A&L’

You sighed sadly, suddenly your phone was yanked out of your hand you tried to grab it but he moved it out of your reach. Suddenly the front camera had loaded up. Daddy pulled you into him, his lips pressing to the top of your head as you heard the camera sound go off, you looked at him confused as he sent it to Lilly and Alex with a message saying ‘Soon – L/F/N & K’

“You don’t have to envy your friends anymore princess. If you want selfies with Daddy or you want a new dress. All you have to do is ask.” He stated confidently, you stared at him with wide eyes. Before either of us could blink you were straddling him, your lips smashed against his. You hadn’t felt happiness like this in years. You left out a soft whimper as you pushed your hips into his. You pulled back and bit your bottom lip, both my hands resting on his chest.

“Jesus…You look so innocent right now.” He flipped you both over, his hands pinning your arms to the bed. He moved closer his lips hovering near your ear.

“It makes Daddy wanna ruin you.” He moved back slightly, looking down at you with lust filled eyes. He slowly kissed down your neck, his hands sliding up your crop top exposing naked breasts. You heard him groaned as he looked down at your body. You let out a needy whine as his lips enclosed around your nipple, his right hand stroking up and down your body soothingly, his other gently massaging your left breast as his mouth tend to the right. He continued kissing down your stomach making you arch into his touches, biting your lip to keep from whining again. As he reached the top of your high waist Calvin’s you gripped his shoulders your manicured stiletto nails digging into his flesh. He groaned and sucked a hickey into your ribs which you both knew would be gone before you finished but he didn’t care.

“Those little claws are going to be the death of me kitten.” He groaned as he tore off your undies you were about to snap at him for breaking your favourite pair of undies but when his lips were hovering over your dripping pussy you lost all words.

“I’ll buy you some of the same ones in pink whatever you want baby.” He spoke as if he knew you weren’t happy about the undies.

“P-Please Daddy…” You cried out as he kissed everywhere but the source of your problem.

“What do you want princess?” His hands rubbed circles into your hips making you buck into his touches.

“Touch m-me…Please D-Daddy…” You tried to clench your thighs together for some kinda of frictions but Kai pushed them down spreading them further as he did. Instead of replying he finally moved his lips to your soaking pussy, he licked softly at your clit causing you to lurch forward at the sudden immense amount of pleasure. Your hands thread through his hair tugging on it slightly. He didn’t give you any warning before entering you with two fingers, making you arch up in surprise, a moan making its way past your lips. Kai’s lips pulled away from your clit his husky voice only making your arousal worse.

“God your moans are filthy. Daddy’s so hard baby girl.” You tugged at his hair making his hiss, he sat up easing your hands off his hair and pulled his shirt off. You looked his toned body up and down admiring the view as he pulled his pants and boxers off. You stared at his member which was a lot bigger than you had imagined, it was thick and it made you keen at the thought of it being inside you.

“Like what you see princess?” Kai asked smugness radiating off him but you didn’t care. You nodded biting your index finger watching him as he got between your legs his fingers soon re-entering you. Sighing in appreciation as you pushed yourself as far as you could onto his finger. He moved his hand slightly, the heel of his palm against your clit, his ring and index finger got into a certain position. You knew as soon as his finger started moving up and down what he was doing. You screamed as his finger pushed into your g-spot firmly, you’d only been with one other guy who knew how to find and hit your g-spot. Most men don’t know where it is. Your screams were getting louder as his up and down motions got faster, he placed his hand on your pubic bone to hold you down.

He grinned down at you clearly loving the reactions he was getting, you instantly felt your insides clench as he made you cum for the first time, you saw white as you fell off the edge into bliss. Your body was having little spasms as you came down from your high but apparently Kai wasn’t done because as you started to see slightly better he started doing it again. You looked up at him with wide eyes.

“D-Daddy stop…” You sobbed your back arched slightly, another orgasm building up.

“Cum for me princess.” He demanded softly, his voice finally pushing you’ve over the edge once again as you felt yourself starting to squirt. It wasn’t loads but it was enough to make you flush in embarrassment. You knew what squirting was but had never experienced it so you were shocked beyond belief. You covered your face with your hands embarrassed at what had just happened. All of a sudden I felt Kai’s tongue at your entrance making your body twitch.

“God baby girl that was so hot…You taste so delicious.” He moaned as he continued lapping at the mess you had just made. You gasped at his words looking down at him in shock.

“D-Daddy I want your cock inside me…now.” You demanded you still managing to sound timid and embarrassed.

“Good because Daddy wants to see if he can do that again. With his cock this time.” Kai smirked as he moved his dick towards your entrance. As he pushed in slowly your hands grabbed onto him clawing at his back at a desperate attempt to ground yourself. He was by far the biggest you’d had making you feel fuller than you had ever felt. Once he was full inside he started thrust slowly changing his angles until he found what he was looking for. Once he found your g-spot again he started thrusting into it roughly.

“Shit! O-Oh god Daddy!” You screamed your nails still digging into his flesh drawing blood, making his speed increase.

“Princess you’re so tight I don’t know how much longer I’m gonna last.” He groaned his breath fanning across your cheek. Your body started to build for the third time tonight, your walls clenching round him.

“M-Me too Daddy…S-So close.” You screamed in pleasure as you felt yourself building further.

“Come on baby girl cum all over Daddy’s cock.” He moaned huskily into your ear. With that you fell off the edge more powerful than the previous two times, you felt Kai pull back still pounding into you mercilessly as he watched you cum undone all over him.

“P-Please Daddy cum inside my pussy.” You moaned seductively, biting your index finger for emphasis. He bite his lip letting out a pleasure filled groan as you felt his hot seed spill into you. You moaned as some of the hot seed trickled out because of the shear amount. He rolled off you and laid next to you pulling you close to his chest.

“Well done baby. You made Daddy very happy.” You sighed contently as he stroked your hair lovingly, whispering words of praise into your damp hair. After about 5 minutes he detangled himself from you making you whine.

“I’ll be back in a minute I need to get you some juice.” He said softly lend over the bed and kissing your forehead gently. You shook your head and made grabby hands at him.

“You want to come with me?” He asked softly, you just nodded in response. He chuckled and made his way to get you some clothes. He grabbed his shirt and boxers then left the room coming back with some panties and a cloth. He slid on his boxers and some joggers before moving over to dress you. He wiped you down before sliding his top on to you that he’d been wearing previously and the panties he’d just brought you. You sighed happily as he made sure your socks were set right before picking you up bridal style. You let out a giggle as he sped downstairs only to come to an immediate stop in the living room. You looked up at him confused before you saw his face. You looked at what he was looking at, there sat Enzo, Damon, Bonnie and Tyler. You jumped out of Daddy’s arms, which was a big mistake as you literally couldn’t stand. Kai caught me before you fell lifting you back up with a worried look on his face.

“Well this is sufficiently awkward.” Tyler whisper under his breath. You dared to turn and look at your brother, a blush covering your cheeks.

“That was kinda hot not gonna lie, though I didn’t take Y/N as a screamer.” Damon snickered making Enzo shoot him a death glare shut him up instantly.

“Well I’m happy for you. Your brother would probably say the same if he wasn’t so mentally scarred right now.” Bonnie added smiling softly at you.

“You heard her from all the way upstairs Bonnie!?” Kai screeched making you look up at him.

“Yeah…” Bonnie replied cautiously, at that Kai appeared to preen like he’d been told he was a god. You rolled your eyes smiling softly.

“Don’t look so smug Malachai. When I get a hold of you. You’re not gonna have a dick.” You heard Enzo growl as he sped towards both of you. Kai ran to the other side of the living room placing you of the couch gently, like that was his only concern.  Suddenly he was yanked back you grabbed the nearest heavy object ready to throw it when Bonnie stopped you shaking her head. You looked at her confusedly before turning to look at your brother. Enzo had his fist back ready to throw a punch at Kai who was pinned to the coffee table.

“Fine hit me if it makes you feel better but that not gonna stop me. I’ve waited far too long for this and I won’t give her up now. You might think my feels are just lust but they’re not! She’s the reason I’m trying to repent, trying to make myself better. The moment I saw her pure and innocent smile I wanted to be a man worthy of her.” You sat there shocked at his confession your hands trembling as you took in every word he said. He glanced over at you and smiled softly. You took a deep breath and smiled back at him. Your brother turned to look at me seeing the smile you had on your face. Enzo let him going letting Kai get up but making no move to help him.

“Just know if you ever hurt her. I will torture you before I kill you.” Enzo snapped before sitting down next to Bonnie. Kai nodded and left the room quietly. He soon came back with a glass of orange juice and a blood bag. He sat down passing you the glass before stroking your hair as you drank the juice, you shot him a smile as you finished the juice. He nodded smiling as if to say an unspoken ‘Good Girl’ after that you cuddled and sat with everyone talking around you.

You’ve never been as happy as you are in this moment.

[fantasies-fairytales-n-fics]

Code Blue Ch. 52 - Masks

Summary: Craig and Jeffrey bicker over the missing vehicle. Josie and Craig continue to grow closer. A shocking sight gives Josie sore eyes. Jeff is concerned for a friend and gives his two cents. A theory sparks a hunting trip. Jeff exceeds his limits with Josie and she lets him know. Orlando is put on blast. Mama March speaks her truth. Someone else is put on blast by Jo. Megan confesses something that rocks Jo's world.

*Chapter Warnings* Strong language, angst, sexual references

Chapter word count: 8,854

Stories Stories Stories Masterlist:

Salem, Massachusetts

March 22, 2022

The three of you were all in different states of consternation over hearing that the Trans Am was missing and of course over the ghastly events that happened before that. Craig's was red-faced anger as he paced about, yours was simply shock as you stood hugging yourself with bristled arms and Negan's was an eerie calmness as he sat under a tree in unusual silence, softly gritting his jaw.

"The fucking car is gone. The...fucking...car...is...gone!!" Craig erupted as he chucked his phone to the ground.

Finally, Negan spoke. "Well maybe you should have took the fucking keys out of it."

Craig froze solid with a cocky head tilt and poisonous pupils. "Right...because people are just lined up to hop in and steal a rust bucket reeking of fucking animal dung."

"Shit happens." he uttered with no emotion.

"Shit happens?! Always got a wise crack for everything don'tcha Jeffrey?! Well yes, shit does fucking happen and not just to you. I would love to just sit under a fucking tree, all calm and relaxed, twiddling my fucking thumbs and not give a shit because HEY... shit happens!"

"Back off Parker and pull that stick out of your dick. It's making you cranky." Negan warned with a growl. "The Venus Flytrap could have been towed. Ever think of that? Whatever the explanation, there's not a goddamn thing we can do about it at this time, now is there snarky Parky?"

"Watch your insolent fucking tone! Towed is NOT good because that places the car at my property smart ass and we both know the rest of that clodhopper clan will realize they're missing two of their kin and come snooping around just like they did today over Jo's car!"

"And then we'll make sure they're reunited with their missing loved ones or did you forget who the fuck we are?? I now know where Dwight's ugly mug has been holing up so now I have a damn good reason to go on a little backwoods hunting trip and sniff around like a fucking bloodhound."

"Well you do what needs to be done and I'll go do what needs to be done. Cleaners are here. I'm going to go check in on that mess and then head to my meeting at Pozzulo's that I am now twenty minutes late for and have to explain to Sonny exactly why that is! And you...you can find your own fucking way into town!"

Craig storming exit broke your trance and you ran after him. "Craig please wait!"

He sighed heavily and stopped as you caught up to him behind some brush and stole his hand.

"Are you ok?" you softly asked.

"Is that a rhetorical question??" he spat and then immediately closed his eyes, releasing a softer sigh of remorse. "I'm sorry Jo. I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just that...you're asking me if I'M alright after what you just saw. I told you not to come. I don't care how many times you've seen these things. I didn't want you to see it with me. I can only imagine what you must think of me now."

"I think no less of you than I do Jason. I carry the same loyalty for you that I do him, especially now and I want to thank you for what you did for me because I don't even want to think about what would have happened if you and Ne..Jeff hadn't intervened. I could have been severely assaulted in more ways than one and possibly even be dead right now."

"Thanking me for what just went down don't even feel right. I'm not proud of it but predators like them need to be put down. How many other women and innocent people have they hurt, or even killed? and they surely weren't going to stop with you and I'll be damned if I'm going to let anyone ever hurt you...and Jason's your brother Jo. Of course you would have a bias for him. Me?...I'm no one to you and I think your guilt over Blaise plays a huge role in your graciousness of me."

You weren't sure where it came from, the urge to hug him, but you did it anyways. It was your nerves, you deciphered. They needed the calming effect of his strong safe arms paired with the relaxing aroma of his cologne. The purpose was somewhat challenging though since you had to stand on your tippy toes due to his height which caused you to feel his gun awkwardly pushing against your lower boundaries.

Stunned from the unexpected embrace, Craig hands hesitated for a moment to accept your closeness. The feel of your small soft body against his and the intoxicating cherry scent of your hair in his face was morphing the big tough mob man in to a vulnerable little boy. He so longed for a woman's touch, but not just any woman's. Yours. With reluctance, he permitted his hovering hands to softly lay upon the small of your back.

"Craig...that's not true." you assured into his warm ear. "Of course I feel guilty about Blaise and I always will no matter what you say, especially after seeing the state you were in yesterday, so lost and in so much pain... but Craig, that guilt has nothing to do with what I feel in my heart. I think of you as my friend. I care about you. Is that so hard to believe?"

His hot breath prickled your ear. "Actually it is. You don't even know the details of my upbringing and let us not forget Liz's path of destruction."

After the longer than expected hug, you pulled back, leaving your arms still clasped around his neck and gazed up into his child-like orbs of blue. "Not everyone is out to hurt you Craig. Not everyone is Elizabeth and as far as Cyrus..."

His eyes wandered away from yours. "I don't want to talk about this."

"Craig, I too am a really good listener and have a strong but soft shoulder to lean on as you once told me and...

"Well Jo, your ears are not listening right now damn it!" he suddenly barked as he brought his hands to your upper arms and gave you a harmless warning shake, stunning you but not scaring you in the least.

The way he looked at you though, searching your face with a confused frustration in his gaze, his bold and blazing blues also held a very deep desireful passion when they locked on to your lips. Rendered stiff as a statue, you held your breath, for you could have sworn he was going to kiss you, but he didn't. Instead, he swiftly backed away, placed his hands on his hips and strongly exhaled.

"Why Jo? Why are you so damn persistent and stubborn?"

"And why do you continue to entertain this lifestyle when I can clearly see it's taking a massive toll on you? And working under Sonny no less? What about Blaise WHEN you get her back? Do you want to raise her in this world?"

"Here we go again. Jo...you know I can't get just get out."

"I don't believe that for one minute. The other day, you told me that I'm only stuck if I choose to be. Well, the same applies to you. I know it wouldn't be easy whatsoever, but it can be done... but that's not what I asked you."

You were thinking of both Lee and Luke in that moment and how they had lived a similar life many years ago and managed to leave it behind, but then again...that world was on another continent. This one was right here in Salem where Craig resided AND ran in his family and you knew he didn't do it to make papa proud. Speaking of the devil, Craig then referred to him.

"You met the reason why and he needs to be taken down. Satisfied? Jo, I really have to go. Have Jeff walk you back to your car."

"Fine but this conversation is not over."

He smiled, shook his head and lightly grazed your cheek with his fingertips. "I never believed for one minute that it would be. Take care love."

You watched Craig swagger off through the thicket leading back to the killing fields and once he was gone, you headed back to find Jeff.

"Come on!" Jeff groaned as he urgently fought to undo his uncooperative belt. "I'm gonna need my own goddamn pissin pants in about 2 fucking seconds."

Once he finally freed his manhood, he made no effort to contain his booming moan of relief as he rid his body of the booze he had previously overindulged in during his gardening project at Craig's complex.

Swaying his steaming fluid of gold back and forth in an artful figure 8 pattern, he closed his eyes and chuckled as it blasted into the dead leaves. "If a dude drains the main vein in the woods and no one is there to hear it, does it still make a sound? And the answer is...I don't give a flying fuck cause I'm all out of fucks to give."

As he shook off the last few drops, his eyes popped open at the sound of your ghastly gasp. A gasp so great, you could have sworn you swallowed a giant bug and when you both snapped out of the initial shock, Jeffrey, quite utterly amused, took his sweet time to seal himself back up as he watched you bury your face in your hands.

"Jumpin Jehosephine!" He cheerfully jested. "I do believe your eyeballs just leaped from their sockets and rolled right up my dick. What's the matter you sneaky kitten? Never seen a man's junk before?"

"Not yours!!" you yelled in a muffle from underneath your sweaty palms.

He released a cocky snicker. "Now we both know THAT'S not true because YOU just did and I must say, that was one long intense eyeful. I do believe they call that gawking. So what do ya think pussycat? Do I measure up to the simile "hung like a horse?"

Against your will, your filthy warped mind silently answered that he certainly did and you cringed at the perverted thought.

"Oh my god will you just tuck that thing away already so I can turn around??"

You heard a tug of war zipping and a jingling of his buckle. "Voila. The eye of the tiger is all tamed for now but it won't be long before I have to unleash the beast once again. Liquids go through me like a cheap paper towel."

"Then I guess we better get going. Craig wants you to walk me back to my car."

If a pair of eyes rolled so hard that they could have done a complete 360, it was Jeffrey's as he shouted out into the woods in his ongoing bitterness. "Yes Sergeant Pecker. Oh damn, I mean Parker."

As you both began walking, you defended Craig. "You should really take it easy on him right now. He's going through a lot with Blaise missing."

"Right. Well I get that. I do. But you see, Craig likes games, and don't get me wrong, I'm all for that as you may have noticed, but his favorite one is where he likes to play "my dick is bigger than yours" and I can assure you, as you may have ALSO noticed, that I win that game, hands fucking down. He projects too much."

"Are you really dick measuring right now? And how would I know whom is more sizeable??? And.... wait...how would YOU know if your cock is more sizeable???"

"Ohhhh!" he jumped with a flinch and then chortled. "Did you just say...cock?"

You riposted with a comical confidence as you grinned. "What? I can say cock. You don't own the word. Cock...cock...COCK!"

"Apparently you can and will. Guess I am just more accustomed to hearing a man say it. Look at you, you dirty little girl! I just keep liking you more and more. Now...to add clarity to your curiosity, which clearly almost damn near killed the cute as shit cat just now, I know I've got a few inches on him because I've seen it. I mean, are you gonna bullshit me and say you've never seen any of your girlfriend's tits before? Craig drinks a lot, which, no judgment there whatsoever, but when he does, sometimes he puts on indiscreet displays like I just did such as coming out for a drink of water in the middle of the night as nekked as the day he was born."

"Ok well...I mean, that's just your opinion, is it not?

"Well you tell me then. You say you and Craigypoo are just friends but it sure as shit looked like a lot more than that over there in the brush."

"You were...spying on us???"

"Spying is such a strong word. I'd like to think of it more as investigating. You see, Craig and I may be at each other's throats more often than not, but we go back quite a ways and I actually care about his quirky Kiwi ass. He and I are a lot alike, possibly why we connected so easily. We both have been through the ringer in life, mostly due to a man's biggest weakness....women and their evil funnels of love and his ex did a fucking number on him. I don't want to see that happen again and you...well...as I said before, I know when he's catching the deadly pestilence called feelings and I do believe you told me that your heart was already spoken for. Do you see where I'm going with this cupcake? Sweets aren't always good for people. That shit rots your teeth if you aren't careful."

"Well what'ya know? Bad ass Negan is really a softy at heart. Never would have guessed that."

"Look, Craig and I, or anyone for that matter in this business, have to be a bad ass, which I'm sure you know but that doesn't necessarily make us who we are, which I'm sure you also know. When it's time to get down and dirty, just like today, the armor has to be put on nice a fucking thick so that you become bulletproof, metaphorically speaking and it's also to keep the human that resides under all that armor from fucking shit up with their soft spots. Damn good way to bite the dust and all of this can be said for relationships as well. And to be honest...Craig don't belong in this bullshit way of life. It's not who he is. Hell, it's not who I am, but sadly enough, he was born into it and didn't exactly have a choice like the two of you were discussing. And of course, the rebellious prick in him made a choice anyways and it has landed him in one fucked up predicament of being on the opposite side of his father by working for Cyrus' long time and greatest enemy, Sonny and honestly, neither kingpin is the better option. Craig did it for obvious reasons. To spite his father and regain control of his life, but...does he really have it? Not while Cyrus Renault is alive. We all have our reasons for the fucked up shit we do."

"Yeah, I know that has to be one hell of a burden for Craig to carry. I'm actually glad to know you're looking out for him. I know what Liz did to him and she did the same fucking thing to people I love, Jason being one. So I get it. And Craig knows my situation with Lee and how I feel about him so I don't see that he would ever let himself develop any sort of feelings for me."

"The iconic Elvis tune begs the differ, cause the poor fool may not be able to help falling in love with you. Food for thought there naive Nancy. Well, we are back to your car. You uhh...think you could give me a ride to get my bike? I'd love to take a spin in this beastly hotrod and compare it to my baby."

"Your baby? You call your bike your baby?"

"Nah, that's my bitch. My 67 Impala is my baby, my black magic woman but I let my sons have her. I got a truck or two also and a charger."

"S...sons? You have.... kids?"

"Yeah, shocker huh?? It happened not once, but motherfuckin twice while experimenting with the birds and the bees in my youthful days. Believe that shit? Apparently you don't. Your astonishment astounds me. You know, other women didn't find me as "eww" as you do."

"Oh stop it. Sorry. I guess I just didn't peg you to be the daddy type."

"Ohhh I can be all sorts of daddy darlin. Sugar daddy, your daddy, whichever daddy you want honey pie. Damn I love me some pie." he teased in a low snarl as the dimpled grin resurfaced. "So what'ya say miss American Pie. Drive this Chevy to the levee? I'm gonna do some Chevy measuring instead of dick measuring this time but you can bet your sweet round ass that I'll still say mine's better than yours."

"Yeah sure, I'll give you a lift...but umm...what about the missing car?"

Jeff rested his arms on the top of your car and let his squinting eyes wander around in the sun. "Yeahhh. I have a damn good theory about that. Came to me while I was marking my territory. I'll bet my entire ball sack that there was a third little piggy in the backseat of that pigsty and he got spooked when he saw the big bad wolf, yours fucking truly, and that tells me it was none other than Dwighty who chose flighty over fighty and now I'm going to have to go huff and puff and blow his goddamn house in."

"Jesus, if that's true, then..."

"Then he's going to squeal to the hogs which means it won't be long before a pack of passel come sniffin and snortin around here. Looks like I will be going on that hunting trip sooner than later."

"You're going to go alone??? At least take Craig and how are you even going to find them?"

"Did you not see what I just did all by my tall, dark and lonesome? Craig can sit this one out so he can focus on other things. Besides, I won't be alone. This time, the boys, aka the Saviors, will attend AND I'll also have mean, lean, brain bashing machine Lucille. And finding the farrow and that runt Dwight is easy peasy lemon squeazy when you got a photographic memory and Spinelli the cybershark to look up the plates I took note of. Lets get scootin sweet cheeks. I'm gettin all fired up for a grizzly game of pig chase."

"And you call ME trouble?" you giggled and got in the car after he did.

"As I said buttercup, I call things as i see it."

The first five minutes of the ride was quiet as you both were in your own thoughts. Yours were all over the place due to what you had just witnessed and how strangely calm you were about it all. It wasn't normal. You should have been appalled, frightened and traumatized even, like Lee surely was from his past, but you were neither. Normal, something you deeply craved, had never been your life though, from Peter to Gerry to Jason until you met Lee and believed you had finally found it, but even that was too good to be true after learning of his double life. It was like you were a magnet to the dark underworld. Drawn to it like a moth to a flame and all knew how that always ended. All but the moth.

Jeffrey's thoughts were evasive over the day's events. Even he craved normalcy and he was bound and determined to have some every now and then.

"Well, I've concluded that yep, my Chevy's better than your Chevy. No offense there sweetheart. I think this car is the goddamn shit for being twenty years younger, but lets see if the sound system is. You mind if I turn on some music therapy? We still have about ten minutes left."

Your eyes playfully rolled. "Sure."

He turned on the radio and began punching the pre-programmed stations. When he hit the last one, his excitement startled you.

"Ahhhhh HELL GIRL!! This is creepy as shit!! Swift cheeks has spoken! I rest my case!!!" he loudly gloated and obnoxiously began singing. "I knew you were trouble when you walked in!!!"

"What's creepy as shit is you singing a Taylor Swift song in my car, or even at all. You're a Swifty??"

"Not in the fucking least." he chuckled. "But she's always got something to say and an ex to diss and you just can't fucking escape the madness. She's a music plague but hey, it worked out b...e...a..utiful this time, didn't it? Oh...Ohhhhho Trouble trouble trouble!! Oh Ohhh...."

"Pleeeeeese stop singing Neg..errr Jeffr....or whatever your name really is."

"I thought we already discussed this darlin, but I gather you don't want to go around callin me daddy. You can save that for the bedroom." he teased with a wink. "So...Jeff will do just fine in the meantime."

You had dealt with his rude and raunchy behavior quite well for the entire hour you had even known him but this time he went too far and his sexual statement triggered you.

"Well JEFF...the only person I've ever called daddy or would call daddy is my father so why don't you work on respectfully calling me by my actual name and not a some different pet name every five minutes and back off on the suggestive and disparaging innuendos while you're at it."

His brows sprung up and his lips puckered. "Oooooo. Do...not...ENTERRR." he whispered with a scolded smile and then he shamefully softened.

"Alright...Josie. I stand corrected once again and I do apologize. My remark was so not cool. I tend to get carried away, mostly around beautiful women and clearly I have crossed a line and entered a forbidden territory. I will do my best to address you by your given name, scout's honor, but it's going to be like teaching an old dog new tricks so I will most likely piss on the floor every now and then. Will that work for you?"

"Hmmm. I guess I can give you brownie points for your sincere apology and predetermination to make it right. Oh, and would you like me to stop at the store to pick you up your own pair of pissin pants for when you have those accidents?"

Now his mouth dropped open. "Woah DOWN girl. Will you stop kickin my ass already? I know I said I have nuts of steel but using my own jokes against me hurts my ego much worse than that blow below the belt I took earlier. Let this old dog have a little dignity will ya?"

You pleasantly smiled at your victory as you pulled up in front of the repair shop. "Alright. I guess I can do that after what you did for me."

"Much appreciated. Oh and let me give you my digits before I go. The more wolves you have at your beck and call, the better."

"I suppose that's a good idea with the way my life is going anymore."

The numbers were exchanged and then he got out.

"Jeffrey, wait."

"Yes...Josie?" he emphasized with a grin as he leaned his tall frame down to peer in at you.

"So you were a boy scout?"

His grin widened into a full set of pearly whites. "Nnnnope! Thanks for the lift. See ya later Trouble."

You smiled and shook your head as he tossed his overshirt over his shoulder, then shut the door and swaggered off the same way he had swaggered in.

About ten minutes later, you were heading up the hospital stairs to go see your mom and sister when you found Orlando slouched and sleeping in a chair outside of the room. You couldn't help but giggle as you stood there for a few moments viewing the vulnerable vision of drool lightly leaking from his softly snoring lips as his head laid slumped upon his drooped shoulder and from that shoulder, his arm hung freely to the floor in the basic chair of no side support. One wrong move and he was going to nose dive right out of it.

As you crept up, you made sure you stood at his leaning side so he wouldn't fall in case you startled him and then you placed your hand on his shoulder.

"Landy." you whispered.

The drooling doc drew in a snorting breath and flinched as he gaped up at you.

"It's ok. It's ok. It's just me." you assured him and then chuckled. "What are you doing out here sleepy head? Wasn't your shift over hours ago?"

He slowly sat up and stretched, still not quite alert as his eyes flitted. "Oh uh...yeah I...it was. I've been watching over your sister for your mum while she went home and refreshed. She said you were supposed to be here soon so I coaxed her to go by offering to stay until one of you returned."

His kind heart had you gushing. "Landy, that was so sweet of you. You didn't have to do that but thank you for looking out for my family. I'm here now. You should go home and sleep. You look so exhausted."

He yawned, then his brows frowned with embarrassment as he became aware of his saliva remnants and swiftly swiped it away with his thumb. "Yeah. I am a little but...I'm in no rush to go home with Luke still lingering around being a bigger douche than usual with this whole Elizabeth case and besides, I wanted to see you. You ok?"

"Definitely been better, but..fake it until you make it right? So, is Megan awake?" you asked as you peeked in her window, trying to avoid any and all conversations about Luke, especially about how he almost arrested you which could spark another blow up between the two feuding brothers.

"On and off but she hasn't been talking much with being all doped up. You know you don't have to fake anything with me right? If you wanna talk, cry, scream or even just sit together in silence...I'm here Jo. Always."

You felt the sting of happy tears wanting to form but you weren't about to allow anymore crying, so instead, you smiled and hugged him.

"You're the best, you know that? Thank you for helping me out yesterday. I hope you didn't get too much shit for being late."

He gave you a good squeeze and sighed against your ear. "It was all worth it. I'd do anything for you."

As you smiled in the close and comforting embrace, your eyes lifted to see someone who was not smiling. Your mother.

"Well, that is very kind of you and reassuring Dr. Bloom." the fiery haired Margaret March respectfully interjected, but with a passive aggression as her judging eyes locked on him. "I appreciate your offered supervision of Megan and I thank you for your consistent succor of my other daughter but she has the good Dr. Pace for that and I am sure you have your own responsibilities to tend to instead of spending your extra time fussing over your best friend's partner."

"Mommm!" you harshly stressed. "Can you be any more rude? Landy is my friend too and that's all he's doing is being a friend because that's what friends do."

"It is not my intentions to be rude Joey. I just find it strange that I see more of him around you than I do Lee and I have to wonder what Dr. Bloom's own intentions are and maybe your own as well Josephine."

"Oh my god mom...."

Orlando politely cut in, calm and cool with a smile that you saw right through. "It's alright Jo. Your mum is only looking out for your best interest and now I am going to go look out for mine with about 4 cups of coffee before I attempt to drive home."

"But...you don't have your car. I drove you here, remember? I can give you a ride in awhile."

Orlando felt Margaret's eyes burning right through him, warning him to decline. "No really Jo. Thank you but it's fine. I can call a cab. I'll...talk to you later."

He gave a glum smile and rushed off, leaving you fuming with slitted eyes at your mother. "That was just flat out mean mom!"

"What's mean is you not telling Lee about what happened to Megan or not even speaking to him at all for that matter."

"W..what? How do..."

"Yes...he called me in an attempt to locate you and of course I didn't dare tell him you spent the night with David...which..why were you not with Lee??"

"Jesus mom. What...you have a problem with Dave now too?? All we did was watch a movie and then went to bed...separately."

"What I have a problem with is, is your closeness with other men even if they are good friends. I know I sound hypocritical but I don't want you to make the same mistakes I did when you already have a damn good man who adores you. Would you like to see Lee canoodling with other women? How would that make you feel?"

But you did know how it felt when you found out about his one nighter with Britt all those years ago or when you saw him "canoodling" with that Jess girl in his boat house who you went to school with... and then there was Ethan.

"Canoodling??!!! I am not screwing around on him mom, nor would I ever because I know what that feels like and he's also had that done to him as well and...and you don't even know what's going on with Lee so it would be nice if you would stop acting like I'm doing something wrong."

"Well how hard is it to talk to your boyfriend?"

And that did it. You couldn't take it anymore, withholding the tears that begged for Lee and your mother had triggered them. "He's the one who don't know how to communicate mom and that's actually one of the reasons I'm here because I don't know what to do anymore and I needed my mom to tell me what to do!"

You were now sitting in the chair Orlando had skillfully slept in with your hands over your face, rocking back and forth to keep yourself breathing.

The grinding of chair legs closed in on you and your mother's soft hands pulled yours down as she sat at your side. Her evergreen eyes that always appeared to be walnut brown and had been spewing daggers at Orlando only moments ago, were now moist with compassion as she tenderly wiped your tears away.

"You know that I cannot tell you what to do but I can listen and offer you the best advice that I can. What happened Jo Jo? You and Lee seemed so happy."

You knew you couldn't tell her the full blown detailed story, so you gave her a brief summary instead, being careful not to make Lee out to be a bad person because he wasn't and you knew anything that you told her, she would never forget just like she hadn't with Gerry.

"We..we were Ma but...there's things he won't talk to me about. Things that are eating him up inside and these things affect me too which is affecting us and any time that he does open up to me, he withholds the most important parts, although he will swear he told me everything and then I find out about them later and now I...I..."

She finished what you struggled to say. "You don't trust him."

Sighing, your lips pouted with guilt. "I..I can't help it. I DID trust him, more than anyone. So much so that I told him things I have never spoken to anyone about...you know, like...Gerry and all the secrets and lies and...Lee would tell me things from his past too. We connected in a way I cannot even describe. We were so good for each other. It was as if we were healing the damaged parts of each other and god mom, I fell so hard and so fast for him. I'm so crazy in love with him that it hurts to breathe when he's not around."

"I will not ask you to tell me the details, but without knowing them, I can only offer you so much advice. I know what Gerry did and now I do have to ask this much. Joey, did Lee cheat on you?"

"Oh god no." you quickly blurted out. "It's nothing like that mom. I swear. He would never, that much I trust him with. I know how much he loves me and he's fighting like hell not to lose me but I just don't know what to do. I can't be with someone that will not fully give themselves to me. I can't live with waiting for the next bomb to drop because I am always going to believe there is one coming. I don't care about anything he's done and I told him that. This is about trust and honesty and being a team and all I feel like is his opponent."

Margaret's mind wandered to the day when Lee had asked for her blessing to marry you. She had given it to him because she could see that he too was crazy in love with you, but she had also given the blessing with warning not to hurt you and now she understood why he hadn't asked you yet.

"Whatever it is that Lee is concealing, I feel that is why he is distancing himself from you. I do not doubt for a minute that he does not love you with all of his heart and soul, but speaking from my own experiences, I feel he has been deeply hurt in some way, just as you had been and he's just having more difficulty in getting past it and believing that you won't judge him even when you say that you won't. He may even be trying to protect you by pushing you away because maybe he feels he isn't good enough for you?"

You knew it was all of that and most likely much more, but now you wanted to know how her experiences were relevant. "Is...is that what happened between you and Victor?"

"I had a feeling this is why you have chosen to come to me about this and I'm not really sure how to have this conversation with you because of your father. It was all such a painful time and I thought I was going to lose my family over it all..."

"But you didn't. Daddy forgave you and you both got through it because you..."

"Because Victor gave me no choice." she firmly stated and became a bit shaky.

"W..what?"

Her eyes became glassy with tears. "There's a reason people sometimes do not speak of things Jo and this was why I did not. I too have withheld the entire truth to spare my family of unnecessary pain. I...I was in love with Victor and he with me. I...I still love him."

You knew she loved him, but it still stung to hear her say it as you squeezed her hand that still bore your father's wedding ring.

"Mom...I knew this and although I do not condone what you did, the heart wants what the heart wants." you attested as you thought of Lee's identical words to you that morning in his voicemail. "We cannot help who we love and well...you and Victor also share a son because of that love."

She began to softly weep. "I loved your father too and Victor knew it. He demanded I stay with him when I learned I was with child because I made him believe Bo was not his, which I did to protect your father's heart. He wanted me to live a normal family life, one that he could not give me because of his world. A world of crime and lies and secrets and danger. A world that later kept Bo and him at odds just as it did between Jason and Bo and even Gerry had and still has his issues with his father over it. Sometimes I feel Bo was taken from us to punish me for what I did and for keeping his paternity a secret for all those years and that loss changed Victor a lot. He became darker. I suppose Lee can relate after suffering the loss of his own son. Anyways, Victor knew he could never give himself fully to me either and he wanted me to be safe and I know that's why Jason did the same thing to Britta. I know I made the right decision in choosing your father and I do not regret it at all or I would not have all of my precious children but the what if's will always haunt me and I don't want that for you. I don't doubt your love for Lee but you have to be the one to decide if that's enough. For me, it would have been but I couldn't fight for someone who wouldn't let me and you're not letting Lee fight for you by running away so all I can tell you is, before you let the love of your life go, you need to ask yourself if you can live with that because it seems to me that Lee sees you as forever."

Forever. That word punched a hole right through your chest...but now...you knew you had to go see him and give him that third and final chance to come clean.

As you took your phone out to call him, Megan's cries pierced through the halls.

"Mommm!! Momma Mom MOMMM!!!"

Margaret went running into her room as you stood in the doorway and watched your distressed sister cry like a baby in her mother's arms.

"It's alright. I am here my darling girl. So is joey. You are safe."

Megan's welled up eyes darted around your mom's shoulders to look at you and then she cried even harder.

"You're probably happy and think I got what I deserve and you would be right after everything I have done."

You now stepped into the room, hating that you actually felt sorry for her. "That's not true Megan. No matter what you've done, you did not deserve this."

"Yes I d..did." she bawled. "You don't even know and...and...and you need to know...oh god, my leg...it hurts. It hurts so bad mom."

Your mother then took over to try and calm her as she pushed the call button for the nurse. "Megan, lets not talk right now alright? You need to be checked out. You had surgery on your leg. It is broken."

"But I want to talk! I...I did something so bad."

Now you were highly intrigued and walked up to her bed. "Was it Ethan? Did he make you do something? Did he...did he do this to you?"

"Josephine. Not now. Give her time to breathe!" your mother squawked and got up to look out the door as your sister's sobs continued. "She needs pain medication and where the hell is the nurse?? This is ICU for christ's sake."

Nothing good came from your mother's curses so you backed off for the moment, but when an opportunity arose, you were going to grill your sister over her statement because nothing good came from Megan period. Maybe some drugs would get her talking, you thought as you glanced at the ticking clock. You had just over an hour to meet Lee at the cemetery but you were not leaving there without answers.

Finally, the nurse came in. It was Angel and you became unglued. "Oh hell no! You will not lay one one sleezy finger on my sister you morbid insufferable bitch."

Megan's eyes widened as did your mother's. "Josephine Leeanne March! What on earth has gotten into you??" Margaret reeled.

"This!! This succubus right here is what. She couldn't even handle caring for a 4 year old little girl who is now missing because Lilith here was too busy coming on to my boyfriend and then when he shot her down, she was spreading her legs all of that night for Mr. Carpenter, the man who accused Lee of medical malpractice in the death of his daughter which we all knew wasn't true but it didn't stop her from repeatably banging the abusive lunatic who damn near ruined Lee's career and reputation all for money."

Your mother knew you very well and although she knew you could be extreme as you were being now, she knew you would not lie and the information repulsed her.

"Nurse Smart. I would like you to retrieve my daughter's doctor and find another nurse to administer her treatment. I will not allow such conflict of interest in my daughter's well being because it causes me to believe you may not be able to be objective. Had I been aware of this the last time you were in here, I would have put a stop to it then."

"Mrs. March, I assure you that...."

"Your assurance assures me of nothing, now please LEAVE."

Angel's jaw tightened and her eyes practically set you on fire. "As you wish. I will inform the other nurse to come in and page her doctor."

She left and you apologized. "Sorry mom. That woman is bad news and I couldn't hold my tongue."

"Well, you were looking out for your sister so I can let the theatrics slide, but I am very glad you said something regardless."

Megan became upset again. "I wanna go home Momma. I don't like it here. I don't want to end up like Elizabeth. Please take me home!!"

"Honey, you just had surgery. You have to stay for awhile but I will be right here with you. No one is going to hurt you. I promise."

You wished that were true but you couldn't be certain until Megan named her attacker. Another nurse finally came in, checked her vitals, asked her a few questions and then shot her up with some more morphine which didn't take long to work it's magic.

"Mom, I can't stand it anymore." you contended against her wishes. "Megan...who did this to you?"

She whimpered in fear as she looked to your mom for approval. "It's alright Megan. Whatever you can remember, whatever you're comfortable with telling us, please do so. We want to know what happened and stop whoever did this from doing it to someone else."

"Megs...look at me." you softly commanded. "Was it Ethan?"

Her brows furrowed and then she became agitated. "I...I don't...know."

"What do you mean you don't know? Surely you must have seen your abductor?"

She broke down again. "I...I...I keep trying to picture his face but I can't."

Your mom took her hand. "Ok..ok my love. Just breathe and try to tell us what you do remember. Anything at all."

"I...I re..remember...Dave. He...he was helping me and then...and then I woke up here."

You were trying so hard to remain patient and understanding. "But how did you get there? What is the last thing that you remember before you saw Dave?"

"I...the police station. I..I was talking to that detective about Blaise. I went there to tell him that I thought Ethan may have taken her because I couldn't stand the thought of that poor little girl being scared and crying for her mommy and Ethan...he...he has no business being a father. He is so mean and controlling. He always talked about how he would have her one day so I..I had to try and help her."

"He has no business breathing. You don't even know half of the things he's done. Or maybe you do since you were sleeping with the enemy."

"JoSEPHINE!" your mother piped again.

"Sorry but it's true...so...ok what happened after that?"

"I...." she paused and her entire face scrunched up in forced thought. "I...I don't know. It's all a fog."

"Alright, lets give her a break Jo. She needs time to..." your mom began.

"There is no time mom! You know what Jason was involved in so let me clue you in about Ethan. He's in that life too, only he is a monster. He's the one that attacked his own brother with a knife, you know, Orlando? The one you just berated. He's lucky it was only his hand and that I was there to stop it and Ethan has done other things to Lee that I will not even mention and now this! My sister is in the hospital, lucky to be alive and my landlord's child is missing so Megan needs to start talking!"

"Jo, I swear. I can't remember right now. I'm trying...but..."

"But what???"

"But...I don't...I don't think it was Ethan."

"What do you mean you don't think it was Ethan?? You just said you don't even remember."

"Because I...it...it don't feel like it was him?" Megan explained as if she were questioning herself.

"That makes no damn sense. Either it was him or it wasn't Megan! I mean, who the hell else would it be???"

"I said I don't know Jo. It's literally all blank after I left the police station. It's like having a blackout from drinking."

Her words made you recall the recent experience you had only two days ago when you took your anxiety medication and drank a bottle of wine and strangely...it was the around same time that she went missing.

"Could you have been drugged?? Think Megan. Mom, did the doctor do a toxicology? Surely they would have."

"I have not been told anything about that. When I got here, she was already in surgery and after you left, the police were speaking with him and wouldn't tell me anything. When the doctor comes in, I will ask."

Luke probably knew since he was the one doing the questioning last night but he wasn't going to tell you now that he was a big bad boy in blue, minus the blue.

"Or." your mom went on. "She just don't remember because of the trauma so I think the questions are enough for today."

"Just a few more mom. Ok, Megan. What about BEFORE the police station. What do you remember? Where was Ethan then?"

"I...don't...know."

"So you remember going there, but nothing before or after until Dave. What the hell Megan? Why wouldn't you remember anything before that?? You remembered that Elizabeth is dead and that happened BEFORE!"

She was becoming disconcerted and anxious and the heart rate monitor began chiming."

"I don't know. I don't know! I DON'T KNOW! I DON'T KNOW!!!" she cried and your mom finally stood up and angrily pointed at you.

"That is ENOUGH JO!"

"Alright fine. Then at least tell me what you meant when you said you did something bad."

"Damn it Joey, you are not too old for me to pull you out of this room by your ear!"

"No mom. I want to talk to her. Alone." Megan insisted.

"What? Absolutely not. You're already upset."

"Mom please. I...I need to tell her something private. It has nothing to do with this."

"Then can't it wait? Why now?"

She began bawling. "Because I'm a liar."

Now you were unsettled. Megan's lies were a common thing that you were used to but this...this seemed different. She said it had nothing to do with any of this so what bomb was she going to drop on you and why now like your mom asked? Maybe it was her near death experience that was actually giving her a conscience. Whatever it was, it was bad just like she said because she was genuinely distressed over it.

"Alright, but only 5 minutes. I'm going to go find the damn doctor myself."

After your mom left, you sat down in her seat and went straight to the point. "What did you do Megan? Just spit it out. After the things I've been through and things you've done to me, I can handle it."

"I...I don't think you can. Not this time."

"Jesus Megan, I don't scare all too easily but now you are scaring me. Did...you lie just now to mom? Do you really remember and...you and Ethan maybe did something bad? Wait...do you KNOW where Blaise is???"

"No Jo! I don't and I didn't lie. I told you it's not about that."

"Then WHAT did you DO??"

She started trembling and her lips quivered as she spoke. "I do remember something from awhile ago. At mom's and..."

"AND???"

"Please stop shouting, please stop shouting." she squeaked as she winced.

You closed your eyes, inhaled deeply and slowly released the desire to strangle her scrawny little neck right then and there. "OK...I'm calm....tell..me."

"It was the day...that Gerry was there. I was home but...you didn't know and I...I heard you both talking. It was about...about what, well that night..that night when..."

"Will you stop stuttering and just tell me what Gerry has to do with anything??"

"Ok, Ok...I..." she sucked in a breath and then began rapidly speaking, reminding you of how Spinelli did that when he was extremely nervous, usually from being cornered. "It was about when he cheated on you with me, except...except he...he didn't. He never did. We never did and I lied. I lied about it all to hurt you because you always had all the men and I was a nobody and always used. No one ever cared for me like they did you so I...I...followed him to the bar that night. He was upset and drinking because of how you had been shot the month before and you both were having problems over it. We sat and drank and he told me all about it because he said you wouldn't talk to him much about it and he felt so guilty that it happened and he...he was crying Jo, just like I saw him sitting in his truck crying after you guys argued at mom's and you took off, only that time I felt bad because you had Lee and he had no one and that was because of me because I...I drugged him Jo and then I took him home because he was in no shape to drive and I...I put on your perfume and came onto him, but he..he rejected me and passed out. I was angry because even then, he didn't want me so I sent you that text from his phone and you believed it and he believed it because he couldn't remember anything when he woke up the next morning lying next to me, both of us naked because I..I undressed him to make it seem real and then you were pounding on his door and..."

You stood up so fast that the chair fell over. Your chest was so tight and your heart was racing. Your entire body violently shook and you couldn't speak as burning tears streamed from your gaping eyes. It was if you had been knocked into some other dimension from the shocking blow.

Margaret immediately came in from the sound of the crashing chair. "Joey?? What's happened? Jo?? Josephine, talk to me!"

Her voice and Megan's crying all echoed as you became giddy upon your feet. You were either going to pass out or go to jail over a moment of temporary insanity and you didn't want either so you stumbled out the door and began running, panting, hyperventilating as you heard her screams fading the further you got.

"Jo I'M SORRY!! I'M SO SORRY!!!"

@redeemer46

[familyabolisher]

Could you expand on your thoughts on Amy Parker's Kingdom by the Sea?

The cruelest part is its introduction. Did you realize [Nabokov] killed her off? I didn’t. Who reads an introduction? But it is true. Right away, without ceremony, he undoes her. He anticipates any attempts on the part of her readers to help her, to free her, to resist the text by imagining her beyond its borders, by allowing her, perhaps, an adulthood. He withholds this—the great gift of any fiction—the margin beyond which characters may persist. Before we ever meet her, he nails her down in her coffin. The book is her tomb—she’s walled up in it. He knew what he was doing; he was no fool. He bricks her up with offhanded casualness in the masonry of the book. The only life she is allowed is the life he gives her. Dolly Hayes tries and tries to break through, she is a scintilla in the book, a bright rebellious flicker in the margins. But he is so tightfisted, so malicious—that he will not allow her to draw a single breath in another person’s imagination, let alone her own. I could almost forgive him, I could almost believe those moments when his narrator’s conscience pricks—his beautiful ironies of perspective; in the mournful and sharp fragments of her truth which he allows to break through—if he had only let her to live.

[...]

But nothing can make Dolores die—if death means hold still, if death means that which settles you, that which chloroforms you and pins you like a butterfly to a bit of paper—my little Lo-lepidoptera has more metamorphoses for you. Go ahead. Keep writing Dolores into HHis bed, into her grave. Mock her, love her, murder her, knock her down or knock her up. Lie about her. Dolores will not die. You can’t fix our Dolores with death. You can’t prevent her escape. So play your games. Turn her rape into an origami shape a reader can fold and refold obsessively, or make of her tale a Mobius strip, where Dolores is on both sides and neither. Go on, wax acrobatic, let people peep through the cracks in your voice and play out your end game.

We, her daughters, her granddaughters, her sisters and aunts, we will send Dolores back into the alphabet. She will not die. Unpack her name. Put it through its paces like Proteus. Dolores will find a door, she will always find a door. It is hidden—did you not see it—it is hidden in her name.

^ i don't think this is fair on nabokov and i think this desire to rescue dolores from the narrative and imagine her outside of it or whatever is fundamentally at odds with a coherent engagement with the book -- the attempted totality of humbert's narrative vs the moments where dolores can 'break through,' so to speak, is stronger for that scarcity -- like sorry but i think dolores dying is one of the strongest choices made in the book lmao. i can see what it does for people but personally i find the reluctance to confront dolores' death and account for it as a narratological device rather than a real thing that happened to a real person kind of silly.

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

Two Truths and a lie

Thanks @whatwewrotepodcast here, @mysticstarlightduck here, and @mk-writes-stuff here, @leahnardo-da-veggie here, and @melpomene-grey here!

and @somethingclevermahogony here!

Rules: create a 24 hour poll with two truths and one lie about an OC

Dunno how I haven't done Gwen so let's do her!

Other Gwen: OC in three, OC in fifteen, interview, questionnaire, picrew

Other Two Truths and a Lie: Maddie, Robbie, Carla, Lexi, Ash, Wade, Carmen, Akash, Parker

Tagging @mjjune @elsie-writes @rjcopeseethemald @chauceryfairytales @urnumber1star

@calliecwrites @oh-no-another-idea @ohnomybreadsticks @icarianauthor @honeybewrites

@pluttskutt @nailamoonsi @space-writes @tabswrites @dyrewrites

+ ANYONE ELSE

TSP intro

TSP tag list (ask to be +/-): @thepeculiarbird @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @finchwrites

@nebula--nix @literarynecromancy

[gashface]

Hey thrill-seekers with a goofy twist,

Your showtime performances how wow-ed the crowd! All that juggling and lion taming really showed this week. This week everyone really impressed me! We really are a bunch of clowns, with talent <3

Onto the results! This week I was looking for unique ideas, that you would see if you'd visit any sort of circus!

Charline Morel by @cyazurai

Well, at the circus we have clowns, acrobats, lion tamers, sword swallowers, the ringmaster, and all sorts of other things… but one of the less common sideshows was one of Charlie’s absolute favorites. It’s full of adrenaline and a one-of-a-kind fear of death - the daredevil. It was a rush of fear; a person mounted upon the back of a death trap, hurtling around a circular wall, only held aloft by centrifugal force and a lot of control over the machine beneath them. Was it a lack of fear that drove them forward, or a fear of standing still? Of being motionless, of boredom? Whatever it was… it was fascinating and terrifying to behold.

POINTS

ORIGINALITY: 10/10

STORY: 9/10

EXECUTION: 8/10

STYLE: 8/10

Parker Winston by @morgynemberisagenderfluiddaddy

When I first joined the circus, I was just a kid running away from a family that didn't love me. I was so desperate to find myself, but all I found was him. He was a contortionist, able to fit in all sorts of unusual boxes, but that wasn't where his true talent lied. I'm not sure he even knew where he belonged or who he really was, he spent so long morphing into something he wasn't. Though that didn't stop me from falling for the shape he had woven himself into that week. He took me under his wing and taught me all his tricks, pretty soon I was just as good at shifting away from my problems, too. He taught me to contort, and I let him morph me into something I wasn't either. I tied myself in knots, I've broken bones, and shifted features for him. Once he left me I was such a strange shape that I didn't fit in anywhere. But I learned, I lived through the pain, and instead of changing who I was I let it shape me. As strange as I may seem to others, I am a beautiful creature, and I don't need anyone to tell me differently. A gorgeous abnormality. So hear me when I say, don't bend, don't break, believe in yourself first.

POINTS

ORIGINALITY: 10/10

STORY: 10/10

EXECUTION: 9/10

STYLE: 9/10

Eli Sims by @simsinfinitylt

Madame Zelena had been able to speak to spirits since she was a little girl. The other children in the orphanage had mocked and feared her for it. Unable to find a place in normal society, Zelena eventually found a home in the circus, using her gift as an act. The audiences gasped as she relayed messages from their dearly departed, thinking it was all part of the show. But Zelena knew the truth. The dead were restless, and they refused to leave her in peace.

POINTS

ORIGINALITY: 9/10

STORY: 8/10

EXECUTION: 10/10

STYLE: 8/10

Ember Arendse by @wolfrynn313

"Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right, I'm stuck in the middle with you" - Stealers Wheel. Ember: "As soon as I saw this week's prompt I knew that I had to do a shoot where I'm portraying a clown. Circus theme aside, you may wonder "Why a clown specifically?". Clowns are often feared and at times rejected by wider society due to the fact that their arduously painted expressions evoke a primal fear and uneasiness in people; the reason for this? People are coded to gauge other people's moods via their expressions and body language and clown's expressions do not truly reflect the paint wearer's mood or intention. As a non-binary person who is often viewed under a skeptical lense and even distrusted at times due to my own chosen form of self expression and identity, I thought it important to align myself with a group of people who are also frequently misunderstood and alienated due to the way/s they choose to express themselves"

POINTS

ORIGINALITY: 7/10

STORY: 9/10

EXECUTION: 10/10

STYLE: 9/10

Babylon Fleur Beppu by @everythingaestheticlly

In a forgotten corner of the world, a girl found herself trapped in a life she never chose. Within the colorful chaos of the circus, she danced on tightropes, defied gravity, and painted smiles on faces she couldn't touch. Each night, as the applause faded, tears stained her pillow. But deep inside, a spark flickered, refusing to be extinguished. With relentless determination, she honed her talents in secret. One moonlit eve, she vanished from the circus, leaving behind a note of gratitude. In the spotlight of her own destiny, she bloomed, no longer a captive, but a liberated soul, forever free.

POINTS

ORIGINALITY: 7/10

STORY: 8/10

EXECUTION: 9/10

STYLE: 9/10

Dillion Carter by @mewo-ita

Once upon a time, there was a young girl named Pearlie recruited into a flying circus. She juggled, did acrobatics, talked with animals that couldn’t talk back— she grew to love her life there. How wacky and magical it all was. However, after doing the same thing after a long while, she wished upon a shooting star for something more new and magical. The opportunity came the next day, with the sight of a flying elephant high in the sky. They grew to be happy partners at the circus— flying all over. Pearlie named him Dumbo and they grew to be happy partners at the circus.

POINTS

ORIGINALITY: 9/10

STORY: 9/10

EXECUTION: 10/10

STYLE: 10/10

GOOD WORK EVERYONE!~

I wasn't kidding when I said I loved all your guy's submissions this week. It certainly was a strong week for all of you, and I am so proud of every single one of you <3 Thank you to everyone who submitted this week!

INFORMATION FOR THE NEXT PROMPT WILL BE RELEASED AROUND 10:00PM AEST 9th of June [Keep in mind, this will be the 8th for many of you haha]

This week's prompt hint!

That's all guys! Can't wait to see what everyone does for WEEK 4!

- Buddy

[deke-rivers-1957]

Elvis Gets His Freedom

"Have you ever thought about firing the colonel?"

"Oh yes, Jacklin, many times. But if you get rid of Colonel Parker, who’ll take care of the money? Colonel Parker is a businessman. He makes sure I get my proper share. I don’t trust myself. I have no head for business."

"Elvis he's taking money away from you. Any expenses come out of your share of the money you make."

"I know, Jacklin, but… but he takes all the stress off. He’s got to take his share for managing me, doesn’t he? Besides, he was a good friend of my mama."

"No he wasn't. Your mama didn't trust him. She never wanted you to do business with him but your daddy convinced her to let it go."

"I didn’t know that. You always knew the truth, Jacklin. But how could I fire Colonel Parker now?"

"At the end of your contract simply refuse to extend him. That way he can't ask you for severance pay."

"That’s a brilliant idea, Jacklin. Do you think I could manage things by myself?"

"No one expects you to do everything by yourself. You need to hire someone else to be your manager. I know he's cutting you off from people so you need to figure out who's keeping you in your cage."

"Colonel Parker’s a hard man to get rid of. Do you see anyone who could look after me instead?"

"Are there any stars that you know personally that colonel doesn't mind you seeing?"

"Yes, Jacklin. I’m very close friends with Tom Jones. We’ve sang together a couple of times. And I know Burt Bacharach. I like him a lot. He’s a great musician, songwriter and singer, but also a good friend."

"Contact him and tell him you want to speak to his manager, Gordon Mills."

"I can try that, Jacklin, but what if Colonel finds out?"

"Stick to your guns. He's gonna pull a snowman's job and try to appeal to your bleeding heart so you wouldn't dump him. He might also try to send you a bill for his services."

"He will, won’t he? What should I do then?"

"What's in your contract with him? If there's nothing in the contract about severance pay you're not obligated to pay him a cent."

"Really? You’re right, there’s nothing in the contract. But the Colonel’s going to fight dirty. He always does that."

"Verbal agreements are close to impossible to enforce. He'll want to scare you into going to court, but he knows that without a written agreement it's only going to be a he said, she said case."

"Oh, I never thought of that! So, Jacklin, it’s safe to dump him?"

"When does your contract expire?"

"It’s coming up next February."

"How far in advance do you extend your contracts with him?"

"Well, Colonel always makes me renew the contract a few weeks before its expiration with a new one starting the day after the old one expires."

"In that case you have about 3 months to get in contact with Tom Jones' manager. I know you got people around you who's going to rat my plan out to colonel. He's going to want me out."

"You’re right about that, Jacklin. Colonel Parker has spies everywhere. He knows things about me before I’ve done them sometimes."

"You need to implement a loyalty test like you did a long time ago."

"That’s a good idea, Jacklin. What should we do, fire all the snitches or just make them look like fools?"

"No. We don't know for sure who's the mole or moles. We need to find a way to get them to expose themselves."

"I like that plan, Jacklin. How do we start? Who can we trust?"

"Not to be paranoid but we go into this assuming no one. They have to prove they can be trusted."

"You’re right, Jacklin, we can’t trust anyone. But you seem loyal to me. Can I trust you, Jacklin?"

"I've been waiting for the day to sit down with you and point out all the red flags your business dealings with colonel are sending."

"Well thank you, Jacklin. I appreciate that a lot. I guess the Colonel’s had me hoodwinked all this time. I never wanted to see the truth. Now I want to get out."

"It all starts with the company you keep. We need to come up with the right loyalty test to weed them out."

"Well, let’s keep things quiet in the meantime. If we can’t trust anyone, Jacklin, then we should play our cards close to ourselves. Colonel mustn’t hear anything till the time comes."

"It's only the 2 of us in this room. The only way it could get to him is if one of us spills it or if someone's somehow eavesdropping on us."

"We’ve got to be careful. So, Jacklin, what’s the first step? How do we create a loyalty test?"

"Write a list of career stories. Each person in your posse gets a different story. Emphasize that it can't be told to anyone including colonel."

"Oh that’s a good way, Jacklin! What if some of them leak the stories right away? That’d be a big mistake and show me who’s not trustworthy."

"They don't have to be true. That's the point of the test. It can be just something you're saying as a joke."

"Oh, now I get it, and if one of them does tell, they're the mole, aren’t they? That’s a very clever idea, Jacklin."

"So we just have to assign a story to each member of your Memphis mafia."

"I’ll make sure to do that. And Jacklin, can you be 100% sure no one else is within earshot of us right now?"

I open your bedroom doors. No one's around or even on our floor.

"Great, Jacklin, that means no one can hear us. I’ll work on this loyalty mission right away. What’s the deadline?"

"We don't need to rush. Work on one guy at a time. That way if there's more than one mole colonel won't get suspicious."

"Got it, Jacklin. One of the guys I really trust is Red. I’ll start with him."

"And what are you going to tell him?"

"Hmmm… I’m thinking… Well, I’m gonna tell Red that I’m talking about changing some of my security arrangements. That’s safe, right?"

"You should also include some names of people you would want to replace. If Red's the mole, then colonel would hear about it. If any of the people you mention about firing are also a mole, colonel would want to sweeten up to you."

"Oh, so we tell Red about different people I want to replace. If Colonel Parker hears about it, I’ll know exactly who’s the mole. That’s great. Now, I’ll give this story to Red alone and no one else, right?"

"Right. Make sure he's alone."

"Yes, I’ll do it that way and we’ll see if anyone snitches. I appreciate your help a lot, Jacklin. I sure hope it works and Colonel’s not gonna like it. He’s gonna try and talk me out of it, but I’m not giving in this time."

"And you shouldn't."

"No way! I’m done with him, Jacklin. There’s nothing in it for me anymore. There’s no fun, there’s nothing like it was in the beginning. He’s squeezing the business dry, every cent, and I’m tired of it. I hate it, Jacklin. I hate it and I want out."

"Well see if Red's here now and try to start the loyalty test."

Red walks in the room.

"Hey Red, come here a second, would ya? We gotta talk."

"I'll be right back Elvis I'm getting water."

I conveniently leave the room so you're alone with Red

"So, Red, I want to ask you something."

Red sits down

"What's it, E?"

"You’re a loyal member of the Memphis Mafia, aren’t you, Red?"

"Have been before ya even hired me E. Been protectin ya since high school when those boys tried shaving your head."

"I never doubted it, Red. You and me were always cool. Remember that time we… Well, never mind. You’re one of the few people I really trust. But, uh, there’s been some talk about me wanting to change the guys I use for security, Red. I need to find out who’s loyal to me and who’s loyal to Colonel Parker. I want to know I can trust you, Red. You won’t snitch on me to Colonel if you hear anything about me changing security guards, will you?"

"Hell no! Who'd ya plan on canning?"

"Well, I’m not sure yet, but I’m gonna give you some names. I want you to keep it to yourself and see if anything gets out before I decide. Can you do that for me, Red?"

"Yeah anythin, E."

"Okay. I’m just gonna mention some names real fast, okay? And do not mention it to Colonel Parker or to anyone else, understand Red?"

"Course, E."

I take a deep breath.

"Okay, first guy is Lamar. I’m also thinking about getting rid of that little guy, Jerry."

"Oh we know em, E. You really think they're moles for colonel?"

"I’m not sure, Red. I want to find out once and for all. Colonel’s been in my business too damn long! This will help me figure out whether he has any moles working for him. The last guy I have on my list… well, I’m not so sure about him, but I just have to mention him… okay?"

"Yeah."

"The last guy is… this one really hurts my heart. But for the test we have to see what happens. Parker’s gonna be really mad when he hears. His name is…

I take a deep breath...

Vernon. My daddy."

"Now that's ballsy E. Your daddy's been trying to get rid of me and Sonny thinking we cause nothing but trouble and take your money."

"I know, Red. The Colonel’s been in his ear. I know he loves me, but he’s not thinking his best right now. If my daddy tells on me, Colonel’s gonna know he was one of my moles. And I wanna know if that’s what’s happening, Red. Just keep it to yourself, okay?"

"I got it, E. I'd rather hear I'm gettin fired from you than anyone else."

"Red, you won’t get canned. I just have to see what happens now. I can trust you, can’t I?"

"Yeah you know I'd do anythin for ya, E."

"Thanks, Red. Now just act natural and we’ll see what happens with the Colonel. You can help me figure out who’s loyal to me. Red, you’re a good friend, ya know that? Now, just forget about our talk. Nothing ever happened in here."

"Yeah I was just tellin ya it was time to get ready for the show."

"That’s right, nothing happened, right?"

I take another deep breath.

"Thank you, Red. Okay, now I know my best friend is on my side, and I want you to help me with this loyalty thing. We just don’t tell anyone, just keep it to ourselves. Can you do that for me, Red?"

"Yeah E."

"Great, Red. Now forget we even talked about this, okay?"

I come back from downstairs just as you're about to leave for your show.

"You're still talking Elvis? You gotta go."

"Yep, I gotta go. I just talked to Red about something. It’s fine, Jacklin, you just don’t have to worry about it alright? Everything’s taken care of. Alright, my makeup’s ready, I gotta go!"

I run out of the room to get ready for my show.

Time passes and you return from your show still hopped up on uppers. I'm in your bedroom waiting for you.

"You’re still up, Jacklin? Why you still up, girl?"

I am very high on uppers, my voice is slow and I have a bad case of hiccups but I keep talking as if my words are the normal speed.

"I had a real good show, did you hear about it?"

"No I've been in the future so I can sleep. You know I don't take pills like you do to stay up."

"You don’t wanna take pills, huh? Well, okay, you do you, Jacklin. Well you missed a helluva show. I sang some songs. I had a lotta fun out there. The folks went wild."

I hiccup and hiccup, but I don’t stop talking, my thoughts are in the fast lane but my mouth is in the slow lane.

"You didn't hiccup like that onstage did you?"

"I don’t know. I was on stage, Jacklin. You think I remember everything I do on stage? I get a lot of applause, a lot of cheering, you know."

I take a drink of water from a glass on the table next to me and I hiccup.

"I don’t know what it is… I’m just a little too hopped up for some reason, but we had a lot of fun tonight."

"Anyway how did the first loyalty test go with Red?"

I'm still hiccuping.

"Oh, man, I don’t know. I just gave him those names and we’ll see if anything comes out. hic We don’t have to worry about anything, Jacklin. hic! We… we don’t have to worry about anything. Nothing’s gonna happen. We just wait and see, okay? We wait… and see."

"Might as well give it a week to see if Red blabs."

"Yeah. Yeah, that’s a good idea. If he starts telling anybody, I’ll know it’s time for him to take off. hic But we don’t know yet. We don’t know anything yet. We just wait a week, maybe two. hic That’s all. Just a week or two. Hey, I got an idea. Why don’t you try out the second loyalty test?"

"What story should I tell and to who?"

"Well, why don’t you try it with Lamar? Tell him that I’m thinking about retiring early… just to test his loyalty. hic And don’t tell him I’ve talked to you about it, okay?"

"Oh I know what to say then. If Lamar's the mole, colonel'd definitely know if I said you wanted to quit."

"That’s the idea, Jacklin. Try Lamar, see what happens. But just play it cool, like you’re telling him something he don’t know nothing bout already. Don’t make it look sketchy, okay?"

Yeah I'll do it tomorrow. Right now you gotta get rid of those hiccups.

"I can’t! Hey, c’mon, you gotta help me out here, Jacklin! I can’t get rid of no hiccups, I don’t know how to get rid of ‘em. hic! You gotta help me!"

"Sit down on the bed. I'm gonna pat your back."

"Oh geez, you’re gonna help me, oh jeez. Okay, yeah, let’s sit down and do it. I need to get rid of these things."

I hit your back hard enough to change your breathing pattern.

The hiccups start to change and slow. I let out a big sigh and start breathing normally now.

"Thank you. Thank you, Jacklin, you did it. hic! God, I feel better. I feel so much better now."

I take deep breaths and drink some water. The hiccups go away completely. I sit back down on the bed and start yawning and rubbing my eyes, starting to get sleepy.

"I guess it’s time for us to get some rest, Jacklin. I’m really feeling tired now. Hey, are you sleepy?"

"No. I went to the future to sleep."

"Oh, okay. Well, I’m gonna try to sleep now. You just keep sitting here then."

I lay down and close my eyes.

Jacklin's POV

Time passes and I find Lamar for our second loyalty test. He's alone so I know this is the right time.

"Lamar you gotta get your boss in check."

"Yeah? What’s the problem?"

"I've been telling him about getting rid of colonel and he'd rather quit altogether. He was like 'Jacklin I ain't gonna make it without colonel. If he don't wanna do business with me anymore I'd just quit being a singer.' and it's so frustrating."

"So he’s pretty loyal to Colonel Parker, huh?"

"Yeah Lamar. You know how he is. He thinks colonel made him who he is. Colonel's been milking him dry but he don't wanna open his eyes to it."

"But he didn’t actually say he’d retire, did he?"

"He's scared of his own shadow. Elvis thinks if he so much as tries to work without Colonel he'd be a flop."

"So Elvis doesn’t make any real money out of his performing and recording?"

"He's not making as much as he should for a star of his level and you know that Lamar. If Elvis is gonna go through his ultimatum I'd rather he quit. Spares me from having to be around a guy like colonel."

"So you think breaking with Colonel Parker is the right move for Elvis?"

"Ah it doesn't matter. Elvis wants to either keep colonel or quit. There's nothing I can do about it. I can yell and rant all I want. He just does what he wants regardless."

"You know Colonel’s gonna have to find somebody else to suck the life out of if Elvis quits."

"At this point I don't care. I just want him out."

"Well if Colonel’s that bad, maybe Elvis should just quit."

I leave the room and go back to your bedroom.

"Alright Elvis. I told Lamar my story."

"So let’s see if he’ll keep his mouth shut, huh? Let’s wait a week or two, like you said, then we’ll see if Lamar said anything to Colonel, okay?"

"Oh yeah I went all in about him. If Lamar's the mole, colonel would not only try to butter you up with a new deal but he'd also want me out for putting thoughts in your head.

"You think Lamar will crack? I think if Lamar cracks he’ll go to Colonel right away."

"If Lamar's even the mole to begin with."

"Do you think he is, Jacklin?"

"I don't know. If he's not he's really dumb then because he was making like he didn't know how bad colonel is."

"Well, let’s just wait a week or two and see what happens. Either Lamar will crack and tell Colonel or he’ll keep it a secret and we’ll know he wasn’t the mole. It’s gotta be one or the other."

A few weeks pass and so far we didn't find any moles.

"Ok so we only have two guys left to test: cousin Billy and Joe."

"Billy and Joe? Alright, let’s start with Billy."

"Alright let's come up with a different story for him."

"Well… Billy does know about my interest in karate. I don’t know, maybe we could say I want to show him some moves? But why would Colonel want to know that? Why would Colonel want to know I like karate?"

"Tell Billy that you want to make your own film about karate. It's going to take up so much time that you won't be able to tour. Colonel wouldn't want anything that would interfere with you making him money."

"Oh, that’s perfect, Jacklin! Alright, we’ll tell Billy that I want to do a karate movie that’s gonna take up too much of my time and therefore I can’t tour. But tell him that I’m very excited about the project. Then let’s see if he cracks and tells Colonel."

"Alright. Don't you need to go down to Billy's trailer anyway?"

"Yeah, I guess it’s time for another visit to Billy, ain’t it? I’ll go on down and see him now."

Elvis' POV

I walk up to Billy’s trailer and knock on the door loudly, calling out

"Hey, Billy, you in there? Billy, it’s Elvis here."

I smile and wait for Billy to answer me. Jo Smith answers the door

"Billy's in the bathroom Elvis."

"Oh, alright, Jo. Tell Billy I need to talk to him right away. I got an idea for a movie I want to do!"

I smile at Jo again and wait for her to leave and deliver the message.

"Oh just come on in Elvis if you got the time."

"Well sure, alright then, I’ll come on in."

I enter the trailer and look around, waiting for Billy to emerge from the bathroom. Billy comes out of the bathroom not long after I sit down.

"Hey Elvis, how are ya doin?"

"I’m fine, Billy! I was wondering if you had a minute to talk? I need to ask you a favor."

"Sure cuz. What is it?"

I speak in a hushed tone, as if I have a big secret to tell.

"I’ve got this idea for a movie. I want it to be a karate movie."

I look around before I speak again, as if to make sure nobody’s listening.

"I want to make a movie about karate. It’s going to take up a lot of my time and I won’t be able to tour. What do you think about that? You think Colonel will be pissed?"

I raise a brow and wait for Billy to answer.

"Well he might be but it ain't his business. You oughta be able to do what makes you happy. Maybe if the film works out you might get a chance at doin action films like Bruce Lee."

"Yeah! That’s what I was thinking too, Billy. I’m really excited about making this movie so I wanted to tell you first. I knew you’d give me a good answer, you know that? You’re one of the good guys, Billy."

"I know it's somethin that ya really like. Last time ya looked this excited ya did that Aloha special."

"Yeah, I did. I enjoyed that a lot. Say, do you think Colonel would want to stop me from making this film or doing any action films? Because I gotta put Colonel outta my head once and for all so he doesn’t hold me back anymore."

I look to Billy, waiting for him to answer as a sign of whether Billy’s going to tell Colonel or not.

"I know you do your best cuz. If ya think he ain't good for ya then maybe ya should move on."

"I think you might be right, Billy. I appreciate you backing me up there, you know? I appreciate you not being a snitch."

I chuckle at him and wait.

"Why'd I wanna snitch on ya cuz?"

"True, Billy. You’re always on my side. I just thought maybe you’d have to tell Colonel if he asked about the talk we just had. I mean, don’t you think Colonel’s gonna ask you where I got my idea?"

I wait to see how Billy will react to that possibility.

"Yeah and he's tried talkin ta me before. I told em I'm only loyal ta you. Yer my cuz so what he has ta say ain't important ta me."

"Hey Billy, thanks for sticking to your guns there. That means a lot. I guess I’ll have to figure out how to finally get away from Colonel. But hey, you know what? Colonel can’t tell me what to do with my life. I’m going to make that karate movie."

I smile at Billy and we share a fist-bump.

Time Skip

I'm now in my bedroom again with Jacklin.

"How'd did your talk with cousin Billy go Elvis?"

"He says he’s on my side, Jacklin. Ain’t that something? I told him it was an idea to make a karate movie and to have more time to make that movie I won’t be touring. But Billy stood by me and said he wasn’t gonna tell Colonel. He’s the best!"

I smile like a little kid.

"I figured Billy wasn't the mole. He already passed your money test."

"Oh, I knew it! I knew he wasn’t the mole. The guy has always been loyal to me and I trust him, Jacklin. And you know what? I can trust you too. I got my eyes on somebody else. And do you know who that is?"

"Joe. He's the last person on our list."

"Joe. Damn, you got it right. I’m pretty sure it’s Joe. Look, the way he talks to me, the way he treats me… He’s like a brother. And Jacklin, I love him for it. But damn, I don’t think I can trust him."

I look at you and shake my head.

"Well if he's the mole I should tell him a story. That way I'd know for sure if he's the mole. Colonel would want me out of course and try to sweeten you up."

"That’s a good idea, Jacklin. What kinda story you gonna tell Joe?"

"Well have you contacted Gordon Mills yet? If he's on board with being your manager, I can tell Joe that you're through with colonel."

"Oh, I’ve spoken to Gordon Mills a couple times on the phone. He definitely wants to be my manager! But listen, Colonel is one tricky bastard, man. I don’t think I can just tell Joe I’m through with Colonel. If something backfires on me it could ruin everything! I need to play it smart with Joe, Jacklin. Real smart."

"I'm not telling him you talked to Gordon Mills. Only that you're so frustrated with everything and just want to clear house."

"Alright. I suppose I’ll take that risk. But damn, Jacklin, if something backfires and Joe cracks we’re done, hear?"

"Even if he doesn't let colonel come to you. You need to pull out the big guns and tell him everything. You've been in talks with Gordon Mills and want nothing to do with him anymore."

"Damn, I hate having to be so blunt with Colonel like that. But you’re right. It’s about time I tell him how I really feel. I don’t care if he’s gonna be upset. I’m tired of him. I know it’s risky to tell him that, but maybe he needs to hear it."

"I'll tell Joe. If he's the mole, colonel'd want to meet with you sooner than later."

"Sounds like a plan, Jacklin. Just be careful with Joe, okay?"

"Oh if he attacks me that'd only give you more proof he's the mole."

"Alright then, Jacklin. Let’s see where this goes."

Jacklin's POV

I go downstairs to try to find Joe while Elvis paces the floor nervously. I find Joe just as he comes in the door

"Joe. We need to talk."

"Hey, Jacklin. Is everything alright?"

Elvis' POV

I hear Jacklin speaking with Joe and I hear the urgency in Jacklin’s voice. I know something’s wrong and I need to hear every word they say. I grab my .45 pistol, cock it, and stand close to the door of my bedroom, ready to come out if necessary.

"Why're you so nervous Joe? Elvis needs to get rid of people he can't trust."

"Wait, what are you saying? What does Elvis wanna do? What would he wanna get rid of me? He wouldn’t treat me like… like a piece of trash would he? It ain’t possible.

There’s panic in Joe’s tone and for a moment I feel pity for him.

"Did I say he'd can you? I only said that Elvis wants to clean house of people he can't trust. I never mentioned any names."

"So you’re saying there’s a chance Elvis will fire me?"

"I don't know what he thinks other than there's people around him that are moles for colonel. Colonel's been keeping him trapped using members of the Memphis mafia since you all live close to Elvis."

"Who does Elvis think is the mole? Does he think someone is giving information to Colonel?"

"Not sure. That's what he wants to figure out. See he totally wants to get rid of colonel. Anyone with ties to colonel's gonna be out."

"Is he serious about getting rid of Colonel? Colonel has done a lot for Elvis. Why would Elvis do that?"

"Does it matter what his reason is? If Elvis thinks he isn't doing his job that's his decision."

"Yeah, I know that. But Colonel and Elvis have a long history together. Colonel’s gonna be upset about this. He’s probably already planning a way to try to get back at Elvis. Damn, I don’t know what to do about this, Jacklin."

I hear Joe sigh, overwhelmed with worry and uncertainty.

"Well why're you so scared Joe? Elvis' a big boy. He's a stubborn mule so once he's got a thought deep in his core it's there."

"I’m not afraid for Elvis. I’m afraid of what Colonel might do. This guy’s ruthless, Jacklin. I don’t want to get stuck in the middle of this."

"Who said you're gonna be in the middle Joe? I'm just talking."

"I’ve got a real bad feeling about this. I’m gonna tell Colonel, Jacklin. I don’t think I can keep something like this from him."

I freeze, hearing what Joe said. He’s going to tell Colonel about my plan.

"So you really are the mole, Joe."

"What!? I..I don’t know what you’re talking about. There ain’t no mole, Jacklin. Colonel’s done a lot for Elvis. He’s a smart businessman, Jacklin, Elvis needs him!"

I hear Joe sounding defensive as he speaks now.

Jacklin's POV

I'm slowly heading up the first couple of steps.

"Colonel's been milking Elvis dry. You seriously want me to believe that all of this grind is supposed to be normal? He sang Old MacDonald in a film and you're telling me that's supposed to be high quality? Elvis deserves better and Colonel hasn't given him that."

"Well, Colonel’s got the connections. He knows the right guys. If Colonel can’t get Elvis what he needs, ain’t nobody can. Colonel’s been good to Elvis for years. You can’t deny that, Jacklin."

"No he hasn't. Hal stopped working with colonel because he was tired of his excessive demands. That's why a lot of deals fell through."

"Who’re you trying to kid, Jacklin? Colonel knows what’s best for Elvis! Look, I gotta go talk to Colonel now."

"If you go to the colonel Joe, I'm telling Elvis. He doesn't need moles like you stabbing him in the back."

"Please, Jacklin. I'm begging you to let me go talk to Colonel. Give me a chance to try to smooth things over. I'm sure Elvis would understand why I'm loyal to Colonel. It's nothing against Elvis, I just…"

"You're done."

I start to go up the stairs knowing what Joe would do next. I go up another step when I hear a gun get cocked behind me.

"Don't turn around, Jacklin… Just stay still…"

"Or what? You gonna shoot me Joe?"

"No… But I could. I know what Colonel wants and I know Elvis wouldn’t like me hurting you so… Just… Just stay still, okay? You’re real pretty, Jacklin. You got nothing to be afraid of… I swear I’m not gonna hurt ya. Just… Stay still and you won’t be hurt."

Elvis' POV

I listen intently to hear what’s happening between Jacklin and Joe. I have my .45 drawn and cocked, waiting and listening intently.

"Don’t push me, Jacklin. You’re pretty and you’ve got a lot going for you. Colonel likes you working here. He wouldn’t like hearing that you got shot."

"Work for colonel? Please! I can't even be in the same room as that toad let alone do anything he asked."

"Don’t call him that, you hear me? He’s Elvis’s closest advisor and friend. He’s doing everything possible to protect Elvis. And if you don’t like Colonel, you don’t like Elvis, Jacklin.

He sounds like a man possessed, his voice becoming more intense and threatening as he speaks. I'm so nervous for Jacklin I just have to help.

"Go ahead and pull the trigger, Joe. I don't care if you kill me because I know no matter happens, Elvis has my back.

Joe is startled to see me and he turns toward me, pointing the gun away from Jacklin for a moment

"Oh, hell. What are you doing, Elvis? Get back in your room! There’s no need for you to get involved, man."

Joe looks frantic and on verge of pulling the trigger. I rush toward him, trying to grab the gun.

Jacklin's POV

I move out of the way as Elvis and Joe both go down the stairs. Joe still has his gun out, struggling to point it towards me as they fight for control. They struggle for possession of the gun. The gun suddenly goes off, shooting into the window above the front door. Elvis lets go of the weapon and stares at Joe in disbelief, Joe staring down at the gun to realize he misfired. And then I look up to see a hole in the window.Some of the other MM guys like Red and Lamar run in.

"E what happened?"

Elvis looks at Joe, who slowly raises his arms in surrender. Meanwhile, the Memphis Mafia look confused by Joe’s surrender, Red pointing his shotgun at Joe, the others drawing their guns, aiming at Joe.

I can see the look on Elvis' face. He knows Joe's the mole but doesn't know what to do next. Red looks at Elvis.

"What do you want us to do E?"

Elvis' POV

I stare at Joe, my lips tight-pressed in a thin, hard line. I point at Joe, my eyes filled with vengeance, my face hard and stern as I command with authority in my voice.

"Get him out of here!"

I point to Joe, who looks shocked and scared now as the Memphis Mafia grab him and hold him tight.

"Where do ya want us to take him E?"

I turn and walk away, heading back toward my bedroom. My face is hard and stern as the Memphis Mafia drag Joe off, Red still pointing his gun at Joe. I disappear into my room, shutting the door with a loud slam behind me.

I see Jacklin watch me as I just collapse on my bed.

"Are you ok, Elvis?"

I hear Jacklin but I don’t answer, just lie there on the bed with a look of pain in my eyes.

Jacklin's POV

I'm about to say something when you start crying.

"Elvis?"

I see you try to sit up in your bed.

"I’m okay, Jacklin. I’m okay. Just…just…. It’s been a real rough day."

"Well yeah I mean Joe almost shot you."

I nod my head slowly, still trying to control my emotions as the tears continue to fall from my eyes.

"I know, I know… I just can’t believe it, you know? I can’t believe it."

"Well you know who the mole is and you exposed him."

I wipe a few tears away as I talk.

"Yeah, I guess. I just can’t believe Joe was the freaking mole. I trusted the guy. How could such a good friend turn rotten on me?"

"Well you found a traitor already because of money. Your first loyalty test showed that cousin Billy Mann couldn't be trusted."

I look at Jacklin, trying to put a positive spin on the situation.

"Yeah, I suppose you’re right. We found the traitor and exposed him. That’s a good thing, I’ll grant ya that. It’s just… damn…"

"Now that we found the mole, it's time to get ready for the final stage of our plan."

"What’s the final stage, honey?"

I wipe a few tears away, my eyes fixed on Jacklin now, my tone of curiosity and interest as I look at her, waiting for her to tell me what the plan is.

"Cutting colonel out. Call Gordon Mills and have him mail a list of demands and conditions he has for your contract. He can have it be addressed to me."

I think about doing exactly that, taking control of my career from Colonel, feeling nervous and anxious yet excited and eager at the same time as my adrenaline pumps throughout my body. Jacklin gives me the courage and confidence to go ahead with the plan, her support giving me hope and joy, my tone now filled with excitement and determination.

"Oh, that sounds good, Jacklin. Yeah… We can cut Colonel out. I’ll call Gordon and have him address it to you. It’ll be our little secret."

Time Skip

"Ok Elvis, this is it. Gordon's list of demands and conditions."

I look curious and excited as I move over to Jacklin, who has the letter in her hand. I take it from her hand and open it up right away, eager to find out what the list of demands are, my tone now one of excitement and anticipation, my mind alive with the prospect of my freedom, no longer needing to bow down to Colonel.

"Let’s see… here we go…"

I read the letter looking excited.

"It says that I can get creative control of my music recordings and films. I’m not forced to use a particular producer or director. I can choose the songs I want to make. I get to hire my own people to handle my business. There’s no percentage limit on merchandise either, and no restrictions on live performances."

I look thrilled as I keep reading, my voice filled with excitement and anticipation, a smile on my face as I glance towards Jacklin.

"And what would Gordon get in return?"

"He gets a flat ten percent commission, no more no less, but he gets a percentage of the profits for merchandise. Gordon will also be allowed to work as my producer if I want him to. He’s not forced to work as my producer, though. If I want to work with someone else, he won’t stand in my way. I’m the star, and he’s working for me."

I look towards Jacklin in triumph, my tone excited and joyful as I continue to read the letter now.

"Does he mention anything like a world tour?"

I look back down at the letter, searching for something on that topic. I smile in glee, excited and happy as I read.

Yeah, Jacklin, it says I can tour anywhere I want, anytime I want for as long as I want. Gordon’s gonna be paid a commission on the profits of the world tour. The whole thing!"

The news of my freedom from any tour or recording constraints fills me with excitement and joy, my voice filled with a child-like excitement, as if I’m a kid who is just being given ultimate free reign.

"Ok now if you can give that to me I have something important to do with this."

I hand the letter to Jacklin, wondering what she’s gonna do with it.

"I need to go back to my time and make copies of this. If this is all we show colonel I just know he's gonna take it and tear it up. This is our only proof you were in talks with another manager."

"Yeah, I can see him doing that. Make the copies, Jacklin. Do it."

I’m anxious to see how Colonel will react to the list of demands once he sees it. If he does tear it up, like we think he’s gonna do, he'll just prove us right.

"I'll be right back. You have the phone I gave you in case he comes over here before I get back."

I nod my head in understanding

Okay, honey. I'll wait for you here. Don’t be too long, alright?

I smile at Jacklin, my voice tinged with a touch of concern and worry now. I hope Colonel Parker doesn't show up before she gets back. I have a feeling that won’t be good at all. I can’t help but wonder how Colonel’s gonna react to the demands. Will he take them seriously? I’m anxious to see his face when he sees those demands in writing for the first time.

Jacklin's POV

I go to my time period and get Gordon's letter copied. I just know that colonel would rip it up as soon as he got his hands on it. There's no way that I'm going to let him have the original. After a few minutes I return.

"Ok I have the copies. The original letter's gonna be right in your drawer. We're going to give him a copy when you meet."

"Oh, thank God! Colonel can’t rip that letter up now, can he? If he does it just proves our point. It’s a win-win for us, honey."

There’s a gleam in my eye as I put one of the copies in my top desk drawer. Colonel doesn’t have a leg to stand on now, not that he bothered to stand on his own two feet anyway. The thought makes me chuckle.

"So what do we do if he doesn't want me in the room with you?"

"Well, honey, you can wait for me on the couch if he doesn’t want you in the room with us. I’ll be quick, though."

"Ok but don't let him hypnotize you or try to pull snowman's job. If he gives you any piece of paper don't sign it."

"Yeah, I know, honey, I won’t sign any piece of paper he gives me. He’s gonna try to manipulate me. He’s the master at this game, that’s for sure, especially with someone as trusting and loyal as me. I’m gonna give him the list first and see how he reacts."

Elvis' POV

I hear a knock on your bedroom door. It's Red.

"E, the colonel's here to see ya."

I take a deep breath, knowing that the time has come to show Colonel who the boss is. My tone is calm and cool as I give Jacklin one final look of love and determination, then look over at Red.

Okay, Red, I better get out there to greet him.

I smile back at Jacklin as I head for the door, ready to take Colonel to task for everything he’s done to me and to others in my career. He’s gonna be shocked tonight, but it’s time for a change. Colonel will get a rude awakening to that effect.

Jacklin's POV

I try to walk in the room you're going to be in but I'm blocked by colonel.

"Jacklin, my dear, I’m so sorry, but it’s just gonna be Elvis and I in here together tonight. Jacklin, my dear, would you mind telling Red to come in and give us a couple of Cokes? We’ll be here when you get back."

"Tell him yourself colonel. I'm not a maid."

"Come on, dear, don’t make a big deal out of this. We want some real privacy around here this evening. Don’t you agree, Jacklin? It’s time for us to have a ‘heart to heart’ so I could give Mr. Elvis here an earful…"

"You have 30 minutes. If you don't come out in 30 minutes I'm well within my rights to do a wellness check."

Colonel smiles and looks at me again.

"No problem, Jacklin dear. We’ll be done in 30 minutes, alright?"

I'm sitting on the couch waiting for something to happen as you talk to colonel about ending your work relationship. I can only worry from the other room that colonel's trying to hypnotize you. He always does that when you talk about contracts.

Elvis' POV

Colonel and I are face to face as I take a deep breath and try to start out the conversation.

"Colonel, I wanna bring something up. I want to end our… arrangement in terms of… um… the things we do together-"

Colonel cuts me off mid-sentence, clearly knowing what I’m about to say.

"I know that woman out there's been filling your head with ideas as if she has all the answers."

Colonel’s tone and choice of words immediately puts me on the defensive.

"Excuse me, Colonel, but I’m a grown man who can make his own decisions. I don’t need anyone to fill my head with ideas. Maybe I just want to end this arrangement of ours because I don’t want to be controlled by you any longer. Have you ever thought of that, Colonel?"

Colonel doesn’t like what I just said at all. His eyebrows are furrowing and he’s looking at me with a serious expression on his face.

"And why would you want to end our agreement knowing all the hard work I put in for you? I've had offers from singers to be their manager and I said no. I told them that I was loyal to you and you alone."

"Because I don’t need a manager anymore. I can do just fine making my own decisions. And you don’t have to stay loyal to me, Colonel, because I don’t need you anymore. I haven’t needed you for a very long time."

Colonel knows the truth. He knows that I’m right when I remind him that I don’t need him anymore because he’s just been holding me back all these years. I can think for myself and I can do the work that I need to do all by myself now.

"And how do you plan on getting by without me? I tried to organize meetings between you and Mr. Wallis but you told me it was my responsibility. You wanted nothing to do with business talks."

"I’m not gonna let anyone manipulate me into doing something I don’t want to do anymore. I don’t need an intermediary between me and other businesspeople. It would be nice just to talk to them one-to-one, on my own."

Colonel is clearly irritated with me at this point. I have to stand my ground. I know that I have every right to feel this way. Colonel has to understand this too, and if he doesn’t understand I’m gonna have to make him understand by any means necessary….

"Whether you like it or not, you have to keep me. Unless of course you have the funds for my severance pay."

I keep staring at Colonel in the eye, not afraid to challenge him at all. Colonel is surprised I’m finally standing up to him after all these years. He thought he could keep walking all over me forever.

"Colonel, listen to me and listen good. I’m not paying you one cent to leave my employment. You’re not getting your severance pay from me, man. I’ve given you enough money over the years, alright? This arrangement is over and I don’t wanna see or hear from you ever again. Clear?"

I pull out the big guns and show him Gordon Mills' letter.

"Here, Colonel, read this. This is from Gordon Mills, okay? He’ll be more than happy to help me get a new record contract. I just want out of this contract, okay?"

Colonel takes the letter and begins to read. I’m waiting for his next move with bated breath. I have a feeling this is gonna go south fast. He rips up the letter like I expected and starts to walk up to me.

"You leave me no choice my boy."

I start to sweat a bit more as I hear his tone and his footsteps coming closer towards me. I put myself on my guard and look at him.

"No choice in what, Colonel? Please, don’t do anything rash, man! I’m telling you I’m done with you, and there’s nothing you can do about it! I’m not a kid anymore, Colonel. I’m a grown man who doesn’t have to listen to you if I don’t want to."

I look at him defiantly and don’t look away from his gaze. Colonel holds a shiny object to focus my gaze.

"Don't you think you're making a mistake? Destroying our relationship because that woman tells you to?"

I keep holding my gaze at Colonel, trying to stay focused despite the hypnotic object he’s using against me. I’m not gonna second guess myself. I know that Jacklin is right and Colonel is wrong when it comes to this relationship. I’ve finally realized how much Colonel has been manipulating and hurting me for years. It’s time for me to take on that control back! The object in Colonel’s hand continues to draw my eyes, but I’m doing everything in my power to stay strong and not give into Colonel’s hypnosis.

"Look at me Elvis. Can you even look me in the eyes and tell me that after 15 years you just want to end our partnership?"

Colonel’s hypnosis is working. I feel myself slowly giving into it after several seconds of looking into his eyes and staring at this weird “hypnotic object” he’s holding. However, I know that what Colonel and I have been doing all these years isn’t right. I have to end it, even if it will hurt. I slowly shake my head, doing everything in my power not to let the hypnosis get to me. I have to be strong, I have to. I look away from Col. Parker’s gaze after a few more seconds, fighting the hypnosis.

"You've always been like a son to me. Just forget about trying to leave your comfort zone and we can move on with no feelings hurt. You don't need to go through all this pain. Just stay where it's safe and I'm not going to do you wrong."

I reach into my jacket pocket slowly and carefully grab my .38 revolver.

"Yeah, Colonel, everything’s been nice, hasn’t it? And you ain’t done me wrong. Not at all."

I still keep my eyes on Colonel, watching his every move.

"I mean, you took half my money, put me through all these bad movies, gave me all those bad, bad songs to record, and you just kept me locked up at Graceland most of my life, but besides all that everything is great, man."

"That's all in the past my boy. I'll do better. I know you want a world tour and you'll get one. I'm going to let you have anything you want."

Colonel’s words are working like a charm. I’m feeling myself giving into his hypnosis and his requests once again.

"Yeah? I can get anything I want? I ain’t locked up at Graceland anymore? I ain’t gonna do anymore bad movies? And I can sell as many records as I want and make them how I want to?"

"That's right. You can do whatever you what. I only ask for one thing in return."

"And what’s that?"

Colonel slowly moves closer to me. As he does it, I feel the hold of his hypnosis get even stronger on me. Colonel knows I’m weak against his stare. My hand and my gun are both shaking as the hypnosis gets even stronger. Colonel is closer. I can’t see him move, but I can feel his footsteps getting even closer towards me.

"I only want you to never leave me."

His voice is just like a whisper. I’m staring at him now, and the hold is stronger than ever. My eyes are locked with Colonel’s, and my gun is shaking in my hand. My finger is slowly moving towards the trigger of my gun. My eyes are starting to feel heavy, but I can feel the finger about to pull the trigger. This is it…

Jacklin's POV

I hear a gunshot and I immediately run into the room. Colonel's bleeding from the stomach.

"Elvis?!"

Colonel falls to the ground. Blood is trickling onto the floor. Elvis' eyes are wide staring at his gun. All of the MM guys run into the room.

"E are ya alright?!"

Elvis' POV

My body is shaking and my eyes are filled with tears. I’m in shock from what I’ve just done. I can hear the guys talking to me, but I can’t seem to respond to them. The whole room looks blurry and I continue to stare at the bloody Colonel lying on the floor. My mind is racing and I still can’t believe what just happened.

"Catch him before he falls."

Red comes out of nowhere and catches me. The last thing I hear before everything goes black is the guys shouting to call 9-1-1 and get an ambulance here to help Colonel.

Time Skip

My eyes slowly open and I sit up in the hospital bed. The last thing I remember is shooting Colonel Parker. Did that really happen? I look around the room. Jacklin stands next to me as I slowly start to take everything in. She looks concerned and worried.

"I can't believe you actually shot colonel."

I’m still in shock from the whole thing. I try to gather my thoughts and make sense of what all just happened.

"I can’t believe it either. I remember shooting him, but I’m still trying to make sense of everything that I've just done."

I stare at Jacklin quietly for a moment.

"Colonel’s really dead, isn't he?"

"Oh yeah he's dead. Died on the way to the hospital."

I’m shocked. I don’t know what to say or how to feel. Colonel was always a presence in my life. Although, he controlled and manipulated me, he still “loved” me in his own weird way.

"It's over. He can't hurt you or control you anymore."

The realization that I am now free from Colonel’s control is a powerful one. It’s a very liberating and emotional feeling for me.

"Wow, you're right, Jacklin. It's over. I'm finally free. He can no longer control me or use me. I'm my own man now."

Tears start to run down my cheeks as I begin to realize the power I have for myself now.

"I still have that letter from Gordon Mills."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah nobody knows about it but us."

I try to look relaxed, but my anxiety is starting to build. I can’t get the letter yet, but the thought of it being safe makes me a bit calmer.

Time Skip

I let out a deep sigh of relief.

"I’m so glad this is all behind me now. It’s like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Jacklin, you have no idea how much I appreciate you and all the support you’ve given me. I couldn’t have got through this without you."

She smiles back at me with a look of appreciation.

"Well your police friends didn’t really have a case against you. No one saw you shoot colonel and your own memory of the incident is spotty. With a little staging all they’ll think is colonel shot himself in a scuffle with you."

I breathe a sigh of relief.

"Okay, that works too. So, this means I get off scot-free? No one saw me do it, and Colonel’s fingerprints are on the gun. I can’t believe I’m getting away with all this. It seems too perfect."

"You get to say that you overcame your fear and did the one thing you never thought you could."

I can’t believe this! I can finally break away from Colonel’s control, and I can make an incredible comeback! Tears of joy roll down my cheeks as I embrace Jacklin with a hug.

"You don’t know how much this means to me, Jacklin. This is life-changing."

Time Skip

As the days and months pass, I work closely with my new agents, Gordon Mills and Tom Jones. I have to re-learn a lot of the business and industry knowledge that I missed due to Colonel’s lack of teaching me anything. Jacklin has helped a lot in this process, acting as a mentor, friend and guide. As my career starts to rebuild, it feels like I’m learning how to be my own person again. I have more freedom than ever and I have the power to control my artistic future. It’s a very satisfying feeling.

"Well I did what I came here to do. I’m gonna go home and back to the future."

It’s surreal to think that this has all been set in motion and that my life could be completely different than it once was. Colonel’s control over me is gone. I can’t believe my luck. I thank Jacklin again for everything that she’s done.

"Jacklin, I don’t know what I would’ve done without you. Thank you so much. I know I’ve only known you for a short time, but I really couldn’t have done it without your help."

I give Jacklin another hug as a gesture of appreciation.

"Well you have the phone I gave you. If you ever have any problems with your health give me a call."

"I’ll do that. Thank you again. And you have my number, so feel free to call me anytime too."

We both smile at each other. The moment is quite powerful for both of us. We’re both grateful for the way things turned out in the end and for having each played a role in its positive conclusion. For the last time, we smile at each other, knowing that we’re both on our way towards a new and more independent future.

Time Skip

My hair is long and tangled, but I hold on tightly to my guitar as I sit in my favorite spot outside the house. My back and legs hurt, but I try not to show it. I got diagnosed with EDS when Jacklin took me to the future. Despite my treatments for it, I don't think it's enough. I am overwhelmed with so much love…

"You made it to the 1980s Elvis."

My eyes drift towards Jacklin. She came back from the future just to see me.

"It’s been a long road, that’s for sure. But I’m still here, fighting, surviving as best I can. That’s what Mama taught me: just keep on fighting no matter what comes. I’m not the man I used to be, but I’m still Elvis and I’m happy to be here right now."

I look around, surrounded by the ones I love, and I smile. I’m grateful to be here with my family and my fans. It’s been a long journey, but I’ve made it to the ‘80s!

"What’s the situation Elvis? Are you dying today?"

I am surrounded by my family and friends and my mood is somber.

"Yes, Jacklin. It’s finally time for me to go. I have been ill and struggling for many years. My body has given out and I am exhausted. I’m tired. My heart, my kidneys, my liver… it’s all worn out. I’ve come to terms with it. I know I can’t go back and change anything, but I just wanted to say… I love you all."

You’ve been getting your EDS treatments though.

I chuckle despite myself.

"Yeah, I’ve been getting them but I’ve reached my limit. They haven’t worked as well as I would’ve hoped. I’m tired now, Jacklin. My time has come. I feel okay. I’m not afraid. I’m at peace. I just want to make sure everyone knows that I’m okay… and that I love you all."

My body is weak, but I try my best to move out the front door on my own. The air is fresh and the sky is blue. The sun is shining and the birds are singing. I look up at the sky and smile. I head back to my bedroom when the day's done.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing. Just stay with me. I’m not afraid, Jacklin. I just don’t want to be alone right now. I wish Mama was here. She would know what to do…"

My breathing is shallow and quick. My eyes are heavy as I lay in my bed. Jacklin is by my side, watching over me. The light of the moon is flooding in through the curtained windows.

I barely see Jacklin take out her phone. She's playing "Good Night" for me. I look up and hear the music. A tear escapes my eye, but I just lay there and listen to the song… Ringo’s voice fills the room and I feel a sense of peace as I listen to his comforting words.

Good night, Jacklin. I won’t be long.

I close my eyes, smiling as the music plays. I am calm and relaxed.

"I know."

My breathing grows even shallower and I feel it becoming harder to breathe. I am comfortable, though, with Jacklin by my side and Ringo’s voice filling the room. I still feel tired even when Jacklin gets a blanket and covers me. I am slipping away… so tired…

"Good night. Good night everybody. Everybody everywhere. Good night."

My breathing stops as I slip away to the last line of Ringo's song. The last thing I feel is Jacklin’s hand covering mine. I feel the warmth of her touch… then nothing… then… I am gone…

3rd person POV

A news reporter is on TV describing the tragic news.

"Elvis Presley, one of the most famous and beloved entertainers of all time, passed away yesterday in his home in Memphis. The cause of death was due to a combination of EDS, a weakened body, and years of abuse of medications. But despite these hardships, Elvis leaves behind a legacy of amazing music, timeless movies, and one of the greatest, unmatched talents the world has ever known. Elvis will forever remain in our hearts."

Jacklin makes a tribute at Elvis' funeral.

"I never thought it would be possible to change the timeline and have you live past the 1970s. There's no doubt that if you were given this chance sooner, you'd live even longer."

Elvis' POV

From heaven, I smile down at the people below who are listening to my songs and watching my movies, singing along and dancing to my music. I close my eyes, feeling the warmth of the sunlight on my face and the love of my fans. I smile as I think of my mother and father, my friends, my fans, and the memories I’ve made along the way: the concerts, movies, and music. I look at the world I left behind and am satisfied with what I did with my life. The world looks back at me and smiles. It was a good run..

"Elvis didn't die. He just simply went home."

My head is tilted back and my eyes are closed. My body is relaxed and my hair is blowing slightly in the breeze. The sound of my music and the love of my fans fills the air. They know this isn’t the end. I’m just going home.